Lamb Rub

Ok, so this doesn't just have to be for lamb - it could be for beef, pork or chicken too - simply mix the ingredients and then rub all over the meat - let it rest - overnight is better for more flavours - then grill, roast, fry - whatever takes your fancy.

You will need:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons tumeric powder


mix all ingredients

rub over meat

let rest for at least 1 hours to absorb flavours

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

This is over a couple of days - well worth the effort though - I think - well, put it this way, it takes a while to make but not long to eat!

I am really really sorry - the finished product did not get a final photo - it was eaten too quickly for me to grab the camera - you will just have to trust me when we said it was delicious.

Ingredients

Pork Belly
1 onion
8cm ginger
3 heaped teaspoons of garlic (crushed)
3 red hot chillis
2 teaspoons of chilli or chilli flakes, or crushed chilli (jarred)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/2 ketjap manis
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
4 star anise
1/2 brown sugar


Day 1

Place the pork belly into the bottom of the slow cooker or pressure cooker. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over pork - you may need to add water if it doesn't look like enough liquid.  Cook on slow cooker for 6 hours, basting with sauce as you go.  If cooking in pressure cooker use the pot roast setting and do 2 cycles.

Remove from sauce - place in dish, put another dish on top of it to weigh it down. Refrigerate over night.  Strain and keep left over sauce.

Into the pressure cooker

Strain off juices, keep juices and discard solids

doesn't look too apetising at this stage...wait until its finished...drool

Day 2

Cut the cold cooked pork belly into cubes. Place in baking tray on paper, baste with left over sauce. Put into hot oven (210 deg C) and cook until golden.

While the pork is cooking in the oven, put on some rice - if you do have a pressure cooker, cook it in that - 1 cup of rice serves 3 of us. Place rice in bottom of pressure cooker, add water to cover so that rice takes up approximately half the depth of the water. Cook on rice cycle.

Put the left over sauce into a pan and onto the stove over medium high heat to thicken and reduce.

Serve with steamed asian vegetables, rice and sauce.

Ham and Vege Soup

This would have to be one of the easiest and heartwarming soups to make. Cheap too - and have either as lunch or dinner on a cold winter's day.

This is made in 2 steps in the pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• smoked ham hock (from butcher, supermarket or deli - use ham or bacon bones if not available - go whatever is cheapest)
• 2 sticks celery
• 2 brown onions
• 1 cup dried green peas
• 1 cup dried bortolli beans or dried soup mix
• 1 large carrot
• 4 cups chicken stock

Step 1:
In the pressure cooker, place ham hock, the heads of the celery sticks and 1 cup of stock, 1 cup of water. Run for a soup cycle.

Step 2:
Remove the ham hock from the cooker - remove all meat from the bone/s. Remove the celery from the stock in the cooker. Add back the chopped up meat, bones (yes, put them back in), chopped celery, onion, carrot, dried peas and beans, and the remainder of the stock.  Run for another soup cycle.

Remove bones.

Store in fridge.

Notes:
if the soup is too runny, add more beans and put on for another cycle. If soup is too thick, add more water.