Goan Curry on the Braai

September 19, 2013 by Larry Susman in Beef, Big Green Egg, Braai, Curries, Food Websites, Hot & Spicy, Meat, national braai day, Recipes

Goan Curry on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well, I hope that you have all been braaiing since my last blog, I know I have! Sorry for the long break but I had a bit of a rest and unfortunately my mother passed away during this time so my not blogging was not all due to me enjoying myself, many thanks to those who sent there condolences it was greatly appreciated.

It looks like the fantastic summer we have had, has come to an abrupt end but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop braaiing just because the sun’s not shining. What’s needed is a change of what you cook going forward for the next few months and I’m going to start with a curry that I’ve never cooked before. Goan Beef Curry, which is a dryish curry with strong flavours and I’m going to add some potatoes while it cooks so that I don’t have to make two separate dishes today. You can use any cut of beef but why spend a lot of money on rump or sirloin when you are going to cook this slowly for some time and braising or stewing steak will be even better, when it’s cooked this way. Let jump right in…

SERVES 6: PREP: 15MINS: COOK TIME: 1½HRS

Ingredients:

1kg braising or stewing steak cut into 2.5 cm cubes
4 x Large potatoes chopped into largish pieces
2 x Brown onions finely chopped
6 x Cardamom pods deseeded
1tsp Fennel seeds
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
½ tsp Ground black pepper
3tsp Coriander seeds
3tsp Cumin seeds
½tsp Ground turmeric
2tsp Chilli powder
8 x Cloves
10cm Cinnamon stick
6 x Garlic cloves finely chopped
10cm Piece of ginger, grated
125ml Olive oil
100g Creamed coconut dissolved in 310ml water, or 310ml coconut milk

Method how to prepare:

Preheat the Braai to 200°C (400°F) Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind them in a spice grinder or with a pestle & mortar, along with the fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, fenugreek seeds, black pepper and the coriander and cumin seeds, until they form a fine powder.
Heat the oil in a tagine, potjie pot, heavy-based frying pan or casserole dish over medium heat and fry the onion, garlic and ginger until lightly browned.
Add the meat and fry until brown all over.
Add all the spices and fry for 1 minute. Add the creamed coconut and bring slowly to the boil.
Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
Remove the lid and add the potatoes into the curry, push them down below the surface so that they are totally covered.
Replace the lid and cook for a further 45 minutes.
If the liquid evaporates during cooking, add about 185 ml (3/4 cup) boiling water and stir to make a thick sauce.
If the sauce is still too liquid at the end of the cooking time, simmer with the lid off until it evaporates. Season with salt, to taste.

This Goan curry had such a fantastic aroma it just brought a smile to my face to think that I had created this from scratch, no packets or bottles of sauce anywhere. I served it with some plain steamed basmati rice, sambals and a large dollop of Mrs Ball chutney. Give this a go even if you don’t cook it on the braai, it’s really worth the little time it takes and I’m sure it wont be the last time you cook this either.

Until next time keep on braaiing!

P.S. don’t forget that next week is National Braai Day back in SA and now all over the world. So if you decide to have some friends around for a braai take some pics and share them with me and I will post them up on the blog for all to see. Keep well Larry

Flapjack on the Braai

August 16, 2013 by Larry Susman in Baking, Big Green Egg, Braai, Cakes, Food Websites, Recipes

Flapjack on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well the weathers changed in the UK and I suspect the summer is nearly over but it’s not time to put your braai away yet! This week I’m making something special for Paul and Suzie who requested this recipe from Jan, especially after trying it at my place a couple of weeks ago over a cup of coffee. This is a great afternoon snack that’s almost good for you but will definitely make you smile. You don’t need to do this on the braai but it’s fun if you do and you will get that nutty wood taste as an extra bonus.

SERVES 4-6: PREP: 5MINS: COOK TIME: 25MINS

Ingredients:

170g x Butter melted
85g x Demerara sugar
225g x Porrige Oats
100g x Seed Mix (pumkin, sunflower, linseed and seasame)
120ml x Golden Syrup (I used Illovo from back home)

Method how to prepare flapjack:

Preheat the Braai (oven) to 190°C (375°F)
Melt the butter in a pan.
Add the sugar and surup and mix together.
Stir in the seeds and porrige oats and give it a good mix.
Pour into a 20cm x 30cm x 3cm greaced baking tin and press down hard with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 25mins on the top shelf, until it goes golden brown.
Cut into squares whilst its still hot and leave to cool.

This is such a quick and easy recipe but man it’s the best flapjack you will find around. Just make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down to a great afternoon snack, give it a try and let us know if you agree. It's healthy but not slimming so don’t get carried away and eat to much as I did!

Have a great weekend, best regards Larry.

Quail & Guinea Fowl braaied over Kameeldoring Wood

July 26, 2013 by Larry Susman in Baking, Big Green Egg, Braai, Chicken, Food Websites, Recipes, Roasts, Salads, Smoking, Vegetables

Quail & Guinea Fowl braaied over Kameeldoring Wood with Grape, Mascarpone & Tarragon stuffing on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well, a big thank you to everybody that left suggestions on what to braai on our Facebook Page, by Twitter and email. We literally had hundreds of great things recommended to braai but we have trawled though them and I have chosen something that one of my favourite chefs from SA and this is one of his signature dishes. It’s from Rueben’s in Franschoek and was suggested by Carol from Manchester, thanks for reminding me about this fantastic dish, with a couple of adjustments by me. We will be in contact with you to arrange for you to receive your £50 of gift vouchers.

I decided to cook these birds over Kameeldoring Wood just to make me feel homesick and I had to substitute the raspberry for balsamic vinegar. Which worked very well but if you can get the raspberry it will be just that little bit more subtle. This recipe takes a little bit of effort but you will be rewarded with a great feast, give it a go.

SERVES 4: PREP: 40MINS: COOK TIME: 35MINS

Ingredients for the Marinated:

4 x Quails (Ruben uses de-boned)
1 x Guinea Fowl
2 x Cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 x Large red bell peppers
200g Green grapes, halved
3tbs Mascarpone
2tbs fresh tarragon
3tbs oyster sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
Mixed fresh herbs, to garnish

Method how to prepare quail and guinea fowl:

Preheat the Braai to 200°C (400°F) with a few bit of Kameeldoring wood if you have any, it just give it a fantastic flavour.
Combine the grapes, mascarpone, tarragon and chopped garlic.
Stuff each bird.
Secure the stuffing by using toothpicks to close the cavities.
Season and brush with oyster sauce.
Place the Guinea Fowl on the braai first for 15-20 minutes on oven tray.
Cover the breast of the Guinea Fowl up after 20 minutes with a bit of silver foil to stop it from burning while the quail cooks.
After the 20 minutes is up place the Quails next to the Guinea Fowl on oven tray and roast for a further 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the braai and keep warm.
Either before or during the cooking of the birds’ place the red peppers on a hot braai, turning occasionally, allow the skin to blister. I did mine directly on the wood and it was fantastic!
After about 8 minutes, remove the peppers and wrap them in foil or a plastic bag for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the wrapping, seed and remove the skin from the peppers and slice into strips.
To serve, spoon the couscous on a plate.
Top the quail and guinea fowl with roasted bell pepper strips. Spoon the dressing over and around the birds. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Ingredients for the Couscous:

150g Couscous
3 x Medium sized tomatoes skinned, seeded and chopped
3tbs chopped fresh coriander
2tsp ground coriander
3tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Method how to prepare Couscous:

Place the raw couscous in a medium-sized pot or bowl and add the boiling water a little at a time, stirring constantly with a fork. Do not add too much water, as you want the couscous to stay light and fluffy.
When cooked, add the tomato, fresh coriander, ground coriander and olive oil.
Season to taste and set aside.

Ingredients for the Dressing:

100ml Olive oil
40ml Balsamic (80ml if you can get Raspberry) vinegar
100g green grapes, halved
1tbs chopped fresh tarragon
Add Caster sugar to taste

Method how to prepare Dressing:

For the dressing, whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, unfortunately I could not get any raspberry vinegar in time, so I substituted balsamic and it was great.
Next add the grapes, caster sugar and tarragon and stir.
It’s that simple, all you need to do now is plate it all up, Enjoy!

This is not the end but a start of a new era of this blog, I will still be braaiing every week, ;-) so don’t leave us. I will just not be blogging about everything I cook in such detail, more photo tweets etc. There will be a mixture of posts from guest bloggers, reviews from place and restaurants that I visit and I will still be offering the odd prize for you to win. So please feel free to let me what sort of things you would like to see me cook and eat and comeback on a regular basis or sign up and we will email you when I post something new. Thanks for all you comments and follows and keep spreading the word about this blog. Enjoy the sun and keep Braaiing.

Butterfly Lamb, Mrs Balls Chutney & Coke Marinade on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Braai Butterfly Lamb with Mrs Balls Chutney & Coke Marinade!

July 11, 2013 by Larry Susman in Big Green Egg, Braai, Food Websites, Hot & Spicy, Lamb, Meat, Recipes

Butterfly Lamb, Mrs Balls Chutney & Coke Marinade on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well, welcome to another braai blog, it's almost come to the end of the challenge that I set my self a year ago "To braai every week for a year". I can't say that it's been easy but it has been a great deal of fun and "Man" have I learnt a lot over this year. Thanks for all your support and comments, this will not be the end of this blog but I will be branching out a bit and bringing reviews on other peoples cooking, restaurants and blogs and a few from me as well. So don't think this is the end, it will continue just not every week, on the other hand it might be!

I've also decide to extend the entry to the competition for suggestions of what to cook in my last week so entries will now close on our FaceBook Fan page on the 17th July so follow this link, make a recommendation and you could win £50 in gift vouchers to use on our website www.biltong.co.uk .

SERVES 4-6: PREP: 1HR: COOK TIME: 1HR

Ingredients for the Lamb & Pre-Rub:

Large leg of lamb (ask you butcher to butterfly it if you are not confident in doing this)
7tbs x Sea Salt
3tbs x Black Pepper
1.5tbs x Cayenne pepper

Method of preparing lamb:

Take you boned butterflied lamb and score the fat side in 2cm diamonds, this helps the spice rub to penetrate the lamb that bit better.
To make the rube all you need to do is put the ingredients into a pestle and mortar to grind into a medium mixture. Then sprinkle it all over the lamb and rub it in on both sides. Set aside while you make the marinade/baste.

Ingredients for the Marinade:

6 x cloves garlic finely chopped
30g x Fresh Rosemary chopped
170g x Mrs Balls Chutney (I used original but its your choice)
1 X Can Coke
3tbs x Worcestershire Sauce (I used Lea & Perrins but we have just got Lazenby's in from SA)

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together, its that simple, pour over the lamb after you have rubbed in the spice rub and leave it to marinate for 1-2hrs. Don't discard this marinade when you take the lamb out as you will need it to baste the meat, whilst it's cooking

Method of cooking the lamb:

PREHEAT the braai to 200°c/400°F
Take the meat out of the marinade and place on the braai directly over the medium coals.
Cook for 20 mins without opening the lid of the braai or turning the meat.
After 20mins open and baste the lamb with the marinade and turn over, cook for another 20mins and repeat the basting.
This time, turn and cook for only 10mins, repeat once more and this should be the perfect length of time to cook the lamb to medium rare, pinkish.

All that's left to do is take it off the braai and leave to rest for 10mins minimum, I think this helps it to relax and it seems to be a lot more tender when eating for this process. As you can see I only just managed to not over cook the lamb, this is the trick. It's so easy to leave it in the braai for an extra couple mins as you try to decide if its cooked enough. Remember while it's resting it's still cooking, so don’t be tempted to leave it in the braai for that bit longer.

Serve with fresh salads and even some rice or baked potatoes, it's just a great summer meal thats doesn't take long to prepare or cook.

Please feel free to like and share this blog with other like minded nuts who enjoy Braaiing all year long. Don’t forget to enter the competition to win those gift vouchers, just go to our FaceBook Fan Page and leave a suggestion of what you would like to see me cook on the last Challenge Blog of the year. Entries will now close on our facebook page on the 17th July 2013, good luck!

Mackerel
with Tomatoes, Pesto and Onions on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Pesto Mackerel with Tomatoes & Onions on the Braai

July 04, 2013 by Larry Susman in Baking, Big Green Egg, Braai, Fish, Food Websites, Recipes, Vegetables

Mackerel with Tomatoes, Pesto and Onions on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well, it's very nearly the end of my year cooking on the BigGreenEgg and we are going to run a competition for somebody to win £50 in gift vouchers to use on our web site www.biltong.co.uk . All you have to do is go to our FaceBook Fan Page and leave a suggestion of what you would like to see me cook on the last Blog of the year. If I decide to use your suggestion you will be the lucky winner, entries will close on the 10th July 2013.

In the meantime I'm going to be cooking a very under rated fish that is in season this week, Mackerel! Many people consider this to be the lowest of the low in the fish world but if cooked from fresh and served with a good sauce or smoked they are absolutely fantastic. This is a very quick simple Italian recipe that I'm going to make this week and I'm sure that you will love it.

Rich oily fish like mackerel needs a sharp, fresh tasting sauce to go with it and this aromatic pesto is just the ticket when drizzled over the top of it with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

SERVES 4: PREP: 10MINS: COOK TIME:10-20MINS

Ingredients for the Mackerel and Sauce:

4-6 x mackerel, cleaned and gutted (get your fish monger to do this for you)
30ml x Olive oil
2 x large onions roughly chopped
450g x tomatoes roughly chopped
1 x Slice of fresh lemon per person
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Pesto:

50g pine nuts
30g fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30ml freshly grated Parmesan cheese
150ml extra virgin olive oil

How to prepare the whole dish:

To make the pesto, place the pine nuts, fresh basil leaves and garlic in a food processor and blend to a rough paste.
Add the Parmesan and with the blades running, gradually add the oil.
It's as simple as that, set aside until needed.
Season the mackerel with loads of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook on the braai on a med-hot heat for 5 minutes on each side, turn them only once if you haven’t got a fish basket. Fish baskets really help when it comes to turning the fish without them falling apart!
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and sauté the chopped onions until soft and golden brown.
Stir the chopped tomatoes into the contents of the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve the fish on top of the tomato mixture and top with a generous spoonful of pesto.
Squeeze the fresh lemon all over.

All you need to do is plate up 1-3 mackerel, depending on size and appetite. Serve with a slice of fresh lemon and some new potatoes or some freshly baked bread. There you have it, a great summer dish with fish that is cheap and in season, enjoy.

Don’t for get to enter the competition to win those gift vouchers, just go to our FaceBook Fan Page and leave a suggestion of what you would like to see me cook on the last Blog of the year.