Smoked mackerel kedgeree

A slightly different breakfast dish, but this could be good for almost any meal. Despite the list of ingredients, it's very quick, easy and cheap to make. It shouldn't be too spicy - the main taste is the mackerel - so don't overdo the chilli. I based my version on this one from BBC Good Food, but I've made adaptations where necessary.

Should serve 2-3

1/2 cup basmati rice
2-3 thin smoked mackerel fillets
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
3-4 curry leaves (optional)
1-2 onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
chilli to taste, finely diced
1 carrot, speed-peeled or thinly sliced
1/2 leek, thinly sliced
1/2 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp curry powder
100 g frozen peas, cooked
knob of butter
4 boiled eggs (I put mine in the cold water in the pot and then boiled them for 3.30 and they were perfect, but you do you)
1 lime, juice

To prep: boil and peel your eggs, cook your peas and put them to one side, cook the basmati rice as per directions, and haul out your wok.

Place the mackerel fillets in a bowl and cover with boiling water. I suppose you'll cover it with around 200-400 ml of boiling water. Let to sit for a while.

Stir-fry the mustard seeds, corianders seeds, curry leaves, onion, garlic, and chilli for a couple of minutes, then add the carrot, leek, coriander and bay leaf. Cook for around 8 minutes.

Add in the rice, pour in about half the water from the fish, and stir very well. Add in the turmeric, curry powder, peas and butter, stir well, and cook for another few minutes.

Peel one egg, stir it in, then add the lime juice. Serve with the remaining eggs and with yoghurt if so desired.

Homemade Bibimbap

We've got a Korean place around the corner from us, Gotsu, which is fantastic, but it's only open from 12.00 to 20.00, Monday to Friday, and only during the academic year. They make an awesome bibimbap though. I finally hunted down gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and I intend to use it all. Lots of bibimbap coming up. This is adapted from a recipe I found here, but do be careful about saltiness. The first batch I made was a touch on the saline side.

Ingredients (supposedly feeds 3):

Meat:
100g mince
0.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1-2 cloves minced garlic (or to taste)

Vegetables and rice: Use your best judgement
250g spinach (or other leafy vegetable)
Handful or 2 of bean sprouts
100g mushrooms thinly sliced
1-2 carrots, thinly sliced
Steamed rice (or, as I used, basmati)
4 eggs
Seaweed salad (Korean if you can, or goma wakame if you can't)

Chilli sauce:
2 tbsp (or more) gochujang
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vinegar
1-2 cloves minced garlic

Cook the rice early on. Mix the meat and marinade ingredients together and leave for about 30 min. Mix the sauce ingredients. Stir-fry the carrots and mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes, or until browned and cooked. Cook the meat for 3-5 minutes until cooked through. Fry an egg per person, soft yolks (recommended). Add rice to a bowl, then sauce, then meat, mushrooms, carrots, beansprouts, spinach, seaweed salad, and finally egg on top. Mix together and enjoy.

The best thing about this dish is that you can add whatever you want. It's a good way to use up leftover veg in the fridge. I've had it with cucumber, little radishes, and courgette. Basically, use your imagination.

Chicken Noodle Stir Fry a la Jamie Oliver

An adaptation of Jamie Oliver's chicken noodle stir fry recipe. Unfortunately, we were lacking space in terms of a wok big enough to fit everything in. Needs had to, so I changed it a bit. The result was quite good:

Ingredients:

250 g egg noodles, cooked according to instructions and kept to one side
2-3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced into 1 cm strips
5 cm ginger, chopped into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
Chilli to taste, sliced thinly
2 red onions, diced
1-2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets and with the stalk shredded as far as possible (second part optional)
Soy sauce to taste
Sriracha to taste
Coriander
Lime juice

1) Cook the noodles as instructed in a rather large pot (3-5 litres or so).
2) Season the chicken with pepper and fry in a large pan until browned, or for 3 minutes or so.
3) Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and fry for another minute or so.
4) Add the onion, carrot, pepper and broccoli and stir fry for a bit longer (3-4 minutes). Add soy sauce and sriracha to taste, then stir fry for a bit longer.
5) Add the stir fry, coriander and lime juice to the noodles and mix in. Serve warm.

Enjoy.

Ema Datshi (Bhutanese Chilli Stew)

This is a traditional Bhutanese dish, made from chillies and cheese, with some tomatoes and onions thrown in for good measure. Due to the lack of authentic Bhutanese ingredients in Tallinn, I used some other stuff. Due to its ingredients, it can be hellishly hot, so if you do not like spicy stuff, deseed the chillies. Also, if you do decide to take the seeds out, I strongly recommend wearing gloves. Seeding a quarter kilo of chillies means that the stuff gets under your nails, and it burns for a long time after...

Anyway, here's the recipe. Good, strong, healthy, put hairs on your chest etc. Eat with rice and naan.

Ema Datshi

250g chillies (variety according to taste. The original recipe called for jalapenos, I used rohelised tsilid from the supermarket)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 big onion, diced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 big tomatoes, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
about 250g feta or some other white cheese (plus extra on the side)
Coriander

Wash and chop up the chillies. Deseed if desired. Put the chillies, onions, water, and oil in a pot. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for about 10 min. Add the tomatoes and garlic and simmer for 3 more min. Add the cheese, mix, and simmer for 3 min more. Take off the heat, add the coriander, let sit for a few minutes covered before serving. Serve with rice and naan, and something to take away the burning if needed (raitha, milk, yoghurt etc).

I have also discovered that, with a touch of ginger, and a can (400ml) of beans, the taste is multiplied severalfold. So instead of just having spice, you have taste too! 

Chickeney Garlicky Honeyey Orangey Gingery Goodness

I quite enjoy cooking, which most of you should know. I've tried some rather interesting recipes, some of which worked better than others, and some of which could have used a bit of tweaking. The suggestion was made to start a collection of things I've made or done or whatnot, with appropriate thanks to whomever I owe a full belly.

Any thoughts, comments, or tales of wretchedness following an attempt at a recipe, please let me know. Also, please email and tell me stuff, which I will possibly try, possibly not. If I do, you can be sure I will let you know...

First one I owe to a hairy Welshman. I haven't the foggiest idea of its name, so it is hereafter known as the chickeney garlicky honeyey orangey gingery goodness. Directions are for a wok, but I made it in a pot. Be careful with the sweetness - I slightly overdid the honey, which made it a bit sweet for my taste; but it was pretty fantastic otherwise.

Chickeney Garlicky Honeyey Orangey Gingery Goodness: (makes enough for about 500g of chicken, or about 4 people)

500g chicken breasts
2-3 tbsp clear honey
2 large oranges
ginger (2 thumb-sized pieces)
1 or 2 red onions and spring onions
egg noodles (1 pack should do)
3 or 4 garlic cloves
a generous amount of soy sauce
parsley
a carrot
chilli flakes
sesame oil (optional, didn't use as I didn't have it)

Fry the diced chicken in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the juice and zest of one orange and 2 or 3 tablespoons of clear honey, grated ginger (a thumb sized piece) and salt and pepper to taste. Fry until the juices have evaporated and the meat is cooked.
Cook noodles and drain. In a wok, heat olive oil and add the carrot (finely sliced into ribbons), onion and spring onions (chopped). Fry for a few minutes on a low heat. Add crushed garlic (3 or 4 cloves, depending on taste), another thumb sized grated piece of ginger, and some optional dried chilli flakes. Fry for a further minute. Add soy sauce (3 or 4 tablespoons, according to taste), and juice and zest of the other orange, and optional sesame oil (a tablespoon or two). Fry for another minute. Stir the parsley (chopped) and the previously cooked noodles, and fry for a bit more until fully mixed through.

When made for me before, it was fantastically brilliant - I made it and let it get a bit dry, so be careful about that.

Very tasty. Enjoy, taste, have fun.