Ginger Beef

This is another dish using those Beef Fillet off cuts I mentioned in the Beef Stroganoff recipe. It's a variation of a recipe using cheaper cuts of beef which are cooked for much longer. That has been one of my staples for some time, often using a slow cooker. This is a much quicker, but a little more expensive, variation and subtly different.

Ingredients

 

 

500g beef fillet - cut into thin strips

 

2 medium onions - thinly sliced

 

4 cloves of garlic - crushed.

 

2 tablespoons of grated ginger.

 

2 chillies - deseeded and finely chopped.

3 teaspoons of turmeric.

1 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander and garam masala - I used BARTS garam masala this time. As mentioned in the king prawn curry recipe I have made my own. It's down to convenience and preference.

400ml tin coconut milk - for the slow cooked version I tend to use the solid block coconut cream.

1 beef stock pot or cube - I used a stock pot.

200g green beans - trimmed and cut into two inch lengths.

A couple of tablespoons of oil for cooking.

Salt and pepper to taste.

A jug of water to hand.



The Process

Heat up some oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook on a fairly high heat until softened and then reduce the heat.

Add the garlic, chillies, ginger and spices and cook on a medium heat, stirring as you do so.

In the meantime get some water boiling in a pan for the green beans.

Once the spices have been cooked for a while add the coconut milk and stock pot (or cube). Keep stirring.

The green beans should take about 7-8 minutes to cook. Check that they are the texture that you want and then drain and set to one side.

Keep an eye on the onion mixture and add water if it gets too thick. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Check the seasoning.

Move the onion and coconut mixture to a rear burner and heat up some oil in a wok on a high heat. Once it is hot tip in the beef and stir fry for a minute or two until it is browned but still pink in parts. Then remove from the heat, empty into a cool dish and set to one side.

Now add the green beans to the onion mix and heat through before adding the beef. Heat just long enough to ensure the beef is heated through and serve.

You should end up with a silky smooth earthy sauce that goes well with rice or chapattis. A little chopped coriander looks good and adds a nice delicate flavour in contrast to the rich sauce.

Prawn Coconut Curry

My prawn dishes tend to go down very well with my wife. Here is one of them that scored a 10. For this one it is the preparation that takes the time.

Ingredients

 

12 medium sized tomatoes - deseeded and skins removed. Tinned tomatoes will speed up the process but I think fresh tomatoes have a lighter flavour that goes well with something like prawns.

 

400ml tin of coconut milk - You could use cream of coconut with added water. Coconut milk seems to have a lighter flavour.

500g fresh king prawns - I used three packs of 155g King Prawns.

 

Five cloves of garlic - Roughly chopped.  More or less is down to your own preferences.

 

Two chillies - Deseeded and finely chopped. I always deseed. If I want more heat I'll add more chilli as opposed to leaving the seeds in. It's down to personal preference.

 

One teaspoon Tamarind paste - I usually hesitate when buying something like this. Most supermarkets sell those little jars of ready made paste but once opened you have to use it within four weeks. Since you generally use small amounts that means the rest going to waste or eating a lot of dishes requiring tamarind paste within the four weeks. It gives a pleasant sourness similar to that provided by lemons, vinegar or the more esoteric stuff like pomegranate molasses.

 

One teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder - By all means vary this and add spices that you think will work or particularly like.

 

One teaspoon of garam masala - I used some ready made BARTS garam masala. If I have some of my own I'll use that. It's fun to make and there are loads of recipes for it to be found on the web or in cookbooks.

Couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander.

Couple of tablespoons of oil.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The Process

Once you've prepared everything the cooking process is quite simple. The photo to the left shows all the ingredients except the coconut milk and the king prawns.

It also shows a bowl of shredded radishes. I used about 500g along with Panch Phoran* as the spice ingredient

Start off by heating a little of the oil in a skillet on a medium to high heat and tip the tomatoes in. Once they are softened add the chillies, garlic and spices. Turn down the heat and simmer. Then add the coconut milk and tamarind paste. Keep it simmering with occasional stirring while you start with your side dish (if you are having one). Add water if it gets too thick. Once the tomatoes have properly cooked through move the skillet to a rear burner and just keep stirring from time to time while you prepare the radishes.

Add the rest of the oil to a wok and fry the Panch Phoran* on a medium heat being careful not to burn it. A minute or two will do - you should here them 'pop' - and then you can tip in the grated radishes and stir fry until they are cooked to your liking.

Once your happy with the radishes then add the prawns to the tomato mixture and cook until pink on a medium to high heat.

To the left is the finished dish. Just scatter the coriander on it and you are ready to eat. The radish dish is an option. You could have it with Pilau or just plain rice.







*Panch Phoran - Also known as Bengali five spice. A mix of whole cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, nigella (also known as onion or kalongi) seeds and mustard seeds in equal parts. The spices are left whole. You can get it ready made from Indian Supermarkets or make your own. I think Tesco and Waitrose may provide it too. I've seen some variants where the proportions of seeds vary but again it's down to your choice. We like it especially with vegetable side dishes.

A soup or a sauce?

Even before I took an interest in cooking I saw soups and sauces as potentially interchangeable. As a young man I would combine a tin of oxtail or tomato soup with, say, a tin of meatballs and think of it as a fine creation. Or I'd get really daring and actually cook some sausages and add them to some heated up tinned soup.

We recently bought the soup maker you can see pictured above. We both use it frequently for soups, mostly using the 'smooth' option allowing the blender attachment to work its magic.

I also use it to make sauces sometimes.

A 400g tin of tomatoes, a roughly chopped onion, some cloves of garlic and a little olive oil makes a good base for all sorts of Mediterranean dishes. Set the thing away (it takes twenty-one minutes for ours to perform smooth option) and it'll work its magic while you prepare whatever else you need.

I have used it several times for basic curries thrown together from whatever is at hand. Again a 400g tin of tomatoes, the onion, garlic and  vegetable oil but with the addition of ginger (sometimes) spices (endless choices there) will give a nice curry base to work with. I generally add a teaspoon each of Turmeric, Cumin and Coriander with maybe some Garam Masala but this does vary. As an example it makes a very good foundation for a basic Dopiaza. All you need to do is fry some onions in a skillet and add chicken (or anything else you may prefer) and you have a 'two onion' dish; the principle behind a Dopiaza.

Beef Stroganoff

This dish came into its own when we found a butcher in Wetherby who sold Beef Fillet Tail pieces in £10 packs of about a pound in weight. Great for those times when you'd like fillet but don't require large pieces for steaks or Beef Wellington. We buy two or three packs and freeze them. For this dish all I had to buy was the mushrooms and soured cream, the rest was 'in stock'. We got three large portions. Most would probably get four.

Ingredients

 

 



Beef fillet - About a pound or 500g in weight. Cut into thin strips.

2 medium sized onions - thinly sliced

2x 250g  packs of chestnut mushrooms - sliced. I generally cut them in half, turn them 90 degrees and then slice. The size seems to work. As for the type of mushrooms you use; up to you. I've used field mushrooms and they work well. The only ones I would avoid are the small button mushrooms. You want a good earthy flavour and I think they lack that.

6 cloves of garlic - roughly chopped. More or less is fine, all down to your own taste.

Dried mushrooms - Porcini or the cheaper mixed ones are fine. I used the equivalent of about two tablespoons of the ordinary mixed mushrooms. I whizz them up in my spice grinder to create a kind of dust that is mixed directly into the sauce. The conventional way to deal with them is to soak them and then chop, using the liquid and the chopped mushrooms. Seems a faff to me and I'm not entirely sure about the texture of the finely chopped soaked mushrooms. I'm sure the way I do it keeps all the flavour and is easier too.

3 heaped teaspoons of Paprika - I stuck to that this time but often add a bit more. Again, it's what suits the individual.

1 heaped teaspoon of dried thyme - For me thyme is to beef what rosemary is to lamb.

2 heaped teaspoons of dried parsley - Fresh if you have it and more if you want it. A bit like the paprika in the sense that I tend to add more. In my eyes, or should I say, 'in my mouth' parsley, butter and garlic are perfect with mushrooms.

1 beef stock pot or cube - I used one of those pots you can get. I'm not a purist when it comes to stock. I have made it and it's quite fun - if you have the time. Up to you really. If it's fresh stock you are using then 3-400ml of that. Otherwise it's the equivalent amount of water with the stock pot.

300ml of soured cream - I use the full fat stuff but the reduced fat versions I'm sure will work. The quantity can be varied to taste. I have sometimes added a bit of double cream if it's in the fridge and I think it needs it. Crème Fraiche would work.

Brandy - About 50ml. You'll see the amount in the ladle in the photo below. I never measure it precisely.

Butter - About 75g, whenever I use mushrooms I generally cook them in butter as I think they go together beautifully. You could use oil, it depends on your approach to your dietary needs. You could combine so as to retain but reduce the butter content.

Oil - A small amount, a splash, to fry the beef.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The Process

Melt the butter and then tip the sliced onions and mushrooms in. Cook for a few minutes on a fairly high heat to soften the onions and for the mushrooms to exude their moisture. Add the garlic, dried mushroom dust, paprika and herbs. Lower the heat and keep stirring. Add the stock. I added the stock pot straight in with some of the water.

At this point you can move the skillet over to a rear ring, keep on  a low heat and keep stirring intermittently while you heat the oil in a wok. Add more water if it thickens too much.

Stir fry the beef for a couple of minutes on a high heat. Remove it while there is still some pink showing and set to one side in a cool dish as you want the cooking process to stop.

Now bring the skillet back to the front of the hob. Heat the brandy, very gently, in a metal ladle. Then pour onto the onion and mushroom mixture.

Tip the skillet carefully so that the flame can gently kiss the brandy and set it alight. It is just discernable in the photo to the left.

I know it's a bit childish but when I successfully flambé something I feel like a chef. It does give me a buzz.

Once the flames subside add the soured cream, stir it in and keep stirring. By now you should have an unctuous mixture. Season to taste.

Now it's time to add the beef with its juices. Increase the heat and stir in the beef for just long enough for it to heat through.

And that's it, done.

You could have it with rice or noodles. We generally go 'carb lite' and on this occasion had it with thinly sliced steamed greens. They go very well together in this dish my opinion. I think you need a contrast to what is a rich dish.

My wife gave the whole thing a 10 so here it is.

I couldn't resist adding this photo. A variation on what I've described above that did not score a 10 but the flambé was wonderful.