Tuna Biryani Tuna biryani is my pescatarian take on the more traditional Indian classic, lamb biryani. Tuna has great flavour, but a tendency to dry out quickly, so it’s best cooked in large chunks. At the table, encourage diners to flake the tuna through their rice so they aren’t eating whole chunks of it, and […]
Mini Bánh Mí Banh mi are a take-away mainstay. They’re a healthy quick lunch to grab on the run and fun to serve as finger food or a starter if you turn them into little open sandwiches on slices of baguette. Inspired by leftover bits and pieces from a few weeks recipe testing, I whipped […]
Sharbat Sekanjabin Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! 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 […]
Some of the oldest American cocktails come out of the South, which makes them some of the oldest cocktails in the world given this style of beverage was at least popularised in the USA. Here are my favourite classic Southern cocktails, using some of my favourite Australian spirits (and a Kentucky bourbon). Each recipe serves […]
Orange, Almond & Date Salad Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange (see video below), 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 […]
Red Rice & Herb Cake Every rice-centred cuisine has a version of fried rice to use up leftover cooked rice. I created this red rice & herb cake 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 […]
Vietnamese Chicken Rice Soup 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 sometimes called chicken rice porridge and is generally a breakfast dish, often served with omelette. It can be quite bland, if that’s what you want, and it’s traditionally […]
Bánh Mí 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 banh mi are one of our take-away mainstays. While they’re a healthy […]
Kisir (Turkish Tabouli) I’m a fan of traditional recipes but every now and then I prefer to do things my way. And I’ve always made tabouli with far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. Then I realised I wasn’t making tabouli, I was making the kisir I enjoyed so much in Turkey. […]
Kolokithokeftedes 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, Janni Kyritsis’ stuffed red capsicum (see video below), olives and tzatziki to create your own mezedes, or serve them […]
