SNAG curry

Now before you gasp in complete horror, I have not cooked up members of the Society of North America Goldsmiths, or for that matter a Sensitive New Age Guy. I'm talking about snags...the kind we throw on the barbie, wrap in sliced bread, and slather in tomato sauce. The Australian term for a sausage. Wikipedia explains it as: In Australia and New Zealand, a snag is a link sausage, a snarler, a British banger, a brat or a sausage.

Whilst I endeavour to occasionally make my own sausages, sometimes it's more convenient to purchase the "plastic" variety at the supermarkets. Tasteless, full of fat and whatever offal they can find to throw into them.

So, after making a decision this weekend to start using up the supplies I have in my freezer, in preference to choosing a dish, then going out to buy the ingredients for, I uncovered a tray of "snags", a very large tray. to boot. I couldn't bring myself to grill them or BBQ them, they had to be disguised in a big way.

These fellas were off to a masquerade party.

I didn't really follow any set recipe, but I'll try to recreate what I did in a roundabout way.

1.5 - 2 kg (approx) of beef sausages
1 onion, sliced in half rings
4 cloves of minced garlic (or to your taste)
Small piece of minced ginger (or one heaped teaspoon of preminced ginger from a jar)
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder (depends on your taste again)
1 heaped tsp turmeric
I heaped tsp of garam masala (I use a unique South African mix that my girlfriend has shipped over) but any garam masala would be OK.
1 440 gm tin of tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of beef stock
Splash of soy sauce
Coriander leaves for garnish.

Boil the sausages in a large pot of water for 7-8 minutes (you could add the turmeric to the water if you wish, I added it later)

Drain and keep aside.

Fry onion till golden brown, add tin of tomatoes and cook for about 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and ginger.

In a large pot fry off your spices (coriander, chilli, garam masala and turmeric if you haven't already added it to the water for boiling the snags in)

Slice up your sausages into 1/2 inch pieces, and add to spices, stirring to coat. Add the tomato and onion mixture and mix well.

Add the beef stock and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.

Finally add a splash of soy sauce and season with salt and pepper (do a taste test, it may not need any)

Serve on a bed of mashed potato and sprinkle with finely sliced corrander leaves

NOTE TO SELF - write down your *%@# passwords

I've been really ignoring you blog, not intentionally, just through my own lack of organisational skills. You see, I forgot my logon and password, and even though I made several half hearted attempts to remember it in the past few months, I thought "what's the point?", nobody reads it anyway. But today I have time on my hands, for a change, and I actually DID remember your logon.

I'll fill you in on what's been happening in the last 5 or so months. Lots of cooking of course, but a memorable moment was being introduced to Bunny Chow by my dear friend Yogie from South Africa, now residing in Australia. Bunny Chow is a loaf of bread, with the middle scooped out, and filled with a curry of any type. Yogie's curries are notoriously hot, hot, hot due to her Indian ancestry, but for the sake of avoiding tongue transplants, I need to tame mine down a bit to suit the family. When I first witnessed a couple eating one of Yogie's Bunny Chows, the guy had beads of perspiration pouring out of his forehead and his face was as red as a tomato. I thought he was going to breath flames.

Any shape loaf can be used, but I made a round pipe loaf for my first attempt at a Bunny.

Any favourite curry recipe can be used, but a lamb curry is preferable.

This is one from Recipezaar #27864

BUNNY CHOW CURRY
700 gms or 1.5 lb diced lamb or chicken, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pod
1 10 cm or 2" cinnamon stick
10 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 1/2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 green chile pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons corriander powder
1 teaspoon cayene pepper (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/3 cup plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro/corriander leaves
Salt

Heat oil in large pan; add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves.
When leaves begin to sizzle and fragrance starts to release, add onions and saute until light golden, about 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the ginger paste, garlic, chile pepper, and lamb.
Season the lamb with salt; continue cooking, stirring mix, for about 20 minutes more, adding a little water if necessary to keep food from sticking.
Add turmeric, coriander powder, cayenne, and garam masala; stir for 5 minutes, adding 2 tbsp water.
Add diced tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Then add 4 cups of water and simmer for 15 minutes, or until meat is getting tender.
Lower heat.
Whisk the yogurt with a fork; and add to the pot slowly.
Then cook until meat is done to your liking and sauce is thickened. Slice pipe loaf in half and scoop out inside. Reserve this part for dipping. Add curry and garnish with fresh coriander.