D.I.Y. Sweet Chili Sauce

Been meaning to put this one up for a while now, just haven't gotten around to making it myself! So just like everything else, the real thing is completely different and a hell of a lot better than what you'll buy in the shop, and making it is really simple + easy.

Ingredients are:

2-4 Red Chilies

3 Coriander Roots + few leaves to garnish at the end with

4 Cloves of Garlic

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 a Cup of Coconut Vinegar

1/2 a Cup of Water

1 Cup of White Sugar (or Castor Sugar)

1 Tbsp of Fish Sauce

First off, stick the chilies, coriander root, garlic + salt, all chopped up, into the mortar and pound it up a bit, doesn't have to be a paste, but mashed up a fair bit. I use 1-2 big red chilies for the flavor and 2 small chilies for a bit of heat. Be sure to wash the coriander roots, and scrape them a bit with the knife to get off some of the furry shit on the outside.

Then, stick this in a saucepan, and add the sugar, coconut vinegar and water and put over medium/high heat. Stir it regularly, to stop the sugar from burning on the bottom. Bring it to a light boil, and then let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring as you go. Can always leave it a bit longer if you feel it needs it, but don't expect it to get anywhere near the texture of "sweet chili sauce" you buy in the shops. It'll still be pretty much water consistency when you're done, the way it should be.

Take it off the heat, and add the tablespoon of fish sauce. Might need to stir it for the first minute or two, just to make sure that it doesn't burn on the bottom, and then leave it for a while. If you're making it to use straight after, chop up some coriander and add it in just before you serve, otherwise just wait until it's cool, add it in and stick it in whatever airtight jar you got. Vinegar - it'll keep, might wanna keep it in the fridge just to be safe but up to you. I usually go through it within a couple of weeks of making it, so never tried keeping it for a long time, so I don't know if the coriander leaves will cause any problems being stored for ages? Anyone got a clue on that one? Will the vinegar stop them from killing your family?

And there you have the best friggen sweet chili sauce you'll ever have. It's delicious. Let me know how it goes!

~Sydes

Wings with Vanilla Coke Barbecue Sauce.

A little recipe inspired by the Superbowl and all things Americana. 

Because chicken wings are so cheap (like me), I dare say you can make this to serve four people for less than $15.

Ingredients.

The Chicken;

2kg Chicken Wings

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil.

The Sauce;

2L Vanilla Coke.

1 cup Ketchup

2tbs Honey Mustard

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar.

Salt and Pepper

Juice of 1/2 Lime.

Method.

Prepare the chicken wings by cutting them at each joint and discarding the wing tips as they do not yield much meat. 

In a bowl, season the wings with S&P and olive oil and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight (or whatever time you can spare).

For the sauce, pour the vanilla coke into a large stock pot and boil until the coke has reduced to around two cups.

Add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar and reduce the heat to a light simmer. Whisk until the ingredients are combined thoroughly and season the sauce depending on your preferences for sweetness, sourness or saltiness.   

When sauce is ready, transfer around one and a half cups of the sauce to the marinated wings, and marinate for a further half hour. 

Preheat the oven to 230 C, and place wings snuggly on baking trays (with baking paper) that  have been lightly oiled.

Cook for 20mins and turn wings over and cook for another 10-15mins.

Once the wings have been cooked, transfer them to the rest of the BBQ sauce and serve with a tree's worth of serviettes.

    

Better latte than never

Brisbane. It’s fair to say the long forgotten younger sibling to Melbourne and Sydney has had its fair share of criticisms. Cries of ‘just a big country town’ and ‘unsophisticated backwater’ have been heard across the southern states for decades. That is, until now.

Finally, it appears Brisbane has come into its own. Can Do Campbell steadfastly believes we are the next ‘World City’, whatever that might be. And most importantly, it seems great coffee has well and truly arrived in Brisbane.

Across Brisbane, excellent cafés, coffee carts, holes in the wall and independent roasters have seemed to sprout up everywhere, producing a veritable plantation of coffee institutions to discover.

Of course, when one thinks of coffee in Brisbane, thoughts immediately track to the big names such as Merlo, Di Bella and the multitude of chain cafes that seem to multiply like antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

However, if you’d like to detour a little way from the well-worn pedestrian coffee thoroughfares, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

First on the list is possibly my favourite café in town, Dandelion and Driftwood. A relative newcomer to the Brisbane coffee scene, this Melbourne ex-pat offers up one of the most delicious coffee brews in Brisbane in idyllic surroundings on the Northside of Brisbane. Located at 45 Gerler Road, Hendra, customers can choose from several constantly evolving single-origin or blend varieties as well as several brewing styles. Ranging from traditional espresso to French Press and Kamex filters, it is not hard to see why Dandelion and Driftwood has attracted a loyal following of coffee connoisseur’s through its short history in Brisbane.

A little closer to home for many of us lies Cup Coffee at West End. Serving up further single-origin options and their own 5-star blend, Cup Coffee appears a true contender for Best Brisbane coffee. While recent visits have offered varying quality and taste, when it’s good, it’s really good.

Nearby lies Blackstar Coffee, which undoubtedly serves up Brisbane’s best iced coffee. Brewed on site in recycled beer bottles, the coffee is strong and flavoursome, the perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer’s day.

Finally, the old favourite, Campo’s coffee at James Street deserves a mention. One of the most dependable and high-quality coffees going around, they too roast their own beans on-site offering both single-origin and blend options. Also a migrant from southern Australia (NSW this time), Campo’s must be regarded as one of the finer coffee spots in Brisbane, if not for the coffee, then at least for the ever-changing and ever-enticing menu.