EPTThis is my first blog in 8k posts so I felt like a complete failure when I actually had to search "how to blog" on TL ><. Having said that, I hope you enjoy!
I'm a very simple man, I like 3 things: Music, Casting SC2, and Cooking. It hit me this weekend that I should try combining the latter 2 and see how it goes.
Introducing: Food Casts!
What the F--- is a food cast? Well, since I don't have access to a production crew to take live video of me while I cook (admittedly just the thought of it seems rather creepy), I decided to provide audio commentary of things I figured noteworthy through the cooking process and supplement that with pictures, I will include a link to this at the end of the recipe section. Keep in mind that I have time-stamped the video in the YouTube description, as it did turn out rather long (even after editing
). The Recipe: Chocolate Curry! (serves 7-8)
Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "?? is this a dessert? Chocolate? and curry?"
But trust me, it's awesome. No, it's actually not a dessert. And it's relatively easy as well, yet it will take time to simmer (I'd set aside about 3 hours to cook this dish, around 1 hour of which is active prep).
Ingredients
For the blackened garlic oil:
-5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
-1/4 cup of dark sesame oil
For the curry
-salt
-pepper
-1-2 tablespoons of veggie/peanut oil
-1 lb of either stewing beef cubes or a round/chuck cut OR pork shoulder/butt cut into 1" cubes
-2 carrots cut into 1/2"chunks
-2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2" chunks
-1 1/2 cups of red wine
-2 1/2 cups of water
-1 tbs tonkatsu sauce (I prefer Bulldog if you're not going homemade route)
-1 Tbs tomato paste
-1 eating apple (I prefer granny smith or gala), grated
-1 black cardamom pod OR 2 green cardamom pods (whole)
-1 star anise (whole)
-1 3" stick of cassia bark OR 2 sticks of cinnamon
-1 bay leaf
-3/4 cup peas
-1 Tbs (more to taste) of curry powder
-2 ounces (1/2 bar) unsweeted cooking chocolate
For the roux:
-3 Tbs unsalted butter
-1/3 cup flour
-2 Tbs curry powder
-1 Tsp of freshly ground black pepper
A note on curry powder before I include the procedure (if you like audio rather than writing, skip to 49:00 in the video at the bottom of the page to hear this): Do not dry roast curry powder. You dry roast whole spices, not the powder itself. Not only will it not do anything for the taste, you actually risk burning some of the spices for no gain. If you are interested in making your own curry powder as I do, here is my recipe in a spoiler.
+ Show Spoiler +
Curry Powder
For the spices marked "roast" make sure you roast each spice separately in a dry frying pan until aromatic
-5 tablespoons coriander seeds, roasted and ground (yields 5 tablespoons)
-2 tablespoons cumin seeds, roasted and ground (yields 2 tablespoons)
-1 tablespoon ground tumeric
-2 teaspoons ground ginger
-2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds, freshly ground
-2 teaspoons black peppercorns, freshly ground (yields a tad more than a teaspoon)
-1 teaspoon ground Saigon cinnamon
-6 whole cloves, roasted, then dehusked (yields about 1/2 teaspoon)
-10 green cardamom pods, roasted, then seeded (yields 1/2 teaspoon)
-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper powder
Once you have ground all of the whole spices down individually in your spice grinder, transfer contents to a glass container and stir gently until mixed. Proceed to place in a cool dark place and let spices sit for 1 month before using.
However, if you really want to eat some M.F. curry before 1 month is up, it's safe to use prior to peak maturation.
Procedure:
For blackened garlic oil:
Put sesame oil in a small frying pan. Add garlic and turn on heat to medium-low. Cook until browned. Once brown turn heat to low and continue to heat until the grated garlic is just starting to blacken. Take off heat and put in a Pyrex to cool.
Once cooled combine in food processor until there are no visible pieces of garlic. Strain contents in very fine mesh strainer (tea infuser works well).
For curry
Before you start cooking, remove anything from your kitchen you do not wish to have smelling like curry (most likely clothing) as well as close any doors that do not need to be open.
Put unsalted butter or salad oil (to coat) into Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the onions and turn heat down to medium low. Cover for 15 minutes being sure frequently to stir to avoid burning. Uncover to allow onions to sweat for 1 hour until caramelized.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot, then add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to coat, then add the meat (seasoned with salt/pepper). Sear to a brown (roughly 6 minutes) then flip and brown the other side. Use tongs to transfer to bowl making sure you don't carry over too much oil.
After Onions have caramelized add in -wine, -water, -tomato paste, -Tonkatsu sauce, -grated apple, -carrots, -potatoes, -1 teaspoon of salt, -star anise, -cardamom, -bay leaf, -cassia bark, and -1 tsp black garlic oil.
Turn the heat to medium high and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn heat to medium low immediately and put lid over 90% of the vessel. Continue to turn down heat bit by bit over the next 5 minutes while making sure the liquid is keeping a consistent simmer. Once you reach between medium-low to low continue simmering for at least 1.5 hours.
30 minutes into the simmering process add 1 tablespoon of curry powder to the pot and stir in gently.
While your curry is simmering, make the roux by heating a small saucepot over medium low heat until the butter has melted and foaming has subsided. Slowly add in the flour while whisking to ensure that you avoid excess lumps. Once you have a nice golden-brown color remove from heat. Stir in the curry powder and a bit of fresh ground pepper to taste (no more than 1 tsp).
After simmering process has completed (again, roughly 1.5 hours, no less!) remove -Star anise pod, -cardamom pod(s), -cassia bark, and -bay leaf.
Mix the roux into the dish by ladling some of the liquid from the Dutch Oven into the roux while whisking rapidly to eliminate any lumps. Once satisfied, take the vessel the curry is cooking in off the heat. Proceed to transfer the roux bit by bit into the Dutch Oven while stirring gently until evenly spread.
Put the curry back on the burner and turn heat to low. Continue cooking for 15-20 depending on desired consistency (the longer the thicker).
Add in peas and allow time to cook (1 minute for fresh, 2 for frozen). Salt to taste and fold in the chocolate until evenly mixed. Serve immediately with Japanese short grain rice or brown rice.
I tried to add a picture here but the resolution's whacked and I have to teach in a few minutes, will come back to this!
Food Cast
And, as promised, here is the audiovisual component to the recipe if you have any questions or would like a better understanding of the cooking process before you try it yourself. I'd like some feedback on this, or just in general as this is my first blog post, first recipe post, and first time sharing my process with teh interwebz.
Now go forth and savor the conglomeration of awesomeness you have just created.
Oh, and thanks for getting this far ^^
. I thought about it before I hit post. Yet, what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in taste, haha.![[image loading]](http://images.wikia.com/kungfupanda/images/a/ac/KungFuPanda_P.jpg)
