Name: Pad Si Eew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 6 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil 5 garlic cloves, peeled and; roughly chopped; 200g (7oz) skinless chicken; thigh or breast, cut into; 2.5cm (1in) pieces; 100g (31⁄2oz) Chinese broccoli,; stalks thinly sliced; 300g ( 10 1/2 oz) dried wide rice noodles, soaked just before cooking as per packet instructions; 2 large eggs; Roasted chilli flakes to serve; Thai pickled chillies to serve; 1 tsp ground white pepper; FOR THE SAUCE; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tsp light soy sauce; 2 tsp white distilled vinegar (optional); 1 tsp oyster sauce*; 2 tsp palm sugar or white; caster sugar

Pad Si Eew

April 3, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Ever tried pad si eew? You're going to love this Thai noodle dish!

Pad si eew is famous for the way the noodles are stir-fried over a high heat until they are beginning to brown. This gives them a delicious smoky flavour that simply has to be tried. It’s also known for the amount of soy sauce used. Pad si eew means ‘fried in soy sauce’, after all.

This pan si eew recipe is from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

Pad si eew is great on its own or served with another Thai dish or two.

If you love Thai food as much as I do, you might want to make this pad si eew recipe as part of a Thai feast. There are so many delicious recipes you can serve with it.

If you're after a good curry, why not try my Thai green curry, Thai red curry, beef massaman or panang curry recipes.

It can also be served with other Thai favourites such as pad Thai, drunken noodles and Thai basil chicken.

You will find a massive selection of Thai recipes here.

How do you make roasted dry red chillies?

Pad si eew, as with other Thai recipes is great topped with homemade, roasted Thai chillies. It's easy to make.

Take 2 large handfuls of dried red bird’s eye chillies and toast them in a dry frying pan until fragrant - about 30 to 60 seconds. Be sure to move them around in the pan so that they toast evenly. Tip the roasted chillies onto a plate and allow to cool slightly. Then transfer to a spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Don’t over grind; you want flakes, not powder. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.

Yield: 2 - 4

Pad Si Eew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil 5 garlic cloves, peeled and
roughly chopped
200g (7oz) skinless chicken
thigh or breast, cut into
2.5cm (1in) pieces
100g (31⁄2oz) Chinese broccoli,
stalks thinly sliced
300g ( 10 1/2 oz) dried wide rice noodles, soaked just before cooking as per packet instructions
2 large eggs
Roasted chilli flakes to serve
Thai pickled chillies to serve
1 tsp ground white pepper
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp white distilled vinegar (optional)
1 tsp oyster sauce*
2 tsp palm sugar or white
caster sugar

Instructions

Combine all of the sauce ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of water and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok or frying pan over a medium– high heat. Add the chopped garlic – no need to wait until the oil is hot – and fry for about 2–3 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes until it is about 80% cooked through. Then add the chopped broccoli and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to low and add half of the noodles along with half of the sauce. Move the noodles around delicately to mix with the sauce. Don’t stir them vigorously or they may fall apart. Add the remaining noodles and sauce and again move them around in the pan or toss them if you can. Sometimes I use my hands for this. The noodles will clump together a little. That is fine – you just want to avoid them falling apart too much. If they do, it’s a cosmetic rather than a taste issue.
Lightly move the contents of your pan to one side of the wok/pan and crack open the eggs in the other side.
Turn the heat back up to medium–high and scramble them. Then carefully fold the noodles, chicken and broccoli over the eggs. Give the wok/pan a couple of tosses and allow the underside of the noodles to char lightly in the pan.
Using a spatula, or tossing or using your hands, try to turn the noodles over to char the other side. You will know your pad si eew is ready when the sauce is quite dry and some of the noodles have been seared crisp. They won’t all get crispy!
Serve on plates topped with roasted chilli flakes and pickled chillies and sprinkled with a little white pepper.

Kanom Jeeb - Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumplings

April 3, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Kanom jeeb are Thai dumplings that are the perfect way to start a Thai meal.

Influenced by Chinese Pork Siu Mai, kanon jeeb is a Thai variation on the famous dumplings. Kanom Jeeb is prepared with minced (ground) pork and prawns that are mixed with a selection of aromatic Thai ingredients. This recipe is perfect served as a starter or main course.

This is a recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

What is kanom jeeb?

These small dumplings are perfect for picking up by hand or with chop sticks. Kanom jeeb means 'pleated dumpling' in Thai which is exactly what you are going to get here.

Although good on their own or simply with soy sauce, I have featured a recipe for my favourite sauce to serve with these.

What do you serve Kanom jeeb with?

This popular starter can be served with many different Thai dishes. You might like to try my Thai green curry, Thai red curry, beef massaman or panang curry recipes.

It can also be served with other Thai favourites such as pad Thai, drunken noodles and Thai basil chicken.

You will find a massive selection of Thai recipes here.

Working ahead

You can definitely prepare the stuffing for kanom jeeb a day or two ahead of cooking. In fact the flavours will develop and your kanom jeeb will be even tastier.

You can also completely prepare these dumplings. To do so, dust a plate with a little flour and place the finished kanom jeeb on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and bring out when ready to steam.

Can these dumplings be frozen?

You bet! You can prepare them and then freeze in an air tight container.

Then completely defrost before steaming. I don't recommend steaming kanom jeeb before freezing.

How do you steam the dumplings?

As you can see from the photo, a good bamboo steamer is the perfect steamer. Bamboo steamers are not expensive and can be purchased online or at specialty shops.

You could also just use a metal steamer. If you don't have one of those, use a large saucepan and place a metal plate inside. Put your kanom jeeb on top and add just enough water to steam, ensuring the the water is below your plate with the kamon jeeb.

If you like Thai Recipes, you might want to try some of these Thai favourites too.

THAI SOUPS

See more Thai Soups →

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

See more Thai Noodles →

FRIED THAI

See more Fried Thai Recipes →

STIR FRIES

THAI BBQ

See more Thai Grilled →

Yield: Makes 30

Kanom Jeeb - Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumplings

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

225g (8oz) fresh prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
4 garlic cloves, minced
A pinch of ground white pepper 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated palm sugar or honey 150g ( 5 1/2 oz) minced (ground) pork
1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) or tapioca flour
2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
30 wonton wrappers (round are best but you can use square wrappers with the corners chopped off )
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced, to garnish
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
3 tbsp soy sauce
11⁄2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce (see page
145 or shop-bought) 2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

Put the prawns (shrimp) into a food processor and blend – you want a coarse paste but you should still see a few small pieces of prawn. Set aside.
Put the garlic, ground white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and palm sugar or honey into a bowl and whisk well with a fork to combine. Add the blended prawns and the pork and get in there with one hand to combine the marinade ingredients with the prawns and pork.
At this point the mixture will be quite wet. Add the cornflour (cornstarch) or tapioca flour and continue stirring until the mixture becomes drier to the touch. Mix in the chopped spring onions (scallions) and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the excess moisture.
Take a wonton wrapper and place a good tablespoon of this mixture in the centre. Work the wrapper up the sides of the filling, pleating it if you can (although this isn’t really necessary for delicious kanom jeeb). Leave the top open and sprinkle with the diced carrot. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Place your little kanom jeeb in a steamer and set that over the pan of boiling water. I have a multi-layer steamer but you might need to do this in batches. Steam the kanom jeeb for 10 minutes.
While these are steaming, make your dipping sauce. Combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sriracha sauce and vinegar in a small bowl. Taste it; some sriracha sauces are sweeter than others so add more sugar if needed or leave it as is.
Serve the kanom jeeb hot alongside the dipping sauce.

Chicken Karahi

March 31, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You can make this chicken karahi recipe as mild or spicy as you like.

What I have for you hear is a chicken karahi that can be tailored to your own personal spice preferences. If you like my curry house style chicken chilli garlic curry, you will want to try this one just as written. That or add chilli powder for an extra bit of heat. You could also leave out the whole chillies and make this chicken karahi mild. It's all in your hands.

What is chicken karahi?

Karahi cooking is different to other methods of cooking a curry. The idea is to cook in plenty of hot oil over a high heat. As you do this, it breaks down the sauce ingredients until they emulsify into that characteristic smooth sauce that every loves in a karahi curry.

Although the oil is usually served, you could skim it at the end of cooking for a lighter curry. The oil rises to the top when the curry is finished cooking so skimming is easy. That said, the seasoned oil tastes amazing in the sauce that is usually scooped up with naans or chapatis.

Chicken Karahi

In this video you will find new information that will make your Chicken Karahi absolute perfection!

Recipe Card

What do you serve chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

If you'd like to make naans, why not try one of these? Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans.

Want to start your chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Working ahead...

The great thing about cooking karahi style is that just like most curries, the flavours develop and the curry becomes even better.

So you can make this chicken karahi a day or two ahead of serving. Then just heat it up and serve.

Do I have to use that much oil?

Yes and no. You could make this chicken curry using just 2 tbsp of oil. It won't be the same though as the oil helps break down the sauce in a way that water cannot do.

So if you want the authentic flavour of a karahi curry, use all the oil. If you just want a nice curry and you're not worried about authenticity, cook with less oil.

Make this chicken karahi your own.

I have added whole chillies and garlic to the sauce. This is a popular way of serving chicken karahi but you can and should adjust to taste.

Leave these ingredients out if you like. Or add more.

Pro Tips...

Be sure to follow the instructions exactly. It is important to cook this curry over a high and often low heat for best results.
Use all the oil called for. You can always skim it off at the end of cooking. The oil helps break down the sauce ingredients.
Stir often and hard. Scrape any sauce that caramelises to this side of the karahi back into the sauce for added flavour.

Chicken Karahi Step by Step Photos

Ingredients for chicken karahi — Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's a lot easier.

Frying the chillies and garlic — Heat the oil in a karahi over high heat. Add the chillies and fry until blistered. Then add the garlic to brown lightly.

Fried chillies and garlic — The end result should look like this. Transfer the chillies and garlic to a plate and set aside.

Cooking the chicken — Add the chicken and fry for about 8 minutes or until white on the exterior. Be sure to stir often.

Adding tomatoes to the chicken and oil. — Stir in the tomatoes and push the right down into the oil. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

Peeling the skins off the tomatoes. — After cooking the tomatoes for about 7 minutes, remove the skins using tongs and push the peeled tomatoes into the sauce.

Adding garlic and ginger paste, spices and water to the chicken karahi — Add the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste to the curry. Then add the water and bring to a simmer.

Simmering the sauce — Bring the sauce to a steady simmer over a high heat. Stir often!

Adding yoghurt to the sauce. — Stir in the yoghurt and then cover the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.

Adding the fried chillies and garlic to the pan — Return the chillies and garlic to the karahi.

Finished chicken karahi — Continue simmering over a high heat until you are happy with the sauce consistency. The sauce should be quite thick.

Like a good chicken karahi? Try some of my other chicken karahi recipes too!

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, cut into three pieces
8 bullet chillies
10 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
7 tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (Optional, more or less to taste)
250ml (1 cup) water
5 tbsp plain natural yoghurt, whisked until smooth
Salt to taste
TO GARNISH
4 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned

Instructions

Heat the oil over a high heat. When bubbling hot, add the chillies and fry them for a few minutes or until blistered and darkened in places. Add the garlic fry until the garlic is beginning to turn golden brown. Transfer the chillies and garlic using a slotted spoon to the plate and set aside.
Now add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for about 8 minutes, moving it around in the pan until white and just cooked through. Add the tomatoes and push them right down into the oil. Cover the pan and simmer on low for about 7 minutes. Remove the lid and you will see that the skin of the tomatoes is peeling off. Remove the
skins using your hands or tongs which is much easier. If using tongs, give the tomatoes a good squeeze when you remove the skins to help break them down. If the skin is not coming off easily, just continue simmering and it will. Push the tomatoes right down with the back of your spoon into the chicken.
Add the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste to the pan. Then stir in 250ml (1 cup) water and bring to a
rolling simmer over a high heat, stirring often and hard to move everything around in the karahi. If the sauce is caramelising to the sides of the karahi, scrape it back in for additional flavour.
Cover and simmer over a low heat for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring from time to time. Lift the lid and stir
in the yoghurt. Raise the heat to high and continue stirring vigorously to break that sauce down and thicken. Stir in the fried chillies and garlic and continue simmering and stirring until you are happy with the sauce consistency.
Season with salt to taste and garnish if you like with coriander and julienned
ginger if you like.

Chicken Majestic

March 30, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Chicken majestic is a tasty fried chicken starter from Hyderabad

If you like a good chicken 65, then you are going to love chicken majestic. It looks similar to chicken 65 but it's prepared with a thick, yoghurt based sauce that is both spicy and deliciously tangy. This chicken majestic is a recipe you need to try soon.

About this chicken majestic recipe

Chicken majestic is a rather new addition to Indian menus that is most popular around Hyderabad. News travels quickly, however so it is making it's way throughout India and the world.

Although it looks a lot like that other popular chicken starter, chicken 65, it has a completely different flavour and texture. The yoghurt sauce makes this dish!

Working ahead

For best results, you can marinate the chicken a day or so ahead of time. You could even fry it up and then just add it to the sauce when ready to serve.

Although I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes, you could just go straight to frying.

Chicken majestic in step by step photos

Ingredients for chicken majestic. — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

The chicken marinating — Place the chicken in the marinade batter. This should marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Frying the chicken — Fry the chicken in a little oil. You can also shallow fry the chicken be be careful not to burn it.

Fried chicken ready — Remove the chicken from the oil once it turns golden brown and crispy.

Frying aromatic ingredients. — In a wok, heat the oil over medium heat. stir in the fennel and cumin seeds followed by the curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the onion, ground spices and garlic/ginger paste.

Stirring in the ground spices — Give this all a good stir and add the chopped chillies and spring onions (scallions). Stir in the yoghurt and soy sauce and stir well to combine. Continue simmering until you have a thick sauce.

Adding the fried chicken to the sauce. — Return the fried chicken to the pan and stir well to coat.

The finished chicken majestic — The sauce should coat the meat nicely. This is a dry curry so you really want to cook that sauce down.

Yield: 4

Chicken Majestic

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE
3 tbsp butter milk (optional)
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
40g (1/4 cup) cornflour (corn starch)
FOR THE FRIED CHICKEN
125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
600g (1 ½ lb) chicken breasts, sliced into long strips against the grain
FOR THE CURRY
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
½ red onion, very finely chopped
3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallion) cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 – 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or to taste)
70ml ( ¼ cup) plain natural yoghurt
1 – 2 tbsp light soy sauce or tamari (GF)
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Juice of one lime

Instructions

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until creamy smooth. Add the chicken strips and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat. When visibly hot, Stir in the chicken and fry in the oil until cooked through. As you are shallow frying, it is important to stir regularly so that the chicken doesn’t scorch in places. You want the chicken to be light in colour with a crispy light, golden exterior. Transfer the cooked chicken using a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
To make the curry, wipe the pan/wok clean if there is a lot of lose flour in it. Then add oil and heat over medium high heat. Stir in the cumin and fennel seeds and temper them in the oil for about 30 seconds. Then stir in the curry leaves and fry for a further 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion and fry to soften for a couple of minutes before stirring in the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste. Give this all a good stir and add the chopped chillies and spring onions (scallions). Stir in the yoghurt and soy sauce and continue simmering until you have a thick sauce
Add the fried chicken and continue stirring until it is coated with the sauce. Add the chopped coriander and a little more soy sauce or tamari if you like. Squeeze in the lime juice and serve hot.

Chapati Recipe

March 29, 2023 By Dan Toombs 5 Comments

This homemade chapati recipe produces super-soft chapatis every time!

Stay away from those shop bought chapatis! You can make this homemade chapati recipe in no time and the results are out of this world delicious. This is a simple chapati recipe that only requires four ingredients. Chapatis are made with chapati flour which is a mix of white and whole wheat flour so they are healthy and perfect for serving with curries, tarka dhal and/or used as a wrap for meats and vegetable.

Finished chapati recipe — This could just be the perfect chapati recipe! I guarantee perfect results every time! Add a little ghee at the end and the chapatis are even more delicious!

What are chapatis?

When you try this chapati recipe, you will be preparing one of the most popular Indian flat breads around. In fact chapatis are so delicious, they have made their way into other cuisines around the world.

For this chapati recipe, you will be making chapatis as they should be, with chapati flour. You can serve your chapatis with curry, pickles, chutneys or dals. Another popular option is simply to enjoy chapatis drizzled with butter or ghee.

Is it difficult to make this chapati recipe?

Not at all though it might take some practice to get them perfect. Even if your chapatis don’t look like mine when you first try, I can assure you that they will still taste amazing! So what are you waiting for? Try this chapati recipe today!

If you have ever made tortillas, you’ll find that this chapati recipe is made in a similar way. The only difference is the type of flour used and where flour tortillas often include pork lard, chapatis can be made with vegetable or rapeseed (canola) oil.

How do you make chapatis?

After the dough has been prepared, you need to roll it out into flat round discs. It is important the chapati discs be as flat and round as you can roll them. This is probably the most difficult thing to do for beginners.

You could use a tortilla press if you have one as it make the job much easier.

How do you cook chapatis?

You can make chapatis in a frying pan or flat tawa. The flat chapati is first placed in the pan and cooked until light brown spots are beginning to form on the underside. You then flip it over to cook the other side until light brown spots colour the chapati. It is then flipped over again and pressed down with a flat spatula.

Doing this will cause bubbles to form. Continue pressing in the places where bubbles have not formed and eventually, the chapati should puff right up.

What you need for this chapati recipe.

Only four ingredients are required to make this chapati recipe.

Chapati flour: You need to look for chapati flour or atta flour which is a mixture of whole wheat and plain white flour.

Warm water: Room temperature or warmed water will suffice. You do not need to use hot water.

Salt: Add a little salt to taste to the flour.

Oil: I recommend using rapeseed (canola) oil. Just a little will do the trick.

Storing Cooked Chapatis

You can cook your chapatis up to 3 days ahead of serving. To do this, ensure they are tightly wrapped and placed in the fridge.

To warm them up, dampen lightly with a little water and place in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Pro Tips

Be sure only to use chapati or atta flour for this recipe. Other flours such as plain white flour can be used but they will not taste the same nor will they be as healthy.
Ensure your dough is soft and pliable. You should easily be able to make an indentation with your thumb.
Make sure that the dough is not too sticky. If it is sticking to your hands, then you have added too much water. Simply adding a little more flour will fix that problem.

Frequently asked questions…

Can cooked chapatis be frozen?

It is best to eat the chapatis made with this chapati recipe right out of the pan. You can, however freeze the cooked chapatis to enjoy later. They will still be delicious and much better than anything you can purchase from the supermarket.

How many days ahead of cooking can I prepare the dough?

You can prepare the dough up to 3 days before cooking. In fact, you might even get better results as the longer resting time will give the chapatis more flavour.

Why aren't my chapatis puffing up?

This will most likely be down to using a dough that is too sticky or you haven't rolled the dough out flat enough. Practice makes perfect! Roll your chapatis out as flat and uniform as you can. This is important as they will not inflate when cooking if not flat and will be much more stodgy in texture.

Chapati recipe in step by step photographs...

Chapati recipe ingredients — Get your ingredients together before starting. That should be easy. There are only four!

Adding the flour and salt to a mixing bowl. — Pour the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

Adding water to the flour and salt — Slowly begin to add water. I only use about 3/4 cup but flours do vary. In should look quite crumbly at first.

Continuing to slowly add water to form a dough. — Continue drizzling in water until you can form a soft dough ball.

Adding oil and kneading the dough. — Knead it all into a soft dough ball for about 3 minutes. Wet your hands with the oil and continue kneading for a further 2 minutes.

Placing the dough ball back into the bowl. — Place the dough ball back into the bowl.

Dough ball in bowl covered with clingfilm. — Cover and allow to rest for about 30 minutes or longer.

Rolled dough. — Roll the dough into a rope and divide into about 8 pieces of equal size.

Dough balls — Then form the pieces into smaller balls.

Chapati starting to cook. — Roll into flat chapatis and place over a medium heat.

Chapati cooking with bubbles forming. — After about 40 seconds, small bubbles will begin to form on top. Flip it over.

Browning chapati — You will see brown marks where the chapati cooked. Cook on this side for about 30 seconds and flip over again.

Air filled chapati — Begin pressing the chapati down with a spatula or towel. As you can see, it will puff up a shown. The chapati will be light, flaky, chewy and delicious.

Yield: 6 - 8

Chapati Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

500g (2 cups) chapati flour
190ml - 250ml (3/4 to 1 cup) warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil
Ghee (optional)

Instructions

Pour the flour into a bowl and then add the water a little at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until you have a soft dough.
Knead the dough for about three minutes and then wet your hands with the oil and continue kneading for another 2 minutes. Form into a dough ball and set aside covered to rest for about 30 minutes.
Dust the work surface with a little flour and divide your dough into about eight to ten smaller balls. Flatten each ball between your hands and then flatten them more with a rolling pin until they are about six inches in diameter and 3mm thick. Try to keep the chapati as round as possible by rolling from different angles. Dust off any excess flour.
Now heat a large frying pan or tawa over a medium heat and add one of the chapatis. Cook until bubbles
begin to form and then flip it over to continue cooking for 30 seconds. Flip it over again and begin pressing down on the chapati with a flat spatula or dish towel. Larger bubble will begin to form and then it should puff right up.
If cooking over gas, you could also place the chapati directly on the flame in it will puff up.
If you are cooking on an electric stove, turn the chapati over one last time and apply pressure to the surface, concentrating on the areas where there are no bubbles. It should puff up completely or at least look nice and bubbly.
For best results serve immediately. Chapati breads can also be warmed up in the microwave if necessary.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry Karahi

March 28, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Cooked in a karahi, this chicken and chickpea curry is hugely popular and easy to prepare.

This chicken and chickpea curry is cooked over a high heat in a karahi. The high heat cooking give the curry a delicious and smoky flavour. This is one you've simply got to try soon.

You will also find links to some of the most popular side dishes to enjoy with your chicken and chickpea karahi.

What is karahi cooking?

A karahi is a pan that is similar to a wok but usually has not handles or two. The rounded base maked it possible to cook over a high heat while stirring it all together to make a delicious sauce.

Cooking chicken and chickpea curry like this build flavour, with results that are far better than simply stewing the ingredients.

You might also like to try some other karahi style curries. I have the recipes for you. Try butter chicken karahi, black pepper chicken karahi, chicken bhuna karahi, white chicken karahi and chicken keema karahi to start! All of these curries can be served together with the chicken and chickpea curry as part of a big meal.

What do you serve chicken and chickpea karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken and chickpea karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Dried vs tinned (canned) chickpeas

Although not necessary, you will get better results if you used dried chickpeas (chana) and cook them until tender. The texture is better to what you get in a can and you can use the cooking liquid to help flavour the curry.

That said, tinned (canned) chickpeas will work perfectly well and you will be able to prepare this chicken and chickpea curry much faster.

Working ahead

If cooking dried chickpeas, you can do this up to three days before cooking the chicken and chickpea curry. Just cover the cooked chickpeas and place in the fridge.

You can also blend the chickpeas required for this recipe at the same time. The blended chickpeas are added to the curry to thicken the sauce.

What to serve with chicken and chickpea curry?

Although this karahi curry is amazing served over rice or with naans, there are a lot of carbs in the chickpeas.

You can therefore serve chicken and chickpea curry on it's own with no sides!

Step by step photos of chicken and chickpea curry

Ingredients for chicken and chickpea curry — Get all of your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

blending the chickpeas — Blend half of the chickpeas to a thick paste and set aside for later.

Infusing the whole spices in the ghee. — Infuse the whole spices in the oil for about 40 seconds.

Frying the chopped onions. — Add the chopped onions to the pan and fry until golden brown.

Adding chicken to the pan. — Add the chicken and fry until almost cooked through. Stir often and hard to coat.

Stirring in the garlic and ginger paste. — Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and continue stirring to coat.

Adding the tomatoes to the pan. — Add the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer over a low to medium heat for 8 minutes.

Removing the tomato skins from the tomatoes. — Remove the skin from the tomatoes with tong. Squeeze the tomatoes as you do.

Simmering the curry over a high heat. — Over a high heat, continue stirring and breaking the sauce down. Then add the ground spices.

Adding the chickpeas to the pan. — Add the chickpeas and a little water and continue stirring. I add about 250ml (1 cup) water or the cooking liquid from cooking the chickpeas.

Adding the chickpea paste to the curry. — Add the chickpea paste. The sauce will become much thicker. If it is too thick for your liking, add more water.

The finished chicken and chickpea curry. — Continue simmering until you have a nice thick sauce, perfect for picking up with naans or chapattis. The ghee or oil will rise to the top when the curry is finished cooking.

Chicken and chickpea curry garnished with lemon, chillies, coriander (cilantro) and julienned ginger. — Serve garnished with julienned ginger, chillies, lemon and coriander (cilantro).

Yield: 4

Chicken and Chickpea Curry Karahi

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

250g (9 oz) dried chickpeas soaked in water overnight or 4 x tinned (canned) chickpeas (garbonzo beans)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional)
125ml (1/2 cup) ghee
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 cloves
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
600g Chicken thighs, on the bone and cut into three pieces

Instructions

If using dried chickpeas, cook them first. Pour the washed and soaked chickpeas into a large saucepan with the bicarbonate of soda and cover completely with water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook for about 70 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft enough to smash between your fingers. Strain but retain the cooking liquid for later.
Place roughly half of the cooked chickpeas in a food processor and blend to a thick paste. Set aside.
Put a karahi or wok over a medium high heat and melt the ghee. Then add the black peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and and cloves and let their flavours infuse into the ghee for about 40 seconds. Stir in the chopped onion and continue frying for about 8 minutes or until the onions are turning a light golden brown and then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.
Add the tomatoes and cover the pan. Let this all simmer for about 8 minutes over a medium heat. Lift the lid and give it all a good stir. The skins of the tomatoes will be peeling off. If not, simmer a little longer and they will. Remove the skins using your hands or tongs and discard. Stir in the chilli flakes, ground cumin, coriander.
Add the chicken and stir it right into the sauce. Continue stirring often to cook the chicken through. Then add the remaining cooked or tinned (canned) chickpeas with about 125ml (1/2 cup) of the cooking liquid or water.
Cover the pan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Give it all a good stir and add the blended chickpeas.
The curry will look a bit dry so go ahead and add more of the cooking liquid or water. I usually add about 250ml (1 cup).
Cover again and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The ghee will rise to the top and the flavour of it all will be incredible. If you prefer more liquid, just add it until you are happy with the consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and garnish with chopped coriander and/or julienned ginger.

Indonesian Fried Chicken

March 25, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

I learned to make this amazing Indonesian fried chicken recipe in Bali. It's really easy to prepare.

If you like your KFC, you are going to love this Indonesian fried chicken. It has so much more flavour and it's lighter too. Just enough flour is used to coat the chicken that is marinated with a tasty sambal.

What is Indonesian fried chicken?

There are many different recipes for Indonesian fried chicken. Some are heavily coated in flour, while others are coated in a batter before frying. In this recipe, you simply coat the chicken with aromatic ingredients to marinate along with a small amount of rice or cornflour (corn starch).

One thing they all seem to have in common is the use of a sambal marinade, just like the one you will be making for this recipe.

What flour?

Although you will find many recipes for Indonesian fried chicken that call for wheat flour, it is far more common to use rice flour. Rice flour gives the chicken a nice, crispy exterior.

In fact, the chicken will stay good and crispy for quite some time after you finish cooking.

Is this Indonesian fried chicken gluten free?

You bet! Whether you used rice flour, cornflour (corn starch) or a combination of them both, this fried chicken recipe is gluten free.

If you are not on a gluten free diet and only have plain (all purpose) flour, that will work too.

Working ahead.

The chicken can be season with salt and pepper a good day ahead of cooking. It will penetrate the chicken and add more flavour.

You can also marinate the chicken for 24 hours. The longer marination time will be beneficial to the flavour.

Marinating time...

You really can marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients and go straight to frying. For best results, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. The longer the better.

To cooking tips...

Ensure that you use bone in chicken with the skin on for the best flavour and texture.
Be sure that your oil is hot enough before adding the marinated chicken. If it is not hot enough, the chicken will become greasy.
Rest your Indonesian fried chicken for a couple of minutes after frying. Then serve immediately.

What do you serve Indonesian fried chicken with?

As there are no spicy hot spices in the marinade, you might want to serve Indonesian fried chicken with sambal oelek or another good hot sauce.

Fried potatoes, green salad or fried vegetables like this Indonesian green beans recipe are also popular sides.

Step by step photos of Indonesian fried chicken

Ingredients for Indonesian fried chicken. — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Blending the marinade ingredients — I usually blend the chunky ingredients first.

Preparing the marinade. — You can then add the ground spices which will blend well with the prepared marinade.

Seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. — Season the chicken with salt and pepper. This can be done a day ahead of frying.

Covering the chicken with the marinade and flour. — Rub the prepared marinade into the chicken. Then add the flour.

Chicken marinating. — Once mixed into the chicken, the marinade and flour should look like this.

Finished Indonesian fried chicken. — Fry until deep, golden brown and crispy. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

If you like this Indonesian fried chicken recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Soto Ayam
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap
Spicy Green Beans Indonesian Style
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis

Have you tried this Indonesian fried chicken recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Indonesian Fried Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs and legs on the bone
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
85g (1/3 cup) rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch)
Rapeseed (canola) oil for deep frying
FOR THE MARINADE
5 shallots, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, roughly chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) galangal, roughly chopped
2 makrut lime leaves, stem removed and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 stalks Lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped

Instructions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. This can be done up to
a day before you fry.
To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor with just enough water to make a smooth marinade. Pour the marinade all over the chicken and add the flour. Mix well with your hands
to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. The longer the better.
When ready to fry, heat enough oil for deep frying over a high heat. You are aiming for a cooking temperature of 175c/350f. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, Test the oil by dipping one piece of the chicken in. If thousands of little bubbles form and bubble around the chicken like crazy on contact, you’re good to go. You can cook in batches if necessary.
Carefully add the chicken and fry for about 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Be sure to move the chicken around in the pan from time to time so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Transfer the cooked chicken to a metal rack to drip any excess oil and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Butter Chicken Karahi

March 25, 2023 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

Butter chicken karahi is not like the butter chicken you might already know!

If you like a good butter chicken, you will love the butter chicken karahi recipe. This is how the curry is prepared at karahi street food stalls in Pakistan. Rather than the slowly stewed version that is so popular all over the west, you cook this butter chicken karahi fast over a high heat and the flavour is amazing!

You will also find links below to some hugely popular side dishes to serve with your butter chicken karahi.

What are karahi curries?

I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other curry recipe. The thing is, a karahi is a round pan, similar to a wok. Some have handles and others don't. They usually don't call for many ingredients but they are the freshest ingredients available.

Cooking them over the smoky, high heat is what makes butter chicken karahi so out of this world gorgeous!

What do you serve with butter chicken karahi?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your butter chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

What is the difference between butter chicken and butter chicken karahi?

Butter chicken as you might know it is a slowly simmered, tomato based curry. You add cooked tandoori chicken to the sauce with all of its marinade. That is then topped with lots of butter, hence the name.

You will probably find butter chicken karahi quite similar but rather than using tandoori chicken, you shallow fry the chicken in oil. The oil is part of the sauce and it breaks down the tomatoes into a creamy sauce. Unlike the more famous butter chicken (at least in the west), butter chicken karahi does not include onions. Other than that, the ingredients are really quite similar. There's no reason you can't add chopped onions to yours though.

How much oil?!

Authentic karahi recipes use a lot of oil. The oil heats up and breaks down the other ingredients to make the sauce.

As the curry cooks, the oil begins to rise to the top once it has done its job. Usually that oil is served with the curry but you could skim it off the top at the end. That said, butter chicken with all its cream and yoghurt isn't really a light curry in the first place.

Top Tips...

Use a cast iron or carbon steel karahi if you have one. A good wok will also work. You really want to get in the and stir hard over the high heat so frying pans are not ideal but will work.
The sauce will begin to caramelise to the sides of the karahi as you cook, when it does, scrape that back into the sauce.
Use the freshest, bright red tomatoes you can get your hands on! I use vine tomatoes but large Roma tomatoes are also perfect.
Be sure to peel all the skin off the tomatoes as they cook. As the tomatoes cook into the butter chicken karahi sauce, it will be easy to peel the skins off.
Use tongs to remove the tomato skins. As you do, squeeze the tomatoes with the tongs to help break them down.

Step by step photos of butter chicken karahi

Ingredients for butter chicken karahi — Get your ingredients together before starting. It is easier that way.

Adding garlic and ginger paste to the pan. — Stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Adding the ground spices and tomatoes — Add the ground spices to the chicken and stir well to combine. Then top with the tomatoes.

Removing the tomato skins — Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer covered for about 7 minutes. Then begin removing the tomato skins.

Adding yoghurt to the butter chicken karahi. — Turn the heat back up to high to allow the tomatoes to break down. Then stir in the yoghurt.

Adding cream to the sauce. — Continue simmering over a high heat to thicken the sauce for about 5 minutes. Then stir in the cream. The sauce will still be quite thin at this stage.

Adding butter and kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). — Once the sauce looks almost thick enough to serve, stir in the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and butter.

Thickened butter chicken karahi sauce — Continue simmering over a high heat until you have a thick sauce and the oil is beginning to rise to the top. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Skim that oil or eat it!

Garnishing the curry with ginger, coriander (cilantro) and chillies. — Top with coriander (cilantro), chillies if you like and julienned ginger.

Finished butter chicken karahi — Dig in with a hot chapatti, paratha or naan.

If you like this butter chicken karahi recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Have you tried this butter chicken karahi recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Butter Chicken Karahi

Butter chicken karahi is a hugely popular chicken karahi dish served at street food stalls. It is easy to prepare and delicious too.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
700g (1 ½ lbs) boneless chicken thighs, skinned and cut into small bite sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
5 medium tomatoes, halved
75g (1/4 cup) plain natural yoghurt, whisked until creamy smooth
5 tbsp single cream (half and half)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
TO SERVE
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
2 green finger chillies, thinly sliced if you like a bit of spice

Instructions

Heat the oil or ghee in a karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the diced chicken and fry for about 5 minutes or until white on the exterior and almost cooked through. Season with the salt and pepper and add the ground spices. Stir this all together to coat the chicken.
Now add the tomatoes and push them down into the simmering sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Lift the lid. The skin from the tomatoes should be coming off, remove this with tongs or your hands. If using tongs, squeeze the tomatoes as you do to help break them down. The tomato skins should come off easily but if not, raise the heat again to high and simmer until the skin can be easily removed.
Push the peeled tomatoes down into the sauce, smashing them as you do. Then add the yoghurt and stir it into the sauce.
Reduce the heat to low again and cover the pan for about 5 minutes. Stir from time to time, pushing the tomatoes down and breaking them apart. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and turn the heat up again to high.
Add the cream and stir constantly, scraping any sauce that begins to caramelise to the side of the pan back in for additional flavour. Keep stirring. You want the tomatoes, cream and yoghurt to emulsify with the oil into a smooth sauce.
When you are happy with your sauce, add the butter and let it begin to melt into the sauce, while continuing to stir. Add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) by rubbing the leaves between your finger. Although this is not butter chicken like you might have tried before, it should look like it. Keep stirring until the sauce comes together and looks like butter chicken! If serving with chapattis or naans, you want to continue cooking the sauce down until it is nice and thick!
Try the curry and add more salt and pepper to taste if you like. Top with the julienned ginger and coriander. If you like a bit of spice, top also with thinly sliced chillies.

Black Pepper Chicken Karahi

March 23, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Black pepper chicken karahi is so good! This recipe is one you've got to try.

The flavour and zap of black pepper is what makes this chicken karahi so good. If you love freshly ground black pepper, then black pepper chicken karahi is for you.

Below you will also find links to many popular side dish recipes that you can enjoy with your black pepper chicken karahi.

What are karahi curries?

I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other. They are that good! A karahi, however is the pan the curry is cooked in.

It's similar to a wok and is the perfect pan for karahi style cooking. Karahi curries, which originated in Pakistan and northern India are usually quite simple with far fewer ingredients that other popular curries.

The flavour comes from cooking those ingredients in the right way.

What do you serve black pepper chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your black pepper chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Getting this black pepper chicken karahi right.

Karahi curries are cooked over a high heat. As the sauce cooks, it caramelises to the side of the karahi. This is scraped back in for more flavour. So although you can cook on a lower heat, it is best to get that heat as high as you can.

Be sure to use the freshest ingredients you can get. In this case, it is really important to use freshly ground black pepper!

Although there is a lot of oil in this black pepper chicken karahi, it is needed for flavour and texture. The oil helps produce the sauce and when it's finished doing its job, it floats to the top.

What type of tomatoes are used in a chicken karahi?

Nice big and delicious tomatoes! I prefer fresh vine tomatoes but you could also use plum tomatoes. As they break down in the oil based sauce, they become richer and even more delicious.

In the winter months, when bright red tomatoes are difficult to come by at times, you could use tinned (canned) tomatoes. I recommend using fresh when you can but a can of chopped tomatoes will do nicely.

Do Chicken Karahi curries include onions?

Some do but usually not. You could always add a finely chopped onion and fry it for a thicker sauce but onions are not normally in an authentic chicken karahi.

Do you have to use that much oil?

No. That said, if you want an authentic karahi sauce, the oil is a must.

As it floats to the top when the curry is finished cooking, you can skim it off if you like. Karahi curries are usually served with all the oil though. You can dip your naan in the sauce and seasoned oil and it is amazing!

Step by step photos of black pepper chicken karahi

Ingredients for black pepper chicken karahi — Get all your ingredients together before starting to cook. It's a lot easier.

Adding the tomatoes to the karahi pan — Add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low or medium and cover the pan to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Stirring the sauce — Raise the lid from time to time to stir and smash the tomatoes into the chicken.

Removing the tomato skin from the cooked tomatoes. — After steaming covered for 5 - 7 minutes, remove the tomato skins with tongs or your hands.

Adding the yoghurt to the pan — Once the tomatoes have broken down into the sauce, add the yoghurt.

Stirring the yoghurt into the sauce — Simmer, stir and scrape the sides of the pan to get all that flavour from the caramelisation into the sauce. Add the freshly ground black pepper.

Reducing the sauce. — Continue simmering over a high heat to reduce the sauce until thick.

Want to try some other chicken karahi recipes? Here you go...

Karahi

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 4

Black Pepper Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml rapeseed (canola) oil
1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs, skinned and cut into three pieces
1 tsp salt
5 medium tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain natural yoghurt, whisked
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
More salt and pepper to taste
TO GARNISH
4 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
3 – 4 green finger chillies, thinly sliced

Instructions

Heat the oil in a karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the chicken and salt and fry for about 5 minutes or until white on the exterior and nearly cooked through. Add the halved tomatoes and stir them into the chicken.
Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, lifting the lid from time to time to stir.
Remove the lid and you will see that the tomato skins are coming free from the tomatoes. Using your hands or tongs which is easier, remove the skins and discard. If the skins are not coming off easily, just simmer and stir a bit longer and they will.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and the freshly ground black pepper and stir well to combine. Then add the yoghurt and again stir well so that the chicken is completely coated.
Turn the heat up to high and stir, stir, stir! If the sauce is carameling to the sides, scrap it back into the sauce.
Now add the ground coriander and cumin and stir it into the sauce as well. Give it all another good stir, scraping the sides of the karahi as you do and then reduce the cooking temperature to low and cover the pan. Simmer covered for another 5 minutes.
When you raise the lid, the oil will have risen to the top. This is a good indication that the curry is ready to serve. Try it and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) and thinly sliced chillies if you like.

White Chicken Karahi

March 21, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

This white chicken karahi is close to a British style korma. It does have chillies but they can be left out.

I'm currently writing a new cookbook featuring 80 chicken curry recipes and this white chicken korma will most definitely feature. This is an authentic white chicken korma, made just as they do at the best karahi food stalls but developed for the home cook. You might also like to try other chicken karahi recipes such as my chicken bhuna and chicken keema karahis.

What is white chicken karahi?

A white chicken karahi is cooked similar to all authentic karahi curries but it is made with white sauce ingredients such as yoghurt and cream.

Although this curry can be spicy, it usually isn't. The recipe was probably first made long before chillies made their way to the Indian subcontinent. Nowadays, mild, seedless chillies are often added but they are there more for colour than spice.

What do you serve white chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your white chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

How to get this recipe just right

When cooking karahi style, it is important to cook over a high heat. When you do this, the sauce will begin to caramelise to the sides of the pan. Scrape this in for additional flavour.

You want to stir and scrape often as this is an oil emersion sauce. Stirring will ensure it becomes creamy smooth.

How much oil?!

Yes, there is a lot of oil being used when you cook an authentic chicken karahi. This white chicken karahi is no exception.

The oil helps break down the sauce and when it's finished doing it's job, it floats to the top. Traditionally, the karahi would be served with the floating oil but you could skim this off the top if you want to make a lighter version.

Ingredient for white chicken karahi — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

Simmering the chicken — Cook over a high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Adding the spices and yoghurt — Stir in the ground spices and yoghurt. Be sure to stir well so that there are no lumps.

Adding chillies to the pan — You can add a few chillies to the sauce if you like for colour. Keep simmering and scraping the sides of the pan.

Adding the cream to the pan. — To finish, stir in the cream. Try it and add salt to taste.

Finished white chicken karahi — Top with the lime slices, julienned ginger and coriander (cilantro) if you like.

Finished white chicken karahi with garnishes — Dig in!

Chicken white karahi served with chapattis — So good served with chapattis.

More Karahi Recipes

Yield: 4

White Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
125ml (1 /2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tbsp ghee
1 kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, cut in half and skin removed
250g (9oz) plain natural yoghurt
3 tbsp milk
3 banana chillies, halved, lengthwise down the centre or other green chillies
1 tbsp coconut milk powder (optional)
½ tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
125ml (1/2 cup) single cream
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 lime, sliced into about 6 thin rounds
Salt taste

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil in a karahi or wok and add the oil, ghee and chicken. Simmer over a high heat, string often until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is white and cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, whisk the yoghurt and milk together with the coconut milk powder and ground spices so that it is smooth and thin enough to pour.
Add the yoghurt and milk mixture to the pan along with the chillies and stir well to combine. Yoghurt has a tendency to curdle so really get in there and move the sauce around to keep it smooth. If your yoghurt does curdle, it isn’t a big problem as the lumps should eventually emulsify into the smooth white sauce.
Continue simmering to thicken the yoghurt sauce. The sauce will become quite thick, clinging to the meat after a few minutes. When it does, pour in the cream and continue simmering and stirring it all together in the hot karahi (pan).
Once you have a sauce consistency you are happy with, season with salt to taste and garnish with the julienned ginger, coriander (cilantro) and lime slices.

Chicken Bhuna Karahi

March 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs 10 Comments

A delicious and thick sauce! This chicken bhuna karahi recipe is one you need to try soon.

This is a chicken bhuna karahi recipe that is just like you'll find in northern India and Pakistan. I know because I watched them being made and took notes. You are in for a treat with this chicken karahi!

How much oil?!

Street food style chicken bhuna karahi is cooked with a lot of oil. At street food stands, the chicken is first deep fried to cook. You could used less oil for this step or go authentic and deep fry.

When it comes to preparing the chicken bhuna karahi sauce, you will pour most of the oil out of the pan but at least 80ml (1/3 cup) is left in. Usually more like 125ml (1/2 cup) but I use less.

The oil helps break down the sauce and it does rise to the top at the end of cooking. So you could skim it off if you like or leave it for a more traditional look and flavour.

What do you serve chicken bhuna karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken bhuna karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Can I make chicken bhuna karahi with less oil?

Yes, but it will not be quite the same. You will need to add about 125ml (1/2 cup) of water to help make the sauce.

The resulting sauce will be thinner and it will not be authentic but it will still taste good.

So if you are on a diet, try another recipe or use about 2 tbsp oil and wing it.

Do I have to cook the chicken on the bone?

Absolutely not! That said, you will get more flavour if you use bone in chicken pieces.

Karahis are meant to be eaten by hand. The bone in chicken pieces are picked up and eaten and the sauce is usually scooped up with hot chapattis or naans.

Chicken bhuna karahi in step by step photos...

Ingredients for chicken bhuna karahi — Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Chicken marinating in chilli powder, salt and turmeric — Apply the chilli powder, salt and ground turmeric to the chicken and set aside. This can be done a day ahead of cooking.

Ground bhuna spices — Roast the whole spices over a medium heat until warm to the touch and fragrant. Then grind to a fine powder.

Frying the chicken in oil. — Fry the chicken in the oil over a high heat until just cooked through. Then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. You could deep fry the chicken too as I did above.

Adding tomatoes to the karahi — Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and pour out most of the oil. Fry the chopped onions for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and chillies. Then add the tomatoes.

Returning the chicken to the pan — Return the chicken to the pan and add the prepared bhuna spice blend. Cover and simmer on low for 7 minutes.

The thickened bhuna sauce — Remove the lid and continue cooking to thicken the sauce over a high heat. To finish, season with salt to taste and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Do You Love Karahi Recipes?

Why not turn your dish into a feast by serving it alongside another Karahi or Indian Chicken recipe. Here are a few you might like to try.

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Bhuna Karahi

There are some amazing flavours in this recipe. If you like a bhuna curry, turn up the heat and make it a karahi! You will love it.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 x 1.5kg (3 lbs) chicken, skin removed and cut into 10 pieces
FOR THE MARINADE
2 - 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lime or lemon juice
FOR THE CURRY
125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
3 large red onions, very finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
6 tomatoes, halved
5 green finger chillies, slit lengthwise down the middle
4 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek powder)
Salt to taste
1 lemon, sliced to garnish
FOR THE BHUNA SPICE BLEND
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 star anise
4 black cardamom pods, seeds only
3 cloves
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 to 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

Instructions

Put all of the whole spices for the bhuna spice blend in a frying pan and roast them over a medium high heat until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking. This should take about 3 minutes. If your spices begin to smoke, get them off the heat. Pour onto a plate to cool some and then grind to a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder and ground turmeric and set aside.
Pour the chicken pieces into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the chilli powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice over the top. Mix well with your hands or a spoon to coat. Set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes or just start cooking. The longer marination time will help intensify the flavours.
When ready to cook, heat the oil over a high heat and when visibly hot, add the finely chopped onions. Fry, stirring often for about 7 minutes or until the onions are beginning to turn a light, golden brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a further 30 seconds. Lower the heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes and chillies and the chicken.
Stir well to combine and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. At this time, your pan might be looking a bit dry. That is what you are looking for as bhunas are dry curries. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan to simmer gently for 8 minutes. Lift the lid and give it another good stir and then stir in the bhuna spice blend, chilli powder and turmeric.
The onions, chicken and tomatoes will have released liquid into the sauce and your bhuna will look nowhere near as dry as earlier. Cover the pan again and continue cooking over a low heat for another 5 to 6 minutes.
Lift the lid again and your bhuna will be much more liquidy.
Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for a further 7 to 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. When the sauce consistency is to your liking, try the curry and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers and garnish with coriander and sliced lemons to serve.

Chicken Keema Karahi

March 18, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This dabba style chicken keema karahi is one you've simply got to try!

Chicken keema karahi is a firm favourite around out house. This is a street food version and it's up there with the best! I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other and this chicken keema karahi is a good place to start.

Below you will also find links to some fantastic side dishes you can serve with your chicken keema karahi.

Cooking karahi style

Karahis are cooked over a high heat at the beginning and end. This helps intensify the flavour and as so much oil is used, it shouldn't cause any issues such as burning.

As the sauce simmers and breaks down, the karahi is cooked over a low to medium heat, covered. This step also builds flavour and makes a smoother sauce.

What do you serve chicken keema karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken keema karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

How much oil!?

To make an authentic street food style chicken keema karahi, you need a lot of oil. That's just how it works!

You could of course use as little as a couple tablespoons oil but the result would not be the same as you would need to add water or stock to make the sauce. The oil based sauce is amazing!

How to prepare the chicken

Although you could use minced (ground) chicken, that isn't how it's normally done.

The chicken is cut into very small pieces. It really is a game changer!

Do I have to cook this in a karahi?

No. A good wok will work fine. I do prefer using a heavy cast iron or steel karahi though.

Cooking in a normal frying pan will work but it is more difficult to get right in there and move the ingredients around in the pan.

Chicken keema karahi step by step photos.

Ingredients for chicken keema karahi — Be sure to get all your ingredients together before starting. Karahis are cooked over a high heat so have everything in place before cooking.

Deep frying chicken keema — Deep fry the chicken keema until white and cooked through.

Frying the chicken keema — Pour out all but about 125ml (1/2 cup) of the oil and bring to a sizzling simmer.

Adding garlic and ginger paste to the karahi — Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir it in. Fry for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously.

Adding ground spices to the pan — Stir in the ground spiced and chillies and continue stirring.

Adding tomatoes to the pan — Add the quartered tomatoes and move all the ingredients around in the hot karahi.

Covering the pan — Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. Simmer covered, stirring a couple of times for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Peeling the tomatoes

When you lift the lid, you will find that the skin of the tomatoes is coming off. Pull the skin off with your hands or tongs. Using tongs is easier. This will help produce a smoother sauce.

Smash the peeled tomatoes into the sauce and it will become thick and smooth without adding any water.

The reduced tomato sauce for the chicken keema — Smash the skinned tomatoes down into the sauce and add some chopped coriander (cilantro) and a few chillies if you like. Continue simmering over a high heat.

Oil rising to the top of the curry — Continue simmering and scraping the sides of karahi to get all that flavour in. Oil will begin to rise to the top which is a good indication the curry is ready. Stir in the julienned ginger.

Chicken keema karahi wrapped in a chapatti — So good wrapped in a hot chapatti!

Scraping the karahi

In order to get this chicken keema karahi to look and taste street food style, you need to cook over a high heat.

As you do, some of the sauce will caramelise or cook onto the karahi. Scrape this back in for more flavour.

Do You Love Chicken Karahi Recipes?

Why not turn your dish into a feast by serving it alongside another Karahi or Indian Chicken recipe. Here are a few you might like to try.

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Keema Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

500ml (2 cups) rapeseed (canola) oil
700g skinless chicken thighs, finely minced with a sharp knife
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 – 4 green bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
5 – 6 tomatoes, quartered
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock or water
5 green bullet or finger chillies, roughly chopped or in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large karahi or wok over a medium high heat. When visibly hot, add the finely chopped chicken and move it all around in the hot oil. Fry for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and just
beginning to get crispy in places. Pour out all but about 70ml (1/4 cup) of the oil. You can discard the oil or strain and use it in another dish.
Stir the garlic and ginger paste into the chicken and continue frying and stirring for about a minute. Add the bird’s eye chillies and ground spices and stir well to combine. Then add the quartered tomatoes and chicken stock or water. Bring to a simmer and then cover the pan to continue simmering for about 5 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan and continue cooking. As the sauces simmers and thickens, the tomato skins will begin fall off. Fish them out. It is not hugely important that you do this but that is how it’s done at dabba restaurants for better presentation. As the curry continues to cook, the remaining oil will begin to rise to the top. If you wish, you could skim this off the top or leave it in which is more authentic and delicious too.
Stir in the bullet chillies and let them cook in the hot keema for a couple of minutes. They should look fresh and not completely cooked.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and then garnish with the julienned ginger and coriander (cilantro) to serve.

Jamaican One Pot Chicken and Rice

March 9, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This is a fantastic one pot chicken and rice meal that can be made really quickly.

You're in for a real treat with this one pot chicken and rice recipe. It's one of the new recipes that will feature in my next book 'The Curry Guy One Pot' and it's so easy to prepare.

The finished dish — The finished chicken and rice in the one pot.

Can I make this one pot chicken and rice ahead of time?

Yes! The chicken is better marinaded for up to a few days so why not? Then all you need to do is fry up the chicken, mix in the simple ingredients and whack in the oven for the perfect weekday meal!

You will probably even have leftovers for further delicious meals as this recipe is particularly filling. I promise, you'll love this simple one pot chicken and rice recipe

This is a perfect dish to prepare early but you could also cook it a day before serving. You can heat it up in the microwave and have a spectacular dinner in minutes.

What sort of pot should I use?

You need to use a pot that is suitable for use on the oven top as well as being appropriate to use for oven baking. The great thing about this one pot chicken and rice dish is that you can take the pan straight off the stove top to finish baking in the oven.

What if I don’t like kidney beans?

There is no reason why you couldn’t substitute kidney beans for chick peas or even black beans. Just make sure they are pre cooked so the canned variety would do unless you are organised enough to soak the beans over night. You could of course leave the beans out.

How necessary is it to make my own stock?

This is not really necessary at all. If you have some fresh stock on hand it will add an extra dimension of flavour but a good quality stock cube works well. Water can even be used instead of stock as the chicken and spices used impart enough flavour into the broth.

Can I make the one pot chicken and rice spicier?

In the recipe I call for one habanero chilli which is a very hot chilli. Unless you are a big lover of hot, spicy food you probably won’t want to eat it. The flavour will diffuse into the broth in the oven to give a mildly spicy taste to the broth.

Saying that, if spicy food is for you, go ahead and add more chillies. I would suggest finely chopping some green or red chillies and adding these to the broth if you really want to spice things up.

As with all of my recipes, add or reduce ingredients like hot spices to your own taste as everyone has different levels of heat and spice tolerance.

Step 1

Laid out ingredients. — Measure and lay out your ingredients to make your job easier.

Step 2

Marinade in blender — Put the marinade ingredients in the blender.

Step 3

Marinade over the chicken. — Pour the marinade over the chicken.

Step 4

Mixing marinade into chicken — Coat the chicken well with the marinade.

Step 5

Marinaded chicken in the pot. — Place the marinaded chicken skin side down in the pot.

Step 6

The flipped chicken. — Once the chicken is browned on one side flip them over.

Step 7

Beans,rice and marinade being added. — Once the fried chicken is removed from the pot add the marinade, beans and rice.

Step 8

Added coconut milk — Pour in the coconut milk to your pot.

Step 9

Adding stock. — Now pour in your stock or water and bring to a simmer.

Step 10

Putting the habanero chilli in — Place the habanero chilli in your one pot and start adding the marinaded chicken.

Step 11

Adding chicken — Finish adding all of the chicken ready to place the pot in the oven.

Step 12

The baked chicken — Once baked the chicken will look like this. Season to taste and garnish with spring onions.

Step 13

Finished chicken and rice — Time to plate up your one pot chicken and rice.

Here are a few more one pot recipes you might like to try...

Jamaican Oxtail Stew
Beef Pho
Chili con carne
Seafood Laksa Soup
Korean Braised Beef Stew
Cajun Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 4 - 6

Jamaican Chicken, Rice and Peas

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

8 bone-in chicken thighs
FOR THE MARINADE
1 large onion
2 jalapeño chillies or green finger
chillies, roughly chopped
1 habanero chilli, roughly chopped 5 garlic cloves, smashed
4 spring onions (scallions), roughly
chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice
1⁄4 tsp nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp light brown sugar 70ml (1⁄4 cup) light soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
FOR THE CHICKEN AND RICE
4 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
400g (2 cups) basmati rice, washed in several changes of water and then soaked for at least 30 minutes in fresh water
600ml (21⁄4 cups) chicken stock or water
400ml (14oz) tinned (canned) coconut milk
400g (14oz) tinned (canned) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 red habanero chilli, left whole
3 spring onions (scallions), thinly
sliced to garnish

Instructions

Place all of the jerk marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend to a paste. Cover the chicken with the marinade and place, covered, in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. If in a real hurry, you can forget the marinating and just get cooking, but the longer the chicken marinates, the better.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F/Gas 4). Scrape as much of the marinade off the
chicken as you can and retain the marinade. Heat an ovenproof frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of the oil.
Place the chicken thighs in the pan skin-side down and brown the skin for about 3 minutes. Then flip the chicken over to cook the other side for about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and pour in the marinade. Fry this over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes and then add the rice and stir it into the marinade to coat. Now add the chicken stock or water, the
coconut milk, kidney beans and habanero chilli and bring to a rolling simmer.
Place the browned chicken thighs on top, skin-side up, and put in the oven to bake for 30–35 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken and rice are cooked. Depending on your pan some of the chicken might sink into the liquid, but as the rice soaks up the liquid the chicken will rise to the top and crisp up.
Remove the pan from the oven. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed, and then garnish with the spring onions (scallions) to serve.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

March 7, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You are going to love this Jamaican oxtail stew! It's a one pot meal that's packed with amazing flavours.

Growing up in California, I used to love going to San Francisco and dining at one of the many Jamaican restaurants. Jamaican oxtail stew was one of my favourites. It's one of the first Jamaican recipes I learned to make and now I'm happy to have the chance to share it with you.

What's makes this Jamaican oxtail stew so good?

You will see in the recipe card below and the step by step photos that there are a lot of ingredients. Don't let that scare you off though as these ingredients are needed and they go so well together.

Marinating the meat in the rich marinade and then frying and simmering it for hours makes this Jamaican oxtail stew one that is simply not to be missed. So yes, there are a lot of ingredients but the actual cooking of the dish is super easy.

Well, that said, I should probably say it's almost easy to make as when in that last hour of cooking, it the aroma is so amazing and it's really difficult not to dig in before it's finished cooking.

Are there any difficult to find ingredients?

Not really. In fact, most you might already have in your cupboard or fridge. Those that are perhaps a bit difficult to find can be purchased online.

One of the ingredients that is difficult to find where I live in the UK is browning sauce. You'll find that online even if it isn't at your local supermarket. It's easy to make though if you must. That, or just leave it out.

The browning sauce adds flavour but you don't want to use too much of it or your stew might taste bitter.

Can Jamaican oxtail stew be cooked in a countertop pressure cooker?

Yes. If you cook as I've done in the recipe below on the stove, it takes about 3 hours.

Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker, set to high and you can cook this Jamaican oxtail stew in about an hour. You might, however need to cook it down some at the end to thicken the sauce.

Is Jamaican oxtail stew spicy?

It can be. The recipe below is mildly spiced as I used two scotch bonnet chillies. If you would like it spicier, use more or leave them out for a milder stew.

Is there a substitute for the scotch bonnet chillies?

Yes. You could use habanero chillies instead. If you can't get hold of those, you could use other chillies. Just remember that chillies vary in how spicy they are so consider this when adding. The scotch bonnets and habaneros are very spicy but they have a delicious flavour too.

If you would like the flavour of those chillies without all the heat, remove the seeds and membranes.

Step by step photos with instructions.

Ingredients for Jamaican oxtail stew — There are a lot of ingredients. Get them together before starting! It's easier that way.

Blending the green paste ingredients — Blend the green paste ingredients first. This can be done a couple of days ahead of cooking if more convenient.

Marinating the oxtail in the dry and wet marinades. The beef needs to marinate for at least an hour or overnight. The longer the better.

Frying the oxtail. — Wipe off the excess marinade and retain it. Then fry the meat in batches to brown.

Adding the stew ingredients to the pan. — Place all of the browned meat, the retained green paste, ketchup, chopped tomatoes, soy sauce and browning sauce in the pan over a medium high heat. Then add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, chopped ginger and garlic.

Adding the chilli and beef stock to the pan. — Add the sliced habanero chilli to the pan and pour in just enough beef stock to cover.

Simmering the Jamaican oxtail stew. — Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 3 hours. When the meat is tender, stir in the butter beans and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Be sure to try the Jamaican beef stew before serving!

Once the meat is tender, go ahead and try it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Is it spicy enough? This recipe is quite mild but you could add chilli powder or chopped chillies to spice it up if you like.

Here are a few other spicy recipe you might like to try...

Pork Vindaloo
Korean Fried Chicken
Korean Braised Beef Stew
Beef Pho

Yield: 4 - 6

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

FOR THE GREEN PASTE
½ cup fresh coriander
1 cup fresh parsley (leaves and tender stems), roughly chopped
10 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from the stems
2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 scotch bonnet pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
10 clove cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 in) ginger, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil (or more if needed to blend)
Juice of 2 limes
FOR THE STEW
2 ½ kg (5 lb) oxtail
1 tbsp salt
Juice of 2 limes
12 allspice berries or 2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp black pepper
3 generous tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp browning sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped
1 scotch bonnet chilli, slit down the middle
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
400ml tinned chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp ketchup
Water or beef stock to cover
1 tin butter beans
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
4 limes

Instructions

Place all of the green paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth but still a bit chunky paste. Set aside.
Now put the oxtails in a large bowl and cover with water. Move the around with your hands to wash off any blood and other impurities. Place the oxtail pieces on a paper towel and tap dry.
Pour the dried meat into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and the juice of two limes, the black pepper and allspice. Mix well to coat the meat and then cover with the green paste stirring well to combine. Allow to marinate for at least an hour or overnight. The longer the better.
When ready to cook, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When visibly hot, scrape off as much of the marinade as possible and retain the marinade. Add the meat to the pan and cook in batches to brown it for about 5 minutes. I like to see a nice char on both sides of the meat.
Add the retained marinade and stir well to cook out the rawness and then add the remaining ingredients up to and including the ketchup. Stir well to coat and the add just enough water or beef stock to cover. Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat and the lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and allow to simmer gently for 3 hours.
After three hours of simmering, the beef should be fall off the bone tender, if it isn’t, continue simmering with the lid off until it is tender to your liking. Stir in the butter beans.
This stew should have a nice thick sauce that clings to the meaty chunks of oxtail. If the sauce is too thin, you can make a slurry with the cornflour and water and then add it in small amounts to the simmering sauce to thicken some.
Taste the broth and add salt to taste if needed and a few cranks of finely ground black pepper. Add more lime juice to the finished sauce for a tarter flavour if you like.

Spicy Green Beans

January 31, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

My spicy green beans recipe works so well as a side with a spicy meat dish.

Vegetables don’t have to be boring and this recipe certainly isn’t. It is really quick and easy to make and calls for ingredients such as galangal which you may have in anyway after making my other Asian dishes. You should try these spicy green beans with Balinese fried duck! The perfect combo.

My served up spicy green beans. Delicious!

About this spicy green beans recipe...

This is a dish I discovered on a recent trip to Ubud on Bali, Indonisia where it is very popular and appears on a lot of menus.

Its Indonesian name is Lawar Kalasan, Lawar means originating from Indonisia and Kalasan basically described the lovely mixture of vegetables, coconut herbs and spices. It sometimes also has minced meat mixed into it which would be good if you intend to serve the spicy beans as a main course and not just as a side as I do.

The spicy green beans or any other readily available vegetable you choose to use with the Kalasan dressing is often served cold but I prefer it served hot.

Do I have to use green beans or will other vegetables work?

I think the dressing would work really well with cauliflower as that vegetable which stand up to the powerful flavours. It would also work well with squash or even broccoli. Just part cook the cauliflower and broccoli for a few minutes as the beans but the squash will need a longer initial cook.

Is jack fruit a crucial ingredient to the recipe?

I state in the method that jack fruit is optional and as you can see I didn’t use it this time as I couldn’t get any.

Jack fruit is a very distinctive fruit, common and readily available freshly in Asia but not so much in the west. It has the consistency of banana or pineapple and many say it’s sweet but I have also heard others opine that it can even have a meaty flavour.

It is used in quite a few recipes as a meat replacement and I have to say it does work well on the few occasions I,ve tried it in these kind of dishes.

Why is shrimp paste used?

I have to admit that this does sound like an odd ingredient to add to a bean dish. It actually tastes nice than it sounds, believe me!
Only 1/2 teaspoon is used so a very small amount but this does make a big difference to the dish.

Just be really careful not to add any more than 1/2 teaspoon as too much makes the recipe inedible and gives and overpowering fishy taste. Whereas 1/2 teaspoon is subtle enough to work really well with the flavours.

I have also seen lots of recipes with dried tiny prawns added to vegetable dishes so the use of small amounts of prawns or paste is not entirely uncommon.

What is the difference between ginger and galangal?

I have seen some people say that these are interchangeable but they aren’t. Galangal has a woody and slightly citrusy flavour and is a sharper flavour than ginger. It is definitely worth getting hold of it if you can find it because it adds a further dimension to this dish.
Ginger has a sweet yet spicy taste so lacks some of the flavours of galangal.

If you definitely can’t get hold of galangal try adding some lime zest with a bit of extra ginger to make up for the distinct flavour.

Galangal does freeze quite well so if you can find it maybe buy as much as you can and freeze it.

Step 1

The weighed out ingredients. — I like to line up all the ingredients for my spicy green beans before I begin to cook.

Step 2

Blanching the beans. — Blanch the green beans for around 30 seconds.

Step 3

Frying the shallots, garlic and chillies. — Frying the shallots, galric

Step 4

Frying until golden brown. — Fry the shallots, garlic and chillies until a nice golden brown but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Step 5

Adding the shrimp paste and lime leaves. — Spoon in the shrimp paste and lime leaves.

Step 6

Dressing ingredients in the blender. — Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Step 7

The dressing on the beans — Pour the dressing over the beans and at this stage also add the Jack Fruit if using. Warm through.

The finished spicy green beans. — The finished spicy beans in my serving bowl.

If you like this spicy green beans recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Indonesian Fried Chicken
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap
Soto Ayam
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis

Have you tried this spicy green beans recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Spicy Green Beans

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

300g (10.5oz) fresh green beans, slit down the middle and cut into 1.75cm (1/2 inch) pieces
2 ½ tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
3 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
3 tbsp garlic, roughly chopped
50g fresh or frozen coconut, grated
100g cooked jackfruit (tinned or fresh), minced (optional)
FOR THE SAMBAL
1 x 1.25cm (1/2 inch) ginger
1 x 2.5cm (1 inches) galangal
2 makrut lime leaves, stems removed and finely julienned
1/2 lemongrass stalk, white part only, peeled and thinly sliced
5 green bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 candlenuts
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 – 2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp shrimp paste

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a frying pan and add the beans. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until tender and cooked and to your liking. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Dry your pan and then add 2 ½ tablespoons oil over a medium heat and fry the shallots and garlic until they are a light, crispy brown. This should only take a couple of minutes and be careful not to burn the garlic and reduce the heat if needed.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate with the beans.
Add the grated coconut to the oil and fry for a few minutes until it is turning a light brown. Then transfer with a slotted spoon to the plate with the other cooked ingredients.
Place all of the sambal ingredients up to and including the lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend to a semi-smooth or smooth paste.
Returning to your pan, heat the remaining oil over a medium high heat. You can add a drop more oil if needed and fry the sambal for about 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp paste and continue cooking for about 30 seconds to cook out the rawness of the paste.
Add the cooked jackfruit, if using to the sambal and stir it all together. Then return the cooked beans, garlic, shallots and coconut to the pan to heat through. Taste it and add more lime juice if you want a tarter flavour and season with salt to taste.

Korean Pork Chops

January 24, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

My spicy Korean pork chops are a great change to the standard grilled pork chops.

This recipe is so easy yet gives great results. Give it a go! Pork chops don’t really get any tastier than this. They are so quick to make, I suggest marinading the pork chops in the gorgeous sticky, spicy marinade overnight but if you’re short on time just marinade for as long as you can manage. Half an hour will impart some of the flavour into the juicy chops.

I always buy pork chops from my local butcher as I find them far superior to those found in the supermarkets and generally not any more expensive. The supermarket chops always seem to be too thinly cut and lacking in flavour.

My finished spicy Korean pork chops.

About this recipe for Korean pork chops...

This was really just a bit of an experiment that worked! I love cooking pork chops in this way regardless of the marinade.

As the chops are quite thick, you need to get a good char on them before placing them in the oven to finish cooking. You just want a nice char but cooking them just in the pan would mean blackening them too much before the interior is properly cooked through.

What is gochujang paste and gochugaru?

Gochujang paste is commonly found in Asian shops and is readily available on line. It is crucial for this Korean pork chops recipe and there is not really a substitute. It is a red chilli paste, being both savoury and sweet in flavour.

Gochugaru is a Korean chilli powder and is used in a lot of Korean dishes. Meju powder is dried, fermented soya beans and yeotgireum is malt powder. These uncommon ingredients in the west give the marinade the great, unique flavour.

Can I use beef or lamb chops instead?

I think this recipe works best with pork chops as the marinaded seems to go well with the consistency of pork meat. By all means give the recipe a go with other meats as I’m sure it will still taste great but my preference for this recipe is pork.

Why do I rub most of the marinade of the Korean pork chops before frying?

As the paste has a lot of sugar in it, it's a good idea to remove it. Reserve the leftover marinade for later and rub it all over the pork chops before baking them and then you won’t lose any. It’s far too good to waste!

What to serve with the spicy Korean pork chops?

There is so much flavour in this meat dish I would serve with something fairly bland. Maybe go with some boiled white rice or you might like to try making these Korean savoury pancakes.

I like to serve them with some plain broccoli or just a simple side salad.

Step by step pictures and instructions ...

Step 1.

Lay out your ingredients to simplify your work.

Step 2

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl big enough to fit the pork chops.

Step 3

Add the pork chops to the marinade and coat them well with it.

Step 4

Place the Korean pork chops in the hot pan.

Step 5

Fry for about 4 minutes each side

Step 6

Cover the pork chops in the excess marinade before placing them in the oven.

Step 7

Remove the pork chops from the oven to serve up!

If you like these Korean pork chops, you might like to try some of these too...

This Korean braised beef stew is to die for!
Kimchi Jjigae is a Korean favourite and it's so easy to prepare at home too.
Who doesn't like a good beef bibimbap? Try this one... You'll love it.
If you want to cook up a Korean feast, you'll want this Korean fried chicken on the table!

Yield: 2

Korean Pork Chops

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 x 2.5cm (1 inch) thick pork chops on the bone
FOR THE MARINADE
2 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
3 clove garlic - minced
1 x 1.25cm (1/2 inch) ginger, minced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
sesame seeds - for garnish

Instructions

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl and add the pork chops. Ensure they are thoroughly covered with the marinade and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the better. If you must, you could just get cooking right away as the flavour of the marinade will still taste amazing on the pork chops.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Heat a cast iron or stainless steel pan over a medium high heat. When hot, rub as much marinade off the chops as you can. Add the oil to the pan and when sizzling hot, carefully add the pork chops. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes without turning. Then flip them over and baste generously with the leftover marinade. Place in the oven to roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 63c/145f.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Tonkotsu Broth

January 23, 2023 By Dan Toombs 8 Comments

Tonkotsu broth is a must for tonkotsu ramen and can be used in other ways too.

If you want to make the best tonkotsu ramen, you need to first prepare a tonkotsu broth. It isn't difficult but it does take some time. Just over 13 hours to be exact but it's easy work and you will be rewarded in the end for your efforts!

Are you ready to become a tonkotsu ramen master?

If you’ve ever gone out and tried a bowl of steaming hot tonkotsu ramen, you’ll know why I had to do some research and figure out how to make it myself. Perhaps that’s why you found this recipe and I promise, my version of tonkatsu broth, the backbone of an authentic tonkotsu ramen won’t let you down. By the time you finish this tonkotsu broth recipe you will be a master of the art!

To begin, let’s start by defining exactly what tonkotsu ramen is. Unlike most ramen recipes, tonkotsu ramen doesn’t take its name from what is added to the broth and ramen noodles but instead the pork broth itself.
‘Tonkotsu’ means ‘pork bones’. It’s the way you prepare the pork bones and cook the amazing pork stock that makes tonkotsu ramen so special.

Why does it take so long to make the tonkatsu broth?

The pork bones are first prepared as you would most Asian meat stocks. You start by rinsing any impurities off the bones. When I say to scrub those bones clean, I mean it! Get them sparkly clean. Actually, pork bones can’t get sparkly clean but I’m sure you get the idea.Then the pork bones (tonkatsu) are boiled for about ten minutes.

While the bones are boiling, you need to skim off any foam and other impurities that rise to the top. If you cleaned your bones as well as I told you to, you will have very little to skim. If you didn’t you have a big job ahead of you.

This process is a typical first step of preparing Asian meat stocks. The bones are then poured into a colander and rinsed some more to get them as clean as you can. The cooking water is discarded. Then the bone are boiled in sufficient water for 12 hours. This long boiling time is what makes the tonkotsu broth creamy and delicious.

Which pork bones are best for this broth?

The bones you use are also very important. I use a mixture of pork trotters and necks. The trotters need to be cut across the bone into about 5 pieces so that you get the full benefit of all that fat, marrow and collogen that flavours and colours the broth. I usually ask my butcher for a 50/50 mix of pork trotters and meaty neck bones.

This makes a lot of broth. Can I downscale the recipe?

Yes. You can downscale or upscale the recipe. I rarely make less than this as it takes so long to make. In fact, I usually double or triple the recipe as I did in the step by step photos below. If you have a large enough pot, I suggest doing the same.

Although you can halve this recipe, it takes just as long to make a small amount as it does a large amount.

How to decide how many bones to use in the tonkotsu broth...

As mentioned above, it is a good idea to make as much tonkotsu broth as you can fit into your pot. You just need to ensure that the bones are always covered with about 5cm (2 inches) of water as it boils.

In the photos below, I used 10kg (about 20 lbs) of pork neck and trotter bones, all cut into small pieces. You could of course use fewer or more depending on how much tonkotsu broth you want to make. The recipe card below is for a much smaller amount of broth.

For your information, in the photos below, I used a 20 liter pot and with the bones in, I was still able to add 14 litres of water. As the water evaporated away during the cooking process, I needed to add another 15 litres of water!

So don't worry about adding too much water and making the broth flavourless! The whole idea behind boiling the bones for so long is to suck every last bit of flavour out of them. Keep the bones covered with 5cm (2 inches) of water at all times and your tonkotsu broth will be amazing!

Covered vs Uncovered Pot...

When I was younger, living in San Francisco, there was a place that specialised in tonkotsu ramen. That is all they made and it was always packed. They had two massive pots of pork bones on the boil at all times and they were uncovered.

The chefs kept a close eye on the broth and added more water as required. At home, you will probably find it easier to cover the pan so that the liquid doesn't evaporate as quickly. That said, you still need to watch it closesly.

Can Tonkotsu broth be made in a pressure cooker?

Not really. I did try. Following my recipe below exactly but in a countertop pressure cooker, I closed the lid and set it to pressure cook on high for 2 hours. The stock it produced was good and usable but it was not a tonkatsu broth. The steady boiling of the bones for 12 hours or longer causes the collogen, marrow and fat to emulsify into the broth slowly over time. This does not happen in a pressure cooker.

UPDATE: Since my first pressure cooker experiment, I decided to try my pressure cooker a couple more times. Once cooking it or just an hour and another cooking the broth for 3 hours. Both times, I got the same result as the first time I tried pressure cooking. Stick to the stovetop method for a good tonkotsu broth for tonkotsu ramen.

Surely not all Tonkotsu ramen has broth made like this?

That's right. There are tonkonsu stock cubes you can purchase. Unfortunately, this is what most restaurants use as it is quicker and easier to prepare. So by following my recipe, you'll get the best tonkotsu broth out there. Some restaurants specialise in nothing but tonkotsu ramen and it is the quality of tonkotsu broth you get at those restaurants that I am aiming for here.

Making Tonkotsu broth in step by step photos...

Ingredients for tonkotsu broth — Be sure to get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way. I used a lot more pork bones than photographed.

Step 2.

Wash the bones thoroughly and then place them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then boil the bones for 10 minutes, skimming any impurities that rise to the top.

Step 3.

It's important to skim as much goop off the top as you can during the first cooking process.

Step 4.

Once the bones have boiled for 10 minutes, strain through a colander. The cooking liquid can be discarded. Be sure to wash each individual bone of any impurities such as blood or white and black gunk that is on them.

Step 5.

You can use a chopstick to get right in there and clean those bones. The cleaner you get them, the less you will need to skim and the better your tonkotsu broth will look when finished.

Step 6 - Time to heat start cooking again!

As the water heats up, be sure to skim any impurities that rise to the top again. If you washed your bones thoroughly, you should have very little to skim. Bring to a rapid boil and continue boiling for 12 hours. Add more water as needed. The bones need to be covered with water for the whole 12 hours so don't be afraid to add water as required.

Step 7.

Adding aromatic vegetables to the tonkotsu broth is something I like to do for additional flavour. It is not necessary though. Many chefs don't add aromatics to their tonkotsu broth. You will get even better flavour by frying the aromatics

Step 8.

Add the aromatics and mushrooms to the broth and bring to a boil.

After 2 hours of boiling...

After the tonkotsu broth has been boiling for two hours, it will start to become cloudy. It will still be quite clear though.

After 6 hours of boiling...

After six hours of boiling, the tonkotsu broth will be very cloudy. Don't stop there though! You still have six more ours of cooking to do.

Almost done!

After 12 hours of boiling the broth will be creamy and taste amazing.

To finish...

Strain the broth through a fine sieve and perhaps a cloth too.

Check out these bones!

After 12 hours of boiling, there is very little left of the bones! All that deliciousness has oozed into the broth. You can discard all this.

What the tonkotsu broth looks like when placed in the fridge.

After over 12 hours of cooking, I was in no way ready to start preparing the tonkotsu ramen. So I placed it it all in the fridge overnight. When taken out to heat up again, you can see the beautiful colour of the broth. It isn't dark as a western stock would be. You are going to love this! Once reheated, you can add soy sauce to taste.

If you like this Japanese tonkotsu broth, be sure to try some of these recipes too...

Tonkotsu Ramen: - Once you make this tonkotsu broth, making tonkotsu ramen will be a breeze!
Japanese Chicken Curry: Creamy and mild, this one is really east to prepare and it a very authentic recipe too.
Katsu Chicken Curry: Who doesn't love this one?
Curry Doria: A popular curry, rice and cheese dish in Japan.
Chashu Pork: Perfect served on top of tonkotsu ramen and other ramen dishes.
Chashu Rice: A nice and easy meal that uses up leftover chashu pork.
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken Yakitori
Chicken Curry Ramen
Birria Ramen
Korean Ramen
Japanese Coleslaw
Japanese Chicken Curry
Chinese Chicken Curry
General Tso's Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Black Bean Sauce
Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Black Bean Noodles
Bam Bam Chicken
Soy Sauce Chicken
Hainan Chicken
Sesame Chicken
Cashew Chicken

Yield: 10

Tonkatsu Broth

Once you prepare this tonkotsu broth, you can make the most amazing tonkotsu ramen on the planet! It might take a long time to make but it's so worth it!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 13 hours

Ingredients

5kg (10 lbs) pork trotters and/or pork neck bones
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 medium onion, quartered
2 bulbs garlic, divided
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, cut into rings and smashed
8 spring onions (scallions) roughly chopped
4 shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise in half
5 dried Shitake mushrooms (rinsed) and /or 170g (6oz) button mushrooms
Soy sauce to taste

Instructions

Rinse the bones thoroughly with water and then place in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat and then boil for ten minutes. Skim off any foam or other gook that rises to the top.
After ten minutes of boiling, pour bones into a colander. You can discard the cooking water as it has served its purpose. Rinse the bones again under cold, running water to remove any blood or other impurities that came to the surface while boiling.
Wash your stockpot with water and then return the bones to it and cover with fresh water. I usually start by submerging the bones with water so that the water level is at least 5cm (2 inches) above the bones. You will need to add water regularly as the tonkotsu broth cooks.
While the water is coming up to heat, fry the onion, garlic, ginger, spring onions and shallots in the oil to char some. This should only take about 5 minutes. Take off the heat. Once the broth is boiling, add the charred aromatic ingredients along with the mushrooms.
Cover the stockpot and continue boiling for 12 hours. It is essential that the bones remain submerged during cooking so be sure to check the stock every half hour or so and add water if required. By boiling and not just simmering the bones, the stock will turn a milky beige.
After 12 hours, remove the bones with a slotted spoon and then pass the stock through a sieve.
The stock will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days and it can be frozen. If freezing, think about the portion sizes you will need so that you can simply remove what is required and not have to defrost a huge frozen tonkotsu stock cube! My tonkotsu ramen recipe should give you a good idea about freezing.

Tonkotsu Ramen

January 21, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This tonkatsu ramen recipe will get you restaurant quality results!

The sign of a good tonkatsu ramen is a properly prepared, creamy tonkotsu broth and lots of delicious chashu pork on top. There are restaurants that cheat in one or both of these areas but when you make tonkotsu ramen at home, you can ensure that only the best goes in those serving bowls.

What is tonkotsu ramen?

In my personal opinion, there's ramen and then there's tonkotsu ramen: the king of ramens! Where other ramens can be whipped up in a very short time, tonkotsu ramen needs special pork tonkotsu broth that takes about 13 hours to make. You'll find my tonkotsu broth recipe for that here.

Don't let that scare you off making tonkotsu ramen though. The broth is really easy to make and most of the time you won't need to do anything other than let your broth boil.

Then there is the specially cooked chashu pork that is thinly sliced and served on top of the ramen noodles and broth. This is also simple to make.

What other things can you add to a tonkotsu ramen?

Tonkotsu ramen is all about that delicious and creamy tonkotsu broth. You could just pour some of the broth over ramen noodles and not be at all disappointed. The broth is that good!

In fact, you could make this tonkotsu ramen recipe using a shop bought tonkotsu broth but it just won't be anywhere near as good. The shop-bought stuff isn't bad though if you want some tonkotsu ramen right now.

In addition to the chashu pork and broth, you can also add other fresh ingredients such as mushrooms, soft boiled eggs, bak choy and spring onions (scallions). If it sounds good, it probably will be.

How much tonkotsu broth is needed for each serving?

I generally add 500ml (2 cups) boiling hot tonkotsu broth to each bowl. You could of course add more or less.

This is really the same for all of the ingredients. The noodles, veggies, meat... Add as many or as little as you like.

Are there any cheats to make the cooking process quicker?

Of course! But I don't recommend doing this when making authentic tonkotsu ramen. This is a labour of love. If you like cooking, you're going to have fun assembling all the prepared ingredients.

If you don't like cooking, you might like to go for a quick and easy ramen like my quick and easy curry ramen here.

All of the topping shown in the photos are optional so you don't have to make the chashu pork but I hope you do!

How do you make the tonkotsu broth?

Most restaurants will use a few tonkotsu stock cubes. In my opinion, this is not tonkotsu ramen. If you want the real thing, you're going to have to make the stock yourself.

Making the broth brings back memories of living in San Francisco where hot bone broth was always on offer. Huge pots of tonkotsu broth would be on the boil at all times and the tonkotsu ramen was always amazing!

You are going to need to put aside a good 14 hours to make it though. I warned you. It will be worth it in the end though. I promise.

Why is homemade tonkotsu broth so much better?

There are many reasons for this. It is a really simple stock as far as ingredients are concerned. Nothing more than you would put any any stock really.

It becomes spectacular during the cooking process. The bones are first boiled and then thoroughly cleaned. Then they are covered with water and a few aromatic ingredients to boil for 12 hours. That's right... the broth is boiled not simmered. After 12 hours of boiling, there is very little left of the bones as all of their goodness has literally oozed into the creamy broth.

My tonkotsu broth recipe shows this process with step by step photographs.

Is tonkotsu ramen really worth all the fuss?

You bet! Whoever came up with the idea of boiling pork bones for 12 hours was a genius! There is a reason why tonkotsu ramen is the only thing served at many restaurants. You need to specialise in it because it's so fussy to make!

The thing is... anything a good tankotsu ramen chef can make can also be prepared at home with equally good results. Put in the effort and enjoy the rewards!

Does it matter which type of ramen noodles I use?

Yes! When cooking tonkotsu ramen, be sure to go for the best you can find. Often when I prepare other ramens, I just use instant ramen noodles.

With tonkotsu ramen, however I always use fresh or excellent quality dried ramen noodles. These are available at Asian grocers and on specialty shops online. When you put this much time into making a noodle soup, only the best will do.

What is chashu pork?

This is a tasty and sometimes crispy pork that tastes amazing on top of tonkotsu ramen and other ramens.

It can be made in a dutch oven or if you have an Instant Pot or similar, you could save yourself a few hours by pressure cooking the meat on high for 90 minutes.

It can be prepared using pork belly or pork shoulder. My authentic chashu pork recipe is here but if you live near a Japanese grocer or restaurant, you might be able to purchase some.

Adding sliced chashu pork to your tonkotsu ramen is not essential but it is very nice!

How long does it take to make Tonkotsu Ramen?

Once you prepare the broth, it only takes minutes to put together. Really all you need to do is heat it up and you're ready to serve with whatever else you want to add to those tonkotsu ramen bowls.

Step by step photographs

(These photos are from the tokotsu ramen stage. You need homemade tonkotsu broth or a good quality shop bought tonkotsu broth).

Pouring soy sauce into tonkotsu ramen broth — Bring your tonkotsu broth to a simmer and allow it to simmer and thicken for a few minutes. Then add the soy sauce to taste.

Tonkotsu ramen broth. — Continue simmering for a few minutes. If you look at how the broth from the ladle hits the broth in the pan, you'll see how naturally creamy this pork bone broth is.

A note about the chashu pork in the tonkotsu ramen below.

When you braise the pork, it can simply be sliced thinly and added to your tonkotsu ramen. I like to place it under the grill (broiler) to crisp it up. This process is demonstrated in my chashu pork recipe.

ramen garnished with chashu pork, boiled egg and veggies. — Divide the noodles between 4 bowls. Top with the seasoned tonkotsu broth and any other garnishes you prefer.

If you like this tonkotsu ramen recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Korean Ramen
Chicken Curry Ramen
Birria Ramen
Japanese Chicken Curry
Chicken Katsu Curry
Chinese Chicken Curry
Chashu Rice - Fried rice made with leftover chashu pork
Chicken Teriyaki
Chicken Yakitori
Japanese Coleslaw

Have you tried this tonkotsu ramen recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do to. Thank you

Yield: 4

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen is one of the best if not THE BEST ramens out there. It is made with pork bone tonkotsu broth and other toppings can also be added. If you would like to serve this with delicious chashu pork, you will find my recipe above.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours

Ingredients

2 liters (8 cups) homemade tonkotsu broth
70ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce (or to taste)
400g (16 oz) top quality dried ramen noodles
4 spring onions (scallions) green parts only, thinly sliced
85g (3 oz) wild mushrooms (optional)
85g (3 oz) bok choy (optional)
8 slices or chashu pork (optional)
Soft boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions

Heat about 2 1/2 liters of homemade tonkotsu broth over a high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer it down to thicken some and then add soy sauce to taste. I recommend adding this in small amounts until you are happy with the flavour.
Cook the ramen noodles per the package instructions. This usually only takes about 5 to 7 minutes.
Divide the cooked ramen noodles between four heated bowls and top equally with the hot broth.
Add whatever topping you like and serve immediately.

Notes

You will find my recipe for the chashu pork in the post above.

Sri Lankan Fried Calamari

January 15, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Seriously delicious! Give this Sri Lankan fried calamari a try!

Sri Lankan fried Calamari simply doesn’t get any better than this! I learned this recipe at a restaurant called Refresh in Hikkaduwa, on the south west coast of Sri Lanka. Refresh specialises in fresh seafood and I got to watch the chefs prepare many different dishes one afternoon. Having tried their hot butter calamari the day before, I simply had to know how it was done.

The plated up finished fried calamari.

About this recipe

Often called Sri Lankan Devilled Calamari, this recipe is a bit of a mix between my own way of preparing calamari for cooking and the recipe I learned at Refresh for their amazing garlic and butter sauce. When I learned the recipe, they prepared it with cuttlefish that had just been brought in from the sea. It was extraordinary.

One of the best ways to ensure that your squid is a tender as can be, is to soak if overnight in milk. Yes, I know this sounds a bit strange but believe me, it works. There's no point going to the work of preparing the delicious sauce if your calamari is tough. and chewy. This recipe will ensure perfection.

How to make this fried calamari recipe your own...

There are a number of ways that you can tailor this recipe to your own preference.

I use a lot of chilli paste as I like my recipes spicy. This can of course be toned down or even upscaled depending on your spice preferences.

You could add more or fewer of the peppers and garlic too. I recommend tasting the sauce as you cook it and adjusting to taste. You really can't go wrong.

Step by step photos...

Step 1.

Measure out your ingredients as this makes things easier.

Step 2

Mix the flour, chilli powder, salt and pepper together.

Step 3

Dip the squid in the egg mixture.

Step 4

Cover the egg washed squid with the flour.

Step 5

Put a chop stick in the oil, if the oil is hot enough the oil will bubble around the chop stick.

Step 6

Fry the squid in batches, around 1 minute per batch.

Step 7

Melt the butter in the wok.

Step 8

Swirl the garlic in the butter.

Step 9

Add the chilli paste to the butter and garlic.

Step 10

Stir the chilli paste into the butter.

Step 11

Add the spring onions and bell pepper to the butter.

Step 12

Add the spur chillies to the wok and fry for a few minutes.

Step 13

Toss the calamari in the wok.

Step 14

Coat the calamari in the vegetables and sauce.

Step 15

Plate up your dish!

If you like this Sri Lankan fried calamari recipe, you might like to try some of these Sri Lankan dishes too...

Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry is one of the most popular Sri Lankan curries. Dark curry powder is used to make it darker and I have a recipe for that too
This delicious Sri Lankan Beef Curry is so easy to prepare. It tastes amazing and is super popular all over the island.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry With Black Pepper - you are going to love this one!
If you like prawn curries, you are going to love this Sri Lankan prawn curry!

Yield: 4

Sri Lankan Fried Calamari

Ingredients

900g (2 lbs) baby squid tubes, cleaned and cut into small bit sized rings
500ml (2 1/4 cups) full fat milk
2 eggs
120g (1 cup) cornflour (corn starch)
120g (1 cup) rice flour or more cornflour (corn starch)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp red chilli powder
Rapeseed oil for deep frying
TO FINISH
5 generous tbsp butter
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp chilli paste (see page 00) or any good quality Chinese chilli paste
2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced at an angle
3 dried bird’s eye chillies, roughly cut and soaked in water for 30 minutes
6 spring onions (scallions), cut in half and sliced into thin strips lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips to match the spring onions (scallions)
Juice of one lime

Instructions

Place the squid in a bowl and cover with the milk. Milk is a natural tenderiser which gives the squid a perfect texture when fried so be sure the squid is completely covered.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge overnight to marinate. The milk will turn pink which is natural and fine.
When ready to cook, remove the squid from the milk marinade and discard the milk. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and place the squid in it.
Now mix the two flours on a plate with the salt, pepper and chilli powder. Dust the egg coated squid thoroughly with the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour. Set aside.
Heat about 500ml (2 cups) of oil in a wok and heat to 190°C (375°F) over medium high heat. If you don’t have an oi thermometer, place a wooden chopstick or spatula in the oil. If thousands of little bubbles form and sizzle on contact, your oil is ready to cook.
Cook the squid in small batches until crispy and lightly browned which will take about 1 minute per batch. Do not overcook the squid or it will become chewy.
Transfer the cooked calamari to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Discard the cooking oil.
Wipe your wok clean and add the butter. Melt the butter over a medium high heat and add the chopped garlic. Swirl the garlic around in the butter for about a minute and then stir in the chilli paste.
Let this all sizzle for about 30 seconds and then stir in the spur chillies, spring onions (scallions) and bell pepper. Fry for a further minute or so and the pour in the fried calamari.
Toss the calamari into the sauce to coat and then pour it all onto a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze the lime juice all over it.

6 Recipes for Leftover Christmas Turkey

December 21, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Here are some of my favourite ways to serve leftover Christmas turkey...

If you're looking for a few delicious ways to use your leftover Christmas turkey, you won't be disappointed with these recipes. The thing is, my blog is packed with curry house style recipes that call for pre-cooked chicken and you can substitute turkey in those recipes too. If you don't have any prepared curry house base sauce, you could use your turkey in these no-base recipes. So really... if you're looking for a tasty way of using up leftover turkey meat, you'll find literally hundreds of recipes on this site that might be just what you're looking for.

Note: Some of these recipes were made using raw turkey. They work just as well with leftover turkey!

Leftover Christmas Turkey Recipes

Here are my top six! But be sure to explore my blog a little deeper. You can use leftover Christmas turkey in any chicken curry recipe or add it to a prepared curry sauce.

Leftover Turkey Soup

Perhaps a bit spicier than other turkey soups but this one is one of my favourites. Really easy to prepare and, in my opinion a lot better than more traditional turkey soups out there!

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4

Turkey Tikka Masala

This curry is mildly spiced and tastes amazing. It can be made in under 30 minutes too!

Total Time 20 minutes Yield 2

Turkey Curry With An Easy BIR Homemade Curry Sauce

Jalfrezi curries are quick and easy stir fries. To make them, you need precooked meat so why not use that leftover turkey. It works a treat here!

Total Time 1 hour Yield 6

Leftover Turkey Jamaican Rice

I'm a big fan of Jamaican rice with peas. This one using leftover turkey is so good!

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4

Malaysian Devil Curry

Malaysian Devil curry is hugely popular with the Christian community of Malaysia. It is traditionally prepared at Christmas using leftovers. In this recipe I used chicken but leftover turkey works here too. You can even throw in any leftover sausages or roast potatoes you might have.

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4 - 6

Peshwari Turkey Curry

Have some leftover turkey? Why not try this Peshwari style turkey curry. It's quick and easy to make and tastes amazing!

I hope you enjoy browsing this list of leftover Christmas Turkey ideas. If you do try one, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Cajun Mac and Cheese

December 4, 2022 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Cajun mac and cheese is amazing! Give this easy recipe a try.

When my kids were growing up, Cajun Mac and Cheese was the meal they requested for every birthday or other special occasions. I cooked curries most days, as I had to while writing my cookbooks but this Cajun mac and cheese is what they really wanted. When you try it, I think you'll agree that it should be called Cajun Cheese and Mac because there is so much cheese in it. This cheesy pasta is to die for!

About this Cajun mac and cheese recipe.

Everyone has there own taste preferences and my family is no different. When I prepare this creamy Cajun mac and cheese for my daughters, they always ask for Cajun seasoned prawns to be added. So I have given instructions for those below too.

When I made it for my son, he always requested no prawns. He hates them. So you could make this Cajun mac and cheese without the prawns if you like.

How much cheese!?

Yes, there is one heck of a lot of cheese added to the sauce. That's one of the reasons it's so good!

You could, however use less if you like. You can also decide which cheese you want to add. I love it with sharp cheddar but you might prefer a milder flavour.

Working ahead...

When you make this one pot version of Cajun mac and cheese, it is best to serve it right when it's ready.

We have made this many times for big groups, often doubling or even quadrupling the recipe. When we do this, we prepare it all ahead of time and then bake it before serving.

We add crumbled cheese crackers to the top and bake it to heat through for about 30 minutes, covered. Full instructions for doing this are in the recipe card below.

How to make Cajun Mac and Cheese

Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

Step 1.

If using prawns, season them with the Cajun seasoning and set aside to marinate. This step is optional.

You can use shop bought cajun seasoning or make your own. I have a recipe for that you here.

Step 2. - Preparing the macaroni

Cook the macaroni as per packet instructions. Drain and rinse and stir in butter so that the pasta doesn't stick together.

Step 3.

Add a handful of cheese to the pasta while it's still hot and mix it in.

Step 4.

Blend the onion and garlic to a smooth paste.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Stir in the cream, milk and sour cream and bring to a light simmer. Time to add that cheese!

Step 7.

Add all of the cheese to the pan, one handful at a time. When you do this, it will still look quite soupy, so you want to stir continuously so that the cheese emulsifies into the sauce instead of becoming clumpy.

Step 8.

Stir the cooked macaroni into the sauce. I usually add it slowly and to preference.

Step 9.

Above is the Cajun mac and cheese with prawns. You can leave the prawns out if you like. Garnish with the spring onions (scallions) to serve.

Yield: 8 - 10

Cajun Mac and Cheese

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

225g baby prawns or medium prawns chopped, deveined and peeled
4 generous tbsp Cajun seasoning or good quality shop bought
1kg (2 ¼ lbs.) dry macaroni
720g (9 cups) grated sharp and/or medium Cheddar cheese
240g (3 cups) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
115g (4oz) butter
1 large onion - finely chopped
12 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
500ml (2 cups) milk
425ml (1 1/2 cups) double cream
250ml (1 cup) sour cream
3 egg yolks
Salt to taste

Instructions

Place the prawns in a bowl and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. When boiling, pour in the macaroni and cook for about 15 minutes or until the texture is to your liking. Strain the macaroni and place it in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of the butter and about 3 large handfuls of the Cheddar cheese. Mix well and set aside.
Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Now melt the remaining butter in the same pot you used to cook the macaroni and add the remaining cajun spice blend. Stir to combine and then add the onion and garlic mixture. Allow this to sizzle for about two minutes.
Pour in the milk, cream and sour cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cheese to this sauce one handful at a time while whisking constantly until you have added all the cheese.
Simmer for about five minutes to thicken the sauce while continuing to whisk. Don't stop whisking! Reduce the heat a little and stir in the beaten egg yolks and prawns. Then slowly pour the prepared macaroni into the sauce, continuing to stir as you do.
At first it might look like the macaroni is drowning in the sauce. No worries, you're on your way to cheesy, macaroni heaven. Once all of the macaroni is coated with that thick cheese sauce, turn off the heat and serve, garnished with the spring onions (scallions) and a little more cajun spice blend if you like.
Recipe variation: When we make this recipe ahead of big parties, we find that it’s easiest to make the cheese and macaroni early, leaving out a little of the cheese. We only cook the pasta until al dente, before adding to the sauce. Then we pour it all into one or a few casserole dishes.
We then place a pack of cheese crackers in a food processor until we had nothing but crumbs. To finish, dust the top of the macaroni with the cheese cracker crumbs and a bit of grated cheese.
Cover the casserole dishes tightly with foil and place in the oven at 200c/400f for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and allow to sit for ten more minutes, covered with the foil.
Remove foil and dig in!

Notes

The calorie count and other nutritional information was added with an app. It may not be accurate.

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I hope you enjoy this Cajun mac and cheese recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

December 4, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Make this Cajun seasoning recipe. It's great to have on hand.

There are so many ways you can use Cajun seasoning recipe. Many people simply purchase ready-made Cajun seasoning but it is so easy to make at home and a lot more cost effective. You can literally prepare this Cajun seasoning recipe in minutes and it keeps for a very long time.

What is Cajun seasoning?

There are of course many different blends that you can prepare. This Cajun seasoning recipe is used as a flavouring for sauces, pastas and rice and is also a key ingredient in Cajun blackened fish and chicken.

Many people falsely assume that Cajun 'blackened' fish and chicken are burnt. They aren't. It's the heavy use of red spices such as paprika and chilli powder that give the chicken and fish their blackened appearance when fried or grilled.

How long will Cajun seasoning last?

That's down to how fresh your ingredients are when you make it.

Usually, your seasoning should last a good 6 months without much loss of flavour. You need to store it in an air-tight container in a cool and dark location such as a cupboard.

How to use this Cajun spice blend.

I will be adding recipes shortly that call for this Cajun seasoning recipe. You really can wing it though when it comes to using it.

Try mixing a couple of tablespoons of the seasoning with a little oil and using it as a marinade for chicken or fish. Then, when ready to cook, fry the chicken or fish in some oil until cooked through and you have a delicious looking crust.

The seasoning can also be added to sauces to taste.

How to prepare this Cajun seasoning recipe...

Get all of your ingredients together. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix and break down any lumps.

At this point, you can taste a little and adjust the flavours. If you like more garlic, go for it. More chilli powder? Just add it.

Your Cajun seasoning should look like this when finished.

It is important to store this Cajun seasoning recipe blend in a container that has a tight fitting lid. Then just take it out and use it when needed.

Most commercial brands include anti-caking ingredients which are not really all that good for you. They do stop the Cajun spice blend from caking though.

So you might need to give it all a good stir from time to time to stop it from hardening and caking.

Yield: 14 Tablespoons

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp smoked paprika
1 ½ tbsp cayenne chilli powder (more or less to taste)
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a storage jar with a tight-fitting lid. Mix well with a spoon and screw the lid on until needed. Depending on the freshness of the ingredients you used, this cajun seasoning should last for about a year.

Korean Braised Beef Stew

December 2, 2022 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Beef cooked until super tender, this Korean braised beef is amazing!

I absolutely love Korean food. Living in North Yorkshire as I do, it's not all that easy to come by at restaurants so I need to make recipes like this delicious Korean braised beef myself. That's not a bad thing as this homemade Korean braised beef is most definitely restaurant quality and you can made it easily at home.

About this Korean braised beef recipe

Like so many Asian recipes, the meat for stews and soups is usually brought to a boil in sufficient water for about 10 minutes. Then it’s strained and all the blood and other impurities are cleaned from the meat. I’d like to stress that this step isn’t essential but it will benefit the appearance of the final dish.

Juicy and tender Korean braised beef short ribs are amazing. They’re spicy, sweet and just a bit sticky: I simply can’t get enough of them and I hope you love this recipe and want to make it often like I do. Ask your butcher to cut the short ribs into small 5cm (2 inch) chunks. Failing that, just use larger western style cuts of beef short ribs.

Which cut of beef is best?

Look for Korean cut beef short ribs. The ribs are cut into small chunks that are perfect in this Korean braised beef stew.

I tried to get them lately but couldn't so I used beef ribs from my local supermarket and cut the meat off the long ribs. Then I cut the meat into large pieces for the stew and threw the bones in for flavour. That worked find so if you can't get your ribs cut Korean style, just do as I did an you will still get a Korean braised beef stew that is out of this world delicious.

Working ahead...

If you are interested in working ahead, you could prepare and cook this Korean braised beef stew a day or two ahead of cooking.

It keeps well in the fridge and actually gets better from sitting a couple of days. Then all you need to do is heat it up and serve.

Can this Korean braised beef be frozen?

Most definitely yes! This stew freezes really well up to six months.

As it takes some time to cook, I often double the recipe and freeze what we don't eat.

Why is the meat cooked twice?

It really isn't though it might seem like it is. Some people think the authentic way of cooking Korean beef stock is wasteful because the first broth all goes down the sink.

It really isn't wasteful at all! The meat and bones are brought to a rolling simmer for about 10 minutes. During that time, you skim any impurities that float to the top and then strain it all.

This helps make a clear stock which is important in Korean stews. Then the meat is washed thoroughly before cleaning your pot and bring the meat to a simmer again. Believe me... it makes a difference and you should not miss this step.

You can also serve this as a Korean beef bowl.

I served this as a stew. You could also place a scoop or two of rice into 6 bowls and add the stew to it, creating a delicious Korean beef bowl.

Other vegetables could also be added to your Korean beef bowl such as sautéd courgette, mushrooms and bean sprouts. You might also like to make Korean savoury pancakes which are a delicious addition.

How to make Korean braised beef stew...

Ingredients for Korean braised beef stew. — Get all of your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

Step 1.

Place the beef and beef bones in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a rolling simmer.

Step 2

As the water simmers, foam and other impurities will rise to the top. Skim this off. Once the water comes to a rolling simmer, allow the beef and bones to simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 3.

After 10 minutes of simmering, strain the beef and bones. You can discard all of the cooking water. Then wash the meat and bones, removing any blood and other impurities that are on them.

Step 4.

Clean your cooking pot and place the cleaned meat and bones back in it. Then cover with water and add the soy sauce, honey and Chinese rice.

Step 5 - Your work on this Korean braised beef is almost complete!

Bring to a rolling simmer and skim off any more impurities that happen to rise to the top as you do.

Step 6.

Stir in the gochujang and gochugaru and stir well to combine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 7.

Lift the lid after 30 minutes and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook uncovered for about another 30 minutes or until the beef is super tender and the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. You can add a little water or beef stock if the pot is looking dry.

Just don't rush things! The beef is ready when it's tender.

Step 8.

As it cooks with the lid off, your Korean beef stew will thicken and become amazingly delicious.

Step 9.

To finish, stir in the onion petals and spring onions and give them a couple of minutes to soften in the hot stew.

Try this Korean braised beef stew with finely chopped red chillies.

Dig in! You're going to love this one.

Here are a few Korean main course recipes you might like to try...

Korean kimchi jjigae - A one pot masterpiece with sweet, sour and savoury flavours.
Korean baked salmon - This spicy salmon is so good rolled into Korean pancakes!
Beef Bibimbap - You can really get creative with this delicious one pot Korean beef bowl.
Korean style fried chicken - Crispy fried chicken in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce!

Yield: 4 - 6

Korean Braised Beef Stew

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

1.5kg (3 lbs) beef short ribs, cut into 5cm (2 inch) pieces
½ tsp salt
1 litre (4 cups) approx. unsalted beef stock or water
175ml (3/4 cup) light soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)
125ml (1/2 cup) Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp gochujang
2 – 4 tbsp gochugaru
2 tbsp sesame oil
15 cloves garlic, minced
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, minced
2 large carrots, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
2 large potato, cut into large bite sized pieces
5 red bird’s eye chillies, cut at an angle in half, seeds removed for less heat
12 spring onions (scallions), sliced lengthwise down the centre
2 medium onions, quartered and divided into petals
4 tbsp toasted or untoasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the short ribs. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming any impurities that rise to the top. After 10 minutes of boiling, strain the meat into a colander and rinse it with cold water. Wipe your pot clean and then wash each piece of meat to remove any blood or other impurities and return them to the pot.
Pour the soy sauce and Chinese rice wine/sherry over the meat and then add just enough water or unsalted beef stock to cover and bring to a rolling simmer over high heat. Stir in the honey, gochujang and gochugaru. If you are not sure about the spiciness, add less of the gochujang and gochugaru. You can always add more later to taste if needed.
Simmer, covered over high heat 30 minutes and then uncover and continue simmering over a medium heat for an additional 30 minutes or until the meat is fall off the bone tender.
To finish, stir in the chopped garlic, ginger, carrots and potatoes. If needed, you can add a drop more water if it is looking too dry. Continue simmering over a medium heat until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through.
Stir in the spring onions (scallions) and onion petals and let them cook in the hot sauce for about a minute. Your braised beef ribs are ready when everything is cooked through and you have a thick but still liquidy sauce. Season with salt if needed and freshly ground pepper to taste.
To serve, divide between 6 bowls and garnish with the sesame seeds and more thinly sliced spring onions (scallions) and red chillies.

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

December 1, 2022 By Dan Toombs 8 Comments

You will get fantastic results using this air fryer chicken tikka recipe.

Ever thought about making tandoori chicken tikka in an air fryer but weren't sure if it can be done? I can assure you it can. Air fryers are becoming very popular these days. The things you can cook in them without having to heat up your oven makes them a cooking accessory that millions of people use daily. In this recipe, I use the same tikka marinade as I do in my sheet pan chicken tikka recipe but cook the chicken in 20 minutes in an air fryer. Any good tikka marinade will work with this recipe though.

How this air fryer chicken tikka recipe works...

The problem with air fryers is that the cooking area is rather limited. Placing this much chicken tikka directly into the basket would mean cooking in several batches so as not to overcrowd the cooking surface.

So I prepared the chicken tikka by skewering the tikka onto wooden skewers. Not only does this mean you can cook a lot more chicken tikka in one go, it also adds to the presentation when served.

To do this, be sure to soak about 20 wooden skewers in water before skewering the chicken.

About the marinade.

The tikka marinade used for this air fryer chicken tikka is one I have been using for many years. It's simple but gets excellent results.

Many tandoori chicken tikka marinade recipes call for quite a lot more yoghurt. The yoghurt is used not only as a flavouring but to tenderise the meat.

In the west, tenderising the meat is not as important as it is in India as our farmed chicken is already very tender. So marinades are used more as a flavouring than a tenderiser in most cases.

For this reason, you will use only a small amount of yoghurt in this air fryer chicken tikka. It is still be enough to flavour the chicken. When large amounts of yoghurt are used in an air fryer, it has a tendency to cake some as it cooks. That won't happen with this air fryer chicken tikka recipe.

Can the air fried chicken tikka be frozen?

Yes. Once the chicken has been air fried, you can freeze it for later use. This is especially so if you plan to use the chicken tikka in one of my curry house style recipes. Adding prepared and nicely charred chicken tikka adds another delicious layer of flavour to a curry.

I don't recommend freezing the marinated chicken before cooking. The yoghurt does not freeze well so be sure to cook it up in your air fryer and freeze if that is convenient for you.

What do you serve air fryer chicken tikka with?

In addition to being the perfect chicken for use in curry house style curries, this air fryer chicken tikka is excellent served as a main or starter on its own. It is delicious wrapped into homemade chapattis and naans which can be prepared using the pan method on the stove.

You might also enjoy this air fryer chicken tikka with coriander chutney or raita.

Working ahead.

This air fryer chicken tikka recipe is one that can easily be prepared a couple of days before cooking. In fact, if you prepare the marinade 2 days ahead of cooking, the chicken will be much more flavourful.

So this air fryer chicken tikka is a good one to prepare ahead of time. Once marinated, you just need to skewer and air fry it for 20 minutes and that's job done! You do not need to marinate the chicken that long though. You can get away with marinating the chicken for just 30 minutes.

Can other ingredients be added to the chicken skewers?

Yes, absolutely. Just like I did in my sheet pan chicken tikka recipe, you can add vegetables to the skewers.

Marinate the vegetables with the chicken and skewer them up too. Vegetables such as red onion, tomatoes, chillies and bell pepper all work well and will cook to perfection in the air fryer.

Will this air fryer work with other meats and paneer?

Yes. Paneer works perfectly well and will get a nice char to it. If using red meat, I recommend using leg of lamb or sirloin/ribeye of beef as these cuts are quite tender and will cook well in the air fryer in 20 minutes.

How to make air fryer chicken tikka...

Get all of your ingredients together before you start preparing the chicken. It's a lot easier that way.

Step 1.

Chicken tikka marinating in the first marinade

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and add the mustard oil, garlic and ginger paste, salt and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands so that it is all equally coated. Set aside.

Step 2.

Whisking the second marinade ingredients together

In another bowl, whisk the ingredients for the second marinade together.

Step 3.

Stir the chicken into the second marinade, rubbing the marinade into the flesh.

Step 4 - Your air fryer chicken tikka is almost ready!

When ready to cook, thread the chicken tikka onto wooden skewers.

Step 5.

Place the skewered chicken into your air fryer and place secure the top. Cook on the highest heat for 20 minutes.

Step 6.

Baste the chicken a couple of times as it cooks toward the end of cooking.

Step 7 - Time to eat delicious air fryer chicken tikka.

Air fryer chicken tikka cooked to perfection.

After 20 minutes of cooking, the chicken tikka should be cooked to perfection. If you want to char it a bit more, go for it. But remember that good chicken tikka is a mixture of charred exterior and juicy centre so don't overcook that chicken!

Step 8.

Enjoy! Your air fryer chicken tikka is ready and you didn't even need to heat up your barbecue or oven. 20 minutes and the flavours are amazing!

Dipping chicken tikka into a coriander raita.

Try it with coriander chutney. Amazing.

Or make a wrap! You are going to love this chicken tikka recipe.

More Chicken Tikka Recipes

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

More Air Fryer Recipes

See more Air Fryer Indian Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Yield: 6

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

This air fryer chicken tikka recipe gets fantastic results. You can cook the marinated chicken in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 ½ lbs) chicken breasts or thighs, but into bite sized tikka
FOR THE FIRST MARINADE
Juice of two lemons
Salt to taste
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp mustard oil or rapeseed (canola) oil, I use mustard oil
FOR THE SECOND MARINADE
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 generous tbsp thick full fat yoghurt
TO SERVE
8 chapattis
2 tbsp melted ghee or butter
Lime wedges

Instructions

Soak about 20 wooden skewers in water for at least 30
minutes.
Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, garlic and ginger paste and
oil. Mix well with your hands or a spoon and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients up to and including the yoghurt and mix well to coat the chicken pieces equally. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers and place in your air fryer. Secure the top and cook on the highest temperature for 20 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, baste the chicken a couple of times.
Season with salt to taste if needed and serve.

Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka with Vegetables

November 30, 2022 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

This sheet pan chicken tikka with vegetables and chapattis is a complete dinner all in one pan!

I am often asked if you have to cook chicken tikka outdoors on a barbecue or in a tandoor oven. The answer is most definitely not. To prove you can get spectacular results in your oven, I decided to come up with this sheet pan chicken tikka recipe. Everything is cooked in one sheet pan and it's really easy too.

How long do you need to marinate the chicken tikka?

This too is a question I get asked often. So many people don't make chicken tikka because they want it immediately and then find that they have to marinate the meat for 24 hours or more.

That really isn't the case. For best results, marinate the meat for 24 to 48 hours. If you just want to cook up this sheet pan chicken tikka on a whim, do it. The chicken tikka will still be really juicy and flavourful!

How is this sheet pan chicken tikka a complete meal?

Believe me, it is. With all those vegetables and of course the warmed chapattis, you will get enough to eat. This recipe serves 4 but we almost always have leftovers. To make this sheet pan chicken tikka even better, we serve it with two sauces, one green and one white. These recipes are below. These sauces are optional. You could just top the chicken tikka with hot sauce and it will still be delicious.

FOR THE GREEN SAUCE
Blend ½ bunch fresh mint leaves, ½ bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) and 10 – 15 green bird’s eye chillies with just enough water to make a paste. Then whisk the yoghurt until smooth and stir in the paste. Season with salt to taste and a good squeeze of lime juice.

FOR THE RAITA
Mix 210g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped and the juice of 1 to 2 limes. Then season with salt to taste. Easy!

Are there other ways to serve this sheet pan chicken tikka?

You bet. The obvious answer is to add it to a famous curry house style curry such as chicken tikka masala or chicken Madras.

If you have purchased any of my cookbooks about curry house style cooking, you'll know that all those delicious sauces need to have pre-cooked meat, paneer or vegetables added to them. At curry houses, the chefs do this not only to speed up the cooking process but also to add another layer of flavour.

This sheet pan chicken tikka will go nicely in any restaurant style curry.

You could also opt to serve the chicken tikka with hot homemade garlic naans or peshwari naans instead of the chapattis. You will, of course need another pan to do that though.

Can the chicken tikka and vegetables be frozen?

Yes. You can freeze the cooked chicken and vegetables for up to 6 months. Don't freeze it if not cooked as the yoghurt marinade doesn't freeze well.

Working ahead...

The great thing about preparing chicken tikka is that it does benefit from marinating for 24 to 48 hours. That does not mean you have to do that but if you would like to work a couple days ahead of serving, your sheet pan chicken tikka will be even better.

There isn't a lot of yoghurt marinade in this recipe. Why is that?

I don't use much or any yoghurt when cooking indoors. If cooking immediately, I don't use any but if marinating overnight, you need the yoghurt or the lemon juice will cook the chicken.

Using less yoghurt in a marinade it a good idea when cooking indoors as you don't get the intense heat of the tandoor or charcoal fire. If you use more indoors, it might cake a bit instead of becoming crispy on the chicken.

How to make sheet pan chicken tikka

The photos below will give you a good idea how this is done. Be sure to read the recipe card below for ingredients and measurements.

Step 1.

Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, salt, garlic and ginger paste and the mustard oil. Mix well with your hands.

Step 2.

Then, while the chicken marinates in the first marinade, whisk the yoghurt with the remaining second marinade ingredients. There isn't a lot of it.

Step 3.

Mix the second marinade into the chicken, ensuring that you rub it right into the flesh. It's best to leave the chicken to marinate for 24 to 48 hours but you could really just get on with skewering and cooking at this point.

Once the chicken is nicely coated, add the vegetables to marinate too.

Step 4.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes or more. This can be done ahead of time so you don't need to wait. Spray a sheet pan with cooking oil spray and place the skewers on top.

Step 5.

Chicken tikka and vegetables in the oven.

When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 240c/460f. Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the wooden skewers and place them on a lightly greased sheet pan. Place in the oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how charred you want the chicken and vegetables to be. Baste with the melted ghee a couple of times as the chicken cooks.

About 10 minutes before taking out of the oven, wrap the chapattis tightly in foil and place them in the oven with the tikka skewers.

Step 6.

Finished sheet pan chicken tikka and vegetables.

Take out of the oven and serve hot with the warmed chapattis.

You can top the chicken with the veggies and your sauces of choice. The two in the photo work really well. You'll find the recipe for those above and in the recipe card below.

If you would rather, you could just add a good hot sauce.

sheet pan chicken tikka with one chicken tikka wrap.

More Chicken Tikka Recipes

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 6

Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka with Vegetables

This sheet pan chicken tikka with vegetables is a complete meal all cooked in one pan. Recipe includes optional sauces. Serve with chapatties

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 ½ lbs) chicken breasts or thighs, but into bite sized tikka
Vegetables of choice such as bell peppers, tomatoes, red onion etc.
Juice of two lemons
Salt to taste
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp mustard oil or rapeseed (canola) oil, I use mustard oil
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 generous tbsp thick full fat yoghurt
8 chapattis
2 tbsp melted ghee or butter
Lime wedges to serve

Instructions

Soak about 20 wooden skewers in water for at least 30
minutes.
Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, garlic and ginger paste and
oil. Mix well with your hands or a spoon and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients up to and including the yoghurt and mix well to coat the chicken pieces equally. Add the vegetables to the marinade and ensure they are all nicely coated too. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 240c/460f. Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the wooden skewers and place them on a lightly greased sheet pan. Place in the oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how charred you want the chicken and vegetables to be. Baste with the melted ghee a couple of times as the chicken cooks.
For the last 5 minutes of cooking, wrap the chapattis tightly in a large piece of foil and place it in the oven with the chicken skewers. Serve, sprinkled with a bit of flaky sea salt with the optional podina and raita or simply with lime wedges and hot sauce.

Chili Con Carne

November 30, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This easy Tex-Mex style chili con carne recipe gets great results!

Chili con carne or chilli con carne as it's spelt in my current country, the UK is as delicious one pot bowl of deliciousness. This is a chili recipe like most people know it, prepared with ground meat and beans. You can use this same recipe to make a more authentic Texan chili too and all is explained below.

What is chili con carne?

Put simply, chili con carne is what you want it to be. I make it several different ways but this is probably the version that most people want to make.

Chili con carne means chili with meat. In Texas, where they really love their chili con carne it is exactly that. No beans are added and large chunks of meat are stewed in the chili sauce until tender and out of this world delicious.

Most people are more familiar with this version which is made with ground beef and beans.

Which beans to use in a chili?

The most common beans to use are kidney beans though pinto beans are also a popular choice which is what I personally prefer. Black beans are also used often.

Add your beans of choice or even a mix of them all. This chili can be made exactly as you want it.

Dried Beans vs. Tinned (canned) beans...

If you want to make things easy on yourself, just use canned (tinned) beans. That said, cooking dried beans will get better results. Not only are the beans themselves better but you also get to use the cooking liquid in your chili con carne.

This adds flavour so why not do that if you've got the time? Just follow the cooking instructions on the package.

Do I have to use beans?

Absolutely not. You can leave them out completely which is how chili con carne, the home of Tex-Mex chili is made. The sauce below is all Texan but you can choose what goes into it to your own preference.

How do I use cubed beef instead of ground beef?

That's easy. Simply brown the cubed beef and then simmer in the sauce until tender. When doing this, I usually use pieces of chuck, skirt and/or brisket. These cuts have excellent flavour but they do need to be cooked low and slow until they are super tender. When using ground beef as I've done here, I ask my butcher to grind the same, above mentioned meat. It's far better than anything you can purchase at the supermarket.

Adding tomato sauce

Tex-Mex chili does not include tomato sauce. It is what it is... chili and meat. The sauce is simply that with spices and herbs added.

I like a bit of tomato sauce in mine so I add it. You can decide which is best for you.

Working ahead

Chili con carne is like a good curry. If you make it a couple of days ahead of serving, it actually gets better as the flavours develop.

This is good news for those who don't want to be slaving over a pot when they have guests around.

You can literally make this one or two days ahead of serving and then just heat it up. All of the garnishes can be prepared one or two days ahead of serving too.

Can chili con carne be frozen?

Yes. This chili will freeze very well. In fact, it freezes so well that I usually make twice as much as I need.

Doing this, I get all the cooking done in one pan and have plenty left over for future dinners. All you need to do is defrost and heat it up in a pan.

A word about this dried chilies...

In this simple recipe, I used dried ancho a guajillo chilies. Sometimes I use other varieties with these too. You can find both online and at specialty grocers. I've also seen them lately at supermarkets.

You could just use chili powder to taste. That will work but you won't get the same depth of flavour as toasting, soaking and blending dried chilies.

How to make this chili con carne.

The following photographed steps are also explained in the recipe card below.

Get all of your ingredients together before your start cooking. It's a lot easier that way.

Step 1.

Prepare the chillies by pulling off the stems and then tearing them open. Remove the membrane and seeds. No need at this point to get rid of all the seeds as the rest will fall out in the pan or when being soaked.

Step 2.

Toast the chilies over a medium heat for about a minute per side. You want to toast them not burn them so be careful. When they turn fragrant and have softened some, take them out of the pan.

Step 3.

Transfer the soaked chilies to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to soak for about 30 minutes to soften and rehydrate.

Step 4.

Blend the rehydrated chilies with the remaining sauce ingredients (see the recipe card below for full list). Set aside.

Step 5.

Brown the meat in a little oil. Be sure to use a spatular or spoon to break it apart some so that there are no large lumps.

Step 6.

Stir in the onion and fresh chillies and continue cooking to soften the onion for a few minutes.

Step 7.

Pour the blended chili paste into the pan and stir well to combine.

Step 8.

Stir in some beef stock, water, soaking liquid from cooking the beans or chili water from soaking the chilies. All or one of these can be added to the sauce.

I tend to add a little of each. You just need to add enough so that you can simmer the chili con carne for a while which will benefit the flavour.

Step 9.

As it simmers, stir in some corn chips and a handful or two of cheese. These will not only give the chili delicious flavour but also thicken the sauce.

Step 10.

Add the beans and coriander (cilantro) and continue simmering for a few minutes.

At this point, you can really fine tune the chili con carne. Add salt to taste and even add some more chili powder if you want it spicier. A good twist of lime juice is also nice.

Step 11.

Serve with your choice of toppings!

Dig in! I have given a few ideas for toppings in the recipe card below.

If you like this chili con carne recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Pork Pibil Tacos - Really good on their own or with this chili! The pork for this recipe is slowly cooked in banana leaf and then pulled apart for the tacos.
Birria de Res - This is a delicious chili-like stew. It is also the key ingredient in the now famous birria tacos.
Birria ramen - A rather new addition to the Mexican menu. Come to think of it, you could also make this chili con carne into a delicious bowl of ramen in the same way.
Beef Queso Dip - Serve as a delicious starter dip with corn chips.
Sheet pan chicken fajitas - Sometimes you just want a no-fuss meal. This is it and these fajitas taste great too.
Pork carnitas - My favourite taco!
Refried beans - What Mexican feast would be complete without them? You could cook the pinto beans for these and the chili con carne at the same time. Two meals in one.

Yield: 6 - 8

Chili Con Carne

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE CHILLI SAUCE
6 dried ancho chillies, torn open and seeds removed
6 dried guajillo chillies, torn open and seeds removed
8 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
400ml (1 ½ cups) tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp chipotle chillies in adobo sauce or to taste
1 level tbsp dried oregano
1 ½ tbsp ground cumin
FOR THE CHILLI CON CARNE
1kg (2 lbs.) Minced beef
3 tbsp light olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 green jalapeños chillies, finely chopped and to taste
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400ml (1 ½ cups) tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes (optional)
5 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
2 bay leaves
500g cooked pinto beans with some of the cooking broth
2 handfuls grated medium or sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne chilli powder (optional and to taste)
TO GARNISH
More cheese and chopped fresh coriander to taste
Sour cream to taste
Thinly sliced fried corn tortillas

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium high heat and toss in the chilies. Push them down with a wooden spoon or spatula until they become fragrant from the toasting. This should only take a few seconds.
Then flip them over to toast the other side. The chilies will turn a couple tones darker while toasting but try not to burn them and turn the exterior black or they will become bitter. Transfer the toasted chilies to a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over them. Allow to sit in the water for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, the chilies will be soft and rehydrated. Transfer them, one by one to a blender, removing any seeds you might have missed earlier. Taste the soaking water. If it has a stong, bitter flavour, discard it but if it is sweet and only mildly bitter, keep it. Top the chilies in the blender with the remaining sauce ingredients and blend to a smooth paste. You can add some of the soaking water or fresh water to assist blending if necessary. Set aside.
Returning to the saucepan, heat the oil over a medium high heat and add the minced beef. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the meat is completely cooked through, stirring and breaking the meat apart as you do so that there are no large lumps.
Once cooked, add the chopped onion and chilies and continue frying and stirring for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onion is turning a golden brown. Stir in the chopped garlic and fry for a further minute before adding the prepared chili sauce, the beer, the additional chopped tomatoes, if using and some beef broth, retained chili soaking water and/or retained cooking liquid from the beans if you cooked them from dried, to cover. If you want to add beef broth but don’t have any fresh, you could add water and a beef stock cube.
Toss in two handfuls of corn chips and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. You could turn the heat right down to low and simmer for longer adding more liquid if required for more depth of flavour.
After cooking for about 30 minutes, the corn chips will have disintegrated and thickened the sauce. Taste it and season with salt and pepper to taste. You could also up the heat some by stirring in a bit of cayenne chilli powder.
Stir in the tinned (canned) or freshly cooked beans and simmer for another minute to heat them through. Spoon this thick chilli into bowls and garnish with the above mentioned ingredients or try a few ideas of your own.

Korean Pancakes

November 30, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Savoury Korean pancakes are hugely popular at Korean restaurants. Now you can make them at home!

A Korean scallion pancakes or pa jun (pajeon) are made with a simple batter of flour, eggs, water and salt. The batter is only slightly thicker that crepe or Yorkshire pudding batter. Like all pancakes, the first couple may not come out as planned but as you practice, they will come out of the pan perfect and delicious. Even those that don't look all that great taste amazing. Korean pancakes are a must try snack that can also be served as a side dish or starter course for any Korean meal. Spring onions (scallions) are a popular addition but you really can get creative and add other veggies and spices.

About this Korean pancake recipe...

On a recent trip back to LA, I was doing research for a book I'm writing. The title is yet to be decided but it will feature recipes from around the world that can be cooked in one pan.

Korean food has to feature because I love it and you can find many amazing Korean restaurants in LA. Caroline and I had a lot of fun trying some of them out and we always ordered Korean pancakes as a starter or side dish.

This is actually a recipe I have been making for years. Well, actually there were a lot of years in there that I didn't make them but I'm so happy I've be reintroduced to them. If you've ever enjoyed savoury Korean pancakes at a restaurant, I promise you... This recipe will get you the results you're looking for.

Breaking the word pajeon or pa jun down, pa means spring onion (scallion) in Korean and jeon refers to any food that is cooked in a batter.

Make this Korean pancake recipe your own...

This is my vegetarian version but you could also add other proteins such as prawns, bacon or thinly sliced pork belly if you like.

Just fry up your protein of choice at the same time you fry the spring onions (scallions) for each pancake.

Which pan?

If you have a non-stick frying pan, use it for this one. I have made these pancakes using a cast iron pan which really crisps them up nicely but it is a lot fussier to get right.

Working ahead...

The batter for Korean pancakes can be made a couple of days ahead of time. It will become more sour, however if you do this as it ferments like a sour dough would ferment.

It does taste good though and personally, I like the sour flavour which is not at all intense after two days. The sauce can also be prepared a good two days ahead of time and will keep in the fridge for about a week.

What should the pancakes be like when finished?

That's up to you. The batter is thick so these pancakes can also be quite thick in the centre.

You might like to make them thinner or at least swirl the pan around a bit so that they are thicker in the centre and thin and crisp on the outside.

As you make them, you'll discover which you prefer and it will be easier to make them in future exactly as you want them.

How to make Korean pancakes...

The process is so easy. Just follow the photos and use the recipe card below.

Get all of your ingredients together first.

It's much easier to make these savoury pancakes and the sauce if you get your ingredients together before you start cooking. Then you won't have to go looking for things when you're trying to focus on cooking.

Step 1.

Prepared dipping sauce for Korean pancakes

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Then try it and adjust the sweet, sour, savoury and spicy flavours to taste.

Step 2.

Adding whisked eggs to flours to make the batter

Mix the flours together and then add the whisked eggs. It will look a bit clumpy at this point.

Step 3.

Adding water to the flour and egg to make a

Pour the water in slowly while stirring. You are aiming for a batter that is slightly thicker than crepe or Yorkshire pudding batter. Don't worry too much though. Even the pancakes that go wrong taste great!

Step 4.

Frying spring onions (scallions) in a little oil.

When ready to start cooking the Korean pancakes, heat some oil in a pan and add a few spring onions (scallions). You keep them quite long as they help keep the pancake together when flipped. You can really char these onions or just give them a quick fry without charring.

Step 5

Now add some of the batter to the pan. I have found that using a crepe pan is a lot easier than the pan I used above when it comes time to flip the pancakes.

Tilt your pan a little from side to side so that the batter spreads across the surface. Your first few tries may not go as planned. Mine didn't above. But with practice, you will get better at it. You will also enjoy eating those that aren't so perfect.

Step 6

Korean pancake flipped over to cook the other side.

When the batter begins to turn golden brown on the bottom, carefully flip it over to cook the other side.

I like my Korean pancakes a bit charred but how much you cook them is up to you and your personal preference. The pancake above was made for Caroline who doesn't like charred pancakes.

Step 7.

Eat! Enjoy these korean pancakes! They are so good.

Here are a few Korean main course recipes you might like to serve with your pancakes...

Korean kimchi jjigae - A one pot masterpiece with sweet, sour and savoury flavours. Not to be missed!
Korean baked salmon - This spicy salmon is so good rolled into a pancake!
Beef Bibimbap - You can really get creative with this delicious one pot dish.
Korean style fried chicken - Soak up all that amazing sauce with your homemade Korean pancakes!

Yield: 6

Korean Pancakes

Korean pancakes are delicious served as a starter, side or light snack. The dipping sauce included in this recipe is so good with the pancakes so be sure to make it.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE BATTER
4 eggs, beaten until smooth
2 cups flour
1 cup rice flour
1 ½ tsp salt
12 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil plus more if needed
2 bunches spring onions (scallions), about 20, root end removed and cut in half
415ml (1 ¾ cups) cold water
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
6 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp unseasoned, rice wine vinegar
4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), more or less to taste
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
½ to 1 tsp sugar, to taste

Instructions

Start by preparing the spicy dipping sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing or serving bowl. Taste it and adjust the savoury, sweet, sour and spicy flavours to taste. Set aside.
Pour both of the flours and the salt into a large mixing bowl and stir them together. Add the beaten eggs and begin stirring in the water slowly, while continuing to stir into a thin batter. You may not need all of the water. You want the batter to be slightly thicker than crepe or Yorkshire pudding batter. It should be creamy smooth and pourable and don’t worry, if you get the consistency wrong the first time, your pancakes will still be good. Set the batter aside.
To make your first pancake, heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When the oil is visibly hot, add roughly 1/6 of the spring onions (scallions) and fry until they are beginning to char a little. Then add the pancake batter until it fills the bottom of the pan. Tilt your pan to assist in this process as you don’t want the pancakes to be too thick or they won’t turn crispy.
Fry the pancake for 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting the cooking heat if needed so that it browns nicely on the bottom. Flip it over to brown and crisp the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes. Serve immediately with the spicy soy dipping sauce.

Rajma Recipe

November 29, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This is a Punjabi rajma recipe not to be missed!

In my cookbook 'The Curry Guy', I featured a Punjabi rajma recipe that I learned from my good friend, Bob Arora who is the own and chef at Sachins in Newcastle. Together, we cooked the rajma recipe live together at the World Curry Festival in Bradford in 2014.

That recipe has been my 'go to' rajma recipe for many years but now I have a new rajma for you. You'll find this one pot, vegetarian curry to be rich, creamy and out of this world delicious. The homestyle rajma ticks all the boxes for what makes a great curry and is comfort food at its best.

What is Rajma?

Rajma is a vegetarian bean curry that is hugely popular in the Punjabi region of northern India and Pakistan. The word 'rajma' means kidney bean in Punjabi and Hindi and a rajma curry is a vegetarian curry made with, you guessed it... kidney beans.

You might also see rajma curries at restaurants called rajma masala which is the same thing... a kidney bean curry in a rich gravy.

How I got this rajma recipe...

Caroline and I were visiting our son and his girlfriend at their home in Stanley, near Leeds. We went out to the pub and after a few drinks, struck up a conversation with Inder whose wife had started a hugely popular Punjabi takeaway business, Reena's Indian Kitchen, a few years earlier.

He insisted that we needed to try his wife's cooking. We ordered a takeaway the following weekend and it was amazing.

I wanted to help spread the word about her delicious homestyle Punjabi food and asked Reena if I could have a couple of recipes for a cookbook I'm writing. She sent me three delicious recipes and this rajma recipe is one of them. Watch this space, I'll be posting the others here soon too.

Which kidney beans to use for this rajma recipe?

Kidney beans come in several varieties. The dark maroon beans you find at the shops in tins (cans) are just one of them and are the most common.

Visit any Indian grocer and you are likely to find the other varieties on the shelves too. You'll find large and small kidney beans. Some are two toned with streaks of white through them and there is also a rare black kidney bean that is worth a try.

You can use any variety of kidney bean for this rajma recipe or a combination of a few.

What is best, dried or tinned kidney beans?

Although tinned (canned) kidney beans are convenient, you will get better results if you purchase dried beans. Doing so will give you a nicer texture and flavour. You can also use the cooking liquid to make the masala sauce of this rajma recipe instead of just water.

This rajma recipe deserves the best, so used dried beans if time permits.

Dried kidney beans ready to be washed and soaked. — If cooking dried beans, wash them thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Cover with water.

Soaked kidney beans — Soak overnight. They will rehydrate and plump up.

Kidney beans ready for cooking. — Then place in a pressure cooker and cook on high for 25 minutes or on the stove for 1 1/2 hours.

How are dried kidney beans prepared?

Although it takes some time to prepare them, it's really easy. First, you need to wash the dried beans in a couple changes of water. Then cover them with fresh water to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Once soaked, it's time to cook them. This can be done in a pan on your stove or in a pressure cooker which is much faster. I use an Instant Pot to cook mine in no time.

Cooking the beans in a pan: Cover the soaked beans in sufficient water in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. Set aside until ready to use or place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don't throw the cooking liquid away as it will take this rajma recipe up a level or two!

Cooking the beans in an electric pressure cooker: As a general rule of thumb, cook one part dried beans with 3 1/2 parts water. So for this recipe you will need 1 1/2 cups beans and 5 1/4 cups water. Place the beans and water in your electric pressure cooker and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Then allow to continue cooking while the pressure naturally releases. Then release the remaining pressure. Done!

Pro Cooking Tips...

Soak your beans overnight: Although some recipes out there say that you don't need to soak the beans if you are pressure cooking them, I have found that it is best to soak them, regardless of if you are preparing this rajma recipe on the stove or in a pressure cooker. The beans turn softer and are nicer to eat as well as digest.
Don't rush the cooking of the beans: If using dried kidney beans, it is essential that you cook them long and slow for best results. There's no point rushing this process! This rajma recipe will get you fantastic results but only if the beans are deliciously tender.
Use the cooking liquid in your rajma curry: One of the reasons I insist on using dried beans is the cooking liquid you get from the process of doing so. You just don't get that from a tin (can). You will find that this rajma recipe tastes just as good as those at the best Punjabi restaurants if you do.

Pro Flavour tips...

Use ghee: Punjabi food is famous for its use of ghee and this rajma recipe is no exception. Using ghee gives the curry a mouthwatering buttery flavour that when stirred into the thick tomato sauce just plain gets it! If you are vegan, you can of course use oil or even a vegan ghee such as Better Ghee.
Taste this rajma recipe before serving: It is so important that you taste the finished dish before serving. Only by tasting it can you decide if it needs to be spiced up with more chilli powder or seasoned with more salt, for example. Tasting is a good way to ensure you serve the perfect rajma masala!
Serve the finished rajma with quartered lemons: Punjabi dishes offer the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, savoury and sour. The ingredients that give you the sweet, spicy and savoury flavours are all in this recipe. There is a bit of tart flavouring from the tomatoes but a good squeeze of lemon juice at the table really takes it all up a level.

Rajma recipe in photos...

Ingredients for rajma masala — Get all of your ingredients together be for your start cooking. It's easier that way.

Infusing cumin seeds in the hot oil. — Start by heating up the oil and tempering the cumin seeds for about 30 seconds.

Adding onions, chillies and garlic and ginger — Add the chopped onions and fry for about 8 minutes or until they are turning a golden brown. Stir in the chilies and garlic and ginger paste.

Adding ground spices to the curry — Add the ground spices and stir well to combine.

Adding water to cover the vegetable — Add just enough water to cover. If you cooked dried beans, you can add some of the cooking liquid instead of plain water.

Adding tomato puree and kidney beans to the rajma masala — Stir in the tomato puree. If you like a thicker sauce, you can also add some of the kidney beans.

Blending the sauce — Blend the sauce until smooth.

Adding kidney beans to the blended sauce. — Add the kidney beans to the blended sauce.

Kidney beans in the blended rajma sauce — Your rajma masala can be really saucy or you can cook it down some.

Adding ghee and kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) to the curry. — Simmer over a low heat to thicken to your preference and then stir in the ghee and kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves).

Adding salt and coriander (cilantro) to the sauce — To finish, stir in the coriander (cilantro) and season with salt to taste.

Punjabi rajma masala — Dig in! Serve with rice or hot chapattis.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Have you tried this rajma recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Rajma Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 cups of dried red kidney beans soaked overnight or 2 tins (cans)
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 white onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp tomato puree
125ml (1⁄2 cup) unseasoned tomato passata
1⁄2 tsp Kashmir chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
Couple Pinches of Kasturi Methi (Dried Fenugreek)
Salt to taste
1⁄4 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) to garnish

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When visibly hot, add the cumin seeds and stir them into the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the chopped onions and fry for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste along with the chopped chillies.
Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, lifting the lid every minute to give it all a good stir.
Now add the , chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander and stir these spices into the onion mixture.
Simmer for another 5 minutes adding a drop of water if needed so that you don’t burn the spices.
Add the tomato puree and passata and continue simmering until oil bubbles separate and rise to the top.
Allow to cool some and then blend to a smooth and medium thick sauce using a stick blender or countertop blender.
Bring this thick sauce to a simmer in the pan and then add the pre-cooked or tinned (canned) kidney beans and simmer over a low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, adding a little water to achieve the sauce consistency you prefer.
To finish, add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) to the sauce by rubbing it between your fingers. Stir it in and season with salt to taste.
Continue simmering over a low heat for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle the garam masala over the top and garnish with the chopped coriander to serve.

Butter Egg Floss Prawns

November 29, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This recipe for Malaysian egg floss prawns is a real treat!

While in Kuala Lumper earlier this year, I tried so many new dishes: Things I didn't even know existed! Malaysian egg floss prawns was one of those dishes. Caroline and I tried them at the hotel we were staying at and I just had to get the recipe. Luckily, the chef was a great guy and showed me how it was done.

Malaysian butter egg floss prawns — This recipe is easier than it might look.

About this recipe for butter egg floss prawns...

As mentioned above, I simply ordered this dish one evening not having a clue what it was. When the buttery prawns were brought to our table, I didn't have a clue what it was.

I took a bite and the flavours and textures were amazing. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

It turned out the the flossy yellow on top was made with eggs but again, I didn't have a clue how it was done. Now I do and if you read on, you can make this Malaysian classic too.

How difficult is it to make butter egg floss prawns?

It's really easy. You just need to swirl some butter around in a pan and add sieved egg yolks.

By doing this, the egg yolks take on a floss-like appearance. Incredible really!

Are butter egg floss prawns bad for you?

Let's just say they aren't like eating an apple. They probably aren't great for you but they are a real treat for those times you just don't care how healthy your food is.

One good thing is that most of the butter gets poured away. It isn't eaten.

The butter serve a purpose which is to flavour the prawns and floss and then you discard what isn't used.

Can I work ahead?

You can collect all of the ingredients together and clean your prawns.

That's most of the work done right there. I do, however recommend that you prepare the flossy bit right before serving. You want these prawns to be good and hot.

What does the egg floss taste like?

It sure doesn't taste like egg! The egg yolks take on the flavours of what they are cooked in.

So the floss is buttery, a bit sweet, spicy and savoury.

Not only that, as the egg floss dries, it takes on a crispy texture that is so good.

Photos of hot butter prawns with egg floss...

Ingredients for butter prawns with egg floss — Get all of your ingredients together before you start cooking. You'll need them to hand.

Putting egg yolks through a sieve. — Pass the egg yolks through a fine sieve. set aside. It is best to sieve the egg yolks into a container with a spout so that it is easier to pour.

Coating the prawns with flour. — Cover the prawns with the flour and shake off any excess flour.

Frying prawns — Fry the prawns twice. First time for about a minute. Then again to make them crispy.

Fried prawns — After the second frying, they will look nice and crispy like this.

Melting butter into oil in the pan — Heat the butter and oil over a medium heat.

For best results...

Use a wok or a high sided pan. You will be able to get the butter flowing in one directly easier if there is a bit of depth to it.

Adding egg yolk to the the butter and oil mixture. — Once the butter has melted, start stirring in one directly. Then begin adding the egg yolk in a thin stream.

Stirring curry leaves and chillies into the egg yolk mixture. — Add the curry leaves and chilies to the flossed egg yolk. Continue stirring in one direction.

Adding the prawns to the butter floss. — Last but not least, add the prawns to heat them through in the hot butter.

Running the butter mixture through a fine sieve. — Pour it all through a sieve. The butter and oil mixture can be discarded. Shake a bit so all of the oil and ghee run through the sieve.

Plating up the meal. — Take out the prawns and place them on a bed of rice.

Finished butter egg floss prawns — Cover with more of the egg floss mixture.

butter egg floss prawns — Dig in! This is a good one!

You might also like to try some of these Malaysian favourites...

Yield: 4

Butter Egg Floss Prawns

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

12 jumbo prawns, trimmed, peeled and deveined
1 ½ tsp salt
4 tbsp cornflour (corn starch)
625ml (2 ½ cups) rapeseed (canola) oil
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten
150g (5.25oz) unsalted butter
5 red bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
20 - 30 fresh or frozen curry leaves
½ tsp Chinese chicken stock granules (contains MSG, optional)

Instructions

Place the prawns in a mixing bowl and season with the salt. Pour in the cornflour and rub, evenly it all over the prawns. Set aside.
Now heat 500ml (2 cups) rapeseed (canola) oil in a large wok over a high heat. The oil is ready for cooking when thousands of little bubbles form immediately when a wooden chopstick or spatula is dipped in.
Shake off any excess cornflour and fry half of the prawns in the oil until they turn pink. This will only take about a minute. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining prawns.
With all or the prawns par-cooked, again, ensure the oil is still bubbly hot enough by testing it with a wooden chopstick or spatula and then fry the prawns again for another minute or until cooked through. Transfer them all back to the rack and set aside.
Pour your beaten egg yolks through a fine sieve into a jug, preferably one with a small spout and set aside.
Discard the dirty cooking oil from your wok and wipe it clean. Then add the remaining oil and the butter. Melt the butter into the oil over a low to medium heat. Once the butter has melted, start stirring in one direction.
When the butter and oil begin to bubble slightly and you have a steady current going in one direction, begin pouring in the egg yolk in a thin stream from a height of about 1 foot while continuing to stir in one direction.
Once you have added all the egg yolk, continue stirring and when the butter and oil turn foamy, add the sliced red chillies, garlic and the curry leaves. Fry, while continuing to stir for about a minute and then add the prawns. Keep stirring!
Add the Chinese chicken granules, if using and keep up the stirring for another 30 seconds and then pour it all through a fine sieve. Allow the excess oil to drip through the sieve for a minute or so. You can discard the oil/butter mixture.
Serve the prawns topped with all the other ingredients in your sieve over rice or simply on a serving platter or banana leaf. Don’t throw anything out. Pile the prawns high with all that amazing floss and other fried goodies you’ve prepared.

Sambal Oelek Recipe

November 18, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You find this spicy and authentic sambal oelek great to have on hand!

Sambal oelek is one of the easiest chili sauces to make and it goes perfectly with almost any spicy cuisine. My wife Caroline and I just got back from six weeks in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur and gobbled down tuns of this delicious condiment. It is available in bottle at shops but the fresh flavour you'll get when you make this sambal oelek recipe is far better.

finished sambal oelek recipe in a wooden serving bowl. — Spicy and delicious! You're going to love this one.

About this sambal oelek recipe...

While travelling through Malaysia and Bali, Indonesia, we were served sambal oelek with pretty much every meal. It might be Malaysian and Indonsian in origin but we were also served something just like this at the restaurants and food stalls in Vietnam when we were there in April. In Vietnam it was called sate but really, it was about the same thing.

What to serve this sambal oelek with...

So whether you're eating a homemade Vietnamese beef pho or you are trying some of the Malay recipes on my blog such as chicken with sambal matah, the delicious Fried fish recipe Ikan Bakar or the infamous fried noodle dish, mee goreng, you are going to want to have some of this simple but amazing sambal oelek to serve on the side.

Recipes like the chicken with sambal matah are actually served in a chunky sambal but spooning a bit of this sambal oelek over the top is a must our opinion.

You could also stir this sambal oelek into a curry such as kari ayam, chicken kapitan or devil chicken curry for a little more heat.

Really, you can add this to whatever you like when you want a spicy hit.

What exactly is sambal oelek?

It is a simple hot sauce that you can make simply with chilies, salt and vinegar. There are, of course variations. In my version, I also add a clove of garlic and some lime juice.

At the end of the day, you want to end up with a chili sauce that is mainly chilies with sour and savoury tones to it.

There really isn't much to a good sambal oelek but it does pack a punch and is a perfect addition to many foods, not just those from Malaysia and Indonesia.

For your information, the word 'sambal' is a Malay word for a sauce that includes chilies. There are many sambal recipe out there and I will be featuring them on the blog soon. The word oelek is the Malay word for pestle and mortar. So a sambal oelek is a chili sauce that you make in a pestle and mortar though I usually cheat when making sambals and use a food processor.

Which chilies for sambal oelek?

That is really up to you but those that we tried out in the Far East were usually made with red bird's eye chilies.

That's what I used in my recipe. If you like the flavour of chilies but not so much the heat, try milder red chilies such as spur chillies.

The sambal oelek won't be as spicy but it will still look the part and be delicious.

How long can you store sambal oelek?

Your homemade sambal oelek will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Cover it tightly and take it out when needed.

You can also freeze sambal oelek which is something I do often with this and other chili sauces that have a limited fridge time.

It will freeze well for up to 3 months. Just take it out and defrost and you can have sambal oelek whenever you want without having to use the shop-bought stuff.

Can you freeze this sambal?

Yes. Go for it. It will freeze well for up to 6 months. My sambal oelek never gets to the freezing stage though. I must make a batch each and every week.

How to make sambal oelek?

You can prepare this sambal oelek in a pestle and mortar or food processor. By pounding the chillies, you get more depth to your sambal but let's face it... this sambal oelek is spicy and doesn't need much depth.

I like to place the chilies, vinegar, lime jucie, salt and garlic in a food processor and blend until I have a smooth but still rather chunky sauce.

You could blend yours for a longer or shorter time depending on your preference.

How to get the best results when making sambal oelek...

This is of course my version. The recipe is how I like it.

It is important for you to taste it after blending. You might want to add more salt. You might even want to add a little sugar to sweeten it a tad but sugar isn.

After preparing your sambal oelek for the first time, you might decide to use different chilies. You can adjust the ingredients in this sambal oelek recipe and make it your own.

Ingredients for sambal oelek — There might not be many ingredients but sambal oelek is a simple sauce you simply need to try.

Grind it all in a food processor or pestle and mortar. — Grind the chilies until you are happy with the sauce consistency.

Homemade sambal oelek — Serve immediately or store for later in the fridge or freezer.

Indonesian chicken with sambal matah — Here is my chicken with sambal matah served with sambal oelek.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore share a lot of popular recipes but put their own touch on them. Head on over to my Indonesian recipes section for even more deliciousness!

Looking for Malaysian and Indonesian recipes to use your sambal oelek with? Here you go...

Yield: 10

Sambal Oelek Recipe

Sambal oelek is a spicy chili sauce that is used a lot in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as well as many other places in South East Asia. It's really easy to make and is the perfect spicy condiment for many South East Asian dishes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

225g (1/2 lb.) red bird’s eye chillies or similar
1 tbsp white rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice or more rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or food processor and grind to a paste. If using a food processor or blender you might need to add a drop of water or vinegar to make blending easier.
If the paste is looking watery, just strain it out. Pour the thick paste into a clean jar that has a tight fitting lid and bring it out whenever you want a good spicy kick.

Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts

November 15, 2022 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Thai chicken with cashew nuts... The perfect quick and easy 30 minute meal.

This delicious Thai chicken and cashew nuts recipe is from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'. It's out of this world delicious with tender pieces of chicken and crispy cashew nuts, all cooked in a Thai style garlic sauce.

About this recipe for chicken with cashew nuts...

This is a hugely popular dish at Thai restaurants and takeaways, and my family love it. It is important to cut the chicken pieces so that they are about the same size as the cashews (although this is more for presentation as large chunks also work fine).

I learned this delicious recipe for chicken with cashew nuts at the same restaurant in Phuket where I learned to cook Thai basil chicken. It was great to see such a professional chef demonstrate is wok skills. Even if your wok skills are lacking, you will be able to make this chicken and cashew nuts recipe to perfection. I promise!

Working ahead...

You can mix the sauce and fry the cashews, chillies and chicken a day or so in advance, making this a dish you can cook up very quickly after work with little mess.

The first time I tried making this recipe, I burnt the cashews and chilies. My teacher made it all look so easy! Don’t make the same mistake or you’ll have to start all over again. The cashews don’t take long to colour in the oil and cashews aren’t cheap, so keep an eye on them.

Although there’s nothing stopping you from doing so, the dried and fried chillies are not meant to be eaten. I like to serve this curry with jasmine rice. The chilies are of course edible though, so if you want to eat them, go for it.

You might also like to try some of these Thai takeaway and restaurant classics...

Looking for the perfect dish or dishes to go with your Thai basil chicken? Try some of these;

Thai red curry - Some people think this is the spiciest Thai curry but it usually isn't. It's made with dried bird's eye chilies that aren't as spicy as the fresh, green bird's eye chilies used to make green curry. It is one of the most popular Thai curries out there!

Thai green curry - This is the spicy one and the perfect accompaniment for this Thai basil chicken recipe. If you like your curries spicy, this is on another level and so delicious too.

Pad Thai and peanut butter pad Thai - Whether you love this famous noodle dish the authentic way or you want to try it with the peanut butter sauce that is growing in popularity, I have them both for you here.

Still looking for inspiration? Why not check out my complete Thai section. I'm adding to it regularly.

If you like this Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts, you might want to try some of these Thai favourites too.

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

See more Thai Noodles →

THAI SOUPS

Thai Tom Yum Gai

See more Thai Soups →

RICE

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

FRIED THAI

See more Fried Thai Recipes →

STIR FRIES

THAI BBQ

See more Thai Grilled →

Yield: 4

Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

250ml (1 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil, plus an extra 3 tbsp
20–30 cashews
20 dried red bird’s eye chillies
450g (1lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into small cashew-size pieces
3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 red spur chillies, thinly sliced
2 green bird’s eye chillies, cut into thin rings
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp Thai seasoning sauce (optional)
70ml (1⁄4 cup) water or chicken stock
1 tsp palm sugar, grated and finely chopped

Instructions

Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and taste it. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter flavour and then set aside.
Heat 250ml (1 cup) of rapeseed (canola) oil in a wok or saucepan until shimmering hot. Add one cashew. It should sizzle on contact but not brown too quickly. If that cashew looks like it is happy in the oil, add the rest and cook for about a minute until light golden brown in colour.
Transfer to a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Do the same with the chilies, checking the oil temperature first. You want them to still be a nice deep red colour. If the oil is too hot, they will quickly burn and turn brown.
Dust the chicken pieces with the cornflour (cornstarch) and add it in small batches to the hot oil. Fry for 3–5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Discard all
but about 3 tablespoons of the oil in the wok or strain it and keep it for another use. If you have a lot of flour at the bottom of the wok, discard all of the oil, wipe your wok clean and start again with 3 tbsp fresh oil.
Heat the oil over a medium high heat in the wok and stir in the garlic, onion, spur chillies and green bird’s eye chillies. Fry until the garlic is turning soft and a very light brown colour but be very careful not to burn it. Stir in the sauce mixture and simmer for about 30–60 seconds to thicken and then add the chicken, cashews and dried and fried chillies, stirring well to combine.
Continue cooking for a minute or two until the sauce is sticking to the meat and cashews and then taste it, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately sprinkled with the chopped spring onions (scallions) to garnish.

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

November 15, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Thai basil chicken stir fry can be prepared and cooked in less than 20 minutes!

This classic Thai basil chicken stir fry is one of my favourites. It's a must when preparing a Thai feast. Not only is is quick and easy to make, it tastes amazing! You'll find this Thai basil chicken chicken recipe to be perfect for anything from the largest Thai feast to a quick dish you can whip up, fuss free after work.

Try it on its own with some rice and/or Thai red curry, Thai green curry and a big plate of Pad Thai.

About this Thai basil chicken recipe...

I learned this easy recipe in Phuket while on vacation there. Actually, it was a bit of a work/play stay as I was researching recipes at the time for my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

At the time, I wanted to ensure that only the most popular Thai recipes featured in the book and Thai basil chicken had to be one of them. I tried the Thai basil chicken at a pub across the road from where we were staying and though, this is it! This is the Thai basil chicken recipe I need!

I asked one of the chefs if I could watch him prepare his simply amazing Thai basil chicken and he invited me back to the kitchen. We weren't able to speak much as his English wasn't the best. It was far better than my Thai though! I watched him prepare and cook his Thai basil chicken in a flaming hot wok and photographed every ingredient and step. Needless to say, when you see the recipe ingredient list, this one is easy but the flavours are out of this world!

Fresh Thai holy basil is key to perfection but not the be all and end all!

The fact that this recipe is called Thai basil chicken might give you a clue that Thai basil is a key ingredient.

There are two types of Thai basil that will work perfectly for this recipe: Thai basil and Thai holy basil. The day I learned this Thai basil chicken, I wasn't aware of this but the chef let me taste both varieties.

Traditionally, Thai holy basil is used.

What is the difference between Thai basil and Thai holi basil?

Both basils are different varieties. Thai holi basil has a more peppery flavour but still has a hint of the anise and sweet flavour of Thai basil.

They both taste like basil though so you can use either in this recipe.

Can I use western basil to make Thai basil chicken?

Yes. Again, this will give you that basil flavour but it will be missing the sharper, peppery flavour of Thai holi basil and the sweet, anise flavour of Thai basil. It will still taste amazing though.

I recommend using holy basil if you can get it. It's available at most Thai grocers and online.

What is the difference between Thai basil chicken in Thailand and those served in the west?

If you've ever eaten Thai basil chicken at a western Thai restaurant, you might think it is quite saucy. In the west, we love our sauces so that makes a lot of sense.

In Thailand, this is much more of a stir fry. It has a smokier flavour because of the intense heat the ingredients are cooked over in the wok.

This Thai basil chicken recipe is exactly as I learned it in Thailand. So it is dryer than you might be expecting but in my opinion, far superior in flavour. If you want to double the sauce ingredients, go for it. Just remember that it should never be soupy as I have seen it served at a few takeaways.

Working ahead...

If, like me, you are short of time but love a good Thai basil chicken, you'll be glad to know that you can work ahead and then simply throw this amazing stir fry together later.

All of the sauce ingredients can be measure out. You can prepare the chicken too. I recommend not chopping the basil for your soon to be enjoyed Thai basil chicken until right before adding to your wok.

Can this Thai basil chicken recipe be adjusted to taste?

Most definitely yes! The recipe calls for red spur chilies, for example. These are quite mild. You could use more or less to taste or even add spicier chilies.

Add more of the sauce ingredients if you like. Taste as you go and adjust the flavours to your own personal taste preference. The best Thai basil chicken is the one you made exactly to your preference.

Useful kitchen equipment...

I cook a lot of Thai food and have a few things I can highly recommend getting if you don't already have them.

A good carbon steel wok: It takes some practice to use a good wok but it is worth the effort. A good carbon steel wok will get much hotter than the popular non-stick options available these day. They are also easier to maintain and less expensive too. In my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai', I go into depth about how to season, maintain and use a carbon steel wok and I'll be sharing that information soon here on the blog.
A sharp chefs knife: Having a good quality knife to hand makes food preparation so much more enjoyable. Many people purchase knife sets. Of course there are excellent quality knife sets out there but most are more ornamental than useful. If you are thinking about investing in a knife/knives, you are much better off purchasing one good quality chefs knife than a selection of inferior knives.
A heavy cutting board: This doesn't need to be expensive. You can pick up heavy restaurant style cutting boards that will last a lifetime.

You might also like to try some of these Thai takeaway and restaurant classics...

Looking for the perfect dish or dishes to go with your Thai basil chicken? Try some of these;

Thai green curry - This is the spicy one and the perfect accompaniment for this Thai basil chicken recipe. If you like your curries spicy, this is on another level and so delicious too.

Still looking for inspiration? Why not check out my complete Thai section. I'm adding to it regularly.

Yield: 4

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves, smashed
5 red spur chillies, cut into thin rings
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
600g (1lb 5oz) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp light soy sauce*
1 tsp palm sugar, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp oyster sauce*
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce*
Large handful of Thai holy basil leaves, finely or roughly chopped

Instructions

Place the garlic and chillies in a pestle and mortar and pound until chunky and small but not smooth (this can also be done with a knife or food processor). Set aside.
Heat the oil over a high heat in a large wok or frying pan. When hot, add the shallots and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant and softened. Stir in the garlic and chilli mixture and fry for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn your garlic.
Now stir in the chicken pieces and fry for about 4–5 minutes until cooked through. Be sure to stir continuously so that the aromatic ingredients don’t burn.
With the chicken cooked through and nicely coated with the aromatic mixture, stir in the light soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. Taste it and add more chillies, sugar or light soy sauce to taste.
Turn off the heat and then add the basil (it tastes much fresher if it is simply stirred into the chicken at the end of cooking). That’s it! Enjoy.

Notes

*Many soy and oyster sauces contain gluten but gluten-free brands are available.

Kung Pao Chicken

November 10, 2022 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Try this kung pao chicken today! It's a delicious one pan dish packed with flavour.

Kung pao chicken is a Chinese restaurant favourite around our house. It's hugely popular all over China and the world and there are many amazing recipes for it. This is my quick and easy version of kung pao chicken that you can whip up in less than 30 minutes.

Getting this kung pao chicken right for you.

All of the ingredient used in my kung pao chicken are the same as you would find at some of the best Chinese restaurants and takeaways. If you love this spicy Chinese takeaway dish as much as I do, you might have your own idea about how it should taste and look.

You might want to finely chop the peanuts, for example instead of lightly crushing them. If you really like a spicy kung pao chicken, cut the dried red chillies in half to expose the seeds and perhaps use more dried chilli flakes.

The chicken pieces are also often cut much smaller. All of these things are in your hands. The ingredients are correct, feel free to adjust so that you get the right look and combination of sour, sweet, spicy and savoury flavours for your own personal preferences.

Working ahead...

You can easily work ahead if that is more convenient for you. The chicken is best marinated overnight so that can definitely be done a good day ahead of cooking.

You could also cook the complete recipe and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days. The flavours will develop and taste out of this world amazing.

Marinating the chicken

This is an important step, not only for flavour but to achieve super tender chicken. If you must, you could simply mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients and start cooking. A longer marinating time will benefit the flavour though.

Preparing the sauce

This too can be done ahead of time. Taste it before adding to ensure you are happy with the flavour. Although kung pao chicken is not necessarily as sweet dish, you could add a pinch of sugar or more hoisin sauce to make it sweeter to taste.

Velveting the chicken

Veleveting is a term used for the way the chicken is cooked for this kung pao chicken recipe.

The marinated chicken is first fried until about 80% cooked and then transferred to a plate to rest.

Then the chicken is added back to the dish at the end. This achieves really tender meat and is a must for this kung pao chicken recipe.

Can Kung pao chicken be frozen?

You bet! This recipe will freeze really well for up to 3 months.

Useful cooking equipment...

The following cooking equipment will come in handy but not all are essential. Just make do with what you have if you want to make this kung pao chicken recipe now.

A good wok: I like to use a carbon steel wok when cooking Chinese and other Asian recipes. You will find it much easier to prepare kung pao chicken with one. Don't let that stop you if you don't have one. A good frying pan will do the job fine.
A good chefs knife: A sharp knife will come in handy for whatever you happen to be cooking. Slicing the chicken and vegetables for this recipe will be much easier if you have one. I recommend investing it one good quality chefs knife rather than purchasing a set of knives.
A cutting board: This is of course obvious but it is really nice to have a good, sturdy chopping board for cooking.
A measuring jug: This will come in useful for measuring the sauce ingredients and also to store the prepared sauce before pouring it into the wok.

Step by step photos of making kung pao chicken

Ingredients for kung pao chicken — Don't let the number of ingredients scare you off. Get them all together before starting cooking.

Marinade prepared for the chicken — Whisk the marinade ingredients together until smooth.

Sauce for kung pao chicken — Stir the sauce ingredients together and taste it. You should adjust flavours at this point.

Frying chicken in a wok — Fry the chicken until about 80% cooked through. This should be done in batches. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Frying aromatic ingredients in the wok. — Add a drop more oil if needed and fry the garlic, ginger and spring onions (scallions) for about a minute.

Adding Szechuan peppercorns and chilli flakes. — Stir in the Szechuan peppercorns and chilli flakes, if using.

Adding dried whole chilies to the wok — Stir in the dried whole chiles.

Adding diced bell peppers to the wok — Then add the diced bell peppers and fry for about a minute.

Adding chicken stock to the wok and bringing to a simmer. — Stir in a little water or chicken stock. This will deglaze the wok and also assist cooking.

Bring the prepared sauce to a simmer in the wok. — Then add the prepared sauce and bring to a simmer.

Returning the par-cooked chicken to the wok. — Return the par-cooked chicken to the wok. Toss everything around until the chicken is cooked through.

You might also like to try some of these Chinese Favourites:

Enjoy your meal with a good side dish:

Yield: 4 - 6

Kung Pao Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) or dry sherry
1 ½ tsp corn flour (corn starch)
750g (1 ¾ lbs) chicken breasts or thighs, skinned and cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
FOR THE SAUCE
70m (1/4 cup) unsalted chicken stock or water
70ml (1/4 cup) light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tsp corn flour (corn starch)
FOR THE STIR FRY
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
12 – 15 Chinese or bird’s eye dried red chillies, cut in half and seeds removed
2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
½ red bell pepper, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 large handful roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
1 tbsp sesame oil
TO GARNISH
2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
Dried chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients together until creamy smooth and the stir in the chicken pieces, ensuring that the chicken is nicely coated with the marinade. Set aside while you prepare the sauce or up to 12 hours if more convenient.
Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a jug or bowl and set aside.
When ready to cook, heat a large wok or frying pan over medium high to high heat. Your wok is hot enough when a drop of water evaporates immediately on contact. Swirl in the oil and when visibly hot, add the chicken and fry, stirring regularly until the exterior is white and the chicken is about 80% cooked through.
Transfer the par-cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
If your chicken released a lot of water, pour it out and wipe your wok clean. Add a little more oil if you need to do this. When the oil is visibly hot, stir in the chopped garlic, ginger and the spring onions (scallions) and fry, stirring continuously for about a minute.
Add the Szechuan peppercorns and dried chillies and give it all a good stir and then add the diced bell peppers and the par-cooked chicken fry for another couple of minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the bell peppers are cooked but still fresh looking.
Stir in the lightly crushed, roasted peanuts and drizzle with the sesame oil. To serve, divide between 4 bowls and garnish with the sliced spring onions and dried chilli flakes, if using. This is good on its own or served over white rice.

Malaysian Chicken Curry - Kari Ayam

November 8, 2022 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

This delicious one pan Malaysian chicken curry can be prepared in under an hour.

Whenever I’m planning a recipe research trip, I do a lot of research on the cuisine of the places I’m visiting before traveling. On my latest trip to Malaysia, it was Malaysian chicken curry or kari ayam that I simply had to try because there are so many varying recipes out there for it! I had made many different Malaysian chicken curries but kari ayam was the one that I really needed to get right.

Malaysian chicken curry - kari ayam — So easy to prepare and out of this world delicious.

The curry culture of Malaysia

Malaysian chicken curry and other curries are big business all over Malaysia. Walk into most curry restaurants and you will be confronted with a massive selection to choose from.

A couple of my Malaysian chicken curry favourites were devil chicken curry and ayam masak merah.

These are both famous Malaysian curries but it was kari ayam that I really had to try. Kari ayam translates simply as chicken curry so what made this curry so special? I had to find out.

What makes kari ayam special?

You will probably find this Malaysian chicken curry to be quite simple to prepare. Just because it’s easy to make doesn’t mean it isn’t out of this world amazing.

You can actually cook this up in under an hour in one pan and the flavour is out of this world.

Cooking Malaysian style curries...

Malaysian chicken curry and other curries for that matter were inspired by Malay, Indian and Chinese cooking techniques.

You'll certainly see the Indian inspiration in many curries from the spices used to the cooking methods.

In this and other Malaysian curries, the sauce is simmered until the oil splits from the sauce. This is different to more western sauce preparations. You want to cook the curry sauce until the oil rises to the top. You could skim this oil before serving but that isn't done in Malaysia or India.

The heavy use of curry powder

If you've tried my many Indian recipes on this blog and in my books, you might know that many Indian cooks hate the idea of a curry powder. They want to roast and grind only the spices that are needed for each individual curry.

That said, you will find some delicious curry powders that play a big role in other Asian cuisines and well as the recipes of Sri Lanka.

The following Malaysian chicken curry recipe calls for a lot of curry powder which in Malaysia would be a Malaysian curry powder.

What is Malaysian curry powder?

Look at the ingredients of any shop bought Malaysian curry powder and compare them to Madras curry powder. Both are essentially the same thing but Malaysian curry powder usually doesn't contain fenugreek.

So you can use a good quality, shop bought Madras curry powder or make your own Madras curry powder for this kari ayam.

If you do make your own using my recipe, you can leave out the fenugreek or leave it in. I like it in this Malaysian chicken curry.

Malaysian chicken curry in pictures...

Ingredients for Malaysian chicken curry — Get all the ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

Blending aromatic ingredients together. — Blend the garlic, ginger and shallots with a little water to make a thin paste.

Curry powder and chili powder — The curry powder and chili powder are very important ingredients.

Getting the colour of this Malaysian chicken curry right...

Kari ayam is traditionally bright red in appearance. This is done by adding a lot of bright red Kashmiri chili powder.

If you don't like really spicy curries, you should be pretty safe with mild Kashmiri chili powder. That said, you could substitute a mild paprika which will achieve the same colour but result in a much milder curry.

Mixing chili paste — Yes the amounts of curry powder and chili powder are correct! Mix them with just enough water to form a bright red paste.

Infusing whole spices into hot oil. — Heat the oil and infuse the whole spices into it for about a minute.

Adding fresh aromatic ingredients to the pan — Stir in the onion, curry leaves and lemongrass.

Adding the spice pastes and chicken to the pan. — Add both the white, aromatic paste and the chili paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the chicken.

Adding water to the pan which will make the sauce. — Cook the chicken until it begins to turn white and then add just enough water to cover.

Covering the pan to simmer for 20 minutes. — Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Simmering the kari ayam stock and adding tomatoes. — After 20 minutes, uncover the pan and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add quartered tomatoes after 10 minutes, if using.

Adding cooked potatoes to the pan and garnishing with coriander (cilantro) — Once the curry begins to separate with oil floating on top, stir in the cooked potatoes and a handful of coriander (cilantro).

Useful cooking equipment...

The following cooking equipment will come in handy but not all are essential. Just make do with what you have if you want to make this sesame chicken recipe now.

A good wok: I like to use a carbon steel wok when cooking Chinese and other Asian recipes. You will find it much easier to prepare sesame chicken with one. Don't let that stop you if you don't have one. A good frying pan will do the job fine.
A good chefs knife: A sharp knife will come in handy for whatever you happen to be cooking. Slicing the chicken and vegetables for this sesame chicken will be much easier if you have one. I recommend investing it one good quality chefs knife rather than purchasing a set of knives.
A cutting board: This is of course obvious but it is really nice to have a good, sturdy chopping board for cooking.
A measuring jug: This will come in useful for measuring the sauce ingredients and also to store the prepared sauce before pouring it into the wok.

Kari ayam - Malaysian chicken curry — Season with salt to taste and serve.

What do you serve with kari ayam?

Mee Goreng: Yellow noodles stir-fried with sambal, sweet soy sauce, prawns, tofu, and vegetables, slightly smoky, spicy, and sweet.

Ayam Masak Merah: Fried chicken cooked in a rich, spicy tomato and coconut sauce.

Seafood Laksa: A spicy noodle soup with coconut milk, lemongrass and seafood. It can also be made with chicken or a combination of chicken and seafood

Nasi Goreng: Malaysia and Indonesia’s signature fried rice made with kecap manis, shallots, garlic, sambal oekek, and topped with a fried egg or prawn crackers.

Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam): A homely, aromatic curry made with chicken, potatoes, curry leaves, coconut milk, and a robust spice blend.

Devil Chicken Curry: A spicy Eurasian-Malaysian dish from the Kristang community, traditionally made with leftover roast meats, potatoes, mustard seeds, vinegar, and chillies.

Sambal La La: Fresh clams stir-fried with sambal, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass — spicy, salty, and slightly briny.

Ikan Bakar: Grilled or barbecued fish marinated in spices and brushed with sambal oelek.

Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam): A homely, aromatic curry made with chicken, potatoes, curry leaves, coconut milk, and a robust spice blend.

Blackened Indonesian Fish: Blackened to perfection and served with sambal matah. Be prepared for one of the most amazing fish dishes on the planet.

Looking for more Malaysian recipes? Here's a popular selection for you:

Have you tried this Malaysian chicken curry recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4 - 6

Malaysian Chicken Curry - Kari Ayam

This Malaysian chicken curry or kari ayam is super easy to prepare and tastes amazing! Most of the work involved is passive work so you can just sit back and let your stove do all the real work.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE AROMATIC PASTE
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, rougly chopped
4 banana shallots
125ml (1/2 cup) water
FOR THE RED CHILLI PASTE
4 generous tbsp Madras or Malaysian curry powder, homemade or shop bought
1 generous tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
125ml (1/2 cup) water
FOR THE CURRY
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola), coconut or peanut oil
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 green cardamom pods, bruised
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, peeled and julienned
3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer layer removed, white parts only, lightly bruised
700g (1 ½ lbs) chicken thighs and/or legs, skinned or unskinned
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
250ml (1/2 cup) thick coconut milk
½ tsp tamarind concentrate
Salt to taste
TO GARNISH
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
2 red spur chillies or spicier red bird's eye, thinly sliced

Instructions

Cook the potato chunks first by boiling in water until about 90% cooked. They should be fork tender but still a bit too hard to serve. Set aside while you prepare the pastes.
To make the aromatic paste, place the garlic, ginger, shallots and water in a blender and blend until smooth, Set aside.
Now prepare the chilli paste. Spoon the curry powder and chilli powder in to bowl and pour in the water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and set aside.
To cook the curry, heat the oil in a large pan or wok that has a lid over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods and stir for 30 seconds to infuse their flavours into the oil.
Now add the garlic, ginger and shallots and fry for another minute and the add the curry leaves and lemongrass stalks and fry for another minute.
Add the prepared aromatic paste and chilli paste and stir well. Continue frying for about three minutes at which time the sauce will have darkened a few shades.
Add the chicken and stir well to coat with all the other ingredients and fry for a few minutes or until the meat is turning white. Then add just enough water to cover the chicken.
Cover the pan and allow to simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Take off the lid and add the coconut milk and continue simmering for another 10 minutes or until the oil separates and rises to the top. Stir in the par-cooked potatoes and continue simmering for a few minutes or until they are deliciously soft.
Season with salt to taste and serve garnished with the chopped coriander and chillies. Although it isn't aways done, I like to serve this curry with lemon wedges to squeeze over it at the table.

Chicken Curry Ramen

November 7, 2022 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Chicken curry ramen can be made in under 30 minutes.

Who doesn't love a good bowl of curry ramen noodles? This curry ramen can be made with instant or better quality ramen noodles and it's so easy to prepare. If you use instant noodles, you can make this whole recipe in one pot. That's what I did today. I was cooking for eight people and wanted to make things really easy on myself.

A bit about this curry ramen recipe...

This recipe is something like Caroline and I had for the first time at a restaurant in Bangkok. Ramen is of course from Japan, but the chef at the restaurant whipped up his signature Thai curry ramen for us.

I didn't get the exact recipe but but he did tell me how he made it so it was quite easy to come up with this version when I got home.

In addition to the ingredients he told me he used, I also added a generous teaspoon of S&B Oriental curry powder which we both really liked. I have since made my own homemade version of S&B curry powder and will be posting it on the blog soon.

Getting this curry ramen recipe right

Although you can make this recipe with chicken stock cubes, I recommend making your own. It's a lot better.

I usually make a huge batch of chicken stock and then freeze what I don't use. That way, I always have some on hand.

Here's the recipe for Thai chicken stock from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai.

Which curry paste?

You can use a good quality shop bought Thai green curry paste for ease. I used homemade which, of course tastes better!

So little paste is used in this curry ramen recipe, so use either.

Which ramen noodles are best?

To be honest, I find instant ramen noodles really good. I was surprised to find that many quality restaurants in the Far East actually serve instant ramen noodles. They are good and that's why I used them in this recipe.

You could go upmarket and purchase other fresh or dried ramen noodles. Most only take a few minutes to cook so you could say all ramen noodles are instant. If you use other ramen noodles, you'll still be able to prepare and cook this curry ramen recipe in under 30 minutes.

Do I have to add chicken?

Nope. You could use vegetable stock and leave the chicken out. I made this curry ramen once for a veggie friend with fried tofu. It was great!

To fry tofu, simply add cubes of tofu to the pan at the beginning of this recipe instead of the chicken.

Can this curry ramen be frozen?

Although you could freeze it, I don't recommend doing so.

The coconut milk and the noodles don't freeze well. That said, you could prepare the recipe up to when you add the coconut milk. Leave it out and freeze the unfinished curry.

Then you can defrost it and add the coconut milk and ramen noodles, even quicker for an amazing curry ramen.

Are there other types of curry ramen?

You bet. One of my favourites is to serve ramen noodles with this Japanese chicken curry.

If you have a curry you really like, whether it be Thai, Indian or other, it will be delicious served with ramen noodles.

Here's a Mexican style birria ramen I made a few weeks back and it was amazing too.

Curry ramen in pictures...

Ingredients for curry ramen — Get your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

Frying chicken — Fry your chicken over a medium high heat. You might need to do this in a couple batches. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.

Frying garlic, galangal and spring onions (scallions) — Fry the garlic, galangal and spring onions for about a minute or until fragrant.

Adding curry paste to the pan. — Stir in the green curry paste and fry, stirring often for another minute.

Simmering chicken stock in the pan. — Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes to reduce some.

Adding curry powder to the stock. — Add the curry powder. This is optional but good!

Coconut milk in the stock. — Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Cooked ramen noodles — While the stock is simmering, pour boiling water over the instant noodles. They should be ready in a couple of minutes.

Galangal vs. Ginger

Although galangal and ginger look similar, they have different flavours.

You can prepare this delicious curry ramen with galangal or ginger. Galangal is preferred in Thai cooking. It has a piney flavour and is quite mild. It also has a woody texture so it needs to be finely chopped. Ginger, on the other hand is spicier and has a citrusy flavour. It can be finely chopped or grated.

Although they do have different flavours, both will work in this curry ramen recipe.

If you like this Chicken Curry Ramen, you might want to try some of these Thai favourites too.

THAI SOUPS

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

FRIED THAI

STIR FRIES

Have you tried this chicken curry ramen recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 6

Chicken Curry Ramen

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 1/4 lb.) chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) galangal or ginger, minced (preferably galangal)
6 spring onions (scallions), cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (shop bought is fine for this one
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 litres (8 cups) Asian chicken stock
2 x 400ml (14oz) tins (cans) thick coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
6 packs of instant ramen noodles
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Coriander (cilantro)
Crispy fried onions
Julienned carrots
Chinese chilli oil
Sriracha

Instructions

Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper to taste and then heat the oil in a large wok or high sided frying pan.
Place the chicken in the hot oil and fry for about 10 minutes, turning often until it is all cooked through and lightly browned on the exterior. Chicken needs to be cooked to 75c/165f. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add a little more oil to the wok, if necessary and fry the garlic, galangal/ginger and spring onions (scallions) for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then stir in the ground turmeric and the Thai curry paste. Let this all sizzle for about a minute, stirring continuously.
Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a rolling simmer for about 8 minutes or until it has reduced by about a quarter.
While the stock is simmering, cover the instant ramen noodles with hot water. They usually only need to soak for about 10 minutes but follow the packet instructions.
Once the stock has reduced some, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the fish sauce and then taste it. You can spice it up by adding more green paste or add a bit more salt or some sugar: I’m sure you get the idea here. Make it taste perfect for your preference. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.
To serve, divide the cooked ramen noodles between 6 bowls. Top with some of the cooked chicken and pour the sauce over them.
Garnish each as you like with the above mentions options or whatever sounds good to you.

Notes

There is a lot of liquid going into this recipe so you will need a pan that holds at least 4 litres.

Thai Chicken Stock

November 7, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

A good Thai chicken stock is the backbone of so many delicious Thai recipes.

Homemade Thai chicken stock is really easy to prepare. It's so much better than anything you can purchase and will really take your Thai cooking up a notch or two.

About this Thai chicken stock recipe...

This is the exact recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

Although I made it with chicken bones and chicken pieces, you could leave the meat out for a tasty, Thai vegetable stock.

You could also fry up some prawn shells and heads before adding the other ingredients to make a really tasty prawn stock.

Why make your own stock?

A good stock is the backbone of so many dishes in so many cuisines. Preparing your own stock will most definitely improve the dish you are making.

You can control what goes into it.

Many shop-bought stocks contain way to much salt. If you make your own chicken stock, you can leave the salt out and then season to taste while cooking whatever it is you are preparing.

Can this Thai chicken stock be frozen?

Yes! Chicken broth and stock freeze really well. So does vegetable and other meat stocks.

Seafood stocks should be used the day they are prepared for best results but even they can be frozen.

Will this homemade stock keep in the fridge?

Yes, for up to three days. When placing the stock in the fridge, it is a good idea to cool it down quickly before storing, covered in the fridge.

To do this, pour your stock into a small bowl and then place the bowl in an ice bath in your sink or a larger bowl.

Can Thai chicken stock be used for other cuisines?

I always tell people in my cooking classes to try to make a stock that is normally used in the cuisine they are preparing.

That said, you could definitely use this stock in Chinese and other South East Asian recipes. This is especially so when only a small amount is called for.

It's so much better to use a fresh stock of any kind than a salty stock cube.

Want to try this chicken stock in a Thai recipe?

Try some of these Thai recipes from my blog. Many call for chicken stock.

THAI SOUPS

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

FRIED THAI

STIR FRIES

Yield: 1.5 litres

Thai Chicken Stock

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1.5kg (3lb 5oz) meaty chicken bones 10 coriander (cilantro) stalks
1 large onion, roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves, smashed
2.5cm (1in) piece of galangal, thinly sliced and lightly smashed
1 whole lemongrass stalk, bruised
1 tsp white peppercorns (or black peppercorns if
you must)

Instructions

Add the chicken bones to a large saucepan and cover with 2 litres (8 cups) of water.
Bring to a simmer, making sure to skim off any foam that floats to the top. Once all the foam is skimmed add the remaining ingredients. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours.
Strain through a fine sieve. This stock can be used immediately but it also freezes really well. If storing in the fridge or freezer, it is important to cool it down as quickly as possible. To do this, I place the bowl of stock in an ice bath in the sink

Notes

You could add more water and a few pork bones to this stock for a delicious chicken and pork stock, popular in Thai cooking. This can be used whenever chicken stock is called for in a recipe.

Beef Nihari

November 6, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Beef Nihari is slowly cooked in one pot. It might just be the perfect one pot meal.

Nihari curries can be made with any cut of meat. Lamb, mutton, chicken and goat are all popular options but beef nihari is now my personal favourite. I made this while visiting family in California. Before that, I had only tried the recipe with lamb and mutton shanks but these are not very easy to come by in California.

So I tried it with Thor hammer cuts of beef shank and the result was out of this world!

What is beef nihari?

Niharis are traditional, slowly cooked stews. Caroline and I tried our first nihari in northern India which was prepared with mutton. I've since learned that the Pakistani nihari is most often prepared with beef which is why I wanted to give it a try.

The word 'nihari' is an Arabic word which means 'early morning' or day. Traditionally, niharis were cooked over a small fire overnight and then enjoyed the next day after morning prayers. These days, you can enjoy a beef nihari for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Personally, I do prefer it for dinner but it does make a good breakfast for real curry fans.

It's believed the the first nihari curries were prepared in Mogul, New Delhi. The meat and its, thick, delicious sauce was served with naans or rotis to Newhab workers to fill them up for the day.

What is different about Nihari curries?

I learned to make mutton nihari from a Pakistani chef friend. One thing he stressed is that this was easy food. Where normally, the spices for curries are first roasted, nihari curries call for whole spices that are ground to a powder without roasting.

Because tougher cuts of meat are normally used, this curry is slowly cooked for a long time. This recipe calls for a three hour cooking time so that the meat becomes really tender and the marrow bones have time to really flavour the stock.

As I mentioned above, beef nihari as well as mutton nihari were cooked over a low flame overnight for optimum flavour but 3 hours will do the job just fine.

Working ahead...

When you think about the traditional long cook of beef nihari, you can imagine why I usually cook this dish the day before serving.

Not only does this make things easier, but letting the meat and bones sit in the stock overnight also improves the flavour. It's more intense and a lot more tasty too.

If doing this, be sure not to add the flour mixture until you reheat it. Then just add it in small amounts until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce.

Using shop bought nihari spice blends...

Who enjoys a beef nihari?

Pretty much anyone who enjoys beef will love a beef nihari. Unlike many similar curries, beef nihari is not really spicy at all. This means all beef fans can enjoy it.

The mild beef nihari is served at the table with a selection of garnishes which usually include, chopped, fresh chillies, chopped coriander (cilantro), lemon wedges and julienned ginger.

You can spice it up to your preference. The fresh chillies and mildly spicy ginger do a great job at that.

Beef Nihari in pictures...

Ingredients for beef nihari — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Grinding the spices to a powder. — Grind the spices to a powder.

Ground spice blend — Mix these ground spices with the chilli powder, paprika and ground ginger.

Frying onion — Now fry the thinly sliced onion for about 5 minutes in the ghee until soft and translucent.

Stirring ground spices into the fried onions. — Add the ground spices to the fried onion and give it a good stir to combine.

Ground spices stirred into fried onion. — It should look like this. Once well combines, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Searing the beef shank — Pour the oil into the pot and sear the meat for a few minutes to brown.

Returning the onion mixture to the pot — Return the onion mixture to the pot and cover the meat with water, with the bone sticking out.

A note about the step by step photos of this beef nihari recipe...

I was cooking for 16 people, so I actually cooked two beef Thor hammers. I laid them side by side and everything came out perfectly.

To do this, however, I needed to add a lot more water. If using just one Thor hammer, you want to place it meat side down with the bone sticking out. Then just cover the meat with water.

As it cooks, covered, the marrow in that large bone will melt some. Lay it down in the stock about an hour after you start simmering the beef and that amazing marrow will ooze into the stock, flavouring it.

Beef nihari at the table in a serving dish and garnished with ginger, coriander and chillies. — top your beef nihari with julienned ginger, chillies and coriander to taste. Then squeeze in the lemon juice also to taste.

Getting the thickness of the broth right...

Beef nihari is usally quite thick but it doesn't have to be. I like my beef nihari thick but not as thick as I have seen some made.

This is really down to you and your personal preference. You make it thicker by adding more flour.

I recommend doing this in small amounts as you simmer the stock as it thickens as it simmers.

If you add too much flour, just add a drop of water. If your beef nihari is too thin for your liking, add more of the flour paste in small amounts until it's perfect.

Eating beef nihari by dipping a paratha into the sauce and meat. — Get in there with a paratha and enjoy.

Picking up a piece of the beef with a paratha. — Curries don't get much better than this!

If you like this beef nihari recipe, you might like to try some of these beef recipes too.

Beef Khao Soy
Chinese Crispy Beef
Beef Pho
Bo Kho
Beef Queso Dip
Beef Madras from Scratch
Rajma Masala - This rajma curry made with kidney beans is the perfect vegetarian side dish.

Yield: 6 - 8

Beef Nihari

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 x 3kg (6 ½ lb) in total, Thor cut of beef or simply beef shanks on the bone
1 tsp salt
1 star anise
1 whole nutmeg, crushed into smaller pieces
1 large blade mace
2 tbsp fennel seeds
3 Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves)
2.5cm (1 in) cinnamon stick or cassia bark, broken
into small pieces
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black (royal) cumin seeds (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground ginger
70ml (1/4 cup) ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
1 onion, sliced into rings
125ml (1⁄2 cup) rapeseed oil
4 generous tbsp (1/3 cup) chapatti flour
Salt to taste
TO GARNISH
4 tbsp (or more) finely julienned ginger
2–3 hot fresh green chillies, finely sliced
Handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Place the beef in a large bowl and sprinkle evenly with 1 tsp salt. Set aside while you prepare the spice masala.
Put the nutmeg, mace, fennel seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, peppercorns, nigella seeds, cloves and cumin seeds in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Stir in the paprika, chilli powder and ground ginger. Set aside.
Now heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid over a medium heat. Add the onion rings and fry for about 5 minutes until soft, translucent and lightly browned. Stir in the ground spices and mix well to combine. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Pour the oil into the same saucepan and brown the beef for about 2 minutes over medium high heat. Add the browned onions coated with the spices and pour in enough water to cover the meat.
Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat and then cover and simmer over a low to medium heat for 3 hours. After 3 hours, transfer about 125ml (1/2 cup) of the stock to a bowl to cool. Carefully lift out the beef into a large, preferably warmed serving bowl. Skim off as much excess oil from the cooking liquid as possible from the sauce and keep it warm.
Mix the chapatti flour with the cooled stock to make a smooth paste with no lumps. Continue simmering and stir the flour paste in small amounts into the sauce and simmer for 5–6 minutes to thicken. You may not need all the paste. Just stir it in until you are happy with the thickness of the sauce.
Check for seasoning, add salt to taste and then pour the sauce over the meat in the serving bowl. Serve the garnishes in little bowls on the table to add to the beef nihari as you like.
Some people like to spoon the warmed oil over the top. It is quite good but I'll leave that idea up to you.

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I hope you enjoy this beef nihari recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Indonesian Chicken with Sambal Matah

November 3, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This Indonesian chicken recipe is so easy to prepare and tastes amazing!

While travelling in Bali, Caroline and I were introduced to many Indonesian chicken recipes. Some were quite complicated and others were very simple. This is one of the simple Indian chicken recipes that is packed with the delicious flavour of homemade sambal matah.

About this recipe...

One of the most delicious and easy starters I tried in Ubud, Bali was at a place called Biah Biah. The restaurant was recommended by a friend and every dish was amazing. Chicken with sambal matah was one of many dishes we ordered. That's it in the photo above. No, I can't prepare the banana leaves so they look that pretty but if you can it does look good.

It’s really just a light, chicken salad that’s packed with the delicious flavours of a raw sambal.

If you can’t be bothered to cook one evening and want a healthy dinner, purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken and peel off all the meat to use in this recipe. That works fine.

What is Sambal Matah?

There are many different sambals served in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Each region has their own special version. Sambal Matah is hugely popular all over Bali and it translates as raw sambal. It's similar to the way you would prepare a Mexican salsa.

This version, however requires a little cooking. Shrimp paste and finely sliced lemongrass are first fried in coconut oil. This cooks the shrimp paste and tenderises the lemongrass. The shrimp paste, coconut oil and lemongrass mixture is then poured over the raw ingredients. It tastes incredible!

Do I have to add the chicken?

Nope. Sambal matah is good as a side dish for many different Indonesian dishes. It's used similar to a Mexican salsa. You also don't have to add the shrimp paste if you are vegetarian.

Indonesian chicken with sambal matah in pictures...

Ingredients for Indonesian chicken with sambal matah — Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

Sambal matah ingredients mixed together. — Mix all of the sambal matah ingredients, expect the lemongrass, oil and shrimp paste together in a bowl.

Frying lemongrass and shrimp paste in coconut oil. — Fry the lemongrass and shrimp paste in the coconut oil. Then pour it over the other sambal ingredients and stir it in.

Frying chicken in a pan — Now fry the chicken in the same pan. You can add a bit more oil if needed to cook it through.

Shredded chicken in the pan — Shred the chicken with your hands. You might want to wear heat proof gloves to do this.

Mixing the sambal matah — Mix the shredded chicken with the sambal matah. The chicken can be added at room temperature or hot.

If you like this chicken with sambal matah recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Indonesian Fried Chicken
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap
Spicy Green Beans Indonesian Style
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis
Soto Ayam

Have you tried this chicken with sambal matah recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4 - 8

Indonesian Chicken with Sambal Matah

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

8 boneless chicken thighs or breasts, skinned
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
FOR THE SAMBAL MATAH
8 green bird’s eye chilies, chopped finely
2 red jalepenos or bird’s eye chillies
8 shallots, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 lime leaves, stem removed and sliced thinly
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)
2 lemongrass, peeled white part only
½ tsp terasi or Chinese shrimp paste (optional)
3 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

To make the sambal matah, place the chillies, shallots, garlic, lime leaves and lime juice in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat and fry the lemongrass to soften for a couple of minutes. Then add the shrimp paste and fry, stirring continuously for another 30 seconds.
Pour this over the chopped veggies and mix it in. Taste it and add salt and/or sugar to taste. Set aside.
To cook the chicken, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste. Then heat the oil for the chicken in the same pan over medium high heat.
When visibly hot, add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. The juices should run clear when pricked with a knife. The cooked temperature for chicken is 75c/165f.
Shred the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces and mix it into the sambal matah. Serve immediately with a few ice cold Bitangs if you like.

Pork Pibil Tacos

November 2, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Pork pibil tastes amazing and is quite easy to prepare too.

Pork pibil, also know as cochinita con achiote and Puerco pibil in Mexico and Mexican restaurants originated in the Yucatan Peninsula. This is a very old recipe that dates back to the Mayans and like all really good recipes, it has never ceased to be popular. Pork pibil is a slow cooked pulled pork that is marinated in citrus, achiote paste, garlic, onion and other delicious spices.

Pork pibil served as tacos — One of the many ways to serve delicious pork pibil.

How is pork pibil made?

The pork joint is first marinated in a delicious marinade. For best results, it should be marinated for a day or two but you could get away with 30 minutes marinating time and not be disappointed.

Once you have applied the marinade, the pork is wrapped in banana leaves. This not only protect the pork while cooking but gives the meat a delicious subtle flavour of the banana leaves. Wrapped up tightly, it also steams and becomes mouth wateringly moist and delicious.

The wrapped meat needs to be slowly roasted for 4 hours. When you take it out of the oven, it will be fall apart or pull apart tender.

How was pork pibil originally cooked before ovens?

Originally, pork pibil was cooked in a hole in the ground. A large whole was dug and then hot coals were placed in it.

The banana leaf wrapped meat was then buried in the hole with the hot coals and dug up after a few hours.

I have actually done this with pork pibil and other similar recipes. It worked really well but I’m glad we can use ovens these days.

How is the cooked pork pibil prepared for serving?

If you have every made pulled pork, it’s done the same way. Simply pull the pork apart and shred it with your hands.

This will be really easy to do as the pork pibil is so tender. I recommend wearing heat proof plastic or rubber gloves to do this as the meat will be quite hot when you remove it from the oven.

How is pork pibil served?

Pork pibil can be served in numerous ways. In this recipe, the meat is wrapped into tacos. The tacos are traditionally served with pickled red onions and chillies.

You could serve it simply over rice like the baked Mexican rice here.

It is also delicious served in burritos, on top of nachos or served with salad greens, salsa, refried beans and fried corn or flour tortillas as a taco salad.

Do I have to wrap the pork in banana leaves?

No. This is the traditional way to cook pork pibil. You could wrap it in foil if you don’t have banana leaves. You might also like to try cooking it in a pressure cooker as explained below.

Can pork pibil be cooked in an Instant Pot?

Yes. It only takes 90 minutes. You could place a small piece of banana leaf at the bottom of the pot for flavour but that isn’t essential. Cut the pork into three pieces and place it in you Instant Pot. Place the pork and all the marinade in the pressure cooker and add just enough water to cover.

Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes and then allow to continue naturally cooking for an additional 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, press the pressure release. When the pin drops, you can open the top and proceed with pulling the pork.

Pork pibil in pictures...

Ingredients for pork pibil — get all of your ingredients together before you begin cooking.

Toasting the spices — Toast the spices over a medium heat for about a minute or until fragrant and warm to the touch.

Ground spices for the pork pibil marinade. — Allow the spices to cool some and then grind to a powder.

browning the onions and garlic. — Then brown the onions and garlic cloves in a tbsp oil oil.

Blending the pork pibil marinade. — Blend the garlic, onions and ground spices with the remaining marinade ingredients.

Preparing the string for tying the banana leaves around the meat. — Pour a little water into the pan and place a trivet in the centre. Cross two pieces of string across you cooking pan.

Marinating the pork...

Although I normally try to marinate the pork for a day or so, this time I didn't.

I simply poured the marinade over the pork on the banana leaves. Then wrapped it all up to marinate for about 30 minutes before placing it all in th oven.

Banana leaves in the roasting pan. — Wash the banana leaves and place them on top of the string. I usually place a piece of foil under the banana leaves so that I don't lose any marinade.

Pork resting on banana leaves. — Place the pork in the centre of the banana leaves.

Pork topped with the pibil marinade. — Pour the marinade over the pork and be sure to rub it deep into the flesh.

Pork wrapped in banana leaves. — Wrap it all up and tie it tightly.

If you like pork pibil, you might like to try some of these Mexican style recipes too...
Birria de Res
Birria Ramen
Pork Carnitas
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Beef Queso Dip
Baked Mexican Rice
Refried beans

Yield: 8

Pork Pibil Tacos

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1kg pork shoulder roast
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tbsp black peppercorns
6 cloves
1 tsp allspice berries
1.75cm (1/2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 tsp light olive oil
1 onion, quartered
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
250ml (1 cup) orange juice
125ml (1/2 cup) lime juice
50g achiote paste
FOR THE OPTIONAL PICKLED ONIONS
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
125ml (1/2 cup) lime juice
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Rub the pork roast all over with the salt. This can be done a day or two before cooking. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add black peppercorns, cloves and allspice berries and cinnamon. Move these whole spices around in the pan until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking.
Transfer to a plate to cool some and then grind to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
Now grease the surface of the pan with the olive oil and toast the garlic and onion until lightly charred on the exterior. This should only take a couple of minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the ground spices. Top this up with the remaining ingredients and blend to a paste.
Pour the marinade over the pork and rub it deep into the flesh. You could marinate the meat for a couple of days in this marinade or just go straight to cooking.
When read to cook, preheat your oven to 150c/300f.
Criss-cross two long pieces of string, long enough to tie the banana leaves around the pork, across a roasting pan. Place a piece of foil over the string to catch any marinade that escapes and then place two or three large banana leaves on top of the foil.
Put the pork and all the marinade in the centre of the banana leaves and then fold them around the meat, Tie it all up into a parcel tightly with the string.
Place the tied pork pibil in the oven and cook for 4 hours. After four hours, unwrap the pork. It will be fall apart tender.
Pull the pork apart into shreds. It is easiest to do this with heat proof gloves as the meat will still be quite hot.
Wrap this saucy, pulled pork in tortillas and top with pickled onions and/or salsa.
TO MAKE THE PICKLED ONIONS: Sprinkle the sliced onions with salt in a bowl and then cover with the lime juice. Allow to pickle for at least 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times as they marinate.

Vietnamese Tofu with Pork Stuffing in Tomato Sauce

November 2, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You are going to love this Vietnamese tofu recipe!

Don't you love it when you go out for a meal and get served something amazing that you didn't even know existed? That's what happened to my wife and I while in Vietnam. Pork stuffed Vietnamese tofu was served at so many restaurants and food stalls. We must have ordered it ten times during our stay and this is one of the recipes I learned while there.

This pork stuffed tofu is so good. You can serve it with or without the tomato sauce.

Is this Vietnamese tofu recipe easy?

Yes. It can be a bit fussy the first time you make it. Digging the tofu centres and all to make room for the pork stuffing takes some time. But I promise you, your work will go rewarded.

Is this a one pan recipe?

Sure is! You can cook pork stuffed tofu in tomato sauce all in one pan. What's more, this Vietnamese tofu recipe can be prepared and cooked in less than 30 minutes!

Can this recipe be made vegetarian?

Yes. Chop up the pieces of tofu you dig out. Then mix with chopped mushroom and the remainder of the stuffing ingredients. You won't be disappointed.

Which type of tofu is best for this recipe?

Go for the hard blocks of tofu. Don't use the soft stuff. That won't work!

Other ways to serve this Vietnamese tofu...

At many restaurants we visited, the stuffed tofu was served on its own with just a couple of sauces to dip it in. This makes a delicious starter course.

Pro Tips...

Be sure to pat the tofu dry with a paper towel when you unwrap it. This will achieve a crispier exterior.
Try to break the pork down as you mix it with the other ingredients. It is best quite smooth in texture.
Fry a spoonful of the pork stuffing before adding it all to the tofu. You can then taste it and adjust the seasoning before stuffing all the tofu pieces.

Pork stuffed tofu in pictures...

Ingredients for pork stuffed tofu in tomato sauce — Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking.

Preparing the tofu for stuffing. — Cut the tofu into large bite sized pieces and then dig the centre out. Set aside.

Ingredients for the pork stuffing. — Place the filling ingredients in a bowl.

Prepared pork stuffing. — Mix well with your hand to break the ground meat down and to combine the ingredients.

Tofu filled with the pork stuffing. — Fill each of the holes in the tofu pieces generously with the stuffy and pack it in there so it stays in.

Frying the tofu, stuffing side down in the pan. — Fry in a generous amount of oil, meat side down.

Frying the pork stuffed tofu. — Then flip them over and fry the other side. Be sure to move the tofu around so that it browns all over.

Frying onion and garlic for the sauce. — Transfer the cooked tofu to a wire rack to drain any excess oil. Then discard all but 2 tbs of the oil and fry the onion and garlic.

Adding chopped tomatoes to the pan. — Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down

Simmering the tomato sauce. — Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer until you have a thick tomato sauce.

Returning the pork stuffed tofu to the sauce. — Return the pork stuffed tofu to the pan and simmer until heated through.

pork stuffed tofu in tomato sauce — So good! Give this a try.

If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these Vietnamese favourites too!

Shaking Beef
Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken
Beef Congee
Vietnamese Grilled Scallops
Cha Ca - Fried fish with Dill
Bo Kho - Spicy beef soup
Vietnamese Chicken Wings
Bun Cha - Grilled Pork Patties in Sauce
Chicken Pho
Beef Pho
Duck Pho
Pork on Lemongrass Skewers
Ban Xeo - Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes

Yield: 4 - 6

Pork Stuffed Tofu with Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

800g ( 28oz) firm tofu
Rapeseed (canola) oil for shallow frying
FOR THE PORK STUFFING
225g (1/2 lb.) ground pork
4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp light brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE SAUCE
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400ml (1 ½ cups) chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced

Instructions

Take the tofu out of the packaging and drain. Pat it dry and cut the tofu into large, two bite sized pieces rectangles.
Carefully cut the centre of the tofu out of each piece. This is where you will stuff the pork. You can discard the tofu you dig out or use it in a soup or in another recipe.
Place the ground pork in a bowl and add the chopped spring onions (scallions), the chillies (if using), the light brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to combine and then stuff each pice of tofu generously with this pork stuffing.
Fill the bottom of your pan with the rapeseed (canola) oil and place over a medium high heat. The oil is hot enough when bubbles from immediately when you place one of the stuffed tofu cubes in it. If it doesn’t, heat it up longer.
Place the tofu meat side down in the hot oil. As it cooks, you will see the tofu cooking up the sides. When nicely browned on the bottom, carefully turn the tofu cubes over and fry the other side. Then move them around a bit so that the tofu is nicely browned all over. You might need to do this in batches and you can plan on about 10 minutes per batch.
Transfer the cooked tofu to a plate and set aside.
To make the tomato sauce, you only need about 2 tbsp of oil in the pan. If you have more, discard it.
Then toss in the finely chopped shallots and garlic in the remaining oil and fry for about a minute to soften some. Then pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer over a medium high heat.
Cook the sauce down for about 5 minutes, pressing down on the chopped tomatoes as you do. You can add a drop of water if your pan is looking too dry.
To finish the sauce, stir in the oyster sauce and fish sauce. Try a spoonful and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Once you are happy with the flavour of the sauce, place the fried, stuffed tofu pieces in it meat side up. Cover the pan and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until the tofu and pork are hot.
Serve garnished with the finely sliced red chillies.

Babi Kecap

November 1, 2022 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

Babi kecap is tender pieces of pork belly simmered in a rich and sweet sauce.

This is one of those recipes that I never knew existed until I visited Bali. It just isn't that well known in the west but it should be. It is so easy to prepare and probably one of the best pork belly recipes on the planet.

About this recipe...

I travelled around Bali for four weeks looking for recipe ideas for a book I'm writing. Quite fun actually but a lot of what was on offer was pretty much expected: the dishes everyone knows and goes to Bali to try.

Every now and then, however I came across something new and exciting and this babi kecap was one of them.

This dish is so easy to prepare. The pork is simmered in a delicious sweet, sour, savoury and spicy sauce until it literally melts in your mouth.

Although it may not be one of the best-known Indonesian dishes, babi kecap is definitely one of my favourites from my trip and one you need to put on your ‘must try’ list.

Special Ingredients...

Most of the ingredients you will probably be familiar with already. Kecap manis might be new to you. I've been cooking with this savoury and and sweet syrupy sauce for the past 18 months. Although I'm not usually a big fan of sweet dishes, I do love kecap manis.

What is kecap manis?

Put simply, it's soy sauce and sugar that have been simmered down to make a syrupy sauce. You can purchase it online and also make it.

I rarely do as it is so easy to purchase. Just like ketchup, it's one of those products that is easily sourced and making it at home doesn't really improve the end result.

If you would like to have a go at making kecap manis, heat about 125ml (1/2 cup) of soy sauce and an equivalent amount of light brown sugar over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until you have a thick syrupy sauce.

What is Babi Kecap?

Babi means pork in Indonesian. Often the term babi refers to baby suckling pigs as babi guling is another of the famous dishes from Bali.

So what you're getting with this recipe is pork cooked in kecap manis just like the name implies.

Making Babi Kecap in pictures...

Ingredients for babi kecap — Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier.

Blending the sambal — Start by blending the sambal ingredients. Set aside.

Frying the pork belly — Brown the pork belly pieces in a little oil. You might need to do this in two batches. Don't overcrowd the pan.

Adding raw sambal to the pan — Add the blended sambal to the browned pork.

Simmering the sambal — Fry the sambal for a few minutes to cook out the rawness.

Adding the sugar — Stir in the sugar. Not too much at this point. You can always add more but the kecap manis is quite sweet.

Cover the meat with water — Pour in just enough water to cover and bring to a simmer.

Covering the pan for a 30 minute simmer — Cover the pan and simmer on a low to medium heat for 30 minutes.

The simmering sauce — After 30 minutes, uncover the pan and turn the heat up a bit.

Adding kecap manis and tamarind — Add the kecap manis and tamarind and continue simmering until you have a thick sauce.

Reduced sauce — As it cooks, for about 10 minutes, the sauce will reduce and thicken.

Baby Kecap with greens and salad — You could really go fancy and serve this with seasonal herbs and a side salad.

If you like this babi kecap recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Indonesian Fried Chicken
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Soto Ayam
Spicy Green Beans Indonesian Style
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis

Have you tried this babi kecap recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Babi Kecap

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE SAMBAL PASTE
5 banana shallots
3 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
3 red bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
5cm (2 inches) ginger, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
FOR THE STEW
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
700g (1 ½ lbs) pork belly, cut into 5cm (2 inch chunks)
2 makrut lime leaves
1 tbsp medium hot sauce (your choice)
6 tbsp kecap manis
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate (see page 00) or shop bought
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced to garnish

Instructions

Place the shallots, candlenuts/macadamia nuts, chillies, garlic, ginger and ground turmeric in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. You might need to add a little water to assist blending. Set aside.
Now heat a large high sided frying pan that has a lid over medium high heat and add the oil. When the oil is visibly hot, add the pork belly pieces and brown the meat for about 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your pan you might need to do this in two batches.
Then add the prepared sambal paste to the pan and stir well to combine. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes to cook out the rawness of the sambal.
Add just enough water to cover the meat and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cover the pan to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in the kecap manis, tamarind concentrate and bring to a boil over a medium high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until the pork is fall apart tender.
To finish, stir in the lemon juice and continue cooking until you have a thick sauce that literally clings to the meat. Serve immediately as it is or with white rice.

Refried Beans

November 1, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This refried beans recipe will get you perfect results every time.

Refried beans can be used in so many ways. Whether you just want to serve them as a side dish or use them in other ways such as adding them to tacos, burritos or burrito bowls, you will find this recipe works well for whatever you have planned.

Canned (tinned) pinto or black beans vs. dried beans...

You will get the best results is you cook dried beans from scratch. I have given instruction for using tinned (canned) beans below if you are in a rush or just want to make things easy on yourself. Nothing wrong with that.

By cooking dried beans, however you are able to flavour the cooking broth with delicious ingredients like onions, garlic and bay leaves. The homemade cooking stock helps flavour the refried beans and can also be added to other soups and broths.

Personally, I think both pinto and black beans taste much better when cooked from dry as well.

Can refried beans be cooked in an electric pressure cooker?

Most definitely yes! You will need to finish them off in a frying pan but cooking in a pressure cooker such as an 'Instant Pot' is much faster with no loss of flavour.

Cooking in a sauce pan takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You can do the same job in a pressure cooker in about 40 minutes.

Is there a big difference between pinto and black beans?

Yes. I love them both but your refried beans will taste different depending on the beans you choose.

If I had to choose between the two, I couldn't. Both are delicious. If you are not familiar with both versions of refried beans, I highly recommend trying both using the recipe below.

How many tins of beans to I need if not cooking dried pinto or black beans?

For this recipe, I use about three 400g (16oz) tins.

The beans are already cooked so all you need to do is start smashing or blending them with a little of the water from the tin.

Then carry on with the rest of the recipe below.

Refried beans in pictures...

ingredients for refried beans — Get all of your ingredients together before starting.

Cooking the beans — The beans can be cooked in an electric pressure cooker or on the hob. A pressure cooker is much faster.

Cooking the beans in pork lard. — Once the beans are really tender, strain retaining the cooking liquid. Melt the pork fat and add the garlic and cooked beans to the pan.

Smashing refried beans — Mash or blend the beans to your preferred consistency.

You might also like to try some of the Mexican style recipes...

Birria de Res
Birria Ramen
Pork Carnitas
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Beef Queso Dip
Baked Mexican Rice

Yield: 6

Refried Beans

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE BEANS
500g (1/2 lb) dried pinto beans or black beans
1 medium onions, peeled but left whole
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaves
TO COOK REFRIED BEANS
3 tbsp pork lard or olive oil (I use the traditional pork lard)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne chilli powder
500g (3 ¼ cups) cooked pinto or black beans
Salt to taste
OPTINAL TOPPINGS
Shredded Jack, Wensleydale or Cheddar chees
Red onion, diced
Tomato, dice
Fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Salsa

Instructions

Cooking in a saucepan: Rinse the beans through a sieve and then pour them into a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves and the add water until the beans are at least 7.5cm (3 inches) covered.
Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the beans are really soft. You should be able to smash one easily between your fingers. Be sure to add more water if it looks like the pot is drying up.
Cooking in an electric pressure cooker: Rinse the beans through a sieve and then pour them into your electric pressure cooker. Cover with 1 ½ liters (6 cups) water but be sure you don’t fill pass the maximum fill line. Add about 1 tbsp light olive oil.
Secure the lid and pressure cook for 35 minutes. Then allow the pressure to reduce naturally until the steam valve drops. The beans should be super soft. If not, you will need to continue cooking until they are.
When the beans are soft, remove the onion, garlic and bay leaves and discard them. The beans can now be made into refried beans.
Strain the beans, retaining all of the cooking liquid. Now heat the pork lard or oil over a medium high heat in your saucepan.
Stir in the finely chopped garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. Then stir in the cumin and cayenne.
Add the cooked beans and about 250ml (1 cup) of the cooking liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and start mashing with a potato masher until you are happy with the consistency.
If you prefer a smoother texture, the beans could also be blended with the same amount of liquid. If while you are mashing the pan is looking dry, stir in a little more stock. When you are happy with the consistency, season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you are not serving the refried beans immediately, be sure to keep the cooking stock. You can then add more when reheating if needed.

Ever tried pad si eew? You're going to love this Thai noodle dish!

Pad si eew is great on its own or served with another Thai dish or two.

How do you make roasted dry red chillies?

Ingredients

Instructions

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

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Kanom jeeb are Thai dumplings that are the perfect way to start a Thai meal.

What is kanom jeeb?

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How do you steam the dumplings?

If you like Thai Recipes, you might want to try some of these Thai favourites too.

Ingredients

Instructions

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Yield:

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You can make this chicken karahi recipe as mild or spicy as you like.

What is chicken karahi?

Chicken Karahi

What do you serve chicken karahi with?

Working ahead...

Do I have to use that much oil?

Make this chicken karahi your own.

Pro Tips...

Chicken Karahi Step by Step Photos

Like a good chicken karahi? Try some of my other chicken karahi recipes too!

Rice

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Chicken majestic is a tasty fried chicken starter from Hyderabad

About this chicken majestic recipe

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Yield:

Serving Size:

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This homemade chapati recipe produces super-soft chapatis every time!

What are chapatis?

Is it difficult to make this chapati recipe?

How do you make chapatis?

How do you cook chapatis?

What you need for this chapati recipe.

Storing Cooked Chapatis

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Yield:

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Cooked in a karahi, this chicken and chickpea curry is hugely popular and easy to prepare.

What is karahi cooking?

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