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- Cut a fennel bulb lenghtwise in four and baste with some olive oil.
- Heat a ribbed skillet and slowly fry the fennel on both sides.
- In the meantime, crush three cloves of garlic, mix with a few tablespoonfuls of full-fat Turkish yoghurt, and season with black pepper, salt or fish sauce, and a generous amount of chopped mint or parsley.
- Serve as the main for lunch, a starter for dinner, or an entry for a tapas feast.
If I have to choose between travelling to Israel and eating a salad made from ducks force-fed on corn, I go for the latter. Defo much less cruelty supported.- Pat a magret dry and wallow it in a mix of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a frying pan on medium high heat
Long before people in Korea and Japan started calling themselves Korean and Japanese, people in Nagasaki and Pusan knew that culturally they had more in common with each other than with their respective political capitals in Edo (Tokyo) and Seoul. One of the things they shared was this dish, jjambong or champon. It is served as soup that comes in a multitude of flavours and accompanying goodies.
I fix it the Korean way. It takes exactly 15 minutes and costs under 1 quid to fix a flavourful, healthy and delicious lunch. This is how it goes.
- Slice thinly a couple of pre-soaked shiitake. I normally keep some soaked shiitake in the fridge so that I always have it handy. Feel free to follow my suit.
- Next thing is to soak black kikurage, white kikurage and golden needles 20 g each in water for at least 20 minutes. I f you can't get hold of those, just skip this step.
- Then peel and slice a few cloves of garlic.
- Heat a frying pan, add 1 tbsp odourless vegetable oil. Sprinkle some black and white sesame (third a teaspoonful each), wait until it starts sizzling.
- Fry the garlic in the pan until fragrant (light yellow in colour), then add 3 very finely sliced medium onions. When those are nice and fragrant too, add the sliced shiitake. Fry until the mushrooms are fragrant too.
- In the meantime, bring to boil exactly how much water you need for your udon. I use the bowl you can see on the picture as the measure.
- When the water boils, add one pack of udon. Bring to boil again, reduce the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Tip the frying pan into the sauce pan and add the kikurage, golden needles, and half a handful of whatever leafy vegetables you have: spinach, pakchoi, kangkong, Chinese broccoli. Dissolve 1 tbsp gochujang in the broth. You will need to find this delicious chilli paste as it is defines the taste of the whole dish.
- Let boil for a minute or so. Mind that the udon does not get overdone, it should be cooked just one notch beyond al dente.
- Serve with a sprinkle of chopped spring onions.
This spicy dish, also known as jjam-bong (짬뽕
) if cooked with thinner noodles, when consumed regularly is known to boost your sexual drive.
bowl of noodles is my favourite lunch - a dose of taste, flavour, liquid and nutrients. It makes me feel like a well fed, watered and weeded plant. I do not buy pre-packaged ready-made instant broths but make instead my own. It is really a no-brainer and can help you clean up leftovers from the fridge. Here is what I fixed myself for supper tonight.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms and daylily buds.
- Make broth by bringing cold water to nearly the boiling point with a 4-5-cm piece of dried konbu. Remove the konbu.
- Put a curl of dry egg noddles into the boiling water. Cook 6-8 minutes until just a notch beyond al dente.
- In the meantime, toast sliced garlic and sliced shiitake in a bit of vegetable oil until fragrant. Add daylily buds and sauté lightly. Add fish sauce or soya sauce for veg(etari)ians.
- Tip 4 into 3. Reduce the heat and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve with chopped coriander leaves, spring onions or fried tempeh.
o, they are going to have JUST noodles?" thought I watching Taipei's smart office crowd going down on their lunch. For an Asian outsider, noodles may not sound like a meal. In Russia noodles are considered lowest grade junk food popular amongst trumps, students and washed-up bachelors.
That is all because nobody cares to fix them properly relying solely on whatever they find in the instant packages. However, with a bit of imagination it is very easy to recreate the kind of gorgeous meal I saw in Taiwan. It is healthy, filling and delicious, a little constellation of delightful chunks and pieces. The recipe couldn't be more simple: put everything in a bowl, pour boiling water, microwave for 3 minutes. Below are the ingredients I usually use.
Seafood:
- two types of shrimp,
- squid,
- baby octopuses,
- clams,
- mussels.
Seaweed:Mushrooms:
Veggies:
A smidgen of toasted black and white sesame seeds livens up an already vibrant mix even further.
I made this one Korean style, flavoured with kimchi, but I also make it, with the help of some herbs and condiments, in a variety of other styles:
Dim sum is supposed to be lunch food only, something you grab in between business appointments. At dinner you are expected to take your time with your family. Since I am not burdened with either, I can do as I please. So when I'm lazy I just fix me dim sum.
I line a bamboo sieve with a banana leave. Its gentle scent transfers to the dough with hot steam and make simple lowly buns a culinary delight.
While the pot is steaming away, I make my own Thai-style dip:
- a glub of Thai chili sauce;
- juice of one lime;
- a clove of garlic, crushed (NOT chopped!);
- a sprinkle of fish sauce;
- a wee splash of Kikkoman soya sauce;
- chopped fresh coriander.
Twelve minutes and, voilà, lazy bachelor's dinner is ready!
Before Brick Lane became Little Bangladesh it was a Jewish territory. Little remains from that time but two bagel shops. They both are extremely popular. I went today to Beigel Bake where authentic Jewish mommas dispense plain and stuffed bagels at very attractive prices.
Bagel with smoked salmon is just £
1.30 while when stuffed with salty beef it will set you back to the tune of £
3.30. Add extra 20p for a slice of gherkin. Mustard comes free.
I find these bagels taste more British than Jewish, that is like they have been boiled for a couple of days with no salt or spices. Hundred and fifty years of catering to Cockney tastes do rub off on you. I really missed the smokiness of Jewish bagels in Montreal.
Culinary delights don't have to be complicated. It is mostly down to quality ingredients and right combinations.
This grilled goat cheese sandwich takes 5 minutes to fix. First, I sprinkle delicious sesame bread I buy from a Brazilian grocer with a few drops of aceto balsamico bianco and olive oil. I cut the cheese (no puns here) into thin circles and line them on the bread. Three minutes under grill is enough to turn the dry and sharp mass into drippy flavour-oozing deliciousness.
Now tomato wedges and some Italian lettuce mix and your lunch is ready!
This is the French goat cheese I use: crottins de chèvre, "goat drops". What a poetic name.
In the olden days, members of the British Parliament would travel by water to Greenwich to mark the start of the autumn season with "whitebait feasts". Charles Dickens was known to be a fan of this traditional Thames treat too as well as his famous illustrator George Cruickshank.
These days whitebait is caught elsewhere and thanks to the miracle of refrigeration is available throughout the year, not just in season.
The cooking is quick and simple and involves breading and deep-frying. Make sure the oil is very hot so that the breading does not absorb too much oil.
Although it seems the custom to poke the fish in mayonnaise before eating to wash it down with beer, I serve it sprinkled with lemon juice with steamed young potatoes topped with chopped red onions and coriander. Not 100% English but much healthier.
For the recipe just post a request in the comments.
o, they are going to have JUST noodles?" thought I watching Taipei's smart office crowd going down on their lunch. For an Asian outsider, noodles may not sound like a meal. In Russia noodles are considered lowest grade junk food popular amongst trumps, students and washed-up bachelors.
Before Brick Lane became Little Bangladesh it was a Jewish territory. Little remains from that time but two bagel shops. They both are extremely popular. I went today to Beigel Bake where authentic Jewish mommas dispense plain and stuffed bagels at very attractive prices.
Bagel with smoked salmon is just £1.30 while when stuffed with salty beef it will set you back to the tune of £3.30. Add extra 20p for a slice of gherkin. Mustard comes free.
In the olden days, members of the British Parliament would travel by water to Greenwich to mark the start of the autumn season with "whitebait feasts". Charles Dickens was known to be a fan of this traditional Thames treat too as well as his famous illustrator George Cruickshank.
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