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Pete's Food Blog
9.11.2021
Snow sticking on frozen lake
7th November, 2021
Potato double-take - Potato fried in garlic-herb oil, potato salad, dried shallot garnish and apple compote; Cambodian pork and vegetable soup; Cambodian pork and vegetable soup; Stir fried prawns with mango; Khmer beef curry;
Potato double-take. Vegan alternative
Potato fried in garlic-herb oil, potato salad, dried shallot garnish (missing in photo) and apple compote.
Garlic-herb oil
Ingredients:
4 dl rapeseed-, canola-, sunflower seed oil
4 cloves of garlic (not crushed, but pressed under a broad knife-blade to slightly break the structure)
5 stems of fresh thyme
Method:
Place the ingredients in an ovenware dish and "steep" at 80°C for 1 hour.
Strain and keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Fried potatoes
Ingredients:
400g potatoes sliced lengthways 4mm thick (washed, with skins)
1 dl garlic-herb oil
salt
Method:
Place enough slices to cover the base of a frying pan, together with the oil. Fry on a low-medium heat until each side is golden and the potato is cooked. Transfer to kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Potato salad
Ingredients:
400g potatoes Finely chopped in a food processor
250g Gräddfil - 12% fat soured milk culture (suomeksi kermaviili). Vegan alternative eg. Oatly iMat Fraiche
5 stems of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp rosé pepper corns
Salt
Method:
Boil the potato in salted water for about 2 minutes, tasting regularly until just cooked. Strain and hold under cold running water until chilled. Allow to drain.
Mix all the ingredients together and leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins. Add salt to taste.
Dried shallots
Ingredients:
3 shallots, skinned and finely sliced
1 tbl oil
1 tsp wine vinegar
½ tsp Finger salt flakes
½ tsp sugar
Method:
Toss the shallots in the oil and spread out on a parchment lined baking tray. Sprinkle them with the vinegar, salt and sugar.
Bake at 80°C for approx. 2 hrs, until they are crisp and dry.
To serve:
Place the servings of potato and potato salad on a plate, top with the dried shallots and apple compote here.
9th November, 2021
Cambodian pork and vegetable soup
Khmer curry paste
Ingredients:
50 g peeled galangal or ginger, roughly chopped
50 g fresh turmeric ( or 2 tsp powder)
40 g garlic, roughly chopped
8 lemongrass stalks roughly chopped
100 g shallots roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves finely shredded
2 strips of peeled lime zest
2 tsp shrimp paste
1 medium hot chilli
2 tbl water
Method:
Blitz all the ingredients to a fine paste using a stick blender.
The paste can also be frozen.
Cambodian pork and vegetable soup
Ingredients:
Half the Khmer curry paste (see opposite)
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
400 ml coconut milk
2 tbl fish sauce
125 g chopped squash or pumpkin
100 g fresh pineapple chunks (preferably unripe)
75 g french beans cut into 4 cm lengths
50 g sugarsnap mangetout peas
175 g aubergine in 1 cm cubes
125 g green papaya, swede or kohlrabi - finely shredded
30 g jasmin rice - dry roasted until golden
200 g pork fillet
½ tsp soft brown sugar
Coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
In a large saucepan, fry the paste in the oil for about 2 minutes - until fragrant. Add the lime leaves and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the pork and sugar. Bring back to boiling point then simmer for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked.
Finely slice the pork and add to the soup along with the sugar. Simmer for a further 2 minutes.
Serve with the coriander garnish.
11th November, 2021
Cambodia marinated beef with lime and black pepper dipping sauce (Rick Stein inspiration)
Link here
I prepared my stewing steak, with marinade in a slow cooker (8 hrs).
Rick Stein's version uses a more expensive cut of sirloin steak which can be pan-fried.
13th November, 2021
Stir fried prawns with mango
Ingredients:
1 underripe mango
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbl olive oil
10 g garlic, finely chopped
100 g shallots, finely chopped
1-1½ bird's eye (hot) chillies, finely chopped
500 g large, raw peeled prawns
1 lime (juice of)
1 tbl fish sauce
Handful (10 g) Thai basil leaves
Freshly ground white pepper
Method:
Peel and cut the mango into 1 cm cubes. Mix the cornflour in 1 tbl water.
Fry the garlic in the oil over a medium high heat, until lightly golden. add the shallots and fry for 30 secs.
Increase the heat to high and add the chilli and prawns. Fry for about 2 mins. until the prawns are pink and cooked through.
Add 2-3 tbl water, lime juice, slaked cornflour and fish sauce and stir-fry until the sauce thickens.
Add the mango, warm through and stir in the basil leaves.
Serve with either egg noodles or jasmin rice.
16th November, 2021
Khmer beef curry
Ingredients:
400 g stewing steak
1 beef stck cube
1 dl desicated coconut
200 g fresh pineapple 2 cm cubes
100 g aubergine cut into 2 cm cubes
3 tbl vegetable oil
½ the quantity of Khmer curry paste (see opposite)
300 ml coconut milk
2 tbl fish sauce
2 tsp of soft brown sugar
1 tbl tamarind paste
Leaves of a handfull of Thai basil
Khmer curry paste
Ingredients:
50 g peeled galangal or ginger, roughly chopped
50 g fresh turmeric ( or 2 tsp powder)
40 g garlic, roughly chopped
8 lemongrass stalks roughly chopped
100 g shallots roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves finely shredded
2 strips of peeled lime zest
2 tsp shrimp paste
1 medium hot chilli
2 tbl water
Method:
Blitz all the ingredients to a fine paste using a stick blender.
The paste can also be frozen.
Method:
Cut the stewing steak into 2 cm cubes and place in a slow cooker for 6 hours (2 hrs. on high temp, 4 hrs on low)- together with the stock cube, 400 ml water and the desicated coconut. Alternatively, use an ovenproof dish sealed with foil at 90°C for 6 hrs.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat and drain on kitchen towel - retain the stewing juices. Heat 2 tbl oil and brown the meat in two small batches, then leave the meat aside. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and fry the curry paste for 3 minutes. Add the meat, along with 3 dl of the coconut stewing juices.
Add the pinapple, aubergine and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar, stir thoroughly for 2 minutes.
Finally, stir in the basil leaves and serve with jasmin rice.