You have been evicted.
The offender in question was a rib of beef that had been languishing in the freezer for longer than intended. You see, roasts don’t get much of a look in round these parts (I know, call myself English? Tut tut).
Read moreHot and sour soup
A trip down memory lane.
Round these parts, when illness strikes of the cold and flu variety, the first thing my mind turns to is soup. Nope, not chicken soup (though I am partial to a good chook broth) but aromatic, zingy, spicy Thai soups.
Read moreBeef bo kho
A sexed up stew.
As the cold snap continues it seems only right that I continue with some not so cold snap. See what I did there? Sorry, it’s the chill, it’s getting to me.
Read moreDhal soup and prawn skewers
A souper New Year.
For the third issue of Superfood Magazine I was asked to come up with six soup recipes, dishes to warm your wintery cockles and that put a spring in your step, and this was one I just had to include.
Read moreBeetroot falafel
Super superfoods.
I was super excited when I was recently asked by a publishing company to create, style and shoot six everyday superfood recipes for a new book they were producing.
Read moreFragrant stir fried lamb
New ways with lamb.
I’m fairly new to cooking lamb Chinese style at home. Beef and chicken are my go-to meats of choice for stir fries, but lamb makes a tasty change, especially with white pepper and fresh coriander root.
Read moreSpicy beef wontons
A must-have Chinese ingredient.
There used to be a little dim sum shop in my home city that I liked going to after work sometimes. I was young and too self conscious to eat on my own in restaurants, so I’d drag whoever I could get to come with me from the office and order a basket of the spicy beef dumplings and scoff them down, trying to remember to share them.
Read moreVeggie noodle stir fry
A julienne peeler is an ace little kitchen gadget.
Much cheaper than a spiralizer, less washing up than a food processor, and safer than oh-so-dangerous feeling mandolin. Said peeler will set you back just a few quid, and if you can’t find one in your local supermarket or kitchen shop, try eBay or Amazon. But enough of my sales pitch.
Read morePersian pulled lamb
Pig isn’t the only meat you can pull.
Some ingredients have magical properties, the ability to change a dish completely. Like smoked paprika, a pinch of saffron, a chunk of chocolate, a sprinkling of truffle salt or a zingy preserved lemon (or two), though obviously not all at once. That’d be dinner disaster.
Read moreSeared lamb leg and herb salad
Thrifty lamb leg steaks make a delicious meal.
And they’re quick to cook, unlike roasting a leg of lamb — though far be it for me to try to separate anyone from their Sunday dinner.
Read moreKeema aloo
It’s obviously dead easy to call in a takeaway when you’re short on time.
Especially when you’ve got a craving for Indian food, which I always think of as taking a while to prepare. But, spending a little time making your own Indian spice blend means you can easily and quickly put together family friendly dishes, even in the middle of weeknight madness.
Read moreLarb gai — minced chicken salad
In pursuit of perfection.
This is my favourite Thai salad. I love it more than the seared beef noodle one and more than the green papaya one, which means it is utterly delicious.
Read moreChick pea fritters with coconut riata
A veggie breakthrough.
I eat a lot of green dishes through the week, but for some reason few of them manage to make it to the blog. Determined to put a stop to this seemingly anti-vegetarianism, I need to break the cycle with a meat-free main — cue this hearty and healthy creation.
Read morePotato and pea samosas with coriander and cucumber raita
Some flavours are hard to forget.
It was the autumn of 2004 and me, my boyfriend at the time and some of our friends were on an Indian adventure.
Instead of seeing friends off on their round the world traveling mission here in blighty, we decided to accompany them on the first leg of their journey — kicking off in Goa.
Read moreSous vide sticky Asian pork cheeks
Hey there sweet cheeks.
Rich, sticky, unctuous, thrifty. Sous vide pork cheeks are a thing of absolute delight.
Read more
Minced Chinese chicken in lettuce cups
Many moons ago I lived in a rough and ready part of town.
What it lacked in beauty it more than made up for in spirit and food, and there I got to experience flavours from far flung places like Jamaica, Kurdistan and Pakistan.
Read moreCrispy coconut prawns with sriracha mayo and kaffir lime salt
Pimped up panko.
It is the breadcrumb of kings, make no mistake. Unadulterated it is crispy perfection, but it also mixes brilliantly with many other ingredients to create more interesting coatings.
Read more
Sous vide Thai beef cheek noodle salad
A fashionable cut that’s still affordable.
The beautiful beef cheek lends itself to long, gentle cooking, and is a thing of majesty when slow cooked or casseroled. Add either some beer or wine, stock and vegetables and you can easily create winter one-pot dishes of delight on a budget.
Read more
Vietnamese prawn summer rolls with peanut satay
Meet the more virtuous cousin of the pancake roll.
Unlike the crispy skinned, deep fried deliciousness of the Chinese spring roll, Vietnamese summer rolls are super light and healthy, crammed with great textures and fresh Asian flavours that take no time at all to prepare and leave you feeling guilt free.
Read moreBraised Thai belly pork with crispy crackling
Thailand is a magical place.
I’ve many great memories from my visits there over the last 10 years. Of course I love the sunshine, white beaches and crazy but laid back vibe, but it’s the food that holds the biggest draw.
Read more