What You Having For Your Tea?

TweetOne of my favourite Thai dishes is this deliciously flavourful curry. Pork mince could easily be relegated to quite a boring and cheap ingredient but when it’s incorporated into this spice laden sauce you would never dare call it boring. It’s spicy, but not ridiculous so if you dare add the 5 chillies then go for it.

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TweetThis Indonesian cold salad dish was absolutely amazing. A melange (good word!) of complex flavours that work in unison to create a dish that isn’t too much of anything – isn’t too sweet, too salty, to sour or too spicy. It’s an intricate blend of everything that leaves an overall taste that is perfectly balanced. It tastes fresh and healthy too which is quite something for Indonesian food as it can often feel a little, how do I say this tactfully? heart clogging. I’m also quite surprised just how well chicken and prawn work together – not two proteins you’d naturally put together, but they get along splendidly. Are you up for a different kind of salad?

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TweetI hate to sound like a bad TV chef, but tonight I just wanted something quick and easy. The thought of standing over a slow cooking pot didn’t appeal – chances are I would have eaten most of it before it cooked properly, so instead I opted for something relatively speedy. Chinese food is always good if you’re in a hurry to eat or sit down and this dish, as quick as it is to prepare doesn’t sacrifice anything on the taste front. I really love the smoky, nutty flavour of sesame and it’s very pronounced in this dish. Beautiful! I used some chicken winglets (the little bits from the base of the wing that look like mini-drumsticks – I get them from a very loud Chinese man at Sydney’s Paddy’s Market – he is incapable of giving me the specific amount I ask for and is always about 200g over. I not so secretly know he does it on purpose, but his cheerful barking voice and beaming smile win me over every time. The trouble is I always eat the extra 200g myself…

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TweetOnce again, for the third time in as many months, I have a cold! It’s annoying me greatly. I’ve been overdosing on vitamin C all day in an attempt to stave off the worst of it and for dinner I wanted something to get the blood racing – healing food with lots of ginger and garlic normally do the trick and a bit of spice never did anyone any harm. So this Goan vindaloo was a real knockout. Lovely, sweet and spicy in flavour with a vibrant and inviting glossy gravy. It really cheered me up if nothing else – which is half the battle when you’re feeling a little sorry for yourself. The good thing too, is that this curry is pretty easy to make – something I was pretty glad of today. More time left for the sofa in front of trashy TV wrapped in a duvet.

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TweetWords fail me! After a week of trying to cook fish (none of which made the final cut for the blog!) I gave it a final try tonight with this Vietnamese dish. Thank god I gave it another night. This was sublime – I kid you not, it was superb. The marinade for the fish is splendid – a peppery, spicy dream come true. It was amazing – I chose a whole snapper from the supermarket – it was cheaper than meat which is quite something, and it really delivered in taste, texture and freshness. There was very little I could find with this meal that I didn’t like. The only thing would be that it took too long to get to the table, and the fact that I couldn’t finish the whole thing (Which is a very rare event in itself!). Give it a try – you won’t be disappointed!

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TweetI’m constantly amazed just how splendid Southern Indian and Sri Lankan food can be. The freshness and tastiness of their seafood dishes is quite unlike any other place on earth. What makes this dish so great is that it’s very quick and simple to prepare. There’s not complex paste to create, no marination – it’s all done within 10 minutes! Don’t let the short cooking time fool you into thinking this dish doesn’t deliver in flavour either – it’s simply brimming over with taste! One of the highlights of the year so far!

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TweetThis is quite a simple little dish which I made to accompany a barbecue this evening. I made it at the last minute and I’m so glad that I did. It works excellently with red meat, but also it was amazing with the boiled potatoes I also served. It packed a tasty little punch of spice too, but this can be toned up or down depending on the types of chilli you use. I used the most explosive Indian green chillis which used in moderation (ie one!) are just fine. Try it, it’s really good.

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TweetI absolutely love this way to prepare potatoes. I know it’s not the healthiest way to eat them, but I firmly believe it’s better than eating a bag of chips. It’s way more refined too. The creamy, garlicky flavours are out of this world. I’d be happy with a bowl of this to myself without anything else. In-fact, I think I’ve done that at some point. I did make up for the less-than-healthy-serving by accompanying with a huge bowl of vegetables – quite a memorable dinner.

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TweetAfter a day in the sun I was feeling all Mediterranean. This called for something healthy and delicious – nobody does this better than the Greeks. I’d already bought a bag of super fresh prawns that morning, which I had planned on making into a delicious curry of some description, but I abandoned that in favour of one of my favourite Greek dishes, prawn saganaki. Prawns in a simple tomato sauce topped with sharp, salty feta cheese. It’s so simple to prepare and just excellent on a warm winter’s evening like we were having in Sydney. We even cracked open a bottle of retsina in celebration. Opa!

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TweetThis is the second vegetarian meal I’ve eaten this week! Now, it’s not on moral grounds so don’t think I’m going all new-world, more on taste grounds. I’m a big fan of mushrooms (who isn’t) and tried this on a recommendation from a friend. I fiddled with the recipe to make it even more tasty by adding more fresh herbs and cheese than the original recipe and the drizzle of truffle oil at the end is just me showing off, but it does tip the dish over and into the extremely tasty threshold. It’s the meal that keeps on giving in taste. I had planned to have some for lunch the following day, but as usual my greedy nature meant I ate it all in one sitting. Are you as big a fan of mushrooms as me?

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TweetHere’s a great way to serve cauliflower. I always remember it from my childhood as being slightly mushy and bland and always secretly dreaded it – I have since learned that it doesn’t need to be cooked for 55 minutes on a rapid boil (sorry mother), so a whole new cauliflower world has presented itself to me. This Spanish recipe really brings it to life. The sweetness of the dressing permeates the smooth, almost buttery texture and flavour of the cauliflower to create a much more memorable taste. It’s simple and delicious – two of my favourite words. You think this might convert you to cauli?

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TweetAs terrible as this dish sounds, it is in fact quite a revelation! My other half, Brendan came back from the Philippines from a cheap dentistry holiday (I joke not), raving about the crab fat rice he’s been gorging on. The dish is made using crab roe from a jar (or crab paste as it’s named) to lend a unique flavour and colour to the rice – I had been informed that it was “Out of control delicious.” I had been kind of enthusiastic about trying it at first, but then conveniently forgot about it for two years. Recently, on rediscovering the Filipino crab paste in the back of my cupboard, my curiosity got the better of me, mainly as I wanted to stop Brendan harping on about it. Wouldn’t you know, it was amazingly full of flavour and quite delicious. As weird as Filipino food is, this is pretty damn delicious. Give it a try, I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

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TweetI’m constantly amazed just how splendid Southern Indian and Sri Lankan food can be. The freshness and tastiness of their seafood dishes is quite unlike any other place on earth. What makes this dish so great is that it’s very quick and simple to prepare. There’s not complex paste to create, no marination – it’s all done within 10 minutes! Don’t let the short cooking time fool you into thinking this dish doesn’t deliver in flavour either – it’s simply brimming over with taste! One of the highlights of the year so far!

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