Author: Chef M

Wild mushoom textures and flavours vary so dramatically, it’s really worth experimenting to see what you enjoy. My favourite is the ridiculously elegant chanterelle, the Chanel of the mushroom world, followed closely by the big, bulbous cep, which is meaty and looks like a sturdy seat for a little forest animal to sit on. Both work well in this upma, a well-loved and traditional South Indian breakfast dish, which I make using bulgar wheat or cracked wheat. It’s spiced just delicately enough to let the mushrooms take centre stage, which is where they should be.

This is based on a revelatory plate of kangkung belacan I ate while I was writing this book. The renowned Malaysian dish uses a particular style of fermented shrimp paste that’s not easy to get hold of. But any fermented shrimp paste adds the uniquely pungent salty-sweet tang I’ve craved so often since eating that dish; I’ve used it, boosted by fresh chilli, with numerous wok-fried greens since. Look for Thai or Vietnamese shrimp paste online, or follow your nose if in a shop. Try to use morning glory (kangkung in Malay) if you can get hold of it. The…

Team warm salads unite! Roasted veggies make salads feel cozier and make me feel satisfied no matter what the season. In the summer you can gill the vegetables on the barbecue. Here I’ve modified our original kale Caesar salad recipe into a hearty filling Caesar salad with roasted brussels sprouts as the base.

I have always been a summer borscht person. Cold, bright pink, herby, and full of buttermilk I could eat that soup every day. But this simple hot borscht brought me to the other side, and now I embrace both seasons of borscht. I imagined this soup as much more complicated I wrote recipes that included everything from cabbage to tomato to caraway. But my friend Hedley steered me on the right course, describing a bowl of soup she’d had years ago when she needed it most. She’d never forgotten it: “Just beets and carrots, all boiled in the simplest broth.…

Fresh strawberries and peanut butter bring all the sweetness you need to this simple and satisfying morning meal.

Brew up a steaming pot of fresh coffee to pair with this sweet, cinnamon-rich coffee cake. The cardamom is my secret ingredient, and helps make this the perfect recipe for slow-cooked deliciousness. Plus, your house is going to smell divine.

Now this is a chicken noodle soup recipe I can get behind. Reconstituting the dried shiitakes directly in the soup allows you to capitalize on all that deep, earthy mushroom flavor, making the broth a captivating dark brown, swirling with umami. I like to add a little extra heat to mine at the table in the form of sambal oelek, an Indonesian chili paste that can be found in the Asian section of most markets, often near the Sriracha. I enjoy my noodles, chicken, and vegetables with chopsticks before picking up my bowl without shame and drinking the broth.

Stuffed celery became a natural hit at dinner parties and luncheons in the 1960s since the groove in the center practically begged to be filled. There were different variations on stuffed celery to fit the occasion: soft cheeses topped with spices like paprika for sophisticated events or nuts and cranberries for holidays. I prefer this cream cheese variation since it can be dressed up or down for any setting.