Food

Haha, thanks for big ups, let's see how it goes.

Afraid it’s almost certainly got belachan (fermented shrimp paste)

Shrimp paste was going to be my first guess.. it looks banging.

Have an evening free to cook whatever I want this week and really fancy cooking some braised short ribs - does anyone have a go to recipe they can share? Never done it before tbh

This is intense: https://www.seriouseats.com/red-wine-braised-beef-short-ribs-recipe

Also done a star-anisey recipe before with short ribs which was amazing, albeit can't currently find anything that looks quite right....

Oh my that looks good

Adam Ragusea and Babish have good recipes on YT. I combined both to make cola braised beef ribs for Christmas. Was delicious. Leftovers make great chili con carne.

Both efforts are posted a page or two back.

Any suggestions for fairly simple (can do during the day whilst wfh, not a huge list of ingredients) stew recipes? Most ones I do tend to end up fairly similar (bit of stock, bit of veg, bit of beef, tinned tomatoes and whatever else I have handy) unless I make a concerted effort to do something different.

Serious eats recipe looks similar to a short rib ragu I've done, although that one didn't include a bottle of port!

You've got the basis of stews (slow braise in liquid), I would just experiment with different meats (lamb/chicken/rabbit etc), different braising liquids (red wine/different stocks/guinness/ales etc), different veg (I really like pumpkin or squash which sort of disintegrate into the sauce at times giving it a vegetal sweetness), you can add orzo or pearl barley which bring a different vibe. Could play with simple tagine recipes which often include apricots or other sweet dried fruit and different spicings. You can add different herbs at the end for a new slant (mint with lamb stews etc) and of course different spices can be great (cumin and beef stew is great, paprika for a pork goulash type vibe etc) - it's really hard to go wrong!

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/thai-roast-chicken-thighs-with-coconut-rice

A not quite stew but really nice - it's pretty preppable.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/apr/02/nigel-slater-recipes-pork-and-kimchi-stew-and-sweet-buns-labne-and-passion-fruit

I really like this but again maybe not quite a stew

All roads then lead to https://www.koreanbapsang.com/instant-pot-kimchi-jjigae-stew/

This is a really good site and I think Koreans do stews really well. I've linked to the instant pot version as I seem to remember you might have one of these! @Acliff might have better variations to suggest

Not sure about pressure cooking kimchi, but kimchi stews are hugely satisfying and warm. Possibly I have only ever made kimchi thats old, mushy and minging, which is perfect for kimchi stew.

A couple of Korean stew sauces to try:

Teokbokki sauce
500ml stock (dashi powdered stock works well, stock cubes, or stock pots are fine too)
3 tablespoons of gochujang (korean chilli paste)
1 tablespoon of gochugaru (korean chilli flakes, adjust as needed)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy
minced garlic

Its the sauce base for Teokbokki (korean spicy rice cakes), so add korean rice cakes (350g) and korean fish cakes (150g) if you have them, or simmer some chicken thighs or drumsticks, add some carrots, potatoes.

Galbijjim sauce
1 apple or pear
1 onion
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine
Garlic
pepper
Sesame oil

Korean braised short rib sauce - blend all the above, marinade some stewing type beef (short rib is best, pretty much all non lean meat is great), put in a pressure cooker, or simmer, or put in a casserole and cook in oven for a couple of hours with some carrots, potatoes.

Sprinkle chopped spring onions, toasted sesame seeds on top, serve next to, or on top of steaming hot white rice.

Kimchijjigae
500g chopped kimchi (older and more fermented the better)
fistful of protein (my mum used to put canned tuna shortly prior to serving, but pork belly, or lardons is great)
sliced tofu
sliced onions
several chopped spring onions
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon gochugaru
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 teaspoon sesame oil
500ml stock

Cook everything except the tofu for maybe 10-15 minutes, lay the sliced tofu on top, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

The Trullo beef shin ragu
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/04/lunch-braised-beef-porcini-polenta-recipe-tim-siadatan-trullo-residency

Though I only looked at it once after eating it at Trullo, it’s not exactly difficult to cook and now I just use what’s to hand rather than follow a recipe, I use ox cheek, venison or whatever braising is available and cook it for a long time sometimes starting in the morning and leaving the oven to cool and then back on a couple of hours before eating, the longer cooking the better.

Youngest daughter gifted me

Anthony Bourdain’s appetites cookbook for Xmas/Birthday.

She has a knack of tuning into my culinary interests and we often laughed at my experimental cooking that both daughters had to endure

2 Attachments

thats a good one!

Good flat breads seem hard to come by, would like them for some hearty wraps.
Something a bit like this, where’s best??

1 Attachment

I made a batch last night. Sort of similar to bazlama.
Yeast, flour, sugar, yoghurt, olive oil, salt, warm water.
Bit of a faff the first couple of times you make them but the dough keeps for a bit and once they're cooked they can be stored in a ziplock and reheated well. Considerably tastier than anything else I could find with a similar brief. I've tried frying, putting under a grill and barbecuing. All worth exploring.

Not adverse to baking some. Have a recipe/ method?
Why does no one sell them??

When I lived in Haringey I used to pick up a stack of them on Saturday mornings with some of those long green peppers and tomatoes, come home after a cycle and have it all with eggs and coffee. The biz.

This is pretty similar to what I do - they certainly look roughly the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKlH8K0uMvQ

They're thick, so I tend to tear pieces off and use for dipping rather than wrapping, but just roll it thinner and I think you'd get what you're after. Don't skimp on warmth for the yeast activation - sometimes if it's cold or I'm rushing they come out a bit chewier and less fluffy (probably better for wrapping now I think of it).

This naan place in Finsbury Park is great

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/babans-naan-bread-restaurant-review-a9704246.html

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DYQbNgJ6F7Y3tFPMA

I think we're all waiting for the invite.

I usually use the meera soda naan recipe, and cook in a heated frying pan under the grill, faux tandoor style.

Although I may try them in the pizza oven, now that i have one.

I came back from Thailand 2 weeks ago and have been cooking Pad Krapow a lot. Some things I have learned are: the week old wilted holy basil we brought from Thailand was more intense than the fresh one bought in an Asia shop here, that thing is basically dead. I don't like the Italian basil as a replacement, prefer Thai basil.
Adding lime leaf while frying the meat bumps it up a notch as does mixing fresh chillies with roasted dry chilies.
I am doing the simple version with just chilies, garlic and fish sauce and like it dry.
And getting great Pad Krapow in Thailand is not a given, we had a really terrible one and some mediocre.

1 Attachment

Starting top left and going clockwise:

2
3
4
1

4, 3, then 2 & 1 on the same plate.