I was planning on putting up a shortbread recipe today --it being the holiday season dontcha know-- but I've just found out that someone way up north is interested in a lamb curry. Specifically, a lamb curry that features cardamom.
Now, I don't have enough time to write a dissertation on cardamom (a spice I LOVE) cus it's already 4:30 pm and I've got a crew to cook for. And I also don't have enough time to completely list exact amounts of every single item. However, she won't mind cus she cooks this way too so I'm sure she'll figure it out --you will too, no worries.
I do have time to tell you that I make many many many different kinds of curries and that this particular one could maybe be classified as a massaman type curry (from Thailand, but this is waaaay different) but until 5 minutes ago I had never even heard that name.
Therefore I think I can safely claim this curry as one of my own.
Alrighty, clock is ticking and after this post I need to get cooking!
Here we... GO!
Dingo Dave's Cardamom Lamb Curry
What you need:
8 green cardamom pods
small palmfull crushed peanuts (put some shelled peanuts in the cupped palm of one hand and run the thumb from your other hand over it; tada! crushed nuts!)
1 crushed garlic clove
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp dried mint
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamom powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder*
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 lbs diced lamb --whether from chops, a roast, leg, etc. Doesn't matter.
2 or 3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon grass (just use the jarred kind), finely minced
1/2 glass lambrusco wine (it's what I had in my hand at the time)
1/2 glass dark ale (it's what I had in my other hand at the time)
1 can (400 mls --around 13 ounces) coconut cream
*coriander is called cilantro in North America. The powder is the dried, ground seeds of the plant; NOT the leaves.
What you do:
Put the first 5 ingredients (notice how I grouped the goodies so it's easy to see?) in a dry (no oil) wok. Fry for 3 minutes while tossing/stirring. Add the mixture to a mortar and go to town on it with your pestal! Don't worry about the shells of the pods, they'll get ground up and add to the flavour, trust me.
Mix the next 7 ingredients (tamarind paste through ginger powder) in a bowl. Add the diced lamb to the bowl and mix to coat the lamb pieces well.
Put the olive oil (traditionally you'd use ghee, but I use olive oil) in your wok and crank up the heat. After about 30 seconds it should be ready to add the coated lamb, the onion and the lemongrass. Cook and sear for about 2 minutes, tossing/stirring regularly.
Turn the heat down to low, add the wine and the beer. Stir to deglaze the wok. Add the cardamom spice mix from the mortar, stir it in. Let the liquid cook down by half --should only take 1 or 2 minutes. Add the coconut cream, stir everything together and simmer till the texture is to your liking. Just make sure you don't boil the coconut cream or else it'll separate.
Serve it over jasmine or basmati rice (I suggest you cook the rice). If it's too spicy for someone at the table just top their's with some plain yoghurt, no worries. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
This is good stuff, really.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Quick and Easy Creamy Cheese Sauce
Have you ever needed to make a really quick cheese sauce to go on something? Then this is for you!
Cheap, easy, simple. I think anyone, and I mean anyone, can make this.
It all started the other day when I had to spin out 2 basa fillets to make a meal for 5 adults. I cubed the fish to about dice size, tossed them in some seasoned breadcrumbs (salt, white pepper, cumin) and then put the tray in the oven. They were to be served over a rice dish --something like a risotto but with way different seasonings.
As the rice was almost done and the fish ready to come out of the oven, I realised that this dish needed a sauce to drizzle over the top! I didn't panic, just took a quick look at what I had on hand so I could make a quick sauce, which would go well with the crumbed whitefish with rice, and decided upon a creamy cheese sauce.
Here's what you need:
1 cup cream
1 tsp crushed garlic
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated colby cheese
1 pinch of dried mint
1 pinch of dillweed
And here's what you do:
Toss everything EXCEPT the cheese into a small saucepan. Light a fire under it and heat till it simmers (DON'T LET IT BOIL OR BUBBLE, else there'll be trouble). Stir it a bit as it heats up. Once it's simmering, add the grated cheese, stir till the cheese is melted and then serve it up!
See? Couldn't be easier. This should also go well over poultry, any non-oily fish, pork or beef roast (drizzle over the slices of beef when you are serving). If you have other thoughts about what this would go well with, just lemme know in the comments.
Oh, if you make this with bleu cheese it'll work great, but the flavour is much stronger so the meat needs to be cooked differently --like fried pork chops with the sauce drizzled over.
Cheap, easy, simple. I think anyone, and I mean anyone, can make this.
It all started the other day when I had to spin out 2 basa fillets to make a meal for 5 adults. I cubed the fish to about dice size, tossed them in some seasoned breadcrumbs (salt, white pepper, cumin) and then put the tray in the oven. They were to be served over a rice dish --something like a risotto but with way different seasonings.
As the rice was almost done and the fish ready to come out of the oven, I realised that this dish needed a sauce to drizzle over the top! I didn't panic, just took a quick look at what I had on hand so I could make a quick sauce, which would go well with the crumbed whitefish with rice, and decided upon a creamy cheese sauce.
Here's what you need:
1 cup cream
1 tsp crushed garlic
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated colby cheese
1 pinch of dried mint
1 pinch of dillweed
And here's what you do:
Toss everything EXCEPT the cheese into a small saucepan. Light a fire under it and heat till it simmers (DON'T LET IT BOIL OR BUBBLE, else there'll be trouble). Stir it a bit as it heats up. Once it's simmering, add the grated cheese, stir till the cheese is melted and then serve it up!
See? Couldn't be easier. This should also go well over poultry, any non-oily fish, pork or beef roast (drizzle over the slices of beef when you are serving). If you have other thoughts about what this would go well with, just lemme know in the comments.
Oh, if you make this with bleu cheese it'll work great, but the flavour is much stronger so the meat needs to be cooked differently --like fried pork chops with the sauce drizzled over.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Dave's 2009 Holiday Feast
Yes, this year I've been told to keep Dave's Annual Super-Awesome Holiday Feast down to a more, shall we say, reasonable level than in years' gone by.
So to help with that, I've started making tofu.
Yes, tofu.
Turns out it's very quick and easy to make! Very cheap too AND you get a big batch of okara leftover to make things like fake burgers, fake roasts, fake pork, fake roast chook... well, you get the idea.
And then there's all the neat things you can do with tofu! Marinate it, smoke it, grill it, stuff it, feed it to someone you don't like... See? There's so much you can do with just some plain soy beans and magnesium chloride!
In fact, I have decided that this years' feast will be meat free and all the meat dishes will be made with my own homemade tofu!
Bullshit.
But I have started making tofu. It will, however, of course, have practically NOTHING to do with any of the food this holiday season.
Many of you may be familiar with my previous menus, many of you may not. Just keep in mind that all but a few dishes on the menu are homemade. By me.
And the pots and pans are home cleaned. By me.
Yes, it's amazing what I go through, sigh...
Oh, if you want to learn how to make any of these, then just lemme know and hopefully one of these recipes will appear (like magic!) on this blog.
And don't worry, there'll be a funny pic of dave at the end of all this, so please read --NOTE: the funny pic of me appears at my other blog. And keep in mind that this is meant to be spaced out over 3 weeks. And it's in no particular order. And no food is wasted.
And.
Here.
We.
GO!
holiday feast 2009
stout beer n brats w onions
homemade pizzas
peanut butter cheesecake w/ hot fudge sauce --I've been told if I don't make this each year then I'd better sleep with one eye open.
3 sushi platters
homemade chocolates
homemade tofu, marinated, smoked, grilled, etc.
roast chook w/ all the fixins
baked pumpkin
roasted pumpkin seeds --from the above pumpkin
toasted chilli n garlic almonds & peanuts
pork roast wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted with polynesian
seasonings.
highland oat cakes
apples n bleu cheese
various homemade cheeses
1 xmas fruitcake
1 xmas pudding
pineapple & maple syrup glazed ham
candied sweet potatoes
fried worms
cinnamon raisin bread
many loaves of white and wholemeal bread
grilled basa fillets
many servings of my extra special chips (thick fries)
advokaat cheesecake
1 bottle of advokaat for above cheesecake
lots of homebrews; stout, lager, dark ale, regular ale, chilli beer, etc.
garden greens salads
marinated fish & onion & cucumber salad
4 kilos of sausage --if we have a pool party
onions for above sausage
1 apricot cobbler
mexican buffet with all the fixin's
champagne n strawberries
green beans n red capsicums w/ bacon & peanut sauce
panforte --awesomely great xmas cake
souvlaki chicken w/ tabouli & tzatziki
devonshire cream tea
pineapple sherbet
pineapple topping
pineapple tarts
pineapple coconut pie
banana jam
charlotte rouse
O'Leary's Irish Cream
brandy
cask of red wine
cask of white wine
shortbread
hot fudge sauce
waldorf salad
herbed, baked spuds
hummus
whipped cream stuffed crepes w/ dark chocolate sauce
See? I've kept it simple this year! Harumph.
So to help with that, I've started making tofu.
Yes, tofu.
Turns out it's very quick and easy to make! Very cheap too AND you get a big batch of okara leftover to make things like fake burgers, fake roasts, fake pork, fake roast chook... well, you get the idea.
And then there's all the neat things you can do with tofu! Marinate it, smoke it, grill it, stuff it, feed it to someone you don't like... See? There's so much you can do with just some plain soy beans and magnesium chloride!
In fact, I have decided that this years' feast will be meat free and all the meat dishes will be made with my own homemade tofu!
Bullshit.
But I have started making tofu. It will, however, of course, have practically NOTHING to do with any of the food this holiday season.
Many of you may be familiar with my previous menus, many of you may not. Just keep in mind that all but a few dishes on the menu are homemade. By me.
And the pots and pans are home cleaned. By me.
Yes, it's amazing what I go through, sigh...
Oh, if you want to learn how to make any of these, then just lemme know and hopefully one of these recipes will appear (like magic!) on this blog.
And don't worry, there'll be a funny pic of dave at the end of all this, so please read --NOTE: the funny pic of me appears at my other blog. And keep in mind that this is meant to be spaced out over 3 weeks. And it's in no particular order. And no food is wasted.
And.
Here.
We.
GO!
holiday feast 2009
stout beer n brats w onions
homemade pizzas
peanut butter cheesecake w/ hot fudge sauce --I've been told if I don't make this each year then I'd better sleep with one eye open.
3 sushi platters
homemade chocolates
homemade tofu, marinated, smoked, grilled, etc.
roast chook w/ all the fixins
baked pumpkin
roasted pumpkin seeds --from the above pumpkin
toasted chilli n garlic almonds & peanuts
pork roast wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted with polynesian
seasonings.
highland oat cakes
apples n bleu cheese
various homemade cheeses
1 xmas fruitcake
1 xmas pudding
pineapple & maple syrup glazed ham
candied sweet potatoes
fried worms
cinnamon raisin bread
many loaves of white and wholemeal bread
grilled basa fillets
many servings of my extra special chips (thick fries)
advokaat cheesecake
1 bottle of advokaat for above cheesecake
lots of homebrews; stout, lager, dark ale, regular ale, chilli beer, etc.
garden greens salads
marinated fish & onion & cucumber salad
4 kilos of sausage --if we have a pool party
onions for above sausage
1 apricot cobbler
mexican buffet with all the fixin's
champagne n strawberries
green beans n red capsicums w/ bacon & peanut sauce
panforte --awesomely great xmas cake
souvlaki chicken w/ tabouli & tzatziki
devonshire cream tea
pineapple sherbet
pineapple topping
pineapple tarts
pineapple coconut pie
banana jam
charlotte rouse
O'Leary's Irish Cream
brandy
cask of red wine
cask of white wine
shortbread
hot fudge sauce
waldorf salad
herbed, baked spuds
hummus
whipped cream stuffed crepes w/ dark chocolate sauce
See? I've kept it simple this year! Harumph.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Cheesy Baked Croquettes with Smoked Trout & Prawn Sauce
Yeah, that's quite the title isn't it? The prawn sauce is optional, BTW. One night I served them as a main course without the prawn sauce but with a side salad, and the next night as a side dish with the prawn sauce.
Personally, I like them better with the prawn sauce.
The amounts of each ingredient aren't listed --with one or two exceptions-- you'll see why, no worries.
Cheesy Baked Croquettes with Smoked Trout & Prawn Sauce
What you need:
For the croquettes:
4 to 6 cups of leftover mashed potato --do I REALLY need to explain how to make mashed spuds?
handful of fresh basil leaves
diced cheddar cheese --somewhere around 1.5 cm but please don't be exact
salt
pepper
couple of handfuls of bread crumbs
cumin powder
turmeric powder
thin-sliced smoked trout (or smoked salmon)
For the prawn sauce:
Handful of prawn shells (I ALWAYS keep prawn shells after shelling the prawns, they freeze well and you just break off a hunk whenever you want to make a sauce or stock)
1 crushed garlic clove
1 or 2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lambrusco wine
1 tbsp cream fraiche OR sour cream OR double cream
dash of sea salt
dash of ground white pepper
4 cups H2O (water)
Whut U Due:
Cube some cheddar cheese to around 1.5 cm (3/5 of an inch) --or somewhere thereabouts. Mince up some fresh basil leaves (rinse them first, could be caterpillars hiding).
Your cutting board should now look thusly:
Mix the basil into the mashed spuds. Place some of the spuds into your hand --each croquette should be between golfball and tennis ball size.
Flatten the mashed potato in your palm and place a piece of cheese in the middle.
Carefully mold the potato around the cheese
Ta-da!
Make up as many or as few as you'd like, no worries. I used three per person as a main and one per person as a side dish. Put them on a plate and then refridgerate for an hour. This way they'll be easier to crumb.
So, like, what to do for an hour while the croquettes chill in the fridge? How about make some prawn sauce!
Add your empty prawn shells and the garlic and 4 cups of water into a saucepan. Crank the heat up and simmer for an hour. If the water gets too low, then just add some more water. You want to end up with around 2 cups of liquid.
Turn off the heat. Take a potato masher and mash the shells flat to extract every last bit of prawny goodness. Strain and return the strained liquid to the pan. Cover the saucepan and set aside. Let's return to the croquettes.
Spread your plain bread crumbs on a tray or plate. The sprinkle on a bit of salt and two of my favourite spices; cumin powder and turmeric powder.
Mix the breadcrumbs around so the crumbs are full of the spices.
After the potato balls have chilled, take them out of the fridge and make up an egg wash: one egg plus equal amount water. And put a bit of flour in a bowl too.
Roll each bowl in the flour (lightly shake off excess), roll it in the egg wash, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
This is what they look like before baking:
Bake them at around 375 F. Long enough to brown the breading, but not so long that the cheese leaks out. 15 mins should do it --I wasn't timing these but I'd check every few minutes to make sure the cheese wasn't running out.
While they bake, shall we finish the sauce?
Turn the heat on the liquid as low as possible and add the mustard, wine, salt and pepper. Whisk it well, let the sauce come up to a simmer (don't boil it) and taste for seasonings. You might want to add a bit more salt or pepper, but don't make it spicy as this isn't a spicy sauce.
Turn the heat off and cover to keep warm. Just before serving whisk in the cream fraiche (or sour cream or double cream). If you need to heat it back up do so, but it'll only take a minute at most --don't let it boil after you've added the cream.
Spoon it over the baked croquettes BEFORE you top with the smoked trout and basil sprig.
This is what the croquettes look like after baking:
The first night they were a main course without sauce. 3 per plate and a thin slice of smoked trout curled on top. This was my plate:
No, that's not gunky, fatty dressing. It's my own homemade tzatziki
The next night they were a side dish to baked basa and I made the prawn sauce to drizzle over the top. After the sauce is drizzled over the croquettes, then artfully arrange a slice of smoked trout on top and fresh basil to top it. This plate was MIL's just before I added the side salad.
This plate was mine:
I've been told that I can make these ANY time I want, everyone loved them. Enjoy!
Personally, I like them better with the prawn sauce.
The amounts of each ingredient aren't listed --with one or two exceptions-- you'll see why, no worries.
Cheesy Baked Croquettes with Smoked Trout & Prawn Sauce
What you need:
For the croquettes:
4 to 6 cups of leftover mashed potato --do I REALLY need to explain how to make mashed spuds?
handful of fresh basil leaves
diced cheddar cheese --somewhere around 1.5 cm but please don't be exact
salt
pepper
couple of handfuls of bread crumbs
cumin powder
turmeric powder
thin-sliced smoked trout (or smoked salmon)
For the prawn sauce:
Handful of prawn shells (I ALWAYS keep prawn shells after shelling the prawns, they freeze well and you just break off a hunk whenever you want to make a sauce or stock)
1 crushed garlic clove
1 or 2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lambrusco wine
1 tbsp cream fraiche OR sour cream OR double cream
dash of sea salt
dash of ground white pepper
4 cups H2O (water)
Whut U Due:
Cube some cheddar cheese to around 1.5 cm (3/5 of an inch) --or somewhere thereabouts. Mince up some fresh basil leaves (rinse them first, could be caterpillars hiding).
Your cutting board should now look thusly:
Mix the basil into the mashed spuds. Place some of the spuds into your hand --each croquette should be between golfball and tennis ball size.
Flatten the mashed potato in your palm and place a piece of cheese in the middle.
Carefully mold the potato around the cheese
Ta-da!
Make up as many or as few as you'd like, no worries. I used three per person as a main and one per person as a side dish. Put them on a plate and then refridgerate for an hour. This way they'll be easier to crumb.
So, like, what to do for an hour while the croquettes chill in the fridge? How about make some prawn sauce!
Add your empty prawn shells and the garlic and 4 cups of water into a saucepan. Crank the heat up and simmer for an hour. If the water gets too low, then just add some more water. You want to end up with around 2 cups of liquid.
Turn off the heat. Take a potato masher and mash the shells flat to extract every last bit of prawny goodness. Strain and return the strained liquid to the pan. Cover the saucepan and set aside. Let's return to the croquettes.
Spread your plain bread crumbs on a tray or plate. The sprinkle on a bit of salt and two of my favourite spices; cumin powder and turmeric powder.
Mix the breadcrumbs around so the crumbs are full of the spices.
After the potato balls have chilled, take them out of the fridge and make up an egg wash: one egg plus equal amount water. And put a bit of flour in a bowl too.
Roll each bowl in the flour (lightly shake off excess), roll it in the egg wash, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
This is what they look like before baking:
Bake them at around 375 F. Long enough to brown the breading, but not so long that the cheese leaks out. 15 mins should do it --I wasn't timing these but I'd check every few minutes to make sure the cheese wasn't running out.
While they bake, shall we finish the sauce?
Turn the heat on the liquid as low as possible and add the mustard, wine, salt and pepper. Whisk it well, let the sauce come up to a simmer (don't boil it) and taste for seasonings. You might want to add a bit more salt or pepper, but don't make it spicy as this isn't a spicy sauce.
Turn the heat off and cover to keep warm. Just before serving whisk in the cream fraiche (or sour cream or double cream). If you need to heat it back up do so, but it'll only take a minute at most --don't let it boil after you've added the cream.
Spoon it over the baked croquettes BEFORE you top with the smoked trout and basil sprig.
This is what the croquettes look like after baking:
The first night they were a main course without sauce. 3 per plate and a thin slice of smoked trout curled on top. This was my plate:
No, that's not gunky, fatty dressing. It's my own homemade tzatziki
The next night they were a side dish to baked basa and I made the prawn sauce to drizzle over the top. After the sauce is drizzled over the croquettes, then artfully arrange a slice of smoked trout on top and fresh basil to top it. This plate was MIL's just before I added the side salad.
This plate was mine:
I've been told that I can make these ANY time I want, everyone loved them. Enjoy!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Creamy Red Wine Sauce
The other day we picked up some t-bone steaks from our local butcher for an awesomely great price. The consensus for cooking them was lightly salted, seared on the grill, then finished in the oven (actually "ovened" on the grill since it has enough burners and a lid that I can use it as an oven). Their's took 23 mins, whereas mine took 7 (1 min 30 sec a side on a hot grill to sear, then 4 mins in a hot oven --I like mine rare).
Both the rare and well done steaks were very tender and juicy, everybody was happy. They were especially happy with a sauce I decided to make in the wok for a topping for the steaks. You can make this very quickly and easily while the steaks are cooking, no worries. There's numerous substitutions you can use, I'll tell you about that at the end of the post.
Dingo Dave's Creamy Red Wine Sauce
What you need:
1/4 of an onion, finely minced
1 mushroom, minced
pinch of salt
dash black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 glass dry red wine (plus 1 glass for the cook)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3 tbsp sour cream
What you do:
Add the first six ingredients (like how I grouped them for you?) to a hot wok. Stir and cook for about 2 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another minute whilst stirring frequently.
At this point there shouldn't be much of any liquid left in the wok. Now add the red wine to deglaze the wok. Keep the heat on till the liquid is reduced by half. Turn to your lowest heat and add the mustard and tarragon. Stir it through till everything is combined and then turn the heat off.
Now add the sour cream, stir everything thoroughly.
If you've timed it right, your steaks should be coming off the grill and onto plates right about now. Spoon the sauce over the top and ENJOY!
Substitutions:
I was wanting to use thick, double cream but I was out. Hence the sour cream. Next time I'll use the cream.
Use 2 tbsp butter with no olive oil in the initial step. And vice-versa, of course.
Jarred, prepared garlic can be used instead of fresh cloves, no worries.
Add a pinch of mint at the same time you add the tarragon.
Slice up a couple of fresh shrooms and sautee them for 2 mins in butter, salt, and tarragon. Drain the shrooms and then add them at the same time you add the cream. Use a couple of slices of crusty baguette to soak up the drained, flavourful butter.
Both the rare and well done steaks were very tender and juicy, everybody was happy. They were especially happy with a sauce I decided to make in the wok for a topping for the steaks. You can make this very quickly and easily while the steaks are cooking, no worries. There's numerous substitutions you can use, I'll tell you about that at the end of the post.
Dingo Dave's Creamy Red Wine Sauce
What you need:
1/4 of an onion, finely minced
1 mushroom, minced
pinch of salt
dash black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 glass dry red wine (plus 1 glass for the cook)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3 tbsp sour cream
What you do:
Add the first six ingredients (like how I grouped them for you?) to a hot wok. Stir and cook for about 2 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another minute whilst stirring frequently.
At this point there shouldn't be much of any liquid left in the wok. Now add the red wine to deglaze the wok. Keep the heat on till the liquid is reduced by half. Turn to your lowest heat and add the mustard and tarragon. Stir it through till everything is combined and then turn the heat off.
Now add the sour cream, stir everything thoroughly.
If you've timed it right, your steaks should be coming off the grill and onto plates right about now. Spoon the sauce over the top and ENJOY!
Substitutions:
I was wanting to use thick, double cream but I was out. Hence the sour cream. Next time I'll use the cream.
Use 2 tbsp butter with no olive oil in the initial step. And vice-versa, of course.
Jarred, prepared garlic can be used instead of fresh cloves, no worries.
Add a pinch of mint at the same time you add the tarragon.
Slice up a couple of fresh shrooms and sautee them for 2 mins in butter, salt, and tarragon. Drain the shrooms and then add them at the same time you add the cream. Use a couple of slices of crusty baguette to soak up the drained, flavourful butter.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Grilled Garlic & Chilli Prawns
Ahhhhh, this is a great lip-tingling, spicy-hot, tasty, summer grilling treat. Why do you get a great summer recipe as the Holiday season approaches? Cus I'm in Oz where it is late spring and yesterday I saw 110 F in the shade and 143 F in the sun.
Obviously this weather calls for spicy food to help cool you down! Ahem. It works, really. Trust me, 'k?
Wifey-Poo and I got a great deal on some local tiger prawns the other day. I decided I wanted to grill mine and make them rather spicy. I dug back through my ancient memories of when I was in Austin, Texas, USA. There was this one place I found that made the best cajun crawdads.
What I made last night turned out to be a very good approximation of the lip-tingling goodness that I remembered.
You can make this as a main course or a side dish. Just depends on how many prawns ya got.
The first thing to do is make the chilli/garlic paste. There are 3 ways to do this.
An easy way: Mix 2 tbsp prepared garlic with 1 tbsp cayenne powder, a pinch of sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp prepared ginger.
Another easy way: Same as above but with 2 tbsp of chilli paste (the real stuff) instead of the cayenne powder.
The easiest way: Go to an oriental grocery store and buy a jar of garlic/chilli paste.
Now put 10 raw, not-shelled, tiger prawns into a bowl, and spoon 2 tbsp of garlic/chilli paste (however you made it) onto the raw, NOT shelled tiger prawns. Use your fingers to make sure the paste coats all the prawns (be careful!!!!!! They are spiny). Then sprinkle 1 tbsp of ground black pepper over the prawns and toss them gently so the black pepper has stuck to the garlic/chilli paste.
Crank up your barby to medium high heat. Place the prawns on the barby and grill for about 2 minutes a side (don't overcook or they'll be tough instead of succulent).
Put the blackened prawns on a plate to cool just enough so that you can handle them. This would be a very good time to wash your hands, BTW.
To eat them, just rip the heads off (make sure you suck out all the juices from the head part of the shell), quickly shell the rest of the prawn and eat it. Continue until all the prawns are gone.
Your brow should have a nice sweat by now. An ice cold lager will take the heat off your tongue and the capillary-dilating properties of the spices will cool your body on a hot summer day.
Seriously, This. Is. Good.
Obviously this weather calls for spicy food to help cool you down! Ahem. It works, really. Trust me, 'k?
Wifey-Poo and I got a great deal on some local tiger prawns the other day. I decided I wanted to grill mine and make them rather spicy. I dug back through my ancient memories of when I was in Austin, Texas, USA. There was this one place I found that made the best cajun crawdads.
What I made last night turned out to be a very good approximation of the lip-tingling goodness that I remembered.
You can make this as a main course or a side dish. Just depends on how many prawns ya got.
The first thing to do is make the chilli/garlic paste. There are 3 ways to do this.
An easy way: Mix 2 tbsp prepared garlic with 1 tbsp cayenne powder, a pinch of sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp prepared ginger.
Another easy way: Same as above but with 2 tbsp of chilli paste (the real stuff) instead of the cayenne powder.
The easiest way: Go to an oriental grocery store and buy a jar of garlic/chilli paste.
Now put 10 raw, not-shelled, tiger prawns into a bowl, and spoon 2 tbsp of garlic/chilli paste (however you made it) onto the raw, NOT shelled tiger prawns. Use your fingers to make sure the paste coats all the prawns (be careful!!!!!! They are spiny). Then sprinkle 1 tbsp of ground black pepper over the prawns and toss them gently so the black pepper has stuck to the garlic/chilli paste.
Crank up your barby to medium high heat. Place the prawns on the barby and grill for about 2 minutes a side (don't overcook or they'll be tough instead of succulent).
Put the blackened prawns on a plate to cool just enough so that you can handle them. This would be a very good time to wash your hands, BTW.
To eat them, just rip the heads off (make sure you suck out all the juices from the head part of the shell), quickly shell the rest of the prawn and eat it. Continue until all the prawns are gone.
Your brow should have a nice sweat by now. An ice cold lager will take the heat off your tongue and the capillary-dilating properties of the spices will cool your body on a hot summer day.
Seriously, This. Is. Good.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Fish cured in lemon juice
I'm assuming you all know that meat can be "cooked" by using acetic acid instead of heat? Am I right? Or am I wrong? Either way, no matter.
Two obvious choices for sourcing your acetic acid are either vinegar (please use fermented, not distilled) or citrus (lemon juice is commonly used). The longer you marinate the meat, the more "cooked" it becomes.
For this recipe I chose fish, specifically basa, and a very short "cooking" time. If you like sushi, then this is for YOU! As far as the salad fixings... well, I used what I happened to have on hand at the time. Feel free to substitute.
Sorry, no pictures as I was also making dinner for the other 3 folk who live here. They all wanted their basa baked in my special tarragon sauce with chips, so I was a bit busy getting it all together.
Next time though, I WILL take pictures!
Hmmmmm, this turned into a fish salad which was my main (and only) dish that evening. What shall we call it...?
Dingo Dave's Fish Salad!
What you need:
1 small whitefish fillet --I used basa cus that's what I had.
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup (approximate) shredded cabbage
1 tbsp finely minced yellow onion
1 tsp (approximate) sesame oil
1/4 tsp mild curry powder
pinch of sea salt
1 sheet rice paper
1 sheet nori seaweed, torn into small pieces --very healthy!
1 small handful of fresh bean sprouts
1 tbsp finely minced red onion
1 small anchovy, finely minced
What you do:
Put the first 5 ingredients into a ziplock plastic baggie. Evacuate all the air and zip that puppy shut. Very gently massage the bag to mix everything together. Then toss it in the fridge. I left mine in for 30 mins. This left the middle raw with a couple of mm of "cooked" fish on the outside. If you want it "cooked" through, then leave it in the fridge a longer time.
With about ten minutes left of your fish "cooking" time, put the next 5 ingredients in a wok and stir fry on high heat for 45 seconds to a minute --tossing/stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
Put your sheet of rice paper into lukewarm water to soften. It'll take a couple of minutes so now's the time to thin slice the fish.
Take the cured fish out of the bag and thin slice it. I try to get my slices around 2 to 4 millimetres thick. A sharp knife is a MUST for this step. Also, the cooler the fish is the easier it is to thin slice.
Spread the semi-cooled cabbage from the wok on a plate. Then arrange the fish and the last 4 ingredients however you'd like. Oh, I sprinkled a small pinch of dried chilli flakes on mine, nice kicker!
Next time I'll take pictures, especially of the slicing part so you can see how to thin slice the fish.
Feel free to liberally substitute any of the salad fixings, no worries. This is just what I happened to have handy and would also be quick 'n' easy as I was making dinner for everyone else too.
Two obvious choices for sourcing your acetic acid are either vinegar (please use fermented, not distilled) or citrus (lemon juice is commonly used). The longer you marinate the meat, the more "cooked" it becomes.
For this recipe I chose fish, specifically basa, and a very short "cooking" time. If you like sushi, then this is for YOU! As far as the salad fixings... well, I used what I happened to have on hand at the time. Feel free to substitute.
Sorry, no pictures as I was also making dinner for the other 3 folk who live here. They all wanted their basa baked in my special tarragon sauce with chips, so I was a bit busy getting it all together.
Next time though, I WILL take pictures!
Hmmmmm, this turned into a fish salad which was my main (and only) dish that evening. What shall we call it...?
Dingo Dave's Fish Salad!
What you need:
1 small whitefish fillet --I used basa cus that's what I had.
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup (approximate) shredded cabbage
1 tbsp finely minced yellow onion
1 tsp (approximate) sesame oil
1/4 tsp mild curry powder
pinch of sea salt
1 sheet rice paper
1 sheet nori seaweed, torn into small pieces --very healthy!
1 small handful of fresh bean sprouts
1 tbsp finely minced red onion
1 small anchovy, finely minced
What you do:
Put the first 5 ingredients into a ziplock plastic baggie. Evacuate all the air and zip that puppy shut. Very gently massage the bag to mix everything together. Then toss it in the fridge. I left mine in for 30 mins. This left the middle raw with a couple of mm of "cooked" fish on the outside. If you want it "cooked" through, then leave it in the fridge a longer time.
With about ten minutes left of your fish "cooking" time, put the next 5 ingredients in a wok and stir fry on high heat for 45 seconds to a minute --tossing/stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
Put your sheet of rice paper into lukewarm water to soften. It'll take a couple of minutes so now's the time to thin slice the fish.
Take the cured fish out of the bag and thin slice it. I try to get my slices around 2 to 4 millimetres thick. A sharp knife is a MUST for this step. Also, the cooler the fish is the easier it is to thin slice.
Spread the semi-cooled cabbage from the wok on a plate. Then arrange the fish and the last 4 ingredients however you'd like. Oh, I sprinkled a small pinch of dried chilli flakes on mine, nice kicker!
Next time I'll take pictures, especially of the slicing part so you can see how to thin slice the fish.
Feel free to liberally substitute any of the salad fixings, no worries. This is just what I happened to have handy and would also be quick 'n' easy as I was making dinner for everyone else too.
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