Featured Image

LOW-SUGAR GRAPE JAM

   Making jam at home is easier than it is made out to be. I’d come across recipes in the past that went into detailed instructions about canning equipment and sterilizing jars..it completely threw me off. You don’t need any heavy-duty ‘canning equipment’ here, and I realized that sterilizing jars is just a clinical term… Read more »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

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 »

Featured Image

CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH RED PEPPER SAUCE

Fancy perking up your weeknight dinner? These cauliflower steaks just might be your answer. Substituting grains and meats for cauliflower seems to be all the rage right now, so I had to try my hand at it. You treat it exactly the way you would a piece of meat—say beef or chicken—seared on a hot… Read more »

Featured Image

BRAISED LEEKS WITH HORSE GRAM

Horse gram. I like them in salads. I usually don’t like bitter things (and hate matcha for this very reason), but horse gram I can get behind. Also a cool thing about horse gram – it retains its shape better than lentils (even after cooking), so you get a better ‘bite’ without having to undercook… Read more »

Featured Image

OVEN-DRIED TOMATO AND CORIANDER PESTO

  I always have a jar of pesto sitting in my refrigerator. It’s the perfect condiment to have around and can bring together meals in a snap – I use it in everything from soups, as a pasta sauce, roasting meats and vegetables with, and even stir a dollop into my ratatouille base (have you… Read more »

Featured Image

CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

How do I put this nicely? Although I have a ton of vegetarian recipes on here – actually coming to think of it, more so than ones that feature meat (how could I have let this happen?) – every time I cook something completely vegetarian I have this gnawing feeling at the back of my… Read more »