The General Chat Thread

gg2

the beer revolu wrote: »

Make it tomorrow and bring the finished pot with you. Tastes better the next day anyway.

Using public transport, bus, another bus and a train - no way will it survive!!

Gloomtastic!

gg2 wrote: »

Using public transport, bus, another bus and a train - no way will it survive!!

One of those food storage boxes will keep everything safe. Day before is always best for a curry.

dipdip

Make a spicy chilli instead, with minced beef as the base.

Merkin

Yes, I'd be inclined to go with a dish that uses minced beef as it cooks quickly. I'd disregard the idea of a curry because you simply won't be able to do it if you only have an hour to prepare and cook it. Do you like tacos? You could make spicy beef tacos or tortillas with a side of guacemole, jalapenos and other delicious fillers - a guaranteed crowd pleaser and you could have the whole thing ready easily within an hour.

B0jangles

You can have curry in an hour with beef mince!!!!

Edit: including a name would probably be helpful - Keema Mattar

The Ingredients
Serves 3
1 tablespoon cooking oil/ Ghee if you have it (tastes a lot better)
1-2 medium onions, chopped
5-8 cloves garlic, chopped
500g minced lamb or beef
2 inch cube of ginger, peeled and grated
As many or as few chillis as you like
4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds (get whole and mangle them with a mortar n pestle
2 teaspoons ground cumin / 1 tsp whole
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper/hot chilli powder
1-2 squirt of tomato puree
1 cinnamon stick
250ml water
300g peas (frozen are fine) (Or as many as you feel like)
About 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon garem masala
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

The Cooking
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or so until they’re starting to turn brown. Don’t worry about under or over cooking them too much, this dish is quite forgiving.

Add the garlic and fry for one more minute, giving it a bit of a shake and stir so it doesn’t burn.
Add the whole cumin and fry til it starts to pop.

Now add the minced meat, ginger, chillies, ground coriander seeds, ground cumin and cayenne. Give it a good stir.

Fry for about 5 minutes or so on a fairly high heat, breaking up any lumps as you go.
When it’s nice and brown add a bit of water (maybe at most 100 mls), the tomato puree and the stick of cinnamon. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave it to simmer for 30 minutes. Check it every now and then and use the power of your brain to assess whether it’s too dry and needs more water or it’s fine.

Taste often - be warned it may seem a bit bland since there is no salt at this stage. Take out the cinnamon stick when it tastes a bit cinnamony but not overpoweringly so. Squirt in some tomato puree, again, the amount is a judgement thing, I usually go with 1-2 tablespoonfuls.
Now add the peas, salt, garam masala, lemon juice and maybe a bit of water if it seems like it needs it. Mix it all in and bring it back to a simmer – cook until the peas are done (about 5 minutes). Taste it. Add more salt if you feel it needs it.

Serve with bread/rice/dhal.

I make this all the time; it's really really tasty.

Alun

B0jangles wrote: »

You can have curry in an hour with beef mince!!!!

Edit: including a name would probably be helpful - Keema Mattar

I make this all the time; it's really really tasty.

I make that quite often too, but ever so slightly differently .. no tomato puree or cinnamon, and add a big handful of chopped coriander right at the end. If you haven't any peas, a tin of chickpeas works as well. It's also nice (and a little more authentic) if you use lamb mince instead. I even made it once with Quorn mince which was OK.

gg2

dipdip wrote: »

Make a spicy chilli instead, with minced beef as the base.

That was my first thought but I've cooked mince dishes the past few times for the same people so I fancy doing something different!

the beer revolu

gg2 wrote: »

Using public transport, bus, another bus and a train - no way will it survive!!

Either way you are going to be carrying the ingredients, right.
As Gloom says, you can carry the finished curry in a storage box - a large clip seal one will keep it all fine.

Your only other options don't suit you (prime steak, mince, chicken, fish etc.) so that seem the only sensible option other than using cans of stewed beef but I really wouldn't go down that road:eek:

Alun

If you're prepared to cook something in advance, and really want to use beef, you could do something like a Beef Rendang. That also tastes better made in advance and warmed up, although it is quite dry and you'll have to be careful how you warm it up to avoid burning it. Otherwise, again something that always tastes better second time around, is an authentic Lamb Rogan Gosht. If you don't have a good supply of spices, the Green Saffron spice mixes have a very good one for this.

gg2

the beer revolu wrote: »

Either way you are going to be carrying the ingredients, right.

No just some spices in a little bag! Everything else I need is down there, OH will go to the butchers to get the meat. We've decided to go for the sirloin - taking the curry down with me just isn't an option as I already have to take my laptop and a suitcase:(

Merkin

the beer revolu wrote: »

so that seem the only sensible option other than using cans of stewed beef but I really wouldn't go down that road:eek:

Mods, can we please have a "FAINT" smiley added to the emoticons please? :eek:

Animord

My dog wouldn't eat tins of stewed beef. I am not sure what she thought it was, but she certainly didn't consider it food.

Merkin

I didn't even know such a thing existed!

the beer revolu

gg2 wrote: »

No just some spices in a little bag! Everything else I need is down there, OH will go to the butchers to get the meat. We've decided to go for the sirloin - taking the curry down with me just isn't an option as I already have to take my laptop and a suitcase:(

Ah, I see.
In that case what I would do is: trim the steaks, brown them well as whole steaks but don't cook them through, leave them to rest (doesn't matter if they go cold), just before serving slice them thinly and add the meat and any juices to the curry and heat through just until any redness is gone from the meat.

I find that if you slice and stirfry the raw steak it gets a bit tough and dry.

Johnny_Fontane

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

oh and btw, I counted ten new places like Umi that I have to try in Dublin. Heres my hit list.

1. Oxmantown in Dublin 7
2. Pit Bros on Georges St
3. that new place beside Mulligans pub on poolbeg st
4. that new sushi place Zakura on Wexford St - https://www.facebook.com/ZakuraDublin
5. Cross Cafe on Francis Street - Great Art meets Coffee
6. That new Tapas place also on Wexford st - http://www.lastapasdelola.com/
7. A Killer Sandwich - new, once a week sambo, ordered on twitter on wed and pick up in city centre location on Friday! https://twitter.com/akillersandwich
8. That new Cheesecake place from Cake Shop on South William St. https://twitter.com/CheesecakeDub
9. That new Gourmet Sausage place in Georges St Arcade - http://www.worscht-world.com/

So much food, so little time......

So knocked off that cheesecake place and the cross cafe recently. Excellent coffee and cafe in the cross, decent cheesecake in 'cheesecake'.

Im sauntering into town today for some lunch, so might try Worscht, or does anyone else have other suggestions?

gg2

Dying to try the killer sandwich - have missed their last 2 deadlines - if I'm in dublin next week I'll deffo have to get my name down for it! So hard to get a decent take out sandwich in Dublin city centre imho (or at least the route I take!)

Johnny_Fontane

gg2 wrote: »

Dying to try the killer sandwich - have missed their last 2 deadlines - if I'm in dublin next week I'll deffo have to get my name down for it! So hard to get a decent take out sandwich in Dublin city centre imho (or at least the route I take!)

looked at it this week, but then they mentioned tayto in the sandwich. that and its way too cold for me to get across to vice.

Merkin

I personally think Juniors does the best sandwich in Dublin. Their house special the Hero or the Chargrilled Chicken (nyomnyomnyom) are just making me drool thinking about them. Look at the menu on the left-hand side of here and I defy you not to come back and say they're sublime! http://www.juniors.ie/deli-and-cafe.php

Johnny_Fontane

Merkin wrote: »

I personally think Juniors does the best sandwich in Dublin. Their house special the Hero or the Chargrilled Chicken (nyomnyomnyom) are just making me drool thinking about them. Look at the menu on the left-hand side of here and I defy you not to come back and say they're sublime! http://www.juniors.ie/deli-and-cafe.php

hiliarious....after looking at hitting town, I decided to go back to my old haunt of Juniors. Foursquare is telling me I have been in Juniors 73 times!!!! They've changed the menu slightly btw. Now on, a caesar club and also a meatball sandwich. The blt is gone.

Had the meatball it was delicious, very delicately spiced meatballs.....

gg2

Merkin wrote: »

I personally think Juniors does the best sandwich in Dublin. Their house special the Hero or the Chargrilled Chicken (nyomnyomnyom) are just making me drool thinking about them. Look at the menu on the left-hand side of here and I defy you not to come back and say they're sublime! http://www.juniors.ie/deli-and-cafe.php

Dude you are killing me!! On my way into town now, starving! Will have to make do with one of those €1.50 chicken fillet rolls from spar :L

Merkin

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

hiliarious....after looking at hitting town, I decided to go back to my old haunt of Juniors. Foursquare is telling me I have been in Juniors 73 times!!!! They've changed the menu slightly btw. Now on, a caesar club and also a meatball sandwich. The blt is gone.

Had the meatball it was delicious, very delicately spiced meatballs.....

Nyum, what did they serve with the meatballs? God it's like food porn

Johnny_Fontane

Merkin wrote: »

Nyum, what did they serve with the meatballs? God it's like food porn

just in their usual focaccia with cheese and rocket. 4 meatballs that I sliced in two as they kept falling out.

Its not a Reuben style classic, but its a great addition.

Pigwidgeon

So after an insane amount of hours, our giant gingerbread house is complete! Probably the most fun I've ever had in work! (More pics here if anyone is interested)

fitzcoff

That looks amazing,

Mr Simpson

Looks fantastic Pigwidgeon!

Dizzyblonde

It's fabulous Pigwidgeon

Merkin

Absolutely gorgeous!!

homemadecider

Holy sh1tballs, its amazing! Well done!

Animord

That is brilliant! So, do we get a step by step guide to doing our own?:p

It is all royal icing used to glue it together?

The Black Oil

Absolutely brilliant. :cool: