Versatile essentials – A plate full of wonder

A recipe worth crying for – Gochujang onion paste

This onion paste was an experiment replacing all ingredients except onions with Gochujang in Alison Roman’s (NYT food columnist) shallot pasta sauce. Gochujang is a fermented paste of glutinous rice, soybeans and salt. The flavors are earthy, salty and sweet all at the same time – very versatile for cooking! Gochujang and onions, as I’veContinue reading “A recipe worth crying for – Gochujang onion paste”

Jamming in 5

I woke up one morning desiring jam for my pancakes. A quick look in the fridge and there were the leftover tinned cherries swimming in its syrup, following an evening of Wisconsin style old fashion (a whiskey based concoction with muddled cherries). Was it possible? 5 minutes later with some heat, we were rewarded withContinue reading “Jamming in 5”

Confine me with tomato confit

These are addictive and too easy to make – I once intended to make a confit for pasta sauce and it ended up on bread, in our mouths, devoured within the hour. Especially if you have a sour tomato, turning it into a confit is the best way to go. The high heat, with theContinue reading “Confine me with tomato confit”

Playdough flatbread

I once worked in a café in Richmond, London serving excellent wraps and coffee. Manning the cooking station, I recall the pressures of lunchtime hour as patrons watched me flatten dough to a consistent thickness and then quickly (but carefully) thrusting it into the wood fired oven for 7 seconds before adding their desired protein/vegContinue reading “Playdough flatbread”

Stale bread, delightful crumbs

If your bread has turned stale, or if you’re simply sick of it, turn it into bread crumbs. The key to good crumbs is to take the moisture out of it – so the staler it is, the better! You can do this either by naturally leaving it out to air or in the fridgeContinue reading “Stale bread, delightful crumbs”

Balancing acts with coleslaw

If you’re looking for a healthy coleslaw this is it. As a substitute to mayonnaise, opt for a mix of olive oil, vinegar and mustard for “kick”. Choice of vegetables are entirely up to you but use the 5 flavor elements guide to help balance the flavors. Basic ingredients (6 servings) 1 cabbage, 2 carrots,Continue reading “Balancing acts with coleslaw”

Pleasing pickled onions

Raw onions can be unpleasant on their own but if subject to some vinegar become sweet and pleasing to the eyes. Make at least an hour before pairing with your dish or store for longer to allow flavors to develop. Ingredients Red onions, white vinegar, salt Method Prep time: 10 mins Slice red onions thinlyContinue reading “Pleasing pickled onions”

Spice it up with roasted curry powder

It takes a keen observation of each ingredient to fully appreciate the intricacies of a curry powder. Every home-made curry powder is truly unique for that reason, to decide what works best for the dish and those eating. A roasted curry powder is very versatile – add it into a curry, dust it onto someContinue reading “Spice it up with roasted curry powder”

Brinjal moju

Brinjal moju is an unassuming dish but all it takes is one bite…! In Sri Lanka, they call this a pickle and you can kind of see why with the involvement of vinegar and mustard. This is a simple thing to do on a weekday, and easy to pair with the contents of a wrap,Continue reading “Brinjal moju”