Johannesburg - Treat your Valentine to a meltingly tender slow-cooked meal on Sunday, freeing you up to spend more time together, suggests Angela Day.
Lamb Rogan Josh
Serves 4
45ml oil
1kg lamb knuckles
1 large onion, chopped
10ml chopped garlic
10ml chopped ginger
5-10ml salt
3-5ml chilli powder
10ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
5ml paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400g tin of coconut milk
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
fresh coriander for serving
Heat the oil and fry the lamb in batches until browned. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and fry for a few minutes.
Add the salt, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and cinnamon stick and fry until fragrant.
Return the meat to the pot and coat with the spice mixture.
Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Add the potatoes. Cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is soft.
Adjust the seasoning and serve sprinkled with the fresh coriander.
Pork shoulder with plum sauce
Serves 4
1.5kg shoulder of pork
1 onion chopped
10ml chopped garlic
1 red chilli
200ml bottled plum sauce
60ml soy sauce
625ml chicken stock
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
1 star anise
salt and pepper
Heat a large frying pan and brown the pork over a high heat. Remove and put the pork into an oven roasting pan. Add the onion, garlic and chilli to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the plum sauce, soy sauce, stock, orange rind and juice and bring to a simmer.
Pour this mixture over the pork in the oven roasting pan. Add the star anise and some seasoning.
Cover the pan tightly with foil or a lid and roast at 160°C for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is meltingly tender.
Remove from the oven and serve with mashed potatoes.
Chicken Massaman curry
Serves 4-6
1 cinnamon quill
1 star anise
45ml sunflower oil
1 sachet of massaman curry paste
1 onion, roughly chopped
1kg skinless chicken
thigh fillets, sliced
400g can of coconut milk
3 sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
60ml roasted unsalted peanuts
30ml fish sauce
60ml tamarind purée
30ml brown sugar
2 lime leaves
2cm piece of ginger, grated
125ml chopped fresh coriander, plus extra for garnish
Heat a wok or saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cinnamon and star anise and heat until fragrant.
Add the oil and the massaman curry paste and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until softened. Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with basmati rice and extra coriander.
Note: Massaman spice paste is available from Woolworths or any good spice shop. It is a rich but mild Thai curry.
Oxtail with prunes
Serves 4
1.5kg trimmed oxtail
seasoned flour
30-40ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
10ml chopped garlic
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
200g baby onions, skinned
100g slab of dark chocolate, chopped
500ml red wine
500ml beef stock
30ml tomato paste
salt and pepper
125g pitted prunes
125g bacon or pancetta, chopped and fried until crisp
Coat the meat with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the meat in batches.
Place the meat in a slow cooker.
To the pan add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery and fry for 5 minutes. Add to the oxtail in the slow cooker.
Add the baby onions, chocolate, wine, stock, tomato paste and seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Add the prunes and cook for another 30 minutes.
Serve with mashed potato and sprinkle with bacon.
Persian-style lamb
Serves 4-6
1kg stewing lamb, cubed
2 onions, peeled, halved and
cut into wedges
30ml olive oil
10ml ground cumin
10ml ground coriander
5ml ground cinnamon
10ml chopped garlic
salt and pepper
the rind of 1 lemon
30ml flour
30-40ml pomegranate molasses (optional)
45ml tomato paste
250ml chicken stock
45ml chopped coriander
Combine the lamb, onions, olive oil, spices, garlic, seasoning, lemon rind and flour in a bowl and toss well to coat with the spices.
Place in a slow cooker.
Add the pomegranate molasses, tomato paste and stock.
Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. If the sauce is too thin, drain the meat from the sauce, place the sauce in a pot and boil until thickened and reduced.
Return the meat and serve sprinkled with coriander on a bed of couscous if desired.
* The Angela Day column is published in The Star, Pretoria News, Daily News and Cape Argus