My new favourite discovery – WorldFoods sauces

 

 

Last month I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous blogger event at School of Wok. The reason? To learn all about WorldFood sauces, an authentic ready-made range of sauces made with 100% natural ingredients. Now, having been practically bought up in a Chinese take away (both sets of grandparents and my parents had their own) I have had an aversion to using bottled stuff. However, after my evening at School of Wok I can honestly say I have been converted! I could not believe the delicious dishes that we sliced and stir fried our way to was basically from a jar. Jeremy Pang, owner and head chef at School of Wok showed us the basics of how to prepare and cook a range of über tasty dishes such as Rendang Potatoes, Masaman Roast Poussin and Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake. As you can see the pictures speak for themselves.

Pan fried duck breast for the Curry Duck Breast dish

A wonderfully moreish Rendang Potato Curry

Masaman Roast Poussin

Tomato Kaffir Lime Salsa

School of Wok owner, Jeremy, showing us how its done

Having way more fun than I ever did working at my parents shop

 

Since attending the event I have made the Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake twice and it has become my fussy husband’s favourite cake, no mean feat. I urge you all to have a go! You will not be disappointed.

Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake

 

 

It may not look as pretty but it tasted just as good!

Stock up now at www.worldfoodsdirect.co.uk. 

Housewife life recipe - Chicken in Black Bean Sauce Ho Fun

With my husband being a huge fan of black bean sauce and I a fan of ho fun (flat white rice noodles) I thought I should attempt to merge the two for dinner one night.

I did have second thoughts about attempting this dish because a) I always thought ho fun would be a nightmare to cook and stick to the pan but I needed have worried. As long as you add to the sauce it is completely fine. b) Not only had I not cooked ho fun before but black bean sauce from scratch is also new to me.

My mum is a pro at making beef with green peppers in black bean sauce (I guess many chinese mums with a background in the take away business would be) and tried her best to tell me the method over the phone while I was dashing around Wing Yip looking for the fermented black beans. Anyway, overall I was very pleased with the results. I used up some left over broccoli in the fridge rather than purposely going out to buy red peppers and mushrooms which lead to a happy discovery. The broccoli actually works very well with black bean sauce and the florets holds the sauce so each bite is full of flavour.

This dish is super versatile, you can substitute the chicken with any meat (beef or prawns are popular) or even tofu. Egg noodles or rice noodles can be used instead of ho fun. Indeed, you could even just cook the black bean sauce dish and serve with boiled rice. Also, as mentioned before, experiment with the vegetables and make some interesting discoveries of your own.

Time: 25 mins approx. (including prep)
Serves: 4 (in our case two dinners and two packed lunches)

Ingredients

2 x 400g packs of fresh ho fun (anymore than this and it wouldn't have fit into my pan)
6 x pieces of skinless and boneless chicken thigh sliced.

2 x tablespoon of oil
2 x tablespoons of fermented black beans (washed and mashed)
2 x cloves of garlic
1 x slice of ginger (crushed and sliced into smaller pieces)
2 x tablespoon of soy sauce
1 x tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 x tablespoon of sugar
1 x table spoon of cornstarch (mixed in with water)
half a cup of water

1 x red onion (diced or sliced, however you prefer)
1 full head of broccoli cut into small florets

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil until very hot before throwing in the garlic, ginger and black beans and frying for a few minutes and transferring to a bowl.

Then stir-fry the onions, broccoli and chicken. Once the chicken is browned, add the black bean sauce mixture and fry until the chicken is almost cooked before adding the water, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Taste and amend flavour according to how you prefer then add in the cornstarch. Once you get a thicker consistency to the sauce add in the ho fun. Continue to cook until the ho fun is cooked through and enjoy!

So easy you will wonder why you didn't try to make it before!

Easy Chicken Teriyaki

An old favourite of many I'm sure and it is so easy to make. The amount of sugar is slightly scary but I usually substitute two tablespoons of sugar with one of honey as I don't like it uber sweet anyway. It's probably not that much better for you but it doesn't feel quite as naughty. You can also add some sake for extra taste but as it is quite difficult to get hold of I usually do without or use a splash of chinese Shao Hsing wine.

Ingredients:

5 x sliced chicken thighs (I buy the skinless and boneless kind)
4 x Tbsp soy sauce
4 x Tbsp sugar (or substitute a couple of tbsp with honey)
2 x Tbsp water
1 x Tbsp cornflour (mixed with water)
Sliced onions
one clove of garlic (crushed and chopped)
few strips of ginger (crushed)

Medley of vegetables steamed (I like broccoli and carrots with teriyaki) as a side.

First brown the onions, garlic and ginger before adding the chicken pieces. Once the chicken has browned add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and water. Bring to boil then simmer for about 15 minutes making sure the chicken is cooked through. Once it is ready, add the cornflour mixture and reduce to the consistency you like.  

Serve with rice and vegetables.

1 Lombard Street Review

Earlier this week my friends and I decided to have our long overdue girly catch up at 1 Lombard Street in the City. My canny friend found a great offer on OpenTable - £19.50 for three courses - and had heard good things about it so we gave it a whirl and were not disappointed.

The restaurant is as impressive from the outside as it is on the inside. A gorgeous old bank building houses a spacious and bright dining area with a round bar under a beautiful domed roof.

The pretty bar and domed roof

The chef's appetiser was a delicious carrot soup served in the daintiest cup. I could have done with a bowl of it to be honest. My pork belly starter with pearl barley hit the spot and the lamb shank main was nice and tender, my only complaint being they were a bit tight with the sides. The coffee creme caramel was nice enough but the coffee syrup was a bit sweet for me and one friend thought the texture slightly odd so left half unfinished.

Overall a nice spot for a meal but watch out for drinks, that is where the sting is. A juice was close to £4 but I guess with a three course meal for £19.50 you can afford to splash out on a juice or two!

Clockwise from top left: Chef's appetiser, Roasted Pork Belly with Pearl Barley, Coffee Creme Caramel and Lamb Shank

Le Creuset Molten Chocolate Cakes

My best friend bought me some gorgeous Le Creuset Mini Cocottes for my housewarming present and when she came over for dinner a couple of weeks ago I was determined to utilise them for dessert. Luckily after a quick search on the internet I managed to find a recipe that didn't look too tricky. I was so pleased with the result! They are quite rich so we didn't manage to finish a whole one each but for you die hard chocoholics out there I am sure you won't have a problem.

I even took the two uneaten chocolate cakes into work the next day and they were perfect sliced up, like very moist chocolate brownies.

I think the next time I make them I will be a bit more adventurous and add some nuts or something in. If you have come across any other cool recipes that the Mini Cocottes can be used for I would love to hear from you.

For the recipe I used please click here

I can't wait to use these more!

Perfect Friday Night Food Fest

A foodie friend of mine - hola bro if you are reading this - always has the best suggestions for dinner and has long raved about StreetFeast so a few weeks ago he finally managed to round a group of us to Dalston Street Feast (no mean feat as it can be like herding cats with our busy schedules) and we were not disappointed.

Despite being a little out of the way (we made our way from all over London – I must sound so much like a Londoner right now, acting like its outside of the M25 or something – heaven forbid!) it’s actually quite easy to get to with Dalston Junction over ground station just opposite. Try and get there before 7pm to a) grab a good seating area if there are a group of you and b)avoid paying the £3 entry fee (after all that could well pay for your ice-cream).

Another tip is to make sure you have cash as I don’t think any of the stalls take card payment.

As for the food, it was a true culinary pleasure. I felt spoilt for choice and wanted to try everything. I just wish I had the cash and calorie allowance! Two of us ended up spending about £60 the whole evening but it’s well worth it I think, especially since it was a gloriously warm summer evening. 

Now for the food…I know people pooed pooed (*cough* husband *cough*) my idea of having pizza but I am so glad I did, Pizza Pilgrims was amazing. The truffle oil on it was so fragrant and the base was just how I like it, super thin and crispy. Carb and cheese at its best, I was in tastebud paradise. Even my sceptical husband who wanted to save space for other things loved it and ended up eating half. Other highlights were B.O.B's lobster roll, chicken wings, ribs, Bleecker St Burger and peanut butter and jelly ice cream. I even got to try my first ever whoopie pie but unfortunately I found it a bit odd, like the sponge was a bit too tough but I heard the brownie was amazing.

It was a fantastic evening, with everyone enjoying dinner al fresco for a change. The perfect place for a good meal and catch up with friends. Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself before it is too late!

The bar. There is also another cute pub / bar called The Gin Store round the back.

Wishing I went for a pimped up brownie but still at least I can say I have tried a Whoopie Pie.

Bleecker St Burger bacon cheese burger - save this for the end as it probably will finish you off. Worth it though!

Didn't have a chance to try one of these but I would have so gone for the Tempura Fish Burger.

First to arrive!! 

Go for the Portobello Mushroom & Truffle Oil!!

I am drooling just thinking about how tasty that pizza was!

For all you ceviche fans out there.

Left: Crab roll. Right: Bite sized lobster roll (£7). It literally was bite sized. If you have it go for the £13 one and split with a friend. 

PB and Jelly. Ummmm...Worked well in an ice cream. Now I have to try on toast.

Quick, easy and tasty - chinese aubergine and pork rice

Super moreish when eaten with rice


Apologies for some of the vague measurements but I didn't follow a recipe or measure anything when I made this. The idea is just contact a taste test every few steps. If you feel it needs more salt, add more salt, if you don't like it very sweet then ease off the sugar. The great thing about Chinese cooking is that you can easily find your way by trial and error.

The good thing is that as I am no Nigella, all my recipes will be fairly simple and as a result fool proof. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 and a half aubergines cut into large chunks

2 pieces of pork chops (sliced with fat trimmed off). If you have time you can season the pork with some salt, pepper, sugar and corn flour. I like to fit in a gym session after work and still have time to quickly season the meat but if you don't it won't be the end of the world as the sauce will be more than enough flavour.

1 small red onion chopped

2 spring onions sliced

1 clove of garlic crushed and diced

Small amount of fresh ginger crushed and finely chopped

2 - 3 slices of fresh chilli (depending on how much of a kick you like)

For the sauce

2 tablespoons of sugar

Some salt
Big splash of light soy sauce (probably 2 tablespoons)

Big splash of dark soy sauce (probably 2 tablespoons)

Small amount of oyster sauce (no more than a tablespoon)

1. Heat a large pan with a teaspoon of olive until very hot. Stir fry the onion, spring onions (keeping a handful to garnish the finished dish), garlic, ginger and chilli until browned. Add the pork and continue to fry until the pork is semi cooked then add the aubergines. Fry until aubergines are softened.

2. Once aubergines are soft add the sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce. Slam the lid on and leave until aubergines are soft. Stir occasionally. I usually leave to stew for about 15 minutes.

3. Serve on boiled rice and garnish with fresh spring onions.



My attempt at food styling

I am back!

Apologies for my absence in the last couple of months but with so much going on I just couldn't find the time to post. I so admire the bloggers who post regularly, hopefully one day I will be organised enough to write a weekly post at least. Anyway, now that I am back I shall fill you in on what has been happening in my life. So much has happened, settling into a new house, new job, trip to Morocco, hen trip to Sardinia, wedding of my dreams, honeymoon in Hawaii and back again. So if you bear with me over the next few months I promise my blog will be a kaleidoscope of yummy food pics and epic sceneries. First, let's go a little way back to March and talk about Morocco..

Marrakesh, Morocco

Having done very little research before we jetted off I didn't know quite what to expect from this bustling city. What greeted us was a maze of covered markets packed with exotic stalls selling everything from gorgeous tea sets to pointy leather shoes (yes, just like in Sex and the City 2). It truly is an attack of the senses, with so much to look at, stall holders trying to get your attention and smell of local food cooking on the grill. Saying that, less than 100 metres away from the busiest parts you could find yourself in the gorgeous and peaceful riad (courtyard mansions converted into guest houses). Luckily we got to stay in a gorgeous villa a little bit away from the centre but we found this suited us better. I don't think I could have dealt with the hustle and bustle of the markets every single day. My favourite day was actually going on a day trip to the beautiful Atlas Mountains. It is mind boggling to think in a place hot enough to sunbathe and laze by a pool, you can actually see the snow capped Atlas Mountains in the background.

A truly unique place that should be seen at least once in your life. Word of warning though, brush up on your French if you don't speak Arabic. We were lucky to be travelling with friends fluent in French but had we been on our own I can imagine it would have been a major struggle.

My travel must haves

I just can't resist buying things from Muji. Absolutely love this handy toiletries bag and clear bottles that hold my Nivea Protect & Bronze. Perfect for hand carry only luggage.

Our beautiful home for the duration of our stay. Luckily I only had hand carry luggage otherwise half the cushions would have probably ended up in England.

Perfect weather for a dip in the pool

Atlas Mountains - well worth the day trip

Arabic Coca Cola!

YSL Gardens

Possibly THE most beautiful hotel I have ever stepped foot in. Think Princess Jasmine's home.

La Mamounia still

Pretty cakes at La Mamounia. Not cheap though, about £10 a cake!