Tag: tumeric

• 

  Ben’s Windfall Lime Pickle

  This windfall lime pickle is a prime example of preserving your harvests. I encourage you to eat fresh produce during their particular growing season and then their (hopefully made by you) preserved cousins off season. The mass produced commercial versions just don’t compare.

  It’s important to use very ripe limes.  I use the ones that have fallen from the tree, or are about to, that have a yellowing skin and lots of juice :).

  These are the sweetest, using under ripe limes will give you a pickle that is very tart.  I wash the limes in a weak vinegar:water solution prior to using, to make sure they are clean and not going to contaminate the pickle (because they have come from the floor and I have dogs).

  To sterilise the jars,  I put them through the dishwasher and then boil them in a pot of water.  If the pickle isn’t ready when the jars are, pop them in the oven (no plastic lids) on very low to keep them hot.  You should put hot pickle into hot jars for two reasons.  One, because you won’t thermally shock and crack the jars and two because as the jar and mixture cool they will form a vacuum, meaning the pickle lasts longer.

  The recipe:

  You will need

  • 30 limes, washed and diced into ~1cm blocks (skin on)
  • 10-20 small chilis, sliced (add to taste)
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp salt (sea salt preferred always)
  • 4 tbsp oil (olive or sunflower work best)
  • 2 tsp fenugreek
  • 2 tsp aniseed or fennel (I use fennel seed)
  • 2 tsp garlic seed
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • ~10 cm ginger grated
  • 4 tbsp raw brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp vinegar (i use apple cider or brown malt, but also you can use white wine)

  Method

  1. Combine limes, chilli, salt, turmeric into a glass or ceramic bowl, mix and leave at room temperature overnight.
  2. Heat oil in large pot, add fenugreek, fennel seed, chilli flakes, ginger, garlic powder and cook off to release flavour (2-3 minutes).
  3. Add lime and chilli mixture, mix well and let it simmer and then turn the heat down for about 20 minutes, or until the lime softens and the mixture thickens.
  4. Add in the vinegar and sugar, mix well and cook for about 5 minutes.  The vinegar acts as a preservative.
  5. Let the mixture cool slightly, then add to hot, sterilised jars.  Seal jars, and place into a cool, dark spot for ~1 month to let the flavour develop.

  Cleaning the limes:

  

  Leave the mix overnight:

  

  The finished product (we cracked into it early):

  

  Hope you have more patience than me,

  Ben 🙂

  Here are some additional preserving food ideas and more from Ben: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 5, 2016

• 

  How To Make A Nyonya Rempah Paste

  This Malaysian curry paste looks hard to make on first glance. After a few goes though you will be able to make it blindfolded  and I hope like me you find it an enjoyable process :).

  I make it well ahead of time for my favourite south-east Asian curry, a sticky Nyonyan Chicken Curry (see the post here). Please give this paste recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed. The only drawback is that you might not look at store bought pastes in the same light ever again.

  Look at the colourful ingredients:

  

  Note:

  1. All my recipes have their chili quota curbed at my family’s request. I am slowly increasing the amount on the sly so don’t tell them :). Add extra chili for that authentic taste if you can get away with it.
  2. The paste freezes well.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp table salt
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
    • 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
    • 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 270g red shallots (sliced)
      
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but it is so sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.

  • Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a small bowl
    • a small plate
    • a wet blender with a very small bowl
    • a dry spice mixer or a mortar and pestle

  Make the rempah

  Steps:

  1. Bring all of the rempah ingredients together (see What Does Mise en Place Mean?.
  2. Dry fry the  whole spices (3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds, 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds and 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds).
  3. Let them cool and add to your spice mill. Mill them in bursts to avoid cooking the spices further in the heat caused by the blades. Keep going until you get a fine powder. Add this powder to your wet mixer and enjoy the aroma.
  4. Roughly chop the 270g red shallots and 3 garlic cloves and add to the wet mixer.
  5. I use Sim Seng Lee brand dried belacan (1 Tbsp worth), it stores really well and doesn’t smell out the house! Add it to the wet mixer.
  6. Add the rest of the ingredients to the wet blender (1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp kashmiri chili and 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric).
  7. Blend to a smooth paste, spoon it into a bowl and place in the fridge.

  Better than a store bought paste by a long shot:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  May 5, 2016

• 

  PK’s Nyonya Rempah

  This Malaysian curry paste looks hard to make on first glance. After a few goes though you will be able to make it blindfolded  and I hope like me you find it an enjoyable process :).

  I make it well ahead of time for my favourite south-east Asian curry, a sticky Nyonyan Chicken Curry (see the post here). Please give this paste recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed. The only drawback is that you might not look at store bought pastes in the same light ever again.

  Note: All my recipes have their chili quota curbed at my family’s request. I am slowly increasing the amount on the sly so don’t tell them :). Add extra chili for that authentic taste if you can get away with it.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp table salt
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
    • 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
    • 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 270g red shallots (sliced)
      
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but it is so sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.

  • Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a small bowl
    • a small plate
    • a wet blender with a very small bowl
    • a dry spice mixer or a mortar and pestle

  Make the rempah

  Steps:

  1. Have a quick read of my PK’s Curry Paste Kit post if it has been a while.
  2. Bring all of the rempah ingredients together. I use a small plate to make it easier to add the ingredients to the frypan or blender.
  3. Dry fry the  whole spices (3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds, 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds and 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds).
  4. Let them cool and add to your spice mill. Mill them in bursts to avoid cooking the spices further in the heat caused by the blades. Keep going until you get a fine powder. Add this powder to your wet mixer and enjoy the aroma.
  5. Roughly chop the 270g red shallots and 3 garlic cloves and add to the wet mixer.
  6. I use Sim Seng Lee brand dried belacan (1 Tbsp worth) and it stores really well and doesn’t smell out the house! Add it to the wet mixer.
  7. Add the rest of the ingredients to the wet blender (1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp kashmiri chili and 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric).
  8. Blend to a smooth paste, add to a bowl and place in the fridge for short-term use or the freezer otherwise.

  Better than a store bought paste by a long shot:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  May 5, 2016