Main

Bean thread vermicelli is called win sen in Thailand and fun si in China. While it resembles rice vermicelli in appearance, it is tougher and can be quite hard. Soak the vermicelli only long enough to soften otherwise it will become stodgy or start to fragment. This is also a good vermicelli to deep-fry to […]

Treacle can be used in place of molasses. Note

Ratatouille can be made a day ahead; store, covered, in the refrigerator. It is great on its own, or served with pasta. In a Provencale dialect, touiller means to stir and crush, thus the name ratatouille perfectly describes this rich vegetable stew. Note

If you’ve ever brunched on yum cha, you’ve probably eaten gai lan and loved it; stir-fried or steamed then splashed with a little sesame oil and oyster sauce. This deliciously crunchy vegetable is the perfect accompaniment to our crisp-skinned chicken. Note

Spaghettini is a very thin spaghetti. It is available from Italian grocery stores and most large supermarkets. Note

Substitutes You can use other flavoured sausages such as pork and apple. This dish is a great way to use up your leftover vegetables. Try using carrot, swede, fennel, pumpkin and kohlrabi instead of the kumara. Note

We used chicken breast mince in this recipe. Note

Tender lamb forequarter stuffed full of exquisite Mediterranean flavours.

Use a fish such as snapper or perch. Note

A spicy sausage that originated in Tunisia, merguez has become traditional fare throughout North Africa and Spain.

Spelt is an ancient form of wheat that has a higher level of protein and wider range of nutrients than ordinary wheat. It still contains gluten, making it unsuitable for coeliacs. You can use any form of long pasta instead of the spelt fettuccine. Note

Choose an oyster-flavoured sauce without any seafood content such as mushroom oyster sauce. Check the label if you are unsure. Note

We don’t recommend that you freeze cooked vegetables as they tend to have a spongy texture and “leftover” look about them once they’ve been thawed. Mushrooms, eggplant and members of the squash family are especially freezer unfriendly. Note

These crispy and crunchy chicken strips are unbeatable with pistachio and chilli crumbs.

Persian lamb and rhubarb stew

To finely shred (or chiffonade) the basil leaves, lay the leaves flat on top of each other, then roll up tightly and cut into thin slices. This results in long, fine strips. Note

Stand the beef at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Salsa can be prepared a day ahead, keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

The chicken can be marinated a day ahead. Recipe best made close to serving. Note

During the final 10 minutes of cooking, stir the barbecue sauce occasionally to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pan. To make the chicken wings go further, cut each one in half through the joint into two pieces. Do ahead The barbecue sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate […]

You can use any small, whole, white-fleshed fish for this recipe. Note

A bright, colourful and exquisite lamb, spinach and spiced peach salad.

Tender roast lamb with a fragrant herb rub and burghul salad.

We used blue-eye trevalla cutlets in this recipe, but you can use any white fish cutlets. Vietnamese mint is not a mint, but a pungent and peppery narrow-leafed member of the buckwheat family. Also known as laksa leaf and cambodian mint. It is available from Asian greengrocers. Note

Lamb noisette is a round, rather thick, cut of meat taken from the loin. We used a basil pesto dip from the refrigerated section of supermarkets, but you can use any pesto you like. Some major supermarkets and greengrocers are now selling bunches of baby carrots of different colours. We used a bunch each of […]

Lighten up a take-away favourite with this delicious coconut batter fish and chips. We've used unrefined coconut oil to provide good fats, and kumara for the chips for lower GI, complex carbs.

A winning dish worthy of any dinner party guests. Delicate veal is poached in a fragrant white wine sauce and served with a wonderfully creamy tuna and anchovy dressing and a fresh salad.