moment of realisation and chilli con carne

I have to be honest and say that every chilli con carne recipe I’ve ever came across in books and blogs simply never registered – my eyes would glaze over as if it were a recipe for baby food. It’s strange, because I’ve definitely eaten Mexican food before, and the taste is striking, it’s just that I’ve never registered the words Chilli. Con. Carne.

First of all, chilli is pretty straight forward. Con Carne, not so. I’ve always wondered why it’s named as such, but now I’m curious why I was never more curious before. The name literally means “chilli with meat” according to Wikipedia, and although exotically derived or inspired from Mexican or Spanish cuisine, it is the official dish of Texas, USA.

There is a lot of history behind this dish, and reading up on it on Wikipedia was certainly quite fascinating – Wikipedia: “A popular saying among self-proclaimed chilli purists is, ‘If you know beans about chilli, you know chilli ain't got no beans.’ ” Isn’t that awesome? There are chilli purists in the world. I rather fancy the beans, however. Any other way, I wouldn’t, so perhaps that says something? Perhaps not.

What’s more amazing are the variety of recipes out there, some of which even call for dark chocolate. My entire desire to cook this sprang into action when I was at a food tasting and what I ate happened to have a tag that read CHILLI CON CARNE. It was momentous – complete with the choir singing in the background, and at that moment the camera zooms into the protagonist’s face to capture the moment of realisation – ohmygod.

This recipe is adapted collectively from a few different recipes, chiefly from Gordon Ramsey (and a little inspiration from Simply Recipes), and whipped accordingly to what was available in my kitchen. If you are mixing from a few recipes, just remember two things: 1. your key ingredients like chillies, coriander seeds, tomatoes, etc. 2. the first technique: mix your dry spices into a paste. This makes a huge difference!

1 ingredient I wanted was missing (chipotle), but I made the main batch first (I made this at 2am in the morning because I couldn’t help but want to cook it) thinking I could pop by the store for some the next day. Chilli is apparently best when given an overnight to soak in the flavours, so when re-heated the chipotle powder can be stirred in. I wouldn’t recommend this method, though, so prepare ahead! I also didn’t have tomato puree in the house, so I took out sugar in the recipe and substituted with ketchup instead *insert goofy grin* Important thing is to keep tasting in between to make sure what you’re creating is just perfect!

This recipe came out superb, but nonetheless seems to inspire more experimentation to perfect rather than to correct.

Chilli Con Carne
serves 3 – 4 if you have chips and bread and only 2 if you’re going at it with a spoon. I know that doesn’t add up but trust me, it will

400g good ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ bulb of garlic, finely chopped
200ml beef stock
1 can stewed tomatoes
400g kidney beans
1 cinnamon quill
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp paprika powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp coriander seeds
½ tbsp thyme
2 tbsp ketchup
1 red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
1 splash tobacco
2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
cornstarch & water (if needed for thickening)
salt & pepper
olive oil, for frying

In a pan sweat the chopped onions, garlic and cut red chillies in oil. Brown your mince separately, and make sure the meat gets some direct heat from the pan; if it’s all clumped together the meat steams instead of browns, so pour away extra liquid as it comes out.

In a bowl, mix chilli powder, tobasco, thyme, cumin, oregano, coriander seeds paprika till you get a sort of paste.

Combine meat and onions. Add the paste and fry till aroma is released. Pour in beef stock, can of stewed tomatoes and ketchup. Add bay leaf and cinnamon quill and leave to simmer. After about 10 minutes, add kidney beans, and cook on low heat for further another 30 minutes. Season well. Keep checking the liquid levels. If you’re cooking on low heat it shouldn’t drain away too much.

Before turning off the heat, add a dash of Worcestershire into the mix then remove bay leaf and quill.

You can serve this immediately or keep well overnight to let the flavours soak together. I kept mine in air tight containers for a few hours to let it all soak up.

Gossip Food

Welcome. You are here today to partake in Cream Spaghetti’s request for your attention. She’s a cool cat, she doesn’t like to be bland, and she doesn’t like to repeat herself. She would like, above all things, to share the wonderful experience of life with some friends. Namely, Bacon, Onion and Garlic. I know, I know, Garlic’s had some flak in the past, but I’m sure none of us hold it against him, right? If none of you object, let’s move ahead. This won’t take much of your time, I suppose 20 minutes will do.

Above all, Cream requests that you treat her fairly. She knows you like Parmesan Cheese, but she’s got other friends she wants to hang out with too. Parmesan’s nice, but after awhile he tends to talk about the same things, all over again. Oh yes, you say Cream won’t be anything without Parmesan either, but hear her out: Cream says if the relationship stays monotonous too long, it’ll go stale. Well, you’ve got to agree with her there, don’t you. Cream sighs; she says Parmesan’s sometimes a little dry; not like Mayonnaise.

Parmesan’s sulking in the corner as Mayonnaise saunters up. She is Cream’s best friend, and – don’t gossip now – but we all know there’s something competitive there. Cream’s just a little duller; just a wee bit on the plumper side. Mayonnaise too, but she hides it well in her curves. Okay, okay, enough with the gossip. Both girls in the same room, and the boys Garlic and Onion begin to sweat. Worcestershire’s the cool dude, and he knows it. He don’t wanna come between nobody, just as long everyone knows he’s top notch. “A little bit of me goes a long way,” he says with a wink. The boys sigh.

Ah, such a tight knit group, you just know they’re going to be alright. A little bit here and there, but at the end of the day the friendship’s just too strong. Ah, look here who comes now, Cheddar. Mm, Cheddar, doesn’t he look all charming? The girls are certainly besotted with him. Didn’t he just come back from the Bahamas on his yacht? Mm mm. You could just melt.

Garlic Bacon Cream
serves 2 (Your choice of spaghetti or penne)

½ bulb of garlic, about 6 cloves, chopped, pounded or smashed
2 streaks of bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1.5 - 2 cups cream
½ - 1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp Italian herbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Optional:
1 cup grated cheddar, for baked option

Cook your choice of pasta. When done to your preference, drain and set aside.

Stir fry chopped bacon till fat is softened. Fry onion and garlic in this till fragrant and onions are slightly translucent.

Add cream, chicken stock, mayonnaise and herbs. Add Worcestershire sauce last, then pour in your noodles. Mix well before serving, with a sprinkling of paprika and black pepper.

Baked Option (best if you’re eating this with penne)

Spoon penne into oven proof pan, leaving some sauce intact. Mix this remainder of cream sauce with grated cheddar cheese, spoon cheese mixture over the penne. Bake at 200 deg C for about 10 minutes or till brown. Serve immediately.

rambling, little red things & slow braised pork

I’d really like to sulk, but I’m better at being moody. But what I’m also good at is kinda just turning it around and then finding something to perk me up while I’m feeling grumpy.

Ironically, beating out 3 weeks staying trapped at home to study for the finals does not make one any healthier than, say, running around helter-skelter with no clothes on in the rain. The day of my last paper, I fell ill in the November rain. Sitting at a café enjoying a post-exam iced blended mocha, I cleared my throat, looked over to my friend and said rather solemnly, “I’m coming down with something.”

Lo and behold, flu hit me the next day rather like a brick through the air directed straight at the person behind me but somehow caught me in the middle instead. Fever descended like a delusion and I found myself whimpering strange conversations to a rather annoyed friend on the phone. Chagrined at this unfortunate incident (Me, to friend: I refuse to admit I’m sick. Adamant! If I believe it, I can will it away. Sniff. Yes, WILL it away.) I went to work, where the glaring computer screen might as well have been playing a quicktime video of reindeer throwing mentos in coke because I was in no mood for concentrating on work. (I can safely vouch that thinking positive does not equate healthy body)

So I turned to my favourite cures to ride out this bout of unfortunate circumstances. Most of the time that involves some form of cake, a cup of hot chocolate, a good book, and then a good movie to wear me out to sleep before the sniffles clog up all the available spaces and I wake up at 2 in the morning for the sole purpose of blowing my nose and then suffer insomnia till daybreak. Cooking for sharing is the last thing I should be doing, but I found myself craving cake, and to address the hygiene issue deftly agreed that the solution lay in me eating it all.

However, my mother, being my wonderful mother, cooked me her best dish, which I absolutely had to hog before my dad managed to get a spoon in. This slow-braised pork usually takes about 6 hours or more to braise, and I’m not ashamed to say I never think twice eating, fat, grease and all.

Its ingredients are fairly common, though a little unknown. Who knew Fructus Lycii is actually.... wolfberry? I’m serious!! Who knew? Whenever my mom cooked Chinese soups with the little things I always knew them as “the little red things”, or as the box says, fructus lycii. It’s also commonly known as goji berry. It’s a very common ingredient in Chinese soups, but hardly anyone that I know, knew it as what it is. Can we get a hurrah for the internet, and one more for my mom?

daydreaming apple crumble

It’s easy to get lost in thoughts.

Lost in plans, lost in daydreams when you’re in front of the computer, while you’re using your text book as an elbow rest and you’ve turned the phone to silent so missed office calls gets filtered after lunch.

These are guilty moments. They’re secret, they’re full of sly, they’re something you shouldn’t tell your girlfriends, colleagues, boss, and boyfriend. They’re your own, and it’s amazing how enjoyable they are before 11.30 in the morning.

I get lost in plans, thoughts of faraway, dreams of nicking the DSLR camera I’ve always wanted and hopping a plane to wherever. It’s almost sacrilegious how many times the words “I plan to ___” comes out of my mouth, followed by a charismatic account of Zorro-like proportions in feat and adventure and in Titanic dribbles of romance. Oh my; what can I say.

This recipe is for the days when you are happy just being the daydreaming fool. It started with the words “I plan to __”, and then I became obsessed with it. Now that I’ve made it, it’s my romantic apple crumble, filled with goodness. There’s something sexy about that blanket of aroma wafting seductively through the house, and I get lost in the warm scent of baked apples and faraway orchards. As the cinnamon sweetness of juicy apples and warm crumbs seep into my tastebuds I let myself reminisce once more, days of adventure, perhaps just yonder.

What are you daydreaming of today?

APPLE CRUMBLE
adapted & tweaked from Smitten Kitchen

6 royal gala apples (or apples of your choice)
½ a lemon (or ¾ of a small one)
6 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
8 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp honey
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cereal – I used Post Selects Great Grains Crunch Pecans

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C.

2. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Mix this with lemon juice, ½ the brown sugar, cinnamon and spread onto baking dish

3. Melt butter and honey in a saucepan. Stir in flour and the remaining brown sugar till clumps form. Add your cereal in last.

4. Cover the apples with this mixture and bake for roughly 45 minutes, until apples are mush and the crust is browned.

The recipe is pretty simple but calls for a bit of proportioning guess work on your end, if you’re like me and not quite the arduous baker. 3/4 of the pan should be filled with apples, and 1/4 with crumb (or 1/2 - 1/2 if you like). However, the 3/4 - 1/4 balance gives it a good bite when your apples become soft. I also replaced the traditional calling of oats with my favourite cereal. It works marvellously in this case (especially if it’s all you have got in the larder) with its whole grain clusters and cheeky chunky pecans.

3 minute noodles and a brief chronology of food

About 5 years ago I quit hard liquor, 3 years ago I quit the clubbing scene, 8 months ago I quit beer (but not champagne), and 7 months ago I quit cigarettes and got my tastebuds back. While chronologically looking forwards I should be quite a fearful prude by the time I’m 25, I do not regret the things I’ve picked up and learned along the way which, instead of being really dull, had quite the adverse effect indeed.

Out of the blue, 4 months ago I decided to try my hand at cooking a decent meal, and that meal turned into 2, then 3, then 4, and then cooking family dinners parlayed into a food blog for fast, delicious recipes that I now can’t imagine being without. I had no idea what polenta was (now I do), I had no idea how to bake a cookie (now I do), and while I’m looking apprehensively at a red velvet cake recipe I know one day I’m going to tackle that too.

 In the area of consumption I’ve lost the anarchist. The rebel now no longer wants jagermeister shots and bourbon on the rocks – she hungers for beignets, banana bread, spicy chicken soup and cornmeal puddings. It’s the strangest feeling of all, one I sometimes like to look back and grin at.

But hey, I’m no blue-blooded gourmand. I use measuring spoons only when numbers and conversions baffle me; I like making a mess to clean up; I like having to spend 20 minutes eating a Subway sandwich only because everything’s falling out of the other end while one end is my mouth; I like digging fingers into peanut butter jars while I’m grinning at the television, which would incidentally be tuned in to Supernatural Season 4 and me ogling Jensen Ackles.

The best thing of all is how unbelievable it is, that I stumble upon a recipe so easy, so delicious, it makes me go “arghummmmahhh”. It’s the sound of satisfaction, with eyes rolled heavenwards. It’s an Asian dish (I feel like a dingbat for never having made this before), at its core it’s got 6 ingredients, and it takes 3 minutes to make.

SESAME NOODLES
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Mine comes sans bells & whistles, even for a recipe as simplified as it is -

Noodles (use white, rice-based Chinese noodles, or any type of noodles that does not absorb liquid too fast)
2 tbsp light Chinese soy sauce
1 - 2 tbsp sesame oil
Japanese chilli flakes
Fresh spring onions, chopped
1/2 tbsp Minced garlic (my supermarket carries ready-minced garlic, which is great for Chinese dishes)

Here’s how I cooked mine: (before you scoff, I cooked this while cooking dinner for the family, studying for an exam, replying work emails and crafting out a couple of articles to make sure I still get paid in real life to be able to afford them groceries)

Dump your noodles in a bowl of water and microwave at high for about 3 minutes (depending on how much water and noodles you are cooking). For the quantity of one person, it’s usually quite fast. If you’re cooking for more, boil water in a saucepan. Mine’s the “I’m single so I don’t care” method.

Drain out the noodles. It’ll still be a wee bit wet, but no worries about it as you will want it for the sauce. Stir in minced garlic, add soy sauce, sesame oil, shake on the flakes like you’ve never shook before, and top off with chopped fresh spring onion. If you need a little crunch, drop in some fried shallots as well.

I’ve never had anything so fast so good, and I never have to worry about my mom chiding me for eating too many Styrofoam cup instant noodles again. 

For something so simple to be so good, I have to thank...... the internet. It is scary to think how much lives have changed and enriched with information because of the net, and how much it continues to define every bit of the human social fabric.

Now all I need is some buttermilk fried chicken.