Malay Beef Curry

Spices intimidate the bejesus out of me. Pretty normal if one has to deal with something unfamiliar  .  Like, driving a car for the first time, pricking a stranger with a sharp, pointy object as student nurse or  cooking a foreign  ingredient. I wish,  I could say that  I grew up watching my own mother cook or have anybody in my family taught me the ways of the kitchen. But, it was not the case . Numerous cookbooks and food blogs helped me feed my husband through the years. Looking at his and my now- widening girth, I guess, I'm not doing a bad job. But truth remains, I still don't know what herb goes well with what meat. Equally clueless at  what and how much spices I should use in a particular dish. Unlike most Asian cuisines, Filipino kitchen is not as spice laden as its neighbor. We  rarely use cloves, cardamom ,nutmeg and the likes in our cooking, thus making me, an ultimate but average asin (salt) at paminta(pepper) Jane. 

Now, my good Friend Nancy is just the opposite. Being Malaysian, she is expose to the amalgam of her Malay roots, as well as Chinese and Indian influences that are well represented in her country. The contents of her German kitchen is as diverse as her heritage. Glasses are filled with all things aromatic and pungent, spices and herbs she had long mustered and used. She makes impressive curries. Rich, earthy,  very flavourful, enough heat to tickle the palate and  simply über-delicious . It's so good, people ask her a potful of that  for birthdays as a present! 

Her famous Kari Lembu ( Malay Beef Curry) is phenomenal. Secret? Confluencing Malaysian cooking and Indian spices. I have been begging for recipe since I've tried it . Finally,  last month, I was greatly rewarded. I went home with a copy of that recipe, a pack of her Indian curry powder , a bottle of filled with different spices and the widest grin my mouth would allow. My husband was ecstatic ! He loves Indian food and Nancy's curry! 

It was a sunny and warm Saturday but instead of going out and soaking up Vit. D, I was busy in the Kitchen like a woman possessed. FF was breathing on my neck, cutting onions, peeling potatoes, washing dishes and throwing speculative glances on the wok . As the wondrous smell starts to waft  through the Kitchen, he whiffed and sigh looking relieved and hopeful. Hmmm, smells like we're at Namaskaar . Our favorite Indian Restaurant. I grew an inch taller. We ate it for lunch on Sunday, for like all stews, this curry tasted much much better on the next day.We had some home-made , still pipping hot Naan bread and mango lassi with it. This was the very first Indian inspired meal I cooked at home. FF said, it was his best meal at home so far. I grew another mm taller and few inches rounder. Thank you,Nancy!

 Kari Lembu ala Nancy

1 kg beef for stewing, cubed. ( could be replaced with chicken or lamb)

1 stalk lemon grass, crushed and sliced

Spices ( 1 cinnamon stalk, 3 Star anise, 4-5 Cardamon pods, 5-6 cloves)

1 big onion, peeled and finely diced.

5-6 tbsp. Mandras Indian Curry Powder ( mild )

5 tbsp. oil for sautéing 

4 tomatoes, sliced into wedges

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced

300 ml water

1 small can coconut milk

Salt and pepper
few sprigs of curry leaves

Optional* dried chili's

Cooking Procedure:

1.Heat oil in the pan/wok. Sauté onion and lemongrass until aromatic. Stir in curry powder and the spices. Add chili powder/flakes if using. Be careful not to burn the curry.

2. Add the meat ( beef, chicken or lamb). Stir well until each piece of meat is slathered in aromatic curry. Turn heat to high, keep stirring until meat is thoroughly brown . Add in tomato wedges. Pour water into the meat and spices mixture. Bring to a boil the lower the heat , cover and let the dish simmer gently until meat is fork tender. I cooked my beef for about 2 1/2 hours. Chicken cooks faster. I haven't cooked lamb at home so I can not tell. Stir once in a while to prevent meat from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Add half a cup of water if dish turns too dry.

3. Once meat is just tender, add in sliced potatoes and coconut milk. Cook dish for another 15 minutes . Stir in Curry leaves .Check potatoes for doneness. Season dish with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Malay Beef Curry

Thick, rich, aromatic and so, so yummy!This recipe is a keeper!

Forever 21: The Trinity

It was FF's   birthday celebration. Close family members came over for lunch. Small and intimate, just the way he likes it. Since my husband has been keeping me happy and contented all these years,  I feel like showing him how grateful I am. Since I can't afford the  Glashutte watch he's been watching intently in HongKong last year, nor have I enough money to burn on a Porsche 911, I made something that I know he would appreciate and makes him just as happy. After all, somebody said, that the way to the man's heart,  is thru his stomach. Or so thought a wife, before causing her Husband's Diabetes or Gout. 

Anyway, I am fortunate to have a man who likes and enjoys  simple things. Like a good piece of fresh Salmon filet,  crunchy shrimps  and simple yet delicious desserts.  Since it's his day, he is getting it all. 

Appetizer:
Thai Pomelo Salad with Pan seared Prawns served with shrimp and mango Spring rolls

Main Dish:
Pan fried salmon filet wih mango salsa, served with rice and sauteed Brocolli

Dessert:
banana-fritters-ala-mode

Pork Longganisa

Sold at every palengke/market back home. Tantalizing, beckoning , often unrefrigerated and exposed to Mother Nature's mercy. Long live Longganisa! Sweet , juicy and unnaturally red. That's sugar, fat and artificial coloring waltzing together and I can't wait to join in! However, before I could I put my dance shoes on , there are some longganisa issues that needed resolve .

Casing/ Skinless:

The mixture of this particular recipe is firm and could hold its shape. Skinless longganisa is less work and in my humble opinion, less messy. However , if you want authentic looking Pinoy breakfast sausage, hog casing is available at many butcher shops, already  cleaned and ready to use. Just run warm water through the casings and you're good to go. You don't need to buy any expensive kitchen gadget either.

Use a funnel and if you don't have one at home, just use any plastic bottles you have at home.Cut plastic bottle and use the upper end where the narrow opening is. Tadaaa! Now there's your funnel.   Sausages in a brisk . You need about 1 meter or probably less of hog casing for every kilo of sausage. 

Color:

Our sausages back home are characteristically, if not unnaturally,  red. If you have astuete/annato powder, you won't be having this problem.We love flaming colors in our food.  To give the longganisa its distinct color, use paprika or beet root powder instead. Curing salt also renders reddish hue to the longganisa .

Texture:

Longganisa should be juicy . To ensure that, the meat must have enough fat in it. Using lean meat would render dry  longganisas.  Brown compact sugar on the other hand, not only gives the longganisa its sweet flavor, but it also its caramelized gloss.

Taste:

Cure the meat. It makes a big difference. Marinate the minced pork for at least 1 day before cooking it. Let the spices and garlic mingle harmoniously with the meat. Look how this sausage looks after 2 days of refrigeration! Compact, almost glossy and already smellin' so devine!

 
Longganisa ala Emily

500 g fatty minced pork

7 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/2 tbsp . of Worcestershire Sauce

80  g of brown sugar

1 tbsp of sweet paprika powder or1 tsp astuete powder

Salt and lots of freshly grounded pepper

Instruction:

1.In a clean mixing bowl, add the meat and seasoning.

2. For Skinless Longganisa : Grease an aluminum foil, shiny side up with butter. Drop about 2 tbsp. of Longganisa mixture on it and shape it into a log. Roll tightly and store in a close container and refrigerate for at least 1 day. After curing the sausage overnight, you could freeze it for the next use.

Longganisa with Casing: Pipe sausage mass into the hog casing. They're are a lot of videos in You Tube that you could follow. I used it as a guide. 

Cooking Procedure:

Longganisa

Left: Skinless Longganisa- Heat a bit of oil in a pan and pan fry sausage under medium heat until fully cooked.

Right: With Casing- Cook sausage in 1 cup of water.  Let water simmer until it fully evaporates. Then prick sausage with the tip of a knife and let sausage cook in its own juice. 

My Favorite Silog!

FF enjoyed these breakfast sausage so much, he even eats it for dinner and have it as snack while watching TV .As for me, I had longsilog for 4 straight days. No, I was not complaining either.