SouthseaScene

I don't often make Indonesian food because the ingredients are hard to find, but our local supermarkets are getting better at stocking ethnic ingredients. In the frozen section of Tesco, near the samosas, you can find the spring roll pastry.  Don't bother asking the branch in Chester. I was laughed at by the cashier when I asked for spring roll skin, because 'skin' is what we call the wrapper in Indonesian. Her more helpful colleague offered me filo pastry instead, which can be a good substitute. I'm afraid no one in Chester has yet to taste my amazing spring rolls as a result. Friends in Southsea are luckier!  Here are the ingredients to make 30 spring rolls (the packs come in 30 or 40 pieces) 1 medium head of cabbage, thinly sliced 2 carrots, julienned 1 red or yellow pepper, julienned 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 medium courgette, julienned 1 tablespoon of Oyster sauce (omit if cooking for vegan) 2 tbsp soy sauce salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp vegetable oil f...

The University of Portsmouth has joined a new scheme from Friends of the Earth to help university caterers fight climate change.  The Kale Yeah! Kitchens scheme, launching this month, encourages caterers to make their menus more sustainable by serving less, but higher welfare meat, dairy and fish and offering more plant-based options.  The scheme has five different levels of accreditation that encourage universities to rebalance dishes, incentivise plant-based eating via a loyalty card scheme and commit to promoting sustainability. Caterers will have to alter their procurement and menus, and employ ‘nudges’ to inspire cultural, behavioural and attitudinal changes to the way we eat.  In reaching the higher levels, the university can ensure it is in line with Friends of the Earth and the Eating Better Alliance’s more ambitious target of a 50 per cent reduction in the amount of meat and dairy eaten and produced in the UK by 2030.  The University of Portsmouth trialled...

My sister Grace found this recipe a long time ago and it has become a firm favourite in our house because it's very easy to cook and it's super delicious. For 2 people you need: 300g beef rump, sliced 1 tbsp cornflour (15g) 4 tbsp soy sauce (60ml) 1 tbsp dry sherry (15ml) 1 tsp sugar (5g) 1 small head of broccoli (250g) cut into florets 1 inch of ginger, chopped 4tbsp vegetable oil salt and pepper Mix the soy sauce, cornflour, dry sherry, and sugar, then add to the meat and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the broccoli for 2-3 minutes with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat the rest of the oil and fry the meat and ginger for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli back and fry for a further 30 seconds. Serve with fluffy white rice.

This recipe originated from a meal I had at Tita Nelia Salazar's in Surabaya. I was visiting and she made this amazing dish. There are a lot more ingredients on her recipe, but this modification suits my kitchen and it has been a staple in our household for a very long time. Marinade each salmon fillet with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tablespoon malt vinegar. Chop up a clove of garlic and a slice of ginger and add to the marinade with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius and bake the almond kin the juices with the skin side up for 20 minutes. You want the flesh to remain juicy. Serve with mashed potatoes, which can absorb the delicious jus. Steam carrots and broccoli go well with this dish. Thank you Tita Nelia!

What to do with those courgettes? Here is a recipe for a moreish quick patties to make with your courgettes. Shred one courgette roughly and shred a carrot too, if you have one. Add some spring onions if you have or some shallots, if you want. Otherwise, the courgettes are fine and mix this with 1 tbsp of gram flour and season well. I sometimes add some Harissa powder to add a bit of flavour. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan and when hot enough drop spoonfuls of the courgette mixture. Fry on one side for 5 minutes, until brown and pretty solid, then flip to the other side and cook another 5 minutes.

Beef Semarang Style or Lapis Daging Semarang (in Indonesian) is a delicious way of cooking beef and a lovely meal to cook for a dinner party as it's simple and easy to prepare. This recipe is for 4 people, but be warned that the portion needs rice and a vegetable side dish to make a complete meal.  Ingredients:  450 grams beef sirloin or rump, sliced thinly, the size of a matchbox 1 medium onion, chopped  3 cloves of garlic  1 tsp freshly ground black pepper  3 tbsp dark soy sauce  ½ tsp nutmeg  1 tbsp dark sugar  2 tbsp oil  2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped  Gently beat the meat slices with a mallet to thin them out. Put the onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, nutmeg and sugar into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning. Put the beef slices in a bowl and marinate with the sauce for about 1 hour.  Boil some water and blanch the tomatoes, peel the skin and chop them ...

Sometimes you find a gem by accident because you have a few ingredients and wondering what to do with them. This recipe is in the cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey that a friend gifted us after cooking us curry dinners at university.  We are delighted by how simple it is to make and how different it tastes to many of the dishes in our repertoire. As we have a vegetarian friend coming over to dinner this week, we thought this would be the perfect dish to make because usually the chicken is added at the last minute. The original recipe is called  Murghi aur mansoor dal  or Bombay-style chicken with red split lentils. As we're serving this to a vegetarian, we have substituted the chicken with cauliflower. The ingredients for 2 people are: 80-100g red split lentils 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 fresh green chilli (we like it hot so we use 1 chilli per person) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped 400-500ml water Put these in a pan and simmer for 45 minutes....

This orange and Harissa glazed mackerel take minutes to cook and ideal for a midweek supper. Mackerel has a strong flavour and so can take the robustness of the Harissa sauce.  Mackerels are easy to fillet yourself because there are no scales to clean and the flesh would usually come off the bones easily. Fresh fish should have bright eyes, shiny skin and smells of the sea.  Ingredients for cooking 2 mackerels: 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil 1 tbsp plain flour 1 tsp paprika 2 tbsp Harissa powder 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of 1 small orange In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoon Harissa powder with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and zest and juice of one small orange. Then mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 teaspoon paprika and dust the fillets in this. Fry the fillets skin side down first for about 3 minutes and then the other side for 2 minutes. When the mackerel is fried, add this mixture and let it boil to a sticky sauce.  Serve these delicious fillets ...

Last week we heard that the Hole in the Wall pub was selling some beer and we went along to support them bu buying some pints, making it a takeaway night with curry from Kadir's. More and more food outlets are reopening for business, taking advantage of delivery services like Just Eat, Deliveroo or doing their own delivery as usual. We even spotted the Subway in Albert Road open for normal business today. Do support these businesses: Huis Spice Merchant Akash King Street Tavern Duke of Buckingham Bubble & Pho Scoops Gelato Umami Street Food Enjoy!

If you fancy takeaway vibes but prefer to cook it yourself at home, try this very simple recipe for Kung Pao prawns courtesy of Olive Magazine with my personal variation. You can buy the prawns from Viviers UK in Camber Dock in Old Portsmouth. The dish allegedly received its name because it was frequently served to Dīng Bǎozhēn (1820-86), a Qing dynasty official who served as the governor of Sichuan province from 1876 to 1886. His unofficial title was gōng bǎo, meaning 'palace guardian'. The Sichuan peppercorns used in this dish gives a distinctive aroma and flavour. You can find the Sichuan pepper easily at the local Chinese grocery stores. The recipe takes 10 minutes to cook and for 2 people requires: 150g raw prawns (300g in shell yields 150g, or 14 prawns) 1 tablespoon groundnut oil 2 tablespoon cashew nuts 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns 4 spring onion, sliced For the s...

We have really enjoyed shopping for fresh fish in Viviers in Camber Dock. We would go and check out what's available during our lunch break and plan our dinner around what we find that day. One of the most common and cheap fish to have is mackerel and at Viviers you can find really shiny (fresh) ones. Mackerel is also easy to prepare, partly because it doesn't have scales. Cleaning scales often adds to the time it takes to prepare fish for dinner.   Here's our fast and delicious recipe for a simple mackerel fillet with chilli and lime Ingredients per person One mackerel, butterflied Juice of half a lime 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes 1 tsp of vegetable oil Line the grill pan with aluminium foil and brush with the vegetable oil. Lay the fillet skin side down and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and squirt with the juice of half a lime. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes if you can to let the chili mingle with the lime juice. Heat the grill and grill for 5-7 minutes...

Here's my review of places to go for lunch around the Guildhall. The Square Cafe Inside the Guildhall, the selection of pizza at this cafe is good value at £4.50. Our favourite is the Greek one with spinach, red onion and Feta cheese. A good selection of cakes also available with the usual selection of coffee. It can get quite crowded during lunch time. Canvas Cafe Tucked inside the Portsmouth & Southsea Station it's worth a trek for the best coffee and cakes. They come from Bread Addiction. Andre's Food Bar Everything looks good in this branch of the well-known family run cafe. The menu tends to be adventurous and there are daily specials too. Not many seats available. 113 Kitchen & Bar On the site of a formerly bustling cafe, this joint is also serving mainly pizza. The decor is a little sparse and grey but the food is good. We can also recommend the calamari starter. Leilamezze Occupying the former Old Vic Pub the Lebanese mezze place is becomin...

I love traditional recipes and someone just posted this one. Worth a try. These are said to have been made by a travelling food seller, Maggie Bridie of Glamis (in the days when the county of Angus was called Forfarshire). They were mentioned by J M Barrie (author of Peter Pan) who was born in Kirriemuir in that county. The original recipe used suet but since that is not always to everyone's taste, you can use butter or margarine. Ingredients (for six bridies): 1½ lbs (700g) boneless, lean rump steak. Lean minced beef can also be used. 2 oz (2 rounded tablespoons) suet or butter or margarine 1 (or 2) onion, chopped finely 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder Quarter cup rich beef stock Salt and pepper to taste 1½ lbs flaky pastry (home made or from a pastry mix packet) Method: Remove any fat or gristle from the meat and beat with a meat bat or rolling pin. Cut into half-inch (1cm) pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt/pepper, mustard, chopped onion, suet (or butter/margarine) an...

Friends came over and one of them was a vegetarian, so I opted to serve an Indonesia Rijtafel style meal allowing everyone to choose what and how much to have on their plate. For the vegetarian friend I made Telur Pindang or pickled eggs. The recipe serves 6 people for starter or as part of a larger meal. Telur Pindang Ingredients: 6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled 1 small onion thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced 2 medium ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped 1/2 tsp ginger 1 tbsp dark brown sugar 1 tbsp white vinegar 100ml water Heat the oil in the saucepan and saute theonion, garlic and chillies until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes). add the chopped tomatoes and ginger and cook, stirring, until the tomato has pulped. Add the remaining ingredients, bring the mixture to a boil, stir well, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Half the eggs and serve on the plate covered with the sauce. Normally...

Cooking for Valentine's Day need not be complicated. In fact, the joy is in preparing something to savour together. It's all about sharing the experience. So try this recipe for a romantic dinner. Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil 100g minced beef 1 small carrot, diced 1 small stick of celery, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried salt and pepper puff pastry Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, carrots and celery. Fry on medium heat for 5 minutes and let it sweat a little. Then add the mince and garlic, stir for 5 minutes or until the meat has turned brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into two small baking dishes; heart-shaped ramekins if you have them. Roll the puff pastry and cut into shape to cover the top of the baking dishes. You can add pastry hearts or initials if you want make it even more special. Pre-heat the oven as the pastry perform much better in a preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or ...

I just love to cook and it's nonsense when people say you need a lot of time to cook a meal. As a working professional with an equally busy social life, I do sometimes find myself having to rustle up something quickly. You can find the following ingredients quite easily at your nearest Tesco Express: Prawns - 150 g pack serves 2 generously and 3 at a stretch Linguine - 75 g per person Garlic - 1 clove, crushed and diced Red chilli - 1 medium, diced Butter - 25 g Parmesan - 25 g, grated Sliced spring onions, if available - it just makes the meal a bit more moreish Half a lemon Boil some water in the pan and add the linguine. Set the timer to 10 minute as it takes the linguine 8-10 minutes to cook. Then melt the butter in a pan and add the spring onions, garlic and chilli. Fry it gently and as the timer shows 3 minutes to go, add the prawns and salt and pepper and drain the linguine into the pan with a little of the water to keep everything moist. Only co...

A fried skate or ray wing (I don't know which) can be really delicious. It's also a fish dish that doesn't have any bones to deal with. Great for someone who hates dealing with the bones. Pat dry the wings on kitchen paper. Then dust with plain flour mixed with Paprika powder, salt and pepper. Then shallow fry for 5 minutes on each side or until the edges are dry and crispy. Serve with mash, jacket potatoes or simply with steamed vegetables for a very quick dinner.

Today turned out to be so hot, I was completely overdressed in my spring coat. The air was still and dry. It feels like it's finally time to dust off the barbeque. I had left work early to go to Robert Dyas to buy some hanging baskets and was looking forward to spending the evening gardening. Alas, when I put down my chopsticks at the end of the dinner, I noticed the pitter-patter of rain on the conservatory roof. No gardening tonight. Such is the unpredictability of spring weather!

I was in the Thai food shop on Albert Road one day when this lady asked the shopkeeper whether she has any packet spice for nasi goreng. The shopkeeper and her mother broke out into a conference in Thai, the upshot being that they had no idea what nasi goreng was. Nasi goreng is not a Thai dish and that was partly why the shopkeeper had no idea. It is an Indonesian dish and it is so easy to make that I wanted to teach the lady there and then how to cook it. A few weeks have passed by and I'm still thinking about this poor woman looking for the nasi goreng. Here's the recipe and if you heard of anyone mentioning this recipe, point her or him to this blog! Nasi Goreng (Indonesian for fried rice) A bowl of cooked rice 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce a handful of peas, fresh, frozen or tinned some diced carrots some sliced shallots 1 clove of garlic, chopped an egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil If you have a wok, it's great, if not a wide ...

For years I have adored the Vietnamese rice paper rolls, but I thought I could only get them at Vietnamese restaurants. I first tasted this in America, where Vietnamese restaurants were the closest I could get to authentic Asian food. Trying to find something that my gluten-intolerant friend could eat, I searched and found the recipe for the rolls, which many call 'summer rolls'. I was so amazed to find that they are very easy to make and so I thought I should share it with you because these are fun to eat as well with their dipping sauce and can be made ahead. (Makes 8) 16 large raw, peeled prawns 1 block of rice vermicelli 4 sprigs of mint, leaves picked 4 sprigs of coriander 2 strands of chives, cut into 10cm lengths (optional) 1 carrot, peeled and grated ¼ cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks 1 soft lettuce, ½ shredded 4 tbsp salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped 8 rice paper wrappers For the dipping sauce: 1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp fish...