Sharbat Sekanjabin Sharbat is Persian cordial, a syrup flavoured with fruits and/or flowers, usually with a sour touch, that’s then diluted with water and served over ice. The word is related to sherbet, sorbet, shrub (in the drinks sense) and syrup, via the Arabic šariba meaning ‘to drink’. Sharbat sekanjabin, made from honey, white wine […]
Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange, you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to toast them) or add some pitted olives, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for a delicious savoury version. This orange salad is […]
Every rice-centred cuisine has a version of fried rice to use up leftover cooked rice. I created this dish inspired by the Vietnamese tomato rice, cơm đỏ, which Mark Jensen introduced me to. It’s a great way to not only use up excess steamed rice but also any sprigs of Asian herbs you have on […]
Every culture seems to have a chicken soup that’s the universal panacea, and in Vietnam it’s cháo gà. Similar to Chinese congee, it’s generally a breakfast dish – often served with omelette. It can be quite bland, if that’s what you want, and it’s traditionally served to anyone who’s feeling poorly, especially with a cold […]
I love the way food travels around the world, weaving aspects of one culture into another. The French brought their crisp, fluffy baguettes to Vietnam in the mid-1800s and just over a century later, the Vietnamese brought them to Australia. Now bánh mi are one of our take-away mainstays. While they’re a healthy quick lunch […]
You know I’m a fan of traditional recipes … but every now and then I prefer to do something my way. So this is my version of the popular Lebanese parsley salad tabbouleh (also written tabbouli, tabouli and tabouleh), using far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. This recipe makes a big […]
These fritters (keftedes in Greek) are typically served as part of a mezedes, the array of snacks eaten at the start of a meal or at any time when drinking ouzo. Add some dolmades, spanakopita, olives and tzatziki to create your own mezedes, or serve them as an entrée with Greek yoghurt on the side. […]
Poussins, French for chicks, are young chickens, sometimes called spatchcocks. They’re a good size to serve whole or halved, but you can also make this dish with a regular-size chicken and just increase the cooking time. Use a good organic bird, like the ones from Eugowra Game Birds, and a good naturally thick yoghurt, such […]
Ice Cream Christmas Pudding We all love a bit of tradition at Christmas time, but reinterpreting recipes created for a snowy winter wonderland to suit a sunny Aussie Christmas Day is the challenge. Here’s my easy solution, for the pudding course at least. Buy the best quality ice cream you can – or make your […]
Of course we all love to cook – but occasionally, there just isn’t time. That’s when I whip up a big bowl of this delicious chopped salad which keeps well for days in the fridge. Found all over the Middle East, it makes an interesting alternative to a leafy green salad (which doesn’t keep well […]
