meemalee

It's supposed to be Summer, so why are the gutters along my rooftop overflowing with rain? I'm cold, I'm miserable, and I want something to cheer me up.  I wander into the kitchen, and I get a pack of mixed seafood from the freezer, some kimchi from the fridge, a lime, some chives, a chilli, and a packet of udon.  I combine the lot with some vegetable broth and, in minutes, a magical broth is formed. Suddenly it doesn't seem so bad that the sun won't come out to play. Seafood and Kimchi Noodles Serves 2 500ml vegetable stock (I like Marigold bouillon) 400g fresh udon noodles (~ 2 packets) 300g mixed seafood (frozen or fresh, cooked or raw - you can just use prawns if you prefer) 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp good fish sauce (Three Crabs or Hung Thanh Phu Quoc) 4 tbsp kimchi, chopped ( easy recipe here  or buy ready-made) Handful of chives, chopped One lime, halved 1 red finger chilli, chopped (optional) Combine the stock with the sugar in a...

NOODLE! by MiMi Aye A while ago, I was asked to write a book about noodles as part of a wonderful series called 100 Great Recipes published by Absolute Press .  I'm a bit of a noodle geek (though by no means an expert), and there's nothing I like more than sticking my face into a big bowl of the stuff, so my first thought was, "Amazing! I'd love to do this". However, I have a full-time job, so I ummed and ahhed for a while, thinking I wouldn't have the chance to work on it.  Then I decided that, as I was pregnant, I could just write the thing whilst I was on maternity leave.  This was a mistake. She tried to stop me writing this book, but failed. Roll forward a year, and after blood, sweat, tears and many, many sleepless nights, here we are - Noodle! * by me is out today. The dishes were styled by the wonderful Genevieve Taylor and stunning photos taken by Mike Cooper . Forgive me for quoting the official press release, but: Pop...

Smoky Bacon and Watercress Noodle Soup There's a sudden chill in the Spring air, and I feel like I need warming up, but I don't want to indulge in something too stodgy.  This noodle soup is sweet, smoky and slightly sharp - which makes for a satisfying, but light and refreshing dish.  It takes no time at all to make and uses mainly store cupboard ingredients, so is perfect for a week-night meal.  This dish is a recent invention, but it's already become a favourite at home.  You can switch the leafy herbs according to what's available - try mizuna, peashoots, or a friend of mine made a lovely suggestion of using wild garlic which is in season right now. Smoky Bacon and Watercress Noodles  ( this also appeared in The Guardian's COOK supplement on 15 March 2014 ) Serves 2 Ingredients 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon 500ml chicken or vegetable stock 2 tbsp caster sugar 300g fresh udon or rice noodles 2 tbsp light soy sauc...