After trying the wonderful flavoured hummus of Hummus in Korea, I thought it was about time I started doing a bit more experimenting myself. I have made a spinach one before and a red pepper I never posted but I wanted to get more creative. I had a large bunch of cilantro in the fridge that was coming to the end of its life. I threw it into the blender and it totally tantalized my taste buds. Cilantro is not as hard to find as you would think. The Korean name is 고수 (go-su). It usually comes in large packets, cling filmed on to a white tray. The cilantro has long roots on it, which is always what used to throw me off.

Ingredients

Hummus

400g of Chickpeas (soaked weight)

A large bunch of cilantro

2-4 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of cumin

1-2 lemons

1-2 tablespoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper pepper

Tahini

100ml of olive oil

3-5 cloves garlic

100g of sesame seeds

Directions

The first thing you need to do is soak your chickpeas. This can take between 6 hours to overnight. The longer the better in my opinion. After they have been soaked, you need to cook them. This can take a while. I usually cook mine in the rice cooker because you don’t have to top up the water as often and they won’t burn. If not you can cook them in a pan of water, they will take between 2-3 hours. Or you can skip this step and buy a can. When your chick peas are done, drain them but make sure you keep hold of that water, you will need it for the hummus.

The next step is to blend the chips peas, you may need to do this in a couple of batches depending on the size of your blender. If they are too hard to blend, use a little of the hummus water to get things going. Some like their hummus chunky and rugged others like it smooth and silky, so blend until you get the consistency you’re happy with. If you want want an ultra silky hummus then peel off all of the skins of the chick peas before blending. It’s a pain in the ass so I never do it. Also my hummus is generally made in industrial style batches so it would probably take me a month to do it, plus I’m very lazy.

You can buy tahini in the foreign food mart in Itaewon and on iHerb and various other stores. It’s also very easy to make. Just place the garlic, sesame seeds, and olive oil in a blender and blend for a few minutes until the seeds have been pulverized.

Once the chick peas are blended place in a large bowl and stir in the tahini and lemon juice. Then the salt, pepper and cumin. Hummus is a very personal food, so start by adding a little of each at a time until you get a taste you’re happy with. A lot of factors can affect the taste of hummus so you rarely use the exact same amount of each ingredient every time. I always get the best results when the chick peas are warm.

To make the hummus cilantro flavoured, blend your cilantro with a little olive oil until you have a vibrant green oil then stir into the hummus. Use as much or as little as you need. Serve with your favourite dipping apparatus and enjoy. Voilà cilantro flavoured hummus.

Taco salad is crazy delicous! Perhaps not so healthy, but definitely delicous. I made this for our 4th of July barbecue. It’s not the kind of salad I would eat everyday lest I become confined to my house, but  it’s certainly nice for a treat. It went down a storm at the BBQ, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. This is the full fat, calorie ridden version, but you could make it much healthier by using less chips and cutting out the cheese and sour cream

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

5 drops of Tabasco (or as much as you need)

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon of Mexican seasoning

1/2 a red pepper

1/2 a yellow pepper

1/2 an onion

1/2 an avocado

1/2 a can of kidney beans(use black beans if you can)

15 cherry tomatoes

100g of grated cheese

1 large handful of leetuce

1/2 a bag of tortilla chips

A bunch of Cilantro (고수)

Dressing

200ml of sour cream (about 1 cup)

1-2 tablespoons of lazy lime or lemon juice

2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro

A pinch of salt

A pinch of pepper

A pinch of cumin

Directions

This salad is pretty easy to put together, it’s just about chopping everything. To make the chicken, marinate in the Tabasco, Mexican seasoning and Worcestershire sauce for about 30 minutes. Then cook in the oven or fry in a pan until the chicken is completely cooked then leave to cool, before cutting into slices.

Wash and shred your lettuce. Finely chop the onion and cilantro. Cut the red and yellow peppers into pieces. Slice the avocado. Rinse your beans if using canned, and crush the tortilla chips.

To make the dressing, finely chop the cilantro and combine with the sour cream, lime juice and spices.

Once everything is prepared put all the ingredients in a large bowl, toss together and top with the dressing. If you are anything like me you will end up making a double batch of this, just because it’s so good. In fact I’m having it again for dinner tonight. Feliz Viernes!

After making a big batch a dips last week I found myself chip-less. How was I to enjoy my delicious dips? Walking to the store in the blistering heat seemed like such a big effort so I thought why not try and make some myself. I had plenty of tortillas in the freezer so I set about making some  tortilla chips to go with my lovely scrummy spinach hummus. I also took these to the Vegan Potluck and they went down a storm.

Ingredients

Spinach Hummus

300g dried chickpeas or  2 cans of chickpeas.

3-5 tablespoons of Tahini (buy it at the foreign food mart in Itaewon or make your own, it’s really easy just blend sesame seeds with olive oil)

200g of fresh spinach

200 – 300ml Olive oil

3 – 5 cloves of garlic

The juice  and zest of 1 or 2 Lemons

2 -4 tablespoons of cumin (foreign food mart or Gmarket)

1-2 tablespoons of paprika (foreign food mart or Gmarket)

Lime and Coriander Chips

4 tortillas

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lime juice

1 tablespoon of Mexican seasoning

1 bunch of coriander (cilantro)

1/2 a teaspoon of salt

Directions

Soak your chickpeas over night or for several hours in cold water, do not add any salt. Cook your chickpeas in boiling water for 2-3 hours or until they mash easily with the back of a spoon. I use my rice cooker to cook them as you don’t have to worry about topping up the water, just give them a lot at the beginning and they will be fine.  Once your chick peas are done, strain them but reserve some of the water for later. If you are using the canned chickpeas you can skip the cooking stage.

If you are making your own tahini, blend the olive oil and sesame seeds until they form a paste. Then add the garlic and blend again. Finally add the spinach. Keep blending until you have a lovely vibrant green paste. I prefer to use fresh spinach as frozen or cooked is too stringy and will cause problems for your blender unless you have a very good one.

Blend the chick peas in your blender with a little of the extra water,  until they start to resemble the consistency of hummus. Everyone has a different preference about how they like their hummus, some like the runny oily kind whilst others prefer it thick. It’s really up to you, whatever floats your boat, so add more or less water depending on how you like it. Once your chickpeas are blended, add the tahini and lemon juice. Then you can start to add your salt and spices, a little at first stirring them in until you get the taste you want. You also might want to add more tahini and lemon juice too. Hummus is one of those recipes that is hard to pin down. I generally make it the same each time but the results always seem to vary. As long as you get all the basics in there though it should turn out well.

To make the chips cut your tortillas into triangles. The tortillas I use, are the large ones from Costco so I usually get about 10-12 chips from each one. Place the olive oil, lime juice and coriander in your blender and blend until you have a green paste. Then stir in the salt and Mexican seasoning. Using a brush or the back of a spoon coat one site of the triangle then lay on a baking tray. Try not to overlap the chips. Bake in the oven for about 2-4 minutes. Times will vary depending on the size so make sure you keep checking on them. They are done when they are golden in colour and the paste is dry. Store in an airtight container and they will keep for at least a week if you can resist eating them. Voilà home-made chips and a dip. Perfect for any party.

Since it’s Monday I thought I would offer up one of my more healthy recipes. For me summer equals salad and this is the one I took for lunch today. I’m always trying to think of interesting ways to make my lunches different and this is one of my favourites. The tastiness of a Thai curry but in the form of a salad. Switch it up and swap the chicken for some shrimp or tofu and change the veg to whatever you have in your fridge. Stop eating the crap they give you at work or those 5,000 sandwiches from Paris Baguette and get up 10 minutes earlier and make yourself some sizzling salads for lunch. This recipe will make at least 4 portions and if you keep it in an air tight container and only add the dressing on the day you want to serve it, it should last 3-4 days. Bikini season is well and truly here, so I’ll try my best to bring you a couple more skinny recipes to get you through the summer season.

Ingredients

1 or 2 chicken breasts

1-2 tablespoons of green curry paste

200g of rice noodles

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1/3 of a cucumber

50g of red cabbage

2 handfuls of lettuce leaves

A handful of coriander (cilantro)

Dressing

10 tablespoons of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of lime juice

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame sauce

Directions

Marinate the chicken in the Thai green curry paste for about an hour, then fry it in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes on each side until it’s cooked through. Whilst the chicken is cooking, cook the noodles according to the directions then rinse in cold water and allow to cool. Cut the cucumber, peppers, and red cabbage into thin strips. To make the dressing, combine the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, sweet chili and sesame seed oil in a bowl and mix togther. When the chicken is done, cut into thin strips too, and toss together with noodles, coriander and vegetables . Then drizzle with as much dressing as you like. Serve on top of a bed of salad leaves and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Voilà Thai green chicken salad.

I have had a bag of lamb mince in my freezer for a few weeks now. After endless questions from my boyfriend asking when we would be eating it, I decided it was high time I put it to good use. I did have designs on making some kind of meat balls or koftes with it, but as I was preparing things I accidentally threw it all in the pan, forgetting that I  needed to form the koftes while the meat was still raw. Ever the resourceful girl, I decided to pull out some tortilla wrappers from the freezer and make quesadillas. They actually went down a treat, served with some guacamole they were perfect.

Ingredients

250g of lamb mince

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper

1/3 of a very large courgette

15 cherry tomatoes

200ml of tomato juice

100ml of orange juice

1-2 tablespoons of Mexican seasoning

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 large handful of cilantro (고수)

6  large tortillas (Costco)

200g of grated cheese (I use the Mexican medley from Costco)

Directions

To make the lamb filling finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in a glug of olive oil for a few minutes until it has softened. Add the lamb mince and cook until it has browned. While the lamb is cooking chop the tomatoes and red pepper and add them to the pan. Next grate in the courgette and cook for a few more minutes before adding the cumin and Mexican seasoning.  Then, add the bottle of tomato juice and orange juice along with half of the chopped coriander. Cook on medium to high for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened. Finally, add the second half of the coriander and stir. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

To make the quesadillas put a tortilla into a clean dry flying pan, sprinkle on some cheese, top with the lamb and sprinkle on more cheese and top with another tortilla. Cook on low to medium until the cheese has started to melt and the bottom tortilla is lightly golden brown. Flip the whole thing over to brown the other side for a few more minutes. When it is done, slide on to a plate and cut into triangles. Serve with a delicious homemade guacamole. Voilà lamb quesadillas!

Last week I bought myself a chicken fully intending to make us a roast dinner. However when I woke up the sun was shining and it was a gloriously warm day. The idea of sweating away in hot kitchen making roast potatoes and stuffing suddenly lost its appeal. I decided that something a little bit different was in need. A quick rifle through the fridge and cupboards and I came up with this Spanish inspired meal. I bunged the chicken in the oven, the rice and veg in the rice cooker and went outside to enjoy the sunshine. When I returned the dinner was cooked and the house smelled delicious. Some may be put off by the appearance of the very dark brown chicken but the flavour is amazing. So I will certainly be making this again.

Ingredients 

chicken

1 whole chicken

2 tablespoons of mexican spice

A handful of coriander (cilantro)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice

Rice

450g of rice

800ml of chicken stock

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1/3 of a courgette

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika

1 tablespoon of mexican seasoning

A pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

To make the chicken marinade, put the coriander, (cilantro) lemon juice, Mexican seasoning, and olive oil into a blender and pulse until it resembles a dark green smooth paste. Rub your paste all over the chicken, you can even push some under the skin and all over the breasts as I did. Put the chicken on a tray, cover with foil and cook in the oven for about an hour on 185 degrees. After an hour take the chicken and out and stab the thickest past of the thigh with a knife. If the juices are running clear, it’s done, if there is still blood cover back over and cook for another 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so. Once the chicken juices run clear, remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes to crisp up the skin.

To make the rice, chop the onion, garlic, peppers, and courgettes into medium sized pieces. Measure out your rice, I used 450g which is equal to one the containers I have, then I put in twice as much chicken stock, so 2 containers worth. Add in the spices and the vegetables and mix. Then set the rice cooker to cook. The rice should be done when the rice cooker finishes its cycle. Serve on a large platter and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and top with the chicken. Voilà Spanish style chicken, the perfect summer alternative to a Sunday roast.

When it rains it pours, and these past few weeks it’s been raining falafels. First Zayd started selling them over at Med food in Korea. Then I had some over at El Grecos. Then finally I made some myself and they are so good that I just can’t stop. I have been making them by the truckload lately and having them in all manner of salads and wraps. I also took a batch a down to the vegan potluck and the whole plate had disappeared within minutes. They are actually surprisingly easy to make if you have a sturdy blender.

Ingredients

2 cans or 800g of soaked chick peas (this is the weight once they have been soaked in water)

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 lemon (zest and juice)

A large handful of parsley

A large handful of coriander (cilantro or 고수 found in many korean supermarkets)

1 -2 tablespoons of cumin

2 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

2-3 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Oil for frying (I use soybean because it’s cheap)

Directions

If using dried chickpeas, soak them in lots of  cold water overnight. Drain the chickpeas and blend until they resemble cous cous or bread crumbs in consistency. Next you need to blend the parsley, garlic, and onion. I did this in the blender too until it made a green onion smoothie. Mix together with the chickpeas, then add the salt, pepper, and spices. Add the juice and zest of the lemon and mix.  Stir in the flour and baking soda then cover with cling-film and leave in the fridge for about an hour. When the mixture has had time to rest remove from the fridge and form into ping-pong sized balls. Heat your oil to a medium heat then fry the falafel, they should take about 3 minutes on each side. If the oil is too hot they will not be cooked on the inside. Once they are done let them drain on a piece of kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Enjoy fresh from the pan with lots of hummus and flatbread. They can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Voilà fabulous falafels.

After the success of my last large batch of chicken burritos I was keen to try to make some more. A recent trip to Costco had led me to  acquire another huge piece of belly pork and I only had a use for half of it. I decided why not make more burritos to keep in the freezer for an easy grab and go snack for work or dinner. My freezer is once again stacked with burritos ready to go whenever I fancy one.

Ingredients

1 kg of Pulled Pork (I used about 2kg of uncooked belly pork to make these)

12 Tortillas

A small handful of coriander (cilantro)

1-2 cups of brown rice

250 ml of sour cream

Directions

To make the pulled pork follow the directions here on my previous post. I also threw in some extra peppers and courgettes 30 minutes before it was due to finish cooking. This just made it slightly healthier and added a little bulk too.  Cook up a batch of brown rice and allow to cool. Then chop your cilantro.  Take your tortilla and cover with a spoonful of sour cream. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the pulled pork, 2 tablespoons of brown rice and sprinkle with the coriander.

Roll the burrito and then tuck in the ends. I used a little sour cream on the end of the flap just to make it stick down. Repeat until all your mixture has been used. Roll the burritos in cling-film and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. To cook them just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes or remove the cling film and cook them in the oven. Voilà easy pulled pork burritos to grab and go.

Last week I finally acquired my own pasta machine from a friend who is leaving soon. (Thank you Jessica!) I have been making my own pasta for tortellini for quite a while now, but making it by hand is somewhat tiresome. You should all still give it a try though, they turn out great. The dough is very quick and easy to make. It’s just the rolling that is time-consuming. Now with my trusty new machine I can roll it out in seconds. It is an electric roller and has 6 different setting for thickness and two for cutting spaghetti and linguine. I have always just used dry pasta before but after tasting how good this is freshly made I can 100% recommend that making it yourself is worth the effort. Even with just a little olive oil and salt it tastes divine.  I decided to make the lamb, coriander, and orange sauce because I thought the combination would work well after having it at Between. However where their dish was bland, mine was full of flavour. If I wasn’t so lazy I would have marched up there and given them my dish and showed them how it should have been made. It really was that good. It’s possibly my new favourite pasta sauce.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of all-purpose flour (I use the one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

A pinch of salt

Sauce

300g of minced lamb

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

2-3 tomatoes

1 bottle of tomato juice (340ml)

2 baby oranges juice and zest (1 big orange  could also be used)

A bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)

A glug of olive oil

1 teaspoon of rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

The first step is to make the pasta dough. Mix the salt with the flour then make a heap on a clean flat surface. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in your beaten eggs. I haven’t taken any pictures of these steps, as I’m sure you have seen it countless times before. Stir the egg gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the circle a bit at a time so the well keeps its shape until the last moment. When all the flour has been mixed in you should have a lump of dough. Knead this dough for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and has some stretch to it. Wrap it in cling-film and store it in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the sauce.

To make the sauce finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in a glug of olive oil for a few minutes until it has softened. Add the lamb mince and cook until it has browned. Then chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan and cook for a few more minutes. Add the bottle of tomato juice, rosemary, orange juice, and zest to the pan, along with half of the chopped coriander. Cook on medium to high for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Finally add the second half of the coriander and stir.

After the dough has been chilled properly you can begin to roll it out. It’s a good idea to separate your lump of dough into 2 or 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Put the unused lumps back in the fridge so they don’t dry out. If you have a pasta maker rolling the dough should be quick and easy. If not roll those sleeves up and get out your rolling-pin. The pasta really does need to be wafer thin, so when you think its thin enough, keep rolling. I read on-line that it should be thin enough so that you can see a playing card underneath the dough. The thinner your pasta the better it will taste. Even if the pasta is a little thick it’s not the end of the world but the skinny ones were definitely far tastier than the fatties.  If you are sans pasta maker then use a sharp knife and a ruler to cut your linguine. Although if I was cutting by hand I would make them thicker into more of a pappardelle. Once they have been cut flour them up to stop them sticking then leave them to hang and dry. I used the clothes rack but the old Italian mammas would use a broom propped up between two chairs.

After your pasta has dried out cook in a pan of boiling water with a good pinch of salt and a glug of olive oil. A very wise Italian woman once said that you should cook your pasta in water that’s as salty as the Mediterranean sea. The pasta will only take 1-2 minutes so be careful not to overcook it. I like it al dente, soft with just a little bit of bite to it. Strain and serve with your sauce and good shaving of fresh parmesan. Voilà amazing homemade pasta. 

I don’t know what made me think about making these but once I got it into my head I couldn’t stop thinking about the sweet corny goodness. They are so quick and easy to make. You can eat them on their own or as a side dish. I even brought in a batch for my Korean co-workers and they loved them. They are also perfect for a Superbowl snack.

Ingredients

1 can of sweetcorn

1 egg

150g of ottogi frying mix

A small bunch of coriander

1 teaspoon of baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

150-200ml of water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Throw in the tin of sweetcorn and add the frying mix powder. Beat the egg and the water together in a jug then add to the sweet corn mix and stir. It should be a similar thickness to pancake batter. Finely chop the coriander then add in the paprika, salt, and pepper. Splash a glug of oil in a frying pan then blob several spoonfuls of the mixture around the pan, being careful to make sure they don’t touch. Cook for a few minutes on one side then flip them over to cook on the other side until they are golden brown. Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce  and sour cream. Voilà a tasty snack in minutes.