Good morning and welcome to my kitchen…My green bananas are not so green any more it looks like smoothies every day, banana bread and a few more Thai snacks made with bananas are on the menu coupled with walking a few more miles…

We did distribute some of the green bananas around the neighbours…Yesterday we shared some fish from our pond…In return we were offered ..Yep… Bananas… my son politely declined explaining that we had many of our own ..it caused some mirth and laughter…He arrived home with some soup…Well, it is National Soup Month…The liquid part of the soup/curry was very tasty…The chicken feet, cubes of dried blood we all passed on except for my grandson he loves this curry…he also fully embraces Thai food including chicken feet soup…ซุปเปอร์ขาไก่น้ำข้น…

It is, truly, nature’s super-supplement.

By adding chicken feet to that soup/curry you are upping the ante as regards vitamins and minerals… Chicken feet are comprised of entirely of bones, tendons, and cartilage. I picture your grimaces and groans…

 

I mean, yes it sounds gross. But what our bodies can pull from those feet nutritionally is pure magic. Nutrients are doing a dance in our bowls.

Me… I supp the soup I just don’t suck on the bones…A step too far…

Now for one of my favourite meals…Asian Beef Brisket…

Ingredients:

• 2k Beef Brisket
• 500ml beef stock
• 200ml clear honey
• 400gm shallots cut into quarters
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tbsp oil…I use coconut oil.

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 250ml rice wine
• 70ml light soy sauce
• 70ml dark soy sauce
• 100gm fresh ginger finely chopped
• 2 large red chillies, halved
• 1tbsp 5 spice powder

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 3 Limes cut into wedges
• A handful ( a large) one of fresh coriander chopped
• 150gm unsalted peanuts/cashews.
• 2 red chillies sliced.
• Coconut oil for frying or oil of your choice.

Lets cook!

Heat the oven 140c/120 fan or Gas numero 1.

Heat the oil in a large pan add the shallots and cook 5 mins

Add garlic and cook for a further 1 min.

Add stock and 100ml of the honey stir and cook for another minute.

Mix sauce ingredients together. Put Beef in a large pan and pour on sauce and stock. Cover meat with baking paper and two layers of foil ..put in the oven on the middle shelf and cook for 2 and a half hours. Remove from oven, baste meat well, reseal and cook for a further 2 and a half hours or until meat tender.

I actually do baste more than once during cooking.

Once the meat is cooked remove from oven, Pour juices from meat into a large frying pan and cook on high heat for about 15 mins or until reduced…don’t do a me and let it boil away..mmmm wasn’t popular when all I had to do was watch it reduce…Ooops

TASTE  to check the seasoning and adjust if required.

Pour 2 tbsp of the reduced stock over beef and return to oven on 220c for 15 mins…It will now caramelise and crisp the top…lovely.

Lastly, for the topping heat oil in a pan, add nuts and lightly roast…let them cool a little they will very, very hot, chop roughly, mix with sliced chilli and coriander …Put over the top of the meat and add a squeeze or 2 of lime.

Enjoy!

Jackfruit is very popular now in the world of Veganism as when the young jackfruit is cooked it is very like pulled pork as both the colour and the texture changes during the cooking process. Depending on where you live you may not be able to get fresh young jackfruit it is available in cans and I have heard that it is a good substitute for fresh young jackfruit…

I have more fruit this year as since the trees which overhung my garden have been trimmed back my resident squirrels don’t seem to come to this side of the garden…Yet…Or it may be that they just prefer bananas and mangoes at the moment.

Spicy jackfruit salad which in Thai is called Tam Khanun or Tam banun is made by pounding boiled jackfruit with chilli paste and then stir-frying.

First step over and that was cutting the Jackfruit…I can guarantee if you use an oiled knife and grease your hands the latex doesn’t stick…You do have to keep re-greasing the knife though but any which attached itself came off easily with the cooking oil…

My jackfruit slices are now simmering gently on the stove…

Once they are tender and cooled down enough for me to remove the outer skin I will be ready to make the salad.

Ingredients for Tam Kanun:

• 400 gm green, young Jackfruit
• 100 gm minced pork (optional) if you are not vegetarian or vegan.
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 10 Cherry tomatoes cut in quarters.
• 3- 6 tsp Chilli paste ( depending on your taste)

To serve:

• 2 spring onions sliced
• 5 dried birds eye chillies fried
• 1 tbsp fried garlic.
• 1 tbsp coriander

Let’s Cook!

Once cooked drain the jackfruit well, pound in a pestle and mortar and set to one side. I had heard cooked this looks like pulled pork and it does…Or tinned tuna…

Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the garlic until it is nicely browned add the chilli paste and stir-fry for a minute.

Add the minced pork ( if using) and stir-fry until it is cooked 3-4 minutes stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and the jackfruit stir-fry to combine well add the kaffir lime leaves and remove from the heat.

Serve with sticky rice and the fried garlic, chillies, spring onions and coriander as garnish.

The first time I made this dish… We were very pleasantly surprised if I hadn’t cooked it and it was put in front of me I would never have known it was Jackfruit…Truly ☺

Tam Kanun Spicy Jackfruit Salad… we all loved it.

Talking of bananas I made some banana fritters well I had to didn’t I given that I have so many…They are really easy to make and taste very moreish…

Ingredients:

• 300 gm of ripe bananas
• 50 gm of rice flour
• 50 gm of all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• I tbsp sugar
• Enough oil to deep fry depending on the size of your pan.

Let’s cook!

Mash your bananas and add all the dry ingredients apart from the sugar. Mix well.

Heat your oil…When hot enough to fry then add the sugar this helps to keep the balls crispy.

Using two spoons drop balls of the banana mix into the hot oil…I cooked mine in two batches. Cook until golden brown.

Approx 4-5 minutes.

Enjoy! We ate ours hot from the pan but they are also nice eaten with ice cream…