meemalee

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...

Burmese Meatball Curry A-thar-lohn-hin aka meatball curry is eaten throughout Burma, but especially in Upper Burma. It is usually made with goat ( seit-thar ), but beef ( a-mair-thar ) is also popular. Lamb makes an excellent substitute, although is uncommonly used in Burma, partly because the Burmese word for "lamb" is thoh which also sounds like our word for "rotten". It's also good using 50:50 pork and beef mince, and the higher up you travel in Burma, the more likely pork will feature in the mix. Traditionally served with steamed rice, you could also eat it with naan bread, or even serve on noodles for a Burmese take on spaghetti and meatballs. Burmese Meatball Curry (A-thar-lohn hin) Serves 4-6 For the sauce 4 medium onions, diced  2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp turmeric 4 tbsp groundnut or other neutral oil 400g can chopped tomatoes  3 red finger chillies  1 tbsp sweet paprika  2 tbsp fish sauce - good quality - I like Three ...

On the road back from Pindaya in 1989. Shortly afterwards, we overturned the car trying to avoid a bullock. As Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have discovered in the Top Gear Burma Christmas (?) special which has just been shown on BBC2, transport in Burma (also known as Myanmar) is interesting .  For instance, as a result of British colonial rule, we used to drive on the left-hand side and so all the cars are left-hand drive, but in 1970, Ne Win , the military ruler who was in charge of Burma for decades, decided out of superstition that he would make everyone switch to driving on the right as apparently we were sliding to the left politically (he also once shot at his own reflection in a mirror because he believed that would make him safe from assassination). This change made, and makes, driving in Burma slightly terrifying, as the driver can't really see the road properly.  And until recently, only military and government officials were allowed to ...

Mogok Pork Curry (photo by Luiz Hara ) My mother is from Mogok, a chilly gem-mining town in the hilly north of Burma, where everyone adores pork ( I mentioned before that they refer to wages as "pork funds").  This classic Mogok curry is more or less used to wean Burmese children - my nephews and nieces can eat bowls and bowls of the stuff, as it's sweet and mild, yet addictive.  Before my youngest nephew could talk properly, whenever he visited his grandparents, he'd ask for " pork and yice " (pork and rice), and I'm pleased to say that my one year old daughter is now an equally big fan. BURMESE PORK CURRY, MOGOK-STYLE ( Wet-thar Hnut ) Serves 4 to 6, freezes well 1 kg pork leg or shoulder, with some fat, diced into 2.5cm cubes 100ml malt vinegar 4 medium white onions, peeled 4 cloves of garlic, peeled 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled 4 tbsp groundnut oil 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp dark so...

Coconut Prawn Curry I stockpile cans like there's no tomorrow . Chopped and plum tomatoes, baked beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans, sweetcorn, pilchards, sardines, corned beef, condensed milk, random meat products which I bought partly because of their amusing names, and even a forlorn tin of Libby's pumpkin, waiting, always waiting, to be turned into pumpkin pie some (Thanksgiving) day. The other tin which stares at me reproachfully is one of coconut milk. "You only ever use me to make ohn-no khao swè ", it says to me. "I am so versatile and exciting. DO SOMETHING WITH ME. LET ME LIVE". So I made up this dish. Coconut Prawn Curry Recipe Serves 4 500g large raw prawns 3 tbsp oil 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed of woody bits and finely chopped OR 1 tsp lemongrass paste 1 tbsp Marigold bouillon 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin coconut milk 1 tbsp fish sauce Sm...

My favourite restaurant in London is Viajante , so I was absolutely gutted to discover that it's closing at the end of this month. I have always had a brilliant (and sometimes surprising) meal there, and it's as far away from "fayn dayning" as I can think of. (in fact, the last time we went, my husband and I rolled up after having been to Field Day in nearby Victoria Park and one of the festival acts was chatting up a lady on the front doorstep). Nuno Mendes, the chef behind Viajante, is moving on to Chiltern Firehouse which Square Meal describes as: "very different from that of Viajante, with no tasting menus and a more casual feel ... contemporary, ingredient-focused… with an underlying American accent and will showcase the diversity of modern American cooking".   That's all well and good, but what makes Viajante so magnificent is that you turn up, you choose the number of courses you want and then you're left in their wiza...