Sarahs Kitchen Travels

Author: Sarah Gurung

  • Sichuan spiced potato salad

    Serves 6-8 as a side dish
    All the flavours of Sichuan in China in a salad

    After travelling round Sichuan I came back with a craving for the unmistakable flavours of the hundreds of varieties of crispy chilli you get there. I know mayonnaise and yoghurt is about as far away from Sichuan cooking as it gets but hay it works.

    Ingredients

    • 500 grams | 1 lb cooked salad potatoes
    • 50 ml | ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • 50 ml | ¼ cup set plain yoghurt
    • 1 teaspoon crispy chilli in oil*
    • ¼ teaspoon ground timur **
    • Juice of half a lime
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    Mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, chilli, timur, and lime juice together in a bowl. Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and add them to the mayonnaise dressing stir well, taste and add salt to taste. Serve immediately this salad is best fresh but it will keep for a day or 2 in the fridge, you may need to add a little bit more mayonnaise and yoghurt to refresh the salad before serving.

    *Crispy chilli in oil is a Chinese condiment if you don’t have any then, for this recipe, you can make a quick version.  Place 1 teaspoon dried crushed chillies, 1 star anise, and ½ a thinly sliced clove of garlic in a heat proof dish.  Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to medium hot, once the oil is medium hot pour it over the chillies. When the oil and chilli stops sizzling remove the star anise and add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce and stir well, allow the chilli oil to cool before you use it.

    **If you don’t have timur you can use Sichuan or black pepper.

  • Chinese Beef and Green Bean salad

    Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter
    The addictive flavours of soy, ginger, and garlic make this beef salad.

    The Chinese trinity of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic one of my absolute favourites, it’s the background flavour that makes this salad so addictive.

    Ingredients

    • 250 grams |8 oz steak, roughly 2 cm | 1 inch thick
    • 200 grams | 7 oz fine green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2 inch lengths
    • 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced lengthways
    • 1 large or 2 small shallots peeled and very thinly sliced lengthways
    • 1 red chilli, finally chopped, seeds removed for a milder taste
    • 10 grams | ½ oz fresh ginger, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
    • 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar*1
    • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
    • 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon timur*2
    • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

    Method

    Lightly oil and sear the steak on a very hot skillet, 2-3 minutes each side, don’t move the steak around as you want caramelised lines on the outside and the steak is cooked medium rare. Set the steak to one side to cool. Place the beans into a pan of boiling salted water and cook until they are just soft. Drain the beans and plunge them into cold water for 1 minute, drain them and set them aside to cool further.

    While the steak and beans are cooling mix the chopped chilli, ginger, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, timur, and sesame seeds, together in a bowl. Once the steak is cooled slice it into thin strips and add the strips to the dressing stir well then add all the remaining ingredients and stir again. Check for salt and add more if needed, allow the salad to stand for one hour before serving.

    *1 If you don’t have Chinese black vinegar us Balsamic vinegar and leave the sugar out

    *2 If you don’t have timur you can use Sichuan pepper instead

  • New York French Toast

    Serves 4
    Crispy fluffy French toast

    It was a the cliche New York morning when I first tasted something similar to this.  A line of yellow cabs outside a very busy average looking diner hinted that this was probably a good place to eat.  I ordered their ‘Ultimate French Toast’.  What arrived was sliced bread, dipped in egg and cornflakes then covered with vanilla sugar.  The concept blew me away and I had to play around with the idea.

    Ingredients

    • 4 slices brioche loaf roughly 1 inch thick
    • 3 eggs egg 
    • 3 tablespoons milk
    • 30 grams | 1 ¼ oz cornflakes
    • Flavourless vegetable oil for shallow frying

    Method

    Whisk the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Roughly crush the cornflakes and spread them out on a plate.

    Gently heat the oil in a shallow frying pan to medium or until a small piece of cornflake sizzles when dropped in the oil. Dip a brioche slice, at a time,  into the egg mixture then into the cornflakes, gently pressing the cornflakes onto the brioche. Shallow fry slice until the underside is golden and crispy.  Turn the slice over and fry on the other side until golden and crispy.  Remove from the pan and drain on a piece of kitchen paper, repeat for the remaining brioche slices. 

    Serve this toast with fresh fruit compote and cream or yoghurt

  • Tibetan Beef and celery stir-fry

    Serves 4 as part of a multi dish sharing meal
    Tibetan style stir fry of beef and celery

    I had a dish similar to this made with Yak meat and Tibetan celery in a teashop close to the Tibetan boarder. Tibetan celery is more like mild lovage than the celery we get, the dish was so good I had to grow some lovage. Go sparing on western lovage though, after a shocking attempt I discovered its best just to use a few leaves instead of the celery leaves.

    Ingredients

    Marinade

    • 450 grams | 1 lb very thinly sliced steak 
    • 1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
    • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce.
    • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon ground timur or Sichuan pepper
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon rice or cider vinegar

    For cooking

    • 4 spring onions
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz celery sticks, sliced into bite sized pieces 
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
    • 1 inch ginger (approximately 10 grams), sliced and then cut the slices into small matchsticks
    • 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 240 ml | 1 cup water
    • 1 teaspoon cornflower
    • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
    • celery or lovage leaves, finely shredded

    Method

    Cover the steak slices with the bicarbonate of soda and massage to cover all the beef, leave the soda to do its job for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes rinse the beef well and dry on some paper towel. Place steak with the light and dark soy sauce timur, brown sugar and vinegar into a bowl and mix well so the steak is covered with all the ingredients set aside to marinade for 20 minutes.

    Heat the oil to very hot sear the steak slices so they are just cooked through and caramelising in places. Remove them from the oil and set them aside for later, this is best done in 3 to 4 small batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Once the steak has all been seared, add the celery garlic and ginger to the pan with 100 mil of the water and cook on high until the celery just loses its rawness, turn the heat down slightly. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce with the chilli and sliced spring onions, stir briefly. Mix the cornflower with the remaining If you have a lot of liquid at this stage add a little of the cornflower water mixture to thicken the sauce if you feel you need more sauce add the rest of the water with more of the cornflower mixture. Return the beef to the pan with the celery leaves and stir well so the beef is well heated through and covered in the sauce check for seasoning the dishes ready to serve straight away.

    Best served with plain boiled rice, if this is part of a multi dish meal for 4 I suggest 2-3 dishes and the rice.

  • Moroccan spiced roast lamb

    Serves 4-6
    Soft succulent lamb roasted slowly with Moroccan spices

    I’d like to think I discovered this recipe under star lit desert skies. The reality is that years ago I saw a tv program about Morocco and a Berber wedding where they roast a whole lamb in a fire pit. This is my families most requested ‘special occasion’ dish so I’m happy with that.

    Ingredients

    • 2 kg | 4 lbs bone in lamb shoulder
    • 2 onions, peeled and halved
    • 240 ml | 1 cup water

    For the marinade

    • 100 ml | 3.5 fluid oz olive oil
    • 1 medium preserved lemon
    • 1 tablespoon preserved lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
    • 2 teaspoons roughly crushed black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 15 threads saffron
    • 3 cloves chopped garlic
    Preparation (the day before)
    • Wizz all the marinade ingredients up to make a paste (similar texture to mayonnaise)
    • Lightly pierce the lamb shoulder all over with a sharp pointed knife and rub the marinade all over it making sure you cover every bit of meat. Place the lamb in an airtight container or wrap it very well and leave it to marinade for a minimum of 6 hours, 24 hours is best, in the fridge.

    Method

    Preheat your oven to 220°C | 180°C fan, 465°F

    Peel and cut the onions in half

    Place the onions cut side down in the middle of a roasting pan and add the water. Gently wipe any excess marinade from the lamb, add the excess marinade to the water in the pan. Place the lamb on top of the onions and cover the pan with a lid or 2 layers of tinfoil making sure you have a tight seal around the pan. Place the pan in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes then turn the heat down to 170°C | 155°C fan, 350°F and roast for a further 3 hours, check each hour, the liquid level should be just below the lamb, add more water if you need to.

    After 3 ½ hours turn the heat back up to 220°C | 180°C fan, 465°F and remove the lid/tinfoil and cook for a further 20 minutes to crisp up the outside.  Let the sauce dry and caramelise but don’t let it burn, once caramelised add more water to make a gravy, check for seasoning and add more salt to taste.  Once it’s cooked the bones should just pull away from the meat if not let it cook a little longer turning the heat back down.  Let the meat rest covered with foil and an extra tea towel for ½ an hour before serving.

  • Nepalese spiced baked Sea Bream

    Serves 2
    roasted sea bream marinaded in Nepalese spices

    This an old recipe from Maleku in Nepal it goes back to the days before the bridge washed away when Maleku was just a few fishermen’s houses each with it’s own fish restaurant and porters room in the back. In Maleku this was made with river fish which are difficult to find in Guernsey where the Bream are plentiful and a tasty substitute.

    Ingredients

    Marinade

    • 500 grams | 1 lb whole sea bream, gills removed then de-spined and de-scaled
    • 10 grams | 2 inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
    • 10 grams | 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 green finger chilli, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
    • 1 teaspoon Yak Yeti Yak masala or garam masala
    • 45 ml | 1 fluid oz vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    For cooking

    • 200 grams | 7 oz baby plum tomatoes
    • 1 small green pepper, de-seeded and sliced
    • 1 lemon, sliced and juiced
    • 1 green finger chilli, chopped
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Method 

    Place the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and grind to a powder add the ginger, garlic, turmeric, 1 roughly chopped chilli, masala, vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice then grind to a paste. Make 2 deep gashes to either side of the bream and cover the bream all over with the marinade, leave the bream to marinade for 1 to 4 hours.

    Pierce the plum tomatoes and place them in an oven proof dish with the finely chopped chilli, green pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and mix them so the chilli is evenly distributed. With a piece of kitchen paper wipe the excess marinade off the bream, it’s fine to leave a little of the marinade behind. Place the bream in the dish, on top of the tomatoes and arrange the lemon slices around the sides. Roast for 25 minutes or the until bream flesh is fully opaque it should easily come away from the bones when you test it. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

     

  • Nepalese, squash kale and crispy garlic

    Serves 2 as a generous main or 4 as a side dish
    stir fried curry of squash and kale

    This was born out of the make a curry out of whatever we have hanging around style of cooking I have at home. Now it’s a dish in it’s own right.

    Ingredients

    • 450 grams | 1 lb acorn squash, deseeded and cut into bite-size pieces
    • 50 grams | 2 oz young kale, stalks removed and leaves roughly torn into bite sizes pieces
    • ½ tablespoon finely grated garlic
    • 10 grams | ½ oz fresh ginger, finely sliced and cut it into thin matchsticks
    • 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
    • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
    • 2 green finger chilies, split lengthways leaving them attached at the stalk
    • 1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 ½ teaspoons simple or garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 50 ml | ¼ cup vegetable oil 50 mil
    • 200 ml | 1 cup water
    • Garnish
    • 2 very thinly sliced garlic cloves

    Method

    Heat the oil in a wide buttoned pan until medium hot, add the chilies and sliced garlic for the garnish, fry until the garlic slices are golden brown then remove the garlic slices from the oil and set it aside. Depending how hot you want your curry you can either remove the chilies for a milder curry or leave them to cook for a spicier curry. Add the cumin seeds to the hot oil and allow them to sizzle until they start to brown (about 30 seconds), add the shallots and let them sizzle for a minute, stirring them to prevent them from burning. Add the ginger, grated garlic, turmeric and salt to the shallots and continue to cook stirring for 30 seconds before adding the water and bring it to the boil. Once the water is boiling turn the heat down a little and add the squash. Place a lid on the pan and cook until the squash is softening but retains a little bite (5 to 10 minutes). Add the tomato and allow it to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the tomato starts to soften. Tear the kale leaves into rough pieces and wash it but don’t dry it, then add the kale on the top of the pan with the water still clinging to the leaves.  Place the lid on the pan and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Once the kale is wilted stir it into the squash check for seasoning. Serve straight away sprinkled with the reserved crispy garlic.

  • Peach melba swiss roll

    fluffy swiss roll filled with soft whipped cream, fresh peaches and raspberry jam

    Fluffy swiss roll filled with soft whipped cream, fresh peaches and raspberry jam. if ever the UK gets a sunny summers day this is the cake to go for.

    Ingredients

    • 4 large eggs
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz granulated sugar
    • 100 grams |3 ½ oz self raising flour
    • 2 tablespoons cornflour
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon cider vinegar

    For the filling

    • 300 ml | 10 ½ fluid oz double cream
    • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 ripe peaches cut into wedges.
    • 6 tablespoons seedless, raspberry jam, or to taste

    Method

    • Pre-heat oven to 180°C | 160°C fan, 350°F
    • Grease a swiss roll tin, and line it with grease proof paper

    Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the sugar, vanilla extract and cider vinegar over them. Using a hand blender, blend them slowly for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the speed on the mixer to high and continue to whisk until the mixture has doubled in size, it should be a pale custard colour. Sieve the flour and cornflour together, then add them to the egg mixture and gently fold them in, you need to take care to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.  Once all the flower is folded in pour the mixture into the Swiss roll tin.  Tip the tin from side to side until the batter is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan.

    Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, take care not to overbake the cake as your swiss role will split when you roll it, the cake should be pale and spongey to the touch.  Once cooked, take the cake from the oven and immediately sprinkle 2 tablespoons of castor sugar over the top.  Place a fresh piece of greaseproof paper on the top, followed by a cooling rack upside down then tip the whole thing over the right way up. Remove the tin and peel the original greaseproof paper that you lined the tin with, off the cake. While the cake is still warm make a slight cut about 1 inch in from the end of the cake of the short side.  Gently roll the cake from the short side keeping the greaseproof paper in place and leave the cake to cool.

    In a bowl, stir the cream, caster sugar and vanilla extract together, then whisk to the soft peaks stage.

    Once the cake has gone completely cold, unroll it and spread it with the raspberry jam, then cover the jam with the cream mixture. Place the peach wedges in lines across the short side in equally spaced lines. Carefully roll the cake back up this time removing the greaseproof paper as you go until you reach the end.  Let the swiss roll stand for 5 to 10 minutes before you serve.

  • Prosecco syrup

    Makes approximately 500 ml | 17 fluid oz
    Prosecco syrup is delicious as a drizzle over ice-cream or fresh berries also brilliant in a cocktail

    I’m sorry, honestly I really am but I need to confess that I don’t like Prosecco. This recipe came about because I felt guilty throwing away opened bottle that someone had kindly given me. This syrup keeps indefinitely in the fridge and is delicious poured over berries for a guilt free dessert.

    Ingredients

    • 700 ml | 24 ½ fluid oz Prosecco
    • Zest of one orange
    • One star anise
    • 350 grams | 12 oz white sugar

    Method

    Bring the Prosecco, orange zest, and star anise to a rolling boil. Boil the prosecco until it has reduced by half to 350 ml. Add the sugar and bring the prosecco and sugar mixture back to a fast boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove* the star anise and set it aside to cool. Once it’s cooled strain into a screw up bottle and use as you like. I like this drizzled over fresh berries.

    *Be very careful not to burn yourself when you remove the star anise, the syrup will be very hot at this stage.

    Prosecco syrup always sounds so impressive but in truth it’s ridiculously easy. You don’t need to open a new bottle of Prosecco to make this. Every time you open a bottle and have a little leftover pop it into a freezer proof bag and freeze it until you have 700 ml | 24 ½ fluid oz. This recipe is just as good made with frozen Prosecco.

  • Love Apple Jelly

    Makes approximately three jars
    omato jelly, this may sound unusual but it's delicious with savoury and sweet dishes

    This recipe is a tribute to my mother’s last cookery book and her ‘Love Apple Marmalade’. In the early 1980’s I worked with her on this and made so much marmalade the recipe is burned into my brain on auto pilot. I never wanted to see another jar of tomato marmalade, until of course I did want to make it again. I have given it a bit of a modern twist to go well with savoury food.

    Ingredients

    • 1 kg | 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz red peppers seeded and roughly chopped
    • 1 lemon, roughly chopped as small as possible, split the seeds open
    • 1 teaspoon ground timur
    • 2 star anise
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 500 ml | 1 pint of water
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Sugar, depending on the how much juice you have after straining*
    • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional to add with the sugar

    Method

    Place the tomatoes, peppers, lemon with the seeds, water, and spices into steep sided pan, gradually bring everything to the boil. Cook the mixture until all the vegetables are very soft strain the cooked tomatoes through a jelly bag overnight.

    Next day, sterilise your jam jars. Measure the juice from the vegetables and return it to the pan. Measure an equal weight of sugar to the volume of the juice you have*.  Add the sugar and chilli flakes to the pan. Bring to a fast boil and cooked until it reaches the setting stage, let the jelly cool 5 to 10 minutes before pouring into jars and sealing.

    * 100 ml of juice needs 100 grams of sugar