Roasted Eggplant Curry

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

* 500g Eggplant

* 3 tablespoons olive oil

* Salt to taste

* 3 tablespoons coconut oil

* 2-4 medium sized onion

* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

* 4-5 chile de arbol (or any other dried chili/chiliflakes) to taste

* 8 green cardamom pods

* 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

* 4 large garlic cloves

* 1 thumb sized chunk of ginger

* 1 can of diced tomatoes

* 400 ML coconutmilk

* rice

Preparation:

Cut the eggplant in cubes and cover with salt. Mix with olive oil and put in a preheated oven/airfryer on 180 degrees celsius. Roast for 30 minutes, or until done. Make sure the eggplant is ready when you begin, we will add them soon.

Meanwhile cut the onions in cubes, the garlic in slices and the ginger in thin strips.

Mix the ground cardamom with the chile de arbol and put in a grinder/mortar to grind, set aside. Open the cardamom pods and shake the inside in the mortar, along with the peppercorns. Smash and mix with the turmeric. Set aside.

Heat up the coconut oil in a large pot or wok. Put in the onion and set to medium keep stirring and mix in the ground cardamom/chile mix. Leave the heat on medium and stir occasionally until the onions are soft. Now add the carlic, ginger and the next spice mix that has the turmeric/pepper/cardamom pod and cook for a while to toast the spices and really make the flavour spread. Now add the eggplant, tomatoes, and coconutmilk. Increase the heat and mix well. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat low to simmer while stirring occasionally. Add salt to your liking and keep stirring.

Meanwhile prepare the rice, by now you should know my prefferred method; 1 cup rice, 1,5 cup water, bring to boil, lower the heat, let it rest for a minute, stir, and close the lid.

When the rice is done, add with the curry in a bowl/plate and serve with Greek yogurt on the side.

If you are a fan of coriander, you can add some leaves on the top.

Enjoy your meal!

Mike & Leda

Chicken curry with stir fried rice

serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

* 500g chicken breast

* 1 small can of peas

* 1 spoon massala curry
* 1 spoon of curry powder

* 2 middle sized onions

* 5 garlic cloves
* 1 chicken stock cube
* 250ml water
* 1 madam jeanette
* 125 ml creme fraiche
* Stir fry vegetables of choice
* 500g boiled rice (cold)
* 1 spoon of sweet soy sauce
* 1 spoon of soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon coriander powder
* 1 teaspoon ginger powder

Preparation:

Boil the rice before and let it cool.

Cut the chicken in cubes, finely cut the onion and 3 garlic cloves and the madam jeanette.
Cut the stir fried vegetables if you need to, and finely cut the last two garlic cloves.

Heat up a saute pan and a wok pan.
Stir fry the onion, madam jeanette and garlic in the saute pan until soft. Stir fry the vegetables and the last of the garlic in the wok.

Add the chicken to the saute pan and mix until half done. Now add the curry powders and mix well. Cook until the chicken is done. After that add the stock cube and the water, and bring to the boil. Let it simmer.

Meanwhile add the herbs and the soy sauce to the wok and blend well. Gradually add the rice and mix until the rice is brown, but keep stir frying for a couple of minutes more.

Now in the saute pan add the can of peas, but be sure the water is removed from the can. Mix well and add the creme fraiche. Blend until you get a nice sauce. If the sauce is too watery let it simmer for a couple of minutes more.

Serve the rice and curry seperate
I hope you enjoy this dish and hopefully until soon!

Yours truly,

Mike

Shrimp curry with stir fried rice

serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

* 500g middle sized shrimp
* 1 small can of bamboo shoots
* 1 spoon of tom yum paste
* 1 spoon of lemon juice

* 2 spring onion

* 1 thumb sized ginger

* 3 garlic cloves

* 200ml coconut milk

* 2 cups of rice, pre-boiled
* Curry powder
* Turmeric powder

* 1 red paprika

* 1 small can of pineapple (or 2 slices)
* 200g small sized shrimp

Preparation:

This is my Christmas special this year; I once ate this dish at a Thai restaurant, and this is my interpretation of the recipe. I might be a little off, but the taste comes close to what I've had, and I sure loved it! Here goes:

Be sure to have boiled rice ready for this dish, as you need it cold, because it is better to stir fry then.

Peel the garlic and ginger and use a rasp to grate them. Finely cut the paprika and cut the spring onion in rings. Finally cut the pineapple as small as possible.

Heat up a wok and a saute pan with 2 spoons of oil both. In the wok we're going to make the stir fried rice, in the saute pan the shrimp curry. Once they both reached temperature, turn the heat of the saute pan to low and add the ginger and garlic. Softly let them fry, while stirring.

Meanwhile add the paprika to the wok, and stir fry for about 5 minutes. 

Back to the saute pan, add the bamboo shoots and mix well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes more on low heat. 

Now add the small shrimps to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the curry powder and turmeric and mix well. Turn the heat low. Now add the pineapple and mix. 

Let's go back to the saute pan, turn the heat high there and add the large shrimps. Stir fry for about one minute and add the spring onion and tom yum paste. Mix well, and add the coconut milk. Blend again and bring to the boil. Once it boils turn the heat low.

In the wok pan, add the rice and use two spatula's to blend everything well. Make sure no single grain of rice is left white, and the ingredients are blended together nicely.

Let both pans on low heat for 2 - 3 minutes more and serve on a plate separately from each other.

I hope you like this recipe, because I certainly did. This is my Christmas dish, and I ate this as a treat to myself.

I hope to see you soon again!

Yours truly,

Mike

German Currywurst

serves 1 - 2

Ingredients:

* 2 bratwurst

* 1 medium sized onion

* 35g tomato puree

* 100g tomato ketchup
* 1 spoon balsamic vinegar

* 1 spoon honey
* 0,5 spoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon chili powder

* 2 spoons cury powder

Preparation:

Finely cut the onion and fry the sausages until brown, remove from the pan, and cut in slices.
Keep the heat on and now add the onion. Fry until they go soft, and add the tomato puree. Mix well, and add some water, not too much. Now add everything else and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, add some more water. Be sure to keep tasting in between to alter the sauce to your liking.
When the sauce is done, add the sausages, blend well and serve. Sprinkle some more curry powder on top, and serve with a salad, and fries or a sandwich.

I hope you like the recipe and hopefully I'll see you soon again!

Yours truly,

Mike

Japanese curry and chicken katsu

serves 2

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of rice

* 200 g chicken breast 

* 1 large carrot

* 3 small red onions

* 5 garlic cloves

* 1 egg

* 4 spoons of flour

* 2 spoons of panko breadcrumbs

* Salt to taste

* Pepper to taste

* 600ml chicken stock 

* 1 spoon of curry powder

* 1 teaspoon of garam massala

* 1 bayleaf

* 1 spoon of honey

* 6 teaspoons of soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon ketchup

* 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

* 25g butter

Preparation:

Prepare the chicken stock if you need to. I used 1 stock cube and boiled water.

Cut the onion in halves and finely cut the garlic. Cut the carrot in half and cut in 0,5 cm slices.

Heat up a saute pan with oil and stir fry the onion and garlic until soft. Meanwhile add the butter and stir until dissolved. Add the carrot and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Now add 2 spoons of flour and the curry powder. Mix well and cook for one minute. Now gradually stir in the chicken stock until everything is combined. Stir well and add the honey, the bay leaf and 5 teaspoons of soy sauce. Mix well and close the lid. Let it boil for about 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes you can cook the rice

Meanwhile we're going to work on the chicken. Clean the chicken breast and cut in halves. Seperate the eggyolk from the protein and beat up the protein with a whisk until stiff. Add the eggyolk and beat until mixed. Prepare two plates, one with the rest of the flour, and one with the breadcrumbs.

Heat up a skillet with enough oil to fry the chicken with. Turn to medium heat.

Cover the chicken with salt and peper to taste on both sides. Now place the chicken in the flour, cover both sides, then dip in the egg, make sure to cover both sides as well and finally dip them in the breadcrumbs, also covering both sides. The skillet should be hot by now. Place the chicken in the skillet and stir fry both sides until brown.

For the sauce, mix the ketchup with the Worcester sauce and the soy, adding pepper to taste and mix well.

Place the chicken on the plate, cut in small pieces, add the red sauce.
Add the rice, and the curry and you got yourself a fabulous dish!
I hope you like the recipe, and I hope to see you soon again.

Yours truly,

Mike

Hot Chicken Curry

serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1 madam jeanette chili/peper, seeds removed
* 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 500g chickenbreast, in cubes
* Curry masala powder
* Salt, to taste
* 1 spoon of ajinomoto umami seasoning
* 1 cup of water
* Rice

Preparations:

Cut the chicken and the vegetables as explained above, be sure to wear gloves when cutting the pepper because the oil will stick on your hands and spice up everything you touch for atleast the rest of the day.
Boil the rice as you wish. Heat up some oil in a wok, and stir-fry the onions for one minute. Add the garlic and the pepper and stir-fry until the onion looks glassy. Now add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is half done. Now add some salt, the curry powder and the ajinomoto. Mix well. Add some more salt/curry if you like, but keep in mind you will add some more curry later! Now keep stir-frying until the chicken is done. Take a cup of water and mix with some curry powder, it is easier to used boiled water as the curry mixes better that way. Stir well and add to the wok. Mix everything well and let it cook for about 1 or 2 minutes. Let it cool down a little before eating because the effect of the pepper will be more intense if you eat it when it's hot. If the whole pepper is too much for you, you can also use half of it!
This recipe is one that an old colleague of mine shared with me. He was of Hindo descent, therefor in my vocabulary this dish is also called Hindu chicken curry. I hope you enjoy your meal, and see you next time!

Yours truly,

Mike

Chicken curry with green beans

serves 4

Ingredients:
* 700g chicken legs
* 350g green beans
* 3 spoons masala curry powder
* 1 spoon turmeric powder
* 1 cube of chicken stock, crumbled
* 1 middle sized onion
* 3 garlic cloves
* Rice or sandwiches

Additional:
* Salt to taste

Preparations:

This recipe is based on a chicken-curry sandwich I bought at the local chinese supermarket. This is my interpretation of the recipe.

Boil the chicken legs thoroughly, wait for them to cool and start picking the meat off, except the skin. Clean the green beans by removing the ends, and cut them in half. Now boil the green beans until a bit softer, but still crisp. You could do this in the chicken broth if you like, if not use fresh water. Boil the rice as you prefer. Meanwhile finely chop the onions and garlic. It's time to heat up some oil in a wok, once it is hot enough, put the green beans in and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the chicken, the cube and the herbs. Mix well, frying for about 1 minute. Put in half a glass of water and stir again until fully mixed. Now the rice is probably done too, so all that's left is to enjoy the meal! If you are using sandwiches, if you like it spicy it tastes well with sambal (condiment) and with cucumber for the freshness. I hope you enjoy this and I hope to see you soon!
Your truly,

Mik