Khao Soi is a noodle soup from Northern Thailand, packed full of flavour. It's spicy, it's fresh, it's fragrant, there is so much going on - you'll love it. The base of the soup is pretty similar to a red curry so to keep things simple, I've just used our brilliant Thai red curry paste.
Discovering Achiote Paste for me was an epiphany moment in Mexican cooking. It's deep red in colour and actually more of a solid block than a loose paste. The key ingredient is annatto seeds, which are extracted from an evergreen shrub native to Latin America. It has a slightly smoky, earthy flavour that is popular in Mexican cuisine as a marinade for meat and fish. You have to dilute the block to use it and Mexicans often use a particular bitter orange for this. Getting hold of this special variety can be a challenge but you can recreate a similar effect by using regular oranges with some added vinegar.
This recipe is my homage to an amazing 'menú del día' of soft chorizo sausages, potatoes and beans, enjoyed in the Rioja region of Spain, where we ate and drank the most fabulous food.
When it's cold and rainy this beef ramen recipe has magical reviving properties, it's like nestling into an enormous sheepskin rug in front of a roaring fire on the grimmest of winter days.
Dumplings are just one of life's little joys. Juicy, succulent and full of flavour. If you don't have time to make you're own, these ready-made dumpling are totally delicious and perfect for a quick meal. Simply cook them straight from frozen for 6-7 minutes, toss them in a tasty sauce and enjoy.
I have a number of 'go to' noodle sauces - ones that I can throw together really quickly, generally from store cupboard ingredients and this is one of them. Gochujang provides the base for this sauce and also the Korean vibe...
Fregola is a traditional pasta from Sardinia. It's made using Durum wheat semolina that's rolled into small balls and toasted in an oven, giving a nutty flavour and texture. Fregola sits somewhere between giant couscous and Levantine moghrabieh, both are wheat based. Fregola is really versatile - use it in salads, soups and risotto, or pair it with vegetables, meat or seafood.
Hawaij is a Yemeni spice blend with a wonderful sweet, earthy fragrance, it's deeply aromatic without any hot spice and is used to flavour soups and stews. This dish combines lamb with freekeh, a grain that's popular in the Middle East and used in salads and soups. If you haven't cooked with it yet, you're in for a treat - it's low in fat but high in protein and fibre.
Tom Yum Soup is a classic and really popular dish from Thailand - it's nourishing, fragrant and aromatic. We sell Maesri Tom Yum soup paste which means it is super easy to make an authentic soup at home. This paste is packed full of lemongrass, tamarind, red chilli, kaffir lime and galangal.
This dish is a classic simple lunch or light supper and so easy with just four great quality ingredients, it's done in 10 minutes (the time it takes to cook the pasta) and tastes fantastic.
Making bao buns with turkey leftovers is basically the ultimate turkey sandwich. Soft fluffy steamed buns with rich glazed turkey, sriracha mayo, pickled carrot and fragrant fresh coriander, I'm hungry just thinking about it.
Tacos al Pastor are made from pork marinated in achiote, guajillo and pasilla chillies with pineapple juice and oregano. The flavour is heavenly and really simple to recreate at home.
Using mince is a great way to create quick and tasty meals from scratch. Mince is really quick to season - you don't need to marinade it for hours because there is more surface area for your spices to work their magic. Mince is pretty economical too...
It's fairly straightforward making a risotto but there are a few things you can do to take your risotto-making skills to the next level. Your choice of rice is key: Arborio is an obvious choice but in Italy, Carnaroli rice is the king for risotto. It has a higher starch content than Arborio which gives your risotto a creamier finish.
Gyozas are little, half moon shaped dumplings made out of a hot water, wheat flour pastry and stuffed with pork, chicken and vegetables. They are generally steamed before being crisped up in a pan and served with a dipping sauce. We think of Gyozas as being Japanese, in fact they actually originated in China but were adopted by the Japanese as they are soooooo good.
