Chef at Large

If its one thing Zainab doesn’t like saving time on, it’s her sauces. This sauce was simmered for 3 hours before it was pronounced fit for human consumption.
This sauce used Vine tomatoes as the base, which impart a nicer flavor than the usual variety. Also include was plenty of garlic, some carrots, celery and a [...]

During interactions with many North Indian friends, I find many are interested in trying out fish dishes at home, but they simply aren’t sure how to cook it. Most are quite comfortable with chicken and meat dishes, but with fish they’re like… pardon the pun, a fish out of water.
This dish is easy to cook, [...]

We picked up some fresh prawns from INA market and for some reason, I wanted to cook them in a coconut gravy - so much that I could actually taste and smell them the way I wanted it.We usually pick up fresh, unpeeled prawns from the market, then Cherie and I sit down to the [...]

This is a simple, tasty soup that serves as a full meal.
First shell your walnuts, pound some roughly and keep a few pieces for the garnish. Chop some onions finely and slice an onion finely. Slice a tomato. In a little butter, saute your chopped onions and some peeled, smashed cloves of garlic. When the [...]

I’m not well today - probably the flu. But that doesn’t stop me from cooking. No siree, it doesn’t. So, after making the rice for the ‘How to cook’ series (next post), I was wondering how to use it, besides the obvious curry route.
So… chopped some spring onions and carrots and put them in [...]

A dismal Saturday morning in Buckinghamshire - drizzle, spray from passing cars and a keen breeze making me desire a hearty dinner.
A glance into the butcher’s window had me (mentally) dancing for joy as there was a perfect leg of lamb hanging from the rail. It weighed 1.60kgs and was too long [...]

This is a deliciously different stew, that can be made with any kind of meat you like, in any form. I’m not sure which cuisine to categorise this under, since as it is a little American and a bit Asian. It does have a very interesting flavor nonetheless and goes very well with a hunk [...]

This is a tasty meal that can be cooked in a jiffy [took me about 11 minutes from beginning to end - active time was about 6 minutes] and the kids love it.
You’ll need some spaghetti, a can of tuna, a block of grana padano cheese, onions, garlic, tomato puree, mixed herbs, salt, pepper and [...]

This is a quick recipe for thai green curry. Light, spicy, delicious and easy to make, this curry is ideal for cold winter evenings. This recipe uses Mae Ploy green curry paste. While there are many others on the market, I believe this one has the most authentic flavor. If you like these curries, don’t [...]

This is a spicy, juicy and tangy dish that can be used to stuff your samosas, filo pastry / puff pastry parcels, sandwiches or simply eaten with hot rotis/naans.
My brother dropped in last night and sleepily expressed a desire this morning, to eat a stuffed omelette. Now, stuffed omelettes are quite passè for me, considering [...]