Kai Si Ming recipe

I've been in a total cooking funk lately so I turned to my friends for inspiration. One of them, Penny, told me about her magic one-pot dish that's frugal, low-grain, easy to make and the whole family enjoys. Kai Si Ming.

A bit of research online told me Kai Si Ming hit the NZ dinner scene sometime in the 60s, when recipes for it started popping up in women's magazines, Plunket newsletters and the like.

Kai Si Ming is an Asian-inspired (but still truly Kiwi) one-pot mince and rice dinner that you may remember from your childhood. I don't think it's a recipe my Mum cooked for us, although I definitely remember the Kiwi classic, Curried Sausages.

Anyway, long story short, I cooked Kai Si Ming earlier this week and the girls loved it. They ate the leftovers for breakfast another two mornings. Sophie especially loved trying to say "Kai Si Ming." It does have a nice ring to it.

The recipe I made was a mix of the one Penny had described, plus a few extra flavours I thought might be nice. (Feel free to mix up the vegetables, using whatever you have on hand, eg. broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, diced capsicum/bell pepper, etc.)

Ingredients

• 450g / 1 pound beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 2t curry powder
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 2 large stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1/4 head of cabbage, finely shredded or diced 
• 1/4c Basmati, Jasmine or plain white rice
• 3-3.5c liquid chicken stock
• 1t Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5T soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. In a large frying pan or saucepan, brown the mince until the fat starts to melt and then add in the onion.

2. Cook together, breaking up any clumps of mince and stirring occasionally, until the mince is cooked through and the onion has started to turn translucent.

3. Stir through the curry powder and cook for another minute.

4. Add in the carrot, celery, cabbage and rice and stir to coat in the curry powder.

5. Pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until everything is cooked through.

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Serve to your kids in a bowl and watch them wolf it down. This makes a large portion, enough to feed our family of five twice.

Budget breakdown

• 450g / 1 pound beef mince - NZD$5
• 1 onion - NZD$0.20
• 1/4 cabbage - NZD$0.50
• 2 carrots NZD - $0.50
• 2 sticks celery - NZD$0.20
• 1/4c rice - NZD$0.20
• 3.5c chicken stock - FREE if you make your own from scraps
• 1t Worcestershire sauce - NZD$0.10
• 1.5T soy sauce - NZD$0.30
• 2t curry powder - NZD$0.30

TOTAL - NZD$7.30 for two family-sized dinners.