Daeji Bulgogi.

Daeji Bulgogi.

Thinly sliced pork fillet marinated in Korean flavourings, stir fried with typical Asian aromats of garlic, ginger and onions. Deliciously sweet and savoury with a spicy undertone. Korean ingredients aren't readily available but substitutions are easily found. I have replaced the all-important fermented bean paste, Gochujang, with tomato purée spiced with fresh chillies. Korean rice wine is substituted with Mirin. The other ingredients widely used in Far Eastern cuisines, such as soy sauce and sesame oil, are everywhere. There's no reason why you can't enjoy Korean food at home.

In a large bowl, put in

-500g thinly sliced pork fillet,

-1tsp cornflour,

-3tbsp water,

-2tbsp tomato purée,

-2 sliced fresh chillies,

-1tbsp mirin,

-1/2tbsp black soy sauce,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-1tbsp honey,

-2tsp sesame oil,

-2tsp paprika,

-salt/pepper.

Mix well and leave to marinate for at least an hour.

The vegetables.

-1tbsp chopped ginger,

-2 cloves chopped garlic,

-2 sliced onions,

-2 sliced spring onions,

-150g sliced peppers.

In a wok, with 2tbsp of vegetable oil, fry

-the vegetables.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened and slightly caramelised, add

-the marinated pork.

Cook, stirring occasionally for around 5 minutes or until cooked through, add

-1tbsp sesame seeds.

Stir to combine.

Serve with rice.

Wok Tossed Pepper Crab.

Wok Tossed Pepper Crab.

I am serving this dish alongside the fiery Shui Zhu Yu, so I am keeping the flavours sweet, simple and mild. I wanted the sweetness of crab to come through, so I am very stringent with the seasoning. I have, however, flavoured this dish with two types of peppercorns, albeit on a very small scale. The end result is sweet crab pieces tossed in sweet aromatic vegetables, spiced modestly with salt and pepper(s).

For the vegetables.

-2 cloves chopped garlic,

-1 large chopped onion,

-2 sliced spring onions.

-1 chopped pepper.

For the crab.

700g crab, cut into chunks.

Seasoning.

-1/2tsp finely ground black pepper,

-1/2tsp finely ground Sichuan pepper.

In a wok, with 3tbsp vegetable oil, fry

-the crab pieces, with

-1tsp sea salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the crab is cooked through.

Remove from the wok.

Add the vegetables to the wok, with

-seasoning.

Cook, stirring for around a minute, add

-the crab pieces.

Stir well to combine.

Serve.

Shui Zhu Yu (Water-Cooked Fish).

Shui Zhu Yu (Water-Cooked Fish).

Not for the faint hearted, this dish is every bit as spicy as it looks. Spiced with big gutsy flavours so characteristically typical of the Sichuan Province. Loaded with mouth numbing (in the best possible way) Sichuan peppercorns and feiry fresh and dry chillies. The sweet chilli paste finished off the eye and mouth watering experience. The best accompaniment to this chilli onslaught is plenty of plain rice, it will soak up those beautiful flavours and providing needed relief.

In a large saucepan, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, fry

-1tbsp chopped ginger,

-2 cloves chopped garlic,

-1 sliced onion,

-1 sliced bell pepper,

-1 stick cinnamon,

-2 star anise,

-a good pinch of salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally on medium heat until the vegetables have softened, add

-2tsp chilli paste in oil (substitute with Harissa, if you can't get hold of some).

-1tsp chilli flakes,

-2tsp finely ground Sichuan peppercorn,

-3 sliced fresh chillies.

Cook, stirring to coat the vegetables in the spices, add

-500ml stock.

Bring up to the boil, add

-1tsp sesame oil,

-1tbsp Shaoxing rice wine,

-500g white fish (I used cod).

Cover with a lid.

Leave to cook until the fish is done.

Stir gently, try not to break up the fish too much.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

You may need soy sauce for added saltiness.

Serve with rice.

Black Pepper Prime Rib of Beef.

Black Pepper Prime Rib of Beef.

The king of beef cuts with a price to match! Deliciously moist and juicy, a meal to savour! This amount of beef fed four of us, bulked with a large helping of roast potatoes, although that's hardly a bad thing. The beef is allowed to shine in this recipe with the seasoning left to just sea salt and black pepper. I made myself some mustard pan gravy to accentuate the fantastic taste of this rare beef roast, along with bottled horseradish sauce. Simply and gloriously delicious!

Season 750g beef rib generously with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan, on high heat, put in

-1tbsp oil,

-2tbsp butter.

Cook the beef for 3 minutes on each side.

Place the beef in 200c fan forced oven for 15 minutes (adjust the time to your liking).

Leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Dark Soy Noodles with Pork Gravy ราดน้าหมู.

Dark Soy Noodles with Pork Gravy ราดน้าหมู.

Thick fresh rice noodles marinated in dark soy sauce, tossed in a smoking wok for that all- important charred flavour, served in rich Asian spiced pork gravy. Another popular Thai street food snack, where a whole restaurant is designated to serve just this one dish (with different varieties of meats and noodles). My version is edging on fusion, Thai kale is hard to come by and therefore seasonal brussels sprouts came to the rescue. The sprouts are cooked in a fiery heat resulting in a smoky, charred and slightly bitter deliciousness.

Preparation:

Thickly slice 400g fresh rice noodles.

(Use any noodles you like, if using dry noodles, pre-cook according to package instructions).

Toss the noodles in

-1tbsp dark soy,

-1tbsp vegetable oil.

The pork.

250g thinly sliced pork fillet.

The vegetables.

-2 cloves chopped garlic.

-250g sliced Brussels sprouts.

In a wok, on extremely high heat, add

-the dressed noodles.

Stir fry for 2 minutes or so until charred.

Remove from the wok.

Leave aside.

Leaving the wok on the heat, add

-1tbsp vegetable oil.

Leave to heat for 10 seconds or so, add

-the sliced pork.

Cook, stirring for around 20 seconds, add

-the garlic.

Continue to cook until the pork cook through.

Remove the pork from the wok, add

-the sprouts.

Cook, stirring on high heat until charred, add

-1tsp cornflour,

-1tbsp oyster sauce,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-250ml water.

Mix well and bring up to the boil, add

-the pork.

Stir to combine.

Spoon over the noodles.

Great accompaniments to this noodle dish include,

-fresh chillies,

-chilli flakes,

-vinegar,

-touch of sugar.

Sausage and Ham Pasta.

Sausage and Ham Pasta.

There always seems to be a variety of pasta left over in my kitchen and this recipe combines 3 different types in one delicious quick meal. This is truly a recipe of leftovers, the ham and sausage included.

Preparation.

Cook (around) 600g dry pasta.

Drain and leave aside.

The vegetables.

3 cloves chopped garlic.

2 sliced onions.

200g sugar snap peas.

The sauce.

1tbsp soy sauce.

1tsp cayenne pepper.

1tsp paprika.

3 sliced uncooked sausages.

100g sliced glazed ham.

6 sliced tomatoes.

In a large frying pan, with 2tbsp of olive oil, put in,

-the vegetables (not the sugar snap peas).

Cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables have broken down slightly, add

-the sauce,

-the sugar snap peas.

Cook stirring occasionally until the the sugar snap peas are cooked to your liking, add

-the cooked pasta.

Stir well to coat the pasta in the sauce.

Stir through 2tbsp chopped parsley.

Serve.

Ham Paella.

Ham Paella.

Wonderfully suited to the cold weather of the British winter, this paella brings a bit of Mediterranean sunshine and flavours. I am forever making glazed ham, so this is another of its delicious by product.

Serves 4.

Preparation:

The base.

1 sliced pepper.

1 sliced onion.

2 cloves chopped garlic.

250g sliced glazed ham.

Seasoning.

-1tbsp paprika.

-1tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Rice.

-300g paella rice.

Ham stock.

-650-700ml.

Vegetables.

2tbsp chopped chives.

Lemon or lime wedges.

In a large saucepan, with a tablespoon of olive oil, add

-the base ingredients.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, add

-seasoning,

-rice.

Cook, stirring constantly to coat the rice in the spices, add

-600ml stock.

Stir to combine.

Cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low-medium heat, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Give the paella a stir.

Taste the rice to see how much more stock you think it will need, add more stock as needed.

When the rice is cooked through, stir through,

-chives.

Spoon onto a serving dish, serve with lemon wedges.