This might be the first time you’re hearing the words sweet potato starch noodles, but I promise it won’t be the last. Japchae is one of those dishes that has no business being as good as it is—slippery glass noodles tangled with veg, a savoury-sweet sauce that hits every corner of your palate, and enough… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Mexican bean toasts aka molletes. Molletes are open-faced sandwiches with a bean mash, cheese, and a zingy pico de gallo for freshness and balance. They’re traditionally made with black beans but I’ve used kidney beans (rajma) here. The mash itself is pretty straight forward – sautéed onions and garlic, spices, and cooked beans. For some… Read more »
‘Lighter’ for a few reasons: for starters this dhal makhani contains no cream, and only a quarter the amount of butter that’d typically go into it. Traditionally, the dhal is cooked separately with water and added to a base of onions, tomatoes, and spices. Simmered over a low heat, it’s then finished with (copious amounts… Read more »
Soft scrambled eggs and crispy garlic bits are my favourite additions to fried rice. If you buy and stock garlic granules by the pound like this alliomaniac writing the recipe, use that by all means. (A word! For the garlic obsessed!) Don’t worry if you don’t though – I’ve put instructions below for how you… Read more »
My Thai basil plant has gone rogue. It won’t stop sprouting new leaves every day and—as was to be expected—regular pruning has only made it more hardy and prolific. It sounds like I’m whingeing about it, and I kinda am, but that’s only because I can’t think up enough ways to cook with it; it’s… Read more »
Just learned that the phrase ‘easy as pie’ refers to how easy it is to eat pie, and not how easy it is to make one. Thank god for that minor clarification, the world makes sense again. Not that making a pie (quiche in this case) is hard, but it’s admittedly not as easy as… Read more »
Caramelized onions are made to sound way harder to make than they actually are. Sure, they take a bit of time to cook down and become jammy, but other than the occasional stirring, there’s really not much effort that goes into it. A few key things to remember and you’re good to go – start… Read more »
Writing out this recipe was not fun. There are four different components here and although the instructions under each read “add all the ingredients to a bowl and toss”, it required a bit of uncharacteristic patience on my part to type out. The irony, since the dish itself comes together so easily. Start with the… Read more »
Salads for dinner. I’m all for it. We’re not talking lettuce heavy, wimpy salads. We’re talking big, bulked up salads: seasonal fruit, meat, punchy dressing, the whole shebang. A salad that can double as a meal in itself. And that can only happen (for me) if there’s enough substance in here to qualify that. A… Read more »
It’s been a hot minute since I posted a recipe on here that doesn’t include mushrooms, spinach and eggs. Clearly breaking my own rules so I’m here to promptly correct that. Baking eggs this way somehow seems to transcend the whole ‘eggs are breakfast’ mindset. Or so I’ve gathered from conversations. (We eat salads for… Read more »
I’ve noticed in conversation that when I say “I made ricotta”, people think it’s a lot more complicated than making paneer. Here’s the deal. Paneer is made by boiling milk and breaking it with some kind of acid (yogurt/lemon juice/vinegar). The resulting curds are then drained and what you’re left with is paneer. Ricotta is… Read more »
