A simple noodle dish garnished with egg, cucumbers, and carrots with a sesame sauce, Liang Mian is a popular dish sold from casual eateries, street food stalls and convenience stores across Taiwan. This recipe is from Made in Taiwan by Clariss Wei, published by Simon and Schuster. Read our detailed book review of Made In Taiwan. ... Read more »
Leena’s Sri Lankan Cucumber Curry
In the UK cucumbers are predominantly eaten raw or pickled. A backbone of British salads, or dainty finger sandwiches, or combined with yoghurt in dishes such as raita, tzatziki and cacik. But they are also fabulous to cook with, as evidenced by this very quick and easy Sri Lankan cucumber curry from Karan Gokani’s Hoppers ... Read more »
Turkish Ezme
For many years, ezme has been one of my favourite side dishes when visiting the many Turkish restaurants of North London. A simple cold dish of chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and red peppers with lots of parsley and mint, ezme is the perfect foil to kebabs such as adana kofte, chicken and lamb cis, and ... Read more »
Greta’s Gran’s Lithuanian Potatoes
This delicious summer vegetable salad hails from Lithuania, and is one of those dishes where a handful of simple ingredients – potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, and radishes along with kefir and dill – combine into something more than the sum of their parts. The recipe is shared in recently published Baltic cookbook Amber & ... Read more »
Shiso Pickled Cucumber
Shiso is one of my favourite herbs, one that I first encountered in Japanese cuisine (which is where its name comes from). In this straightforward recipe from Mark Diacono’s Herb: A Cook’s Companion cucumber is quick-pickled with shiso, vinegar, sugar and a few additional flavourings to create a light condiment or side to a wide ... Read more »
Lemon, Mint & Cucumber Gin Cooler
I’m rather partial to a cocktail! Especially since I don’t like table wine or beer, which seem to be the default alcoholic choices to drink with food when eating out in a restaurant. I usually end up choosing a soft drink – a fizzy drink, fruit juice, maybe a milkshake or a lassi, or just ... Read more »
Pickled Gherkins, How I Love Thee!
I have always loved pickled gherkins. Many’s the time I’ve come to the chagrined realisation, as I munch one straight from the jar, then another and then one more, that I have eaten an entire jar in one sitting! Over the last several years, Pete and I have gradually converted our back garden into what ... Read more »