Featured Recipe
One Pan Butter Chicken and Rice Bake
Saturday, January 24, 2026| |
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One-pan Butter Chicken with Rice is the dinner you make when you don't feel like cooking! This delicious chicken-rice casserole could not be easier to make and has an authentic Indian flavour. Whether you are serving this as a family meal or just craving something comforting, this butter chicken and rice bake is guaranteed to satisfy. If you love classic butter chicken, then you need to try this twist on this classic dish! Long-grain white rice works best in this recipe, but brown rice will work just as great.
Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly - Hong Shao Rou
Thursday, January 22, 2026Hóng Shāo Ròu / 红烧肉 is one of the most beloved classic pork belly dish from China. The tender, juicy pork belly chunks are smothered in a glossy, caramelized sauce made with soya sauce, both light and dark, shaoxing rice wine, spices and rock sugar. It's sticky, savory, sweet, and succulent with a satisfying melt-in-your-mouth texture. There are many types of red braised pork belly across China, but two major types in that Shanghai version of Hóng Shāo Ròu is sweeter, using a higher proportion of rock sugar for a glossy, caramelized sauce, while the Hunan version is spicier, typically incorporating chilli peppers and other spices like bay leaves, chilli peppers, ginger and star anise. Aside from pork belly, you can also add squid, abalone, hard-boiled eggs, taro, dried tofu skins, and bamboo to the dish. The pork belly is best served hot with a bowl of steamed rice and a side dish of sauteed greens of your choice to complete the meal.
Brown Butter Chestnut Crumb Bars
Wednesday, January 21, 2026| |
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Browned butter adds a rich, nutty, and complex depth of flavour to these crumb bars with a boozy creamy chestnut filling. They are excellent with topped with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. I used the thick homemade chestnut puree, therefore, a few tablespoons of honey whiskey (or cream) were added to make the filling spreadable. If you are using a much thinner storebought chestnut spread, just skip the alcohol. I also added some melted chocolate to the filling, but it’s completely optional.
Red Lentil Cold Cuts
Tuesday, January 20, 2026| |
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These red lentil-based deli slices are a game-changer! Packed with protein (though not the complete protein), flavour, and deliciousness, they’re a perfect addition to your plant-based diet, plus they are incredibly budget friendly and also so easy to customize with your favorite spices and seasonings. Instead of paprika paste, you can also try pureeing a small beetroot with lentil for the pinkish colour. Sandwich the cold cuts with some sourdough bread or pan-sear the thicker slabs until golden (just like you do with bologna) and serve them over your favourite salad or simply enjoy them just as they are. Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them. I made this plain, but you can add in some chopped olives, pickled green peppers or pistachios before pouring into the pitcher.
Walnut M’hancha – Moroccan Nut Pastry
Sunday, January 18, 2026| |
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Delicate and delicious, 'M'hancha' is a traditional sweet Moroccan pastry. Its Arabic name means snake or serpentine because of its snake-like shape. The pastry is made with layers of fine warqa, which has the same crisp flakiness as filo dough, filled with a nut paste (I use walnuts for this recipe) infused with orange blossom water. Make sure to brush the filo sheet generously and thoroughly with melted butter and not over-tighten the pastry when your roll it, or the pastry will break while baking. I used fresh extra soft dates to sweeten the filling, but you can easily replace them with sugar. Soak the dates in hot water for 20-30 minutes if they are hard.
Moroccan Chicken with Cauliflower Pilaf
Friday, January 16, 2026| |
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Tender, succulant chicken thighs with warm Moroccan spices, preserved lemons and cauliflower rice pilaf. Preserved lemons pickled in lemon juice and sea salt, adding a wonderful complexity to any dish, are a pantry staple of North African cuisine and have a unique lemon flavour without any of the bitter, tart characteristics of fresh lemons. Cauliflower rice pilaf is a low carb version of a rice pilaf made with finely chopped cauliflower. You can also serve them with regular rice or couscous for a filling meal.
Roasted Black Radishes with Caramelised Red Onions
Wednesday, January 14, 2026| |
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The natural sweetness of caramelised red onions pairs beautifully with the pungency of the black radishes. They are lightly seasoned with thyme and lemon zest and make a great low-carb option for those who are trying to avoid potatoes.
Black radishes, aka Spanish radishes, are an heirloom winter radish that originated in the Mediterranean region. You can enjoy them both raw and roasted. Unlike traditional red or white radishes, which are relatively mild, black radishes have a slightly bitter and pungent flavour and can be a powerful medicinal food, especially when it comes to digestion and detoxification. In traditional Chinese medicine, they are believed to cure cold, help detoxify the liver, kidneys and improve skin health.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tuesday, January 13, 2026| |
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Chicken tikka masala is a flavourful and aromatic curry dish, made in a similar way to butter chicken. If you love butter chicken, you might as well enjoy this spicier variant. It consists of marinated and grilled chicken pieces, known as "tikka," simmered in a creamy tomato-based sauce infused with a blend of traditional Indian spices.
The dish’s origins are debated. One story purports that it was invented in the 1970s by Ali Ahmed Aslam, a Bangladeshi chef in Glasgow, Scotland, who improvised the recipe by combining grilled chicken tikka with a creamy tomato-based sauce, resulting in the iconic dish we know today. Many consider it to be the national dish of the UK. In 2001 British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook gave a speech in which he hailed chicken tikka masala as a “true British national dish” and a symbol of modern multicultural Britain. He even offered his own simplified explanation of how it evolved: “Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.”
Mavrou with Turmeric Rice
Monday, January 12, 2026| |
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Mavrou, a traditional Cape Malay beef curry which is usually served at weddings, on Eid and other family gatherings and special occasions. It's a comforting and hearty dish and a perfect fusion of culinary traditions brought to South Africa by enslaved folks from the Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and East Africa, alongside Dutch influences. Cape Malay cuisine is renowned for its vibrant use of spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and chilli, often balanced with fruit and sweet components like apricot or tamarind. The name "Mavrou" itself is believed to stem from the African word "Mevrou," meaning "Madam" or "Ma'am," possibly implying it being a refined dish or one expertly prepared by the mistress of the house.
Dinkel Quarkbrot - German Spelt Quark Bread
Saturday, January 10, 2026| |
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Spelt is a type of wheat and therefore similar in terms of nutrients, but it contains slightly more protein than its ‘big brother’. But spelt also packs a punch in terms of taste: it has a nuttier and stronger flavour than wheat.
Quark is also a good source of protein and is enriched with certain acid bacteria that are good for digestion and intestinal flora. Spelt quark bread is therefore not only for athletes, but also for people who fancy a moist bread with a delicious taste.
This Quarkbrot is leavened with baking powder and allows you to bake a light and airy loaf of bread with healthy nutrients in just 1 hour, which is perfect if you are in a hurry or have decided to bake bread on the spur of the moment.
Cumin Roasted Pumpkin and Parsley Root with Hummus Dressing
Friday, January 09, 2026| |
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This delicious, hearty warm salad is full of flavour from the spiced olive oil, sweetness from root vegetables and a good amount of crunch from chickpeas. It makes a perfect side dish or enjoy it on it's own as a lunch. The creamy, tangy hummus dressing comes together with just a few ingredients and so easy to make.
Dill and Buttermilk Chicken Drumsticks
Wednesday, January 07, 2026| |
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The buttermilk gives the chicken a wonderful and tangy flavour that compliments the lemon, dill, and garlic. And the chicken stays so moist and tender in contrast with the crispy skin. They're quick and easy to make – start in the oven and finish on the barbecue or griddle for the ultimate smoky flavour. It's as good cold as it is hot, in case you have any left over. If you want to make a sauce with the marinade, then melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan, stir in a tablespoon of plain flour and cook gently for a minute or two to make a roux. Slowly add half a cup of milk or cream and stir until it has thickened, then stir in the remaining buttermilk marinade. Bring it to a boil and season to taste.
Savoury Red Lentil Bread with Labneh and Parsley
Tuesday, January 06, 2026| |
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Swap regular wheat bread for this healthy, satisfying, high-fiber, protein-rich lentil bread! It’s naturally gluten free, budget friendly and packed with nutrients thanks to the wholesome ingredients like red lentils, labneh, Parmesan, eggs, olive oil and parsley. The lentil bread usually stays fresh for about 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can slice and freeze them though. Soak the red lentils for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.


