Easy Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

31-01-2017 Local Black Bookchicken, coconut, curry, recipe, red curry, soup, ThaiLeave a comment

About two offices ago (what do you mean that’s not an accurate way to measure time?), I got introduced to Itsu and its dangerously addictive coconut chicken noodle soup.

Needless to say, it became my lunch of choice for those days when I was too lazy/late/disorganised to pack lunch (or I just really, really wanted something warm, spicy, comforting and full of rice noodles for lunch).

Time passed, offices moved and suddently, there was no Itsu nearby for me to get my coconut chicken noodle soup fix.

Luckily, it turns out it’s really easy and quick to make, taking only about 15 minutes from start to finish.

It’s barely any work at all, and yet it delivers a punch of warming, complex flavours. Rich, spicy, tangy, funky all at once. Plus it’s a one pot sort of dish. Less washing up = always a winner in my book.

Easy Thai coconut chicken noodle soup | Cake + Whisky

I know it sounds too good to be true, but you definitely want to give it a try, because it’s all pho real!

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup (serves 1)

Ingredients:

100g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 spring onions, white cut into bite-sized pieces and green thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp red curry paste
small garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
tiny piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp yellow curry powder
3 tbsp canned chopped tomato
125ml coconut milk
200ml chicken broth or water
fish sauce to taste
50g rice noodles, prepared according to packaging instructions
lime wedge to serve
salt, pepper

Method:

1. In a saucepan or wok, heat up the sesame oil until it just starts smoking. Add in the red curry paste, grated garlic and ginger and curry powder and cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes.

2. Add in the chicken and spring onion white pieces and cook for a few minutes.

3. Pour in the coconut milk, chopped tomato and chicken broth, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce, salt and/or pepper accordingly.

4. Place the prepared rice noodles in a bowl. Top with the coconut chicken broth. Garnish with spring onion greens and a lime wedge and serve immediately.

‘Eat Like A Brit’ quiz night at Roast restaurant

26-01-2017 Local Black Bookevent, HotJoint, London, quiz, quiz night, Restaurant, roast2 Comments

Anyone that has ever met me will tell you: I can speak about food for hours. Days. Probably even more.

So when Hotjoint invited me* to battle out in an evening of fierce food quizing alongside some of London’s greatest food minds, I simply couldn’t say no.

Coined “Eat Like a Brit”, this evening of drinking, eating and tougher than you’d think culinary questions was held at British restaurant Roast.

Famous for its British-focused, refined cuisine and incredible views over the Borough Market, it’s hard to imagine a venue more suited for a night of mind-fencing and foodie-friend making!

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by this all-nose-no-tail (yet rather charming) chap!

And wine.

Loads and loads of wine!

'Eat Like a Brit' quiz night | Cake + Whisky

After greating a few known faces, being introduced to as many friendly new ones and a healthy dose of animated chatter (‘where have you been eating lately?‘ ‘oh, was that good?‘… You know how it goes!), it was time for us all to check if we knew our Stilton from our Stichelton & our teacakes from our crumpets!

But then again, with the bribe of amazing British-ingredient-led canapés coming alongside each question, getting us started really wasn’t too hard!

There was Rare roast beef, horseradish cream and beer pickles…

Queenie scallops in shell with braised ox cheek and carrot mustard (this one was my fave, and not only because I knew which UK island is famous for its scallops!).

We wandered around the Beef Carpaccio with beetroot and mustard seed yogurt for a while, pondering what ‘beeturia’ was (and secretly hoping we could get our hands on seconds of the canapés!)

Before moving onto Feta & Olive skewers with cucumber and mint…

And finish of beautifully with Bread from BreadAhead Bakery and School.

There was also some Neals Yard cheese and mini pudding, but well…

… my interest was clerly somewhere else!

And by that, I totally mean wondering where the ‘Rhubarb triangle’ was (as well as debating where in London to find the best Mexican food).

In the end, my team didn’t win, but we all went home with plenty of food trivia to wow our friends with. And -more importantly- a few new friends that will actually want to listen/share your dedication and queue for a long while for a plate of Padella‘s pasta!

Want to join the fun next time? All you have to do is email Hotjoint info@hotjoint.co.uk and tell them to keep you in the loop!

*I attended the ‘Eat Like A Brit’ quiz night as a guest of HotJoint but all words, pictures and unconditional love for sourdough my own.

Lemon Drizzle Porridge

24-01-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, healthy, lemon, lemon drizzle, lemon drizzle cake, porridge, recipe, vegan, vegetarian3 Comments

Nothing beats cake for breakfast.

But this lemon drizzle porridge comes a close second, especially on chilly winter mornings.

Inspired by one of my favourite cake, it’s a dreamboat of a breakfast treat.

You see, the thing is, it’s packed-full of super healthy stuff (oats! lemon! almonds! blueberries) and yet, it actually tastes like cake.

I kid you not, having it for breakfast is pretty much the same as liking clean the lemon drizzle cake batter bowl. Or the blueberry muffin one.

Expect much better for your waistline, obviously.

So if life gives you lemon (and it’s breakfast time), you know what to do!

Lemon drizzle porridge (serves 1)

Ingredients:

30g porridge oats
1 tbsp almond flour
200ml water
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp vanilla syrup
1 handful blueberries + a few to garnish
5 almonds, roughly chopped to garnish

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the oats, almond flour, water, lemon zest and vanilla syrup. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, then heat to a medium heat and cook until it reaches the consistency you like (about 5min), stirring regularly.

2. In a small saucepan, cook the blueberries until you get a rough compote (about 2 minutes). Taste and add a little bit of vanilla syrup if necessary, then take off the heat.

3. Pour the porridge in a bowl or jar and top with the blueberry compote. Garnish with the fresh blueberries and chopped almond and eat immediately.

Miso ramen with prawns and scallops

20-01-2017 Local Black Bookfish, Japanese, miso, miso ramen, noodle soup, prawn, ramen, ramen noodle soup, ramen noodles, recipe, scallop2 Comments

I’ve been on a bit of an Asian food roll lately. Sushi roll, of course, but not only.

On Monday, it was sushi, on Tuesday, miso salmon, on Wednesday, Korean pork stir fry (somewhat inspired by this recipe).

Then on Thursday, I somehow made it to the fishmonger before it closed and picked up prawns & scallops to try out this winner of a stri fry.

The scallops were so fresh and beautiful that I got a few extra to make myself an extra-indulgent lunch on Friday.

And extra-indulgent these miso ramen with prawns and scallops were indeed!

A treat that’s good for you, mind. Warm, comforting, filling, it’s packed full of protein, vitamins, minerals and all sorts of good stuff to boost your metabolism. And absolutely none of the nasties (no gluten, no dairy, no nothing!).

This easy miso ramen soup keeps for a few days, so you could easily make a batch for the week ahead and be ready to scoop, spoon ‘n’ slurp to your hearts content with a smug smile on your face come lunchtime!

Warm, comforting and utterly delicious… it really is souper!

Miso ramen with prawns and scallops (for 2 servings)

Ingredients:

1 bundle of ramen rice noodles (I used funky black rice ones from Clearspring)
2 small pak choi, leaves removed and heart cut in quarters
4 uncooked prawns, peeled
6 scallops, each sliced in half to make 12 discs
1 tbsp sesame oil
a small pinch chilli flakes
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
about 10g fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
light soy sauce to taste (I used about 1 tbsp)
salt, pepper
1 large egg
a couple of pinches of black sesame seeds
1 small spring onion, finely sliced
2 sheets of nori seaweed, finely shredded (I used those and if you haven’t tried them yet you MUST!!)
2 single packs of instant miso soup (I like this one)

1. Cook your noodles according to the package. When they’re done, share in two equal portions and pop into the bottom of your bowls/lunchboxes and leave to cool.

2. Blanch the pak choi for about a minute in a pot of boiling water. Transfer into your bowls.

3. Season your scallops with salt and pepper. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan or a wok until it starts smoking, then throw in the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute or until soft.

4. Add in the prawns and scallops and fry for another minute or until your start getting colour on the edges of the scallops, then turn the seafood over.

5. Add about 1 tbsp of light soy sauce and allow to cook for a minute, then remove from the heat and pile into your bowls.

6. Boil a small pan of water, then cook your egg until soft-boiled (about 6 minutes, less if you’re using smaller eggs). Remove from the heat, allow to cool in some cold water before peeling, slicing lengthwise and popping half on top of each of your bowls.

7. Sprinkle each bowl with a generous pinch of sliced spring onion, then top with some shredded nori seaweed and a little bit of black sesame seeds.

8. If you’re making this ahead of time, seal your boxes up and store in the fridge.

9. When you’re ready to chow, boil the kettle and prep your instant miso soup according to package instructions. Pop your boxes open, pour the miso on top and leave things to re-heat for a minute. Mix it up and tuck in!

Superfood salad

18-01-2017 Local Black Bookavocado, bacon, healthy, lunch, nuts, recipe, salad, seeds, watercressLeave a comment

I’m not usually one for food fads. I like my ice cream with cream in, my cakes with butter and sugar and I’ll only consider using cricket flour when all cereals will have disappear from the surface of the Earth.

But in spite of everything, it looks like I’m currently tumbling down a superfood-shaped rabbithole.

I blame my on-going cupboard clearing phase, that made me realise that I must be a member of the squirrel family (the kind that socks on nuts and then forgets about it).

The consequences of this discovery being that I made a superfood salad to use up part of my stocks and pretty much anything else I had in the fridge: watercress, red cabbage, radishes, avocado, ALL THE NUTS/SEEDS…

A pretty healthy lot, since most of them are actually superfood and therefore pack a punch of health benefits.

Add some lovely walnut French dressing and juuuuuust a tiny bit of crunchy BACON, and what was bound to happen, happened.

I became addicted to said superfood salad.

So much so in fact that despite the weather doing its best to make me see sense and come back to more wintery food, I’ve had it for lunch for 3 days in a row. And I’m strongly considering making it 4.

Cold air? Don’t care! All I want is this (super-easy to make) colourful superfood salad!

Superfood? Supergood!

Watercress & seeds superfood salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 bag (100g) watercress, rinced and pat-dried
1 big handful thinly sliced red cabbage
8 red radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, stone removed, diced or sliced
4 rashers streaky bacon (for a vegetarian version, replace with 1 poached egg per person)
1 tsp each black sesame seeds and pine nuts
2 tsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp Dijon mustard (I love the sweetness of this honey lil’ number)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp walnut oil
salt flakes, cracked black pepper (use smoked pepper if you have some!)

1. Make the dressing: In a small jar, place the mustard and vinegar and mix until well combined. Pour the oil in, pop the lid on, then shake until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in a hot pan until it’s all nice and crispy. Remove all residual fat from the pan and let the bacon cool a bit, then use kitchen scissors to chop it into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

3. On a serving plate of dish, arrange the watercress, red cabbage, avocado and sliced radishes. Sprinkle with the seeds and top with the crispy bacon bits.

4. Pour the dressing on top and serve immediately.

Ahi Poke, Fitzrovia

12-01-2017 Local Black BookAhi Poke, Charlotte Street, fish, London, lunch, poke, poke bowl, recommendations, Restaurant2 Comments

With both of my siblings visiting back-to-back, this week is o-fish-ally the busiest ones this year.

Admittedly, it’s only the beginning of January, but I doubt it’s going to get worse than that any time soon.

The good thing about my brother & sister though is that when I offer to go here or there for lunch/dinner/drinks, they always say ‘poke-doke’!

Which is how we ended up at Ahi Poke the other day.

Located at the heart of bustling Fitzrovia, with colourful exteriors, bright planted filled with equally bright flowers and walls enhanced with surfboards, Ahi Poke is about as close as you’ll get to a visit to Hawaii at lunchtime.

Ahi Poke, London

The small but perfectly formed restaurant surfs on the one-item-menu trend and dishes up the most delicious bowls of poke a.k.a. the ultimate Hawaiian staple.

A tumble of sticky sushi rice, raw fish, crunchy vegetables, punchy sauces… It’s sort of like a burrito bowl, but with a sushi twist, which makes it both a comfort food and a healthy meal.

Part of the fun is to mix and match ingredients to make your perfect DIY poke bowl. Which is just what we did.

Half-and-half (rice & kale salad) with leche de tigre salmon with carrot, radish, red onion and crispy shallots.

If you’re lacking the time/energy to DIY, you can pick from a handful of the team’s fave pairings.

Including the Heat Wave poke bowl (quinoa, salmon, avocado, kimchi cucumber, red onion, coriander, chipotle mayo).

Very Venice Beach and very, very good indeed!

If you’re hungry in Fitzrovia, Ahi Poke is soy the place to go!

Delicious, healthy & cheap as (kale) chips, it’s the kind of lunch that’ll for sure be maki‘ng you very happy!

Ahi Poke, 3 Percy St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1DF

Persimmon Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella

10-01-2017 Local Black Bookbasil, easy, healthy, mozzarella, persimmon, prosciutto, recipe, saladLeave a comment

Since Christmas is over, I don’t think there’s been a day I haven’t been day-dreaming about summer.

Long, warm, sunny days, sunglasses, sundresses, day trips to the beach, barbecues and picnics in the park… I simply can’t wait for it all.

But one look through the window and the harsh reality settles in: those long-awaited summer days are at least 5 months away and there’s not much to be done about it.

Not much except for putting a seasonal twist on some of my favourite summer recipes, that is.

So if you’re trying to kick the winter blues away, may I recommend you give this vibrant prosciutto, mozzarella & persimmon salad a go?

The winter take on a summer fave of mine, with persimmon making for a surprisingly-good colder-weather substitute for melon, it’s the top way to bring sunshine (and a much needed dose of vitamins) to those dark, gloomy winter days!

And the ultimate way to rise & shine while waiting for the real (summer) deal!

Persimmon salad with prosciutto & mozzarella | Cake + Whisky

Persimmon Salad with Prosciutto and Mozzarella (serves 1)

Ingredients:

1 ripe but ferm persimmon
2 paper-thin slices prosciutto (or other air-dried ham), shredded into small pieces
1/2 ball of mozzarella, teared into bite-sized pieces
1 sprig fresh basil, leaves removed & finely chopped
little drizzle good quality olive oil
pinch mild chilli flakes (I used Espelette pepper, but Aleppo would work amazingly well too)
salt, pepper
a few drops Tabasco / balsamic vinegar

1. Wash & pat-dry the persimmon, then slice it as thinly as you can (using a mandoline if you have one). Place the slices onto your serving plate.

2. Top with shreds of prosciutto, pieces of mozzarella and chopped basil leaves.

3. Season with a good pinch of sea salt, a little drizzle of good quality olive oil and a small pinch of your favourite chilli flakes. Add a few drops of Tabasco or balsamic vinegar and some cracked black pepper if you wish and serve immediately.

Cranberry Bakewell Porridge

09-01-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, cranberry, healthy, oats, porridge, recipe, vegan, vegetarian7 Comments

There are days when the best thing you should really just stay in bed. And I’m afraid today is one of those days.

First of all, it’s Monday. And I don’t care how many inspirational quote are in my Insta feed, Mondays suck.

But today is some sort of next level Monday because TUBE STRIKE!!

I don’t take the tube, so it really shouldn’t matter all that much, if it wasn’t for the fact that the buses are fucking packed and I wasted an hour of my time waiting to see if one of them would stop at my bus stop to let people in and NOP, NOT GONNA HAPPEN, YOU CAN JUST WALK ACROSS ALL OF LONDON YOU FOOL.

That said, as with all suck-y morning, there are some silver linings, including getting to go back home for breakfast in bed while browsing through emails.

And when said breakfast happens to be a vibrant bowl of Cranberry Bakewell Porridge, it makes up for the suckiest of mornings.

Cranberry Bakewell Porridge (healthy, vegan) | Cake + Whisky

Inspired by the classic British dessert, it’s indulgent yet healthy.

Packed full of breakfast-y goodness, vegan and ready in minutes, it’s the best day to start the day on a berry good note!

Cranberry Bakewell Porridge (serves 1)

Ingredients:

30g porridge oats
1 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp maple syrup (+ more for serving)
seeds for 1/2 vanilla pod
250ml water or milk
small handful fresh or frozen cranberries (swap for 10-12 ripe cherries in season, stone removed)
8-10 almonds, roughly crushed

1. In a small pan, put the cranberries, 1 tbsp maple syrup and a few tbsp of water. Cook for a few minutes until you get a jammy texture. Set aside.

2. In a small pot, mix together the porridge oats, ground almonds, 1 tbsp maple syrup, vanilla seeds and 250ml water/milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until it thickens (add more water if necessary).

3. Pour the porridge into a bowl, top with the cranberry ‘jam’ and the crushed almonds and serve immediately.

Harissa Carrot Soup

06-01-2017 Local Black Bookcarrot, harissa, recipe, soup, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

This past few weeks, my diet has been anything but blogger-like.

Every year in January, it’s the same thing.

My fridge and cupboards are sorta empty (because Christmas cookies and playing host), my freezer is packed full (because Christmas leftovers) and my stomach is right at the border of indigestion from all the overindulging.

The result of this wonderful combination? A couple of weeks where I’m basically surviving on salad, soup and re-heated leftovers.

No cake, no pasta, (almost) no dining out. Take that, glamorous food blogger image!

Harissa Carrot Soup recipe | Cake + Whisky

That said, I don’t really carrot what you think because:

Vegetables are my thing (and hopefully, they help me keeping colds and other lovely diseases at bay).
I’m the laziest cook on Earth so a freezer packed full of delicious leftovers are my idea of paradise.
I just made the biggest, yummiest batch of harissa carrot soup. My entire flat smells SO NICE and I have fussy-stomach-appropriate food ready for days. {insert thumb’s up emoji here}

Seriously though, guys, Harissa carrot soup is a revelation. Sweet, warming and comforting, but with a serious kick.

Just enough to keep gobbling up your 5-a-day interesting without blowing your head off, it will keep you rooting for soup ’til winter’s over (and maybe even after, because, as it turns out, it’s also delicious cold!)

Harissa Carrot Soup (serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main)

Ingredients:

3 big carrots
1 medium red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp harissa paste
4 cups water
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt, pepper

1. Peel and chop the carrots and onion.

2. Heat up the olive oil into a bit saucepan. Add in your vegetables and fry for a few minutes.

3. When they turn slightly golden, add the harissa paste, a good pinch of salt and the water. Pop a lid on top of the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until the vegetables are very soft (about 35-40 min).

4. Add the smoked paprika, ground cumin and pepper to taste, then blend with a hand blender (adding a bit more cold water if necessary). Taste and correct the seasoning accordingly.

5. Serve hot or cold with a spoonful of cream or yoghurt (choose a vegan alternative if you so wish – coconut yoghurt would work especially well) and a pinch of smoked paprika / chilli flakes on top.

Where to next? My 2017 travel plans

05-01-2017 Local Black Book#travellinkup, Bucket list, travel1 Comment

Going back a few years, my travel plans were always a last-minute gamble sort of thing. Having to work part-time jobs during school holidays (and always knowing at the very last minute when I’d be starting said jobs) and very little money available, I didn’t have much of a choice but to settle for middle-of-the-night shuttle buses and far-from-anything hostels.

Needledd to say, most of those plans aborted for various reasons and wanderlust was strong.

Fast forward a couple of years and I’m now the kind of person writing entire blog posts on how to best plan your city getaways. Crazy the difference a little time (and money) can make, eh?

As a consequence, and for the first time in forever, my annual travel wish list is less on the wish side (looking at you, 2016’s list!) and more on the work-in-progress side of things.

So, here are my 2017 travel plans sofar…

Dublin in March

I was meant to visit the Irish capital a few years back. But for some horrible, stolen-passport-related reason, it did not happen. 2017 is the year I take my revenge on karma and finally make it to the fair city.

2017 Travel Plans | Dublin, Ireland

Stunning Georgian architecture, the vibrant cobbled streets of Temple Bar, beef and potato stew, the incredible Trinity College Old Library, a healthy dose of Guinness and whiskey (…) I can’t wait to take it all in!

Barcelona in May

2017 Travel Plans | Barcelona, Spain

I fell in love with Barcelona in 2015 and have spent most of last year wanting to go back. So when it came to picking a destination for the second edition of our annual family weekend trip, I put my foot down and said 2017’s would be filled with tapas, siestas and the occasional walk.

2017 Travel Plans | Barcelona, Spain

Needless to say, I’m beyond excited to see the Sagrada Family in all its restored glory, stuff my face with all the patatas bravas and drink all the sangria with all my fave people!

The French/Swiss Alps in the Summer

2017 Travel Plans | Annecy, France

So, I’m not really a snow person (it’s really just frozen rain people!!), so mountains in winter aren’t quite my idea of the perfect holiday.

In the summer though, it’s a whole different thing. Glorious scenery, hikes, followed by cooling dips in the lakes (and a much looked-forward to reunion with the French tradition of “l’apéro”)… That’s much more like it (and very much the plan we intend to follow for a few days this summer!)

Munich for Oktoberfest

A visit to the most sought-after Bavarian festival has been on my bucket list for a long long time. And when one of your very best friends just so happen to live in Munich, the opportunity is simply to good not to act upon.

ALL THE BEER AND THE PRETZEL AND WEISSWURST AND HOT GUYS IN LEDERHOSEN COMING MY WAY (AND YOURS) NEXT FALL PEOPLE!!

Cuba in November

Switching up a cold, rainy, dark London for a sunny, beach-ladden, rum-filled island is pretty much the dream, isn’t it?

Home for Christmas

Because when it comes to the end-of-year Fah-lala-la-ing, there’s no other place I’d rather be.

Add to that a few day- and weekend-trips here and there and that’s me covered for 2017…

But I’m sure it’ll still leave room for plenty of wanderlust… So make sure you share your 2017 travel plans / dreams in the comments or via this month’s #travellinkup!

This years bucket list post has been written as part of the fabulous #travellinkup. We’ve gone back to basics for January and are talking Travel plans for 2017. Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st – 7th January), add it to the link up widget – found on either Angie‘s, Emma’s or Polly’s blog – from the 1st of the month.

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Life in London and other almost-grown-up tales

Menu

Month: January 2017

Easy Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup (serves 1)

Ingredients:

Method:

‘Eat Like A Brit’ quiz night at Roast restaurant

Lemon Drizzle Porridge

Lemon drizzle porridge (serves 1)

Ingredients:

Method:

Miso ramen with prawns and scallops

Miso ramen with prawns and scallops (for 2 servings)

Superfood salad

Watercress & seeds superfood salad (serves 2)

Ahi Poke, Fitzrovia

Persimmon Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella

Persimmon Salad with Prosciutto and Mozzarella (serves 1)

Cranberry Bakewell Porridge

Cranberry Bakewell Porridge (serves 1)

Harissa Carrot Soup

Harissa Carrot Soup (serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main)

Where to next? My 2017 travel plans

Dublin in March

Barcelona in May

The French/Swiss Alps in the Summer

Munich for Oktoberfest

Cuba in November

Home for Christmas