My Brother Cooks

Tag: spicy

  • Sop Buntut – Indonesian Oxtail Soup

    Sop Buntut – Indonesian Oxtail Soup

    This is a slow-cooked Indonesian soup that will taste very different in Indonesia depending on which area of the country you have it.

    It’s also delicious and one of my brother’s favorites, both to eat and cook.

    He tends to prefer to quickly grill the oxtail before adding it to the broth, which in Indonesia would be Sop Buntut Bakar. It is also perfectly acceptable to just slow cook it in the broth.

    They give slightly different textures and flavors, so you can experiment.

    Be ready to substitute the oxtail for osso bucco or whatever cut of meat is available and good value. Oxtail is not very common outside Asia. If you do, osso bucco will tend to taste slightly meatier and less fatty, but delicious also.

  • Indonesian Rendang

    Indonesian Rendang

    I’ve lived in Asia for many years, and love a good Rendang. You can get them in Australia too, but my brother often enjoys making his own and has spent a lot time tweaking his.

    His base recipe is here.

    Now I’ve never eaten his. Just seen the photos. My favourites in Jakarta are:

    1. Sari Indah
    2. Pagi Sore
    3. Sederhana

    Pro tip – go to the trouble of finding white pepper. It makes a difference!

    Service with rice.

  • Hot Sauces

    Hot Sauces

    My brother grows his own chilies and has a pretty wide repertoire of sauces from the sweet to the outright lethal.

    His main go-to’s seem to be from the site www.chilipeppermadness.com. There are lots and the mango habanero is on speed dial.

    The other close favorite is this Trinidadian one.

    I’ve made both of these and they are excellent.

    The clever part is using it to supercharge flavour into some otherwise ordinary meals like sandwiches.

    Plus its a fun process and offers a great deal of scope for creativity.

    His pro tip – almost always add a carrot!

  • Slow cooked Pulled Pork

    Slow cooked Pulled Pork

    My brother will do this every few months. Low and slow cook, the base recipe is here although he’s also used the spice pre-blend here which is convent if you can find something like it.

    As long as you’ve got the time this is super cheap, and freezes well and can turn up in everything from tacos to pasta during the week.

  • Chile Colorado

    Chile Colorado

    Chile Colorado is a Mexican-style beef stew I’d never even heard of before my brother told me about it. These are the long big batch cooks that my brother excels at. No need for fancy expensive cuts of meat, time and effort with the spices will get all the flavor for you.

    His base recipe is from Lemon Blossoms.

    From there is slow working the peppers into a marinade, which in turn becomes a sauce.

    Results? Spectacular.

    Yes, it has some heat, but you don’t have to go crazy.

    He tends to smash it straight into tacos with friends while watching the UFC.

    Tip add a can of Mexican Beans last 15 minutes. More flavour. Some Fibre.

    Screenshot