Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Colcannon mash with rump steak and chutney


I discovered this : Good Mood Food (cool because I like the recipes and the pictures, although the site functionality itself is not so cool): http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com

I got inspired to try out some colcannon mash. The word colcannon means "white-headed cabbage" in Irish, according to the trusty Wiki page. It's basically potatoe mash with things like cabbage in it. In Belgium they have a similar thing: mash made with root vegetables, called "stoemp" which is also delicious.

We deviated a bit from Donal's recipe and fried 2 chopped onions and a quarter head of white cabbage. We then added that, some pepper, salt, butter, milk and finely grated parmesan to a generous amount of cooked potatoes (about 8 medium sized ones). We mashed it all together, adding liquid to attain a nice thick, stodgy subsistency. And it was done! Easy as that.

It was enjoyed with a plain cucumber salad, a rump steak, some chutney (a South African sort of savoury jam-sauce) and a Paulaner.


A note on chutney: The wikipedia page on the subject has informed me that "Chutney is a loan word incorporated into English from Hindi describing a pasty sauce in Indian cuisine." And they do also come in a powdery, dry form.

However, here in South Africa, well, in my home at least, we only really knew of one type of chutney: Mrs. Balls'.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Durban Style Bunny Chow

In Durban, South Africa, there are many Indian people, and so, much Indian food. It's really fun going there for both those reasons. There's also a nice warm sea, lush vegetation, lots of rain and lots of mosquitoes.

Bunny Chow involves a spicy curry being placed inside a hollowed-out bread (instead of a traditional roti)- eliminating the importance of using a plate. According to Wikipedia, it all started in Grey Street in the 1940's at the restaurant Banias. Well, that's the one version, pick your choice from the source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_chow#History

My dad grew up in Durban, and we used to go there almost every year before my gran died. So, I got nostalgic and made my own version, even though I had never eaten one before!

Here is the original recipe: http://www.grouprecipes.com/63962/mutton-bunny-chow.html

Heat a small bit of oil in a big pot and add in 2 x 2.5cm cinnamon sticks, 3 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, a bay leaf and 1 tsp fennel seeds. After frying for a few seconds, add 2 curry leaves, 1 chillies, 1 medium onion, 3/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp crushed ginger and 1 tsp crushed garlic.

Mix 1/2 tbs vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tp garam masala with 2 tbs level mixed masala powder and add with the meat (750g beef/ostrich mince or goulash) and coat it.

Add 2.5cups of water as well as 1/4 cup tomatoe puree and 1 chopped tomatoe. Add in 3 - 6 potatoes (chopped) and when they're cooked through add in the fresh coriander.

If you're eating indoors, I recommend the use of a plate, because it gets messy :) You can also use beans instead of meat to be vegatarian, or you could add half as much meat and twice as many vegetables. Or just add more vegtables to the same amount of meat.Take you pick and enjoy experimenting.

Greek Potato(e) Salad

We got some doubled smoked garlic olives from a quaint Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant in Rondebosch, called The Olive Station. I depipped them (which was easy since they were so well cooked) and threw a round of crumbled feta, olive oil and pepper over some chunky potatoe mash.

To make the mash I simply halved the potatoes and cooked them in water for about 30 minutes.

The flavours of the feta and olives were quite strong, so I didn't add too much.

Adding olive oil to mash rather than milk and butter is a healthier and tasty, alternative.