Egg Fried Rice.

Egg Fried Rice.

This easy, deliciously comforting dish is more than acceptable as a meal on its own and that's how I like to eat it. I actually don't like fried rice when eaten with other foods and will always go for plain rice. I find the flavours of the fried rice clash with the robust flavours of the dishes I am serving it with. I have buckled under peer pressure today and made this vegetarian version.

Serves 4.

Preparation:

-1 onion, finely chopped.

-1 clove garlic, finely chopped.

-100g chopped carrots.

-3 whisked eggs, seasoned with 2tbsp soy sauce.

-800g cooked rice.

In a large wok with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, fry,

-garlic, with

-onions,

-carrots,

-salt/pepper.

Cook, stirring until the vegetables have softened, add

-3 whisked eggs.

Cook, stirring, until the eggs are cooked through, add

-cooked rice.

Stir fry to coat the rice in the egg and vegetable mix, add

-200g cooked sweet corns,

-1 sliced spring onion,

Stir to combine.

Serve.

Stem Ginger and Coconut Crumble Traybake.

Stem Ginger and Coconut Crumble Traybake.

These are absolutely delicious! Spicy, moist and slightly caramelised. The ground almonds add nuttiness, the desiccated coconut is sweet and beautifully perfumed. The crumble topping is almost a necessity in all of my bakes. The contrasting flavour and textures are absolutely delicious and addictive.

Equipment:

20x 30cm baking tray lined with baking paper.

For the crumble.

In a saucepan, put in,

-100g butter,

-100g caster sugar,

-100g plain flour,

-40g ground almonds,

-40g chopped pecans,

-40g desiccated coconut.

Cook stirring until the butter and sugar have melted.

Leave aside.

The syrup.

In a large saucepan, put in,

-250g butter,

-150g golden syrup,

-225g soft brown sugar,

-130g finely sliced stem ginger (and a couple tablespoons of ginger syrup),

-pinch of salt.

Cook, stirring, until the butter and sugar have melted.

Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

For the cake.

Use an electric mixer, beat,

-300g self raising flour,

-1tsp baking powder,

-1tsp ground ginger,

-4 eggs,

-1tsp vanilla bean paste,

-100ml milk.

Beat well to combine.

Stir through,

-the cooled syrup.

Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake 30 minutes.

Skewer should come out clean.

Leave to cool completely.

Oxtail Curry แกงหางวัว.

Oxtail Curry แกงหางวัว.

This really is delicious, the oxtail is melting, tender and falling off the bones. A robust curry sauce is the perfect way to cook tough cuts of meat. Oxtails are great for braising but they do require a long cooking process. They don't, however, require much attention and will simmer gently for a few hours without much input. This is a northern Thai style curry, normally made with beef, chicken or pork, which I have adapted to suit the unique texture and flavour of oxtail. The curry is beautifully fragrant, aromatic and spicy. These bold and robust flavours will only be tamed by plenty of fluffy Jasmine Thai rice.

The curry paste.

In a food processor, put in

-6cm sliced galangal, with

-4 cloves of garlic,

-5 shallots,

-10-15 whole dry chillies,

-a small bunch coriander,

-2 stalks chopped lemongrass.

Pulse to combine.

Leave aside until needed.

For the oxtail.

In a large stock pot, put in

-3.5 litres water.

Bring up to the boil, add

-1tbsp sea salt.

Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, add

-1kg oxtail pieces.

Leave to cook, cover with a lid, for around 3 hours or until the oxtail pieces are tender

After 3 hours.

Drain well and reserve the cooking liquor.

Wipe the pot clean and put it back on the heat, add

-a tablespoon of vegetable oil, add

-curry paste,

-1tsp turmeric powder,

-1tsp salt,

-1tsp shrimp paste,

-4-5 kaffir lime leaves.

Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the curry paste is fragrant, add

-oxtail pieces,

-1tsp tamarind purée.

Stir to coat the meat pieces in the curry paste, add

-1 litre cooking liquor.

Cover with a lid and leave on a gentle simmer for 1 hour or until the oxtail pieces are falling off the bones.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, you may need a squeeze of lime, sugar or fish sauce.

Beef and Ale Pithivier.

Beef and Ale Pithivier.

Deliciously rich pie originating from a French town of the same name. My version is spiced mince beef cooked with plenty of herb and vegetables, flavoured with English ale and encased in 2 puff pastry discs. Fantastically flaky and buttery. You can make this pie as simple or as complicated as you wish, I had gone the time consuming route by making my own puff pastry. This is because I have butter and flour at home, I thought that was the more appealing option than driving 11 miles to get ready-made pastry.

For the beef filling.

In a wok with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, fry

-1 chopped onion,

-2 cloves chopped garlic,

-100g chopped carrots,

-100g chopped celery,

-3-4 bay leaves,

-salt/pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, add

-700g beef mince,

-salt/pepper.

Cook stirring occasionally until the beef is cooked.

Drain any excess oil.

Place the wok back on the heat, add

-150g sliced mushrooms,

-2tbsp parsley,

-1 beef stock cube,

-1tbsp plain flour.

Stir well to combine, add

-500ml ale.

Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Drain well and reserve the cooking liquor.

For the puff pastry.

Leave 250g block of butter to soften.

In a food processor, put in

-30g butter,

-250g plain flour,

-1/2tsp salt,

-120ml water.

Process until a dough is formed.

Tip onto a floured surface.

Knead briefly.

Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Place cling film on you work surface.

Place 220g butter on it.

Cover with cling film.

Roll the butter out to

-9cm in height,

-8cm wide.

Leave aside, at room temperature, until the dough is ready.

When ready, roll the dough out to

-30cm in height,

-10cm wide.

Remove the cling film from the butter.

Place the butter in the centre of the dough.

Fold bottom 1/3 of dough over the butter.

Fold the top 1/3 over the butter.

Turn the dough so that the short end is facing you.

Roll the dough out to

-30cm in height,

-10cm wide.

Fold bottom 1/3 of dough into the centre.

Fold the top 1/3 over the bottom 1/3.

Wrap in cling film

Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

Repeat this process 6-8 times.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

The recipe yields 600g dough.

Divide into 2 equal portions.

Roll the first portion to 27cm round disc (I used a dinner plate as a template).

Save any off cuts.

Roll the second portion to 30cm round disc.

Save any off cuts.

Spoon the filling onto the first pastry, 4cm high, leaving 2cm border.

Brush the border with a beaten egg.

Cover with the second pastry.

Press the edges together to seal in the filling.

Score the top.

Brush with the beaten egg.

I divided the off cuts into 2 portions.

Roll the first portion to 14cm disc.

Roll the second to 17cm disc.

Spoon the filling onto the first pastry, 4cm high, leaving 2cm border.

Brush the border with the beaten egg.

Cover with the second pastry.

Press the edges together to seal in the filling.

Score the top.

Brush with the beaten egg.

Bake in 220c fan forced oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Note: if you have any filling left, place in a saucepan with the cooking liquor. Bring up to the simmer and serve with the pie.

Thai Steamed Trout with Garlic and Lime Sauce.

Thai Steamed Trout with Garlic and Lime Sauce.

This aromatic steamed trout is healthy and clean tasting, so needed after our weekend bingeing on all things naughty. Trout is oily, so I thought a strong pungent sauce would cut though the slightly fatty and fishy flesh. The trout is also stuffed with strong herbs and spices and there's barely any fishiness left but the spicy zesty sauce really lifts the dish.

Herbs.

-3 cloves sliced garlic.

-3cm, thickly sliced ginger.

-1 stalk lemongrass, sliced.

-5-6 kaffir lime leaves

-3-4 sprigs coriander.

For the trout.

500g scaled, gutted and score the skin.

Seasoned with salt and pepper.

Stuff the cavity with the herbs and spices.

If you still have some leftover, place under or over the trout in the steamer.

Steam for 15-18 minutes.

Place on a serving platter.

Spoon over the sauce.

Spicy lime sauce .

In a food processor, put in

-3 cloves garlic,

-2cm roughly sliced ginger,

-2 shallots,

-a small bunch of coriander,

-chillies (I put in 15 but adjust according to your taste),

-1 stalk lemongrass, cut into chunks.

Pulse to combine.

Spoon into a bowl, add

-100ml fish sauce,

-100ml water,

-juice of 1 lime.

-2tsp of sugar.

Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, you should be able to taste, spicy, sweet and sour.

Beef in Chilli and Basil.

Beef in Chilli and Basil.

Another variation of the most consumed meal in Thailand. I am 6,000 miles away from home and I am still making up the statistics. When a person orders this meal in a restaurant, there's an assumption that he/she lacks imagination and doesn't know what they want to eat. I ALWAYS know what I want to eat but I find this dish to be cleansing after a plateful of bacon and syrup.

Serves 4.

For the spices.

In a pestle and mortar, pound

-4 large cloves of garlic,

-as many hot chillies as you dare (around 10 in mine),

-1tsp sea salt.

Pound well to combine.

For the beef.

700g rump steak, roughly minced.

For the sauce.

In a bowl, put in

-1/2tsp caster sugar,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-2tbsp oyster sauce,

-1tbsp black soy sauce,

-1tsp fish sauce.

Mix well and leave aside.

For the basil.

-60g washed basil leaves.

In a large wok, on high heat, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, add

-the spices.

Cook, stirring for 30 seconds or so, add

-the beef,

Stir fry to coat the beef in the spices until almost cooked through, add

-the sauce.

Stir well to combine, add

-basil leaves.

Continue to cook for 30 seconds or so.

Serve with rice and soft boiled egg.

Pancakes with Bacon and Syrup.

Pancakes with Bacon and Syrup.

Thick, soft and spongy pancakes served alongside salted crispy bacon and lashings of golden syrup, naughtiness at its best. The girls have woken me up extra early to make these, they were full of praise so they're forgiven. The batter yields 14 pancakes and they've left me 2!!! My younger daughter has said they are my best yet!

Preparation:

40g butter, melted and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, put in,

-250g plain flour,

-2tbsp caster sugar,

-1tsp vanilla bean paste,

-1/2tsp salt,

-1tbsp baking powder.

Stir well to combine, add

-2 whisked eggs,

-330ml whole milk.

Whisk well to combine, add

-melted butter.

Whisk and transfer into a jug.

Cook in a frying pan, on medium-low heat, greased with butter.