Deep fried thinly sliced pork belly with a simple black vinegar dipping sauce. The pork belly was first pressure cooked in a seasoned broth, chilled, sliced and then fried until crisp. It can be enjoyed on its own as a snack (seriously the best chips that I have ever had), or as the main with some seasonal salad or use them as the soup topping. I had to tweak the recipe that I found on Raymund's blog a bit (to add chilli, fish sauce, and black salt) based on my taste and what I have in pantry.

1-1.5 kg Pork belly, (1 big piece, do not slice) 2 tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning 1 tbsp Fish sauce 2 Garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp Black peppercorns 4 Bay leaves 3 Dried chillies 1/2 tsp Kala Nama black salt (or sea salt) 400 ml Water 1 kg Lard for frying

1. Place the pork belly, skin side up, in your Instant Pot together with the Maggi liquid seasoning, crushed garlic cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves, dried chillies and kala nama black salt.
2. Pour in water and lock on the lid, making sure the steam release valve is in “Sealing” position. Cook for 25 minutes. Once all the pressure has been released, remove the pork belly and pat it dry with a paper towel. Once it's cooled to room temperature, refrigerate it for over night.
3. Remove the pork belly from the frigerator and cut into 3-4mm thin slices.
4. Heat the lard in a large saucepan until the temperature reaches 180C/350F. Lower the pork belly slices into the hot lard and fry for 15 minutes. Remove and drain on the kitchen paper. Cool for 30-60 minutes.
5. Bring the lard back to boil and refry the pork belly slices on high for 5 minutes until nicely golden brown and crisp. Serve with your favourite sauce. I like to dip them with a mixture of black vinegar, light soya sauce, minced garlic and chopped coriander leaves.

Oliebollen ((literally, "oil balls"), aka Dutch Doughnuts, are traditionally made and enjoyed as a New Years treat in Holland. But you can always make them at home whenever a craving hits! They can be made plain, but are typically filled with raisins or/and apples, then fried until golden brown and served warm dusted generously with powdered sugar. Crisp on the outside with a pillowy center that’s not too sweet. Absolutely irresistible! They taste the best when hot, but still wicked good at room-temperature. You can easily use Air Fryer or oven to reheat them. This recipe makes roughly 12-14Oliebollen, depending on how you scoop your Oliebollen.

250 g Raisins 16 g Fresh yeast (or 9 g active dry yeast) 250 ml Lukewarm milk 270 g White spelt flour (or ap flour) 1 Large egg, at room-temperature 1/3 tsp Black salt (or regular sea salt) 1 kg Lard for frying Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Soak the raisins for at least one hour in water, preferably overnight. Drain and pad dry with paper towels before use.
2. Place yeast and lukewarm milk in a bowl and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 10 minutes or until mixture bubbles.
3. Place flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture and eggs into the well and stir into a smooth batter. Add in drained raisins and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
4. Melt the lard in a deep-fryer or a large saucepan over medium heat to 190C/375F. Take a small piece of bread and put it in the lard. If it starts to fry immediately, then it's ready for frying. Working in batches, use 2 metal spoons (or an ice cream scoop) to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil. Deep-fry, turning halfway, for 5-7 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
5. Dust doughnuts generously with icing sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy them hot if possible. You can use Air Fryer or oven to reheat them.

Very likely that you have seen the cute roasted Hasselback potatoes before, but you can also use this technique on a many other vegetables, for example, eggplants, tomatoes, and butternut squash! Slow-roasting in paprika sauce, and the use of harissa oil, smoked paprika and honey help intensify the flavour, esp. the sweetness of butternut squash. The final result is sure to impress the guests and looks really delicious and elegant as a vegetarian centrepiece, particularly with the simple yet yummy Feta and carrot top topping. Don't you just love the colour contrast? However, if you are going to serve this to vegans, just leave out Feta and use pomegranate seeds, nuts and mint instead.

	Easy Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce
1 / 800 g Butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthways and seeds scooped out 650-800 g Roastged bell pepper sauce (or your favourite pasta sauce or simply use canned tomatoes) 2 tbsp Harissa 2-3 Garlic cloves, smashed 1 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Harissa oil Rosemary and sage 1 tbsp Runny honey 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika 100 g Feta, crumbled Carrot tops (or dill or parsley), chopped	1 jar / 640 g Roasted red peppers 1 Shallot, chopped 2 Garlic cloves 1 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning Salt and black pepper to taste

1. In a large blender or food processor, combine all ingredients for the sauce, including the liquid from the roasted peppers, and process for 20 seconds or longer if you prefer a smooth sauce. I am just fond of a slightly chunky sauce. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Put a squash half flat-side down on a chopping board between two wooden spoon handles or chopsticks. Cut down in 1/2cm intervals (the spoon handles will stop the knife going all the way through). Repeat with the other half.
3. Put the roasted bell pepper sauce, harissa, garlic and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large baking dish, season well and stir. Put the squash halves into the dish, flat-side down on top of the sauce. Slot the rosemary and sage into the gaps, drizzle with the harissa oil and season well. Cover the dish with a large sheet of foil then cook for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil, drizzle over the honey and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Roast for a further 30-40 minutes or until the squash is completely tender. Sprinkle over the feta and carrot top to serve.

Light and buttery with a pillowy soft interior Brioche is a rich French bread with a high amount of butter and egg content. This combination gives it a richer flavour and a rather tender, moist, almost cake-like crumb. Brioche can be made into a loaf or into individual buns (fantastic as a burger bun). The Brioche loaf is wonderful as is, but slice it up and slather it with butter or chocolate spread is even better :-)

Spinach Brioche Loaf

inspired by this

50 g Spinach leaves, blended with 80 ml Whole milk 350-370 g Strong white bread flour 1/3 tsp Salt 2 tbsp Caster white sugar 5 g Active dry yeast 3 Medium eggs, at room temperature plus 1 egg white for the topping 140 g Unsalted butter, softened and cubed

1. Blend spinach leaves and whole milk togther until you have a smooth mixture. Set aside.
2. Place the flour in the bowl of a table mixer fitted with a dough hook. Place the salt and sugar on one side of the bowl and the yeast on the other side. Add in spinach milk and eggs and mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes, or until all the flour has been incorporated, then mix on a medium speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the cubed butter, piece by piece, and mix for a further 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure the butter is thoroughly mixed in. The dough should look shiny, and feel soft but not too sticky.
3. Transfer the dough to a well-greased large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Once risen, place in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
4. Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Remove the cooled dough from the fridge and knead lightly for 2-3 minutes to knock back the air.
5. Shape the dough into a loaf and place into the prepared pan. You can also divide the dough into 7 even pieces. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the remaining dough covered, shape each piece into a smooth ball by repeatedly tucking the dough under itself. Place the balls in the loaf pan at a slight angle to each other so the pattern is slightly uneven. Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm area for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size again.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Beat the egg white and brush the top of the brioche with the egg wash. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until risen and deep golden all over. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before slicing. Store the cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nothing says true love like a homemade dessert :-))This pastry heart makes the best dessert for someone special. It's basically just some twisted puff pastry straws rearranged in a heart-shaped baking pan. Perfect for pre-dinner nibbles or as the dessert and for when you are short on time because it's so quick and easy to make. It's beautiful and amazing enough for a special occasion like Valentine's or a birthday party while simple enough for an easy weekend treat.

	To Garnish
1 package / 250 g Poppy paste ( I used Dr. Oetker) 80 g Chopped hazelnuts 1 Large egg, lightly beaten together (reserved 1 tbsp for the topping) 1 sheet / 275 g Fresh puff pastry	1/2 tsp Sesame seeds Pink peppercorns Rose petals Rosemary

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the poppy paste, all egg except 1 tablespoon for the topping and chopped hazelnuts. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 24-cm heart-shaped baking pan or line with a baking paper.
3. Unfold the pastry sheet and spread the poppy mixture evenly on the pastry. From the short end fold over and cut the folded pastry into 1cm strips.
4. Twist the strips and arrange them, from inside to outside, into the prepared form. Brush with the reserved egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Bake in the middle of the hot oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Garnish with pink peppercorns, rose petals and rosemary.