Brisket is a lovely, hearty, filling cut that oozes juices and absorbs flavours. Coated and seared with our hearty Meat Mix, and then left to simmer in juices along with beans…. Yummmm!

Brisket 1 kg
Meat Mix 3-4 tbsp
Neutral Oil 2-3 tbsp
Onion 1 large
(finely chopped)
Garlic 3-4 cloves
(finely chopped)
Bay Leaf 1-2
Beef Stock 2 cups
Crushed Tomatoes 1/2 cup
Canelli Beans 2 cans
(drained)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parsley (chopped – to garnish)

– Pat your brisket dry and generously rub on the Meat Mix.
– In a heavy bottomed skillet (I love my heavy duty cast iron pan), heat half the oil.
– Sear the meat till sealed and browned on all sides. (Add more oil if you need it.)
– Let the meat sit aside.
– In the same pan, add the remaining oil and cook the bay leaves, chopped onions and garlic till the onions are transparent and the mixture doesn’t smell “raw”.
– Put the cooked onions and garlic mix into your slow cooker.
– Sit the seared meat on the onion / garlic.
– Mix the crushed tomatoes and the stock and pour over the meat.
– Cover and cook in the slow cooker on High for about 6 hours.
(Try to resist the temptation to lift the lid, stir and inhale. You lose about an hour’s worth of heating every time you lift the lid and it slows the cooking process considerably.)
– After about 6 hours, lift the lid, stir and add the drained beans in.
– Mash in some of the beans to thicken the sauce and make it more creamy.
– Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
– Cover and leave aside for another hour or so.

Before serving, pull out the brisket and let sit – covered – for 10-15 minutes.
Slice into thick slabs with a sharp knife.

Serve on a bed of creamy mash or fluffy rice with the beans and sauce, with a side of slaw or some sharp micro-greens. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Ultimate winter comfort food!
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do 🙂

Kalpana xox

The post Slow Cooked Brisket w/ Home Made “Baked Beans” appeared first on Mixed Roots.

SEEKH KEBABS
Spiced Mince Skewers
Serves 4 as a main
Prep time: 1 hour / Cooking Time: 30 mins
Cooking Difficulty: Easy

THE KEBABS
*Mince 500 gms
Finely chopped onion 1 small
Fresh chopped coriander – small handful
Chopped Chilli (optional)
Mixed Roots Meat Mix – 1 heaped tsp
Spray can of oil.

Things to keep in mind –
Keep a bowl of warm water on hand.
If using bamboo skewers, ensure that you soak them for a couple of hours beforehand.
*We use a mix of beef & pork (our favourite), lamb or plain beef. It’s nice to use mince with a little bit of fat through it as ensures a moist and succulent kebab!

– Add all the ingredients into a bowl.
– With wet hands, mix well.
– Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
– Keep your hands wet and shape the meat onto the skewers.
– Try and keep the thickness of the kebabs as even as possible to ensure that they cook evenly.

Take a long sheet of cling film and spray lightly with the oil.
Lay down the skewers and spray lightly with the oil.
Cover with the cling film and put aside in the freezer for an hour, if possible (this makes it a lot easier when cooking on the BBQ!)

To Cook:
Heat BBQ to about 200 degrees.
Grill till evenly cooked on all sides and keep warm till ready to serve.

TO SERVE
Tortilla Wraps
(Warmed both sides to cook evenly)
Cucumber & Mint Raita
Salad greens of choice.
Pickled Red Onions

Spread some of the cucumber & mint raita on a warmed tortilla.
Top with salad greens and some pickled onions.
Remove the skewer from the kebab on put on the top of the salad.
Roll the tortilla and enjoy!

The post Seekh Kebabs appeared first on Mixed Roots.

Calling instant noodles “ramen” makes it sound oh so fancy! We love noodles of all sorts in our whare! These spicy & sticky pork balls hit all the right spots! Let me know if you make these and how you liked them 🙂

Don’t let the long list put you off; these are actually very, very easy to make. And even quicker to gobble up!!!

STICKY PORK BALLS WITH RAMEN & ASIAN STYLE SLAW
Serves 6 as a main
PREP TIME: 20 minutes / COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
DIFFICULTY: Medium

FOR THE PORK BALLS
Minced Pork 1 kg
Crushed garlic & ginger 1 tbsp
Spring Onion 1
(Chopped fine)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Pepper 1/4 tsp

FOR THE SAUCE
Neutral Oil 2 tbsp
Crushed Garlic 1 tsp
Pepper 1/4 tsp
Mixed Roots Masala Chai Honey 2 tbsp
Soy Sauce 4 tbsp
White Vinegar 2 tbsp
Water 1/4 cup
Cornflour 1 tsp

COOKING THE PORK BALLS
Keep a bowl of warm water to wet your hands throughout, so that the mixture doesn’t stick. It also ensures that the pork balls won’t crack (and therefore, split, when cooking).

With wet hands, mix the meat and other ingredients well.
Divide into equal portions and shape into balls. Keep aside on a plate that has been sprayed with oil to ensure that they don’t stick.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottled and deep pot.
While the oil is heating, mix the crushed garlic, Mixed Roots Masala Chai Honey, soya sauce, white vinegar and water. Pour slowly onto the cornflour while whisking to ensure there are no lumps.
Add this slurry slowly to the hot oil.
Using the whisk, stir till heated through.
Drop the pork balls in carefully.
Shake the pot to accommodate them all, being careful to not smash the pork balls.
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
Lift the lid, and ladle the sauce on all the balls to ensure they’re all covered with the sauce.
The steam and sauce will ensure that the meat is cooked through and have a depth of flavour.

ASIAN STYLED SLAW
Finely shredded – cabbage (green & purple) 1 cup
Finely cut – carrot, apple, cucumber 1/2 cup each
Chopped – coriander, mint & spring onion – a handful each

DRESSING
Oil 1/4 cup
Soy Sauce 1/4 cup
Vinegar 1/4 cup
Masala Chai Honey 2 tsp
Shake well till mixed.
Pour over the slaw vegetables.
Mix well till all the vegetables are well coated with the dressing.
Cover and refrigerate till using.
(This slaw keeps very well for at least a week and even seems to improve in flavour after a day or two!)

TO SERVE
Ramen / Egg Noodles – cooked as per packet instructions. (leave out the flavourings.)

Fill a noodle bowl 3/4 way with the cooked noodles. Ladle some of the sauce and mix to coat. Spoon a generous portion of the slaw. Top with the pork balls and spoon some more sauce to finish off.
Add sliced chillies if you like some heat!

$15.00Add to cart

The post Sticky Pork Balls w/ Ramen & Asian Slaw appeared first on Mixed Roots.

We’re making the most of warm autumn days. After the kids get home from school, we head over to Kaiteriteri – our favourite beach (which also happens to be one of the world’s most beautiful beaches!) A swim in the estuary or a walk to Kaka Point make for easy distractions, too!

Easy dinners are always on the menu, though! We’re loving these spiced mince skewers with fluffy tortillas, a cooling mint & cucumber raita, pickled red onions and lots of salad greens. (Feel free to leave out the tortillas and dip the kebabs into the yoghurt as a side – or even as a carb-free main meal…)

SEEKH KEBABS
Spiced Mince Skewers
Serves 4 as a main
Prep time: 1 hour / Cooking Time: 30 mins
Cooking Difficulty: Easy

THE KEBABS
*Mince 500 gms
Finely chopped onion 1 small
Fresh chopped coriander – small handful
Chopped Chilli (optional)
Mixed Roots Meat Mix – 1 heaped tsp
Spray can of oil.

Things to keep in mind –
Keep a bowl of warm water on hand.
If using bamboo skewers, ensure that you soak them for a couple of hours beforehand.
*We use a mix of beef & pork, lamb or plain beef. It’s nice to use mince with a little bit of fat through it as ensures a moist and succulent kebab!

Add all the ingredients into a bowl.
With wet hands, mix well.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions.
Keep your hands wet and shape the meat onto the skewers.
Try and keep the thickness of the kebabs as even as possible to ensure that they cook evenly.

Take a long sheet of cling film and spray lightly with the oil.
Lay down the skewers and spray lightly with the oil.
Cover with the cling film and put aside in the freezer for an hour, if possible (we did that this makes it a lot easier when cooking on the BBQ!)

To Cook:
Heat BBQ to about 200 degrees.
Grill till evenly cooked on all sides and keep warm till ready to serve.

TO SERVE
Tortilla Wraps
(Warmed both sides to cook evenly)
Cucumber & Mint Raita
Salad greens of choice.
Pickled Red Onions

Spread some of the cucumber & mint raita on a warmed tortilla.
Top with salad greens and some pickled onions.
Remove the skewer from the kebab on put on the top of the salad.
Roll the tortilla and enjoy!

Spread some of the cucumber & mint raita on a warmed tortilla.
Top with salad greens and some pickled onions.
Remove the skewer from the kebab on put on the top of the salad.
Roll the tortilla and enjoy!

$15.00Add to cart

The post Seekh Kebabs appeared first on Mixed Roots.

Mince 500 gms
Brown onions (chopped fine) 1 large
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Garlic Paste 1 tbsp
Crushed Tomatoes 400gm can
Hurry Curry Spice Blend 1 tsp
Frozen peas 1 cup
Chopped Coriander (stalks & all) – generous handful.
– reserve the leaves for the garnish and use the rest while cooking.
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsps
(or use 1tbsp each of oil & ghee)

Leave the peas to thaw in a bowl with hot water and leave aside.

– Heat the oil (and ghee, if using) in a heavy bottomed skillet till hot.
– Add the chopped onions and cook till transparent.
– Put the garlic paste and stir well.
– Keep cooking till the onions are well caramelised, taking care not to burn them.
– Put the tomatoes, ginger paste and the Hurry Curry spice blend and mix well.
– Throw in the chopped coriander as well, keeping some aside to add on top as garnish.
– When the tomatoes start shedding oil and the paste starts coming together, turning a rich terracotta red, add the mince and stir well.
– Once the mince is nearly cooked, put the drained peas and mix well.
– Sprinkle the garam masala and leave covered, with the heat turned off, till ready to eat / serve.

Garnish with remainder chopped coriander leaves just before serving.
Stir well to incorporate the garam masala and the fresh coriander leaves.

We love this with some fluffy rotis, pickled onions and rice. Really quick and easy, packed with flavour.
I use any mince I have on hand – beef, lamb and a combination of beef & pork. You could also use crumbled paneer or a plant based mince of choice.

(And, seeing the picture, can you tell lockdown cooking – we’re out of fresh coriander in the fridge here!!! We might need to venture out into the world again!!)

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