A paw full of spice makes everything nice
Hello, and welcome to the first post of ‘Quarantine cooking’. For all of those who are sequestered at home binging Tiger King on Netflix amidst towers of hoarded toilet paper, you are probably wondering to yourself, “What can I do with all this stuff in my pantry? How can I make it edible?” And maybe…
If you are a follower or even a fan of this blog, you’ll know that I love roasted red peppers (also pork belly, pasta and all things chicken but I digress). No offense to fresh, crunchy, raw red peppers, but roasted is where it is at. Soft, sweet and the perfect accompaniment to cheese (which…
For the past month or so, I have been sick…TWICE! The first time was a bit of a cold that made its way through the house. First my husband, then my child and lastly me. Overall, in terms of sickness, it could be classed as just a bit of a bummer, with its minor…
Years ago I decided to expand my culinary horizons by attending a Pakistani cooking class. At that time, I knew nothing about Indian and Pakistani cuisine. I wasn’t even a big fan of it back then. However, if an opportunity arises to expand your horizons, take it. Never turn down the chance to learn. The…
The Holiday Hangover Happy New Year everyone! For many people in the Western world, the holiday season is over and thank God for that. Yes participating in all the festivities was fun, imbibing in all those specialty cocktails was treat and gorging on that decadent food was a sumptuous pleasure. I bet right now, you…
Release the Cranachan…. This Scottish dessert (pronounced CRA-NA-HCHAN) is not a sea dwelling monster from Norse mythology but instead a delicious concoction of oats, cream or yogurt and raspberries. It is also one of my family’s favorite desserts which I only make on special occasions like Christmas or anniversaries. Over the years I…
Stock the fridge with lots of food now… The holiday season is upon us. Bring on the booze, roast dinners, and baked goods. No wonder everyone gains weight this time of the year. The amount of food and libations thrown at you is truly sinful in its abundance. Not to mention all the leftovers. There…
What is a spatchcock chicken? ‘Spatchcock’ is just a funny word for butterflied. You basically just cut the chicken down its backbone and flatten it. What you get it one whole chicken laid flat for your cooking and eating pleasure. Why would I do this? There are several advantages to spatchcocking…
My Nana made the best stuffing. It was dark brown, mushy and looked like something the Adams Family might have a conversation with before eating it, but it was also damn good. Digging into it was quite the adventure. What was that I just found? A bit of celery? Sliced mushroom? A scrap of turkey? …
A curry here, another curry there… Compare a local mamak (eatery) here in Malaysia with an Indian restaurant back home and you will be puzzled. Granted, a mamak serves a wide range of different Malaysian foods from three (or more) different ethnic groups, not just food from the subcontinent, but if you fancy a curry…
No two curries are the same… It can be a little odd talking about food in Malaysia – and Malaysians do love to talk about food. Dishes that are popular in China, such as Lazijiding (dry fried chicken with chili peppers) simply don’t exist here. The little bottles of black vinegar that are ubiquitous in…
Rogan Josh is a delicious mutton or lamb curry: the name literally means ‘stewed in butter’. No wonder I love it so much. I can’t think of anything that I wouldn’t like if it was slow cooked in butter. Especially if that something was tender bits of lamb with spices. The entire dish is…
Have you ever eaten something that made you question why you don’teat that exact same thing everyday? A food that is so tasty, so layered in flavor, succulent, juicy, salty and just a little sweet that you want to eat it again and again? Something in which there are no more leftovers. You might even…
Every mother has a secret ‘mom’ fantasy. A personal happy place in her mind she goes to when it all becomes too much. Don’t get it twisted – we love our families. We would die for our children if need be. But after a day full of whining, throw up and tantrums…well, off…
I like Kung Pao Chicken and I like chicken wings but I absolutely love these Kung Pao Chicken Wings. Why? Well, for one thing they are delicious. Tender on the inside and coated in a mouthwatering salty, sweet and spicy sauce. They don’t take much prep or an extensive amount of time to throw…
We’re big fans of carbs in this house. Can’t get enough of them. I know in this day and age, a statement like that can be controversial given the popularity of low carb diets and cauliflower everything. However, my husband is an avid cyclist who needs to (seemingly constantly) carb load for race…
China is a great place for food. Cumin dusted lamb and noodles in the West, spicy cuisine from Szechuan province, fried delicacies in Yunnan, dumplings in the North…I could go on but I get too hungry to finish the list. However, if your taste runs more to the sweet than savory, you might want…
Story goes that when Chinese immigrants settled in Malaysia, they married locals who learned to cook Chinese recipes but put their own twist on them by using local ingredients. Hence, Peranakan cuisine (aka Nyonna cuisine) was born and still remains a delicious staple in Malaysia today. One of the more…
Ah, beautiful Thailand. Crystal clear water, sandy beaches, lush forests and of course, amazing food. The first time I visited Thailand, I was young, single and free. I stayed in a hostel in Phuket, spent my days on a boat – off day tripping everywhere and somewhere and, of course, eating at the local…
I remember the first time I gave my baby girl a taste of banana. The expression of contempt on that 7 month old baby’s face said it all. ‘How dare you’!’ was the look she gave followed by rageful screams that made such a scene that one of us had to take her out of…