Panaeng Beef Curry

Ingredients (from 'A taste of Thailand' by Murdoch books)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons of purchased curry paste (i used red curry paste)
* 700g beef flank, sliced into strips (i used 450g of stir fry beef)
* 185ml (3/4 cup) coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon fish sauce
* 1 tablespoon palm sugar (i used brown sugar)
* 3 tablespoons tamarind puree (i actually didn't use it because my curry paste already had it)
* 2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced to garnish
* 1/2 long red chilli, seeded and finely sliced to garnish
(serves 4)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan/ wok and stir-fry the curry paste over a medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant

2. Add the beef and stir for 5 minutes. Add nearly all of the coconut milk, the fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind puree and reduce to a low heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes. Although this is meant to be a dry curry, you can add a little more water during the cooking process if you feel it is drying out too much (i personally poured in all the coconut milk at this stage, i didn't bother adding the other half at the end; i also added my chilli in at this point). Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary. 

PS: although mine looks pretty watery above, remember i used less meat than the recipe suggested. When it cooled down, it thickened up more so i wouldn't worry if it looks a bit watery; except you like to eat yours immediately. I allowed mine to cool for about 5 minutes before serving

Spoon the curry into a serving bowl, spoon the last bit of coconut milk over the top and sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and chilli slices. I served mine with rice :)

Moptop Maven - Deliciously Opinionated Musings: In The Kitchen: Is It Really Better Than Sex Cake?...

Moptop Maven - Deliciously Opinionated Musings: In The Kitchen: Is It Really Better Than Sex Cake?...: "I will admit I had reservations about trying this Paula Dean recipe because of my little preconceived notions; you see it called for 'yellow..."

Sponge Cake Recipe

Whilst doing my usual last minute browsing before going off to bed, i came across this sponge cake recipe and i just had to make it a post so that i can look at it properly in the morning because some articles tend to disappear when i want them. I bake cakes quite often just for the fun of it, and usually give it to people around me at that particular time. Growing up, my mum was a recipe afinado and she still is; she's always baking something and making new twists to old recipes. That's where i picked up the love for baking; i remember once in England, i made an ice-cream cake using Haagen-Dazs and it was out of this world! My flatmates and i finished the cake within 2 hours because we loved it so much we just couldn't wait to devour it. Are you interested in baking and cooking like me? If you have any recipes you are interested in sharing please feel free to send them to me :) Well, its a goodnight from me bloggers, bisous!

Image via Recipes.helium.com

Fried Bananas

These are actually called fried plantains back home in Nigeria. But since i moved to Australia, i've stuck with calling it fried bananas because the Vietnamese and Thais make something similar. I've actually had the Vietnamese version where it is mixed with thinly sliced sweet potatoes and batter. The whole mixture is then fried in an aesthetic manner; the sweet potatoes make the base and a piece of thinly sliced banana is added to the stack of sweet potatoes. The batter mixture holds everything together. The Thai version i've seen is actually roasted/ grilled which we also do in Nigeria, but we call ours bole (pronounced bohlair). The picture above is the finished product; you can have these on its own, with some stew over it, fried eggs, boiled rice and your accompanying sauce, beans and whatever else your imagination can come up with. I had mine with tomato stew and fried eggs. Next time i make the stew, i'll remember to take pictures and give you guys my recipe. So lets get cracking =)

This recipe calls for finger bananas (as pictured above), some salt to season and some oil to fry it in. I used grapeseed oil to make mine.

Peel the bananas and slice them thinly in whatever angle you like. I usually like mine diagonal but one of my uncles prefers to eat his in a perfect straight circle. When i don't have as much bananas as i need, but want to create the illusion of having a lot, i tend to cube them just like feta cheese.

Put your oil on the stove and when hot, gently tip the sliced bananas into the hot oil and allow to cook. Turn them over to ensure that both sides are cooked evenly and prevent having burnt bananas. I usually like mine to have a golden colour to it when i'm done. Some others prefer theirs to be really brown but that doesn't work for me because it actually affects the taste. A word of caution: don't turn them too quickly if not it'll absorb the oil and you'll end up with soggy food. Just think of it as making the perfect fried egg; if you turn it too quickly the egg wouldn't set properly for you to flip it over. The same principles apply here; unless you prefer yours soggy in which case, ignore this titbit. It might take a bit of trial and error to perfect it but once you do, you'll love it. You can make as much as you want and actually store it in the fridge. Growing up, i had a habit of saving mine so i could snack on it later because the taste alters slightly when its cold.