Prep

Mise en place
45 mins

For the thai salad: Segment a grapefruit and store it in the refrigerator. Set aside ¼ cup of juice for the thai salad dressing. crush one clove of garlic. Put it in a bowl with 2 finely chopped bird’s eye chiles.

For the wontons: coarsely chop 1 lb celery. Crush 2 cloves of garlic.

If you are making a vegetable stock: peel and roughly chop 2 medium onions (save the peel). Separate a large head of garlic into cloves. Roughly chop 300g carrots and 2 stalks of celery.

Start cooking
2 hours

If you’re making the veggie stock:
Brown the veg for the stock
Set the oven to 180˚C. Place onions, celery, and garlic in a roasting tin along with the onion skins. Mix together 3 tbsp light miso paste with 80ml water, then stir into the vegetables, coating them lightly. Bake for about an hour, tossing the vegetables once or twice during cooking, until everything is brown and toasty.

If you bought tamarind pulp (with the seeds):
Prepare the tamarind paste
Break the tamarind pulp into chunks and put it in a heatproof bowl. Cover the pulp in hot but not boiling water. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so until the pulp releases from the seeds. Strain through a sieve into a saucepan, scraping and removing the seeds. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to a paste.

If you’re making the wonton wrappers:
Make the wonton wrappers
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour with ½ tsp salt and 1 large egg, 2 small eggs, or 1½ medium eggs. Stir well. Slowly add ½ cup water and keep stirring. You can add up to another 2 tbsp water if it is too dry. Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest to hydrate for 10 minute. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-15 minutes until the dough is smooth. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Make the celery filling for the wontons
Look. The book says use peanuts, but I’m already telling you to buy cashews so why not give it a go? If you’d rather use peanuts go for it.
Place ¾ cup unsalted cashews in a food processor and blitz into a crumble. Put the celery in the food processor with the peanuts. Pulse until the pieces resemble coarse ground meat. Heat ⅛ cup canola oil in a pan and, when hot, add the celery and cashew mixture. Cook for 15-20 minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently to cook off as much water as possible, then the crushed garlic and 1 tbsp soy sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Cool the mixture.

Make the chili soy sauce
Place 1 tbsp canola oil, 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, ⅛ cup soy sauce, 1 clove of crushed garlic, ½ tsp chile flakes, ¾ tbsp white wine vinegar, and 1 chopped green onion in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately take off the heat. Cool, label, and store.

Make the chili oil
Rinse out the blender. Put in 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns and ⅛ cup chile flakes and blitz to a rough powder. Heat ⅙ cup of canola oil in a small saucepan over a medium flame and add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic. Let it sizzle for a minute or two until it turns a pale gold. Stir in 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, and the ground peppercorns and chiles and take off the heat. Cool, label, and store.

Boil some eggs
Find a jar or container that will fit 2 eggs. In there, pour in 2 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, and 2 tsp superfine sugar. Now, make an ice bath in another bowl. To cook the eggs, fill a saucepan half full of water and boil over medium high. When it’s at a rolling boil, lower in 2 eggs gently. Cook for exactly 7 minutes and then transfer to the ice bath. Leave for ten minutes and then peel the eggs and drop them in the soy mixture. Put a piece of paper towel on top to keep them submerged and place in the fridge. Leave these overnight and then take them out of the soy mixture and transfer to an airtight container in the morning.

Back to the wonton wrappers
Form the ball of dough into a sort of square, pressing it down as you go. Roll out to about 3mm thickness and let it rest again for another 30 minutes.

Make the Thai salad dressing
Pound the garlic, chiles and 2 tsp sugar into a paste using a pestle and mortar. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and middle, then add the grapefruit juice and ¼ cup lime juice and mix again. Add 2 tbsp canola oil and mix. Pour it all into a small jar and store.

If you’re making the veggie stock:
Make the stock
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a deep saucepan. Add 75g dried shiitake mushrooms, 6 sprigs of rosemary, 15 sprigs of thyme, 4 bay leaves, 18 black peppercorns, and 15g dried kombu. Pour a little reserved water into the roasting tin and scrape to remove all the sticky caramelized bits. If the tin is flameproof, you can heat it on the stovetop to help get those bits off. Pour them into the saucepan. Add 4 ½ litres of water. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 50 minutes to an hour.

Cook the rasam
Coarsely grind ¾ tsp cumin seeds and ¾ tsp coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar. Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and, when hot, add 5 fresh curry leaves. Let them crackle for 10 seconds, then add ¾ tsp mustard seeds and let them do the same. Add the ground spices, toast in the hot oil for 30 seconds, then add 3 cloves crushed garlic and stir fry for around 3 minutes until sticky and golden.

Now, add 7 oz diced tomatoes, breaking them with the back of your spoon. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then add ⅔ cups red lentils and 2 ¾ cups water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce and simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, add ½ tsp salt and 2 tsp tamarind paste and simmer for a minute more. The texture of the soup should be somewhere between a soup and a daal. Cool and store in the fridge.

Finish the wonton wrappers
Roll out the dough as thin as possible (you can cut it in half if you have limited counter space) and then cut the wrappers into 8cm squares. Dust with flour as you go to make sure the wrappers don’t stick together.

Fill the wontons and freeze
Line a baking tray that fits in your freezer with parchment. Lay a wonton wrapper in front of you in a diamond shape. Put 1 ½ tsp celery cashew filling into the centre. Brush the edges of the wonton lightly with water and fold in halfto form a triangle. Press down around the filling (to make sure there are no air bubbles), then press outwards to seal it properly and place it on the parchment. Repeat for the remaining 11 wontons. Put them in the freezer uncovered, and, when you've finished baking the lemon cakes, remove them from the tray, gently lay them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready to cook.

Make the laksa paste
Put 3 cloves of roughly chopped garlic, ½ inch peeled and chopped ginger, 2 tsp red chile powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 lemongrass stalk, and ¾ cup packed cilantro with stems into a blender with 1/3 cup of vegetable stock. Peel and roughly chop 1 shallot and add it too. Whizz to a paste.

Make the laksa soup
Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a deep-sided pot on a low flame and, once hot, scrape the paste into the pot. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t catch, then slowly add 7oz coconut milk until it’s mixed in. Add 1 ⅓ cups stock, ¾ tsp salt, and ¾ tsp sugar and simmer for 20 minutes until rich and flavourful. Season to taste and take of the heat. Store once cool.

Make the saffron, almond, & lemon cakes
Preheat the oven to 400˚F and line a 12 hole muffin tin with eight paper cases. Melt 10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter in a small saucepan, then crumble 20 strands saffron in your fingers and add it to the butter to infuse. Put 1 cup almond flour, ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup sugar, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the 4 egg whites and beat well, then add the butter saffron mixture, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half of a lemon, mixing as you go. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes or until the cakes are golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Prepare the cream cheese frosting for the cakes
Beat ½ cup powdered sugar with ½ stick unsalted softened butter until smooth, then fold in ½ cup + 1 tbsp cream cheese, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half of a lemon until just mixed. When the cakes are cool, spoon over the frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth it around the top of each cake into a gentle cone. Then, place a single saffron thread on each cupcake.

Lunches

Celery and Cashew Wontons
with Chile Soy Sauce

I want to eat this sauce on everything. It’s so good.

Boil a big pot of water. Drop the frozen wontons in batches into the pot so they’re not overcrowded and boil for 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Drain. Divide the wonton between 2 plates and drizzle (dredge) in the sauce you prepped. Scatter some reserved celery leave over top if you have them. (I did not)

Thai Salad
with Grapefruit and Cashews

This salad was the winner this week. It had all the flavours you crave in a Thai salad — that umami, mouth puckering, sweet-sour-spicy combination that you wonder if you could just sip like a gazpacho. I actually cooked some somen noodles to make it a little more substantial as a meal. Noodles also help absorb a lot of the flavour, leaving less dressing at the bottom of the bowl. Whichever noodle you might chose to include, make sure you rinse it really well in cold water so there is no starch.

Put the grapefruit in a bowl with 1 ½ cups finely shredded cabbage, ¼ lb finely julienned carrots, 1 ½ cups shredded iceberg lettuce, ¼ cup torn up Thai basil leaves and mix. Add ½ tsp salt and mix again. Pour the dressing you already made over the salad, mix well, then divide into bowls. Top with a few basil leaves, ¼ cup unsalted chopped cashews, and 1/3 cup crispy fried onions. Devour.

Mouth-Numbing Noodles

Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Cut 140g paneer into ½-inch cubes. Thinly slice 2 scallions. Add the cauliflower and paneer to a roasting pan and season with ½ tsp fine sea salt and ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, mixing to coat evenly. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the florets and paneer are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside (20-25 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl and gently stir in the lentils and scallions. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the cilantro oil dressing you made and serve warm or at room temp.

Caramelized Onion an Chile Ramen

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, warm 2 ½ tbsp canola oil over a medium heat. Add the 1 small onion finely sliced, 2 cloves garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat in the oil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and continue to cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The onions will gradually caramelize and colour, eventually breaking down to form a soft, sweet paste. Add ½ a birds eye chile, finely sliced and 3 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and at 1 tbsp cooking sake, ½ tbsp brown rice miso, stirring well to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust if need be.

Cook 3 ½ oz ramen noodles according to the package instructions. Refresh with cold water and stir in a little oil to keep them from sticking together. Bring the broth back to the boil, add ¼ lb choy sum or bok choy, cut into 2 ½ inch pieces and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender.

To serve, divide the noodles between two bowls and ladle the broth and greens over top. Add one overnight soy egg, sliced lengthwise in half, to each bowl and serve with some chile oil if you like.

New Potato and Green Bean Istoo

Put on some basmati rice.

In a casserole dish for which you have a lid, heat the 1 tbsp canola oil on a medium flame and, once hot, add 5 fresh curry leaves, half a stick of cinnamon and a small onion, sliced. Cook for eight to 10 minutes, until the onion is as soft as possible without colouring, then stir in ½-inch ginger, peeled and finely grated, 2 cloves garlic, crushed, and ½ green finger or serrano chile, and cook for two minutes.

Add ¾ lb small new potatoes, quartered and ½ tsp each salt and pepper. Stir in half a can (7oz) coconut milk, then fill the empty tin with 50ml water, swirl it around and add to the casserole – you want just to cover the potatoes, so add more water, if need be. Bring to a boil on a medium heat, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add ¼ lb green beans trimmed and halved crosswise, cover with the lid and simmer until both the beans and potatoes are tender – around five to six minutes (longer, if you prefer your beans soft).

Serve the curry in a bowl with rice on the side.

Red Lentil Rasam
with Roasted Red Cabbage

Put some basmati rice on to cook.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cut ½ cabbage into thin wedges and put the wedges on a lined roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast for 35 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, make a tamarind dressing. In a small bowl, whisk 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp of water, and ½ tsp oil. After 25 minutes, when the cabbage is tender to the core, and starting to crisp around the edges, remove and brush it’s cut sides generously with the dressing. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently reheat the rasam you prepped.

Ladle the rasam into bowls, top with cabbage, and serve with the rice.

Rutabaga Laksa

Halve a small rutabaga (about 1lb) and cit into ½-inch thick slices, then arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peel and halve 2 shallots and separate them into “petals” by removing the individual segments and put these on a second lined baking sheet. Lightly drizzle canola oil over the vegetables and toss with your hands so they’re well coated then sprinkle with salt. Roast the shallots for 20 minutes and the rutabaga for 30 minutes, until cooked and caramelized.

Cook 3 ½ oz vermicelli noodles in boiling water as per the package instructions (usually 2 to 3 minutes) and then drain and rinse under cold water.

To serve, reheat the soup you made earlier in the week on medium heat. Distribute the noodles between two bowls and ladle over the hot soup. Put the rutabaga and the caramelized shallots on top and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Squeeze a wedge of lime over each serving, and serve with more lime on the side.