Yesterday I was making a killer sandwich. I purchased some turkey from Suji’s Deli and wanted to make something really delicious. I had my bread, turkey, and bacon but we had no mayo. I don’t like a dry sandwich so I figured I’d better whip some up. It was quick, easy, and really tasty. From now on I will be making all my own mayo.

Ingredients

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder (optional)

1 cup olive oil (roughly)

1 lemon (zest and juice to taste)

1 teaspoon of chives

Directions

In a bowl whisk the egg yolk, salt, lemon juice, and mustard powder (if using) together until combined. Add the olive oil a little at a time and whisk. Don’t add the next bit until the last part has fully combined. Some people do this in a steady stream but I just added a little at a time and it worked perfectly.  If you add too much oil it will curdle, but don’t despair, all a fresh egg to the bowl and add the curdled mixture to it a little at a time until you are back on track. After a while you should see it turn and become thicker like mayo. Keep adding  as much oil as you like until you are happy with the taste.Then add the zest and lemon juice to give it that lemony flavour. I also stirred in some chives. Once it’s ready smear it all over your favourite sandwich or just dip your finger in it like I did. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge covered. Voilà home-made lemon mayo.

Ah hummus, there is nothing like a big tub with pita bread or chips while watching a movie. Sadly too many people in Korea, are living a life without hummus. I can’t bear to think about the suffering that some of you have to bear, constantly longing for this delicious yet healthy dip. For those living in and around Itaewon, finding hummus is no problem at all. You can even buy my hummus if you are lucky enough to live in Hae Bang Chon. But what about everyone else? You can make your own of course, check out my recipes here or here. But for some, all that soaking and blending is just too much hard work. You shouldn’t  be deprived  of all that chickpea goodness just because your lazy. Don’t worry salvation is here in the form of Hummus In Korea.

Hummus in Korea, delivers hummus directly to your door. Luckily for us delivery companies are setting up all the time, bringing us more and more of the foods  that we miss from home. So now you can have your hummus delivered, and eat it too. So it was about time I got to try some of this fabulous hummus. Coming in 6 delicious flavours (garlic, red pepper, olive, egg plant, jalapeno and spicy),  there is something for everyone. Prices vary between 5,550 – 7,000. You can buy packs of 4 (24,000) to save money or just choose your favourites.

I’m not going to lie, I tried five. After all, fat girls don’t get fat by just choosing one flavour. They were all good, but here are my favourite 3.

My top spot is a close call but I would have to give it to the roasted red pepper. A glorious orange colour and delicious taste of roasted red peppers throughout. Couldn’t get enough of this one. It was just as tasty as I hoped it would be.

Second place was surprisingly jalapeno heaven. It was the one I was least looking forward to, and thought I could just palm it off on my boyfriend. However after one fingerful, I knew he wouldn’t be getting any. It had the essence and flavour of jalapeno without being too hot or spicy. It was perfectly mild and delicious. In fact I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this one since and will have to try having a go at making my own. Be sure to add this one to your order.

My third favourite was probably the crazy for garlic. The regular hummus we all know and love with extra garlic. It was well balanced and the garlic was not at all over bearing, like some can be.

To make things even better for you, hummus in Korea sell pita bread too. Sold in packs of 1 for 1,500 or 3 for 4,000 don’t forget to add a few to your order.

Fat girl I hear you cry, how can we get our hands on this wondrous hummus? Well here’s how. Click here to get to the website, fill out the form and click place order. Do a simple bank transfer to pay and sit back and relax while you wait for your delicious delivery. Delivery costs 4,500 and they deliver  Tuesday- Friday and it generally takes between 24-48 hours. Pretty cool right. Visit the website for more details and to place orders.

I have always loved focaccia bread, but never dreamed I would be capable of making bread as good as this. Until recently I always had a lot of problems making bread. I think my problem was just not using the right yeast and not kneading the bread enough. This recipe has been taken from the silver fox himself, Mr. Paul Hollywood. Master baker and judge of my current favourite TV show The Great British Bake Off! If you would like to see the man himself making it, with his glamorous assistant Mary Berry then you can watch this video on YouTube.

Ingredients

500g flour (I use the baksul one with bread on the front)

2 x 8g packets of yeast

2 teaspoons of salt

400ml of warm water

2 tablespoons of olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

Topping

10-15 cherry tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of thyme

Directions

Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a bowl. Add the water in stages and mix thoroughly with the flour. The dough may seem as though it’s very wet but that’s how it should be. Once all the water is in, you can add the olive oil. Knead the dough for about five minutes until it has become stretchy and elastic. You can either do this on an oiled board or in your hands. Do not add any more flour to the mix. I prefer to knead it in my hands, pulling and stretching it until is is about right. Put the dough in an oiled container, drizzle with olive oil, cover with cling-film, and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

After the dough has risen it should look like this

Knock the dough back down and move the dough to a second oiled container and leave to rise once again for about 30 minutes. Make the dimples in the bread by using your finger or knuckle.

Place your topping in the dimples if you’re using one. Drizzle with more olive oil, dust with salt, and bake in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the dough has baked through. You may wish to turn the dough around halfway through to produce a more even colour.

To make the topping, cut you garlic into slices and halve the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and herbs then drizzle with the oil and balsamic vinegar. Then roast in the oven for 10 minutes. If you have some fresh herbs I would recommend using them, sadly mine all died thanks to the cold winter air.

When the bread is done. Sprinkle with more salt and oil and enjoy. Voilà easy and amazing home-made focaccia bread!