wandering food lover

it's a nice afternoon for feijoa cake

2013-04-21T08:36:00.000+01:00

With feijoa season in full swing, I'm loving the fact my back yard has a heavily-laden feijoa tree bearing down on me with all of its juicy goodness. I missed these delicious little fruits while living in London, people gave me queer looks when I tried to ask after them. Even Australians are rarely up with the play. So to have my very own private source here in NZ puts a wide autumnal smile on my face.

And whilst they're amazing eaten straight from the tree/ground, they're also delectable in cake. A dense, moist, heavenly feijoa cake that's baked slowly and is delicious with natural yoghurt and my special poached berry sauce.

Most other recipes call for sour cream instead of yoghurt but I think yoghurt makes much more sense - and you can serve the cake with the rest of the pottle. Thanks to my mum for the original recipe, enjoy!

Feijoa cake with raspberry and red wine sauce

125 g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup feijoa pulp
1tsp baking soda, dissolved in 2Tbsp warmed milk
1 cup natural, plain yoghurt
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Extra feijoa pulp
Red wine
Frozen raspberries or other fruit
2Tbsp brown sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.
Add mashed feijoas, milk & baking soda mixture, yoghurt and flour.
Bake in a ring tin 150C for 30minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Avoid filling the tin too high, as the cake will rise significantly. If you have leftover mixture, pop it into some rings of a muffin tin, to make extra 'mini' feijoa cakes.

To make the sauce, poach feijoa pulp in red wine for 5minutes. Add 2Tbsp of brown sugar and a handful of frozen raspberries or other fruit. Simmer until reduced to your liking.

a professional shot

2013-03-19T04:25:00.001+00:00

This week I was lucky enough to cook for one talented lady... the lovely Courtney of Courtney Driscoll Photography. We spent the second half of Sunday shopping, cooking, styling and shooting. These are the three meals on this week's Underground Kitchen menu, and I am so stoked with the results. The images almost look good enough to eat...!

miso-roasted chicken

2013-03-12T05:18:00.003+00:00

I've been cooking up a storm the past three weeks with Jess' Underground Kitchen, the latest thing to keep me busy and kitchen-bound.

Tonight I tried out a Donna Hay recipe for miso-roasted chicken and several of you have requested the recipe, so here goes! I used red miso paste, but you could use white miso paste for a more subtle flavour.

I served my miso chicken and eggplant with a sesame and coriander noodle salad, with a garnish of spring onions and coriander. YUM!

Miso-roasted chicken
Serves 2
1/3 cup miso paste
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/3 cup mirin
2x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
3 baby eggplant, halved
Olive oil, for brushing
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat a grill on high heat. Place the miso, sesame oil and mirin in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the chicken and eggplant, cut-side up, into a baking dish lined with non-stick baking paper and brush the eggplant with a little oil. Spoon the miso mixture over the chicken and eggplant and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place under the hot grill and cook for 18-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and eggplant is tender.

jess' underground kitchen

2013-02-25T07:17:00.001+00:00

If you live in Auckland, New Zealand, you'll be pleased to know that I'm going through a phase I like to call 'cooking for my friends'. A friend joked the other night that she'd pay me to cook her dinner and it got us thinking... what if I were to cook a little more of my nightly meals and then pass them on?

Introducing Jess' Underground Kitchen, where I put together a menu of what I'll be cooking for the week and you, you lucky things, get to order it and pick some yummies up for dinner on your way home! Although still in testing mode, I've been getting some great responses and I think the price point is just the ticket for a delicious, home-cooked meal.

Last week we enjoyed a spicy Thai green chicken curry, full of healthy vegetables like green beans, eggplant and edamame.

Then it was good ol' lasagne, topped with mozzarella and cheddar and baked until golden.

And not to forget the light and tasty pork larb salad, packed with fresh herbs from my vege garden.

Fresh of the press tonight is a Lebanese couscous salad with chorizo, roasted pumpkin and feta.

And if this sounds like your kinda thing, you can like my page on Facebook here and keep up to date with all of my latest menus and creations!

homecoming, homemade chorizo and moghrabieh salad

2013-02-04T08:57:00.000+00:00

It's been a very surreal few months: the culmination of our time in London, sad farewells and happy reunions, new beginnings, new jobs, new opportunities and a Kiwi summer. I'm happy to be back in New Zealand after 2.5 years of amazing adventuring, especially when the sun is shining.

But all of the above means I've had hardly any time to think about this little blog. In a pang of post-London nostalgia, tonight I set about making homemade chorizo with a giant couscous salad - a dish that we often whipped up in London, albeit with store-bought chorizo!

The chorizo meatballs were super easy to whip up - I got the recipe from a preserving cookbook I got for my birthday last year, adapting it slightly to reduce the prep time and maximise on flavour. Although chorizo sausages are usually dried, they are also delicious fresh and, if you don't have a stuffing machine or casings on hand, you can simply roll them into meatballs and fry, bake, or add to casseroles, pasta sauces and other savoury dishes for a warm, smoky flavour.

Fresh sweet chorizo

1kg pork shoulder, freshly minced (or cheat like I did and buy pre-minced pork meat)

15g sea salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

15g sweet smoked paprika

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp fine white pepper

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix with your hands. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or overnight, for the mixture to firm up and the flavours to marry.

To make meatballs, like I did, simply form the meat into small balls using cold, wet hands. Arrange on a tray. I put a layer of cling film down first to ensure the meatballs didn't stick.

Put the meatballs in the fridge and leave for 24 hours (uncovered). Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.

Moghrabieh is a Lebanese couscous made from semolina. I first came across a reference to these small doughy balls in an Ottolenghi recipe and the best part about cooking with moghrabieh is that they soak up tonnes of flavour - perfect for the juices from my chorizo. Moghrabieh is not to be confused with Israeli couscous, which is another larger couscous variety but very different in texture and flavour.

At the end of cooking the chorizo I added a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar to de-glaze the paprika-flavoured oils and form a sweet, sticky dressing for my salad. I popped in some fresh beans (from my newly planted vege garden!) and added the Lebanese couscous straight to the pan.

To enhance the summer feeling of this salad I went for Greek-inspired flavours with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta cheese, along with some fresh herbs and baby spinach leaves. The only thing that could have made this dish even better would be a generous squeeze of lemon juice to add a zesty acidity to the mix.

Ahhh, London, Lebanon and Greece all in one dish! This was certainly a hearty salad and with plenty of leftovers, I'm sure it'll taste even better tomorrow.

reminiscing: two weeks in turkey

2012-10-30T07:51:00.000+00:00

It's been FAR too long since I blogged; something to do with life-changing decisions, a move from northern to southern hemisphere and a final hurrah in Turkey. Somewhere mid-Malaysia we decided to follow a job offer and move back to Auckland, New Zealand. It's been 2.5 years since we've been home and with summer just around the corner, it seemed like a pretty good bet.

I managed to weave a two-week trip to Turkey into our London departure and our final days were spent swimming in the crystal clear Mediterranean water, eating our body weight in bread (three times daily at a minimum) and drinking endless cups of Turkish tea. I will miss the European lifestyle SO MUCH! But great things are just around the corner, and we're excited to be back.

Returning to a more salivating topic, Turkish cuisine, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite moments/meals from our trip. Beginning with breakfast: our best morning feed was at a traditional Van cafe in Istanbul called Van Kahvalti Evi.

We opted for a set platter so we could sample as much as possible. Think five different types of authentic Turkish cheeses, olives, tomato, cucumber, eggs, delicious jams and freshly baked bread. The highlight for me was a honeycomb honey served with Kaymak (a type of clotted cream, see bottom left of photo). We literally rolled down the hill to the waterfront, we were so full.

In Cappadocia we ordered the typical regional dish, a chicken testi kebab. Testi means 'jug' and a mixture of meat and vegetables is cooked in a clay jug over the fire.

The pot is sealed with bread dough and broken open with a special curved knife for serving. It was delicious!

We sampled the local street food...

(I especially love how he manages to talk on the phone, puff on his fag and serve us, all at the same time)

...and drank copious cups of free tea.

On the Mediterranean coast we found a gem of a restaurant in the little town of Finike. The highlight of our meal was the free mezze course, consisting of bread still hot from the oven and a selection of local cheese, greens and salsa. My poached fish, in a broth of tomato, bay leaves, onion, potatoes and whole lemon wedges was stand-out delicious too. If you happen to be passing through Finike, be sure to stop at Finike Petek Restaurant, just outside the entrance to the marina.

There was so much more deliciousness eaten but I'll leave it at that. Turkey was an incredible country to visit, and I'm so glad we found a way to add it to our itinerary. We're back in the land of sticks now though, less exotic travel for us and time for me to find a job! Over and out.

breakfasting at imbi market, kuala lumpur

2012-09-20T11:37:00.002+01:00

Supposedly one of the last wet markets in central KL and busiest before 7am (indeed the roaring daily trade is almost always over by 11am), our visit to the Malaysian capital wouldn't have been complete without an early morning breakfast within this bustling hawker fare paradise. Imbi Market (officially named Pasar Bukit Bintang) is just a stone's throw from Bukit Bintang, one of the main shopping precincts in Kuala Lumpur, and any visitor seeking a traditional dining experience and a super cheap breakfast should make a point of stopping here at least once.

We relished the fact that we saw few Western faces as we pondered our breakfast options, to the gentle amusement of the local tradespeople. Patrons come here to buy everything from vegetables to flowers, seafood and meat. Imbi Market is small enough to navigate in a morning yet large enough to vividly illustrate the extent of Malaysia's gastronomic riches. We opted for laksa and were so full from these generous bowls of noodles that we could well have avoided eating for the rest of the day.

This plate of curry laksa was bursting with creamy flavour and saturated tofu puffs.
Heavy going for 9am but worth the slog!

My assam laksa was predominantly sweet with a hint of sour, and full of juicy fish chunks and fragrant mint. The noodles were firm and bouncy, just as they should be. For only £1, what a way to start the day.

I could have happily wandered around this market for hours, taking in the makeshift stalls, the sights and smells and the smiling locals determined to feed the people with fresh, delicious food. But my fullness was verging on foma, and I had the pleasure of meeting up with my parents for the remainder of the day. So we left the chicken feet, the fish paste and the popiah behind, with the hope that the growing city won't crowd out this little pocket of authentic Malaysian cuisine.

simple pleasures

2012-09-06T15:35:00.001+01:00

When you've been travelling for any extended period of time, the best meal you can treat yourself to is a home-cooked one. So when we found ourselves ensconced in a comfortable Singaporean condo, we jumped at the chance to put the kitchen to good use.

Cue roast beef, chilled wine and great friends. Thank you a million times over for having us!

all about satay: singapore hawker stalls

2012-09-05T04:55:00.000+01:00

To continue our gastronomic tour of Singapore, we headed downtown to Lau Pa Sat hawker centre. After 7pm the road behind the food court is closed to traffic, transforming it into a sea of satay stalls. Competition is fierce and we made our way to stalls 7 and 8; apparently the best in the business.

Satay is essentially defined as seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. We opted for a mix of chicken, beef and prawns, served with steamed rice cakes and diced cucumber and onion. The nutty satay sauce was thick and chunky, with a satisfyingly subtle kick of chili to cut through the oiliness.

The prawns were half peeled, making them super easy to dip and eat; just twist off the heads and you're good to go.

When I think of satay, I immediately think of chicken skewers like these.

Suprisingly, the beef was my favourite! Tender meat with sweet, caramelised edges. Simply delicious.

While it's not exactly cheap compared to standard 'food court' fare, the open-air dining concept redolent with the smoky aroma of grilling coupled with the location smack bang in the centre of the CBD made it easy to forgive any price inflation. We rounded out the night with a stroll around the harbour and some refreshing cold stone ice cream.

Singapore has been an absolute pleasure to the taste buds: from street eats to more formal dining, we've tasted a large chunk but there's plenty left to come back for. I can see why our friends love living here and, with a spare room in their apartment, I've a funny feeling we'll be visiting again sooner rather than later.

little india and a lesson in finger food

2012-09-04T06:51:00.004+01:00

After a busy day of sight-seeing in Singapore with our local tour guides Bex and Sander, we wandered down to Little India for some dinner. If you ever have a chance to visit this area of Singapore on a Sunday night, it's a wonderful time to go. I felt like I'd stepped off the island and found myself in the middle of downtown Mumbai, surrounded by a sea of friendly Indian faces. Local eateries play Bollywood movies while the men dip into a dal and watch on; clusters of friends catch up over sweating bottles of Singha beer. Everyone is making the most of their day off and the end of a lazy Sunday. We weave our way through the crowds to Banana Leaf Apolo, which supposedly serves up some of the best Southern Indian food in the city.

And best South Indian food in the city is not far wrong, in fact it's some of the best Indian cuisine I've eaten, period. Luckily we didn't have to wait for a table and were seated within minutes, banana leaf at the ready. Unfortunately they've taken to setting the table with a plate under the banana leaf now; in the past your leaf was your plate, and it would have been much more authentic. Bex and Sander have the winning dining combination down pat so we didn't even open the menu: palak paneer (an Indian cheese in a thick, pureed spinach sauce), yellow dal, chana masala (a dry chickpea curry), succulent tandoori chicken pieces, garlic naan and of course, poppadoms to start. The biryani rice came with a pickled cabbage and curried beans too, just the right amount of green to balance out the richness of the meal.

To truly embrace the cuisine we forwent cutlery and ate with our hands. I even managed to restrict myself to right hand only - tearing the naan bread was surprisingly easy, despite only using one hand, and it made for half the mess to clean up afterwards. The moist towelette is key for currified fingers!

Hands down (no pun intended) one of the best Indian meals I've eaten. Sweet red onion rings added freshness and texture and the palak paneer was bursting with flavour. The tandoori chicken melted off the bone and buttery biryani rice tied it all together. Friendly staff and reasonable prices - definitely plan a visit to this Singaporean institution when you're next in town.

lechon manok, a true filipino favourite

2012-08-24T15:10:00.000+01:00

Chicken, chicken and more chicken. I ate my way through a fair few birds over the last three weeks in the Philippines - they love their poultry and I have to say, when slowly roasted over a charcoal pit with lashes of Filipino seasonings, I can see why.

Cheap, succulent and deliriously tasty, we enjoyed numerous dinners of lechon manok, a Pinoy street corner rotisserie-style meal of chicken and rice. The whole chicken is chopped into pieces and best eaten with your hands. Luckily even the smallest lechon manok stalls have a basin where you can wash your sticky fingers afterwards!

We also discovered a fast-food style barbeque house called Mang Inasal that became a lunchtime favourite (we must have eaten here at least three times!) These eateries are always packed to the rafters with locals; the meals are affordable and the combination of spices and herbs is bang on.

The distinctive traditions of Pinoy cuisine are preserved with bamboo sticks for skewers and rice wrapped in banana leaves and, for a chain restaurant, the chilies they serve at Mang Inasal are extra hot! I challenged Jono to eat a whole one and he was icing his tongue for over an hour... oops!

I wasn't blown away by Filipino cuisine. It tends to be heavy, oily and predominantly meat-based (you'll struggle to find a good vegetarian dish) but of course there were exceptions to this gross overstatement. We had a delicious meal (one of the best of our trip to date) at a restaurant called Gerarda's in Tagbilaran, on the island of Bohol. Think great value formal dining with beautifully presented dishes. Our favourite was their kinilaw, a Filipino equivalent of ceviche where the seafood is 'cooked' by vinegar. It had just the right levels of chilli, ginger and garlic to remind you that you're in SE Asia, not Europe!

Western chains are EVERYWHERE - junk food fans rejoice, you'll never be far from a McDonald's, a Dunkin Donut or the nationwide favourite, Jollibee's. One local even described the size of his home town by ensuring us it was large enough to house its very own Jollibee branch.

Three weeks flew by and before we knew it we were packing for our outbound flight to Borneo. We survived typhoon weather, cancelled flights and over-crowded beaches in Boracay but were blessed with some delightful memories and the taste of Filipino barbeque that'll be hard to beat.

mmmm melaka: a day of eating

2012-08-05T07:39:00.002+01:00

After weeks of fairly monotonous island food, a full day in the foodie haven of Melaka was just what I needed to get re-inspired by Malaysian cuisine. With influences from Chinese, Indian and Indonesian cooking, these Nyonya flavours are individual to Melaka and heavily coveted throughout the country.

First stop on our must-eat list was breakfast at Hoe Kee - famous for their chicken rice balls. Discreetly located on the main street of Chinatown, don't get lured into competitor eateries but endeavour to find this little gem.

In Melaka, the Chinese dish of 'chicken rice' is served as rice balls rather than a bowl of rice, with poached chicken and cucumber on the side. The idea is to get a portion of chicken, rice and the soy and chilli condiment in each mouthful. While not the most conventional breakfast for a Westerner, it was devoured with ease and we were the perfect level of satisfaction: not feeling too full and heavy, but with plenty of energy for the day ahead.

Why rice balls? One argument is that the rice was originally shaped into balls because they stayed warm for a longer time, when stored in wooden containers. The other theory is that the rice balls were more portable and therefore easier for labourers working on plantations to transport from home. Today I assume they're more a novelty than anything else, but we still enjoyed our meal despite the touristy aspect of it.

After a few hours of walking the streets and river-ways of Melaka we were hot and hungry for some hearty Laksa. At RM5 a pop (£1) these large bowls of fresh noodles from Jonker 88 hit the spot. Jono's chicken laksa was creamy and coconuty, with egg noodles, bean sprouts, red onion and juicy tofu dumplings. It was all slurped up with nothing left to spare.

My traditional Nyonya laksa was quite different from Jono's, but still just as tasty. The fragrant broth was sweet and laced with tender chunks of fish (I'm guessing mackerel) and the thick udon noodles were just the right amount of firmness to the bite. Crispy slabs of fried tofu soaked up the rich gravy and a sprinkling of fried shallots gave the dish a burst of texture.

Hot and bothered after inhaling a spicy soup in the midday heat, we escaped to our hotel room for some much-needed air conditioning and a short siesta to sleep off our large lunch. Who can complain?! Life doesn't get much better than this.

Not exactly feeling hungry come dinnertime but determined to taste yet another corner of Melakan cuisine, we headed west of Chinatown to the Pakistani tandoori oven of Pak Putra. Renowned to serve some of the best chicken tandoori in the city, we promptly ordered a plate each.

I've tasted a few tandoori's in my time and I don't think I've ever had such tender, succulent chicken as this. The marinade was subtle yet bursting with flavour at the same time, and there was just enough charring on the chicken to give it that unique tang.

Our garlic naans were swimming in butter (but who can suffer a dry naan, really) and served with a dahl-type sauce that complimented the tandoori chicken and tied the whole meal together.

I didn't think I could eat another bite, honest. But when we got back to our guest house there was a plate of freshly-cooked kuih dadar on the kitchen table. These green pancakes are utterly delicious and moreish and I have to admit that I found room for three of the delightful coconuty pockets.

The crepe is flavoured with pandan juice (which gives it the green colour) and the filling is simply grated coconut steeped in palm sugar and caramelised. I found a recipe online here. The perfect culmination of a Nyonya-filled day!

Melaka is right up there with Penang with regards to serving up some of the best food in Malaysia. And it's only two hours by bus from Kuala Lumpur (we even caught a bus directly from Melaka to the airport) so make sure you add it to your itinerary if you want to experience some exquisite cuisine. I'm already trying to factor in another visit before our trip is up! Thank you Melaka, I just need to fast for a week now to balance out all of that hedonistic eating.

capitol satay celup - the best malaysian satay steamboat

2012-08-01T14:45:00.000+01:00

Since leaving Penang we've had some good food in Malaysia, some cheap food, but no... outstanding meals. In some ways this isn't surprising, given that over half the local restaurants are shut down for Ramadan and the majority Muslim population are fasting from sunrise to sunset (big props, I don't know how they do it). But from the moment we arrived into Melaka we fell in love with the city and it's eclectic, multi-cultural DNA.

Peranakan cuisine (Nyonya; prepared with a salty Indonesian influence) is the most famous type of cooking in Melaka, but strong influences are also present in the form of Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Portuguese Eurasian food.

Fresh off a long coast-to-coast bus and upon recommendation from our guest house owner, we ventured down the road to find Capitol Satay, arguably the best satay celup house in Melaka. Sitting around a pot of thick, boiling satay sauce, you choose your skewers of raw meat, seafood and vegetables from the self serve selection and cook them directly in the bubbling vat of peanutty goodness. Think fondue but with satay sauce instead of melted cheese. Or steamboat with a thick, nutty stock. Simple yet brilliant!

We joined the back of the queue for a table (luckily it moved quite quickly and we were seated within 15 minutes) while we observed the other diners cooking their meals and pondered what to have.

As well as the expected chicken, beef and seafood there were skewers of okra stuffed with tofu, sausages, wantons and water spinach. And at only RM0.90 per skewer (about 15p) it's difficult to rack up a large bill, even with beer to wash it all down.

Photographs and notes from customers with happy stomachs line the walls, and ladle-fuls of crushed peanuts, sugar and chilli are added to the hot vats of satay soup to keep the consistency 'just right'.

We polished off 30 skewers as well as a couple of plates of wantons and some bread to mop up the luscious satay juices. With refreshments our bill was still under £9 and we couldn't have fitted in another fish ball, we were that full.

So much fun and super satisfying. I would love to spend an evening here with a large group of friends and a bottle of wine, dipping and nibbling on satay sticks as the night played out. Could the concept work outside Melaka?! I would love to have a local celup joint to visit, especially if it was BYO. Perhaps this is my true calling, to introduce celup to the Western world!

Melaka's food just gets better and better, and I can't wait to eat my heart out tomorrow.

penang part two: red garden hawker market

2012-07-14T08:31:00.000+01:00

And so we continue with the theme of street food. Penang was ranked in CNN Go's Asia's 10 Greatest Street Food Cities earlier this year, and the bulk of public opinion seems to focus on the credibility of the state's cuisine, particularly its street food. Coming to Penang and not sampling the local cuisine is like going to Thailand and not stepping foot in the sand or the sea - you're missing the whole point!

Red Garden, a hawker-style food market in Georgetown, lights up at night with a huge cluster of stall food, neon lights and cheesy karaoke - what's not to like? Cheap and cheerful, we did two full laps to soak in the atmosphere before embarking on the tough ride of choosing what to order. First up we indulged in a dish of char koay teow, an iconic Malay noodle dish.

The ever fragrant, garlicky and rich Penang char koay teow holds a revered place in the hearts of foodies all over Malaysia. The secret behind the success of the dish relies on the heat of the wok: the higher the heat, the tastier the koay teow. Flat rice noodles are fried in an iron cask wok over very high heat to achieve a slightly charred and smoky aroma. Minced garlic, egg, bean sprouts, chives are added, followed by fresh prawns, Chinese sausage and cockles. I've sampled several different versions, some with more soy sauce than others, but the result is always similar: a hearty, heavenly plate of stir-fried goodness.

Next up, we opted for a clay pot dish of ginger and spring onion chicken. We almost went for the frog curry, but 'chickened' out at the last minute... ha.

This dish is special in that it is actually cooked in the clay pot it is served in. Presented still bubbling away, the sauce was thick, rich and erring on the sweet side, whilst the chicken remained tender and succulent. A side of plain rice was the perfect accompaniment to soak up the gingery juices.

No longer hungry, but feeling like it would be rude not to order one more dish, I came back to the table with a plate of chee cheong fun. Think rice flour that has been steamed and rolled up to about 10cm long, hand-sliced pieces and served with a mixture of chilli paste, shrimp paste and a reddish sweet sauce, all sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds. It was the perfect choice to end our meal - tasting almost like a dessert dish despite the slightly spicy shrimp flavour.

The texture of the noodles is smooth, making it an excellent base for the savoury/sweet sauce. Jono tagged out early on so I got to finish most of the pillow-like pieces all by myself. Shrimp paste is very popular in Malaysia and apparently customers flock for a taste of the Penang shrimp paste - it has a strong fish flavour without leaving a lingering fishy smell in your mouth and is renowned to be the best in the market.

I know I've said this before but I really could live day by day eating street food like this. Quick, delicious and so, so cheap, it appeals to this food lover from every aspect. Georgetown as a quietly bustling town was friendly and approachable, and I'd definitely spend time here again.

But my tan needs a top up and the beaches are calling. As you read this I'll be tucking into a seafood bbq with my feet in the sand. Goodbye glorious street food (for now), hello Perhentian Islands.

penang on a plate

2012-07-09T14:43:00.000+01:00

Chased from Langkawi by grey clouds and drizzle, we hot-stepped to 'The Pearl of the Orient', Penang. As the only Malaysian state to have a Chinese majority population, local food is one of the main draw cards to this cultural melting pot with strong Indian, Chinese and Malay influences. In other words, my kind of food heaven!

Penang locals are proud of their cuisine's international recognition and a large chunk of the state's tourism depends on it. Street hawker food stalls pop up on every corner come nightfall and the busy staff fill bowl after bowl of delicious noodle soup, laska and curry.

On our first night, after dropping off our bags, we stumbled upon one such food market on the door step of our guest house. Perched on stools, knee to knee with the Malay locals, we made impromptu decisions with our eyes and our noses (no menus here) and were served up one of the best, and the cheapest, meals of our Malaysian trip to date.

This wonderwoman was plating about 6 dishes of wan tan mee a minute (yep, about one every ten seconds). This Penang staple gets its name from the wan tans, the pork or shrimp dumplings, that are served with the springy egg noodles. We had it served with a dressing of dark soy sauce, garnished with mustard greens and barbecued pork slices. The dressing was on the salty side with great depth of flavour, and the texture of the dish was accented with small, crunchy pieces of lard and pickled green chillies. I think this got our vote as dish of the night.

Next on our street food menu was a bowl of curry mee, a coconut-based noodle and seafood soup. A mix of egg and vermicelli noodles provided variation in texture while the seafood was generous and tasty: fish balls, squid, prawns and dark cockles. I was hesitant over the cockles at first (they looked like some kind of chicken entrails...!) but I took a deep breath and gave them a go - quite strong in flavour but soft and easy to digest. And the fried tofu slices were a delicious addition too.

The alley was positively bustling with vendors, customers and even scooters, swooping in on a stall to pick up dinner on their way home. I love that street eating comes so naturally in a city like this - it is a way of life, not an inferior or 'cheap and nasty' eating experience. There is such a high turnover in food and everything is served piping hot; it's probably safer than some of the food served in middle class restaurants. I wish the Western world would embrace street food more!

With satisfied bellies, but room for one more street treat, we picked up a couple of roasted corn cobs for a final evening stroll before turning in for the night.

It feels so exciting to be here - in a bustling haven of street food - and I can't wait to sample everything that Penang has to offer. Falling asleep with a prayer that my stomach will stretch enough to take it all in!

setting the bar... sensational seafood in langkawi

2012-07-05T10:23:00.000+01:00

Last night we 'splashed out' (£32 including drinks and service) and dined at Orkid Ria, a seafood restaurant that receives rave reviews on the likes of Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet. A stumble from our guest house in Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, we noticed that this roadside eatery seemed to be bustling with customers - locals and tourists alike - so we turned a blind eye to the Daily Budget and dived right in. Langkawi is an archipelago of islands near the top of the Malaysian peninsular, also known as the Jewels of Kedah. Bliss!

The fresh seafood at Orkid Ria is displayed in tanks as you enter the restaurant, and our only hesitation was the price-by-weight system. How much does a prawn weigh, anyway? With the daunting thought of a hefty bill in the back of our minds, we were seated and promptly served by one of the many staff members. Service was great: not too pushy yet still attentive. I can only imagine how crowded this place must get in high season...

Our spring rolls were piping hot and perfectly cooked, a sign of good things to come. We ordered a giant tiger prawn each, served crispy with salt and pepper, and a whole deep-fried snapper topped with a Thai-style ABC sauce. With fried noodles and a side of broccoli with garlic sauce to complement the feast, we set about devouring the giant servings of seafood in front of us.

I don't think I have ever seen, let alone eaten, a prawn of this ginormous proportion - they were 250g each. The closest I've probably come was in Vietnam, but from memory it was more of a langoustine than a prawn. The meat had a firm bite whilst still being tender, with a sweetness similar to lobster, and the tempure-like batter added a lovely crispy texture.

Our appetites were sated after the prawns, but we still had a whole snapper to tackle. The fresh, vibrant flavours of chilli, garlic, ginger and shallots were a treat to the tastebuds after two weeks of Sri Lankan food. Thai flavours are my archilles heel and this fish dish did not disappoint. The meat fell off the bones and, combined with the spicy ABC sauce and the Malaysian-style fried noodles, proved to be a winning combination despite our already full bellies.

Washed down with a pint of cold Tiger beer, thoughts of the imminent bill were far from our minds. I do believe it's worth paying for decent seafood: there may have been cheaper options along the Pantai Cenang strip but without exploring further, I'd say our meal was a bargain given the freshness of the seafood and the quality of the dishes. I'd recommend Orkid Ria in a hearbeat and although we probably won't stretch as far as another meal there before we leave Langkawi, I hope the rest of Malaysia lives up to these standards... the bar has been set.

sri lanka: the summary

2012-07-04T10:42:00.000+01:00

It's been two weeks to the day since I locked the front door of our London apartment and headed to the airport: with an outbound flight and no fixed plans. I've been trying to avoid spending too much time on technology so despite the many wonderful eats I've been enjoying over the last fourteen days, I'm struggling to conjure up a blog post. Or maybe my brain is just fully embraced holiday mode. This, combined with the fact that the memory card in my camera decided to die (well, hopefully just a hibernation until I can get to a reputable photography store to restore the missing data) and I've lost many of my foodie snaps, results in this short summary of my culinary adventures around Sri Lanka.

Most surprisingly, perhaps, is the fact we ate curry at least once a day - sometimes twice, sometimes thrice - and didn't get sick of it at all. Dahl was a solid favourite, as was a spicy prawn curry we had on the east coast, near Batticaloa.

The best find was kottu roti (to the right of the photo), a street dish of vegetables, egg and roti - cooked and 'cut' together on a large hot plate. The noise is deafening as the kottu roti vendor tosses and chops with metal utensils, but the final result is worth it. And cheap too - most places charged around 60p for a generous serving, slightly more if you wanted chicken or beef. But simple vegetable kottu roti suited me, with a side of chilli sauce. I'd describe it as a Sri Lankan pad thai - with roti 'noodles'!

The local soft drink is a raspberry-flavoured syrup called Necto, that is probably 99.9% sugar and 100% bad for you. I couldn't stomach the drink, but chilled as an ice lolly it made a very refreshing treat after a hot afternoon at the beach. Think the jelly part of a jelly tip icecream - super sweet and delicious!

One of our stand-out meals was at a restuarant called The Green Room in Arugam Bay (shout out to Kristina for the recommendation). The atmosphere was tranquil and aesthetically pleasing, and there was even a Raglan New Zealand sticker on the wall! I don't have photos at this stage (fingers crossed for the data backup I mentioned above) but we sampled a tasty fresh tuna curry with rice, followed by half a chicken marinated in a selection of quintessential Sri Lankan spices, cooked with vegetables in tin foil over a bbq.

Despite some vague similarities to Indian cuisine, Sri Lankan food definitely holds its own in terms of taste, texture and variation. I'm looking forward to seeking out kottu roti in London upon our return, and I'd recommend Sri Lanka as a destination for anyone who wants to get slightly off the beaten tourist track. There is plenty to see and do, the people are friendly and inquisitive, and you can make your stay as comfortable or as intrepid as your wallet allows.

Next stop, Malaysia!

never too much of a good thing

2012-06-14T13:49:00.000+01:00

We went a bit crazy at the local Lake Como supermarket. With an abundance of delectable food and wine to get through (such a chore), we often found ourselves around the kitchen table come early evening, grazing over a spread of Italian cheeses, meats and other such delights.

Carbs, cheese, capers and cured meat goodness. All the best things in life being with C.

Creamy buffalo mozzarella as well as a smoked version were on our cheese board.

A sharp gorgonzola took pride of place alongside my all-time favourite, taleggio.

All hail the taleggio! It's a sharp-smelling cheese but its flavour is surprisingly subtle and mild, with a fruity tang. We ate it rind and all. I brought a block back with me and last night I made a delicious butternut and taleggio bake, you can find the recipe here. Time and time again I fail to find fault in this cheese, and I'd go as far to say it's one of my favourite Italian varieties.

In one week's time I'll be a long way from this Mediterranean cuisine, leaving London for Sri Lanka as I begin the trek homewards to renew my British visa. All fingers and toes crossed that the plan goes to plan, and bring on the fresh roti and coconut sambol. Aayu-bowan!

food coma in como

2012-06-14T13:08:00.000+01:00

I've spent the better part of the last week in the Lake Como region of Italy, dodging thunderstorms and the never-ending rain. But, what better way to stay entertained when it's wet out than sampling many of the fine dishes the district has to offer? I do exaggerate, we had some lovely pockets of sunshine, but when the weather became borderline depressing we thought with our stomachs and took ourselves off to the first non-assuming trattoria we could find.

I wish I had written down the name of this lake-side restaurant near San Siro. I also wish I'd photographed the menu because I'd love to tell you the Italian names of these lip-smacking pastas but my rudimentary translations will have to do.

Tagliatellini with a cream and fresh truffle sauce - decadent and delicious.

Chestnut gnochetti with local mountain cheese - subtle flavours that were extremely more-ish.

Zucchini, pesto and prawn linguini - fresh, zesty and wonderfully colourful.

Wild boar ravioli with a cheese sauce and fresh truffles - one of the winners on the day, so tasty.

And a hedonistic serving of Tiramisu to finish. The tiramisu was so strong (in a good way) that we didn't even need an expresso afterwards to wake ourselves back up again.

Lunch for four with wine set us back less than €80 and we were well satisfied that we'd sniffed out this little gem of a restaurant all by ourselves. And just as we made to leave, the rain stopped and the sun came out! For an afternoon of exploring (albeit fairly slowly after our large luncheon).

tortellini treats

2012-06-14T12:47:00.000+01:00

What's better than having someone make dinner for you?

Having someone make fresh pasta from scratch for you.

The very talented Robbie (hi Robbie!) made these tortellini/ravioli beauties, stuffed with puréed pumpkin and parmesan. Don't they look professional?! The pasta was rolled out to just the right thickness - not too thin and not too heavy - and the filling was rich with a wonderful savoury note coming through thanks to the tang of the cheese. Served with a burnt butter sage sauce and lightly toasted pinenuts, the flavours spoke for themselves and it was the perfect appetiser for a hearty Monday night meal.

In true Italian style the pasta starter was followed by a full roast dinner and a deliciously moist banana, chocolate and walnut loaf for dessert.

It'll be my turn next... what can I cook to try and match the standard of this feast?!

with the chef's compliments

2012-05-22T11:08:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend a group of girlfriends and I had the absolute pleasure of spending 2 hours with a professional chef, preparing and serving a delicious home-cooked meal. Chef's Compliments is London's personal chef service, offering a wide range of experiences: whether you want to hone your cooking skills or simply want to be a guest at your own dinner party, this unique and bespoke service will offer everything you need and more - all in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Chef Justin arrived promptly on the dot of 1pm and quickly got us kitted out in complimentary aprons. With knives sharpened and chopping boards at the ready, we set about preparing and cooking two dishes: sea bass with poached fennel and saffron and mussel liquor, and a bitter sweet chocolate moelleux to finish. My kitchen is small and cosy so we juggled plates, hot pans and each other as we debearded mussels, caramelised fennel, whipped up a raspberry ganache and seasoned our sea bass.

the three duckings busily debearding mussels

buttered and seasoned

an hour into it we were definitely deserving of a glass of champagne

Chef Justin was able to impart lots of little tit-bits about getting the most out of my kitchen as well as handy knowledge about spices, preparing fish fillets and even favourite London eateries! We also pressed him on his culinary CV... rumour has it that Justin's last role was as personal chef to none other than Mick Jagger! But I won't give away his secrets.

sautéing and poaching the fennel

With a wonderful aroma filling my kitchen, we served up our main course: a bed of mussels and poached fennel topped with steamed green beans and a perfectly cooked fillet of sea bass. Find the recipe here.

laying down a bed of mussels, fennel and saffron sauce

topped with green beans and sea bass - mouth is watering already

The mussels were infused with the luxurious flavour of saffron and sauvignon blanc, and the fish fillet tender and juicy with a crispy, buttery skin. My only regret is that we didn't have a loaf of freshly baked bread on the side, ready to rip into chunks and soak up all of the luscious sauce.

the final result!

Chef Justin's 'sous chefs'

As the ladies dined, Chef Justin kept an eye on the chocolate moelleux, baking and gorgeously goo-ifying in the oven. With our first spoonful the ganache overflowed like lava from the centre, velvety and rich. It was one of the best desserts I've had in a long time. Maybe in ever. All from my very own kitchen?! Well I never! Claire Clarke eat your heart out. Find the recipe here.

preparing the moelleux

professional plate decorating, all in the comfort of my own home!

the decadent, dreamy dessert

yum yum yummmmm

Despite cooking at home the dishes seemed to magically disappear (thanks Jono!xx) and I had one of the best afternoons I've had in a long time. Seriously fun, we're already planning our next cooking lesson slash dinner. Check out Chef's Compliments and book a chef today!

indulgently yours, chocolate moelleux

2012-05-22T11:07:00.003+01:00

One of the most refined and elegant desserts in French cuisine, this chocolate moelleux is like a warm chocolate fudge cake with a molten chocolate-raspberry centre. It's bound to have you and your guests oohing and aahing and begging for more. Find out more about my afternoon with Chef's Compliments, London's personal chef service, here.

Ingredients

serves 8

For the ganache

50g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

50g semi-sweet chocolate (70% cocoa content)

10g double cream

For the moelleux

70g plain flour

200g semi-sweet chocolate (70% cocoa content)

250g butter

4 eggs

220g sugar

4 teaspoons raspberry preserve (or jam)

To serve

1 handful raspberries

200g mascarpone or whipped cream

Method

To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Allow it to melt slowly without stirring too often and don't allow any water to get into the chocolate bowl.

Liquidise the raspberries in a small blender. Push the raspberries through a sieve to extract 100g of juice. Heat the raspberry sauce in a small saucepan and add the cream.

Mix the chocolate with the raspberry juice and cream and whip slowly, without adding any air, to gently combine the ingredients.

Slowly pour the raspberry ganache into silicone moulds (I used small egg cups). Place in the freezer to firm up.

To make the moelleux, prepare the chocolate batter by creaming the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and creamy coloured.

Melt the chocolate using the same method as for the ganache and add to the butter cream. Lightly beat the eggs and mix into the chocolate butter cream. Gently add the flour to the bowl.

Once the ganache moulds are solid, heat the oven to 170C.

Fill each cake ring (lined with parchment paper) to 1/3 of its capacity with chocolate batter.

Carefully place one teaspoon of raspberry preserve in the centre of the third-filled pans. Place a frozen ganache round on each and cover with the remaining batter. Take care that the ganache rounds are completely covered.

Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmoulding. Serve immediately with a few fresh raspberries and a quenelle of mascarpone or whipped cream.

sea bass with poached fennel, saffron and mussel liquor

2012-05-22T11:07:00.001+01:00

This dish is light on the palette but punches high on flavour with the delectable aromas of saffron and sauvignon blanc. Find out more about my afternoon with Chef's Compliments, London's personal chef service, here.

Ingredients

serves 4

4x 170g fillets of sea bass, skin on

1tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the slow-cooked fennel and sauce

3 fennel bulbs, tough outside leaves removed

175ml extra virgin olive oil

250g fine green beans

1 head of garlic, split into cloves and peeled

150ml boiling water

250ml Marlborough sauvignon blanc

250g fresh mussels

2tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves

pinch of saffron

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

12 basil leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Slash the skin on the sea bass and place in the fridge.

Cut the fennel lengthways into quarters. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based oven-proof pan and add the fennel. Cook the fennel over a medium heat, turning frequently, for 20 minutes or until starting to brown.

Add the saffron, garlic, boiling water, wine, oregano and some black pepper. Bring to the boil, over and cook in the oven for 15 minutes (or on the stove top if you don't have an oven-proof pan).

Remove the pan from the oven and add the mussels, green beans and basil leaves. Place on a low heat, season and simmer gently.

Take the sea bass from the fridge and dry off any excess moisture, rub the surface with butter and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan. Add the sea bass fillets, skin side down and cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crisp. Turn the fillets over and cook for a further minute or so until the fish is just cooked through.

Place a spoonful of the fennel, mussels and beans into the centre of each plate and top each with a piece of sea bass. Pour over liquor/sauce. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

the delightful afghan

2012-05-18T13:06:00.000+01:00

Why is the afghan biscuit so quintessentially kiwi? These chocolate and cornflake 'cookies' have a dry and crumbly consistency, with great texture from the crunchy cornflakes, and are traditionally topped with chocolate icing and a walnut - although you could use any type of icing or nut. While the origin of the name 'afghan' is uncertain, there is one thing for sure, the biscuits are delicious and really easy to make.

The boyfriend has been doing a good job of looking after me while I've been sick - not complaining about the piles of tissues e v e r y w h e r e, or that I seem to be waking him up every hour on the hour during the night with my hacking cough. So I decided to whip up these biscuits as a little thank you treat. Pleased to say I got a high-five and a big smile when he sampled the freshly-baked goods.

Afghan Biscuits

Adapted from here

INGREDIENTS

200 grams of butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups unsweetened corn flakes (sweetened cornflakes will make your biscuits too sweet!)

ICING

1 cup icing sugar

2tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3tbsp water

12 walnut halves, optional

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and mix into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. Fold in cornflakes and don't worry if they crumble.

Roll or press the dough into balls and flatten them slightly. Place them about 2cm apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the icing by combining the icing sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and water in a bowl. Mix well until the mixture is free of lumps and of a creamy consistency.

Spoon a little icing on each cookie and then decorate with a half a walnut.

A tip on the cookie dough - you really need to roll and press the dough firmly into a ball because the cornflakes can make the dough a little crumbly. If you think about it, the only binding ingredient in the whole recipe is the butter! The warmth and moisture from your hands will help mould the balls, so don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty.

ps I just made a second batch and ran out of walnut halves to decorate the icing so I sprinkled some dessicated coconut on top instead - delicious!

chicken soup to nourish the soul

2012-05-17T18:10:00.000+01:00

When you're feeling poorly, there is nothing that seems to soothe the soul more than a big bowl of warming soup. For the last couple of days I've been fighting a nasty cold and a hacking cough and knew just what I needed. I dragged my sorry self down the road to the local fruit & vege store and stocked up on anything and everything that looked fresh and full of nutrients. The best thing about a soup is that there aren't really any rules: use as few or as many vegetables as you like, and play with seasonings and flavours. I also picked up a whole chicken from the butcher and, with a box of tissues close at hand, set up an afternoon soup kitchen.

The day goes slowly when you're sick and I had time on my side so I decided to make a chicken stock from scratch. It seriously adds so much extra depth of flavour to a broth and while it might be time consuming, the end result is always better than using stock cubes or a packaged stock.

Place a whole chicken in a large pot and add the flavour components of your stock: I used a roughly chopped leek, a roughly chopped onion (skin still on - there is lots of flavour in the skin and it will also give the broth a nice colour), the core of a celery - including the leafy bits, 4-5 smashed garlic cloves, some whole pepper corns, a good pinch of salt, 2 bay leaves and a handful of fresh lemon thyme. Cover the whole lot with cold water, put the lid on and bring to the boil. You should simmer your chicken for roughly 45mins - the meat will be tender and delicious.

When the chicken is cooked, remove the whole bird and place it to one side to cool down. When it's easier to handle, remove all of the lovely chicken meat, place it in a bowl and cover. I then returned the chicken carcass to the stock and boiled for another hour or so, to give a rich and full-flavoured stock, but you could use the stock as is if you don't have time to continue simmering. It is important that you skim the impurities off the top of your stock while it's cooking, to give you a nice, clear broth. The chicken skin will give off globules of fat and you can remove these by carefully skimming the surface of the stock with a spoon.

Taste the stock and check that it's right - add salt, pepper, herbs, whatever takes your fancy. I also added a squeeze of sriracha hot sauce as I think this wonderful ingredient gives any dish a great depth of flavour, without making it spicy.

Strain your stock through a fine sieve to remove the leeks, onions etc and return to the boil. Now it's time to add the ingredients that you actually want to form the bulk of your soup. I added diced potato for body and a 1/2 cup or so of orzo pasta, to help thicken the soup. When the carby ingredients were half cooked I added my vegetables. I wanted the veges to remain crisp and fresh, not overcooked, so I added them 5 minutes or so from the end of cooking time. On the chopping board was celery and leek, to mirror the flavours in the stock, and some delightfully fresh English asparagus, which lightened the soup and gave it a spring-like quality.

When the vegetables are just cooked through but still retain some texture, add the shredded chicken so it can warm through and soak up the broth. Stir in a generous handful of freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately in a big bowl.

I now have a giant batch of healthy, nurturing soup to see me battle the road to recovery over the next few days. As I sit and slurp my first bowl of this heart-warming soup I swear I can feel myself starting to get better...