The Hangry Chef

So we went on a little vacay to Byron Bay a few weeks ago. We ate loads of yummy food while we were away but it seemed the 'dish of the trip' was tempura haloumi. We had a delicious version of this cheesy deep fried goodness at Kinoko in Byron Bay (a Japanese restaurant that I highly recommend!) And again at Chihuahua- a tacqueria just down the arcade from Kinoko- a Mexican spin that had us salivating. So I resolved to make the dish when we got home and this is the golden, deep fried gloriousness that I came up with... You will need... 250gr block of haloumi cheese, rinsed and sliced into 1cm thick pieces 1 cup plain flour, sieved 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda 1 cup soda water, chilled 3-4 ice cubes 1 egg, white only Salt Peanut/canola oil for frying Method: 1. Pour the soda water into a large bowl, add the ice cubes. 2. Add the egg white and whisk lightly to combine (you will get a fluffy white foam on the top)- only mix briefly. 3. Sift the flour and bicarbon...

You will need... 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied and flattened to an even thickness salt & pepper olive oil For the Quinoa.. 1 cup uncooked white quinoa 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/2 brown onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely diced 1 large lemon, zest and juice. 1/2 tsp each of dried basil, thyme and oregano handful fresh baby spinach For the Roast Pumpkin.. 1/2 large butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and diced into 1.5cm cubes 2 garlic cloves, left with skin on and flattened 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or thyme For the Dressing... 1 lemon, juiced 2 sprigs fresh basil, finely diced (or use the stuff in the tube-pre chopped-about 1 Tbs worth) 1/4 cup olive oil salt & pepper Method... Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Roast the pumpkin in a shallow baking tray with paprika, herbs, whole garlic cloves, salt and pepper and a generous drizzle of oliv...

It's no secret that one of my favourite cuisines is Thai. I love the wonderful flavours and spices used in authentic Thai dishes, but unfortunately it's not something I cook a lot of at home due to the fact that sometimes the sheer amount of ingredients and time that goes into making a yummy meal is a bit daunting. That, and I live in close proximity to about 5 good Thai restaurants. But truth be told, there's nothing more satisfying then cooking your own at home, the wonderful fragrance that wafts throughout the kitchen as you sauté the spices is mouth-watering! This is actually the third satay recipe on my blog (I know, I have a satay addiction!). This recipe is done in traditional Thai style, with marinated chicken skewers and peanut dipping sauce. If you're looking for a quick stir fry recipe, I have one of those here . I also have another satay recipe that contains a fair few extra ingredients and coconut milk (and can go either way as skewers or a stir fry)...

One of my lovely friends brought me a container of this liquid gold when I was convalescing from a recent surgery. It has since become my new favourite soup, and when I was feeling back to myself post-surgery I made myself a slow-cooker full of it, portioned it up into takeaway containers and froze it for quick, easy work lunches. If you don't have a slow-cooker it's just as easy to cook on the stove. You will need... 1 medium-sized kent pumpkin (or butternut if you wish) 4 Tbsp of red curry paste- I always use Ayam as I like the flavour, but you can use whichever brand you prefer 2 tins full-fat coconut cream 1 salt-reduced chicken stock cube (optional, but I think it gives it a bit of an extra flavour. Make sure you use salt-reduced otherwise your soup will be extra salty) washed coriander to serve Method... 1. Peel, deseed and dice the pumpkin. Add to the pre-heated slow cooker or a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the curry paste and stir to coat. Pour over the coc...

I took inspiration for this recipe from Donna Hay's slow cooked beef ragu pasta . I normally make my pasta sauces in large quantities (recipe here ), and freeze the portions. I thought I would try something different and do a traditional ragu with braised beef instead. I wanted to use brisket as I know from previous experience it has the perfect ratio of fat to meat for pulling and thought it would work well in a ragu (I was right!!) most online recipes called for chuck steak, which is great for dicing into stews but thats not exactly what I wanted. So thanks to Donna Hay, I've taken a few steps from her recipe and then put my own spin on it. Enjoy! You will need... (makes 6 generous serves) 1kg beef brisket, outer fat layer trimmed, sliced into four pieces plain flour for dusting 3 Tbs olive oil salt and pepper 1/4 cup diced pancetta or bacon 1 large brown onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup red wine 2 cups salt-reduced beef stock 2 400gr tins diced Ita...

I'm still practising with my slow cooker and butter chicken is next on my agenda! It was a bit easier to bring together then the Massaman beef that I cooked the week before but maybe thats just because I'm starting to get the hang of the slow cooker thing! You will need... 1.5kg chicken thighs, diced 1 lemon, juiced ¼ cup yoghurt 1 tblsp ginger, grated 4 tblsp vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 4 small onions, peeled  and diced 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed 400g tin crushed tomatoes 75g unsalted butter, chopped 1 cup thickened cream 2 sprigs chopped coriander leaves 1 tsp salt Spice mix: 4 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 cardamom pods 4 cloves 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 cinnamon quill Method... 1. Prepare the spice mix by g rinding all the spices (except the cinnamon quill) in a mortar and pestle until a powder. Remove cardamon husks. 2. Transfer to a bowl with  the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, yoghurt and 2...

I recently invested in a slow cooker, as we are well into Autumn and the weather is starting to cool down I am getting into slow-cooked meals. I'm not a huge fan of soups and stews, but I love curries and slow-cooked meats so I decided to bite the bullet and make it a bit easier on myself. I figure I can prepare the ingredients the night before, put them in the slow cooker the following morning and come home from work to a perfectly braised meal, my life will be so much easier! My first experience with the slow cooker is this Beef Massaman curry. I actually cheated and bought a pre-made spice mix from Curry Traders . I think there's no shame in buying pre-mixed spices for curries, as generally you will need about 10 different spices and unless you intend to cook these types of curries regularly there is no point cluttering up your pantry with all the individual spice-jars. Having said that, if you like to make your own I will include the recipe for the spices needed also. ...