It has been a hectic week. Sometimes, it makes me think why some people like to make other people’s life difficult. For me, I always try  my best to avoid things that will affect me emotionally and mentally.  As much as I want to avoid, I have learnt that we just  have to go through this sort of situation in any phase of our lives. Arghhhh! Yes, but true. I have to move on, throw all the unhappy thoughts behind me.

Actually, this week has been a mixed bag of great and bad times. A few things that made me really excited. Well, I am probably a bit behind in the cinema scene. I just watched (better late than never) Avatar in 3D and thought it was great! Though the story line is simple but the special effect is just amazingly pretty, I have never seen anything like this before!  Anyway, that was part of the highlights of the week.

Another thing was that I finally received a copy of The French Paper. The French Paper is an English newspaper that is sold in France to English speakers living, moving to or visiting France. For those that are following me on my Facebook, you probably know what I am talking about. Anyway, I am extremely lucky to be given a great opportunity to write an article about my experience over the years about France – French food, French people, and its culture; from my point of view. Besides, I have also been asked to feature 2 Asian recipes with French influence. I was ecstatic when Rachel from The French Paper approached me about writing up an article. As a perfectionist, I wanted to make sure that I put my 100% effort and the result is truly fulfilling and enriching. So, here’s the article. If you have got a few minutes to spare, please have a read. Let me know what you think!

Anyway, I guess, apart from those 2 existing things that I just told you guys, another thing is about cookies. Of course, how can I miss out not sharing good stuff like this. Just a few weeks ago, I tried one of the best cookies in the world! Not that there’s anything too special about these cookies, they are the normal sort of cookies. However, the combination of ingredients used in cookies are amazingly yummy!! They are my favourite ingredients in baking, so to speak. Three ingredients that may not sound very outstanding but the mix is just heavenly! I mean, the crunchiness and nuttiness of macadamia, slightly sweet and sour taste of cranberry; then, topped with the creaminess, milkiness and sweetness of the white chocolate!!! By just imaging this, don’t you feel like you want to reach for them?

Recipe: Cranberry, White Chocolate & Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients:

Butter, 125g

Light brown fine sugar, 100g

Caster sugar, 100g

Egg, 1

Vanilla extract, 1 tsp

Self raising flour, 225g

Cranberry, 60-70g

White chocolate, 80g

Macadamia nuts (break into chunky pieces or halves), 80g

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk. Then add in vanilla extract and continue to beat until combined.

3. Add in egg. Then, fold in flour until the mixture forms a sort dough. Add in cranberry, white chocolate, and macadamia nuts. Mix well.

4. Dot heaped spoonfuls of the mixture over the lined baking parchment, leaving plenty of space in between them as they will spread out while baking.

5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just turning golden brown.

6. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets to harden for a couple of minutes, then carefully lift up the baking parchment and transfer them to a wire cooling rack.

Mango is such an amazing fruit that you can use it in making dessert or even in main/side dishes. Let me tell you, when I was young, I hated ripe mango. Unripe mango is always my preference. I eat it by itself. What? Yeah, just slice it, dip with salt (or without) and put it in my mouth. Sometimes, I like to pickle unripe mango too, then eat it as a snack. Or use it to make into salad. Apart from Som Tam – Thai papaya salad, Thai mango salad is also my favourite.

So, why is it that I like unripe mango so much? Errr.. it’s kind of hard to explain. My tolerance to acidity is pretty high compared to others in my family. I love sour, sweet and sour stuff. The rest would wait for the mango to ripe but, for me, unripe mango suits my palates. However, as time goes by, I kind of open my mind a little and give ripe mango a go. Well, it tastes pretty good too. So, I slowly accepted ripe mango later in my life. Now that I am a very ‘mango’ person, I like to use both ripe and unripe in my cooking.

Thai mango salad can be a great side dish. Like its sister, Thai papaya salad, both of them share pretty much the same features – sweet, sour, and spicy. In terms of ingredients, you can pretty much make your own version of Thai mango salad. The standard version is always a mixture of thinly sliced unripe mango with roasted peanuts, dried shrimps, shallots, and chopped bird’s eyes chili. My version – I always like to top some toasted crispy anchovies! This dish is pretty much about flavours and textures. I love the crunch of the anchovies, while having the sweetness, sourness, and spiciness of other ingredients. Given just Thai mango salad, I can eat it with rice. Yes, just white plain rice. You can serve Thai mango salad with just about anything – chicken, meat, prawns… or eat on its own.

Recipe: Thai Mango Salad

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Mango (shredded), 400g

Shallots (thinly sliced), 2

Red Thai chili, 2-3

Fish sauce, 3-4 tsp

Lime juice, 4-5 tsp

Dried shrimps, 20g

Peanuts (toasted), 40g

Palm sugar, 3-4 tbsp

Dry anchovies (toasted), a handful (this is optional)

Coriander, to garnish

Method:

1. Peel the green mango and shred with a zigzag peeler.

2. Soak the mango in ice cold water to make it crispy.

3. Slightly crush the chilies, shallots, dried shrimps and peanuts in a mortar. Then, put in fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. Mix well.

4. Pour in the above mixture into the sliced mango. Mix well.

5. Garnish with some toasted anchovies and coriander. Serve as a side dish.

To be able to cook well, one has to start from learning the classic. I totally agree with this. When I was introduced to French food a few years ago, I was fed with some beautiful classic dishes that I think those are the dishes I should learn and master before learning “nouvelle cuisine” (new cuisine). Nouvelle cuisine is a new take in cooking and presenting food in French cuisine. Nouvelle cuisine is characterised by lighter and delicate food, which focuses a lot on presentation. Whereby, cuisine classique appears to be rustic and more homely. Both nouvelle cuisine and cuisine classique are both haute cuisine (literally means high-class cooking with elaborate or skillfully prepared food, especially that of France.)

It has been quite a while since I posted a dessert recipe. Today, I felt like I needed a quick  fix of sweet stuff, so, a simple dessert came to my rescue. I love desserts that are custard based. Petits Pots de Crème au Caramel is one example of dessert that I never get tired of. It has been on my list of favourite desserts for a while. Now, it seems that I have got another one to add to my list!

I learnt about Ile Flottante a few years ago when I dined at one of the French bistros in Paris. Ile Flottane, or known as Floating Island (in English), is a classic French dessert that consists of meringue floating on a sea of vanilla custard, also known as crème anglaise in French. Ile flottante is usually served with a great drizzle of caramel and topped with some toasted almonds. I think the combination of all the flavours makes this dessert really special, a bit rustic and sweet. It’s pretty easy to make this dessert. Well, I didn’t make my own custard but bought a ready-made one, there are many choices at the supermarkets here . Next time, I think I am going to make my own as I am sure that it’s going to taste even better!

Recipe: Ile Flottante – Floating Island (Adapted from aufeminin.com)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the custard:

Milk, 350ml

Vanilla bean (split lengthwise), 1

Egg yolks, 3

Caster sugar, 75g

For the meringue:

Egg whites, 3

Salt, 1 pinch

Caster sugar, 40g

For the caramel:

Granulated sugar, 125g

Water, 50ml

Garnish:

Toasted almods

Method:

1. Prepare the custard: Pour the milk in a deep saucepan over medium heat.  Add the vanilla pod. Bring gently to the point of  boiling. Remove from the heat.

2. Put in the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, mix with a wooden spoon until it is thick.

3. Pour hot milk over the yolk mixutre and mix well. Transfer the mixture into a clean saucepan, then heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.

4. Strain the mixture and discard the vanilla bean.

5. Prepare the egg egg whites: beat egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Meanwhile, Preheat the oven t0 140°C.

6. When they are firm, gradually stir in the sugar and continue to beat.

7. Transfer the beaten egg white into a dish. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.

8. To make the caramel, place 125g sugar in a saucepan with 50ml water and heat gently until dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer until deep golden in colour. Halt the cooking by plunging the base of the pan into a sink of icy water.

9. Divide the custard into individual cups/glasses/bowls.

10. Carefully scoop and place the egg whites and put into the cups/glasses/bowls.

11.Drizzle caramel and sprinkle some toasted almonds. Served slightly chilled.

I was a late starter with butternut squash and didn’t know much about it until few years ago. I saw them often at the supermarkets but had never picked one up and put in my shopping basket. I stayed curious for quite some time on its taste and texture until I finally tasted it.

Butternut squash has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp, which tastes similar to pumpkin. Butternut squash is one of the most popular and widely available forms of winter squash. The skin is pretty hard to peel. So, it’s either you have a very good peeler or a sharp knife. I usually like to use my knife to slowly slice off the skin.

Little do I know that butternut squash belongs to the same family as pumpkin, cucumber and courgette, that is know as Cucurbita Moschata. The split between winter and summer squash is primarily based on usage, rather than botanical classification. Winter squash, such as the butternut, are squash that are harvested when mature, with hard skins. Summer squash (including cucumbers and courgettes) are eaten whilst immature and usually have an edible skin and less strongly flavoured flesh.

Butternut squash not only tastes good, it is also a well-balanced food source that is rich in complex carbohydrates and low in saturated fat and sodium. Also, it contains a lot of vitamins A and C and a good source of beta-carotene, magnesium, manganese, calcium and potassium.

I once made roast butternut squash and thought it is another great appetising side dish for Sunday roast. Later on, I tried to make butternut squash into soup, which I absolutely love. It naturally tastes so sweet like I have never tasted a soup like this before. Well, I don’t usually made soup like this (I mean using squash) and now, I have discovered another kind of soup that I can survive on, which is wonderful. This soup is great, again, for wintery weather like what we have now. I wonder when I can have my first taste of spring?

Recipe: Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

Butternut squash (halved and deseeded), 1

Olive oil, 2 tbsp

Potatoes, 2

Onions, 1

Vegetable stock, 1 litre

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Chop butternut squash, onion and potatoes into cubes.

2. Warm a large pot and add in olive oil. Add in onions and cook till soft.

3. Then, add in potatoes and squash. Cook for a minute or so.

4. Add in vegetable stock and allow to simmer for about  30 minutes or until potatoes and squash are soft.

5. Using a blender or food processor, blend the soup until smooth. If too thick, add a bit of water.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

My kind of dish apart from coq au vin, would probably be boeuf bourguignon. Boeuf bourguignon is a classic French recipe, where beef is braised in red wine with garlic, onions, carrots, bouquet garni, pancetta/lardons (bacon), and mushrooms. If you look at both recipes for boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin, they don’t look different at all. In fact, both dishes are similar in the ingredients used. Except for the fact that one uses beef, the other uses chicken.

When I cook stew dish like this, I always make extra portions so that I can keep it for the next 2 days. The taste of boeuf bourguignon gets better the day after. This applies to most of the stew dishes I think. As mentioned before, marinating meat is essential. It is one of the best ways to give it more flavour and to tenderize it at the same time. I am pretty clueless as in which part of meat I should be using for stew dishes. Not long ago, I found a website for reference, learning about different parts of meat cuts for beef and and lamb. From there, I have learnt that best cuts of meat that can be used for braising are: all roasts, briskets, shanks, chunk steaks, top round steaks, short ribs and back ribs. I bought chunk steaks for boeuf bourguignon.

Boeuf bourguignon has got a rustic feel and taste, that is great to beat the cold weather (yes, it’s still cold) at this time of the year. Perhaps, make this dish to warm your other half’s heart on a special day like today – Valentine’s Day. Well, I haven’t forgotten about the giveaway, of course! In fact, I have made the random draw based on the unique email address for the comments that I received. So, we have got a winner! One winner out of 57 participants! The winner is… according to www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=1524, is……. The Little Teochew!!!! You can click on the link provided and entered your email address to verify if you wish. Oh, well done to Ju at The Little Teochew!! I will be in touch soon.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with the recipe of boeuf bourguignon.

Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients:

Beef blade or chunk steak, 1.5kg

Red wine, 750ml

Garlic (crushed), 3 cloves

Bouquet garni

Butter, 70g

Onion (chopped), 1

Carrots, 2-3

Flour, 2 tbsp

Bacon (cut into short strips), 200g

French shallots (peeled and left whole), 300g

Small button mushrooms, 200g

Method:

1. Cut the meat into 4cm cubes and trim away any excess fat. Put the meat, wine, garlic, bouquet garni in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Drain the meat, reserving the marinade and bouquet garni. Dry the meat on paper towels. Heat 30g of the butter in a large casserole dish. Add the onion, carrot and bouquet garni and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Heat 20g of the butter in a large frying pan over high heat. Fry the meat in batches for about 5 minutes, or until well browned. Add to the casserole dish.

4. Pour the reserved marinate into the frying pan and boil, stirring, for 30 seconds to deglaze the pan. Remove from the heat. Return the casserole to high heat and sprinkle the meat and vegetables with the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is well coated with the flour. Pour in the marinade and stir well. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

5. Heat the remaining butter in the clean frying pan and cook the bacon and shallots, stirring, for 8-10 minutes, or until the shallots are softened but not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, or unitl browned. Drain on paper towels. Add the shallots, bacon and mushrooms to the casserole.

6. Cover the casserole dish and return to the oven for 30 minutes, or until the meat is soft and tender. Discard the bouquet garni. Season and skim any fat from the surface before serving.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I have a great news!! Yes, I have something to giveaway! In conjunction with Valentine’s Day celebration, I am sure a lot of you have been busy thinking what pressies to get for your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/partner. The hot news is, I have a pair of bespoke red and white striped Love Cups come nestled in a beautiful gift box and each contains a little bag of five scrumptious, handmade solid milk chocolates to be given away!!

This pair of red and white striped love cups are great for upcoming Valentine’s Day. Well, they are lovely all year round too! So, T.G Green’s famous blue and white Cornishware pottery range is blushing bright red to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2010. Absolutely perfect for an early morning cup of tea or a romantic bedtime hot chocolate.

The ‘Love Cups’ are an inspired present for any Valentine and so much more stylish and long lasting than the predictable dozen red roses. Cornishware is finished by hand, just as it always has been. So there are natural variations in colour and glaze.

This little gift set is priced at £30 (about USD47, EUR34), and it will be given away for FREE to ONE lucky winner. Big thank you to Cornishware!

All you need to do is to leave a comment on this post by Saturday – 13th February 2o1o. This is opened to all readers around the world!! Winner will be drawn at random and I will get in touch via email. Quick, enter now! Good luck!!

p/s: This item will be posted internationally!

Well, Soho is not just about that! When dust approaches, Londoners and tourists flock to the winding alleyways, spoil themselves with choices for entertainment – a large amount of bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, cinemas, live music venues, theatres and comedy clubs which have mushroomed over the years. That quickly turns Soho into a melting pot of disparate rhythms and cultures.

For me, Soho is a foodie’s paradise. This area has got so much to offer, from Chinese food to Italian food that will suit all tastes and budgets for people from all walks of lives. It’s amazing how a small district has been able to keep its liveliness.

BACKGROUND

As one of the trendiest place in London, you would imagine that there’re some really stylish restaurants in this area. Yes, you are right! There is a little jem called Inamo in Wardour Street, Soho.

Inamo is an Oriental fusion restaurant and bar – a very interesting take on Oriental fusion cuisine that combines Japanese, Thai, and Chinese cooking. Inamo stands out from the crowds for 3 good reasons – trendy, great idea of fusion flavours and very technology savvy. Inamo has deployed an interactive ordering system, where you have total control in your hands.

There are no paper menus. You place your orders literally on the tables. Food and drinks menu is projected onto individual table surface. You just need to use the touch pad to browse and tap to order away whatever you fancy. This interactive ordering process is just a fantastic idea and fun to use!

All the dishes and drinks are accompanied with beautifully taken photographs that make you drool instantly. What’s more? You can even see the chefs in action through the webcams! Another feature that comes in handy is that you can see how much you’ve ordered if you need to split the bill.

DÉCOR

Décor wise, there’s pretty much no décor to speak of, as it doesn’t need any. You can set the mood and the ambience during your dining by changing the image projected onto your table, from plain colours to different patterns and pictures of different sorts. As you could imagine that all the colours and patterns of the tables are continuously changing which explain well why it keeps the décor to its minimal.

DRINKS

On the drinks menu, you have wines, beers, cocktails, soft drinks and hot drinks to choose from. The names of the cocktails caught my attention – lychee martini, sake mojito, sake martini, and a few more to name. The price ranges from £6.50 to £8.00. I settled for sake mojito. This is such a creative and great twist to the classic majito that uses white rum. The taste of sake wasn’t overpowering at all, blended with crushed ice and mint. It was a light and refreshing drink to start the evening.

Sake Martini is another proven great drink that looks almost yellowish green in colour, blended with pineapple juice, midori and lime juice, strained and served in a martini glass. Thai sapphire, however, muddled and shaken with lychee liqueur, apricot brandy, a generous measure of Ketel One vodka and pomegranate juice served over crushed ice wasn’t my favourite. I thought the generous amount of vokda was too overpowering. All I could taste was vodka and nothing else.

FOOD

You have small dishes, large dishes and set menu to choose from. The price for small dishes ranges from £6 – £8. Whereas, large dishes are from £8 – £15 each. The food was served within 15 minutes after the order was placed. If you order all your food at once, it’ll arrive one after another.

As you scroll on the menu, each dish is illuminated in a large picture with its description by the side. Alaskan King Crab (£15.50) was first served. This luxury dish was nicely presented in the shell. The crabmeat was fresh, very nicely dressed in coriander, chilli and lime dressings, which gives a zing to it and brings harmony to the overall flavours.

Baby crispy prawns (£7) from the small dishes is a must-have! The prawns were lightly coated in a batter and deep-fried. They were so crispy that I couldn’t stop eating! It definitely goes well with the Thai mango relish that was served with it.

Kelp marinated and thinly sliced sea bass (£5.75) was fresh and elegantly presented on a piece of kelp on top of a sushi bamboo mat, served with sisho and soy. A very eye-catching dish, but nothing else is special compared to what you can get at any sushi bar. The same applies to the vegetarian mixed tempura (£8.50). Whenever I get my sushi fix, I never give nigiri sushi (£5.75) a miss. It was a bit of a let down as the sushi rice was slightly undercooked.

Hot stone rib eye (£16.50) is another one that made it onto my recommended list. That piece of meat was nicely seared on the outside and stayed pretty pink in the middle. It was served on a bed of thyme on the hot stone. The cooking was still taking place when served. It was one of those dishes that’ll make you really happy even by looking at it. It was accompanied with coriander sauce, with a zing of lime juice and a hint of fish sauce that went really well with the tender and juicy rib eye.

As a fish lover, black cod marinated with spicy miso (16.95) is a disappointment. I have to admit that the black cod was really fresh, nicely cooked to its perfection and the flesh was fine that could almost melt in your mouth. However, the taste of spicy miso wasn’t near to existence. In fact, the sweet chilli sauce was the limelight of the dish.

Wagyu bavette was accompanied with hijiki seaweed. It was braised in a soya and brown sugar, which works well with the meat. However, each piece was tough and hard to chew. I expect the meat to be easily fallen apart in a braising dish like this.

DESSERTS

There were 6 desserts to choose from. Homemade sorbet, vanilla crème brûlée with strawberry and lemongrass jelly, thai basil pana cotta and etc. I thought thai basil pana cotta was interesting. It was indeed very nice and refreshing.

VERDICT

Staff are really friendly and attentive. Price wise, it is not very expensive for West End standard. This is probably the first time I have ever been to a restaurant that doesn’t have paper menus. The interactive tables are a brilliant idea and very fun to use. It would be a great night out with a group of friends. Food presentation is beautiful and modern. There are dishes that really stand out but a few that could be improved on. For special dining experience, I reckon, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Check out this video:

MY COOKING HUT’s RATING

Food: 4/5

Venue & Ambience: 5/5

Value: 4/5

RESTAURANT DETAILS:

Cuisine type: Asian Fusion

Cost per head (excluding drinks): £25- £35

Inamo

134-136 Wardour Street,

London, 
W1F 8ZP

What do I prefer? Meat or fish? My answer is fish. I have been a seafood lover since I was young. The moments that I will never forget were those when my parents brought us to seafood restaurants. That was something that got me really excited when my parents told us, ‘Hurry up, go and get changed, we are going out for dinner at a seafood restaurant.’

The nearest coastal town from my hometown is about 30 minutes by car. Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis are both famous for seafood restaurants. Apart from that, both places are famous fishing ports in the Northwest of Malaysia and also the spots where you can take the ferry to go to Langkawi island. Every time we went to Kuala Perlis was not to take a ferry to go to Langkawi but to indulge in the freshest seafood we could get. It couldn’t have been better when my uncle got his own catch and brought it to the restaurant!

Fish, of course, you can cook in many ways. I have a few fish recipes posted on my blog. If you take a look again, I guess, you will notice that I like to steam fish as well as stir-fry. Steaming is the best way of tasting fish! This time around, I steamed my fish but in a slight different way. I used plaice fillets and rolled them with spinach. Pretty simple, but in this way, I have my portion of greens too, which is great!

Plaice wasn’t common to me when I came to the UK a few years ago. It’s a kind of flat fish, which is widely available here. There isn’t much flesh but its texture is really fine and almost melt in the mouth. Try plaice, it’s a great fish!

Recipe: Steamed Plaice & Spinach Rolls

Ingredients:

Place fillets (cut into halves to make smaller rolls), 2-3

Spinach (chopped), 60g – 80g

Oyster sauce, 1 tbsp

White pepper, to taste

Garlic (chopped), 1 clove

Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp

Coriander (to garnish), 1-2 sprig

Method:

1. Lay each fillet flat on a chopping board. Divide the spinach between each fillet. Portion the spinach in the middle of the fillet and roll it up. Secure with toothpick.

2. Arrange fillet rolls on a plate.

3. Mix oyster sauce, white pepper and sesame oil. Drizzle on each fillet roll.

4. Steam fillet rolls in the steamer for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat up a pan. Put in oil and on low heat, slowly brown the chopped garlic.

6. Serve the rolls warm, drizzle with garlic and its oil and garnish with coriander.

Steamed Plaice & Spinach Rolls

Sometimes, it amazes me how simple a dish could be. The ingredients do not have to be too complicated as long as they come in good quality. My last few visits to France, I have had a real nice country-style potage. In English, it is pottage. Potage or pottage means thick soup, which often contains meat and vegetable which are boiled with water and then whizz the soup with a blender or with a stick blender.

The fresh produces in France are just amazing. Not only they have the best quality but they are sold at reasonable price. Every time I visit France, I like to go to the farmers market. I love to choose my vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat. Also, I love the produces that come without plastic packaging. Fresh produces in France are mostly grown in France. It could be that I was brought up in Malaysia. Going to the market is not something unfamiliar. Seeing chickens or pigs being slaughtered do not make me feel gross or make me weep. I know where my meat, vegetables, and seafood come from. That’s the way it is.

In the UK, probably 80% or more of fresh produces are flown in from other countries. Except for certain produces such as asparagus, potatoes and a few more items. Fruits are mostly imported from elsewhere too. I believe that more and more people prefer to buy local produces but I guess, the supermarkets are not doing their best to help these small to medium scale farmers. They would rather fly in produces from Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and etc. The option to buy fresh produces from the farmers market in London do not appeal to me much. Borough market is one good example. It could be nice if it was the first time you visit Borough market to check what they have to offer. After a few times, you would feel that you got ripped off because you couldn’t find purple carrots or purple broccolis at any other supermarkets. After all, they have more food stalls than fresh produces stalls.

I remember a few years back when I went to Caen for the first time. It was such an exciting moment when we went to check out the biggest farmers market in the town centre. Trust me, it’s totally different from Borough market and hundred times better! There were so many stalls – vegetables, fruits, meats, and not to mention seafood! There were probably more than 8 fishmongers! So, there’s a competition there. In comparison to Borough market, you have 2 or 3 fishmongers. All of them bought their supplies from Billingsgate Market, which is the UK largest inland wholesale fish market. I have been to Billingsgate market and will definitely blog about it because it has totally changed the way I buy fish in this country.

Anyway, the fishmongers are kind of cocky because they do business at the ‘prestigous’ Borough market, which is so popular that thousands of tourists shouldn’t give it a miss while visiting London! So, would you go to a farmers market that is always flocked by tourists? Or would you rather go to a ‘normal’ farmers market? Well, when I don’t have a choice and in desperation for some fresh seafood or vegetables that I can’t find elsewhere, then, I have to force myself to go there, spend a bit more and get what I need, that’s it. So, it doesn’t sound like I like Borough market a lot, huh?

So, I have been talking about fresh produces, markets, and what I think of fresh produces. They are important – both quality and freshness. Ok, I can’t avoid the plastic packing because I have to do my food shopping at Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose, and very seldom at Marks and Spencer because their fresh produces are packaged too nicely like presents. I like no packaging, please! And I will bring my own bags. After all, the 3 ingredients that I used to make my potato, carrot and leek do come in plastic packaging, except the leek. With these 3 ingredients, they make one of the best combinations in a form of soup/pottage. You need only 1 potato, 1 carrot, and 1 leek. Well, this recipe is for 2-3 persons. Hence, if you have more people to serve, you probably just need to double the ingredients.

I don’t like my soup to be too thick. Maybe, this is why it probably shouldn’t be called potage/pottage. So, we can call it thin soup. This is  just a simple soup, but it is rich in fibres and vitamins. Beating the cold weather is No.1 or if you are on detox, it could be a great choice too.

What makes this simple soup even more appealing to me is another secret ingredient, which is called nutritional yeast flakes, which I found out through Nelly a few years ago. Nutritional yeasts flakes: (wikipedia: similar to brewer’s yeast. It is a deactivated yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment. Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses, then harvesting, washing, drying and packaging the yeast.)

Gerble is a huge brand in France. Their products are popular amongst people who are health conscious, or people with special diet need. I was introduced to nutritional yeast flakes, called levure diététique, which is rich in vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, PP, magnesium, zinc, iron, protein, fiber, phosphorus and a source of vitamin B12. Did you a lot of Bs? No, I’m not trying to test your eyesight! Vitamin B is your beauty secret! Vitamin B is the champion of beauty! (read it again..) It is essential in growth, maintenance, and repair of tissues. Thus, they contribute to the radiance of your skin, hair and nails!! That appeals to me… the beauty secret!!  That aside, it tastes good, I like its malty flavour. You can serve it in your salad, soup, greens by sprinkling 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, which add a different dimension in taste, and of course also for your health! You can easily buy nutritional yeast flakes from any health stores.

Right, so my way of potage is a thin soup but full of nutrients, nothing could be simpler than this!

Recipe: Potato, Carrot and Leek Soup

Serves 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

Leek (chopped), 1

Carrot (chopped), 1

Potato (chopped), 1

Water (chicken/vegetable stock if desire), 600-700ml

Salt to taste

Nutritional yeast flakes (to serve), 1 tbsp

Parsley (chopped), 1 tsp

Method:

1. In a pot or saucepan, put in chopped leek, carrot, and potato.

2. Add in water. Put on the led and simmer until vegetables are soft.

3. Whizz to a smooth soup a food processor (or slightly chunky if desire). Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding water or more stock.

4. Season the soup and serve in soup bowls. Sprinkle a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes. (remember: beauty secret)

5. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Hot and sour soup with prawns – Tom Yum Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง) is one of those dishes that I love and can’t think of any reasons to say ‘no’ to it. Tom yum is such a distinct soup – hot and sour flavours that will wake up all your senses. The most popular tom yum is tom yum goong, which is cooked with prawns. Tom yum gai is the chicken version, which is as nice. I always opt to have tom yum goong as I just can’t resist to the sweetness and succulent texture of prawns. This Thai dish is not only popular in SE Asia but almost anywhere in the world!

As you know, Thai food is characterised by sweetness, sourness, and spiciness. This applies to tom yum, well, probably not so much on the sweetness this time. I think, what I really like about tom yum apart from its spiciness, sourness, and a bit of saltiness; is the fragrance of the herbs. Lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and chilies are used to infuse the soup make this soup full of characters! What can be better than this?

After having a bowl of tom yum, it instantly warms up your body and give a great sense of satisfaction to the taste buds! I also learn that the use of herbs in this soup helps to boost our immune system as it has natural remedy for cold and flu. So, does that mean that it’s better off to have tom yum soup more frequently than having Vitamin C in order to build up our immune system? haha…  I definitely have no problem to have it as frequent as possible.

Tom yum soup really helps me beating the cold. Last week was probably the coldest week. The temperature has risen a bit since then. But, that doesn’t mean warm just yet! It just means there is no more snow but rain. Honestly, I prefer snow than rain! Not sure about others, but that’s my preference if I get to choose.

Tom yum goong is a real quick soup that can be prepared within minutes. Need a quick fix of tom yum? Here’s the recipe.

Recipe: Tom Yum Goong

Ingredients:

Chicken stock, 1 litre

Raw king prawns (trimmed, shells on, deveined), 16-18

Lemongrass (slightly smashed), 1

Kaffir lime leaves, 2-3

Galangal (sliced), 2 cm

Bird’s eyes chilies (slightly crushed), 2-3

Nam prik pao, 0.5 – 1 tbsp

Fish sauce, 2-3 tbsp

Sugar, 2-3 tsp

Lime juice, 2-3 tbsp

Coriander, to serve

Method:

1. In a pot on a medium heat, put in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

2. Put in slight smashed lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chilies into the stock and infuse for a few minutes.

3. Then, add in nam prik pao, fish sauce and lime juice. Add in the prawns and cook  for 3 minutes or until the prawns turn pink.

4. Taste and adjust the saltiness, sourness, and spiciness if necessary.

5. Serve hot with some fresh coriander leaves.