Blog

  • Spaghetti Bolognese

    Spaghetti Bolognese

    Category: Beef

    Area: Italian

    Ingredients:

    • 2 onions
    • 1tbsp olive oil
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 500g lean minced beef
    • 90g mushrooms
    • 1tsp dried oregano
    • 400g can tomatoes
    • 300ml hot beef stock
    • 1tbsp tomato puree
    • 1tbsp worcestershire sauce
    • 350g spaghetti
    • Topping parmesan

    Instructions:

    Put the onion and oil in a large pan and fry over a fairly high heat for 3-4 mins. Add the garlic and mince and fry until they both brown. Add the mushrooms and herbs, and cook for another couple of mins.

    Stir in the tomatoes, beef stock, tomato ketchup or purée, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 mins.

    Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water, according to packet instructions. Drain well, run hot water through it, put it back in the pan and add a dash of olive oil, if you like, then stir in the meat sauce. Serve in hot bowls and hand round Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top.

  • Tonkatsu pork

    Tonkatsu pork

    Category: Pork

    Area: Japanese

    Ingredients:

    • 4 Pork Chops
    • 100g Flour
    • 2 Beaten Eggs
    • 100g Breadcrumbs
    • Fry Vegetable Oil
    • 2 tbs Tomato Ketchup
    • 2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 tbs Oyster Sauce
    • 2 tblsp Caster Sugar

    Instructions:

    STEP 1
    Remove the large piece of fat on the edge of each pork loin, then bash each of the loins between two pieces of baking parchment until around 1cm in thickness – you can do this using a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin. Once bashed, use your hands to reshape the meat to its original shape and thickness – this step will ensure the meat is as succulent as possible.

    STEP 2
    Put the flour, eggs and panko breadcrumbs into three separate wide-rimmed bowls. Season the meat, then dip first in the flour, followed by the eggs, then the breadcrumbs.

    STEP 3
    In a large frying or sauté pan, add enough oil to come 2cm up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 180C – if you don’t have a thermometer, drop a bit of panko into the oil and if it sinks a little then starts to fry, the oil is ready. Add two pork chops and cook for 1 min 30 secs on each side, then remove and leave to rest on a wire rack for 5 mins. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

    STEP 4
    While the pork is resting, make the sauce by whisking the ingredients together, adding a splash of water if it’s particularly thick. Slice the tonkatsu and serve drizzled with the sauce.

  • General Tso’s Chicken

    General Tso's Chicken

    Category: Chicken

    Area: Chinese

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 Chicken Breast
    • 3/4 cup Plain Flour
    • 1 Egg
    • 2 tbs Starch
    • 1 tbs Baking Powder
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1/2 tsp Onion Salt
    • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 3/4 cup Water
    • 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
    • 1/4 cup Duck Sauce
    • 3 tbs Soy Sauce
    • 2 tbs Honey
    • 1 tbs Rice Vinegar
    • 2 tbs Sesame Seed Oil
    • 1/2 tbs Gochujang
    • 2 tbs Starch
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 2 chopped Spring Onions
    • 1 tsp Ginger

    Instructions:

    DIRECTIONS:
    STEP 1 – SAUCE
    In a bowl, add 2 Cups of water, 2 Tablespoon soy sauce, 2 Tablespoon white vinegar, sherry cooking wine, 1/4 Teaspoon white pepper, minced ginger, minced garlic, hot pepper, ketchup, hoisin sauce, and sugar.
    Mix together well and set aside.
    STEP 2 – MARINATING THE CHICKEN
    In a bowl, add the chicken, 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of white pepper, 2 egg whites, and 3 Tablespoon of corn starch
    STEP 3 – DEEP FRY THE CHICKEN
    Deep fry the chicken at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until it is golden brown and loosen up the chicken so that they don't stick together.
    Set the chicken aside.
    STEP 4 – STIR FRY
    Add the sauce to the wok and then the broccoli and wait until it is boiling.
    To thicken the sauce, whisk together 2 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 4 Tablespoon of water in a bowl and slowly add to your stir-fry until it's the right thickness.
    Next add in the chicken and stir-fry for a minute and serve on a plate

  • Summer Pudding

    Summer Pudding

    Category: Dessert

    Area: British

    Ingredients:

    • 300g Strawberries
    • 250g Blackberries
    • 100g Redcurrants
    • 500g Raspberries
    • 175g Caster Sugar
    • 7 Slices Bread

    Instructions:

    Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper – keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves – stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
    Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. Overlap two pieces of cling film in the middle of the bowl as it’s easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
    Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin’s sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can’t quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn’t matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.
    Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top – trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.

  • Home-made Mandazi

    Home-made Mandazi

    Category: Breakfast

    Area: Kenyan

    Ingredients:

    • 750g Self-raising Flour
    • 6 tablespoons Sugar
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 cup Milk

    Instructions:

    This is one recipe a lot of people have requested and I have tried to make it as simple as possible and I hope it will work for you. Make sure you use the right flour which is basically one with raising agents. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and try using different flavours to have variety whenever you have them.
    You can use Coconut milk instead of regular milk, you can also add desiccated coconut to the dry flour or other spices like powdered cloves or cinnamon.
    For “healthy looking” mandazis do not roll the dough too thin before frying and use the procedure I have indicated above.

    1. Mix the flour,cinnamon and sugar in a suitable bowl.
    2. In a separate bowl whisk the egg into the milk
    3. Make a well at the centre of the flour and add the milk and egg mixture and slowly mix to form a dough.
    4. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until it stops sticking to the sides of the bowl and you have a smooth surface.
    5. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
    6. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1cm thick piece.
    7. Using a sharp small knife, cut the dough into the desired size setting aside ready for deep frying.
    8. Heat your oil in a suitable pot and gently dip the mandazi pieces to cook until light brown on the first side then turn to cook on the second side.
    9. Serve them warm or cold

  • Fish fofos

    Fish fofos

    Category: Seafood

    Area: Portuguese

    Ingredients:

    • 600g Haddock
    • 300g Potatoes
    • 1 chopped Green Chilli
    • 3 tbs Coriander
    • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 1/2 tsp Pepper
    • 3 cloves Garlic
    • 2 pieces Ginger
    • 2 tbs Flour
    • 3 Eggs
    • 75g Breadcrumbs
    • For frying Vegetable Oil

    Instructions:

    STEP 1

    Put the fish into a lidded pan and pour over enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and gently poach for 10 minutes over a low heat with the lid on. Drain and flake the fish.

    STEP 2

    Put the fish, potato, green chilli, coriander, cumin, black pepper, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Season, add the rice flour, mix well and break in 1 egg. Stir the mixture and divide into 15, then form into small logs. Break the remaining eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Dip each fofo in the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Chill for 20 minutes.

    STEP 3

    Heat 1cm of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fofos in batches for 2 minutes on each side, turning gently to get an even golden brown colour all over. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining fofos.

    STEP 4

    For the onion salad, mix together the onion, coriander and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Serve with the fofos and mango chutney.

  • Minced Beef Pie

    Minced Beef Pie

    Category: Beef

    Area: British

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
    • 500g Minced Beef
    • 1 chopped Onion
    • 1 tbls Tomato Puree
    • 1 ½ tbsp Plain Flour
    • 75g Mushrooms
    • 250ml Beef Stock
    • Dash Worcestershire Sauce
    • 400g Shortcrust Pastry
    • 1 Egg Yolks

    Instructions:

    Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
    Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the beef mince for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
    Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then add the chopped mushrooms, the stout or beef stock and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool, then turn the meat mixture into a one litre pie dish.
    Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until it is slightly larger than the pie dish. Gently drape the pastry over the dish, pressing firmly onto the edges. Trim, then shape the edges into a fluted shape.
    Cut some leaf shapes out of the pastry trimmings and decorate the top of the pie, sticking them to the pastry with the beaten egg yolk.
    Make three or four slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape, then brush the pie with the rest of the beaten egg yolk and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown.
    To serve, slice into wedges.

  • Szechuan Beef

    Szechuan Beef

    Category: Beef

    Area: Chinese

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 lb Beef
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
    • 1 pinch Pepper
    • 1 Egg White
    • 3 tbs Starch
    • 4 tbs Oil
    • 1 tsp Ginger
    • 1 tsp Garlic
    • 3/4 cup Onion
    • 1/2 cup Carrots
    • 3/4 cup Green Pepper
    • 1 cup Celery
    • 1 cup Mushrooms
    • 1 tbs Cooking wine
    • 1 cup Water
    • 1 tbs Oyster Sauce
    • 1/2 tsp Hotsauce
    • 1 tsp Sugar
    • 1 tbs Soy Sauce

    Instructions:

    STEP 1 – MARINATING THE BEEF
    In a bowl, add the beef, salt, sesame seed oil, white pepper, egg white, 2 Tablespoon of corn starch and 1 Tablespoon of oil.
    STEP 2 – STIR FRY
    First Cook the beef by adding 2 Tablespoon of oil until the beef is golden brown.
    Set the beef aside
    In a wok add 1 Tablespoon of oil, minced ginger, minced garlic and stir-fry for few seconds.
    Next add all of the vegetables and then add sherry cooking wine and 1 cup of water.
    To make the sauce add oyster sauce, hot pepper sauce, and sugar.
    add the cooked beef and 1 spoon of soy sauce
    To thicken the sauce, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 Tablespoon of water in a bowl and slowly add to your stir-fry until it's the right thickness.

  • Chicken Fajita Mac and Cheese

    Chicken Fajita Mac and Cheese

    Category: Chicken

    Area: American

    Ingredients:

    • 500g macaroni
    • 2 cups chicken stock
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 1 packet fajita seasoning
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 3 diced chicken breast
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 small finely diced onion
    • 2 finely diced red pepper
    • 2 cloves minced garlic
    • 1 cup cheddar cheese
    • garnish chopped parsley

    Instructions:

    Fry your onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil until nicely translucent. Make a well in your veg and add your chicken. Add your seasoning and salt. Allow to colour slightly.
    Add your cream, stock and macaroni.
    Cook on low for 20 minutes. Add your cheeses, stir to combine.
    Top with roasted peppers and parsley.

  • Poutine

    Poutine

    Category: Miscellaneous

    Area: Canadian

    Ingredients:

    • Dash Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Can Beef Gravy
    • 5 thin cut Potatoes
    • 2 cups Cheese Curds

    Instructions:

    Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy skillet to 365°F (185°C).
    Warm gravy in saucepan or microwave.
    Place the fries into the hot oil, and cook until light brown, about 5 minutes.
    Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
    Place the fries on a serving platter, and sprinkle the cheese over them.
    Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese, and serve immediately.