Recipes (my own and from reviewed recipe books), reviews of cookery books and cookery classes, food and kitchen equipment product reviews – if it’s about cooking or eating at home, it’s here!
Do you sometimes find it’s one of the most innocuous dishes served at a restaurant that lingers in your memory? That’s how it’s always been for me and the fabulous grilled onions in a pomegranate molasses dressing that many Turkish restaurants serve. This recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories and Recipes
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If you’re anything like me you get a little bored of regular sausages and burgers on the barbeque. Don’t get me wrong, I love both items but I always yearn for something a bit more interesting and with punchier flavours. This simple grilled chicken thighs recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories
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It’s rare I go to a Turkish restaurant without ordering either a lamb beyti or adana kofte, two different minced lamb kebabs that are full of flavour. With this recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories and Recipes you’ll be able to recreate a classic lamb beyti kebab that is just like
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Some cookbooks are all about the recipes. Others have a strong focus on a country or region’s culture, history and traditions as they relate to cuisine. And this one (Mangal II: Stories and Recipes by Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik) is all about a story—the story of a restaurant, the story of a family, the story
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We are on a bit of an onigiri kick at the moment–you may have seen the Tori Meshi (Japanese Chicken & Rice Balls) recipe we shared a few weeks ago–so we were immediately drawn to these Hot Bacon Okaka Onigiri (Hot Bacon Rice Balls) from Tim Anderson’s Hokkaido cookbook. in which he shares cuisine and
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Venison (deer meat) has long been a key source of meat for the Ainu people of Hokkaido, but in recent years its popularity is increasing and it is now used in both Japanese and yōshoku (Western origin) dishes too. Popular on izakaya menus these days are recipes such as this rare venison steak served with
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Although potatoes are not a traditional Japanese crop, they are one of numerous fruits and vegetables introduced to Hokkaido during the late 19th century. These mochi (dumplings) use mashed potato and potato starch in place of the more commonly used glutinous rice used for classic mochi across Japan. They also feature a filling of cheese,
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I adore Hokkaido, the latest cookbook from Tim Anderson, and yet I suspect it’s a book we may not cook from quite as much as his previous titles. That statement got me to thinking about what I value in a cookbook and I realised there are three different categories that I appreciate. The first are
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Burgers are pretty popular in Japan–one of many yoshoku (foods that originated outside Japan) that have been soundly embraced by Japanese consumers. Alongside global chains like Burger King and McD’s are some fabulous Japanese brands such as Mos Burger, Lotteria and Freshness Burger. These chains have developed the original American-style burger to suit local palates
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Onigiri are to the Japanese what sandwiches are to Brits–of course, sandwiches are also available and popular in Japan, but far more ubquitous when it comes to convenience food are these often triangle-shaped balls of rice with fillings in the centre, or mixed through the rice. They are straightforward to make, easy to transport and
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