Pork Shoulder, Belly or Jowl? Which part of the pig is the most flavorful? Well, pork shoulder is always a tasty treat either slow-cooked in a ragu or stir-fried with mushrooms. It provides just the right amount of hearty meat to fat ratio that makes it oh so delicious. Then again, you can’t forget about…
Author: Natasha
I'm just a busy expat mom who has a psychological need to feed people. I enjoy learning about new cultures, (especially the food) and enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and spices
The Tastiest Chicken Tenders
My favorite comfort food Chicken tenders are my weak spot when it comes to food. I simply can’t resist them. As a child, they were my favorite and even now as an adult, I still crave that long chunk of chicken heavily coated in crispy batter and dunked in a creamy ranch sauce. The only…
Fried Pork Chops with Pineapple Thyme Reduction
Whatever happened to pork chops? Do people still eat pork chops? Are they celebrated with great joy and gobbled down with sheer food lust like Homer Simpson? Granted it has been over 13 years since I have lived in my home country so I am not sure if they are still quite as popular…
Lamb Stuffed Peppers
Lamb stuffed peppers are something that my husband has been bothering me to make for quite a long time. It’s not that I was averse to making them. I simply just had no idea of what kind of direction he wanted the recipe to go in. What kind of peppers? How to season the filling? …
Chicken Tikka Masala
The Chicken Tikka Masala Origin Story Chicken Tikka Masala was supposedly born in Glasgow when a customer complained about his chicken curry being dry. To remedy this situation, the restaurant chef added some tomato soup to the mix and VOILA! This British-Indian dish was born. Many people speculate on whether or not this is actually…
Asian Style Pork Ribs in a Spicy Garlic and Honey Sauce
Sticky Sweet Spicy Garlic Crispy Asian Style pork ribs! A child cries at the dining room table. Before her, a small plate of untouched noodles next to a small pile of sparkling clean rib bones. She demands more, more than the hefty portion she was given. Her request for more stems from an instinctive,…
Crispy Beef and Broccoli
Growing up in Seattle, beef and broccoli was always my favorite go-to for Chinese takeout. I loved the tenderized beef with broccoli florets that so perfectly soaked up all that brown gravy. Ideal to eat when it was fresh and hot but still good cold the next day for lunch or, if you are so…
The Perfect Salmon Salad
Perhaps it’s the constant heat here in Malaysia or perhaps I simply have had enough with cleaning dishes piled high but recently I have come around to a nice salmon salad for dinner. For one, it’s easy to throw together after a long day. No slow cooking, hours-long roasting or labor-intensive side dishes. Just one…
Spanish style Chorizo and Bean Stew
Many requests were made For years my husband has been begging me to make him chorizo and bean stew. So I scoured the internet trying to find one that is suitable to his needs with a tomato base and absolutely nothing resembling spinach in it. So being that we are on pandemic lockdown here in…
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
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…
Healing Chicken Broth
Is there anything more comforting than a warm little mug of salty chicken broth to drink? When you’re sick, when you’re sad or nothing is wrong at all, drinking chicken broth is the ultimate comfort food. For the past month or so, I have been sick…TWICE! The first time was a bit of a…
Aloo Palak (Pakistani Spinach Curry)
Years ago I decided to expand my culinary horizons by attending a Pakistani cooking class and this curry, Aloo Palak or Pakistani Spinach curry was one of the first things I made. At that time, I knew nothing about Indian and Pakistani cuisine. I wasn’t even a big fan of it back then. However, if…
Chili Paneer
Who says vegetarian is lame? I have to admit, I always viewed vegetarian food as a bit of a bummer with tasteless tofu and stupid quinoa bowls. Yes, a meatless meal made with sustainable local produce is more environmentally and socially responsible but come on….who really likes tempeh????? It tastes like a litter box!…
Cranachan
Release the Cranachan…. This Scottish dessert of Cranachan (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…
Chicken and Bacon Puffs
Don’t lose it, reuse it! Got lots of leftovers that no one wants to touch? Is everything in your house avoiding it like the plague and insisting on ordering pizza instead? If you are like me and hate food waste, you have to learn how to get creative with leftovers. For me, the…
Paprika and Thyme Spatchcock Chicken
What is 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 chicken….
Bacon, Almond and Herb Stuffing
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? …
Andy’s Chicken Balti
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…
Andy’s Balti Base Gravy
Why do we need a base gravy for this dish? It’s tough to pick a “biggest difference” between British Indian food and “real” Indian cooking – beyond the fact that one has come through the lens of the restaurant industry rather than the homes and street stalls of the subcontinent. At home, most curries are…
Restaurant Style Rogan Josh
Rogan Josh is 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 as comforting…