DIY

[jaguar]

Why don't we get a recipe thread started? I'm sure there are plenty of budding chefs among you, come on, show us your best ideas! I'll start off with a modified sweet& sour pork, there's plenty of recipies for it out there but damn, this one works.

1 medium pork chop diced up in 1/2 to 3/4 inch bits
2 dessert spns of sherry or rice wine
4 dessert spns of soy sauce
1 small onion cut into 1/8ths
1 smallish carrot sliced diagonally and thinly
1 stick of celery sliced diagonally
1/2 red or green pepper (or ideally 1/4 each of both)
1 small tin of pineapple rings or pieces
1 clove of garlic chopped finely
Approx. 3/4 inch of root ginger peeled and grated
1 dessert spn of tomato puree
Cornflour for coating the pork pieces before frying
1 tablespn of vinegar
1 dessert spn of sugar
3 tablespns of oil
Approx 2 cups of chicken stock
Black pepper
Slotted spoon

Method:

1. Mix soy sauce, sherry and grated ginger in a bowl and add pork so that
the meat is thoroughly mixed in. Leave for 20 mins.
2. Prepare cup of basmati rice by rinsing off starch three times using
saucepan of cold water and a sieve. Leave to drain in sieve.
3. Prepare all the vegetables and garlic and put on a separate plate.
4. Cover the middle of a dinner plate with a layer of cornflour.
5. Mix tomato puree with sugar to a paste in a small bowl or cup
6. Make up chicken stock with boiling water and stock cube.
7. Put largish saucepan of water on to boil, then add teaspn of salt and
drained rice. Bring back to the boil very briefly, stir once and simmer
for 8-10 mins. Taste for doneness, drain carefully in sieve, return to
empty saucepan or serving dish and keep in warm oven with chinese bowls
until you've cooked the rest.
8. Heat oil in wok to high but not smoking.
9. Meanwhile remove pork from marinade with slotted spoon and keep marinade
10.Coat pork with cornflour and add to the hot oil in wok. Stir fry until
golden and crispy all over (about 2 mins)
11. Remove pork with slotted spoon and let drain if possible in a colander
or sieve with a plate underneath to catch the oil.
12. Remove wok from heat and drain all the oil into a cup, wipe out wok
with paper towl and return one tablespoon of the oil to the wok.
13. Reheat wok till smoking then add all the veges at once and stir fry.
14. After a couple of minutes add the tomato puree and sugar mixture and
mix in with the veges in the wok for about 20 seconds. Add the remains of
the pork marinade and the chicken stock and bring to the boil then turn
down to simmer.
15. Mix tablespn of vinegar with about a dessert spn of the remaining
cornflour on the plate and stir this mixture into the veges until liquid
is bubbling and has thickened. Add black pepper and simmer for a minute.
16. Add the pork pieces to the wok, stir and bring back to bubbling. Taste
(you can add just a smidgen of sugar or vinegar if necessary)
17 Serve with rice.

Another fun thing: Mulled Brandy.

700ml sherry/brandy (50/50)
2 cimmamon sticks
3 tablespoons brown sugar (the proper think and sticky stuff)
5-7 whole cloves

All in a good glass bottle and leave for at least 3 months, absolutely wonderful in winter.