This ubiquitous Thai dish called pad kra pao (pad gaprao, pad krapow), is traditionally a stir-fry of ground meat (Thomas made this with pork), lots of Thai holy basil and lots of chilies. It’s always served on rice and usually has a crispy fried egg on top. In a mortar and pestle pound 4-5 hot…… Continue reading pork and holy basil stir fry
Tag: chillies
mussels with chilli
Simple but always delicious! Clean and de-beard 1 kg (2 lbs) of fresh mussels and set them aside. In a large stock pot melt a generous knob of butter and gently fry 2-4 diced shallots, 4 finely diced cloves of garlic and 2-4 finely sliced birds-eye chillies. Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine…… Continue reading mussels with chilli
habanero hot sauce
Named after the Cuban capital Habana, Habanero chillies actually originated in the Amazon. These small, usually red or orange chillies were once considered the hottest in the world. Measuring 100,00-350,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) they have been overtaken by far hotter chillies (the Carolina Reaper measures up to 2,200,000 SHU). The habanero’s floral aroma and flavour…… Continue reading habanero hot sauce
hot and sour duck
This recipe, from FIRE ISLANDS: Recipes from Indonesia by Eleanor Ford, is a deeply flavoursome and complex dish. Hot with chillies and sour with tamarind, the rich and smooth sauce still allows the duck to shine. To make the bumbu, or spice mix, roughly chop 6 large red chillies, 6 red shallots, 2 cloves of…… Continue reading hot and sour duck
pork chilli verde
Authentic Mexican chilli verde is a stew of pork shoulder slow-cooked in a green sauce. If you can buy fresh tomatillos, char-grilling them first will add a wonderful flavour to the recipe. Here in Australia, tomatillos are in short supply so I opted for a can. Delicious nevertheless. Heat some vegetable oil in a heavy…… Continue reading pork chilli verde
fermented hot sauce
The technique of fermentation preserves food that might otherwise spoil and in the past all hot chilli sauces were fermented. Many of the world’s most popular sauces, like Tabasco and sriracha, are still prepared using this method. The bacteria that grows during fermentation is not only good for you but it also gives the hot sauce…… Continue reading fermented hot sauce
michelle picker cooks 