The meatballs, Köttbullar, are light, delicate and a real treat. They are best served in the traditional style, with potato purée, sweetened lingonberries and pressed cucumber. With this recipe, we never have to wait to go to IKEA to have Swedish meatballs It’s a great recipe and not too difficult to make.

Is this recipe authentic? The short answer is that there isn’t an authentic method. If you asked ten Swedes about making köttbullar you would get ten different answers. They would be similar for sure, but most Swedish cooks will have their own way and so will use a bit more or a bit less of this or that. Nonetheless, I think most Swedes would agree that these meatballs are pretty good.

Opinions about gräddsås (cream sauce) are even more divided. The recipe below is adapted from Vår Kok Bok (Sweden’s most popular cookery book) and is said to strike a good balance, but of course you can tweak it to suit your own preferences and still feel it is genuinely Swedish. Some add more cream, sometimes a lot more cream(!), and some add some white wine vinegar or a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly. Nonetheless, the gräddsås recipe below a good starting point.

Serve them the traditional way or serve them up the fine-dining way with pasta and asparagus.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Meatballs / Köttbullar

4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
4 tbsp milk or water
450 gms minced beef
2 tbsp grated or finely chopped onion
1 egg lightly beaten
2 whole allspice, crushed
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter, for frying

Cream sauce

300 ml hot water
1/2 to 1 beef stock cube
2 tbsp plain flour or all-purpose flour
100 ml milk or water
1/2 to 1 tsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp cream

Directions

For the Meatballs / Köttbullar

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and add 4 tablespoons of milk or water. Leave them to absorb the liquid for about 5 minutes.

Add the mince, grated onion, egg, allspice (optional) and seasoning. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until evenly mixed. Don’t over mix or the meatballs will be heavy.

Take a tablespoon of mixture and roll it until it is nice and round. (Rinse your hands in cold water if the mixture is too sticky.) Repeat until you have used up all the mixture, by which time you should have between 30 and 40 meatballs.

Heat a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium high heat until the butter stops sizzling. Fry half the meatballs, shaking the pan frequently when you first add them. When they are nicely browned, turn down the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and keep warm. Add another tablespoon of butter and fry the remaining meatballs in the same way.

The Sauce / Gräddsås

When the meatballs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the warm water and use it to scrape up all the meaty bits in the pan. Bring it up to the boil and let it simmer for a minute or two. Sieve the mixture into a saucepan, add the stock cube and stir until dissolved.

Mix the flour with the milk or water and stir until dissolved. Pour into the saucepan, whisking continuously as you do so. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and cream. Heat for another couple of minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. (Use a whisk if you like a little foam, as shown above. If you like lots of bubbles, use an immersion blender with the blade half in and half out of the sauce.) Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the meatballs with rårörda lingon, mashed potatoes, pressed cucumber and a light coating of the sauce. Pour the rest of the cream sauce into a jug for people to help themselves to if they want more.

Julköttbullar

For julköttbullar (Christmas meatballs) the breadcrumbs and milk/water are replaced with grated potato and cream and the onion is finely chopped and lightly fried first.

For a large party

For a large party, julköttbullar are normally cooked in an oven. Add the butter to a large pan and put it in a hot oven at 250°C until the butter is melted and a light brown colour. Add the julköttbullar and cook in the middle of the oven for 8-12 minutes until nicely browned, shaking the pan a few times to ensure that the balls are evenly browned.

650 gms medium lean ground beef
1/4 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 beef cube
1 tsp cayenne or chilli powder
2 tsp paprika powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 heaped tablespoon fried tomato paste or tomato puree
1 tablespoon Canola oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat Canola oil in a non-stick pan then fry the ground beef. Continuously turn them over using two spoons so that they don’t form lumps of meat. Keep frying until all the liquid is gone then add the minced onion and garlic. Fry on medium heat until fragrant then add the beef cube, paprika powder, cayenne or chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well and taste for salt.

Add the fried tomato paste or tomato puree and heat through.

Serve with romaine boats and fresh salsa.

INGREDIENTS

500 gms beef cut into 2.5cm x 2.5cm cubes

About 1kg potatoes
1/4 onion
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
2 Maggi beef cubes
1 litre water
1 small glass “white wine” (we use a non-alcoholic wine like Carl Jung)
1 cap sherry vinegar 1.5 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker and sauté the beef on medium to high heat. Move them around the pot so that they don’t stick and burn.

Cube the green pepper and onion and chop the garlic. When all the water is gone and the meat is browned, add the chopped ingredients and mix well. Let it cook slowly until fragrant and soft. Add the “wine” and sherry vinegar, tomato paste and paprika. Mix well and bring back to the boil.

Add the water, beef cubes and peppercorns. Mix well and close the pressure cooker. Pressure-cook for 20 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes about 2cm x 2cm. After 20 minutes when the meat is soft, open the pressure cooker and add the potatoes. Pressure-cook for 6 minutes.

Serve hot with bread. Don’t forget to “mash” the potatoes and the meat when eating!

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This is a Spanish tapa which originated from the Moors. Although originally made from cubes of lamb and grilled on a skewer, we make them with beef and pan fry to have as a main meal.

The next time we have a barbeque or are invited to one, I will try to make this. I’m pretty sure it’ll be a hit!

INGREDIENTS

600 gms stewing beef

For the marinade

For every 200 gms of meat:
1 large garlic
3/4 tsp smoked mild paprika or regular paprika
1/4 tsp smoked hot paprika
1/2 tsp oregano flakes
1/4 tsp thyme flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

For all the meat, add one cap of sherry vinegar
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cut the beef into cubes about 2 cm x 2 cm. Mince the garlic.

In a bowl, prepare the marinade by mixing all the marinade ingredients. Rub into the meat until well covered, place inside a ziploc bag and leave to marinade overnight. It may even be frozen until needed.

To pan fry, drizzle a little olive oil in a heavy pan and when hot, fry in small batches over high heat for around 2 minutes per batch.

To grill, put 3 to 4 pieces of the marinated meat on a half skewer.

Serve with salad, rice or bread as desired.

Whatever it is, every one has her own way of preparing it so it does not really matter if its a Malaysian dish or an Indonesian dish.

Its a very adaptable dish..when I want to eat it carb free, I omit the potatoes in the meat patties and of course the rice cakes or noodles.

One of the ingredients in this dish is ketupat or nasi impit (compressed rice cubes), you must make these the night before and keep in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken soup:
300 gms chicken bones
300 gms chicken breast
4 cm cinammon stick
1 star anise
2 cardamoms
10 black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp fennel powder
5 cm ginger, peeled and crushed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Maggi chicken cube
1 litre water

Beef patties:
300 gms potatoes (optional for low-carb)
300 gms low-fat minced beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg
4 tbsp fried onions
Spray oil for frying

300 gms bean sprouts
2-3 sprigs spring onions
2-3 springs flat celery if desired
Crispy fried onions
5-6 bird chillies
1 tbsp thick soya sauce
2 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the soup:
   Clean the chicken bones, remove any skin or fat. In a heavy pan, place all the ingredients and the chicken bones (not the chicken breast) and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking for 30 minutes until the soup tastes of all the flavours of the spices and the chicken. Add the chicken breast and cook again on the slow fire until the soup is clear again and the chicken breast is cooked. Remove chicken breast and let cool.
2. Prepare the beef patties (“pegedil”):
   If using potatoes in the beef patties, clean and boil them. When cool, peel and mash them in a bowl. Add the minced beef, fried shallots, salt and pepper and mix well. Lightly beat the egg in another bowl, add to the mixture and mix well. Heat a pan, spray with a little oil. Form small balls with about 2 tbsp of the mixture and then flatten to look like a burger. Cook on medium fire until both sides are well-done. Place in a serving dish.
3. Shred the cooked chicken breast following the natural grain of the chicken. Place in serving dish.
4. Cut the ketupat / nasi impit into cubes.
5. Wash the bean sprouts and tail them if necessary and blanch in boiling water. Drain and place in serving dish.
6. To prepare the hot chilli condiment, use a pestle and mortar to crush the bird chillies. Place in a small bowl and add the soya sauce and water.

To serve Aoto Ayam:

In a bowl, place a few pieces of ketupat, some beansprouts, beef patties and shredded chicken. Pour hot chicken soup over it generously, sprinkle some fried onions, spring onions and celery and top off with the spicy chilly condiment.

So I guess from now on, this is how we make Bolognese sauce for spaghetti Bolognese, lasagne or cannelloni.

450 gms 85% fat minced beef

1 stalk celery

1/2 medium-sized onion

3 cloves garlic

1 can stewed tomatoes

2 tsp oregano

salt to taste

Fry the minced beef till all the water is gone. Mince all the vegetables in food processor and add to the meat when all the water is gone.

Puree the stewed tomatoes and add to the pan when the vegetables are cooked. Add salt to taste and simmer till all the liquid is gone from the tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

450 gms beef (flank or top sirloin steak), thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Thumb-sized ginger, crushed
5 sticks spring onions, sliced diagonally (separate the white parts from the green)
Oil for stir-frying

Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
Slice the beef thinly across the grain. Mix the marinade and add to beef slices. Marinate beef for 15 minutes or longer. While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables.

Heat wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the beef in batches. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until it is nearly cooked. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels if desired.

Clean out the wok, saving saving any juices. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons oil to the wok. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry briefly and add the white part of the spring onions. Stir-fry briefly then return the beef to the wok. Mix well and stir in the green part of the spring onions. Serve hot with rice.

Goulash, originally from Hungary, is a stew or a soup, usually made with beef, red onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika powder. The name originates from the Hungarian gulyás (pronounced goo-yash), and means cattle stockman or herdsman.

Goulash is usually made with beef shank, shin or shoulder or veal and derives its thickness from tough, well-exercised muscles rich in collagen, which is converted to gelatin during the cooking process.

Meat is cut into chunks, seasoned with salt, and black pepper and then browned in a pot with oil or lard with sliced onions. Paprika, water or stock is added and left to simmer. After cooking a while garlic, caraway seeds or ground caraway seeds and even soup vegetables like carrot, parsnip, peppers like green pepper (or bell pepper), celery and a small tomato may be added. Other herbs and spices could also be added, especially hot chili peppers, bay leaf and thyme. Diced potatoes may be added, they provide starch as they cook, making the goulash thicker and smoother. A small amount of white wine or a very little wine vinegar can also be added near the end of cooking to round the taste.

Goulash may be served with thin soup pasta, made of a dough with flour and egg, thinly rolled out on a board. called csipetke. The name Csipetke comes from pinching small fingernail size bits out of the dough, (csip =pinch), adding them to the boiling soup.

More about Hungarian Goulash here.

There are may ways to prepare and eat goulash.

Our version is simple and uses local ingredients – in Malaysia we used to buy beef bones at the wet market. In Kuwait we use chuck steak. We also use a pressure cooker to cook the dish in under an hour.

We like to eat it with Fusilli pasta or a nice bread.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3 – 4

400 gms chuck steak

1/2 large onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 green pepper

1/2 can peeled or stewed tomatoes

4 – 5 guindilla (Spanish dried chillies)

1 small potato, cubed (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 – 2 tbsp sour cream (optional)

1 Maggi beef cube

1/2 litre water

olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Cut the steak into chunks of approximately 3cm by 3 cm. Chopped the onions, mince the garlic and cube the green peppers. Puree the canned tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in the pressure cooker and fry the beef until medium brown. Remove. Add a little more oil if necessary and when hot, saute the onions and garlic until they are translucent. Add the green peppers and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes.

Add the meat, pureed tomato, paprika powder, beef cube and water. Crush the dried chillies using your fingers and add them to the pot . Add salt to taste and pressure cook on medium heat for approximately 25 minutes. Check it make sure it doesn’t burn in the pressure cooker.

Add the cubed potatoes, if using them, and the marjoram. Let it simmer slowly until the meat and potatoes are tender. Alternatively, you can boil the potatoes separately and add them to the goulash when the beef is tender.

Fifteen minutes before serving, reheat the goulash and add the sour cream if using it. Just let it boil through and remove from heat.

Serve hot with pasta or bread.

 

Bolognese sauce made with 1/2 kg minced beef (See Spaghetti Bolognese)

9 lasagne leaves

Shredded Parmesan cheese

For the Béchamel:

3 – 4 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp flour

400 – 500 ml fresh or UHT milk

salt to taste

Prepare the Bolognese sauce first.

While the sauce is cooking you can pre-boil lasagne leaves according to instructions on the package. Drain and lay them flat on a plate so they don’t stick to each other.

Lay 3 lasagne leaves on the base of an over-proof casserole dish or Pyrex. Pour 1/2 of the Bolognese sauce and spread evenly over the leaves. Lay three more lasagne leaves and add the balance of the sauce. Lay the last 3 lasagne leaves.

Pre-heat over to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Prepare the Béchamel:

• Heat the butter over a medium fire and when melted, add the flour. Stir for approximately 5 minutes on a slow fire. DON’T LET IT TURN BROWN OR BURN.
• Add a little milk and stir. Keep adding the milk and stirring until a smooth consistency is achieved. You may need 400ml milk or more. Add some salt and remove from heat.

Pour the Béchamel over the lasagne leaves, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan and bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes until the cheese has turned golden brown.

This is a recipe for Satay given to me by my friend Aziah, who is a caterer and I’ve tried it and its better than any of the other recipes I’ve tried.

INGREDIENTS

1kg meat  e.g. beef tenderloin or chicken fillet
Thumb size fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
9 stalks lemon grass (slice 8 stalks diagonally, leave 1 stalk to be used for basting
½ teaspoon fennel powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Wooden skewers

DIRECTIONS

Blend the sliced ginger and lemongrass using a blender and add the fennel power, turmeric powder and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

Slice the meat in thin slices approximately 1” wide.

Put marinade and meat in a bowl and mix well. Marinade at least 5 hours in a covered dish in the fridge. Overnight is good.

Soak wooden skewers in water for a while so they don’t burn when you barbeque. Put the meat onto the skewers – do as though you are sewing with a needle.

Grill on a charcoal barbeque or electric grill plate.

Take the uncut stalk of lemon grass and lightly smash the thick end so that it looks like a brush. Put 2 – 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a small bowl and add some water to it. Dip the lemongrass “brush” into this mix and pat over the satay as it is grilling. Turn over when one side is cooked and pat with the water and oil mixture.

Serve with peanut sauce (called satay sauce), slices of cucumber and onion and cubes of ketupat (Malaysian rice-cakes).