Asian Spiced Barbecue Prawns

This is by far my favorite recipes for shrimp! If you are having a barbecue then this is a great recipe. When i cooked this it was snowing outside so as long as you have a skillet or flat frying pan you can pretty much get the same effect. Ive impressed many folks with this recipe, this food where you need to get your hands dirty, suck out the brains from the shrimp heads and peel off the skin and legs. No squeemish people allowed! Plus it is so easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes to make. As for the beer... Just drink your favorite! I had some Rochefort 10 to drink while I was making the dish.
Ingredients:
500grams of medium sized raw prawns/shrimps with head and skin on
3Tsp sesame oil
3Tsp vegetable oil
3Tbsp rice wine/Sake ( You can either use Sake or Shaoxing rice wine, you can get this from your local chinese shop)
2Tbsp of soya sauce (I only use the Japanese Kikkoman soya sauce)
2Tbsp of honey
6 cloves of garlic chopped finely (you can use 3 cloves if you like, But I love garlic! so the more the better!)
1 Thumb sized ginger, skin peeled off and diced into tiny squares
4tsp Chinese five spice powder
3 Tbsp Chilli flakes (if you dont like spicy food then leave out the chilli flakes)
Sesame seeds


Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to the prawns and mix well with a large spoon making sure that all the spices and liquids are covering the prawns nicely and evenly.












Step 2: Heat up a skillet/frying pan on the highest heat setting.
There's no need to add oil to the pan since the prawn is already covered with sesame and veg oil.
once the pan is hot add the prawns to the pan. You only turn the prawns over when they sides have started to turn pink like in the picture below to the right. This should only take about a minute and no longer than 2 minutes.












Step 3: Turn the prawns over for a further 2 minutes then remove from the pan. Repeat the cooking steps until all the prawns are cooked. Notice in the picture below that you have that slight scorching black barbecued look, you get this from the marinade and also from not putting any oil into the pan before adding the shrimp.















Step 4: Eat it up and comment on what you thought of my recipe! Also here are some pictures of me cooking the same recipe of shrimp on a barbecue in Indonesia:

Meatballs with a Brown Ale Sauce

I looooooooov Meatballs!!!
Especially when they are homemade! I guarantee that you are gonna loooooooooov these meatballs with mash and a rich, velvety brown ale sauce! This dish is the epitomy of 'hearty food'
and perfect for winter!

Ingredients:
- 500grams of minced meat
- 250ml of demi glace (a concentrated stock made with beef and veal bones, you can usually get this from any large supermarket)
- 1Kilogram of floury potatoes (the amount depends on how many people are eating, I cooked for 4 people and had loads of starters as well and this was more than enough)
- 6Tbsp of cream to make smooth mash potatoes
- 1 bottle of Kasteel Brune or (any Belgian dark ale, Leffe Brune will also work nicely)
- 130grams of grated Parmegianno regianno
- 1Handful of unsalted and blended Grissini, these are small breadsticks and I used them because I didnt have any cracker crumbs on hand (use unsalted crackers, like Jacobs crackers and blend it, it will be cheaper!) Just take a good hand full of the grissini/crackers and shove it in a blender and blend till smooth. It doesn't matter if you have small or big hands just a good handfull will do!
- 2 tspoons of smoked paprika powder, onion powder and garlic powder
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 1tbsp brown sugar
- 1 bunch of flat leaf parsely
- 1tsp of corn starch/Maizena

Step 1: Mixing the minced meat with the ingredients while boiling the potatoes.
First peel the floury potatoes (floury potatoes to me make better mash, better than the waxy potatoes) and start boiling a large pot of water. If you're potatoes come in different sizes then cut them into equal sizes, this makes for equal cooking of the tats. Add them to the boiling water and leave for about 15 minutes.

While the tats are cooking, start mixing the ingredients for the meat. In a large bowl add the minced meat, paprika, onion and garlic powder, Grated Parmegianno regianno, blended grissini, salt and pepper. Use your hands and really get 'down and dirty' mixing all the ingredients until it is evenly distributed with the minced meat. If and only if the meat mixture is too dry and crumbly then add 1 whole egg to the mixture, because we need the mixture to still be slightly moist so that we can shape them into round golf balls.










MASH POTATOES:
use a fork to pierce the tats after 15 mins, if it easily slides into the tats with very little resistance then switch off the heat and drain the water. Use a masher to mash the tats and then add the cream while mashing until you get a smooth mash consistency

Step 2 Rolling!
Use your hands to roll them into golfballs












Step 3: Fry the little suckers on a medium heat, till a nice dark brown color is reached all over the meatballs. So that means you will need to turn them over a few times to get to get that brown color all over. Once that is done, remove from the pan and use the same pan for the next step which is making the sauce!












Step 4:Making the Velvety Brown Ale Sauce:
On small heat add the demi glace, 220ml of the brown ale and the brown sugar constantly mixing until the sugar granules are dissolved. The sugar It is really important that you taste it, you will want all the alcohol to have burnt off and you don't want the sauce to taste too bitter. The sugar is supposed to balance the sauce from the bitterness in the beer. If you think that it is still too bitter then add a pinch more sugar, mix and then taste again until you find the right balance of flavor. If you like more bitterness then add 1 tbsp of the beer at a time and taste, keep doing this until you have reached the flavor that you like.

Once you have got the right balance in flavor then mix the 1 tsp of corn starch with 1 tsp of water and mix until it becomes a white liquid. Add this to the sauce and mix thoroughly until you get a smooth velevety, slightly thick consistentcy like the picture below.

Finally, add some chopped parsely to the mixture, mix one more time and your sauce is done!











Step 5: Putting it all together on the plate
Come on! Tell me that that doesn't look good! The brown ale is supposed to give it a nice slighty bitter sweet flavor to the sauce and to me it just has this warm hearty taste when combined with the meatballs and mash. This is ultimate comfort food especially since it is snowing here in Holland! Enjoy folks!

Upcoming recipes

Hey guys!
thanks for following me...
I got some request for some new recipes and these are the following recipes that I will blog about:

1. Homemade meatballs with brown ale sauce
2. My teriyaki chicken recipe
3. Asian marinated prawns
4. Some Dutch recipes like olieballen and appeltaart (Dutch apple pie)

Ill let you all know when I update my blog!

Take care everyone!

Sausages and Potatoes in Beer Sauce

Hey Guys,
I was asked by a friend to show a recipe which takes under 30mins to make, so I decided to post this sausage in beer recipe. It takes 30minutes including prep time. Its really a heartwarming dish and is particularly satisfying now that the cold winter months are coming up!


What You Need:
2 large Sausages
250ml Chicken Stock
200ml Westmalle Trappist
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
5 mushrooms sliced thinly
Small bunch of parsley chopped finely
2 small onions
2 Desiree potatoes
1tbsp brown sugar
1tsp corn starch mixed with a few drops water
4 splashes of worcestershire sauce


Step 1:
Chop the onions, mushrooms and potatoes like below:











Fry the sausages in a tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once the sausages are nicely browned, like in the picture below, then turn them over and add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Mix and fry for 3 minutes.











Step 2:
Add the potatoes, stock, worcestershire, sugar and beer and let simmer for 15 minutes. The sugar is added to give balance to the dish, since the beer gives a bitter taste to the dish, we want to balance that out a bit with the sugar. Otherwise it will taste way too bitter! The dish is done once the potatoes are cooked. Don't cook for longer than 15 minutes because the potatoes will fall apart and give this icky floury texture. After 15minutes add the cornflour water mixture and parsley, turn off the heat and mix thoroughly. You will notice that the sauce will thicken slightly...

It is important to taste the sauce after about 10 minutes. Some people also prefer more salt, in this dish the salt comes from the chicken stock. Add more salt to taste if you find the sauce a little bland. For me ths salt content was perfect, so play around with it if you think otherwise.





The dish might have a slight bitterness to it, but its still very tasty, I assure you!! However, if you prefer less bitterness, then simply add a tsp of sugar.

Plate up and get tucked in!

Reverend Chicken

The Reverend Chicken

So this is a recipe I found from barleydine.com, submitted by C.V. Howe. I always find chicken to be quite a boring meat, but in this recipe the beer really does make a difference! I couldnt find the Avery Reverend Belgian Quadruple Ale and used La trappe Quadruppel instead. The beer itself is quite sweet, caramel, and roasted maltiness with some some dried fruit taste. I really liked it and could already tell that it was a great ingredient for the chicken dish.


Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 1/2 red onion sliced
• 5 mushrooms roughly sliced
• 2 tbls flour
• 1/2 tsp flour mixed with a shot glass of water
• 2 tbls butter
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 150ml Avery La trappe Quadruple Ale
• 200ml cup chicken stock (you can use a stock cube if you cant be arsed to make your own stock)
• 2 medium sized potatoes which I chopped and boiled for 15 minutes and set aside.
• Bunch of parsley leaves finely chopped.

STEP 1:
Chop the chicken into pieces, season with salt and pepper and roll in the flour. Then in a skillet heat the butter till it melts and fry the chicken.











Step 2: After you turn the chicken then add theg garlic, onions and mushrooms. Make sure that the onions, mushrooms and garlic are nicely covered by the butter. Once the chicken is nicely browned o both sides, then add the tarragon, beer and chicken stock. Reduce by half, this means that you cook it until the sauce is reduced half way in the skillet.

It should look something like the left picture below, add salt and pepper to taste and use a spatula to mix. Finally add some chopped parsely leaves and turn of the heat. Mix with the spatula until the parsely is evenly spread throughout the mixture and pour over the boiled potatoes. Finally EAT UP!!!!!

Hainan Chicken Rice with Tiger Beer

I love pairing this dish with a nice crisp lager, pale ale or an IPA. I only drink an IPA when I make the chilli sauce "burn the roof of your mouth" kinda spicy!








INGREDIENTS:
4 uncooked Large chicken drumsticks
1 Liter of water
200grams jasmine fragrant rice
4-6 garlic cloves (I've actually used half a bulb once, but thats cuz I love garlic! It might also explain why im single)
4 thumb sized ginger
1 bunch of spring onion/salad onions/scallions
1 lime
1 bunch of coriander leaves/cilantro (coriander leaf is the same as cilantro)
1 english cucumber
a stick of butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 drops of sesame oil
2-4tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1tbsp vegetable oil


Instructions:
There are 3 stages to this recipe, the cooking of the chicken, the rice and the lime chillie sauce.










Stage 1:
Add the 4 chicken legs to a large pot with 1.2 Liters of cold water. Then add the 2 thumb sized sliced ginger, salt and half of only the green part of the spring onion. Cook on high heat. Notice that I havent taken off the skin of the ginger here, its no problem, just slice them thinly before adding them to the water. The water in the pot will later take on the flavor of the chicken, onion and ginger.










Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium level and simmer for 30 mins. As the chicken cooks, you will notice some white scum floating to the top. These are all of the chickens impurities, like blood and dirt, just scoop them up with a little sieve or skimmer.
You can see the white scum in the picture on the left










After 25 mins, throw away the ginger and spring onions, and take out the chicken drumsticks and put them in a bowl of ice cold water to stop them from cooking. DO NOT throw away the chicken stock!!! We will use this for cooking the rice.

Stage 2: Preparing the chillie sauce and cucumbers
First chop up the cucumber (cucumber is separate from the chillie sauce) like in the picture below.
Leave them in a bowl for later






For the chilli sauce, first peel 1 thumb sized piece of ginger with a potato peeler and cut roughly into small chunks. Then roughly chop up 2 cloves of garlic. Just cut each clove into 4 pieces. Add both garlic and ginger to a blender, with the chillie sauce, juice of one whole lime, sugar, 3 tbsp of the chicken broth you made earlier and blend until a smooth but still thick sauce, remove and put in a small bowl.

Stage 3: Cooking the rice
Peel and slice the remaining ginger and garlic into small cubes like in the picture below. The garlic should be cut in a similar fashion to get that small cube like shape.











In a pot that has a lid on it, fry the garlic and ginger with the butter and oil on a medium to low heat for 3 minutes. THE GARLIC AND GINGER SHOULD NOT BURN!

Then add the uncooked rice and thoroughly mix it through with the garlic and ginger. Then add 4ooml of the chicken stock, mix once again, put on the lid and put fire to the maximum setting. Reserve the remainder of the chicken stock for your soup.

Once it starts boiling, then turn the fire down to the lowest possible setting and cook for exactly 10 minutes. Then you leave the rice to rest with the lid still on and fire off for another ten minutes.


Stage 4 prep the chicken by using a knife to take it off the bone and add the soy sauce and sesame oil to the chicken

Stuff the rice into a small bowl and the turn it upside down on the plate and garnish with coriander leaves. Lay the chicken around the rice, put the chilli sauce in a small serving bowl, add the cucumber. Chop up some spring onions and put in your soup and season with salt and pepper to taste
The last two photos were taken of two attempts to make this dish. ENJOY!!!

Chicken in a Bag

Chicken in a Bag


Ok I hope you liked my last post about the Hainanese Chicken rice!!! although very delicious, it took quite a while to make it and there were a lot of initial steps that had to be performed before you could actually eat!

So I thought of a recipe which is much simpler and way less effort!

I saw this recipe on Jamie Olivers show and decided to add a few more ingredients to it:

2 chicken breasts
2tsp thyme
2tsp rosemary
2tsp dried chilli flakes
2tsp salt
2tsp black pepper
200ml dry white wine
2 sticks of butter
olive oil
10 new potatoes (these are the small variety)
12 florets of brocolli
6 cloves of garlic
6 large mushrooms sliced f
Aluminium foil
This dish serves 2 people


I love pairing this dish with a Hefeweizen, blonde ales and pale ales.

This recipe requires you to make two parcels out of aluminium foil, each parcel being the portion for one person. So that means you use half the ingredients that i have listed above per parcel. So you use 3 garlic cloves per person instead of 6, and 1 tsp per parcel instead of 2, got it? Why cook like this? Because when you cook chicken in this manner it steams in its own juices and hold all the flavor in the package. The ingredient list above represents the total amount for two people.

Instructions:
Step 1: Wash the brocolli and potatoes then cut off 8 large florets from the brocolli and cut those in half again. Scrub the potatoes clean from any dirt on it, no need to peel them unless you absolutely want to. Cut the potatoes into smaller pieces like in the picture below. Then put the brocolli and potatoes in the same bowl and set aside.


step 2: Finely chop the garlic into small cubes and slice the mushrooms and put it in the bowl with the potatoes and brocolli. Pour some olive oil into the same bowl and mix it with your hands, covering the oil on the potatoes, mushrooms, brocolli, then add 1 tsp of the thyme, rosemary, chilli flakes, the equal amount of 4 cloves of garlic, salt and black pepper, with 2 sticks of butter. Make sure all the spice is evenly covering everything in the bowl.

Step 3: Scoring the bird
Start preheating your oven at 275 degrees C.
Score the chicken with a knife, but be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken. Then rub the remaining butter, pepper, rosemary, thyme garlic and salt onto the chicken and into the slits.










Step 4: Sealing the parcel
Layout your foil across you work space, put the chicken in the middle and surround it with the potatoes, mushrooms, brocolli all the while making adding some extra butter on the chicken.









Fold the both sides towards the middle,. Before closing completely I add in the white wine.

I usually wrap the parcel one more time with another piece of foil just to be sure that its all closed.










Now we put it in the oven on 275 degrees celcius or the maximum temperature your oven can go for 50 minutes and it should come out looking something like the picture below. Pair it with your favorite beer and voila!

Arvid from Brewcuisine