Author: Chef M

The Spanish, and the Portuguese for that matter, combine vinegar, garlic and spices to braise meat, chicken and seafood. This technique spread to Mexico and the Philippines, where adobo has national culinary status. Mexican adobo, like this version, is more spice-laden. A dark ale goes curiously well with this.

If you think daikon (white radish) is one of those weird ingredients solely used in Japanese and other Asian cuisines, think again! Daikon works a treat as fries, they soak up the soy sauce and garlic marinade flavours superbly and are really crunchy and moreish once fried.

Yasai No Agebitashi is a good example of how Japanese cooking can be so simple and yet elegant and full of flavour. A great dish to prepare ahead of time, deep-fried vegetables are dunked into a delectable marinade of dashi, soy sauce and mirin and served at room temperature. Yasai No Agebitashi is a wonderful way to enjoy seasonal vegetables with unmistakable Japanese flavours.

With their crisp exterior, tender and creamy interior, and hint of coconut flavor, these plantains are irresistible. Like bananas, very ripe plantains will have black skin these are the sweetest and softest. To peel a plantain, cut off the tips at both ends, and then cut a lengthwise slit through the skin. Remove the peel in one piece.

This quick fruit salad gives you 133% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C. It’s also superfun to eat: The pearls of grapefruit pulp and delicate flakes of sea salt pop on the tongue. A drizzle of honey will tame the pucker from the fruit and the serrano heat. Use the chile sparingly; a little goes a very long way here.

This side dish offers a healthy dose of greens paired with chewy farro and combined in a rich sauce. The panko topping offers satisfying crunch to finish it off.

This dinner is about as fast as enchiladas can get, and that’s because it’s not really enchiladas it’s a tortilla casserole.

These cute little pops are perfect for pre-dinner munchies. It’s so easy to over-do it filling up on bready creations, then fell to stuffed for the main event. These cauli-pops are just enough to take the edge off, without being too heavy.

A very basic recipe made of wholegrains and veggies that can be served even to small children as a tasty snack just remember to reduce the amount of spices.