Kenyan Beef Stew

We went to Kenya for 10 days Safari trip during CNY break and we had really really fabulous time and great experience with not only all those animals that we never saw but also lots of delicious food made by local chefs at the camp we stayed. We couldn't feel more flattered with the way they treated us and it, of course, is one of the best trip I've ever had !!


Back home in HK, I have still been missing lots of things in Kenya especially a few dishes of local food that I've found they are so simple to make , yet unbelievably delicious..so I decided to make Kenyan Saturday dinner to satisfy my craving !


I chose this beef stew as a main course along with this cabbage stew and chapati..

The recipe 

Ingredients

 vegetable oil

1large onion, chopped

1 1/2 lbs beef, cubed

1inch ginger root, minced or grated

4cloves garlic, minced

1Tbsp paprika

1Tbsp curry powder

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 cups beef broth, as needed

Instructions

Cut the onion, tomato beef into average hunks. Next, brown the onions in oil over medium heat. Then increase heat to high, add the beef and brown. (Do it in batches if necessary).

Next, pile on the ginger, garlic, paprika and curry. Sweet paprika will work too if you don’t like it spicy. Now, add tomatoes. Splash on the stock. Season with salt. Simmer uncovered until thick and pasty and all broth has reduced away. This took about an hour.

Serve with fresh chapati. If you’re feeling particularly traditional, use pieces of the chapati to pick up the food instead of silverware.

Leek & Potato with Sitlton Soup

I've started making soup regularly since last year and couldn't believe there are loads of different kinds of soup could ever be made ! Recently, my gal had a chance to tried few soups made by a local chef while we were at the safari camp in Kenya for the first time and she seemed to like it a lot. Thus, when we are back home, she then asked me to add soup to her regular meals!

And the first soup I made is this one which both of my hubby and daughter really enjoyed eating it !

The recipe could be found here. ( note : I used stock slightly less than the recipe called for )

    

Cheesy Chicken Tater tots Casserole

I've learned lots of new things through food blogs over 8 years since I started cooking and baking..it seems never end to find something new that I sometimes can't believe how long it takes me to know that they exist !! ...And the case for this casserole is tater tots!!

The recipe is very simple..it's easy and fast to prepare and cook..the dish is worth trying and surprisingly makes a great meal !!


Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  60 mins Total time:  1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4-6


Ingredients

¼ cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
handful of frozen peas
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
16 ounces frozen tater tots
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine milk, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, peas and chicken in medium size pot.
Place on stove top over medium-high heat.
Stir and heat until ingredients mix well; about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded cheese. salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into 9X9 glass baking dish.
Place tator tots on top of mixture.Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese over mixture.
Cover with reynolds wrap and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove reynolds wrap and continue to bake for 10 minutes uncovered.
Serve warm and enjoy.  

Jerk pork Stew

Stew is one of my favorite things to cook cuz there's nothing complicated to make it apart from time consumed  ( which is not a problem for me!)  to get such a delicious outcome ! Try this stew and it won't let you down!

Marinade

10 scallions, white and pale green parts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce (low-sodium)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 to 8 cloves)
4 habanero peppers, stemmed
1/4 cup brown sugar
Zest and juice of 2 limes
Zest and juice of 1 orange

Pork Stew

3 pounds country-style pork ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, with fat pockets trimmed
2 Russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 carrots, diced
1 cup peas
1 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Put all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Mix the marinade thoroughly with the meat (use a spatula!) and refrigerate for a day.
Heat oven to 325° F. Transfer the meat and all the marinade to a Dutch oven bring it up to a boil over medium heat.
Once it has come to a boil, transfer the Dutch oven, uncovered, to the oven and let the meat braise for 1 1/2 hours until the meat is tender, making sure you stir it halfway through. If a lot of fat floats to the surface, go ahead and ladle some of it off and dispose.
Add the potatoes and carrots and cook, covered, until the vegetables are almost tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Add the peas and coconut milk and cook for another 30 minutes or so, until the meat is absolutely falling apart. Check for seasoning.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy with steamed rice !

Oaty Malty Chocolatey Cookies

I've got a big bag of malt powder which hasn't been used for a long time. Thus, when I came across these cookie called for quite a lot of it, I then decided to give it a try without a second thought !

What a lovely cookie!!

Ingredients

- 250g butter

- 75g Brown Sugar

- 2 eggs

- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

- 240g self-raising flour

- 80g Horlicks

- 1 cup Rice Krispies

- 200g semi-sweet chocolate chips

- Enough baby rolled oats to coat the cookies

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 160C.

2. Cream butter, then add sugar and cream until fluffy. Add eggs and beat, then add vanilla and beat until combined. Add Horlicks and beat until combined.

3. Add flour to the mixture and beat gently until just combined.

4. Add chocolate chips and Rice Krispies and stir in gently.

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls into rolled oats to coat. Place on a lined baking tray and use a fork to press the cookies dough slightly.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Apple Crisp Bars

A simple baked good can always please your craving...like these apple crisp bars !

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling:

3 large gala apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Streusel:

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the ends, spray paper and sides of dish with cooking spray containing flour.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla, mix until combined. Add flour and mix until combined and dough is crumbly. Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until dough is slightly puffed. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack while preparing apples and topping. Maintain oven temperature.
Evenly layer sliced apples over pre-baked crust. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Sprinkle evenly over apples.
In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut with a pastry cutter or form until mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.
Sprinkle streusel evenly over apple filling.
Bake bars at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until streusel is golden and apples are softened.
Cool bars completely on a wire cooling rack. Cut into squares and serve.

Tuna & Farro Salad

I urgently made this salad when my hubby gave me a very short notice that he needed a lunch after his business trip a while ago..


I just put things from the fridge together to made the dish and it came out fabulous...

 

I'm back with this gratin!

It's been a long time since my last post here...now I'm back and try to update my blog as much as possible..

Here is the recipe for a great prawn dish!

INGREDIENTS

600 g (1,3 pounds) Shrimps with shell
2 Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2,5 dl (1 cup) Double Cream
2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste
1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
1 Egg Yolk
Grated Cheese
Cayenne Powder
Salt and freshly grounded Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 250°C (482 F).
Peel the shrimps and spread them in lightly greased individual molds.
Scald and cut the tomatoes. Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into thin wedges. Place the wedges on top of the shrimps.
Blend cornstarch together with little bit of water.
Heat double cream in a sauce pan and add salt, pepper, cayenne powder, tomato paste and garlic and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add cornstarch liquid and let it simmer for another couple of minutes until the sauce thickend.
Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the egg yolk and a knob of butter. Turn the sauce over the prawns in the molds. Sprinkle a little cheese on top.
Place in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden.
Serve immediately with freshly baked bread.