"Awesome!"

I have to say that in our household we are not really cutting edge with the latest technology.  Partly a deficit of money and partly due I guess to our age, we often find ourselves several years behind the latest trend.  I remember taking delivery of my new computer in 2002 which was the size of a small house, and on the advice of a friend I connected to the Internet.  I just used to sit in front of it and wonder what on earth I was meant to do with it. E-mail was alien enough, let alone blogging. I had never even heard of it. Ten years later, I have just about got my head around blogging and everybody else has moved on to Twitter.


So when I tell you that Hugh has a new addiction, you can guarantee it is a bit out of date.  He has discovered Man versus food, probably about  four years later than most people and has been watching it obsessively on Dave on Monday nights, raving about  the fantastic food in America, especially the sandwiches.   Due to our lack of SKY he only discovered the channel Food Network UK a few weeks ago but now that he has, he seems to be able to watch Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives pretty much solidly, every night.  And now my life is a constant barrage of requests for burgers, pulled pork, Texan chicken hash, smoked beef brisket and every sandwich you can imagine - Po' Boys, Ruben's, Clubs, Bahn-mi, Hoagies and Philly Cheese Steaks.  Guy, the presenter says "awesome" in every sentence, about the same amount of times as most English people say "You know what I mean".  First there is a quick run through on how each dish is made.  The ingredients always seems to be the same no matter what it is they are making; salt, sugar, vinegar, ketchup (containing salt, sugar and vinegar) and barbecue sauce (also containing salt, sugar and vinegar) feature heavily.  Then a huge amount of meat, is piled into some receptacle, be it Ciabatta, French bread, a taco, a sub roll, or a tortilla for example and then it is covered in more sauce, usually containing salt, sugar, vinegar, tomato ketchup and barbecue sauce and then Guy attempts to get as much as is humanly possible in his mouth in one go before proclaiming it "awesome!".  


I have to admit, a lot of those sandwiches look great.  I have already given the Rubens a pretty good attempt and I also make a fine Falafel Sandwich.  I have confronted all sorts of wraps from Chicken Shawarma to Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli Tortilla, but to shut Hugh up, I decided to give my hamburgers a re-assessment, just to make sure that they were as good as they could possibly be.  

First I started with the burger.  I did a bit of research and just as I thought, true burger fans would not settle for anything in their burgers apart from top quality beef and a little seasoning.  Nothing else because the beef should speak for itself!  I used the best I could find - organic, 28 aged Aberdeen Angus beef.  Next the burger bun.  I went for a nice floury bap which I lightly grilled before using.  Ciabatta works well but steer clear of the ready made burger buns as they tend to be a bit lame.  Next, the filling.  I wanted avoid all the usual, commercial sauces. I wanted something fresher and cleaner.  So I opted for a home-made cherry tomato, chilli and avocado salsa with lime and coriander for zing.  I also chose some char-grilled fresh red onion, a little salad and finally a slice of swiss cheese.  Why?  Because those are my favourites.  In my considered opinion, that is what works best for me.  And that is what is so great about cooking a burger at home.  Because you can choose exactly what you like.  So all I needed now was some large guy to turn up and try and eat the whole thing in about three mouthfuls and declare it "awesome!".

Cherry Tomato, Chilli, Avocado and Coriander Salsa  
This is identical to one of my favourite salads.  I just chopped everything a lot smaller and added a little more chilli.

One clove of garlic (very finely chopped)

Two Fresh Red Chilli (very finely chopped)

2 spring onions (finely sliced)
200g cherry tomatoes (quartered)
2 ripe avocados (pealed and chopped into large bite size pieces)
Juice of one or two limes
Bunch of Coriander (very finely chopped)
Glug of Olive Oil
Good pinch salt
Freshly ground pepper

Mix garlic, chilli, lime juice and olive oil together.  Season well.  Stir in rest of ingredients.  Make sure avocado is well coated in lime juice to avoid discolouration.

Its a Wrap

Right.  This is going to be the last "wrap" post for sometime.  There are only so many wraps one can make and it is is time to move on, but before I do, I have to share with you the ultimate kebab - the Chicken Shawarma. 

Now, I know that a Shawarma should really be cooked by alternately stacking strips of fat and pieces of seasoned meat (beef, lamb or marinated chicken) on a stick and roasting it slowly on all sides in front of a flame for several hours.  And I know that that is not entirely practical for the average kitchen but what I am really trying to recreate here is the wrap, stuffed full of aromatically spiced roast meat, lashings of Tahini or Hummus, a juicy tomato, onion and cucumber salad, shredded lettuce and heaps of chilli sauce.  Rightly or wrongly, that's what I want, when I think - Shawarma.  

The first thing you must do is track down some really good Arabic flat bread which is called Khobez.  Do not settle for pitta. I know you can make your own but what I love about knocking up a kebab for dinner is that it is so damn quick and easy.  If you add, making flat bread to the equation, suddenly its not so damn quick and easy, plus a good pitta is easy to make but a really good flatbread is something else.
 

Anyway, find your nearest Arabic shop, be it Lebanese or Turkish, or maybe you have a good Greek or Cypriot shop near by. (Check out my directory). They are all sure to sell good flatbreads or wraps for Kebabs.  Once you have found them, stock up, because they freeze really well and whilst you are there, pick up some Hummus, unless you want to make your own, and some long green pickled chillis, unless you pickle your own, and if you are really lucky or lazy, depending on how you look at it, some Shawarma Total Seasoning, or you can make your own.  There are a billion different recipes for the spice mix but it usually contains a selection of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Paprika, Sumac, Cardamom, Clove, Cumin and Cayenne Pepper.  It is this unusual, perfumed blend of spices that makes this dish so delicious. Marinate your chicken, leave it overnight and the next day, you can assemble a fantastic meal in a matter of minutes.  A kebab is even great for entertaining.  Everyone just helps themselves. Because everyone likes their kebabs to be just the way they like them. 


I have entered this recipe for Sweet Heat # 5 over at Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops because it is such an effortless recipe to rustle up for friends and goes down great with a couple of beers.



Cheats Chicken Shawarma
The spice mix is not exact.  Experiment and find what you like best. You could use a Baharat blend.

Serves 4
4 Chicken breasts (free-range or organic)
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp.  Paprika
1 tsp. Sumac
1 tsp. Cardamom
1 tsp. Clove
2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. salt
Olive oil

Trim the chicken breasts and cut in half lenghtways. Coat each piece in spices.  Leave overnight, marinating in the fridge.  Next day, drizzle lightly with olive oil and either barbecue or grill over a high heat.  You can also try roasting the chicken in a very hot oven.  It should only take ten minutes or so to cook as the pieces are quite thin.  Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes.  Cut into strips on a wooden chopping board.  Serve with plenty of chilli sauce, shredded lettuce, hummus and salad.

Totally Turkish

Wraps are my new answer to a quick dinner.  I know that they are not exactly the cutting edge of cuisine.  A bit old hat.  All the supermarkets have churned out their own versions - Hoi Sin duck wrap, Vietnamese rice paper wrap, Mexican bean wrap - all in loads of packaging, sanitised, chilled, all flavours dumbed down to offend no-one and tasting of nothing.  But I vaguely remembered a time before the supermarket had discovered and killed this particular food trend and I knew they can be great.  So I started experimenting with Fahitas, Shawarmas, Koftes and most recently the good old Shish Kebab. Freshly made and cooked, they take minutes, are really healthy and everybody loves them.  Especially the kids, which means we can all eat together early and I do not have to cook two separate meals in the evening.

It is always fun to serve up a hands on meal, when every one can make up their own particular favourite combination.  Daniel, my son, always opts for maximum salad, lashings of hummus and as little meat as possible.  My daughter, Amelie is completely opposite, going straight for the meat and avoiding anything that resembles a vegetable.  Hugh, the other half, crams as much as humanly possible into one kebab and then drowns the whole thing in chilli sauce.  As for me, my main pleasure is as I said, - one meal, everyone happy.  If you have vegetarians in the family, you could always make some Falafal.

I discovered that The Turkish Food Center had a branch in Croydon which isn't far from me and I was really keen to give it a visit.  I am a bit embarrassed to admit that when I got out of the car in Croydon, I actually felt a little bit nervous.  I have lived in London all my life, but suddenly I felt in unfamiliar territory. No one appeared to speak English. But I reminded myself that this was exactly what my blog is supposed to be about.  Ethnic shops amongst ethnic communities. 

Once inside The Turkish Food Center, I lost myself amongst the aisles of fantastic exotic pulses, spices and nuts.  They have a butchery and a bakery with freshly baked Turkish Breads, biscuits and sweets.  There was a wonderful selection of vegetables, fruit and herbs.  I realised I completely forgotten any fears and that is exactly why it is so important to integrate ourselves. Fear comes from the unknown and that is what breeds prejudice.

On this one street in Croydon, the London Road, minutes away from where some of the worst rioting and looting took place are the most fantastic selection of Indian, Pakistani, West Indian, African, Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern and Caribbean shops, trading, working and living side by side in total harmony.

Lamb Shish Kebab
Obviously Kebabs are best on the barbecue but if you don't have one they are still really good baked in an oven, as hot as it will go for about 10 minutes.

800g leg of lamb
2 peppers, red, yellow, green or orange, cut into chunks
2 red onions, cut into chunks
For the marinade
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli such as cayenne
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Zahtar

Chop the lamb into chunky cubes, removing any excess fat.

For the marinade: in a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl with some salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the meat cubes and toss to coat thoroughly in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 36 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat a char-grill or barbecue to hot.

Remove the meat from the marinade and thread the cubes onto long or round metal skewers, alternating with chunks of onion, cherry tomatoes and pepper.

Cook the kebabs on the hot char-grill or barbecue for 4-6 minutes on each side. But you can just fry them in a fryingpan.

Serve the kebabs with flatbread and a range of mezze - such as hummus, moutabal, Tabbouleh or Fattoush Salad as accompaniments.

Turkish Kofte Kebabs with Minted Yoghurt

500g minced lamb
1 onion, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (less if for kids)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
Juice of one lemon
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Oil for brushing
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the minted yoghurt
200g/7oz Greek natural yoghurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Preheat a charcoal barbecue 40 minutes ahead of cooking or a gas barbecue 10 minutes ahead of cooking. If using a cast-iron griddle pan, heat it over a high heat, then lower the heat slightly before cooking.  Cover eight bamboo skewers with cold water and leave them to soak.

Put the minced lamb into a bowl with all of the ingrediants, some salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix together with your hands until bound together.

Divide the mixture into eight and mould it into long sausage shapes around the drained bamboo skewers. 

 For the minted yoghurt, mix the yoghurt with the mint, half a teaspoon of salt and some pepper and set aside.

Brush the kofte generously with oil and lightly oil the bars of the barbecue or griddle. Cook for five minutes, turning occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through.

Domates Salatasi

4 medium really red tomatoes, firm and cut in chunks
2 cucumbers, preferably the small variety, cut in half, de-seeded and chopped 
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 handfull fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix everything together.  Spoon over your kebab.

Turkish Food Centers 14 Branches all over London - see directory

A Mean Marinade

Last week I was cooking Tandoori Chicken, because it was the best recipe for marinated barbecued chicken, that I could think of.  This year the supermarket have gone mad for marinades. Supermarkets are permanently on the lookout for new trends. In this way they can spot whatever it is that you like to do, be it barbecuing, growing your own vegetables, making jam or baking cupcakes. Then they repackage it and sell it back to you, at a profit. I hate it.  I don't know why but it almost feels like an invasion of my mind.

Anyway, as summer came with unsubstantiated promises of al fresco eating and barbecues, so the shelves filled up with every marinade ever thought of, from every country in the world. From Argentina to Japan, Morocco to India. Every now and then, I was tempted by some exotic sounding combination, no-doubt lured by some enticing packaging. I momentarily forgot that I could just have easily knocked up whatever marinade it was myself, in about 10 minutes, from ingredients I probably had at home already. Anyway, they were all, without fail, revolting. Too much sugar, too much vinegar, unsubtle flavours, herbs that had become pickled and lost all freshness and zest. So, just to remind myself never to do that again, I have written out a few of my favourite recipes. 

The first is Chimichurri which is a sauce and also used as a marinade for grilled meat. It is originally from Argentina and Uruguay, but is also used in countries as far north as Nicaragua and Mexico.  It is vibrant and fresh with the Paprika adding a smoky note and it works excellently with Steak on the barbecue.  You can use Picante or Dulce Paprika depending on your taste.  I prefer the extra chilli kick.  There is no need to marinade your meat for any length of time.  Just coat your steaks and wait for 10 minutes or so.  The extra marinade can be used as a sauce on the side.

Chermoula is the North African variant for fish. It is almost identical to Chimichurri, but replaces vinegar for lemon juice which is more subtle with delicate fish flavours.  Once again there is no need to marinade for more than 10 minutes.  Just coat and cook.  Never leave fish or meat in a marinade containing salt for any length of time as it will just draw out the juices.



In my opinion, lamb needs nothing more than a combination of olive oil and lemon juice with lots of freshly ground black pepper, loads of Rosemary and garlic.  In this case the meat should be left in the marinade over-night to allow the flavours to penetrate and the lemon acts to tenderise the meat which makes it all the more delicious.  Season with salt just before cooking. 



Finally everyone need a good rib recipe for the barbie season.  I have really battled over the years to find a recipe that I liked.  I found the Chinese one's were often too heavy on the Hoi Sin and the Five Spice (although I do recommend my Char-Siu Pork ) and the American versions, laden with Tomato Ketchup and Malt Vinegar.  So I was delighted to find a fantastic Japanese alternative.  Although this recipe does contain some honey it balances beautifully with the other ingredients. 

A Japanese Barbecue is called a Yakiniku and the meat would be further dipped in a Tare Sauce before eating. Personally I use this marinade to cook ribs which I slow-bake first submerged in marinade for a few hours until the meat is beginning to flake.  I then pour off the excess sauce and reduce it in a pan until you have a sticky, delicious  sauce.  Let the ribs cool before cutting up, so that they don't fall to pieces.  Finally I briefly put them on the barbie until hot and smoky and serve with extra sauce.  You don't have to do this.  It is still delicious served straight from the oven.  Just slow-cook them for even longer.

All of these recipes are dead simple, so there is no need to ever succumb to a marinade in jar ever again.  And with the money that you save you can invest in better meat.  Remember, please try to buy free-range when you can and Organic if possible.  This really is something that is worth the extra money.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 large bunch coriander
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, sweet or spicy
1 fresh red chilli, roughly chopped or 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 small bunch fresh Oregano
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1  cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whiz up all ingredients in a liquidiser or with a hand-held blender until smooth.  Season to taste with salt.

Chermoula

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon sweet or spicy Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 large bunch of Coriander leaves
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon Ras el Hanout (optional)
1-2 tsp salt or to taste

Whiz up all ingredients in a liquidiser or with a hand-held blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Harumi's Barbecue Sauce
from Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Food for Family and Friends
by Harumi Kurihara

(Personally I whiz this all up with a hand blender which means you don't have to grate anything.)

100ml red wine
2 tbsp honey
70g caster sugar
200ml soy sauce
1 tbsp miso (any type)
60g apple, grated
60g onion, grated
2 tablespoons garlic, grated
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp ground toasted sesame seeds

Put the red wine in a small pan and bring to a boil. Simmer it over low heat for 1 minute to let the alcohol evaporate. Add the honey, sugar, coarse sugar, soy sauce and miso, mix and boil again. When the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat off. When the mixture has cooled down, add the grated apple, onion, garlic and ginger, sesame oil and ground sesame seeds, and mix together.  The flavour will improve if left overnight.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Indian Summer

My Mum was a really adventurous cook.  Our shelves were full of cookbooks by Robert Carrier and Elizabeth David.  My parents ate out and travelled and I was very fortunate in partaking and experiencing an exciting time in the 70's when people where embrassing a tremendous change in food and restaurants.  

My Mother experimented with many things but I distinctly remember a momentous moment, when what seemed like a huge bowl was placed in the larder, full of Chicken in a Tandoori Marinade.  I thought this the height of sophistication and excitement, which may give you a small clue where my future interests were going to lie.  Anyway, I can't remember the outcome but 30 years later I suddenly have a fascination with recreating this dish again.  What better than chicken, marinated with loads of Indian spices, spicy and vibrant but with none of that horrific red food colouring which has so maligned the dish today. 

But what to serve it with?  I can't remember where I first heard of Kushcumber Salad but today, the weather against all odds being July, was actually hot at times.  I  jumped at the chance, lit the barbecue, chucked on the Tandoori chicken and this refreshing, spicy salad seemed just the perfect accompaniment.  That and a dollop of Raita to cut the heat.  Closest I will ever get to an Indian Summer.

I love exploring local Indian shops and hunting out spices and herbs and all sorts of exotic ingredients but if you are having any difficulty getting hold of ingredients for these recipes, try Seasoned Pioneers.



Tandoori Chicken

1 kg chicken, legs are best (Free-range and Organic if possible)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger root
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Skin Chicken and trim all visible fat.  Cut into drumsticks and thighs. Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork. Then, using a sharp knife, cut slashes in the flesh to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the chicken in a nonreactive large, shallow dish.

Combine the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. Stir until well-mixed, then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it into the flesh, turning the chicken several times.  Leave for 2 hours, then add the yogurt.  Mix really well. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Do not marinate for longer than 2 days.) Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.  Season well with salt.

The chicken may be grilled or roasted. If using a charcoal grill, prepare a fire for direct-heat cooking. Allow the coals to burn until white ash covers them and the heat is moderate.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, and brush with oil. Place the chicken pieces on grill turning often until cooked.



Kachumber Salad

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced or a bunch of spring onions, very finely chopped
1 cucumber
1 fresh red chilli, very finely chopped
4 large tomatoes or a handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil or Onion Oil
Salt to taste
Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Nigella Seeds

Take your cucumber and cut in half lengthways, remove seeds with a spoon, half again lengthways and then cut into quarter moons.

Add all the rest of the vegetables together. Make a dressing by mixing the lemon juice with the oil.  Season well with salt and mix together with all the rest of the vegetables and coriander.  Do a taste test to see if the seasoning is right for you. Sprinkle with Nigella Seeds.

Char-Siu Pork and some Tsukune Meatballs

I’ve got a bit of a thing about Cha-Siu Buns.  One main cause of my fascination is that soft, spongy, tasteless white bread, which the Cha-Siu pork is encased in.  Bread that white, is something I always associated with England.  “Ducks Bread” as we called it as children, presumably because it was unfit for human consumption.  So I really was surprised when first confronted, in a Chinese restaurant of some repute, with a Dim Sum consisting of barbequed meat wrapped in a slice of wonderloaf.  Anyway, I have always found Cha-Siu Buns to be delicious but a bit too much wonderloaf and a too little filling.  So I turned to the filling, and last time I was ordering Cantonese, I chose with great anticipation off the menu “Cha-Siu Pork” expecting a mound of delicious sticky, marinated and barbecued pork.  What I got was very disappointing.  A dry, quite flavourless and unexciting fillet of pork.  So, I did some research and discovered that, like Jerk, firstly the meat should really be barbequed or smoked; secondly, it should be marinated for a length of time and thirdly, stabbing or jerking the meat, helped marination. Amazing that two such different recipes from other sides of the world should have come to the same conclusion. 

I don't know why I am surprised but the more I examine traditional recipes from all over the world, so many of them utilize barbequing as its means of cooking.  It is fairly obvious that most houses did not usually have an oven.  I know that in most small villages, the locals used to take their bread and even their casseroles to be cooked in the communal oven or at the local bakers. So it is only natural that a barbeque or a house fire should have been the only means of cooking at home and that it should have remained a popular cooking method ever since.  It especially continues as the main cooking source for street food, where so many local influences prevail. 

However, I think the main factor in creating a fabulous Char-Siu Pork, which I can assure you this recipe unquestionably delivers, is the cut of meat. A cut like loin is really not suitable for Char-Siu, due to the lack of fat, so I strongly recommend a cut like shoulder of pork. Just the right amount of fat and half the price.  Get your butcher to bone it and butterfly it for you if you are not feeling confident with your butchers’ knife. The recipe calls for Red Miso, which I have to admit even I had trouble finding in the most elite of ethnic shops, which is probably why I discovered that it is often replaced with red food colouring.  However, I was determined not to follow suit, so I experimented with Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Miso which was more readily available.  It worked very well even if the results are not as bright red as they could be.  This recipe is also not barbequed but roast for a few hours in a slow oven.

Since I am on the subject of pork I thought I would share with you another recipe that I tried last week.  Tsukune are little Japanese meatballs, cooked and then marinated with homemade Teriyaki sauce.  They are traditionally made of chicken but I had some minced pork to use up, so I did, and they were delicious.  The kids really liked them and I loved the fact that the adults can dip theirs into the Shichimi Togarashi to spice them up and then add a squeeze of lime.  Yum!

Char-Siu Pork

1.8 kg Pork shoulder, deboned and butter-flied.  Buy the best quality you can afford.

2 tsp Five spice

Black Pepper

4 cm piece ginger

2 cloves Garlic

50 ml soy

50 ml Rice Wine Vinegar

60 ml Honey

2 tablespoons Red Miso

3tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 tablespoons Hoi Sin

                      

Mix all the marinade ingredients together.  I wiz up all the ingredients including the ginger and garlic with a hand-blender until smooth.  Marinade the meat for at least 12 hours, turning every now and then.  Cook slowly with all the juices in a gratin dish covered with tin foil at about 160-170ºC for about 4 hours.  Check every so often, turning the meat over and making sure that there is enough liquid.  Be careful in the last hour that it does not burn.  The meat should be so soft you can flake it with a folk and the juices should have reduced to a sticky glaze.  Shred up the meat, spoon over the sauce and serve with some fluffy rice.

Japanese Tsukune with Teriyaki Sauce

Everyday Harumi by Harumi Kurihara

Ingredients

1 small onion (about 4 oz), peeled

1 stalk celery

10 oz ground meat

Salt and pepper, to season

1 medium egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 to 6 basil leaves

For The Teriyaki Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup mirin

4 tablespoons caster sugar

Sunflower or vegetable oil for frying

Shichimi Togarashi

Lime (or lemon) wedges to garnish

To make the teriyaki sauce: Combine the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a pan and slowly bring to a boil. Turn the heat down low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until it has thickened. Skim the surface of any scum if necessary and set aside.

To make the Tsukune: Roughly chop the onion. Remove any stringy parts from the celery and chop it roughly.  Put all the ingredients, except the basil, into a bowl and knead to combine well. Finally, chop the basil into tiny pieces and add to the mixture. It is important to add the basil at the last minute so it retains its colour. Shape the mixture into rounds about 2 inches in diameter. Drizzle a little oil in a non-stick skillet and heat. When hot, add the Tsukune and cook until nicely browned on both sides. Take the cooked Tsukune, dip them in the teriyaki sauce while still hot, and sprinkle with Shichimi Togarashi and lime according to your own preference. Serve with lime or lemon wedges on the side.

Some Tastes of Korea

To tell you the truth, when I woke up this morning, I felt tired and not at all like cooking at all.  Hugh, the partner, who was rather anti this blog, as he felt, somewhat strongly that I should be putting my time and effort into earning more money working, rather than hopelessly blogging, has had a bit of a change of heart.  He has realised that he is getting to eat some really exciting new food and that the more I blog, the more he gets.  So, even he said, "Are you working on your blog today?  What's for Dinner?"  But I wasn't in the mood.

However my lovely neighbour, Anna, dropped round later for a chat and she was the very same, who first told me about Hoo Hing.  So I asked her about Korea Foods, which I had been planning to go to for ages and it turns out that she knew all about it and into the car got, and off we went.

In the middle of a nasty roundabout, in between Halfords and B&Q, is Korea Foods, New Malden, one of six stores in England.  And, wow! What a shop!  Really fantastic.  Lovely fresh produce, from their vegetables to their fish and meat, everything really spanking and clean and beautifully displayed.  And not a dog in sight!  Obviously, not everything is strictly Korean but an amazing collection of Chinese, Japanese and Thai products as well.  Two isles alone just for seaweed!  Fantastic range of everything from noodles to rice, Sake to Soy sauce.  It was like a wonderful holiday, to wake up all your senses and I came out feeling revived and refreshed and excited about life once again.

I don't know a huge amount about Korean food.  In fact, this morning I could probably only name Kimchee as something that was specifically Korean, that I had previously eaten.  But by this afternoon I am bursting with recipes which I am really excited about sharing with you.  I am going to give Kimchee a miss.  For two reasons.  First of all it is quite an effort.  Proper Kimchee is fermented cabbage and quite complicated to make and secondly, because I think unless you are Korean, you are not quite sure what all the fuss is about.  Like the English and Marmite!  I think it is something you have to grow up with, to bother longing for it when you haven't had it for a while.  It is very nice but, after all, it is only a spicy, cabbage pickle.  Anyway, Korea Foods sells a really good one and a version with cucumber instead of cabbage which is possibly even nicer. But Kimchee aside, I am really pleased to say that I have found a number of new, really exciting Korean dishes which I can't wait to share with you. 

It turns out, The Koreans are very keen about Barbecuing, which is called Galbi, and so am I.  I have noticed numerous "Korean Barbecue Restaurants" popping up all round my way, but so far I haven't ventured into any of them but I am looking forwards to. My first recipe is Bulgogi  which is basically a particular cut of (very cheap) beef, featherblade, cut incredibly thin.  You can buy this, ready cut at Korean Foods, or indeed, ready marinated, although I wished to make my own. This can then be served as a stew or barbequed. The marinade (recipe follows) is delicious and can be used for chicken or pork as well.  I actually pan fried the beef today instead of putting it on the barbeque because it was raining and it was really good so don't write it off if you don't have any outside space. The sauce sort of caramelises as the meat cooks.  The traditional way of eating Bulgogi is really cool. 

                         

You take a Perilla leaf or a lettuce leaf and a dollop of Ssamjang, which is a spicy mix of chilli and fermented soy beans and add rice, if you like, and wrap it all up before eating.  "Ssam" means wrap and "jang" is sauce and Migi's Kitchen has a good recipe if you want to make your own or but you can just buy it ready made.  I also bought some delicious Jabche or Jabchea.  Amazingly, there is even more variation on spellings for this dish than there is recipes! And there are quite a few of those!  I was really impressed by this noodle dish, especially because of its inclusion of spinach, which worked really well.  My Jabchea recipe today is adapted from Maangchi, who is Korean and really seems to know her stuff, so thank you to her.   I actually made the noodles without beef and they were still really delicious.

Bulgogi Marinade

This is the basic marinade recipe for Korean barbecued meats. This marinade makes enough for 1 pound of meat. It is great with beef, chicken or pork. You can also add chilli to make the marinade more spicy. I have to admit that I did not have an Asian pear to hand, but it still worked out very delicious, even without.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed juice from an Asian pear
1 Tbsp Mirin
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp pepper

Mix marinade together until sugar and honey are dissolved/distributed.
Can be stored in refrigerator or freezer for use on beef, pork, and chicken.

                          

Jabchea (Korean mixed vegetable and noodle stir fry)



Korean Vermicelli (“dangmyun”)

150 grams of beef

1 bunch of spinach

1 medium size carrot

1 medium size onion

Mushrooms (handful of shitake and some dried Black Fungus)

3 cloves of garlic

7-8 green onions

Soy sauce (Korean if possible)

Sesame oil

Sugar

Pepper

Sesame seeds

First prepare your vegetables for stir-frying.

Soak the mushrooms in warm water for a few hours until they become soft. Squeeze the water out of them and slice thinly.

Cut a carrot into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.

Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.

Slice one onion thinly.

Slice 150 grams of beef into thin strips.

Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3-6 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.  Keep the water and return it to your pan to cook your spinach. Cut the noodles several times using scissors and add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 1 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside. In the boiling water, add a bunch of spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water 3 times. Remove any grit or dead leaves thoroughly while rinsing. Squeeze it gently to get the water out, and then cut it into 5 cm pieces. Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl. In a Wok or large saucepan put a few drops of oil and your carrot strips and stir for a few minutes. Remove to a large bowl. Add a few more drops of oil to your wok and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots. Add a little more oil into the wok and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl. Next a little more oil and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl. Finally a little more oil and then your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, (ginger if you like), ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.  Add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 3 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of sesame oil, and 1 tsp of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, and then sprinkle 1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds on the top.

Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.