Fruit n' Veg Crisps

How often does a well meaning piece of fruit, offering the promise of good intentions on a Monday get left by the side of your computer at work, slowly degrading over the course of the week to a pathetic shadow of its former glory by Friday? This happens a lot for me.

I'm a grazer. I like to constantly pick at food and I have usually consumed at least one thing edible most hours of the working day. A whole piece of fruit doesn't really fit this criteria - I may just want a bite of apple for now. Its unspoken expectation for me to consume the whole thing in one go is not something I may necessarily want to commit to. And if I don't, it starts to turn the familiar brown as it reacts with the air. I'm not going to eat it after that. I could of course throw back to my childhood years and cut up a bunch of fruit into bite size pieces. And despite how old you are, this always seems to make it easier to eat - it's actually a good option.

I've discovered a different way to consume the fruit and veg I want to eat over the course of the day - turn them into crisps. Packets of vegetable crisps available in the shops are nothing new. But they are high in fat, more often than not fried in oil so not exactly the healthy option. It is in fact very possible and quite easy to replicate these crispy crunchy bite-sized pieces of goodness at home, and without the need for any oil.

These are an excellent alternative to taking whole pieces of fruit to work - I guarantee you'll actually eat these. They're also a great way to consume veg that you would usually not on a daily basis - like beetroot for example.

Fruit n' Veg Crisps

You want one piece of each type of fruit or veg for every day you are making these for. For example, if you're making these snacks for three days, take three apples and three beetroot. Get the biggest beetroot you can find as they'll provide bigger individual crisps. And they're all the ingredients you will need.

The other thing you will need and is well worth investing in is a V-slicer, something like this. They will slice your fruit and veg into uniform wafer thin slices in no time at all, quite difficult and time consuming to achieve without one. They have additional attachments which dice and also julienne your ingredients - great for making coleslaw or when julienne vegetables is required.

Preheat the oven to about 100C (fan).

Slice up your apples so they're wafer thin - skin and all. Slice right through the core, you can just remove any bits of pips or stalks after if they're present.

Peel your beetroot and then slice these the same way. Don't forget you'll get the colour everywhere, so do these last so as not to stain everything else.

Lay all the slices on oven dishes covered with foil - you can overlap them quite heavily as they will shrink considerably. The slices of around two apples will take up almost a whole tray, so really pack them in. You want to be able to fit at least three trays in your oven - I usually have two on shelves and one on the bottom of the oven.

Put the trays in, and give them a couple of hours. As the oven is so low, they're not really cooking but are in fact getting dehydrated. All you will need to do is check them every 20 minutes or so - when you open the oven door you'll be greeted with a face full of apple and beetroot steam, which is exactly what should happen.

When you do check them, shift them all around a bit so they don't stick to each other and the foil. You'll notice them shrinking, and then starting to go crispy. As the beetroot has less water content, they usually get done first. After 1.5-2hrs they will start to feel crispy - as they do remove them from the tray and transfer to an airtight container. The apples will be the last to crisp up.

If you're not sure if they're crispy yet, take the tray out of the oven - often a few seconds exposed to the cold air finishes off the crisping process.

This would work with any root veg and I plan to try them with sweet potato, parsnip, swede - but remember you want something that has a decent diameter or they'll shrivel to nothing. So carrots are also suitable but get huge ones, cut them in half and slice them lengthways rather than across their diameter, so you get a bigger surface area.

I suspect that the lower the water content, the more likely they could burn. So if you do try the above mentioned veg, toss your slices in a very small amount of oil to give them a light coating. You can also season with salt and pepper at this stage if you wish.

In terms of fruit, pears are also excellent alongside the apples.

Keep them all in the container and consume a handful everyday - you've retained all of the fibre and nutrients and just removed the water. The perfect grazing snack.

Alfiyet olsun.

Moussaka

Shopping lists are a vital part of my supermarket visits - without them I would wonder aimlessly and take twice as long to pick out half as much. They focus your time and your budget on the things that you actually need, and will eat. This week I decided to take it a step further and as any well meaning lifestyle TV show will tell you to do, planned what we were going to eat for the whole week and bought the ingredients accordingly in a single trip - I believe this is known in the industry as the 'big Saturday (or Friday) shop'.

This was the first time we tried this, and it's excellent. It involves one of my virtues and one of my loves - planning and food respectively. It also means several things - firstly, you get to indulge in a bit of recipe ogling as you flick through books, magazines and the internet to work out what you'll be rustling up in the week, in turn resulting in you already looking forward to Thursday's dinner whilst it still in fact only being Saturday morning. Secondly, you use up everything you purchase as you've accounted for it all - if you hate waste like I do, this is only good news. Thirdly, you're not faced with both yourself and the parter returning home from work at the same time and declaring 'so what's for dinner?' whilst exchanging blank looks. Fourthly, the amount of both time and money you spend in the supermarket is greatly reduced - if you're following a list you tend to steer away from 'special offers' which more often than not translate to BOGOF's that you don't really want, resulting in the GOF part being thrown away because it's gone off before you managed to finish the BO part. And finally, you have a tasty well thought out dinner waiting for you at home. You just now need to decide who's cooking it.

Dinner for the weekend often involves red meat (we tend to steer away from it during the week) and it had been more than a comfortable amount of time since I had rustled this one up. Lamb mince, aubergines, yoghurt and feta - added to the list.

Moussaka

Makes about 6 portions

2 onions, finely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, grated
500g lamb mince
1 tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp ground cinnamon
400g can chopped tomatoes
600g (about 2 medium) aubergines 
150ml Greek yogurt
1 egg, beaten
25g freshly grated Parmesan
50g feta
Dried oregano
Dried mint
Olive oil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring until soft. Increase the heat, add the minced lamb and cook 5 minutes or so until browned. Drain off the fat in a sieve, then return the meat to the pan.

Add the purée and cinnamon and cook whilst stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, then half-fill the can with water and pour into the pan. Add a decent shaking of oregano, season, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for around 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium-high. Cut each aubergine diagonally into 5mm-thick slices. Brush with oil, put half on a baking sheet and grill for a few minutes until golden on each side. Do the same with the remainder.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). For the topping, mix the yoghurt, egg, dried mint and the cheeses. Season with pepper.

Spread half the lamb mixture in a deep oven proof dish. Overlap with half the aubergine and the rest of the lamb. Top with rest of the aubergine and spoon over the yoghurt mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Eat piping hot - bloody lovely.

Alfiyet olsun.

Brioche

Is there anyone on the planet that doesn't like brioche? The answer to that is of course, no. And if you haven't had the opportunity to try it yet, I suggest you get acquainted with immediate effect and some urgency - a second longer without its existence in your life is a second too long. I suspect there are only a few things that encapsulate the very essence of pleasure more than eating freshly baked brioche still warm from the oven with a slathering of really good jam. Which is what I just did, and it was excellent. So excellent, that this blog post has bumped to the top of the queue of my mini back-log and Heston's Dinner is just going to have to wait. This bread laughs in the face of his Michelin star.

For those who may not be familiar with this bread, it is classically French and slightly sweet. The dough is enriched with eggs and a whole packet of butter. Well, it is French. The best way to eat this is warm with some excellent conserve and a coffee for a weekend breakfast or brunch - oh sod it, make it both.

Brioche

Makes 1 large loaf

This dough should be made the night before and left in the fridge to firm before shaping and proving - excellent if you want to get ahead. This recipe is from Paul Hollywood's How to Bake.

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
7g salt
50g caster sugar
10g instant yeast
140ml warm full-fat milk
5 medium eggs
250g unsalted softened butter, plus extra for greasing.

Tip This recipe does really require a mixer due to the eggs and butter that are used - the dough becomes very wet and sticky. However, you could always do it by hand - it will just take quite a bit longer. The technique by hand will be very similar to that used in my panettone post - always good to try out if you haven't before for your hands to get familiar with heavily enriched doughs. However, if you do have a mixer, then this recipe is incredibly simple.

Tip I suggest purchasing some really good quality butter for this. It makes up a large proportion of the end result and will heavily influence the taste of your bread. Seeing as it's a French recipe, I've stuck with the French butter President.

Tip The dried active yeast I use is Allisons and comes in a sealable pot so it's easy to measure out the amount you need, unlike the individual sachets you can get which are usually 7g each.

Put the flour into the bowl of your mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other.

And the milk and eggs (the eggs should be at room temperature) and mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes, then on a medium speed for another 8 minutes until you have a soft, glossy, elastic dough. Add the softened butter a bit at a time and continue to mix for a further 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl periodically to ensure all of the butter is thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be very soft.

Tip the dough into a plastic bowl, cover and chill overnight or for at least 7 hours until it is firmed up and you are able to shape it.

After it has had its time in the fridge, grease a 25cm round deep cake tin. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it on itself a couple of times to knock out the air. Divide it into 9 equal pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball. You can do this by placing it into a cage formed by your hand against the table and moving your hand around in a circular motion, rotating the ball rapidly. Put eight of the balls around the edge of the tin and one in the centre. Don't worry if they're not yet snug - they will be when they rise.

Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove for around 2 hours in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size - I always do mine in a very low oven, barely switched on.

dough before proving

dough after proving

Heat the oven to 190C and when the brioche has proved, bake for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Bear in mind the sugar and butter in the dough will make it take on colour before it is actually fully baked. Remove the brioche from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Tear off a portion whilst still warm and board the pleasure train.

Alfiyet olsun.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at The Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park - Review

Dressed Snails (c.1884)

Parsley, beetroot, salty fingers & red wine juice

There's been a lot of anticipation around the table we had reserved at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - a one star Michelin restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel adjacent to Knightsbridge tube station.

I think a lot of this stemmed from the contestants from Masterchef: The Professionals having the kitchen doors of The Fat Duck welcome them in to both witness and replicate the wonders that take place in its vicinity - this is another of Heston's restaurants located in Bray, Berkshire and opened in 1995 (that long ago? I know). Its three Michelin stars has also seen it voted the best restaurant in the world in 2005. I was transfixed to the box and social media was rife with both gushing adoration over the molecular gastronomy on display, and outright disdain at what many view as a pretentious concept with science having no place in the kitchen. 

And I'll admit, a few moons ago I used to think along similar lines. However, his ever increasing TV presence and feedback from friends of colleagues who have met the man himself, he actually seems like a nice guy - not pretentious at all. And this Masterchef episode got me very excited about the experience that both he and his establishments are looking to give their clients.

Contrary to its name, Dinner serves both dinner and lunch and is viewed as the larger, more accessible, centrally located little sister of The Fat Duck. The menu is inspired by historic British gastronomy and this is represented by every item on it being accompanied by the year that the dish first came to be. 

I was fortunate enough to have the week off work and my two lovely acquaintances, Mel and Lea, were able to wangle a free afternoon, so we decided to opt for a slightly boozy and extended girlie lunch on Thursday. 

There is an a la carte available but the set menu is a good deal - three courses at £36. Set lunch menus at high-end restaurants are a fantastic way to sample the delights the establishment has on offer, without having to fork out for the higher prices that come with an evening meal. However, quite often the lunch will only be available during weekdays as is the case at Dinner. If you happen to work centrally then it's something that is well worth making a regular treat - as EatLikeaGirl does very well in her Posh Lunch Club.

The restaurant is spacious and in fact quite larger than I expected, able to accommodate 126 covers at any one time. There are floor to ceiling glass walls with one side providing a wonderful view into Hyde Park and another providing full view of the kitchen and the unique pulley system they have in place which serves to rotate the spit on an open fire. We were seated next to the kitchen allowing us to periodically glance at the numerous chefs during their stages of preparation and cooking.

Our very warm and approachable waiter explained the concept of the restaurant, talked us through the menus and with the most minimal of arm twisting enticed us to begin with an aperitif in the form of a glass of sparkling wine which came recommended and was in fact delicious - a first for me as I usually don't care for liqueur from white grapes. We placed our orders from the two options for each course from the set lunch menu, and between the three of us covered everything on it. Always a great excuse to dip the fork into the plate of your companions.

Our sourdough bread was delivered with some lightly salted butter - this was in our opinion far too hard and crunchy to eat without having to hide the mess your mouth was making in an attempt to masticate it. A passable situation to be in when with good friends, but I can't imagine this to be the case if your visit is part of a business lunch, which many were clearly there for. 

Regardless, our starters soon arrived and mine was the Lemon Salad (c. 1730) - smoked artichoke, goats curd and candy beetroot. Beautiful on the plate and the freshness from the citrus hit the nose before even bringing the fork to my mouth. The sharp complimented the creamy cool goats curd wonderfully, with regular interjections of bitterness from the leaves on the plate. For any that know me, citrus and sourness in general is one of my most favourite flavours so my starter went down a treat, even if it didn't quite have a 'wow' factor.

Lemon Salad (c. 1730)
Smoked artichoke, goats curd and candy beetroot

Mel and Lea opted for the Dressed Snails (c. 1884) as their starter - a notably beautiful and autumnal looking dish quite arresting in the quality of natural colours presented on the plate. Both burgandy and golden yellow beetroot against the vibrant greens from the parsley sauce and samphire, it was quite the picture.

There is only one flavour in the world that I find very hard to embrace and I actively avoid - it is that of aniseed. Liquorice, fennel, fennel seeds, sambuka, Ouzo, Raki and anything else along those lines is a glaring and flashing no no. It's a huge shame though as fennel looks so incredibly appetising - I just cannot stomach the flavour of aniseed. The mains on offer were duck and fish. 

When eating out, I will more often than not opt for the option I am least likely to cook at home and this is usually red meat - I try to regard it as more of a treat than a regular consumable. So in any other situation, I would have immediately opted for the duck. However, it was delivered with smoked confit fennel and so I swiftly avoided and instead opted for the Roast Ray Wing. As soon as our mains arrived and I sampled some of the duck that both Lea and Mel ordered, I realised this was a mistake. 

Out of the list of aniseed flavour bearing goods mentioned above, fennel is probably the least offensive and I really should have given it a go in such a reputable establishment - it was subtle and crunchy and the duck meat was beautifully sweet. Immediate bout of food envy at the table - dammit. Served with a silky potato mash, rich jus and complete with duck heart (umbles), I'm still kicking myself.

Powdered Duck Breast (c. 1670)
Smoked confit fennel, potato purée & umbles

The fish dish was - ok. Whilst looking very attractive on the plate, I feel most of the flesh was slightly over cooked - more chewy rather than flaky. Working my way across from one side of the fillet to the other, the last forkful was undercooked - while the flesh was opaque there were strings of red blood in it which I'm almost certain shouldn't have been there. 

I pointed it out to the waiter who apologised and said he didn't know why that was there - to be honest I did expect him to return after showing it to the kitchen with a further apology or gesture of good will, but it wasn't mentioned again. 

For a Michelin star restaurant, I don't think this was acceptable. Despite this, the parsnip and butter milk purée was almost unrecognisable, it was that smooth. My brain was tasting parsnip but I was still trying to understand the journey it took to end up as this texture - very pleasing. The voluptuous brown butter sauce dotted with fat and juicy capers was also well received and did not over-power the fish.

Roast Ray Wing (c. 1954)
Parsnip & butter milk purée, sea beet, brown butter & capers

My first dessert (yes first) was much more of a success. Once again, I am immediately drawn to the promise of fresh citrus on a menu and this did not disappoint. A fantastic combination of textures - crunchy sugar crystals topped with a quinelle (I learnt that from Masterchef) of mandarin and thyme sorbet - oh I can still smell it as I type. 

This was alongside a type of sticky and soft orange flavoured bread, with wafer thin crispy segments of mandarin perching on top. It was very good indeed, looked wonderful and a fantastic way to clean the palette.

Orange Buttered Loaf (c. 1630)
Mandarin and thyme sorbet

Mel chose the prune and tamarind tart of which I of course sampled. Whilst a simple looking dish, the skill in obtaining perfection and elegance in a tart is no mean feat and was executed very well, with perfect pastry, smooth set custard and a caramelised top. And again proving to me that whilst flavour combinations may not immediately entice in print, they can and often do pleasantly surprise as was the case here - prune and tamarind not being something I would immediately opt for but it was in fact delightful.

Prune and tamarind tart (c. 1720)

The same waiter that persuaded us to treat ourselves to sparkling wine as well as the usual bottle of red, also enticed us to opt for a second dessert and final course of ice cream made at the table. We had spotted the spectacle taking place at other tables and I think had already made up our minds that we wanted it at ours. This is the sort of molecular gastronomy you expect from a Heston restaurant so it was difficult to turn away. 

It consisted of a manual hand-turned mixer being wheeled up to the table with liquid nitrogen being poured into some vanilla custard and churned by the machine. After a few seconds and evaporated nitrogen bellowing out from the mixing bowl, the ice cream was complete. We had a scoop in an ice cream cone with freeze dried raspberries and popping candy as our toppings. At £12 each it was probably a bit pricey for what it was, but you of course also pay for the theatre.

All in, the lunch was a very pleasant experience and I would recommend it. This was down to a combination of the service which was excellent, my companionship which was of its usual very high standard, and the dishes that were good. 

I feel I was a little unlucky with my main choice in that I missed out on the better dish, and the issue with my fish fillet. It's also worth noting that the options available for vegetarians are decidedly mediocre according to a colleague who visited for an evening meal with his vegetarian wife. But that aside, it was a very good lunch. Very good, but certainly not mind-blowing (and still not as good as Lima which is my most favourite restaurant I've eaten at of recent months), but that's something I certainly would expect from somewhere like The Fat Duck. I just need to find the funds and try to secure a table there first - both easier said than done.

Alfiyet olsun.

Sardine, anchovy and garlic pâté on toast

Alone for the evening means cooking for one. Something I miss quite a lot. Firstly, I really like my own company. I turn everything off and usually enjoy a bit of silence. Secondly, you get to make exactly what  tickles your fancy without having to take anyone else's palette into consideration. A selfish situation to be in, and I like it.

There was a touch of the lurgy about me today, so I was initially thinking of making garlic soup from La Mancha, but by the time I came out of the shower I fancied something entirely different - fish. And I also couldn't be bothered to properly cook anything and contend with pots and pans. A quick glance in the cupboards and I was soon inspired.

Sardine, anchovy and garlic pâté on toast

1 x 250g tin of sardines in olive oil (boneless if you can find it)
2 fresh anchovy fillets
2 cloves of garlic, grated
White wine vinegar
Olive oil
The best bread you have to hand
Capers or black olives (optional)

Tip Anchovy fillets can easily be bought from supermarkets in little jars and kept in the fridge for when you need to use a fillet or two. An excellent item to always have in stock.

Drain your sardines and empty into a bowl. Add the anchovy fillets and grated garlic. Mash with the back of a fork or do this into a pestle and mortar until all broken down and combined.

Tip If your sardines are not boneless, fish out (pun intended) the spines. That's all that were present in mine. The rest of the flesh will be fine.

Add a good splash of white wine vinegar - taste to check if you want any more. Add a good glug of olive oil and continue to combine until you have a paste consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tip The anchovies will already be salty, so taste it before you add salt.

In the meantime, grill your bread on one side until toasted. Spread your pâté on the un-toasted side and whack under the hot grill for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with a few capers or black olives, drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and eat immediately.

Some flat leaf parsley mixed into this would be a great addition, if you have any to hand (I didn't). This does have raw garlic in it which only sees a brief amount of heat. So a good one to save for when you are cooking for one - unless your other half is into that sort of thing.

Alfiyet olsun.

January Packed Lunches

New years resolutions are a great tradition, aren't they? You make a handful, by the end of the year you've keep around a quarter. Or at least in my case. I'm not sure if there's anyone out there who doesn't have at least one health or diet related resolution on their list. Mine is to get back into running. I have previously run a half marathon a couple of years back, but no big races since. I've registered for one 10k run and one 15k run this year, with the intention to complete a marathon before I'm 30. I have a good amount of time and I think these are realistic goals, but we shall see.

For those of you who do have health or diet related resolutions, I'll bet that lunch time is the one meal of the day that is easily the most challenging. If you have a dreary lunch of leaves and plain chicken breast waiting for you in the fridge, it takes the most minimal of arm twisting to get you to ditch it and join colleagues for a pizza, burger or pub lunch instead. And who can blame you. Even if you do manage to resist all post-festive cravings towards fat and sugar, these sorts of lunches leave you unfulfilled and reaching for something sweet or carby by 4pm.

If only there was a lunch that was:

• healthy
• filling
• tasty
• easy
• inexpensive

This would help with health, diet and finance resolutions. Surely a winner.

Well, here's one.

Wholegrain brown rice with greens and a delicious dressing

Wholegrain rice is high in protein, high in fibre, retains all the nutrients in the whole of the grain, and contains complex carbohydrates meaning a gradual release of energy, unlike sugary foods which give you the initial high followed by the crash. And when cooked al dente has a wonderful bite to it. It should keep you full for a very decent amount of time.

Makes about 3 portions

200-250g wholegrain rice (I used Uncle Ben's)
4 heads of pak choi, sliced (or other similar greens i.e. spinach)
5 cloves of garlic, sliced (have less or more depending on your preference)
Thumb of ginger, grated or thinly sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
Chilli bean paste (available from oriental grocers - worth sourcing - see previous post for more info)
Soy sauce 
Rice wine vinegar
Toasted sesame oil
Lime
Groundnut oil
Boil your rice in plenty of salted cold water. Once al dente, drain well and set aside.

In the meantime, gently fry your garlic, ginger and chilli in a little groundnut oil in a wok. If you're using pak choi, separate the white parts from the leafy green parts as they take a bit longer to cook. Add the whites and stir fry until slightly softened but still with crunch. When they're done, add the leafy parts and stir fry for a minute or so until just wilted. Stir in as much of the chilli bean paste as takes your fancy - say one to two tablespoons. Season to taste with the soy, toasted sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.

Tip your cooked rice into the wok and thoroughly mix. In a separate little bowl combine some more soy, sesame oil and rice vinegar and pour over the rice mix. Check the seasoning and amend to taste. Squeeze lime juice over it, and you are done. You could of course add some lean meat such as chicken strips to the dish, if you fancy it.

What's great about this lunch is you could heat it up if you wish and if your work premises has the tools to do so. Or you could take it out of the fridge an hour or so before lunch and have it at room temperature as more of a salad. The dressing makes it something you'll actually look forward to eating - wonderfully delicious and will fill you up a treat.

Alfiyet olsun.

chinese spicy pork and aubergine

It's only taken 16 months, but I've finally made it inside my local Chinese supermarket Hoo Hing, about a seven minute walk from my house. And oh my - what a vast Aladdin's cave of exquisite and exotic ingredients. How the hell had I not visited before? I have declared it my best local discovery since the Mauritian food stall at Abbey Mills, Colliers Wood. Hardly really a claim for discovery seeing as it's been sitting there all this time, but I'm beside myself with smugness none-the-less.

I've been inside my fair share of Chinese supermarkets, many in Chinatown in London for a start. But on entering Hoo Hing, one of the first things you're greeted with which I haven't seen in any others, are huge blue tanks full of live sea-dwelling pickings - chunky lobsters clambering over each other with their claws taped shut, incredibly long and slippery eels (I don't think I've ever seen a live eel before!), and large flat turbots gracefully gliding about. Let's just reiterate this - I can buy live lobster seven minutes walk from my house - this is an absolute revelation. Not that I've ever attempted to cook one before, but at least now I can if I want to. And want I shall.

The vast array of beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables, alongside aisles of temptation in the form of jars and packets galore, I was hugely excited. Not to mention the fact this place also had a restaurant. So I sent Matt off to get the rest of the shopping list while I ordered some char siu pork buns. And they were excellent.

My new favourite food shop inspired me to cook something oriental for dinner, and I was already hankering for some aubergine whilst having my morning coffee (doesn't everyone think of dinner as soon as they wake up?). A basket full of far Eastern goodness and I was fully kitted out.

addictive chilli bean paste - notice almost
empty after just two days

Spicy Chinese pork and aubergine

The pork and aubergine go together very well in this fragrant stir-fry.

Makes about 6 portions 

(serve with rice or noodles)

Groundnut oil

3 x medium aubergines, halved lengthways and cut into 1cm half moons6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

A fat thumb of root ginger, grated

2 x red chillies, finely chopped

500g pork mince

Chilli bean sauce (available from Asian grocers)

300ml hot chicken stock

4 heads pak choi, halved and sliced lengthways

Clear rice vinegar 

Toasted sesame oil

4 spring onions, thickly sliced 

2 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 4 tbsp cold water

Heat a wok until smoking and add two tablespoons of the groundnut oil, then fry the aubergine slices with a splash of water until softened and golden-brown all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Wipe away the excess oil from the wok, reheat and add some more groundnut oil. Stir fry the garlic, ginger and chilli for a few seconds, then add the minced pork and cook until browned.  Add the chilli bean sauce (about 4 tbsp but adjust to taste) and the hot chicken stock. Return the aubergines to the wok and add the pak choi.

Season, to taste, with the vinegar and sesame oil and bring to the boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes then stir in the spring onions. Add the cornflour paste and stir until the liquid has thickened a bit. If you're still left with liquid don't worry about it, any rice will fully appreciate it.

Spoon the goodness into a serving bowl and eat with chopsticks. Gorgeous.

Startes consisted of some Chinese chive and pork dumplings found in one of the freezer aisles in Hoo Hing. Pop them in some boiling water for around 12 minutes and serve with whatever sauce you fancy - slightly gelatinous exterior with delicious insides. Just what I was hoping for.

Who needs a Chinese take-away when you have a local Chinese supermarket and a good wok.

Alfiyet olsun.