Thai Green Vegetable Curry

600g vegetables e.g. green beans, potato, butternut, cauliflower, baby marrows, peas, carrots
15ml sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
15 – 30ml green curry paste
400ml coconut milk
125ml vegetable stock
6 lime leaves
5ml lime rind
20ml Thai fish sauce
15ml soft brown sugar
60ml fresh coriander leaves, chopped
60ml fresh basil leaves, chopped

Wash, peel and prepare the vegetables, chopping them into bite-sized chunks.
In a jug combine the green curry paste, coconut milk and vegetable stock together.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes over a moderate heat.
Add the lime leaves, lime rind, Thai fish sauce and sugar and cook for 1 minute.

Pour the coconut milk mixture into the pot and stir to combine.
Add the vegetables (omitting any quick cooking vegetables e.g. baby marrows and peas) and cook for +/- 10 minutes or until the vegetables are almost cooked. Add any remaining vegetables and cook for a further 4 minutes.

Check for seasoning, adding a little more fish sauce if required.
Turn off the heat and stir in the coriander and basil leaves.

Aromatic Beef Curry

1kg chuck steak, cubed
15ml oil
2 onions, chopped
10ml crushed garlic
2 green chillies, chopped
15ml grated ginger
7ml ground turmeric
5ml ground cumin
15ml ground coriander
3ml ground chilli
5ml salt
400g can tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1-2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
250ml coconut milk

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until soft.
Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chilli powder.
Stir until heated and add the beef and cook, stirring over high heat until well coated with the spices.
Add the salt, tomatoes and carrots.
Simmer covered, for 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
Add the potatoes and cook a further 15 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and simmer a further 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and curry has thickened.



Butter Chicken

Serves 6

2cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
100ml ground almonds
150ml natural yoghurt
3ml chilli powder
2ml ground cloves
2ml ground cinnamon
5ml garam masala
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1x 400g can chopped tomatoes
5ml salt
1 kg skinless, boneless chicken thighs,cut in half
75ml ghee or clarified butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
80ml coriander leaves, finely chopped
60 ml fresh cream

Blend onion and garlic into a paste in processor or pestle and mortar.
Combine paste with almonds, yoghurt, chilli powder, cloves, cinnamon, masala, cardamom, tomatoes and salt, add chicken, coat well and leave for 1-2 hours, or overnight in fridge.

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Heat ghee in heavy based dish, add onion and fry until golden, add chicken and mix coriander with cream and pour over chicken, bake for 1 hour, covered, but open 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with rice and roti bread.


Divine Dutch Apple Pudding

125g butter
250ml castor sugar
250ml flour
10ml baking powder
pinch salt
3 extra large eggs
65ml milk
410g can pie apples
45ml sugar
5ml cinnamon
Topping:
125g butter
250ml sugar
125ml milk

Cream butter and sugar together. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together.
Add two of the three eggs to creamed mixture, beating after each addition.
Add 15ml flour and beat in the remaining egg.
Add dry ingredients with as much milk as needed to make a dropping consistency.
Spoon into a well greased 30cm x 15cm baking dish and arrange the apples on top.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle over the top of the pudding.
Bake at 180°C, for 30-40 minutes.

Topping: Boil together the butter, sugar and milk. Pour over pudding while still hot.