These spring rolls from South East Asia are not fried and just melt in the mouth. A lot of chopping of vegetables but well worth the effort. A hands on meal as guests may be required to make up their own spring roll.
The ingredients in this curry (lemon grass, shrimp paste, etc) are similar to those used in Malaysia and Indonesia. Cooking with coconut milk results in a rich, creamy curry but replace with water if you are concerned about calories. This recipe uses 2 large chicken breasts but double the ingredients if you are going to … Continued
Here we use an ingredient not normally found in Western desserts – water chestnuts. Unusual and delicious it is suitable for people on a gluten or lactose free diet. Treat coconut milk as you would fresh cream.
This family favourite has three distinct flavours; sweet, spicy and sour. The sour note is achieved by adding tamarind, a popular ingredient used in the dishes of South East Asia and India. Traditionally this dish is cooked with belly pork and water convolvulus (also known as water spinach). If this vegetable is unavailable, replaced it … Continued
This is a typical Thai dessert. Choose bananas that are not too ripe as they need to hold their shape after cooking. This simple dessert is traditionally eaten warm, and sometimes as a snack. Remember to treat coconut milk as you would fresh milk or cream and refrigerate any that is left over. The addition … Continued
Agar agar is a quick gelling agent, made from seaweed and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. When cold the jelly is firm to the touch and can be handled. In this South East Asian recipe I have combined agar with coconut milk and palm sugar but do use gular melaka if available.
This purple, almost black rice is used in the Far East in desserts. Cooked with traditional pandan leaves and served with coconut milk, this pudding has a flavour all of its own. In this recipe we use pandan essence, which must be used sparingly, but do use the presh leaves if available. Soaking the rice … Continued
As Agar agar on its own does not have any calories, this is a healthy, low calorie desert. Made from seaweed it is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Here we have added the jelly to a fresh fruit salad for an interesting combination of textures.
This selection of jelly has been made up with low sugar fruit juices. Suitable for children, especially if jelly is made from fresh fruit juices and grated vegetables or fruit. Some juices such as pineapple, fig, mango, peach and papaya will not set as they contain enzymes which break down the gelling ability of agar.
Udon noodles are thick, slippery noodles made from wheat, oil and flour, often used in soup. In this recipe I recommend using instant dashi (soup stock made from seaweed and bonito flakes) for simplicity. The soft udon noodles and crunchy tempura prawns in this dish make for a delicious contrast of flavours and textures.