ORANGE CHICKEN SALAD

This is exactly what you think it is: Asian-style orange chicken, but served without the rice and instead fashioned into a scrummy salad. I air fried the chicken here, but you could just as easily get similar results (albeit with a bit more oil) with baking or pan-frying them.  Coat the chicken pieces (I like… Read more »

KIMCHI, TOFU & NORI FRIED RICE

I’ve been writing on here for more than 9 years now. Many things have changed and evolved along the way—priorities, methodologies, ideas—but one thing remains intact: I still forget to cook my rice. Just thought I’d point out that some things are still familiar around here. (A nifty trick – once the rice is cooked… Read more »

CHICKEN OATMEAL CONGEE

Eating a hot breakfast is a rarity in my world. It’s usually a cup of coffee and a banana (with a protein shake in hand) before I rush out the door with my toddler in tow. We do find time to make it a family affair on the weekends though, and for that I’m grateful…. Read more »

DATE BARK

Date barks are all the rage right now. It first made an appearance in a viral tiktok video (I think?) and soon started making its rounds on every food platform known to humankind. I saw it and instantly knew I had to try it. Some recipes are like that; you just know they’re going to… Read more »

CARAMELISED APPLE SALAD

Have some salad leaves wilting in the fridge? Here’s a good recipe to use it for. Don’t have salad leaves wilting in the fridge? Maybe buy some to try this recipe then? My solidly convincing arguments aside, this salad is so delicious and takes 15 mins from start (washing your lettuce) to finish (forking it… Read more »

PUMPKIN HUMMUS + SPICED BUTTER

  Pumpkin hummus. The usual crew: chickpeas, sesame (I use seeds; not store-bought tahini), lemon juice.  To dial up the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, we roast it in the oven until soft and yielding. Halve a whole head of garlic, wrap in foil, and add to the roasting tray along with the pumpkin. Once… Read more »

AIR FRYER PANKO FISH + MANGO SALSA

And as if on cue, I’m back with another seasonal mango recipe at the tail-end of mango season, when all you see on grocery shelves are varieties that are too sour to eat or popular ones past their prime. Which admittedly, is kind of the whole point of this dish. In an effort to prolong… Read more »

CHILLI OIL BROCCOLI & GREEN BEANS

When things are quiet around here it’s usually one of two things: I’m eating the same thing on repeat, or my 35-year-old body is giving out with toddler sleep regressions. Thankfully it’s the former this time around.  This is an easy side to make and it features heavily in our meal rotations. Even easier if… Read more »

PUMPKIN & FETA ORZO

I’m a creature of habit when it comes to pastas. I don’t do many meat versions either. (A vegetarian husband requires that my meat component is always on the side, and never in the pasta itself.) To make it into our regular meal rotations I make sure my pasta dishes follow these general rules. 1)… Read more »

BLUEBERRY & CHIA FILLED CHOCOLATES

I can count with one hand the number of times I’ve made a baked dessert this year. I don’t particularly enjoy tasks that involve precise measurements and temps (I find it counterintuitive to go down this path when I use cooking as a de-stress mechanism). Bunging things into a pan is my jam. This recipe… Read more »

Latest
  • TUNA AND CORN SALAD + DIJON DRESSING

        A fresh head of lettuce is a thing of beauty. The iceberg is what my local grocer usually stocks—and this usually suits me just fine for all my salad and sandwich needs—but I was lucky to find some green leaf lettuce, red leaf, and romaine earlier this week. Also, snow peas! SNOW PEAS…. Read more »

  • THAI CURRY PASTE

       Thai curry pastes usually fall into three main categories based on colour: red, yellow, and green. While the basic set of ingredients—shallots, ginger, garlic, galangal, coriander root, lemongrass, and shrimp paste—remains the same across all three, a few key variations give them their quintessential Thai flavour and colour. Green curry paste is made with… Read more »

  • MATCHA AND COCONUT OATMEAL

       Matcha seems to fit right into the polarizing foods category – something that’s often described to have an acquired taste for; a love-it or hate-it kind of ingredient. It’s bitter, smells like freshly cut grass, and has the texture of corn flour. Doesn’t sound too appealing, does it? I know, because I went from… Read more »

  • SHAKSHUKA WITH ROASTED BANANA PEPPERS

       Back in Uni, eggs for dinner was a standard end-of-the-month staple (as was cereal, but let’s not go there.) Hard-boiled and tossed with dried oregano, salt, and pepper, and piled high on what Nigella calls ‘plastic’ bread – the cheapest kind you can find. Needless to say, I can never eat eggs the same… Read more »

  • PRAWN & MANGO GINGER FRITTERS

      I’ve been really looking forward to sharing this recipe with you. It featured in the Diwali edition of Better Homes and Gardens, India last month along with some really innovative dishes from other bloggers. If you haven’t bought a copy yet, the last I checked, it’s still out on stands! The addition of mango… Read more »

  • SPICY HARISSA AND ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

      Soups are a great way of getting your veggies in. But you knew that already. But some soups, especially like this one here, can really pack it away. I make this at least once a week—albeit with different variations of vegetables and spices— bung them all on a tray, roast, blend, soup for days…. Read more »

  • SOBA NOODLES + GRILLED PRAWNS + PEANUT BUTTER DRESSING

      I didn’t know what to call this recipe (as you may have noticed). I’ve seen it been called a salad before, but it somehow gives the impression that it is to be eaten alongside something else, a side dish. On the other hand, a noodle dish is almost always in a hot sauce or… Read more »

  • HUNG YOGURT WITH ROASTED PLUMS & COCONUT

      Every time I have some extra yogurt that needs using up, hung yogurt is my go-to option. I know it’s something that takes a good few hours of ‘hanging’ time for most of the whey to seep out from it, but it’s a simple enough task to do before bedtime – tie up the… Read more »

  • KERALAN BEEF FRY

    Completely unrelated to what this post is about but I just have to ask: have you guys heard of aquafaba? It’s the water that beans and legumes like chickpeas have been soaked and/or cooked in (what we end up throwing out), that, did you know, has the miraculous ability to whip up into frothy peaks… Read more »

  • LAMB RAGOUT WITH CAULIFLOWER MASH

    My favourite meat of all time is lamb. Having said that, it’s come as a bit of a surprise to me that this is my first lamb dish on here. WHAT. I don’t know how that happened. I made this ragout for Father’s Day a few days ago and had to share this recipe. It’s… Read more »

  • DRIED FRUIT AND SEED BARS

      You know by the look of these bars that they are going to be good for you. There’s Medjool dates for sweetness (have you tried these? There are SO good. And sweeeet), freshly ground cinnamon for warmth, squidgy berries, and lots of seeds for my favourite part – the crunch. I went berserk at… Read more »

  • LYCHEE, THAI BASIL & GINGER MOJITO

          I was looking for cocktail recipes when I came across something. You know blue curaçao, that lurid blue syrup that bartenders add to drinks? Blue Lagoon, anyone? Turns out, ironically, that it is in fact a kind of orange liqueur from the island country of Curaçao (although now it is commonly sold under… Read more »

  • TURKISH STUFFED AUBERGINES (IMAM BAYILDI)

       Imam bayildi—literally translated to ‘imam fainted’—is a prominent dish from the Ottoman cuisine. Halved aubergines are roasted and their soft flesh scooped out and mixed with onions, garlic, tomatoes and a heady mix of spices before being stuffed back into their skins and baked. With plenty of olive oil. The recipe for these aubergine… Read more »

  • ROSE SODA

         Have you tried making flower syrups? Context: My friend and I volunteered at the Auroville café for a few weeks in 2015. Aside from their freshly baked goods and wholesome meals made with the freshest produce, they served fruit and flower syrups (mixed with water/soda water) : hibiscus, kumquat, lemon, ginger, sarsaparilla root, and… Read more »

  • OVERNIGHT OATS WITH SESAME BUTTER AND FIGS

      Overnight oats are so versatile. You bung the oats with some milk (any kind is fine and nut milks work really well too) and leave in the refrigerator overnight and voilà, breakfast sorted. I think we have found ourselves bang in the middle of this chia pudding/oat/smoothie bowl revolution and it’s not hard to… Read more »