Kobe Keema (Son No 2 Version)

A decent amount of olive oil
1 onion, chopped relatively small
A few cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
500g mince
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tblsp ground cumin
1 tblsp ground coriander
1/3 of a white cabbage, chopped finely
1 glass red wine (to drink)

Simple one this. Fry the onions in the olive oil until starting to brown, then add the garlic for a minute or two. Add the spices and fry for 30 seconds, then add the mince. Once the mince is browned then add the cabbage, put a lid on the pan and turn it down to the lowest heat. It'll take about 20 minutes or so for the cabbage to cook through and you just need to stir occasionally during that time. At this point taste it and see if there's enough spice and flavour. If not add garam masala or curry powder to taste.

Southern Malaysian prawns

A real winner this one. Thanks to Mum for the recipe. Serves 4


1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
half tsp sugar
2 tsps rice wine or dry sherry
3 tblsp oil
85g shallots
1 and half tsp ginger finely chopped or grated
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
chillies to taste
1 tblsp yellow bean sauce
1 tsp curry powder
10-15 curry leaves
450g raw prawns deveined etc
salt perhaps but I think not

combine oyster sauce, soy, sugar, rice wine,and 4 tblsp water in small bowl...stir
  Pour oil into wok, medium heat, add shallots, ginger, garlic and chillies. stir rapidly for 1 minute
Add bean sauce. stir
Add curry powder, stir
Add curry leaves and prawns stir
Add oyster sauce mixture, stir
Cover, reduce heat cook for about 2 mins or till prawns are done
Remove lid, increase heat, stir once or twice then serve

Ian's Chili con Carne.

Ingredients:

1tsb cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1 onion, chopped.
5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
A small amount of ginger
1 red pepper, chopped into cubes
A splash of red wine
500g minced beef
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 beef stock cube
3 teaspoons mild chili powder
1 tsb ground cumin
1 small square of dark chocolate
1tsb paprika
Kidney beans
1 glass of red wine (to drink)

Stick some olive oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds, bay leaves and star anise for a minute or so, then add the onions and fry until just starting to brown. Add the pepper, garlic and ginger and fry for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of red wine and cook for another minute then throw the mince in.

Once the mince is browned then add the rest of the ingredients in order one by one, except the kidney beans. The stock cube can be crumbled straight in. Add salt and pepper to taste and then let it simmer for an hour. The kidney beans can be added for the last ten minutes. Serve with rice and Tabasco Sauce on the side for strength.

The chili powder I tend to use is Sainsbury's stuff so has a small amount of oregano, garlic and cumin in it, so if straight chili powder is being used then these may or may not need to be added. Obviously it can be made hotter by using hot chili powder, or adding chilies during cooking.

Chicken Boti Kebabs - MJ pg 221

One tried specially for The Wife and it has her seal of approval. Very easy to do but benefits from being allowed to marinate over night. I tend to add a tablespoon of garam masala but other than that it's by the book. Perfect as a side dish as well.

Chicken Vindaloo - MJ pg 108

First thing to say is that this is not like a Vindaloo you would have in an Indian. It's slightly more tart in flavour and it's not a smooth sauce like you have in a restaurant. It is, however, far better than any I have had out. The 'sour' taste of the vinegar really comes through and it needs the sugar that is in the recipe, though you can cut back a bit.

I cooked it with diced chicken breast rather than duck pieces, and half a tin of chopped tomatoes rather then peeling and chopping fresh ones. Other than that I pretty much stuck to the recipe. As is often the case though you don't need to add anywhere near as much water as the recipe suggests if you're gooking int a normal pan. Oh, and I didn't put a full tablespoon of salt in either.

Another one that comes recommended.

Green Coriander Chicken MJ pg 79

This is possibly my favourite home-cooked curry. It's a great texture, has a bit of kick, and fantastic flavour. I cook it pretty much as per the recipe except wih diced chicken breast and slightly less salt. It took longer to reduce down than the recipe suggests so leave yourself plenty of time to cook it. The sauce ends up nice and thick and very green.

This comes highly recommended.

Right Then...

I've been saying for a while I'm going to strat writing on this again and I am. As much as anything else I forget what I've cooked and liked and what I haven't.