Jafoli Chicken

Jafoli Chicken is a made up name. It's Sri Lankan oven-baked barbecue chicken and it is absolutely delicious. It's spicy and sweet and the main flavours come from tomato ketchup and yogurt. My Sri Lankan housemate taught me how to make it.

INGREDIENTS

1	kilo chicken thighs on the bone
7	smallish red onions, grated
2	spring onions, chopped
1	red pepper, finely chopped
1	green or red chilli, finely chopped
3	baby potatoes, cut into small thin pieces
	Small bunch of fresh curry leaves
	Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
	Tomato ketchup (quarter of a large bottle)
5	rounded dessertspoonful yogurt
	Sri Lankan curry powder
	Turmeric
	Black pepper, loads!
Spice Paste
7	garlic cloves
1	" piece of fresh ginger
5	g cumin seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1	Grate the onions, cut the spring onions into small pieces, and finely chop the red pepper, and chilli pepper. Slice the potatoes into small pieces. Chop the coriander and curry leaves. Put them into a large bowl.
2	Crush the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar, add the chopped ginger and garlic and pound into a paste.
3	Sprinkle the vegetables with turmeric, curry powder, black pepper and salt. Add ketchup and yogurt, and the ginger-garlic paste. Add the curry leaves and coriander.
4	Skin the chicken and cut three slashes in each piece. Put the chicken in the marinade. Mix with your hands for 5 minutes. Do not use a spoon.
5	Leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
6	Put it in a 13"/33cm ungreased baking pan.
7	Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook on the centre shelf for 20-30 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over half way, may need to turn it a couple of times until the chicken is done and the sauce thickens. May take up to an hour in total.
8	Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Wan Chai Corner, 3 Gerrard Street, London W1D 5PD

Wan Chai Corner is my favourite Chinese Restaurant. I've been going there for years. It's difficult to find a good Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown at the lower price point, but this is it! Lovely food, and good service from friendly staff.

I don't usually order spring rolls. These were very nice - they had a choice of chicken or vegetable. I ordered chicken, but thought they'd given me vegetable in error. It was only when I got to the last piece of the second one that I spotted a tiny cube of chicken. The only piece I found! I was a bit disappointed, but they were still nice.

I haven't had their Tom Yum Soup Soup Noodles for a few years. I was disappointed to find they no longer put pineapple in it, and there was no fish cake which I love.

I can't remember what was in it before as I only ordered it once or twice. Today it had prawns, white fish and fish ball slices. The veg was red chilli, onion, spring onion, tomato, and red and green peppers. Maybe the tomato is replacing the pineapple? I can't remember if it had tomato before. I know pineapple isn't traditional in Tom Yum, but I sure like it!

The broth itself was delicious, with a lovely depth of flavour.

Overall, a very enjoyable meal.

Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Thai Tom Yum Soup Noodles

Five Guys, Bromley

Cheeseburger All The Way

Five Guys opened in Market Square four weeks ago, so I thought it was time I paid them a visit.

I chose the Cheeseburger All The Way as it comes with every topping I like - grilled mushrooms, fried onions, tomato, lettuce, gherkin, ketchup, mayo and mustard.  There are other toppings available for no extra charge and you can have as many as you like for no extra cost. The burgers are cooked well done and juicy, so if you like your burger medium or rare you're out of luck! Health and safety and all that.

The burger was juicy and the two patties were cooked to perfection. Loads of melted cheese! A real dirty burger. They give you plenty of serviettes, but I was glad I had some hand wipes with me!

I like that you can help yourself to a free trayful of monkey nuts to nibble on whilst you're waiting for your burger to be cooked.

To drink, I chose a peanut butter milkshake with malted milk.  Disappointingly, there was very little peanut flavour and none at all of malt. This could be due to eating the monkey nuts, but it just tasted of vanilla. It was nice and thick, but tasteless.  Not a patch on Ed's Diner. Next time, I will have Coca-Cola as it's bottomless and comes in all different flavours.

Verdict: These burgers are expensive, but absolutely delicious.

Borsch Recipe

This is my version of my Ukranian friend's borsch. Nataly doesn't speak any English. I worked out how to make it with a combination of research on the internet, and seeing bones, bay leaves and peelings in the food waste bin! There is more than one version of borsch, the most famous one contains beetroot. This one does not. It is also known as Shchi.

2 pork medallions
1/2 half a cabbage
1 baking potato
2 bay leaves
1 small carrot
1/2 red pepper or 2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
Tomato puree, good squeeze
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Sour cream, to serve


Fill a medium stockpot 3/4 full with water. Put in the pork and bring to the boil. Skim off the fat and scum. Let it simmer for about 25 minutes whilst you prepare the vegetables.
Finely shred the cabbage, and peel and chop the potato into small dice. Put them in the stock along with the bay leaves.
Finely chop the onion, and grate the carrot. Thinly slice the pepper and cut into small pieces, or if using tomato, de-seed it and cut into small cubes.
Fry the onions until golden. Then add the grated carrots and red pepper or tomato, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a good squeeze of tomato puree and cook for a minute or so.
Take the pork out of the stock and cut it into small pieces, and return it to the pan.
Put the onion and carrot mixture into the stock. Season the soup with salt and pepper and cook a little more until it looks an tastes done.
Serve each bowl with a tablespoon of sour cream and a slice of light rye bread

Note: You can use any kind of meat. Nataly used a couple of chicken legs or thighs with the bone-in.

Borsch

Recently, my Ukranian friend Nataly gave me a bowl of borsch. I didn't know there were other kinds of borsch other than the one with beetroot.

This one contains cabbage. Russian Cabbage Soup is also known as Shchi. You can put any kind of meat in it. Nataly put chicken in it this time, but it's also nice with pork. It also contains potatoes, onions, grated carrots, red pepper, tomato puree and a couple of bay leaves. Some times she puts diced tomato in instead of red pepper.

I researched the recipe on the internet and managed to work out how to make it just like Nataly's. She doesn't speak any English. I'm happy to say that I nailed it. When Nataly tasted it she said "Wow!"

         
             I put two pork medallions in mine to make the broth.

 

I've gone a bit mad with the sour cream!

Borough Market

I've been long overdue a visit to Borough Market. I was really hungry and looking forward to something nice to eat. Usually, you're spoilt for choice and have to make your mind up as to which of two or three things you're going to have.

I don't know if things have changed, or if it's because I arrived quite late, but I couldn't see anything I fancied. I spotted a couple eating some nice looking burgers and decided to go for that. I wish I'd asked them where they'd got them from, because I was walking around for ages and couldn't see a burger stall anywhere. I couldn't find the couple again either. Eventually I found the burger place and they were venison burgers. They looked really nice. I ordered the cheese and bacon burger.

The lovely lady who served me was from Iran and she was chatting to the gentleman standing next to me who was from Afghanistan. She said she often cooks Persian food at home and it's the best food in the world.

The burger was lovely, but I think beef tastes much nicer!

My burger is on the right.

Melting cheese and frying bacon! Mmm.

Cheese and Bacon Venison Burger

Greedy Goat Ice Cream

Paella

Mushrooms for Desperate Dan!

             

The Brixton Village Grill

One of my favourite restaurants is The Brixton Village Grill situated in Brixton Village (formerly The Granville Arcade). It's a Portuguese restaurant serving grilled chicken, steak, pork spare ribs, lamb chops, fish and prawns, and most importantly of, all their delicious hand cut chips. Here are a few of the meals I've enjoyed there in the last few months.

Brixton Village Grill, 43-44 Granville Arcade, London SW9 8PR

 

Mixed grill, roast turkey, hand cut chips, duck breast with soy sauce, ginger and sesame served with fennel and orange salad,

Mixed Grill

Roast Turkey

Hand-cut chips

Duck breast with soy sauce, ginger and sesame
served with fennel and orange salad.