Recipes

so… it’s the first lockdown in the UK during the Covid pandemic, and my wife challenges me to make a Sweet and Sour for a meal one week…. I wanted to try new dishes, but favourites of ours, but also reasonably simple ones we could …

As those that have read my review of the Dishoom Cookbook (https://inspiredbyirene.com/2021/08/24/dishoom-the-cookbook/) I have chosen not to reproduce recipes directly from their book, as they had the whole of the  book circulated rather publicly around the internet as a “freebie” by some unscrupulous soul during the …

Being of that festive time of year I thought I would share my Grandma’s “quick” fruit cake. By quick, I mean not one of those Christmas style fruit cakes that you have to feed religiously for 4 weeks to ensure it is moist and lovely …

  I first had a similar dish to this in a Manchester Cantonese restaurant several years ago and knew them only as “Lettuce Wraps” which as the book explains is the literal translation!  I loved it, just because of the freshness and so different from …

This really is one of the quintessential Malaysian dishes, and as such one I always wanted to make “properly”. It is such a long way from those dry, colourless prepacked satay sticks you get from supermarkets (thankfully) and a really great starter or as I …

Risotto is one of those dishes that everyone try to make at some point, and one of those dishes that many “experienced” cooks and chefs criticise people for not making it al dente enough, or too much for that matter…., for it being too saucy etc etc….basically you …

My stepdaughter is a huge fan of the chain’s Tampopo and Wagamama and a particular favourite is Chicken Katsu. As such I set myself the challenge of recreating a recipe that she, and the rest of the family, could eat at home. Since I did …

  I have always liked Spare Ribs, especially sticky coated ones with a thick sweet and sour sauce. However, my wife doesn’t like ribs as she doesn’t like eating from bones, therefore I tweaked this dish to use belly pork instead and as such it …

 So why this recipe from what I say is one of my favourite books?   Well… basically because it is one of those recipes that is so very simple, and when you see it in the book think “mmm… that’s nothing special” but when you …

I mean, come on…… who doesn’t like a good Lemon Meringue Pie?   This recipe is one that my maternal grandmother made me when I was young, and I have loved all my life. It’s a simple recipe, but packed full of flavour. The recipe …

My Flatbread So… why do want to make your own flatbreads, when they are so cheap and easy to but in a supermarket these days?? Well… because they taste so amazing that is why… and also are so very , very easy to make. Just …

I have been lucky enough to travel to some great places in the world, and when I do I always like to try the local food.  Whilst on this blog you can see some fine top end food I have had the fortune to have …

 This dish has really turned into a “go-to” dish for me when the kids need feeding at a weekend, or part of several dishes in a banquet when entertaining.  It is very simple to prepare despite what looks a long list of ingredients and everyone …

This is not your usual Mexican dish, with heavy Spanish Chorizo influence and flavourings together with the Adobe Chillies making it a spicy affair! It It is a simple to prepare dish, and I often make in advance and heat up till warm, not hot, …

This is an extremely tasty and simple to prepare dish that is great served as part of a Mexican sharing feast, or “Mexican Tapas” style of food and is from the book, Mexico – The Cookbook reviewed elsewhere on this blog.   The crabmeat mixture …

One of the many Indian classic dishes that appears on p39 in the  “Ultimate Curry Bible” by Madhur Jaffrey (see the review in the Library section of this blog) Having tried several of the lamb dishes in this book, this is a personal favourite of mine …

 This is very versatile dish from Singapore and appears in the fantastic “Ultimate Curry Bible” by Madhur Jaffrey. I have made this particular dish too many times to count and it is a staple whenever we have a curry night.   I originally was drawn to …

Method      Pre-heat oven to 180oC and grease/oil a dish to bake and serve the final dish in. First get the prep done – by finely chopping the onion and roughly chopping the tomatoes. Chop up the coriander stems finely and pick or  roughly …

This is a recipe that appears so simple, and some would say “boring” when first looking at. However, believe me… it is anything but and proves a great hit when I serve it, and it is one of those recipes I am also asked “you …