We’re brought up in the Western world with very definitive views on what comprises “comfort” and “easy” in food terms. A slice of bread slathered in butter, a biscuit with a cuppa, a slice of cake, a takeaway pizza loaded with anchovies and pineapple (yeah, sorry not sorry), a hot, crisp sugared doughnut from the ... Read more »
This delicious Date Cake with Caramel Sauce is the invention of cookbook author Anas Atassi’s mother, and is one of the recipes in his book, Sumac. Soft, sticky dried dates provide both body and sweetness in the cake and reduce the volume of refined sugar needed. The result is a cake that is light and ... Read more »
Today’s recipe is Syrian Fish with Sumac Tahini Sauce (Tajen samak), another delicious treat from Sumac by Anas Atassi. It’s the first time I’ve tasted tahini with white fish but now I’ve tried it, I love it. That sumac pairs so well is less of a surprise, its citrusy notes amplify the lemon used in the ... Read more »
This Syrian Lamb Koftas in Tahini Sauce is the first recipe we made from Sumac by Anas Atassi and it was a real winner. Straightforward to make, it’s a deliciously different way to use minced lamb and the results are wonderful. The meat mixture – herby with parsley and fragrant with all spice, ground coriander, ... Read more »
“With this book, I hope to build a bridge between Syrian culture and the rest of the world with food as common denominator. But even more, I hope that Sumac will present a positive image of my country, in spite of all of the unfortunate events now taking place in Syria.” So says author Anas ... Read more »
This beautifully spiced white fish curry can be made with any firm-fleshed fish such as tuna, mackerel or trevally (also known as giant kingfish). The spices give fragrance and flavour, but this isn’t a hot curry. The recipe is from Peter Kuruvita’s Serendip: My Sri Lankan Kitchen cookbook. Read our full review of Serendip: My ... Read more »
This Sri Lankan Snake Bean Curry is a lovely and simple vegetable dish combining fresh beans, spices and coconut milk. The first time I found snake beans (also known as yard-long beans and cowpeas) in a local Chinese supermarket I used them in a classic Thai pad krapow. They taste a lot like green beans ... Read more »
I would never have thought to use pineapple as the core ingredient in a curry, even though I’ve enjoyed curries made from pumpkin and sweet potato. But this Sri Lankan pineapple curry, combining fresh ripe pineapple with coconut milk and spices, works beautifully and is an absolute revelation. The recipe comes from Peter Kuruvita’s cookbook ... Read more »
I have long had an interest in Sri Lankan cuisine. As a child, some family friends who had emigrated to the UK from Ceylon (as it was then) cooked Sri Lankan food for us when we visited them, as my mum cooked the food of her region of North India, when friends visited us. I’ve ... Read more »
The different regions and countries that make up the United Kingdom all have their own specialities, but some foods are eaten across the UK. There may be slight differences in the recipes depending on exactly where you eat them, but these dishes are popular throughout the country. I hope you enjoy these suggestions for the ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]