All posts filed under: Main Course

omelette with runner beans recipe

Easy Omelette with Runner Beans

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Runner bean is one of the many wonderful vegetables we can enjoy during the summer months. The fresh and young runner beans are delightful to eat, sweet, juicy and take very little time to cook. It is a great summer produce to add to salad, pasta or even curry. And of course, it is delicious in an omelette too! Hence today’s recipe! It is so easy to make, it takes only 10 minutes of your time and you will have a plate of healthy velvety omelette to devour! Choose the smaller beans that look pale green and supple. Avoid those bigger stalks that look dry and pale yellow, they are stringy and tasteless. Since runner bean is in its best form only in the summer months, we should enjoy it as much as we can while it lasts! I hope you like this recipe and if you make it, please share and tag me on Instagram or leave a comment below, as always I would love to hear from you! Love, Lydia Ps. We are …

gluten free sweet potato gnocchi recipe

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi

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Please excuse my absence in the last two weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking, reading and reflecting about what has been happening in the world, the pandemic, the racism, the inequality in our society as a whole. What we need to do to make the changes that we desperately need. For me as a person of colour living in a white society, being a target of racism is inevitable, and it has been (at time) a difficult learning curve. I have grown used to the fact that there is this constant subtlety of racism around me, and so sad that I became used to it after more than two decades of living in the white predominated society. However, my unpleasant experiences can hardly be compared with our black sister’s and brother’s. I can’t even start to fathom how it is like for the black community all over the world to live their lives under constant threats of discrimination. Having said that, I am aware that, the majority of white people are kind …

Vegetarian Singapore Noodles recipe

Vegetarian Singapore Noodles with BBQ Mushroom

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If you are familiar with Chinese food and you might have already heard of (or even had) a noodle dish called Singapore noodles. Despite the name, it is not of Singapore origin. In fact, it is a very popular Cantonese dish created by Chinese cook! It has a very different taste than most of the usual Chinese noodles, because its main seasoning is curry powder! Traditionally, Singapore noodles is made with very thin rice noodles, barbecue pork, prawns, onions and bean sprouts. Stir-fried in a hot wok until every strand of noodle is coated with the warm spice and the noodles has a wonderful slightly springy texture. The main seasoning is curry powder and soy sauce, some add chili to achieve extra heat. It is one of the most famous dishes in Cantonese cuisine, every cook has his or her own version of this noodle dish, and I have my own version too – I use the ingredients I have in hands to create a vegetarian version which I am sharing here with you. The noodles …

Miso Congee with Tarami Shiitake Jammy Egg, spicy sesame spring onion recipe

Miso Congee with Tamari marinated Shiitake Mushroom, Jammy Egg and Spicy Sesame Spring Onions

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One of my many favourite dishes I grew up with is congee – also known as ‘rice porridge’, rice first marinated in salt and oil to allow the rice to break down quicker and easier to absorb flavours, then cooked in water or broth with other ingredients such as meat, seafood, dried mushroom and lots of different pickles vegetables to boost the umami flavour, cooked until it is velvety and pillowy (somewhere between porridge and soup). My mother used to serve congee with two types of fried noodles on the side, some people love to add fried bread sticks, pickled eggs and nuts to add texture. But congee can be eaten as a full meal as it is, depends on what ingredients you put in it, like the recipe I am sharing with you here, with just a few simple toppings, you have a bowl of flavourful, warm-your-heart-and-belly goodness to enjoy. It is the ultimate comfort food of my childhood, even now, I crave for it from time to time, especially when I feel like …

creamy mushroom and asparagus with wild rice recipe

Creamy Mushrooms and Asparagus served with Wild Rice

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It is not difficult at all to make mushroom taste delicious or even addictive, one needs to get to know the difference between each kind, and to learn the right way to cook with them. Some mushrooms have more moisture than the others, which makes it preform better in a sauce, such as cremini, button and shiitake. King oyster is my favourite, it has a sturdier (meaty) texture than other mushroom, so apart from cooking them in a stew or sauce, it can also be simply pan-fried, grilled with salt and pepper or deep-fried in batter/panko, or shredded and baked in the oven to mimic pulled pork; all of these method produce absolutely delicious results (for example this recipe). Once you master all the different ways of cooking mushroom, you will understand why a bowl of luscious mushroom is hard to resist. Since mushroom and cream are the best of friends, and creamy sauce and rice is a heavenly combination, hence today’s recipe! Apart from serving this velvety sauce on rice, I can highly recommend to …

Chinese Style Noodles with Tangy Chili Oil Dressing recipe

Rice Noodles with Amazing Tangy Chili Oil Dressing

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This tangy chili oil dressing is highly addictive and it can be served with various other dishes, such as salad, on rice, on crispy tofu, fish or meat, or even as a dumpling dipping sauce (highly recommended). The tangy taste comes from Chinkiang vinegar aka Chinese black vinegar, which is made of fermented glutinous rice, wheat barn, water, salt and sugar; its distinctive flavour is a combination of smoky, umami, slightly sweet and pungent which makes it one of the most popular condiments in southern Chinese cuisine, every household has one bottle in the kitchen. Compares to other Chinese white or rice vinegar, it certainly gives a little more complexity to the overall taste. For this amazing noodle dressing, I combine black vinegar with my favourite spring onion oil, a chili crisps oil (from the Asian market), plus a few other essential seasonings in good measure, and the result is out of this world, spicy(!), umami and tangy all in one mouthful! This combo makes this dressing an absolute flavour bomb! I am totally hooked! I …

asparagus fried rice with crispy ginger recipe

The Simplest Fried Rice with Asparagus and Crispy Ginger

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This recipe is literally the simplest one that I have on the blog, in fact, I am wondering if I should even call it a recipe, because it is one of those dishes that you just make it without even needing to plan it in advance. It is the beauty of this dish, and for me it is quite a special dish as it reminds me of my mother, she used to make ginger fried rice often when we were kids, so this is truly a dish that transports me back to my childhood, and its flavour is as beautiful as my memories are. If you are familiar with my approach to cooking with recipe, (in most of my recipes) ingredient can be replaced with similar ones or whatever you have in hand which may fit, don’t stress about if you don’t have it or you can’t get it right at that moment, nothing should stop you being creative and to try out the recipe that appeals to you. Since it is asparagus season so …

Courgette and Halloumi Waffles recipe

Courgette Halloumi Waffles

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I always make sure I have Halloumi in the fridge, grilled or pan-fried brings out the best flavour of this cheese; I love its curious squeaky texture and its beautiful golden brown colour when fried, that’s why it is my favourite cheese of all time! And it makes a wonderful meat substitute for those who wants to cut down on their meat consumption. Apart from frying them as it is, I love to grate them and add them into a mixture of grated vegetable, egg and chickpea flour to make fritters or pancakes (it is a dish that is on our weekly meal plan rotation). My favourite veggie mix are courgette and potato, I used to fry the mixture like fritters, but since I was given a waffle maker last Christmas, plus it does make the cooking process a lot easier, I have been making them as waffles ever since! But you can definitely just fry them in a frying pan like pancakes or fritters, it will be just as tasty! Notes: 1. I like these …

Simple Baked Beans Recipe

Simple Braised Cannellini Beans with Preserved Lemon

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How are you all doing this week? We are fine and well on our side and hope you are too. This week, I would like to share a simple and versatile recipe with you – Simple Braised Cannellini Beans with Preserved Lemon. It is piquant, smoky, velvety and absolutely addictive! I have been making this weekly and we haven’t got tired of it at all, in fact, my daughter asks me regularly if we have some of these delicious ‘baked beans’ in the fridge, so she can top her toasts with it in the mornings! It really is one of the best protein rich dishes you will ever want to have regularly in your fridge. Please don’t be discouraged if you don’t have any preserved lemon, and don’t let it stop you making this, you can simply substitute it with freshly grated lemon zest, its taste won’t be as piquant, but it will still be delicious! I have written down several serving suggestions for this dish in the ‘Notes’ section below, so take your pick or …

Sweet Potato Onigirazu recipe

Sweet Potato Onigirazu – with Sriracha Mayo or Kimchi

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Onigirazu is a popular snack, originally from Japan, but has gained quite a reputation in the western world as well; a ‘rice sandwich’ with various fillings, wrapped in nori seaweed. It is actually quite easy to make (and great fun to make with your kids too), it can be filled with all sorts of fillings, whatever you have in hand or if you are adventurous, create your own filling to make a special lunch or snack for your loved ones. I often make them as a light meal when we go on a trip, usually one and a half Onigirazu for each person, it will keep you satisfied for quite a while, and the bonus is: no messy fingers when eating it, it really makes great portable, on the go meal! The star ingredient here is the baked sweet potato, the additional breadcrumb coating gives the potato a slight crispy texture, it makes a lovely contrast to the pillowy rice. I also opt for a mixture of brown rice and white sushi rice as it …