Hunter beef is a delicacy from Pakistan. Since I started cooking, I had always wanted to replicate it, and, finally, last weekend, right before Eid-ul-Adha, I was able to experiment... There are lots of variations one could make, here's the recipe I got from my Mom, and tried to follow to the letter...

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. (1.5 kg) boneless beef (I asked the butcher for a log-shaped piece to roast/bake)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pkt (~ 25g) Shaan Bihari Kabab Masala
• 1 Tbsp meat tenderizer
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Create a marinade by mixing yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and all the spices.
• Make about 3/4 to 1-inch deep cuts, about one to two inches apart, across the length of the beef log. Use the tip of your knife to prick in random places. This is to ensure maximum absorption of the marinade.
• Thoroughly rub the marinade into the beef, ensuring that it gets spread evenly, including on the inside of the cuts made earlier.
• Place the beef in a dish, cover with plastic, and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. (I prepared it on Saturday, took it out temporarily on Sunday to re-rub the marinade that had flowed off, and cooked it on Monday).
• Before cooking, take the meat out at least two hours earlier, to make sure that it reaches room temperature.
• Preheat oven by setting it at 450°F (230°C).
• Place the meat in a covered dish, suitable for baking. I used a roasting pan with a lid. Put it in the oven.
• After 30 minutes, take out the baking dish. Turn over the meat, and place it back inside the oven again.
• Total cooking time will vary based on cut and size of beef. I took out the meat every 20 minutes after the first 30, and checked "doneness" using a meat thermometer (according to mine, "well-done" is at 170°C - that is the internal temperature of the meat). When I finally took it out for the last time, the total cooking time was around 1 hour 20 minutes (and the meat thermometer registered slightly higher than "well-done" - I should have taken it out slightly earlier)
• After taking it out of the oven, remove the beef from baking dish, and cover it with a dishcloth. Allow it to cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

The other day, I picked up a couple of boxes of blueberries that were on sale at Zehrs. Since I don't normally get blueberries, I had no idea what to do with 'em - I wanted to do something interesting, and not just scarf them down! The french toast idea seemed quick and extremely appealing...

The Yummy-ness Oozing Out!

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/6-1/4 cup milk
• 2 slices bread
• Nutella
• Blueberries
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 1-2 Tbsp Oil

Method:

• In a bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and milk with a fork.
• Slather Nutella on both slices of bread and arrange blueberries on one of the slices. Sandwich the slices together.

Slathered in Nutella, Covered in Blueberries...

• Pour egg mixture over the sandwich. Ensure both sides of the sandwich are well coated.
• In a frying pan, heat butter and oil. Fry both sides of the sandwich until they are nicely golden brown (or browner, if that is how you like it!)

Looks like an ordinary French toast on the outside... until you cut it open!

Enjoy!

A fairly simple recipe, pretty much a variant of this recipe here, with a few modifications of my own, particularly the spice-to-chicken ratio.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/8 cup water

Method:

• Mix chili powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper with oil.
• Add minced garlic and mix under it takes the form of a "paste".
• Using a knife, add shallow cuts/slits to the chicken quarters to improve the marination process.
• Rub the marinade onto the chicken quarters (I marinated the chicken about 2-3 hours before cooking).
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the chicken quarters onto the tray.
• Mix the water and soy sauce and pour over the chicken quarters in the baking tray.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes.

There are endless sides that could be chosen with the Garlic Roasted Chicken; for tonight's dinner, I chose baked potato, cherry tomatoes and assorted veggies.

Last weekend, I asked my Mom to share her recipe of Sweet & Sour Sauce, and decided to try my hand at it. The result was surprisingly similar to what I had in my memories...

I replaced the traditional fried chicken chunks in the original recipe with chicken chunks prepared in "Spicy Shake & Bake" - This was done in order to "parallelize" the cooking process...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, chopped in chunks
• 1 pkg Spicy Shake & Bake (won't be using the entire pack, only enough for the amount of chicken used)
• 1 capsicum/green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250-300g frozen vegetables (carrots, lima beans, cauliflower) (optional)
• 3-4 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 Cup ketchup
• 1 Cup water
• 1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method:

• Boil the frozen vegetables for about 2-3 minutes (over-boiling will make the vegies too soft). Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok. Stir fry the vegetables for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add chopped onions and green peppers. Stir fry for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Mix ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and black pepper in a bowl.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add garlic and sauteed for a few minutes.
• Turn stove to medium heat, and add the ketchup mixture to the work. Mix thoroughly.
• After a few minutes of cooking, add a cup of water to the wok. Stir. Once bubbles appear, turn the heat to low, continue stirring every now and then.
• Prepare the chicken chunks by following instructions on the Shake & Bake package. For me, this involved coating the chicken in the Shake & Bake mixture, placing on an aluminum-foil-covered baking tray and baking for about 20-22 minutes.
• When the chicken is almost ready, turn up the heat on the wok with the sauce mixture. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken it, and stir. Add the vegetables, onions and green peppers to the sauce.
• Remove chicken from oven and add to the sauce.

Voila! The Sweet & Sour Sauce is ready!

Serve with boiled or fried rice...

Chicken & Vegetables in Sweet & Sour Sauce with Boiled Brown Rice

Questions/Comments?

Nothing too fancy here, just a meat sauce I made today to have alongside pasta, although I believe it wouldn't be too bad with some form of bread or rice...

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (~ 500g) Ground Beef
• 500ml (about 2 cups) Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms
• 1 medium or large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 bell peppers (I used about 2/3 of each, green and orange), diced
• 2-3 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• Dried parsley flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking oil

Method:

• In a wok, add butter and a bit of cooking oil. Turn stove on medium heat. Add chopped onions. Remove onions from wok when they start to brown.
• With wok on medium heat, add the ground beef and allow to cook.
• Once the beef starts losing its reddish color, add salt, pepper (to taste), garlic, chili powder, coriander powder and Italian seasoning.
• Once the meat starts to brown, add 2 Tbsp sambal oelek and mix thoroughly.
• Add the onions back into the wok. Add the bell peppers and allow to cook on low-medium heat.
• After the meat has lost all of its pinkish color, stir in the pasta sauce. (Optional: Add 1 Tbsp of sambal oelek and mix, if you, like me, think that the pasta sauce is way too sweet and should be spicier.)
• Allow the sauce to rise to a simmer. I allowed the meat sauce to cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes (could have been more, time flies when you're in the kitchen...).
• Sprinkle parsley flakes before serving.

Serve with spaghetti (just a suggestion!).



Questions/comments are welcome!

Notes: Possible addition of shredded cheese to make the sauce richer (and heavier, for the calorie conscious folks!).

Update: Leftover meat sauce folded inside an omelette makes for an awesome meal!

Yesterday, I decided to experiment a bit with salmon, something I hadn't cooked myself before. Fairly quick to prepare and cook. Turned out pretty well, even if I say so myself...

Ingredients:

• 1/3-1/2 lbs salmon
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (alternative: parsley)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or pressed)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Lemon slice (optional)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (olive oil will probably be better, I just used whatever I had on hand)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

• Prepare a marinade by mixing the cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper, butter and oil.
• Cut the salmon however you like. I had 3 smallish slices.
• Preheat oven to 450 °F.
• Place the salmon on a foil lined baking tray, skin-side down (the foil prevents the fish from sticking to the tray, and consequently, helps you avoid the intense scrubbing required to clean the baking tray).
• Pour and spread the marinade over the salmon. Make sure to also apply it on the sides of the salmon pieces. Place the lemon slice on top of the salmon
• Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes. Do not over-cook - salmon is awesome even if slightly under-cooked.

Enjoy with a side of veggies, mashed potatoes, boiled rice, or even on its own!

Tonight, I'm going test it out with a spicier marinade. May make a new post, or just add to this one...

Update: The spicier marinade was a lot more interesting. Made the following modifications:

• Replaced 1 Tbsp oil with a bit of extra butter and 1 Tbsp of Sambal Oelek (chili paste).
• Sprinkled a bit of paprika powder just before baking.

Here's the modified version, with a side of couscous: