Who doesn’t love a good Chinese crispy duck? We’ve been making our own homemade version for ages and I thought it was about time to share the recipe here. This homemade version of crispy duck is far healthier than the restaurant version as it isn’t deep fried. But it’s just as delicious. And unbelievably easy to make.
If you’re anything like me and can’t decorate a cake to save your life then keep reading. I marvel at some of the incredible cakes out there but I can’t even begin to dream of creating anything that looks even vaguely attractive. Give me a piping tube or an icing gun and you can be sure that I will end up with a cake that looks something like this.
If you can relate to epic cake fails, I have good news for you. While we may never be able to create a cake that looks like some exotic animal from a faraway land, there are lots of easy and fail proof ways to decorate a cake yourself. You could even get a supermarket cake and give it your own touch with some easy DIY cake toppers ideas.
So here are 6 of my favourite easy DIY cake toppers that anybody can do. Yes anybody:
Who doesn’t love a delicious garlic prawns recipe? While I love garlic prawns on their own, I wanted to turn the dish into a one pot meal and so I decided to combine it with rice and veggies. The result was this garlic, prawn, rice and broccoli dish that is all kinds of yummy and so easy to make for a quick mid-week one pot meal.
Soup is so delicious at any time of the year and is such a great option for when you want to shift a few pounds (like I am trying to do at the moment). I can’t ever do diets that need separate meals to be made as realistically I’m not going to make myself a meal and then a separate one for my family. So soup is my answer. It’s a healthy and filling meal for all and everyone else can have some bread with it but I just stick to the soup.
I’ve recently become addicted to roasted cauliflower and have been experimenting with it so many ways. Last week I decided to try out a roasted cauliflower and garlic soup. I wanted to add a bit of a twist to the soup so I decided to add some smoked cheese to give it a subtle smoky flavour. Here’s my recipe:
Continue Reading "Roasted cauliflower and garlic soup"
At the moment I am so in to one pot meals especially during the week. Because of other stuff happening in life, I have less time to cook. But I still like a delicious family meal at the end of the day. So one pot meals are the answer for me. Pasta is one the best one pot meals because it lends itself to so many flavours and ingredients. This is one of my favourite easy, quick and yummy mid-week pasta dishes that my entire family enjoys (fussy kid included) and I don’t spend hours slaving or prepping over.
Continue Reading "Easy pasta with pesto spinach and pancetta"
If you like your food packed with flavour, this Thai style grilled chicken dish is for you. By adding aromatic Thai spices, a simple grilled chicken dish is taken to a new level. It’s healthy, delicious and makes an easy mid-week family meal.
I like to mix up the kind of sweet treats we eat with healthy ones as well as pure indulgent ones in the mix. My latest healthy sweet treat obsession is frozen yogurt bites. Lately we’ve become obsessed with the stuff even though it’s winter! With Valentines day coming up, I thought it would be fun to make heart shaped versions of our frozen yogurt bites.
One of my healthy eating food goals for this year is to eat more vegetarian meals each week. We are usually fairly healthy only eating fresh food cooked from scratch but realised that we could cut down on eating meat. One of my favourite go to dishes is this Indian style vegetarian chili called Rajma (it’s vegan too) made with red kidney beans. Bags of flavour and warmth, this dish is traditionally served with just rice – it really needs nothing else. But if you feel like it you can make a side dish of some spiced veggies. I’ve grown up on this dish and it was always a favourite. I’ve even got my fussy eater to eat it so it not only makes a an easy and delicious mid-week family meal but also a very healthy one as kidney beans are so good for you as are many of the spices (like turmeric and cumin) in this dish.
Continue Reading "Warming Indian style vegetarian chili (rajma)"
For parties and gatherings at this time of year I love to serve mini morsels of my favourite foods. That way, in one meal I can serve (and eat) so many delicious foods. Besides, nearly all our parties these days involve kids so making bite-sized party food lets me serve a range of mini dishes that will work for adults as well as kids. The biggest thing I consider when making bite-sized food is how much of the work can be done ahead – I always choose recipes that require minimal last minute preparations but that are still big on taste.
One of my favourite bite sized party foods are these gorgeous flavorful Chinese pork dumplings. Little morsels of deliciousness that go down a treat with any age group. So when Furniture Village asked me to come up with a favourite party food recipe for festive guests, I knew I had to go for this one. I like think of them as the Asian version of sausage rolls that make a nice change when you’ve had one sausage roll to many! And besides, I love dumplings – who doesn’t? So much flavour in one little bite!
I love serving finger foods at parties because they are so practical and easy for everyone to eat from the little people to the grown-ups. But they are labour intensive as you have to make at least 2-3 bites of everything per person. So I often mix up the menu with food that I can cook in large quantities in one pot and one of my favourite one pot party dishes is risotto. It’s easy to make and then you can serve mini portions in lots of ways – my favourite way is to dish the risotto in to mini espresso cups. Today I’m sharing a delicious corn risotto that I serve to big kids and little ones at parties.
The blackened corn in this risotto comes from my childhood. Some foods evoke such vivid childhood memories that they literally transport you back to that time and place. One of those foods for me is blackened corn. The only way we ever ate corn in India was to roast it on a gas hob flame, rub it with butter and spices and eat. The smoky, charred flavour is so delicious and goes so well in a risotto. I like to sprinkle a bit of pancetta on top but this is optional – you can easily keep the dish vegetarian by using veg stock and omitting the pancetta.
BLACKENED CORN RISOTTO IN A CUP
Makes: 15 mini servings
1 tbs olive oil
2 generous knobs of butter
350g Arborio rice
1 onion chopped finely
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
150ml white wine
1.3l chicken or veg stock
2 corn on the cobs
parmesan cheese
small pancetta cubes cooked till crisp (optional)
small handful roughly chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste
I start with blackening my corn on the cob. Turn on the gas hob to a medium flame and hold the corn over the flame using tongs or similar. Keep turning the corn around so it blackens evenly and of course be careful! The corn will make a few popping sounds but that’s fine. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and keep aside.
Next make your risotto. You can use your favourite basic risotto recipe or follow the recipe here. Heat the olive oil and a knob of butter, once melted add your onions and garlic. Cook on a low heat till the onions soften but don’t colour. Add the arborio rice and stir well so that all the rice is coated in the butter. Pour in the wine and continue stirring till the wine evaporates.
Now add your hot stock (keep it hot on a low heat) one ladle at a time. Keep stirring until the stock is absorbed by the rice and then add the next ladleful. Once your rice is nearly done and you have around 2-3 ladlefuls of stock left to add, throw in your corn and stir well. Continue cooking with the remaining stock till the rice is al dente (soft and creamy with a slight bite).
Finally add another knob of butter and a generous amount of grated parmesan, taste and season accordingly – you may or may not need salt depending on how salty your stock is.
Now the fun bit – dish out in to little cupcake holders, espresso cups, small glasses or anything similar you have. The corn risotto not only tastes delicious but also looks great in little mini cups. Sprinkle the tops with the crispy pancetta (if using) and a handful of parsley. Dunk a teaspoon in each and serve.
P.S. Here are some more delicious party food recipes that you might like – mini apple pie stacks, mini eggs benedict and a hot favourite with kids is this mini fish and chips.
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