Thai-style chicken with holy basil

I think that I’ve written about this sort of dish before, but it is such a favourite that I thought that I’d do a new post

Garlic chive stir-fry with pork

I cannot take any credit for this delicious recipe, it comes from the brilliant Woks Of Life website.

Grilled sea bass

Sea bass is becoming more and more affordable, mainly because it has become a farmed fish, which is good news for those of us who think it is a fish worth eating.

Sweet and sour pork chops

This recipe isn’t mine. I found it on an excellent website, The Woks of Life. I hope that they don’t mind me sharing it here. It is their original recipe and I really can recommend it. So, here goes;

For marinating the pork chops:

1 1/2 lb. thinly sliced pork chops, cut in half (I used boneless pork loin steaks)
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pinch of five spice powder (optional)

For the sweet and sour sauce:

2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (can substitute balsamic vinegar)
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup water

To finish the pork chops:

Oil, for frying, plus 1 tablespoon
3 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cornflour, divided
toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallion

Marinate the pork chops in a mixture of shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and five spice powder (if using). Set aside for at least an hour or overnight. Make the sauce by combining ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, hoisin, maple syrup, sesame oil, and 1/2 cup water. Set aside.

When you’re ready to cook, fill a medium deep pot about halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. In a separate bowl, combine 3 tablespoons ice water, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 tablespoon cornflour. Pour over the marinated pork chops and mix until coated.

Carefully drop a few pork chops at a time into the heated oil and fry in batches for about 3 minutes each batch. Drain on paper towels.

Add a tablespoon of oil to your wok (you can take some from the frying oil), placed over medium heat. Swirl the oil around so it coats the wok.

(Here is where I changed it a bit. I sautéed a chopped onion and a chopped green pepper in the wok before making the sauce. I did this because sweet and sour pork always seems to have onion and green pepper in it in the UK.)

Pour in your sauce mixture and bring it to a simmer.

Mix your last tablespoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of water to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce and stir until thickened. Add the cooked pork chops and toss them in the sauce. Plate up, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

I served mine with some plain jasmine rice and some steamed pak choi. It was absolutely delicious.

Fuchsia Dunlop’s stir-fried beef with peppers and cumin

This recipe comes from Fuchsia Dunlop’s book Every Grain Of Rice, but I have doubled the amount of peppers used, because I like the sweet crunch of stir-fried peppers.

Fried tofu and vegetable stir-fry with noodles

This isn’t a recipe from anywhere in particular, it is my own invention, but is definitely

Pork and caraway meatballs

Meatballs are easy to make and are something that I like to eat, and which are pretty versatile when it comes to ingredients and flavourings. These have a sort of Hungarian feel about them, because of the caraway and paprika,

Spanish rice with chorizo and peppers, topped with a duck egg

A pretty simple supper dish here. I used calasparra rice, which is used in Spain for Paella and which is becoming more widely available in the UK these days, but you could use ordinary long grain rice.

Beef goulash

Probably not the most authentic goulash you’ll eat but it was pretty tasty and warming on a cold Saturday night!

I used shin of beef for this.

Red and green pepper stew with Polish sausages and potatoes

This is a kind of Eastern European-flavoured dish, probably more Hungarian than anything else and is a quick and simple thing to cook on a weekday evening.