A year ago, a catastrophic bushfire, followed by a global pandemic was too ridiculous to contemplate to be reality. Too crazy for a B grade flick, let alone a full blown year. Little did I know that reality has a sick sense of humour and an inventive vocabulary.

Being in iso is now a thing. As is lockdowns, masking up and doom scrolling. Shoes and heels are an interesting concept and Zooming is happening – all the time. 

More than anything I didn’t expect to feel so tired after 7 months of lockdown. Our second lockdown was much harder than the first time around. The first lockdown was fueled by adrenaline, Netflix and a camaraderie that we’re all doing it together. The second time around felt like being the only kid in school forgotten to be picked up by a negligent parent. Days stretch on like warm, chewed and rechewed bubble gum. 

Each morning was punctuated by the daily presser with Dan Andrews – dubbed the shittiest tv show ever by David Milner (aka Melbourne’s lockdown voice). Somewhere along the way I was functioning, but my mind was crumbling a little and my crafting kept me sane. It was exhausting to be bombarded with the media screaming how terrible the lockdown was. It was even worse when friends or family asked how we’re going under Dictator Dan. 

A newly minted Melbournite, I had very little interest in how politics works in Victoria. But over 120 days straight of the daily presser gave me a cram course on the working of the Victorian government.  I’m also a damn expert on identifying ministers and masked journalists based on their voice alone. 

I get angry at the media landscape, and the irresponsible way that facts are bent beyond recognition. It scared me to realise just how fragile our world and mortality is. For the first couple of months I woke up in a sweat dreaming that people I love can disappear in a matter of days. 

Purgatory was exhausting, but we kept crawling forward to a new lockdown milestone praying for numbers to fall.

 And fall they did. 

I never thought we’d have a double donut day (no deaths or new cases) so quickly. A part of me had given up the idea of a light at the end of the tunnel. Cafes are opening up and the city is slowly coming to life again. 

At the same time, the idea of getting on the beer and getting out and about is not driving me out to the shops waving my credit card. The new world seems a little too strange and new right now. Give me a couple of days and maybe I can finally have my first coffee in a mug and not feel that familiar sense of dread brushing my neck.

A year ago, a catastrophic bushfire, followed by a global pandemic was too ridicilous to contemplate. Too crazy for a B grade flick, let alone a full blown year. Little did I know that reality has a sick sense of humour and an inventive vocabulary.

Being in iso is now a thing. As is lockdowns, masking up and doom scrolling. Shoes and heels are an interesting concept and Zooming is happening – all the time. 

More than anything I didn’t expect to feel so tired after 7 months of lockdown. Our second lockdown was much harder than the first time around. The first lockdown was fueled by adrenaline, Netflix and a camaraderie that we are all doing it together. The second time around felt like being the only kid in school forgotten to be picked up by a negligent parent. Days stretch on like warm, chewed and rechewed bubble gum. 

Each morning was punctuated by the daily presser with Dan Andrews – dubbed the shittiest tv show ever by David Milner (aka Melbourne’s lockdown voice). Somewhere along the way I was functioning, but my mind was crumbling a little and my crafting kept me sane. It was exhausting to be bombarded with the media screaming how terrible the lockdown was. It was even worse when friends or family asked how we’re going under Dictator Dan. 

A newly minted Melbournite, I had very little interest in how politics works in Victoria. But 120 days straight of the daily presser gave me a cram course on the working of the Victorian government.  I’m also damn expert on identifying ministers and masked journalists based on their voice alone. 

I get angry at the media landscape, and the irresponsible way that facts are bent beyond recognition. It scared me to realise just how fragile our world and mortality is. For the first couple of months I woke up in a sweat dreaming that people I love can disappear in a matter of days. 

Purgatory was exhausting, but we kept crawling forward to a new lockdown milestone praying for numbers to fall.

And fall they did. 

I never thought we’d have a double donut day (no deaths or new cases) so quickly. A part of me has given up the idea of a light at the end of the tunnel. Cafes are opening up and the city is slowly coming to life again. 

At the same time, the idea of getting on the beer and getting out and about is not driving me out to the shops waving my credit card. The new world seems a little too strange and new right now. Give me a couple of days and maybe I can finally have my first coffee in a mug and not feel that familiar sense of dread brushing my neck. 

So it looks like Sydney can be covered in a white blanket. Not snow mind you, but hail as seen from various news site. If you’re trying to make a Planet of the Apes spoof, better run to Bondi while you can. If the skate board park photos are anything to go by, it’s a perfect set up for the scene at the end of the movie.

In times of howling wind, I retreat to comfort food. In my case my addiction to rice in all its variety. Of late, I’ve been addicted to lemon rice. This savoury south Indian dish from Tamil Naidu goes well with any curry dish and can be eaten as a main dish. The yellow colour from the turmeric reminds me of the Indonesian Nasi Kuning, but they taste completely different. Maybe I’ll share that dish another time…

Ingredients – serves 4

• 500g basmati rice
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 – 12 curry leaves
• 2 tsps chana dal, rinsed and drained
• 4 -6 green chillies, de-seeded and chopped
• 100 ml lemon juice
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 bunch of coriander, chopped

Method

1.  Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes, drain
2. Cook the rice in a large pan of salted boiling water for 18 – 20 minutes, or until cooked
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chana dal and chillies. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes or until the dal becomes light brown. Add the lemon juice, tumeric and asafoetifa and stir for 15 seconds. Pour the mixture over the cooked rice, sprinkle the coriander on top of the rice

I have a confession of sort. If I can kidnap one person and somehow inhale their talent by means both fair and foul that person will be Yotam Ottolenghi. I only start cracking open his Plenty More book and it’s amazing to be pleasantly surprised by the originality of the recipe that made them an instant hit to be added to the mental go-to recipe.

Yes it’s raining at the moment and some type of hearty stew is likely to be in order. However if you are looking for a refreshing easy spring salad this one is a must try. The secret of this salad is making sure your vegetables are not boiled to death. I love the sauce, the sweet tahini dressing gives this dish a lovely nutty flavour.

Vegetable Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 300g purple sprouting broccoli (or broccolini)
• 120g french beans trimmed
• 180g snow peas, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 20g coriander leaves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds

Sauce Ingredients:

• 50g tablespoons paste
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon soy tamarind sauce
• 1/2  honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt for taste

Directions:

1. Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. You want the consistency to be smooth and thick but pourable, a bit like honey; add a tiny bit of extra water or tahini paste if needed to adjust thickness.

2. Trim off the broccoli leaves.  If the stems are thick, cut them lengthwise in half or in quarters so you are left with long, thinner stems, similar in proportion to the french beans

3. Bring a pot filled with plenty of unsalted water to a boil.  Blanche the french beans for about 4 minutes, until just cooked but still retaining a bite.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a bowl and run under cold running water.  Remove, and then dry well with a tea towel.

4. In the same boiling water, blanch the snow peas for 2 minutes.  Using the slotted spoon to remove them from the water, then refresh and dry as before.  Repeat the same process with the broccoli, blanching it for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Once all the vegetables are cooked and dry, mix them together in a bowl with the oil.  You can now serve the salad in two ways.

Option 1 Serving: Mix most of the coriander and seeds with the vegetables and pile up on a serving dish.  Pour the sauce on top and finish with the remaining coriander and seeds.

Option 2 Serving: Mix most of the coriander and seeds with the vegetables and pile up on a serving dish. Dot them with cilantro leaves and sprinkle with seeds, and serve with sauce in a bowl on the side.

If you are not a fan of eggy souffle this one is probably one you might want to give a miss. I also find that I need to double the time needed for the souffle to bake or end up with a crispy top but still unbaked botto.

Ingredients serves 8 

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 500g large leeks (white and pale-green parts only), quartered lengthwise, cut into 1/8-inch slices (4 cups), and rinsed well
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 50g  Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 150g Gruyere cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until pale gold, about 2 minutes. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and bright green, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; let cool. (Leeks can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)

2. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cut strips of parchment 4 inches wide and long enough to form a collar around inside of dish. Butter 1 side of parchment, and press unbuttered side against inside of dish. (Ends should overlap, and parchment should extend 2 inches above top of dish.) Place 1/2 cup Parmesan in dish, and coat sides well. Pour out and discard excess cheese.

3. Melt 1 stick butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until well combined and thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and gradually add milk, whisking constantly until batter is very smooth before adding more milk. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Return pan to medium heat, and whisk until souffle base is smooth, shiny, and thickened, about 12 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Transfer souffle base to a bowl, and beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, with a mixer on medium speed, increasing speed to high for 10 seconds after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. After last yolk is added, beat 20 seconds on high speed, then scrape down side of bowl. Add Gruyere, the remaining Parmesan, the leeks, and herbs, and beat until well combined.

5. Beat egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into souffle base, one third at a time, folding gently but thoroughly (a few streaks of whites are fine). Spoon souffle mixture into dish, and bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Check the souffle when it’s out, if the mixture is still watery return back to the oven. 

There are some sights that are so unexpected that it stays with you for life. Last year, I was in the midst of Seville’s Semana Santa and saw hundreds of years of traditions re-enacted in the 21st century.

Semana Santa or Holy Week is a week long celebration leading to lent. This year Semana Santa starts from 19th March to 6th of April. Although Semana Santa occurs all over Spain, Seville’s Semana Santa is arguably the most famous. There are over 55 brotherhood all over the cities with fraternities dating back to the 13th century. Throughout the week multiple processions takes place starting from various churches all around the cities carrying pasos a float depicting a scene from the Passion of Christ.

We were lucky enough to be in the right place and time when this particular paso left a church. Despite the solemn occasion, ye who have the sharpest elbows are likely to get the best vantage point. Being clueless tourists we didn’t know what to expect. While jostling for a view, we heard the sound of a man singing from a bacony and realised a Saeta was being sung as the procession carried the paso. The crowd went silent as all eyes looked up and solemnity hanged in the air like a silent bell reverberating from the balcony.

It was this mix of festivity and solemnity, old and new that struck me throughout the week. Regardless where you are in the city you see people wearing the pointy capirote. Looking incongruous and ordinary within the city. Seats are sold on either side of the street as men, women and children wearing black take their place drinking wine and eating as they watch the floats go by. To me it felt like mardigras, but religious and black is the colour to wear.

If you are planning on going here are a few tips:

• Read this website
• Download the Semana Santa app. The app is in Spanish, but even if you can’t read Spanish you’ll find the map function useful to track where and when the processions are heading
• Forget about taking taxi into the middle of town, most of the main roads are blocked

And finally, because it is still Lent and autumn is in the air, here’s a heart warming potato and leek recipe from Taste by Dominic Smith. I love the touch of sour cream that gives the soup a kick.

Ingredients – makes 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 50g butter
• 1 leek, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 500g desiree potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• Sour cream and toasted crusty bread (optional), to serve

Instructions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add leek and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until leek is softened. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 5 minutes.

2. Add 1L water to pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low–medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

3. Using a stick blender, blend leek and potato mixture in saucepan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Ladle soup among bowls and sprinkle over spring onions. Top with a swirl of sour cream and serve with toasted crusty bread. If you are making 4 servings to serve immediately, swirl the sour cream straight into the pan

Happy Austraya Day! Depending on where you live in this continent, you are either basking in the sun or hiding indoor enjoying the cool sojourn from the relentless heat this week. Today also marks the end of the annual Sydney Festival. Sadly I didn’t venture to eat Gelato Messina’s mind bending creations, but I did manage to see Zhang Huan’s Sydney Buddha during a quiet rainy Sunday.

For a peek into how the Sydney Budha was created, watch this video here.

If you’re wondering where the recipe for this week is and why I am delaying posting about it, the truth is that it’s not the prettiest looking creation. So here it is…

This recipe originated from The Sustainable Table cookbook. Sadly, this book is out of stock and no longer available. I adjusted the recipe a bit as I am not the biggest fan of a lentil only patty. Once you have all the ingredient this is a very quick recipe to make. If you want to store it for later, wrap the patties in cling wrap and place it in the fridge before you take it out for your Australia Day BBQ.

Ingredients

• 400 g of canned lentil
• 1 potato
• 1 onion diced
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 tbs of chilli flakes (you may want to increase or decrease based on your chilli tolerance)
• handful of parsley
• handful of mint
• 2 tbs BBQ sauce
• 2 tbs tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

To server

• 4 wholemeal buns or pita breads
• Sliced cheese
• Tomato sauce or chutney
• Seasonal salad such as beetrot, grated carrot and lettuce.

Instructions

• Drain and rise the lentils.
• Peel the potato and slice in to 2 pieces. Boil the potato until it’s soft.
• Combine all ingredients except the oil in a large bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper as required.
• Using your hands, shape the mixture into 4 – 6 patties.
• Heat the BBQ or frying pan with some oil and cook the burgers on both sides until golden and warmed through.
• If using cheese, place it on the burger for a few minutes before taking it off the heat.
• Serve with your choice of toppings.

There is that awkward time in January once the dates acquire double digit that it’s no longer New Year. Double digit January dates are the well meaning toddlers bumping into corners and crying loudly whenever they bump into a New Year resolution and accidentally breaks it or sat. In the normal course of a year these awkward, but promising toddlers will turn into the tired, annoyed and overweight adult wondering where the year had gone.

I’m trying to break the cycle, by cunningly not trying to make any New Years resolutions, but try to maintain some healthy habits as part of my routine. Part of this was inspired by my 365 days on Instagram last year. I started the project at a low point in my life, where I just felt drained and it was difficult to appreciate the silver lining in life. Without being too prescriptive, my #365 days was based on anything that made me smile for the day. It could be the sunset, a cupcake or my cat, as long as whatever I saw made me smile and realise that life is amazing. Over the course of the year, it dawned on me that I am more likely to find these moments outside of the office. A walk around the block, taking time to meet up with friends and doing things I love, but have forgotten is enough to rebalance me back.

So this year, like every other well meaning individuals I am going to exercise more, eat healthy and sleep properly. I’ve also joined the Whole Life Challenge  to kick start all these habits properly. It’s only day 3, but I am hopeful.

So what is the Whole Life Challenge, as they put it:

The Whole Life Challenge works by identifying the areas that almost everyone wants to change, and then making a daily game out of creating new habits in each of those areas. The game is designed around the five key areas that every person can identify with. Relying on their more than forty years of combined personal coaching experience, the founders created a system of play focused on implementing new habits in each of the five key areas.

With that today’s recipe comes from the beautiful 101 cookbooks. Please refer to the blog for the recipe and I encourage you to visit regularly. If you are not going through a pure paleo diet, I definitely recommend adding haloumi and a dash of tabasco to the dish. The only modification I did was to halve the amount of quinoa required. 3 cups is just too much even for 4 people.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked quinoa – recommend 1.5 cups

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1-2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

6-7 large kale leaves, destemmed & shredded

1 lemon
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
edible flowers (optional)

Happy New Year! I watched the last day of the year go by in Cairns, and really enjoyed the chilled atmosphere and surprisingly lack of smart phones being pulled out as people watch the firework over the jetty. Makes a nice change and hopefully is a good omen for the year and the remaining 360 days left, but who’s counting?

With that let’s kick off this year’s first Meatless Monday. Thanks to my mother I received Ottolenghi’s Plenty More and I can’t wait to try out some of the recipes from the book. One that caught my eyes was this Indian Ratatouille recipe, for those who followes Ottolenghi he published a very similar recipe in the Guardian a couple of years ago. If you would like to have a look at that version instead click here.

This is a very generous recipe in the sense that there is enough to feed a very hungry family of four.. The book’s illustration is misleading as the main ingredient within this recipe is the spud and not the capsicums or tomatoes. If I do make this again, I would probably substitute half the potatoes with eggplant instead.

Ingredients

120ml sunflower oil
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 3cm dice
1 kg charlotte potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm dice
3 capsicums
1½ tbsp panch phoran
¼ tsp ground turmeric
5 cardamom pods
450g okra
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (160g)
3 green chillies, finely chopped
24 curry leaves
2 tsp caster sugar
3 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt
4 tbsp lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
Chopped coriander leaves, to serve

Instructions
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, add the onion and potatoes and fry on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Top up the oil, if necessary – you need two tablespoons in the pan. Add the pepper and spices, and fry on high heat for three minutes, stirring. Add the okra tomatoes, chilli and curry leaves, and fry for five minutes on high heat. Return the cooked vegetables to the pan, add the sugar, tamarind and 200ml water, and simmer for five minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Spread the mix on a baking tray, sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and bake for 12 minutes. Serve sprinkled with coriander with yoghurt on white or brown rice.

Some days you wake up in the morning with the taste of a meal in your dreams and wonder whatever happened to that dish or that meal. For me, it was the sweetness of the corn and the satisfying spinach crunch that I remembered in this very simple soup. Unlike other Indonesian dishes, it’s unlikely you find this listed in a restaurant menu next to satay or Gado Gaddo. This is the type of dish that people cook as their weekday staple over rice with a side dish of tempe and house made sambal. Call it the dish that you have to grow up with and know about. 

For whatever reason my mum stopped cooking this dish when we moved to Australia and it was only lately that I remembered it. It might be the constant rain and the humidity lately that brought on the the memory of eating together around our old wooden dining table watching this soup being ladled over rice.

If you are looking for an easy and quick recipe, this is the one that I will be adding to my weekly staple. Hopefully it brings you a bit of comfort too in this crazy world where Sydney is at a stand still while the rest of the world watches.

Ingredients

• 1 Litre vegetable stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1cm galangal/ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 125g fresh corn kernels
• 2 bunch of English spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• salt

Method

1. Put the stock, onion, galangal, garlic, turmeric bay lead and brown sugar in a large pan and simmer for 5 minutes, covered.
2. Add the corn and simmer for 7 minutes, partially covered, until the corn is tender.
3. Add the spinach and season with salt to taste. Serve with rice and sambal.

There are some dishes that brings you back to a time and place instantly. For me this recipe always brings me back to memories of my first apartment and fending for myself for the first time. Living on a budget, I was after a recipe that can use any cheap ingredients I can get my hands on without being too challenging. Luckily this recipe has two key cheap ingredients: the first being a bag of ripe tomatoes going cheap at the local grocer and the second a stale loaf of bread. 

It wasn’t until much later that I realised this recipe is based on a Tuscan dish called Pappa al Pomodoro, a popular summer dish. As a tip this recipe is best made during summer when tomatoes are plentiful and at its juiciest.

Ingredients

• 2kg very ripe tomatoes (for fun I like throwing a couple of different varieties)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 200g wood-fried bread like ciabatta
• a handful of torn basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• cracked black pepper

Instructions

To peel the tomatoes, score a cross on the skin on the base and place in a large saucepan of hot water, leaving them there until the skin starts to peel. Dran and peel.

Place the oil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.Stir the tomatoes occasionally to break them up. Don’t try to cheat by adding tomato puree or canned tomatoes, you immediately lose the natural lightness of fresh tomatoes. 

Remove the crust from the bread and tear the centre into chunks

Add the bread, stock, basil and sugar to the tomatoes and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle plenty of cracked pepper. Serves 4-6.

You can sprinkle parmesan on top, but I rather like it without.