Stokes Sauces: Curry & Chilli - for warming New Year flavours

Warming thoughts for 'chilli' nights

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

From the Philippines in the far east, across the continents of India, Arabia and Africa to the central and southern Americas, chillis are used to preserve, heat and flavour local foods from humble to high.

Chilli con Carne (or sin Carne) is one of the most popular chilli recipes - with or without meat - made by novice cooks in student halls to accomplished chefs in high street malls.

With Stokes Chilli Ketchup on the shelf, you're half way to a tasty bowl on a winter's eve.

Simmer everything in a beef or vegetable stock. Add chilli powder if you like it hotter or our Award-Winning Tomato Ketchup to highlight the sweeter notes of tomatoes and peppers.

With a good dollop of sour cream and a doorstop of buttered bread - oh boy, bring on the colder nights!

3 ways with Chilli

Huevos Rancheros

If you have never tried this Mexican breakfast dish, you really should. Its rustic simplicity gives a whole new meaning to free range eggs.

Here's how:

Soften a roughly chopped onion in a little oil for 5 minutes then add a grated clove of garlic, 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and a little ground cumin for 5 minutes more.

Now add a tin of chopped tomatoes and 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup and let it simmer for 20 minutes to reduce the liquid.

(TASTY TIP: to add a smoky warmth, use half and half Tomato and our amazing Chipotle Ketchup).

With the back of a spoon, make 4 egg-sized wells in the sauce, cracking an egg into each. The eggs will cook gently on the top but you might want to pop the pan under a hot grill to cook them through properly. Garnished with avocado and served on warmed tortillas it's a fresh approach to breakfast.

Smoky Pork Chilli

Cooked slowly, this chilli pork dish melts in your mouth releasing smokey heat from the Chipotle Ketchup.

Here's how:

Cut about 8 kg of pork shoulder steaks into 2 to 3 cm chunks and brown them in a casserole dish with a large chopped onion, 2 grated garlic cloves and 1 tsp of ground cumin.

Add 2 tbsp of flour, 4 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and 1 tin of rinsed, drained kidney beans. Mix everything together well then top the casserole up with beef stock to just cover the meat.

Bring it to a gentle simmer then, with the lid on, transfer the dish to a medium low oven for 2 hours, checking on the liquid from time to time.

Chilli Beef Curry

TOP TIP: our favourite combination of spices for an Indian-styled curry include equal amounts of the seeds of - cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom all ground in a pestle and mortar.

Make about 2 to 3 tsp of this to combine with 2 to 3 tsp of curry powder, adding a similar amount of garam masala towards the end of the cooking process - works every time.

Here's how:

Soften 2 roughly chopped onions in a large casserole dish then add about 800 kg of cubed rump steak.

Slice a couple of carrots into the pot and 3 red chillis. (TIP: cut a slice into each chilli to release the flavours but leave them whole. This way when you taste the curry, you can remove them before it gets too hot.)

Add 2 to 3 tsp of the ground spice and curry powder (as above), 1 inch of grated ginger and 3 grated garlic cloves. Now add 3 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Ketchup, 2 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 1 tin of chopped tomatoes.

Mix everything together and top it up with beef stock to just cover the meat. Lid on now and simmer gently 45 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in 2 to 3 tsp of garam masala and simmer without the lid for a further 15 minutes.

If you like things a little 'hotter'...