Darren’s Top 5 Recipes

Hi everyone, my friend Darren Nunis is a massive foodie and a fabulous cook to boot, and he was generous enough to share with us his Top 5 favourite recipes. If you like spicy food, these ones are for you. By the way, these appetizing recipes are simple and quick to prepare but oh-so-scrumptious. ;) Perfect dishes to warm you up this winter! (You will also find that the secret ingredient to most of the recipes is in the SAMBAL)

DARREN'S TOP 5 RECIPES

1. Sambal chilli

What is sambal chilli?
Sambal chilli is a chilli paste and it forms the base for most spicy Asian recipes. There are many types of sambal chilli but the recipe shared is one of a Singaporean origin. According to sambalkitchen.com, "Sambal" is commonly used in Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine, it is a spicy paste of onions, garlic & chilli usually cooked in oil. It can serve as a condiment or as a base for making other dishes.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg of chillis (you can use either chilli padi - the small ones or the large ones but the small ones are hotter)
2 large onions
1 bulb of garlic
1 inch of ginger
8 candlenuts
3 stalks of lemongrass
1 inch of galangal (optional)
PS You can get these ingredients from any Asian Grocer.

Method:
1. Split the above ingredients into 2 lots to fit into food processor.
2. Place first lot of ingredients into food processor.
3. Grind till you get the above sambal texture.
4. Put in a dash of water during grinding process.
5. Repeat process with second lot of ingredients.
6. Combine both lots to form Sambal Chilli.
7. Refrigerate for later use or serve as condiment.

2. Sardine curry
Serves 8

Ingredients:
8 tins of 125 gm sardines in tomato sauce
1 large red onion
4 cloves of garlic
3 tbs of sambal chilli
1 tin of pineapple pieces
1 can (400ml) of coconut cream
2 tbs of vegetable oil
A handful of coriander for garnish

Method:
1. Heat oil in saucepan
2. Place onions & garlic in saucepan and fry till fragrant
3. Add sambal into saucepan and stir mixture
4. Add sardines but be careful not to break delicate sardine pieces
5. Slowly & carefully stir the sardines in the pan
6. Add pineapple pieces into the mix
7. Add coconut cream
8. Stir gently and simmer for a few minutes (there's no need to cook for too long as the sardines will break otherwise)
9. Garnish with coriander & serve

3. Luncheon meat (spam) curry
Serves 8

Ingredients:
3 cans of luncheon meat (spam) cut into thin square pieces
1 large red onion
4 cloves of garlic
3 tbs of sambal chilli
1 tin of pineapple pieces
1 can (400ml) of coconut cream
2 tbs of vegetable oil

Method:
1. Heat oil in saucepan
2. Place onions & garlic in saucepan and fry till fragrant
3. Add sambal into saucepan and stir mixture
4. Add luncheon meat pieces into saucepan
5. Add pineapple pieces into the mix
6. Add coconut cream
7. Stir and simmer for a few minutes before serving.

4. Sothi
Originating from Southern India, Sothi is a delicious gravy made of coconut milk & vegetables.
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 large red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tps of chicken powder
1/2 chinese cabbage (wombok)
1 broccoli bunch
1 bag of frozen sliced beans (defrosted)
3 cans (1.2 ltrs) of coconut cream
2 cans (800 ml) of water
2 tbs of tumeric powder
2 tbs of vegetable oil
Dash of fish sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in large pot
2. Place onions & garlic in pot and fry till fragrant
3. Add vegetables & stir fry in pot
4. Add chicken powder
5. Add tumeric powder
6. Add coconut cream & water into pot
7. Put to boil & then lower fire to simmer till vegetables are cooked
8. Lastly, add dash of fish sauce, salt & pepper to taste.

5. Fried Corn Beef
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 cans of corned beef
1 large red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 red cut chilli
2 tbs of vegetable oil

Method:
1. Heat oil in saucepan
2. Place onions & garlic in saucepan and fry till fragrant
3. Add corned beef into saucepan and stir well
4. Add red cut chilli
5. Stir well and serve

The above dishes are best served with rice.