Recipe Round Up (July Addition)
All my recipes from this month!
I hope you’ve had a fabulous week and are ready for the weeeeekend! How would you describe your week? Cause if I had to choose one word to describe this past week, it would be “feast”! It has been jam-packed with food festivals, tasting menus, and exploring new cuisines.
Here’s a little overview of the things I got up to:
Packed with food exhibitors, chef demonstrations, and pop-up restaurants, Savour Festival is a weekend-long food festival in London. My friends and I visited on the Friday and spent the afternoon eating, drinking, and having a great time. Here are a few independent brands that I loved and will continue to support: KUDA cocktails (best tasting rum punch I’ve ever had) , Mergulo Plant-Based Butter (gorgeous vegan butter), Holy Carrot Vegan Restaurant (flavourful and colourful plant-based pop-up restaurant), and MOTH drinks (strong, tasty, and great quality cocktails in a can).
This fine dining restaurant is run by chef Gabriel Waterhouse in Bethnal Green, London. Henry and I visited on a Saturday lunchtime when they serve their “short” tasting menu. Not only were the dishes simply incredible (taste and looks), but the décor, the front of house, and the whole experience was so unique. AND it was only £100pp including 5 wine pairings…which is very very good value. The restaurant has a scandi-type aesthetic, with an open kitchen (so you can experience the chefs in their natural habitat) and stunning high ceilings. It’s spacious, relaxing, and a perfect place to visit for a special event. Their plates were some of the best dishes I’ve ever set my taste-buds upon. I can’t recommend this dining experience enough.
Half-way through the week, my friend and I visited Rika Moon, a Japanese fusion fine dining restaurant in Notting Hill. From delicious cocktails to fresh sushi, it was a lovely dining experience. The “small dishes” started at £12 and mains started at £24. We ordered an array of dishes but my personal favourite was the Hokkiado Scallop & Asparagus Kushiyaki (£18) for starters and Crispy Prawn, Avocado, and Cucumber Sushi Maki for main (£19 for 8 pieces). It was quite expensive, I have to admit. So, I don’t think i’ll be returning soon, but it’s a great place to go if you fancy trying sushi in a fancy setting.
Can you believe that I’d never had Nigerian food before?! Anyway, since moving to London I really wanted to try it, so my friend and I went to Flygerians for lunch, an independent, family-run Nigerian street food restaurant in Peckham, South London. We started off with some Sweet Agege Bread (sweet toasted bread chunks served with the most incredible homemade garlic butter) and a portion of Plantain (soft, sweet, and sticky). We then devoured some Beef Suya (diced beef peppered stake spiced with Nigeria’s traditional suya seasoning), Efo Riro (Spinach stew), and Jollof Rice (basmati rice slow cooked in a red pepper stew). I was a fan of all the food, however, the only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the Supermalt haha. It’s a barley drink that tastes kind of like beer, lemonade, and bread, all in one. Personally not a fan, but you might be! It’s a classic Nigerian drink that should be tried at least once.
Okay, now that you’ve heard all about my food outings, onto some recipes! This week I’ve decided to share every recipe I’ve created this month, so you can cook away to your heart’s content.
Recipe Round Up (July Addition)
TAHINI CHILLI OIL SPAGHETTI - This easy tahini chilli oil spaghetti is so delicious and comes together in no time. I'm absolutely obsessed with it at the moment, I hope you like it!
CHICKEN & PRAWN DUMPLINGS - If you love dumplings as much as I do, then you're going to love these Chicken & Prawn Dumplings with a gorgeous homemade chilli tahini sauce. They're some of my favourite dumplings to make and are perfect to impress your dinner guests!
VEGAN RICE BALLS - If you've never made Vegan Rice Balls before, then this is your sign to make this simple and tasty dinner that takes less than 20 minutes! These rice balls are flavoured with chili and basil stir-fried tofu and are totally vegan.
20-MINUTE PORK BELLY FRIED RICE - This is my easy recipe for pork belly fried rice made with crispy pork belly pieces, eggs, and lemongrass coconut fried rice - ready in 20 minutes. It's so simple to make and only uses a handful of ingredients. It's one of my go-to weeknight dinners, I hope you enjoy it!
BUTTER BEAN & SPINACH CURRY - This is my super simple butter bean and spinach curry that only uses a handful of spices and a few other ingredients. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a perfect weeknight dinner!
COCONUT BAO (STEAMED BUNS) - These fluffy coconut bao (steamed buns) are filled with a gorgeous lemongrass and pork mixture. The dough only requires two ingredients and is super easy to make.
WAGAMAMA PAD THAI - Make one of the most popular Wagamama noodle dishes at home with my super easy Wagamama Pad Thai recipe. After lots of research, testing, and eating, I've created the best copycat recipe that tastes just as good as the original Wagamama recipe.
BARBIE PASTA - This pink pasta not only looks incredible, but it tastes SO good too. You might have seen this dish on TikTok, because this viral Barbie Pasta is everywhere! My version only requires a handful of ingredients and is super simple to make.
POLLO PICCANTE PASTA - Inspired by Zizzi's Casareccia Pollo Piccante pasta recipe, this super simple pollo piccante (aka spicy chicken pasta) is so delicious and only requires a handful of ingredients. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner served with a fresh green salad.
SPANISH-STYLE WONTONS - These are my Spanish-style wontons. They're filled with chorizo, feta, and red peppers, placed on a bed of smokey tomato sauce, and are absolutely delicious. You could also call these chorizo dumplings or tortellini. I could eat these every day!
Happy cooking everyone! See you in August!
Em xx