These flavoursome dishes are warming and fragrant, and make a lovely change to the more well known Indian curries that are so familiar. Tom yum is a delicious hot-and-sour broth, with a strong note of lemongrass, and makes a great starter. The curries are rich, creamy and tasty; Khmer curry, a dish from Cambodia, is aromatic and mild, while Massaman curry is a Thai take on a dish of Muslim origin, and is rich and warming. Nasi Lemak is essentially a Malaysian coconut rice, and is a perfect side dish for either curry.
16 raw king prawns 4 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn 2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 4 and crushed. (or 4 tsp lemongrass paste) 2 slices galangal or ginger. 2 red chillies, whole but pierced at intervals with the tip of your knife. 2 cloves garlic, just lightly crushed. 1 tbsp tomato puree. 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar) Juice of a lime 3 tbsp fish sauce Handful of fresh coriander or thai basil to garnish (optional)
In a pan, heat 1 litre of fresh chicken or shellfish stock (if you can get shell-on prawns, use the shells!). Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, garlic, chilli and galangal/ginger. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and prawns and cook through until the prawns are pink, then take off the heat and stir in the sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Taste for seasoning, and then pour into bowls. Garnish with coriander or basil and serve immediately. Variations: You can use grilled chicken instead of prawns, making Tom Yum Gai. Add greens such as bok choi or spinach for a fresh, healthy take. Rice noodles cooked in at the last minute make this into a lovely light lunch. Substitute roughly half the stock with coconut milk, making Tom Kha soup - best with chicken.
Curry paste:
Curry:
1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cloves Vegetable oil, for frying 4 shallots, peeled and chopped 2.5cm piece of galangal, peeled and chopped 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and chopped 3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped 4 tbsp chilli paste 1 tsp shrimp paste Small handful of coriander stalks.
1kg stewing steak Salt and pepper 4 shallots, peeled and sliced 400ml coconut milk 1-1.2 litres beef stock 1 potato, peeled and diced 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp palm sugar 1 tbsp tamarind paste 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick 4 tbsp roasted peanuts to garnish Small handful of coriander to garnish.
Place a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds and the cloves for 2 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside. Place a wok over a medium heat and heat two tablespoons of oil. Lightly fry the shallots, garlic, galangal and lemongrass for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Place the toasted spices and fried flavourings into a blender or a mortar and pestle. Add the remaining curry paste ingredients and blend or mash until smooth. Cut the stewing steak into 2cm chunks and season. Brown the meat in 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok – you may need to do this in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds until slightly caramelized. Add the curry paste and fry for two minutes or until golden brown. Pour in the coconut milk and mix well, allow it to reduce by a third then pour in the beef stock. Return the beef to the pan and add the potatoes, then add the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the beef is tender. You can add extra stock if the sauce looks too thick. When it is ready to serve, spoon into a warm bowl and garnish with the peanuts and coriander leaves. Really good made the day before, or with lamb instead of beef.
400ml coconut milk 1 tbsp chilli paste 1 tsp shrimp paste 4-6 tbsp lemongrass paste 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp palm sugar, plus an extra pinch. 1 tsp curry powder, plus an extra pinch 2 star anise 1 tsp ground cinnamon plus an extra pinch ½ tsp ground coriander
2 kaffir lime leaves 1.5 litres chicken stock infused with galangal, garlic and chilli. 450g chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into large dice. Vegetable oil, for cooking Pinch of chilli powder Pinch of salt 200g thai baby aubergines, quartered, or the same amount of regular aubergine cut into large chunks.
In a pan, reduce the coconut milk by half. Add the chilli, shrimp and lemongrass pastes and fish sauce, and stir well. Add the palm sugar, curry powder, star anise, ground cinnamon and ground coriander and lime leaves and mix again. Cook gently for a few minutes to infuse. In a separate saucepan, simmer the chicken stock infused with galangal, garlic and chilli. Place the chicken into the stock and poach for 8-10 minutes. In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sautĂŠ the pumpkin with a pinch each of ground cinnamon, curry powder, chilli powder, sugar and salt for a few minutes until golden. Remove and set aside. Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and stir-fry the aubergine for a few minutes until golden. Pour enough chicken stock over the coconut milk reduction to cover (about 200ml) then add the pumpkin and cook. Heat gently for a further 10-12 minutes, adding a touch more chicken stock to loosen, if necessary. Add the chicken pieces and aubergine and cook for a further 4-5 minutes to heat through. Can be served without the chicken as a nice vegetable side-dish.
300g uncooked basmati rice 2 pandan leaves, tied (optional) 100ml coconut milk 400ml water 1 shallot, peeled and sliced 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed and bashed A generous pinch of salt
Rinse the rice well in cold water until the water runs clear. Place it in a saucepan with the pandan leaves, if you can get hold of them, coconut milk, water, shallot, ginger, lemongrass and salt. Stir together, then bring to the boil and reduce the heat immediately. Cover with foil and simmer very gently for 8-10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a few minutes. You can make a garnish, if you want to serve the dish the traditional Malaysian way: 16 anchovy fillets in oil 4 eggs 60g peanuts vegetable oil, for deep-frying ½ a cucumber, diced
Heat the oven to 180oC/Fan 160oC/Gas. Arrange the anchovy fillets for the garnish on a non-stick baking tray, place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until dry and firm. For the soft-boiled eggs, place a small saucepan on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Gently lower in the eggs and cook for 6 minutes. Immediately remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place into ice-cold water to stop them cooking further. To prepare the peanuts, deep-fry in hot oil for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Drain and remove, then set aside. When the rice is ready, spoon onto a plate and add the garnish.
The recipes in this section are fresh and summery. They are made for lazy days sat on a grassy bank, under some rustling trees; dappled sun on your picnic rug, a groaning wicker basket set down nearby. Some homemade lemonade, Pimm’s with all the trimmings, or even a bottle of bubbly for special occasions, would finish it off perfectly
For the pastry: 400g plain flour, plus extra to dust 200g butter, cut into pieces a pinch of salt
Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and mix lightly. Using your fingers (cold hands are best), rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over 5-6 tbsp cold water and stir with a round-bladed knife until the mixture begins to stick together in large lumps. Add extra water if it seems too dry. Bring together with your hands to form a ball. Knead lightly on a floured surface, making sure again that you have cold hands. It should form a firm, smooth dough – don’t overwork it. Wrap in cling-film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. For the quiche: I used purple sprouting broccoli, which has much more flavour than regular broccoli, but any sort will do. You can also buy the pastry pre-made if you need to save time. 150g broccoli florets, blanched A good chunk of mature cheddar 2 medium eggs, plus one yolk 300ml double cream A handful of roughly chopped walnuts Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC (180oC fan oven). Roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then use to line a 23cm x 2.5cm deep fluted tart tin. Prick the base all over and chill for 15 minutes. Bake blind for 15 mins, then for 5 mins at 150oC. Arrange the broccoli in the pastry case, and crumble the cheese over. Whisk together the wet ingredients and the seasoning, then pour into the case. Scatter over the walnuts, then cook for about 40 mins. You want it to still be creamy and a little squidgy, with not too much wobble. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This refreshing Greek salad can be thrown together without much thought for the proportions; however, a similar quantity of watermelon to the other ingredients is probably about right. A quarter of watermelon, cut into about inch-square chunks A good handful of olives A similar amount of feta, cubed and lightly crumbled Half a cucumber, cubed One small garlic clove, crushed A dribble of olive oil Lemon or lime juice Salt and pepper
Combine the ingredients, test the seasoning and stow away in a container to let the flavours mingle.
As much leafy salad as you like – watercress and spinach, with something crunchy like iceberg or baby gem, is a good combination. Cucumber, sliced About half a pomegranate’s worth of fruit A small bunch of mint leaves, slightly torn up.
Combine and serve with dressing on the side – don’t dress in advance; it’ll make the salad go all limp.
The juice of one lime One fat garlic clove A small bunch of mint leaves, roughly chopped Olive oil Salt
This is best made in a pestle and mortar, but could be put in a blender or carefully minced by hand. Pound up the garlic clove with the salt, then add the mint. Bash until completely pulverised, adding a little lime juice to loosen as you go. Keep stirring with the pestle, and dribble in the olive oil until you have a fairly runny, translucent dressing. Carry on stirring and add the lime juice, test the seasoning (it should be fairly powerful, but not blow-your-head-off) and put in a little jar for later.
Couscous doubles in size when cooked, so from that you can estimate how much you want. For one cup of couscous, you’ll need two of boiling water. The following recipe is for two cups of couscous – that’s a hearty helping for four, or a little side for six people. Sundried tomatoes, cut into smallish pieces Juice of one lime Two garlic cloves Salt and pepper Handful of mint leaves, chopped.
The flavouring for this couscous is made in a similar way to the previously mentioned salad dressing. Pound up the garlic and about a quarter of the mint in a pestle and mortar, with the lime and some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes (a good olive oil will do just as well). Combine the couscous with the water, then add the flavour paste, along with the remaining mint, sundried tomatoes and seasoning. Stir carefully with a fork and cover for about 15 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid. Delicious served hot or cold.
300g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust 1 tsp baking powder 50g butter, diced, plus extra to grease One 284ml carton of buttermilk About half a carton of blueberries Beaten egg or milk, to glaze
Preheat the oven to 220oC (200oC fan oven) and grease a baking sheet. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Use a knife to gradually stir in the buttermilk – you might not need all of it. The dough should be fairly soft, but not too sticky. Carefully stir in the blueberries, taking care not to overwork the dough. Gently roll or pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 2cm, using a 6.5cm cutter. This makes 8 fairly small scones, but if you want 6 larger rustic ones, just shape them with your hands into 6 equal blobs (I prefer them this way!). Put on the greased baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg or milk glaze. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then cool. They are lovely served with clotted cream and lemon curd. I like to make a coulis with the rest of the blueberries, but if you’re taking them on a picnic this might not be particularly practical. If you fancy it, just cook the fruit down gently with a little sugar and water.
These recipes are for those all-too-familiar cold, blustery winter days. You’ve been outside for too long and need some good warming food, preferably served with a roaring fire and your toastiest socks. Soups and stews are perfect for preparing in advance, and can be left in a slow oven or warmed up when you get home from a long walk, or just a hard day.
3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 2 onions, chopped fairly finely 30g butter 3 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp chilli powder (this is mild, add more if you want it spicy!) About 500ml stock (chicken or vegetable) Salt and pepper 3 tbsp crème fraiche
Heat about a tbsp. of oil in a large saucepan, so it’s hot but not smoking. Throw in all the spices and the onion, cooking until fragrant and translucent. Then add the parsnip with the butter, salt and pepper, frying until lightly browned. Add the stock, then the potatoes, and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for about an hour, or until the vegetables are soft and almost falling apart. Take off the heat and blend until smooth, adding more water or stock if needed. Stir in the crème fraiche, adjust the seasoning to taste, then serve.
300g shin beef or similar, cut into large pieces (put the bone in as well if you have one) 2 large onions, cut into rough chunks 4 pieces of celery, cut into 1cm pieces 100g mushrooms, quartered 2 large carrots, cut into chunky pieces 1 small turnip, cut into chunky pieces Green part of a large leek (save the rest for the mash) 3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped 2 bay leaves, torn 3 tsp dried thyme 500ml beef stock 300ml ale Tablespoon of flour Oil or butter for frying. A generous amount of freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste.
Preheat oven to about 180oC. In a large cast-iron casserole dish (or frying pan if you don’t have one) on a high heat, brown the beef in a little oil then set aside. If the juices have stuck to the pan and look like they might burn, loosen with a little of the beer and pour over the beef. Next, fry the onions, garlic, celery, leek and mushrooms (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of the pan). When nicely coloured, add the beef back into the pan and stir in the flour. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the beer. Cook until the alcohol smell has dissipated a little, then add the stock. Next, add the seasoning – thyme, bay, salt and pepper. Now put in the turnip and carrot and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pot and transfer the stew to the oven. Cook for about two hours; the timing is very flexible with a stew, so you don’t need to worry too much. Just make sure there’s enough liquid, and loosen with a little water if it looks like it’s drying out at any point.
4 large potatoes The remainder of the leek, chopped finely. A tablespoon each of grated parmesan and cheddar. Butter Milk Salt and pepper to taste.
When the stew has been cooking for about an hour and a half (at the very least) you can start the mash. At this point you should taste the stew and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes then add to a pan of cold, lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. In a separate pan, fry the leeks in a little salted butter. Drain the potatoes and mash until almost smooth. Add the leeks, a knob of butter and a splash of milk along with the seasoning and mash into the potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve alongside a hearty helping of stew and a bottle of beer.
4 tbsp plain flour Salt & black pepper 1kg venison or mixed game, cut into chunks Olive oil 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 2 sticks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped ½ tbsp juniper berries, crushed in a pestle and mortar 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped A knob of butter 2 organic beef stock cubes 4 cloves garlic, crushed A glass of red wine.
Preheat the oven to 180oC. Toss the chunks of meat in 2 tbsp of lightly seasoned flour until well coated. Heat a large pan on a high heat, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and fry your meat until nicely browned (you may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of the pan). Add the chopped onions and stir until lightly caramelised, then add the celery, carrots, juniper berries, rosemary, garlic and the knob of butter. Stir in the remaining flour and crumbled stock cubes. Add the wine and cook until the alcohol smell has dissipated. Pour in enough water to cover by a couple of inches and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and put in the oven for at least two hours. Keep an eye on it and top up with water if it looks like it’s drying out. Serve with crusty bread or plain buttery mash, and the rest of the wine.
125g plain flour 50g butter 50g golden caster sugar (half for the crumble, half for the fruit). You’ll need about 500g of fruit – obviously, you can use whatever fruit you like, but blackberry and apple (about equal proportions) is a winter favourite. You can go out for a nice long walk picking blackberries, then come back and cook a delicious dinner. Lovely!
Preheat the oven to 180oC (160oC fan oven). Put the flour in a bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in 25g sugar and set aside. Meanwhile, you can be cooking the fruit. Depending on how squidgy you like your apples, microwave for about 5 minutes with 15g sugar. I like to cook the blackberries separately, because they release a lot of juice, which can make the crumble soggy. They only need about a minute or two, with the rest of the sugar. Tip off some of the juice if you want (it’s lovely on porridge or pancakes!) and put into an ovenproof dish with the apples. Cover with the crumble mixture, then sprinkle on a little extra sugar for a crunchy top – demerera is good for this. Bake for 45 minutes and serve with custard, ice cream or double cream. A tasty adjustment you can make is to substitute about 50g of the flour for wholemeal, or, if you can find it, malt (the stuff they use in beer). Some artisan breweries will sell it coarsely ground in bags, and you can use it for all sorts of baking – biscuits, bread, and of course crumble. It adds a lovely flavour and a bit of crunch.
T h e idea for this South Korean style barbecue came from going to a wonderful Korean Grill restaurant. They bring your meat/veg out raw and cook it on a little hotplate at your table. I loved it, and thought the flavours would translate really well to a barbecue at home. The Gyoza and egg fried rice are not really culturally correct, but they make a lovely addition to this fresh, tasty barbecue. Gyoza are little Japanese dumplings which you serve with a flavoursome dipping sauce. They’d make a great starter, or could be served alongside the main meal. Ingredients can be found at good Asian supermarkets or online.
The way you eat this meal is essentially in little lettuce wraps. Buy a couple of those little gem lettuces and separate the leaves - they’re about the perfect size. One lettuce per two people should be fine. Make sure all the meat is bite sized, whether by barbecuing on skewers or cutting up before eating – I prefer the latter, because the meat is less likely to dry out while cooking. Hold the lettuce leaf in your hand, then (with chopsticks, if you fancy) pile on the meat, spring onion salad, tasty sauce, and whatever else you feel like, then wrap the leaf over the top, and pop it in your mouth! I like to put some of the rice in the wrap as well, and it’s lovely with Kimchi, a delicious Korean pickled cabbage. Enjoy!
150g chinese cabbage, finely chopped. 50g bamboo shoots, finely chopped. 450g minced pork (replace with finely chopped fried mushrooms for a veggie version). 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla) 1 tbsp mirin (sake combined with sugar) 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots 3cm piece of ginger root, peeled and grated.
1 tbsp sesame seeds, briefly toasted in a hot, dry frying pan. 1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander. ½ teaspoon sugar. 1 egg, lightly beaten. 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped. Salt and white pepper. 80 wonton skins Vegetable oil
Put all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix together. It is best to do this with your hands. Thoroughly season with salt and pepper. Put a teaspoonful of the mixture in the centre of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with a little water then fold over to create a half-moon shape. Press down to form a seal. At this point, you can lay the gyoza out on a tray in the freezer, then store them in a tub once they’ve frozen. When you want to cook them, do not defrost – they get all sticky. Instead, move on to the next step, but cook for a little longer. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until hot and almost smoking and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Reduce the heat to moderate, put 4-6 dumplings in the pan and sauté gently for 1 minute each side (2 if cooking from frozen) or until just starting to brown. Don’t overcrowd the pan or they will stew. Remove the pan from the heat, add 3 tablespoons water and cover immediately with a lid or aluminium foil (use a teatowel to mould the foil to the pan). Return to the heat for 1 minute, then remove and set aside for a further 2 minutes, by which time the gyozas will be heated through. Repeat for the remaining gyozas. It is quicker if you can use two pans, starting to heat the second just before adding the water to the first pan. Serve with the gyoza dipping sauce.
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped. 1 large red chilli, finely chopped. Salt. 25g sugar. 100ml malt vinegar. 250ml light soy sauce. 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil.
Mash the garlic and chilli together with a little salt with the side of your knife to form a paste. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a small pan over a low heat. Combine everything and store in a sealed container – keeps for several weeks in the fridge.
6 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts 200g brown sugar 200ml soy sauce 200ml water ½ a finely chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice 4 tsp Korean hot pepper paste.
4 steaks, as big as you like, but thick-cut. 100g granulated sugar 3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped A 3cm piece of ginger, grated. 2 tsp salt 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1.5 tbsp veg oil 1tbsp fresh ground black pepper
Combine ingredients in a bowl, add the beef and marinate for at least 4 hours. You can also use thin slices of belly pork - traditionallly, you would not marinade this. You can just barbecue a piece as big as you want, then cut into small pieces when it’s cooked, or you can use skewers.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, water, onion, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and stir in lemon/lime juice and hot pepper paste. Place chicken in mixture and marinate for at least 4 hours.
Ssamjang sauce, while consisting largely of ‘hot’ pepper paste, is not a fiery beast to be reckoned with; the spice is more of a slow burn, and isn’t too much even for a spice wimp like myself. It is so flavoursome, and will almost certainly be unlike anything you’ve tasted before, so give it a go – you won’t regret it. 4 tbsp kochujang (red pepper paste) 5 tbsp daenjang (soybean paste) 5 cloves garlic, crushed. 3 spring onion, finely chopped. 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp sesame oil Black pepper to taste Water to thin, if needed
Combine ingredients and mix well. Store in the fridge.
Pa muchim is a simple spring onion salad. 10 spring onions, cut in half and sliced thinly lengthways. 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon vinegar 1/4 teaspoon Korean red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 pinch ground black pepper, to taste 2-3 drops sesame oil
First, soak the spring onions in water for about 5-10 minutes. Drain, then simply combine the ingredients and store in the fridge.
400g/14oz long-grain rice, cooked, drained and chilled 2 eggs, beaten 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil ½ tsp black pepper 2 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
Mix the eggs, sesame oil and a pinch of the salt in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the groundnut or vegetable oil, and when it’s very hot and slightly smoking, add the cooked rice and stirfry for three minutes or until it is thoroughly warmed through. Drizzle the egg mixture over the rice and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until eggs have set and the mixture is dried. Add the remaining salt and pepper, continue to stirfry for two minutes then toss in the spring onions and a little more sesame oil. Stir several times and serve.
Light the barbecue. Wait until the flames have died down but the coals are still white hot. To get a bit of colour on your steak, put it on the barbecue for about 30 seconds each side, making sure it doesn’t burn. Put aside on a plate for later. Put the chicken on. Turn frequently, making sure to douse any rogue flames with water. When the chicken has been cooking for about 10 minutes, put the pork on. The pork should take about 10 minutes to cook. Cut into the largest pieces of chicken and pork in order to make sure they are cooked. Put the steak on for 1 minute each side for rare, and 2 for medium. When all the meat is cooked, cut it into bite size pieces and arrange on a warm serving plate. If you don’t have a barbecue, cooking everything under the grill should do just as well.