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My latest articles, recipes, cocktails, restaurant and travel recommendations
Stuffed Roasted Capsicums
This under $20 dish is mince stuffed capsicums served with jasmine rice, fresh cucumber slices and dressed with my Vietnamese dipping sauce. An easy but delicious weeknight dish.
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Toastie
How to perfect a cheese toastie as well as what I’ve put in mine for a spicy kick using up what I normally have lying around in my fridge and pantry.
Vietnamese Grilled Squid Salad-Gỏi Mực Nướng
A great starter for a summer lunch, it comes together quite quickly and is served with puffed black sesame rice crackers and enjoyed together.
Vietnamese Grilled Beef in Betel Leaf Skewers - Bò Nướng Lá Lốt
Thinly sliced and marinated beef is delicately wrapped in a betel leaf resembling the shape of a cigar, placed onto skewers and then grilled over flames until the leaves get charry, the skewers are glistening, juicy and fragrant.
Christmas Tree Pavlova
A six tiered, show stopping festive dessert inspired by my own Christmas tree this year in reds and pinks.
Capellini con Granchio
A fresh, simple and delicate summery pasta with spanner crab, baby asparagus, parsley, chilli, lemon and angel hair pasta.
Prawn Linguine
The key to packing flavour into this simple 15 minute pasta is in using the prawn heads and rendering them in some good quality olive oil which creates a fragrant prawn oil and becomes the base of the sauce.
Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccolini
5 ingredients and a 15 minute pasta that’s flavourful and perfect for a weeknight meal.
Temaki Sushi Spread
Temaki is a really simple and interactive way to enjoy sushi because once everything is on the table, everyone can just roll their own temaki with a layer of rice on a nori sheet, add their own fillings and then roll into a quick cone shape and enjoy!
Banana Pancakes
This morning’s craving for a sweet, warm brekkie had me taking two overripe bananas from my fruit bowl and making pancakes. I kept it fairly simple with just some pepesaya butter and maple syrup to drench the pancakes in something rich and sweet.
Bánh Flan
Bánh Flan is a Vietnamese version of a Creme Caramel. In this version, I’ve used a mixture of cream and milk for the flan, whilst some versions sometimes use condensed milk to make it extra sweet and rich. The caramel in Bánh Flan is typically a little darker too, which gives a slightly more bitter taste to contrast the rich flan.
Tinga de Pollo Tacos (Chicken Tinga Tacos)
Chicken Tinga originates from Puebla Mexico and is a spicy pulled chicken cooked with chipotle peppers in adobo and tomatoes, reduced down like a ragu and then usually enjoyed atop tostadas.
Mini Cookies
Mini cookies in 10 minutes if you have some cookie dough on hand. I had a half eaten packet of @bennettstdairy that used up for it and it made approx 30 mini cookies.
Tzatziki Dip
Tzatziki is such an easy dairy dip to make at home in 5 minutes. I made this batch and had it as a snack alongside some warmed pita and then used the rest in sandwiches for lunch for the rest of the week.
Casunziei all'ampezzana (Beetroot ravioli with poppy seeds)
A pasta that originates from northern Italy in the Veneto region. The shape is distinctive as it looks like little bon bons and once boiled, the bright filling brightens through the middle section of the pasta and looks like candy.
MOST LOVED RECIPES
Herb Focaccia
My most popular recipe, this Herb Focaccia recipe is my ultimate go-to! It's simple, delicious and you can customise it whichever way you like.
Pasta Alla Vodka
An American Italian style pasta made famous by New York institutions like Carbone. The tomato paste makes it savoury and flavourful, the vodka acts as a solvent and brings out the flavours the cream makes it rich and rounded and the chilli oil takes it to another level. It is truly one of those perfect sauces where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Bún Thịt Nướng
One of my favourite Vietnamese recipes, that I grew up eating. ‘Bún’ means vermicelli noodles and ’thịt nướng’ translates to grilled meat, so it simply means ‘Grilled Meat Noodles’. It's one of those perfect meals to make during the week, especially as it gets warmer!
Pizza Dough
After making pizzas from scratch at home for the last year I've been trying so many different recipes and tweaking each ingredients ratio every time and I think I've finally perfected it! This is as close as I can get to a Neapolitan style pizza, which is my favourite.
Pork & Prawn Dumplings
A super quick and easy Chinese dumpling recipe for you try. It’s a classic pork dumpling, but you can add aromatics and condiments of your choice. So go on, have some fun in the kitchen and make some dumplings your own way!
Lamb Ragu Pappardelle
If you ever travel to Tuscany they do a lot of ragu served with pappardelle, which is a wider fettuccine-style pasta. The lamb ragu recipe is a four hour slow cook so it’s great to start cooking in the morning and serve as a warming Sunday night meal with family or friends.