Wanting something noodly (yes, it is a word. Yes, I coined it myself) and quick resulted in this bowl of black pepper noodles being amped up with some vegetables, some nut butter and a few but aromatic garnishes. I always end up buying more ready to eat noodles than I can make, which worked out great on a day like today! I started with Koka’s Black Pepper noodles, followed the instructions, added my twist and voila! A hearty 5 minute meal for one (and a half).
This Burmese one bowl meal is the answer to all those woes – what to make for a meal when you are tight on time, but still want a lovely not the run of the mill meal to look forward to! I usually have my pantry stocked with staples such as noodles, coconut milk tins or tetrapacks, and most Indian kitchens would have the array of spices always on hand – turmeric, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, etc. The curry uses basic vegetables – peas, cauliflower, carrots and green beans. Feel free to replace then per your taste, or omit them completely (which is SS’s suggestions for next time around).
The original recipe I used didn’t include sugar, ginger, chilli or lemongrass, but i found that adding all of these made the curry a lot more balanced and added a great depth of flavour. Read more…
I made these (birthday) tikkis a last week from the Indian Accent cookbook, which now dominates my kitchen counter (not only because it is gorgeous, but its also HUGE!). Not a day has gone when I haven’t opened the book and perused the recipes, salivated at the pictures, and read chef Manish Mehrotra’s stories that prelude each and every recipe. Some of the recipes are complicated, requiring a team of sous chefs to help you – while the others, like our tikkis here, may look difficult to make, but in fact aren’t as cumbersome as I thought – and taste fantastic. A real Indian Accent dish, from my kitchen and my heart to yours, marking the occasion of Joie De Vivre’s 6th year – this really is a treat worthy of the celebration!
SS and I just celebrated 5 years of being together, in Hong Kong. I mention this because while exploring Soho one sleepy Sunday, we stumbled upon a store called Pantry Magic, which transported me back to any good European or American kitchenware stores (picture a Williams Sonoma meets Divertimenti) – from where I took home the pictured gorgeous wok, perfect for cooking up Asian fare at home, without taking up too much space in my already congested pantry cupboard! Now, one Sunday after that purchase was made, I decided to use my Clean Foods cookbook (for much needed detox after last night’s revelry and general HK indulgences!) and repeat this Scallion & Sprouted Mung Bean Sauté with Peanuts which I previously made with some pak choi, but this time left it out.
At the beginning of the year, I undertook a personal challenge – to promote happiness in my life, everyday. And more importantly, to notice what it is that makes me happy. The basic idea is to share a photo of whatever it is that makes you happy, for 100 consecutive days. Sharing can be as public […] Read more…
This book has managed to captivate my palate. It is one of those unassuming basic looking books- none of the fancy hardcover or glossy photographs shebang- plain old words on paper, followed by more words on paper, bound neatly in an almost unattractive red and blue cover with a drawing of a pious Thai lady, […] Read more…
