200g pork mince
1T  vegetable oil
3 long green shallots, sliced into rounds
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
120ml  soy & chilli sauce
1-2t  sugar
1 packet silken tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
1 handful coriander leaves
Pinch of ground Sichuan pepper
Finely sliced shallots, for garnish

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan until hot.
2. Add the pork mince to the wok and break up with a spoon, then continue to stir-fry until the mince starts to brown.
3. Add the shallots and garlic, stir fry for 20-30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.
4. Pour in the soy & chilli sauce, add the sugar and carefully place the tofu into the wok. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the tofu has warmed through. Remove from the heat, gently stir through the coriander leaves and transfer to a serving plate.
5. Sprinkle with Sichuan pepper and garnish with sliced shallots. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Serves 2

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

“I am addicted to these. Along the street there are small grills, often just a large metal bowl with a rack perched on top. I’ll stop and look and long for the fruits of their labour – smoky grilled skewers of pork. I’ll smuggle some home as if carrying a guilty secret to relish in private. Sometimes, most of the time, I’ll break into the cache on the way home.”

“Grilling is one of the more popular techniques of the streets, where there are many ad hoc pieces of equipment and the grill is one of the most common. They are everywhere, grilling pork, satays, dumplings and squid. Using a charcoal grill imparts a depth of flavour that makes meat such as this grilled pork irresistible. It is important to light the grill 30-60 minutes before using and allow the coals to burn until they glow gently. If you have a charcoal grill you’ll know how long it takes to get to the right stage. Grilling over too high a heat will char and burn the pork before it is cooked and smoky. Very often there will be a small piece of pork fat at the bottom of the skewer. This helps to moisten the pork as it grills.”

“The Thais use mangrove charcoal from near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. Not everyone has a charcoal grill, however, and these pork skewers can also be cooked on a chargrill plate on the stove top or under a preheated grill. While the taste will be less complex, they will still be extremely agreeable.”

Grilled pork skewers. Photograph: Earl Carter

300g pork loin or neck

50g pork back fat (optional)
12-15 bamboo skewers

4tbsp coconut cream

For the marinade:

1t coriander roots cleaned and chopped
pinch of salt
1t garlic, chopped
½t ground white pepper

2T shaved palm sugar

a dash dark soy sauce

2T fish sauce

2T vegetable oil

1. Slice the pork into thinnish pieces about 2cm square. Cut the pork fat, if using, into rectangles, say 2cm x 5mm.
2. Next make the marinade. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander root, salt, garlic and pepper into a fine paste. Combine with the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and oil. Marinate the pork and fat in this mixture for about 3 hours. The more cautious can refrigerate this but, if doing so, then it is best marinated overnight.
3. It’s a good idea to soak the bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes. This prevents them from scorching and burning as the pork grills.
4. Prepare the grill. Meanwhile, thread a piece of pork fat, if using, on to the skewer first followed by two or three pieces of the marinated pork. Repeat with each skewer. When the embers are glowing, in fact beginning to die, gently grill the skewers, turning quite often to prevent charring and promote even caramelisation and cooking. Dab them with the coconut cream as they grill. This should make the coals smoulder and impart a smoky taste. Grill all the skewers.
5. On the streets, they are reheated over the grill to warm them through before serving, but they are delicious warm or cool.

Makes 12-15
For more recipes from this book click here

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Chicken

1 x 1.5-2kg chicken

1 onion, quartered

2 kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves

2 stalks lemongrass, bruised

Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, then cut into long strips

1t salt

2T sesame seeds

3 stalks celery, cut into long fine strips

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into long fine strips

¼ crisp white cabbage, thinly shredded

a large handful fresh whole coriander leaves

a large handful fresh whole mint leaves

4-6 whole lettuce leaves, such as Little Gem or Cos

Dressing

1 garlic clove
1 small red chilli
3T caster sugar
2T lime juice
3T fish sauce

Chicken

• Put the chicken into a large deep pan, together with the other ingredients, and cover with water.  Bring to a gentle boil, cover the pot and simmer on very low for 20 minutes. Allow to cool in the liquid.
• Once cool, take the chicken out, discard the skin, pull the flesh off the bones and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and set aside. (Strain and save the poaching liquid and use it as stock for another dish.)

Salad

• Put the cucumber into a clean bowl with the teaspoon of salt. Mix well and set aside for ten minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the sesame seeds into a small frying pan over a moderate heat (don’t add oil) and dry-fry until they turn a shade darker, then take them off the heat and transfer immediately to a cool plate to prevent burning .
• Once the cucumber has been salting for ten minutes, use your hands to squeeze out any excess liquid from the cucumber. Discard the liquid and transfer the cucumber to a large bowl.
• Add the celery, carrots and cabbage, together with the chicken.

Dressing

• Peel and roughly chop the garlic then place in a mortar and pestle.
• Deseed and roughly chop the chilli and add to the garlic.
• Add half of the sugar and pound to a rough paste. Add the rest of the sugar and pound again.
• Add the lime juice  and fish sauce to the paste, mix well, then add  a splash of cold water. Taste and adjust the flavours if necessary (you should have a good balance between sweet, salty and sour.)
• Toss the salad with enough of the dressing to give a lively flavour, starting with about two-thirds of the dressing and adding more if necessary. Add half the mint and coriander leaves and mix thoroughly.
• Line a serving plate with the lettuce leaves. Pile the salad onto the lettuce, then top with the remaining coriander, mint and toasted  sesame seeds. Serve swiftly.

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

A: A Thai Curry is very quick an easy to make, and should be hot. Bought green curry paste is a perfect. This is an ideal dish to cook in a potjie, but take care not to overcook. Use any meat, chicken, beef, pork, seafood or even vegetables. At Wickedfood Cooking School, in out Thai cooking class we make this Thai green Chicken Curry, which is a classic.

2 tins coconut milk

2-4T green curry paste, or to taste

1kg meat (see above), diced into ±3cm cubes

¹/3 cup fish sauce

3T brown sugar

±¹/2 cup water

±6-8 small eggplants, quartered, or 1 large eggplant cubed to 2cm, (or 1 cup frozen peas)

¹/2 cup sweet basil leaves, torn

1 small tin bamboo shoots

1 jalapeño chilli, thinly sliced, for garnish

1. Scoop the cream off the coconut milk (±3T) and heat in a casserole dish (or potjie) which will later hold the chicken in one layer. Mix in the green curry paste and heat to boiling, until the milk splits, forming a thin layer of oil.
2. Add the chicken, fish sauce and sugar, and cook, stirring continuously so as not to burn, until the chicken changes colour.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, eggplant and water, and cook for 5 minutes at a slow boil. Add the bamboo shoots and reheat to boiling, simmering for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with basil and the chilli. The dish can stand while other preparation is done, as it does not have to be served piping hot. Serve with rice.

Serves 6-8

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

1L chicken or vegetable stock
1 tin coconut milk
Salt and black pepper
20 steamed, shelled mussels
400g salmon, cut into chunks (see introduction)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped (optional)
350g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked
1 handful of coriander or basil or mint leaves, to garnish
Onion sprouts, to garnish

Laksa paste
1T whole coriander seeds
3 stalks lemon grass
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup picked fresh coriander leaves
1T curry powder
1T turmeric
6 lime leaves
1/2 cup grated palm sugar
1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
3 green chillies, chopped
3 red chillies, chopped

• Heat the stock in a large pot. When hot, add the laksa paste. Simmer for a few minutes and add the coconut milk. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Add the steamed, shelled mussels and simmer for 1 minute.
• Add the fish and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add the lime juice and chillies, if using. Bring the soup almost to boiling point, cover the pan and turn off the heat.
• Serve as soon as the noodles are ready. Reheat the rice vermicelli noodles, drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Moisten the noodles with a little of the soup from the seafood pot. Serve the noodles, soup and seafood in 4 large bowls, garnished with herbs and onion sprouts.

Laksa paste

• Blend all the ingredients together to make a fine paste.

Serves 4

Try these other Asian inspired soups:

Chinese corn and chicken soup

Tom yum kung

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

A: There are a number of techniques to use when making fish cakes.  These include:

1. Ensure that you have a good wet/dry mix.  You need a binding agent such as egg and a starch for binding,  such as cooked potato, flour  or breadcrumbs.
2. Work the mixture when mixing, so that it becomes sticky.
3. Once the fish cakes have been shaped, chill in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes so that the firm up.

At Wickedfood Cooking School we make delicious fish cakes in our Thai cooking class.  Fish cakes are a popular snack, found throughout Thailand, and are an ideal starter or appetizer. Every chef has his own secret recipe, and we found this one at Pat’s Home Thai Cooking School in Phuket, especially delicious. What makes them special is that they have no flour or baking powder, which when added, tends to make the cakes rather stodgy. When making the cakes make double quantities and freeze any leftovers. Always bring back to room temperature and heat through before serving as they are best eaten warm. These cakes can also be made using chicken, pork, beef, lamb or prawns, but then blend the meat in a food processor until almost pasty in consistency.

500g fine flesh white fish fillets (hake, cob), skin on

1 egg

¹/2 cup string or French beans, sliced fine

3T kaffir lime leaves (or basil), shredded

1t sugar

1t salt or 1T fish sauce

1-3T red curry paste

±3 cups oil for flying

1. Using a fork, scrape the meat off the skin, a little at the time, which will give the meat the appearance of having been ground.
2. Place the fish in a large bowl, together with the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and knead with the hands until sticky. Then continue to mix, aerating by taking spoonfuls and forcefully dropping back into the bowl.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Dampen the hands with a little cold water, and then working with approximately a tablespoonful at a time, form into approximately 3cm x 1cm diameter cakes, and drop into the hot oil, taking care not to splash. Fry for about 3 minutes on either side, or until golden brown and crispy, then drain on paper towel.
4. Serve with cucumber dipping sauce

Serves 4-6

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Gordon: “Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, was one of the first dishes I tasted when I went to India. Its origins can be traced back to Mogul times, but the dish and its history is most closely associated with Delhi’s famous Moti Mahal restaurant, where I had the pleasure of eating this fantastic dish. Over time, numerous chefs have attempted to emulate the rich buttery sauce, and flavours vary slightly between restaurants. This is my version of the classic dish.”

For the sauce:

1½T  ghee or melted unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 cardamom pod, seeds lightly crushed
2 cloves
1t  ground coriander
1t  garam masala
1t  ground turmeric
1t  hot chilli powder, or to taste
275ml tomato puree
1T  lemon juice
40g unsalted butter
100ml double cream
1T  chopped coriander, to garnish

1. Place the chicken in a bowl with the garlic, ginger, salt, chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Mix together the yoghurt, garam masala, turmeric and cumin and add to the chicken, making sure that each piece is well coated with the mixture. Cover again and chill for 3-4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the marinated chicken pieces on a grill rack set on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes. Brush the chicken pieces with a little oil and turn them over. Bake for another 10-12 minutes until just cooked through (or grill over very hot coals on the braai – ±5 minutes on each side).

For the sauce:

1. Heat the ghee or butter in a pan and add the garlic and ginger.
2. Fry for a minute or so then add the cardamom, cloves, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder. Stir well and fry for 1-2 minutes until they give off a lovely aroma.
3. Stir in the tomato puree and lemon juice and cook for another couple of minutes.
4. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the sauce and stir well to coat. Finally, add the butter and cream and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a warm bowl and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander.

Serves 4

More Indian cuisine from Ramsay:

Gordon’s tandoori spiced halibut
Gordon’s vegetable curry
Shami lamb kebabs
Gordon’s chicken tikka masala
Gordon’s samoosas

For other Gordon Ramsay recipes, click here

Other Gordon Ramsay books reviewed by Wickedfood:

Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food

Cooking for Friends

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

]]> http://www.wickedfood.co.za/blog/butter-chicken.html/feed 0 http://www.wickedfood.co.za/blog/shawkats-steamed-fish-with-mustard-masala.html http://www.wickedfood.co.za/blog/shawkats-steamed-fish-with-mustard-masala.html#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:31:53 +0000 Wickedfood Chef http://www.wickedfood.co.za/blog/?p=2861 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey is our cookbook of the week.  It offers a wide variety of mouth watering dishes from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. If you want more recipes from this book, click here.

4t black mustard seeds
6T mustard oil
75g onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
40g garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
1t  turmeric powder
2t chilli powder
1t  salt
4 x 175g fish steaks hake, gernard, or cob
50g red onion, peeled, thinly sliced
1 green chilli, thinly sliced

1. Place the mustard seeds into a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
2. Heat the mustard oil in a small frying pan, then add the onions, garlic, turmeric powder, chilli powder, mustard seed powder and salt. Gently fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions and garlic are softened and slightly browned.
3. Transfer the mixture into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Spread half of the paste over one side of each fish steak.
4. Tear off four 30cm squares of aluminium foil and place each fish steak, paste side down, into the centre of each piece. Spread the remaining spice paste over each fish steak.
5. Scatter the sliced red onion over the fish and sprinkle over the green chilli. Fold up the foil and crimp the edges to seal and make four parcels. Place the parcels into a steamer, cover and steam for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through (the fish should be opaque and flake easily when gently pushed at the thickest part).
6. Unwrap each parcel and lift the fish onto warmed serving plates. Spoon over the juices from the parcels and serve.

Serves 4

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

±500g chicken carcasses/bones and/or necks

±500g pork spare ribs or meat bones

4 spring onions, each tied in a knot

12 slices ginger, crushed with a cleaver

4L water

¹/3 cup (80ml) rice wine

2t salt

1. Remove any excess fat from the bones and discard. Chop bones into large pieces.
2. Place bones into a stock pot with spring onions, ginger and water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a mere simmer and cook for 3-4 hours. Skim to remove any impurities.
3. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the solids. Leave in the fridge overnight and then skim any remaining fat from the surface.
4. Return the stock to a pot add the rice wine and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in small portions.

Makes ± 3L.

A: Cantonese chicken and corn soup is one of the most popular soups throughout China, and also very popular and Wickedfood Cooking School in our Chinese cooking class. We use tinned creamed corn, and for a smooth texture, whizz it in a food processor for a couple of seconds. For flavour it is very important to use home made chicken stock. Traditionally only egg whites are used for this dish, but the whole egg can also be used.

250g chicken breast fillet, minced or coarsely chopped

²/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine

400g tinned creamed sweet corn

1,5L chicken stock

1t salt

2T cornflour, dissolved in a ¹/4 cup of water

2 eggs (or whites, see introduction), lightly beaten with 2T water

2t roasted sesame oil

1. Place the chicken in a bowl together with 3T of the rice wine and combine. Set aside.
2. Place any remaining wine, sweet corn, chicken stock and salt in a large pot and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
3. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer, add the chicken and stir to separate the meat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the dissolved cornflour, in a thin stream, stirring continuously, and simmer until thickened slightly.
5. Remove from heat and pour the egg in, in a thin stream to create long strands, mixing as you pour.
6. Stir in the sesame oil. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 6