Author: Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen

Summer Rolls

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It’s not quite Summer, but after all the over indulgence of Christmas I wanted something lighter.  These are packed with fresh veggies and herbs, and you can add whatever protein you like.  I used prawns because I had some left in the freezer, but left over cooked chicken or pork can be used and vegetarians can use firm tofu or tempeh.

You can find rice paper in Asian supermarkets and I’ll be honest it can be fiddly when you start working with it.  The one I used needed to be soaked in a bowl of water for a minute and I made a mess of the few I tried.  But you’ll get into a rhythm where you have a leaf of rice paper soaking while you assemble a roll and you be a total  machine at making these in no time.

You can spend time making designs etc, that can be seen through the rice paper to make them pretty ( I was hungry so decided not to faff about).  You can also use any variety of vegetables you enjoy.

I served this with a peanut (sort of stay sauce), which is quick and easy.

Serves 2

Sheets of rice paper (you’ll probably struggle with the first couple so consider these practice ones, but you’ll get into the way of doing it in no time)

Half a red pepper (thinly sliced)

Quarter head of red cabbage (thinly sliced)

Handful of sugar snap peas or mange tout (thinly sliced)

1 Carrot (thinly sliced)

50 Grams Thin rice noodles (cook according to instructions on the packet)

Herbs – I used mint and coriander

100 Grams Tiger prawns (use whichever cooked protein you have.

For the dipping sauce

2 Tbsp Peanut butter

Juice of half a lime

1 Tsp fish sauce

Pinch of sugar

1/2 Tsp Chilli power (or 1/2 fresh chili)

Method

  • Assemble all your ingredients
  • Check the instructions on the rice paper, mine told me to soak for 1 minute.  I used a large flat bowl and topped it up with warmish water. 
  • Soak one sheet at a time, adding a new sheet to soak when you lift one out.  The paper should be soft enough to be pliable but not mushy
  • Lift the soaked rice paper onto a board and fill with a selection of your fillings in the centre leaving a 2cm edge.  Don’t over pack or it will split.
  • Fold in the edge closest to you and then tuck in the sides and fold into a roll (a bit like a smaller version of a burrito).  Set to one side and then start the next roll
  • For the dipping sauce, adf all the ingredients to a bowl and stir in a couple of tablespoons of boiling water to loosen up the mixture and stir well before checking the seasoning
  • Best eaten the day they are made

Hanoi – Vietnam

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I’m not going to be coy, I absolutely loved Hanoi.

I didn’t know a huge amount about Hanoi or Vietnam so wasn’t sure what to expect (which is probably the best way to visit a place).

That being said Hanoi has a serious smog problem, so if you have serious respiratory issues, definitely wear a mask and keep an inhaler handy.  The city is home to more than 8 million people and has at least 6 million mopeds.  The country is working on building their own electric vehicles but the cost makes these inaccessible to most people. 

If you want to learn more about the food or culture of the city I would definitely recommend  getting in touch with Hanoi Kids, http://www.hanoikidsorg  This is a non profit organization where college students meet up with you and can show you around based on what your interests are (and also gives the students a chance to practice their already excellent English).  We met up with 2 fantastic students Tom and Noonn who were great company.  I wanted to know more about the city’s food scene and they took us to places we would never have ventured (I’m talking up back alleys to eat delicious Pho at the back of someone’s house).  There is no formal charge for this, but you should tip your guides well as they do an excellent job and this goes back into the club.

They also introduced me to Vietnamese egg coffee.  The thought of egg and coffee in the same cup didn’t sound too appealing, but it’s definitely worth trying (and doesn’t taste eggy).  It was invented after the war when dairy was scarce.  The coffee is almost a mousse and would remind you of tiramisu and the cup is served in a bowl of hot water to keep it warm.  Coffee with condensed milk is also popular and Vietnam grows and produces excellent coffee.

The city is full of history, and the Hao Lo prison should definitely be on your itinerary.  The prison was formally known as the Maison Centrale, and was a large foreboding prison expanded by French colonial forces when they invaded the country in the late 19th century.  Needless to say the French did some very bad shit and the Vietnamese people were treated appallingly while fighting for independence.  Being able to stand in the cells, see the guillotine used and hearing first hand accounts from prisoners brings a very dark period to light and shows the bravery and resilience of the people.  The prison was also known as the Hanoi Hilton and was home to captured US military pilots in the 1960s and early 1970s.  The exhibition showed some of the military personnel from both countries working together since the war to help identify and repatriate those who died in an attempt to reconcile the past.  This was a very moving place to visit and gave a good background on Vietnam ‘s more recent history.

If you feel like a slightly lighter visit, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel is also worth a visit.   Located in central Hanoi, the citadel dates back to the 10th century and was home to different dynastic royal families and imperial administration.  Historically, doctorates and laureates were awarded at the citadel, so when we visited a lot of high school kids were graduating and it’s traditional to visit the site.  There were also several school field trips with younger kids visiting who were exceptionally sweet and well behaved, shouting hello and waving to us.  Education and literacy are extremely important to the Vietnamese and you will see book shops everywhere.

While the city is large, if you base yourself in either the old or French quarter you will probably be within walking distance of most of the sites worth visiting.  The area around the Thang Long lake is pedestrianised at the weekends and you’ll find families out with young kids enjoying street entertainment and night markets and it is a great way to kick back and enjoy the city.

 If you’ve had enough walking but aren’t going to far, you can also take one of the bicycle rickshaws you’ll see across to the city.   I’m still going to recommend using the ride service GRAB (not sponsored by them, but open to it).  You can use this to book a taxi, or hop on the back of a moped at a cheaper rate (no amount of money would pay me to do this, as traffic signals seem to be little more than a suggestion).

No visit to Hanoi would be complete without a visit to Train Street.  It is literally a narrow street lined with bars and cafes where you can watch a train cut right through the middle of the street.  It’s great fun and worth dropping by when a train is due and the surrounding streets also have great places to eat and drink.  Small low seats and tables right on the street are normal, but you can also find higher seats easily enough.

Hanoi is excellent value for money if you’re on a budget and you’ll enjoyed meeting the people who were warm, funny and friendly.

Bangkok – Thailand

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I had never been to Bangkok before and the adjectives for it are enormous, crazy and scorching hot.

It’s a city of massive contradictions.  The traffic is like nowhere I’ve ever seen.  Apparently it has the second most congested traffic in the world, with more than 4.5 million people living in the city.  We spent over 2 hours trying to go 4 kms in rush hour.

There is public transport including an MRT train line, buses and the ever present tuktuks.  If you haven’t been on one before they are great fun on a night out, with bright neon bands and music pumping.  They are also slightly terrifying as the drivers also have a blatant disregard for the rules of the road, and I swear one went up on two wheels when we were going around a corner.  Like with taxis, a good tip is to agree a price before you set off.

You can also get to where you need to go along the water, with ferries and river taxis being cheap and frequent.

You’ll be surrounded by food wherever you go, and you can’t walk more than a couple of metres without finding a food stall providing cheap and tasty food of every description or cold drinks that you will definitely need.  The food from the food stalls was great and cheap, as always look for stalls where the locals are eating and have a good turnover, and don’t get cocky with the chillies they are wickedly hot.  I guarantee you’ll become addicted to the mango and coconut sticky rice sold everywhere.

I was staying near the ICON SIAM Mall and if you want to enjoy a variety of Thai food with some air con it has one of the best and prettiest food courts I have ever seen, with sections offering food from each region of Thailand, as well as food from other Asian countries. You can also pick up pretty cool food related gifts here too.

As a keen cook I treated myself to a morning learning to cook Thai dishes and included a visit to a local food market and tuktuk ride back to the cookery school.  Ping, at the Sabeing cookery school was our guide/instructor and gave lots of really is interesting information about Thai cuisine and ingredients and if you get a chance to visit Bangkok I would definitely recommend it.

As a kid I was enthralled by the movie, ‘The King and I’  (I only learned recently that the Thai people are not fans of the film, and in hindsight I can understand why it is problematic) but still wanted to see the royal palace, which did not disappoint.  Richly decorated and full of history, it was everything I hoped it would be.  I also walked another 10 minutes along the river to Wat Pho, the temple is the site of the giant reclining Buddha.  (Quick traveller tip, on the way to Wat Pho you may be approached by tour guides telling you the site is closed today, but they can show you other sites, this is usually a scam)

 Like most sacred sites and in the palace you’ll be expected to cover up if you’re showing too much skin, and behave respectfully.    Within the grounds of the temple there is a massage school, and if you’re tired from site seeing, this is a perfect chance to rest and have an exceptional massage for around £10.

I would recommend everyone to treat yourself to an authentic Thai massage if you’re visiting, and prices seemed to range from £6-£10.  If you’ve never had an authentic Thai massage before you’ll probably be asked to change into loose pyjamas and you’ll lie on a low platform often in the same room as other patrons.   Then a very sweet smiley lady about the size of a nine year old boy will twist you like a pretzel and work you over like you owed her money, using her hands, elbows, knees and feet.  Don’t be surprised if they kneel on you, digging both their knees into your butt cheeks. However, stick with it because you’ll feel like a million dollars after it.

Bangkok is famous for its night life, and if you’ve ever watched The Hangover 2, it’s totally within the realms of possibility that some people could go totally wild.   I didn’t get a chance to visit Kaoh San Road (which by all accounts is the place to go if you’re interested in hard-core partying). I did visit the Pat Pong night market which was good for knock off clothes and tourist tat.  It also has a pretty vibrant bar scene.  Some hostess bars had worrying young looking girls enticing customers in (I’m trying not to be judgmental, as I was talking to a young Thai woman at my hotel who looked about 11 but was actually 22).  Street touts will also try to encourage you into drag shows  and “ping pong” shows (and we’re not table tennis!)

Bangkok is pretty hectic, but you should definitely be able to find something you’ll love whether it’s food, shopping, nightlife or history and culture.

Singapore -Simply Sensational

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You know you’ve landed somewhere pretty special when even the airport has a waterfall, monorail and butterfly garden.  It’s also amazingly well run, efficient and pleasant to travel in and out of.  It’s a no announcement airport so it’s surprisingly calm without constant intelligible “bing bong” announcements so it’s important to check your flight details.

If you haven’t visited Asia before Singapore is an excellent entry way.  As a former British colony English is widely spoken, signs and announcements are also in English (they also drive on the left hand side of the road).

The city itself is a beautiful mix of historic buildings and iconic skyscrapers.  It’s a lot greener and less frenetic than cities like Hong Kong and Bangkok.  It is also an important financial and business and hub, and it’s clear there is also a lot of money floating about the place. But the city also has a fascinating history and has been a crossroads for multiple cultures. 

The local indigenous population refer to themselves as Hainese.   Throughout the city you’ll find other communities like Arab Street and Hagi Lane where you can find the beautiful Sultan Mosque, where Muslim merchants originally settled and you can find multiple pretty little Turkish, Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants. 

Walk about 10 minutes and you’re in Little India, there is also a sizable China Town, with endless places to eat, a night market and beautiful ornate Hindu temple.

Hawker markets also play an important part in the food culture of the city, producing over 1 million meals daily, as it’s common for locals to eat out daily.  They are essentially food courts where you can buy everything from the local speciality of chicken and rice (poached chicken and rice served with a simple but tasty chicken broth and costs about £3.20), through to other dishes from all over Asia. 

The Lau Pa Sat hawker market was probably my favourite but is popular with tourists, it runs alongside what’s known as Satay Street.  As you’ve probably guessed you can find multiple vendors cooking and selling satay skewers with chicken and  prawn being the most popular, but frankly I thought it was overpriced, with food inside the hawker market being better value.  The Maxwell hawker market in Chinatown was probably more authentic but maybe less fancy.

Singapore is incredibly easy to get around, the airport is only 30 mins from the city centre, and it has an excellent underground railway system (MRT) with fares costing around £1, and you can just tap your debit card going through the turnstile, so no queuing for a ticket.  There is an option for a tourist pass depending on what you’re planning but I found it cheaper to just pay as I went.

The one thing I would recommend to anyone visiting Singapore is to visit the Gardens on the Bay.  It’s a huge parkland that is free to visit and contains the iconic tree structures that resemble something from an alien planet or Jurassic park.  There is an amazing light show each evening on the hour (this was honestly my favourite thing I did), and if you’re visiting during the day you can visit the Cloud Forest, an indoor botanical garden specialising in exotic plants and orchids, as well as the Flower Dome.  You’ll need to pay in to see these as well as the viewing deck for the large tree (not to be recommended if you have a fear or heights). 

Ask anyone who has ever been to Singapore and they’ll tell you how clean it is.  Chewing gum is banned and smoking outside is banned except for designated areas with a green bin.  On more practical considerations, if you need to use your phone  lots of companies offer online Esim cards that work in several different Asian countries if you’re travelling, but ordinary sim cards can be purchased everywhere if your phone isn’t compatible with Esim cards.  While the public transport system is excellent, I used the Grab transport app a lot when travelling  in Asia (they haven’t sponsored me, but if they’d like to I’m definitely open to it).    A bit like Uber you can book pick ups, there is a translate function and you can also take a photo of where you are, which was really useful if you’re in a busy street and makes it easier for the driver to find you, as well as knowing what the fare is up front and avoiding the need to haggle to agree a fare.

Singapore is a beautiful city, but very hot and humid.  The best piece of advice I can give apart from staying well hydrated is to get up early and to see things, it’s less crowded and cooler.  You’ll also avoid the torrential thunderstorms that happened every afternoon when I visited and were pretty cool.

Chicken with 30 Cloves of Garlic

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Yes, you read it right, 30 cloves of garlic.  Before you imagine that you will stink enough to scare off a small town of vampires I promise you won’t, the garlic mellows and becomes almost sweet. This is a classic French dish, and it’s a classic for a reason.  Traditionally it’s made with a whole chicken, but I prefer chicken thighs

The garlic cooks gently in wine and the chicken juices until they are soft and delicious.  Cook them with their skin on and when cooked squeeze the soft garlic onto the bread you serve with this dish., they taste amazing.

I used a dish that could be used on the stove top and in the oven.  If you don’t have one just transfer to an oven proof dish before putting in the oven.

The whole dish is incredibly tasty, serve the soft  chicken with salad and crusty french bread, to spread the confit garlic on and mop up the sauce with it.

Ingredients

1 Kg Chicken thighs (skin on and bone in)

30 Cloves of garlic (about 3 bulbs, remove most of the papery outside, but leave on the tight pink/white skin around each clove)

250 mil White Wine

2 Sprigs of rosemary

25 Grams Butter

1 Tbsp Oil

Salt and pepper

Method

  • Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
  • In a large oven proof dish heat the oil and butter together.  Over quite a high heat brown the chicken thighs on both sides (you might need to do this in a couple of batches, because if you crowd the pan the chicken won’t brown and you don’t want to lose the flavor)
  • When all the chicken has been browned add the wine and rosemary to the pan and scrape the bottom to release the yummy brown bits
  • Add the garlic cloves to the pan and stir well, before covering the dish with a lid (if your dish doesn’t have a lid, cover tightly with tin foil
  • Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (maybe a little longer if the chicken thighs are large, just check they are cooked through)
  • Serve with salad and crusty bread, squeeze the garlic out of it’s papery cover onto the bread and spread with a knife, you can thank me later

Croque Monsieur Bake

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Stop throwing away stale bread and use it for this yummy unctuous comforting bake.  You can make most of it the night before and impress everyone with a super chic breakfast, but it’s great at any time of the day.  This is best if you can start it the night before but if not allow the bread to soak up the egg mixture for at least an hour or two

If you’re being totally authentic you should use Gruyere cheese, but I didn’t have this so I used cheddar and it was yummy too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 Slices of stale white bread

175 Grams Cheese (save about a third of the cheese to sprinkle on top before you put the bake in the oven)

4 Slices of ham

6 Eggs

350mil Milk

2 Tbsp Soft butter

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

For the bechamel sauce

40 Grams Butter

20 Grams Plain Flour

4000 mil Milk

Salt and pepper

Method

  • Butter 4 slices of bread, and spread the other 4 slices with mustard
  • Thinly slice two thirds of the cheese, and with ham make 4 cheese and ham sandwiches
  • Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.  Lightly grease an oven proof dish and arrange the sandwiches in the dish.
  • Whisk the eggs and milk together with a pinch of salt and pepper and pour over the sandwiches making sure they are all coated
  • Cover the dish with cling film and allow to sit overnight in the fridge (or for at least an hour or two)
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
  • Make a bechamel sauce, melting butter in a sauce pan before stirring in flour to make a roux type paste and then gradually stir in the milk and heat until the sauce thickens and doesn’t taste floury anymore, season with salt and pepper
  • Grate the remaining cheese, and remove the oven proof dish from the fridge.  Top the sandwiches with the bechamel sauce and sprinkle with cheese
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes until deeply brown and bubbly.
  • Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

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I went away overnight and within 24 hours a bunch of bananas had turned manky and over ripe.

Never one to waste food, the recipe perfect for bananas that are past their best called to me.  I decided to add in some chocolate just to make it even yummier, but if you’re a psychopath and don’t like chocolate you can leave it out.

140 Grams Butter (soft/room temperature)

140 Grams Sugar

140 Grams Self raising flour

1 Tsp Baking powder

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

2 Eggs

3 Bananas (mashed)

100 Grams Chocolate (you can use chocolate chips, but i just cut up a milk chocolate bar)

Msthod

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius qnd line a 2lb loaf tin wirh baking parchment
  • Using an electric whisk or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together
  • Add the vanilla, eggs and bananas to the butter and sugar and mix well
  • Whisk in the flour, a third a a time until fully combined
  • Stir in the chocolate until its evenly distributed through out the batter
  • Pour the batter into the loaf tin, making sure the mix gets right into the corners
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes, you’ll know the banana bread is ready when you stick a cocktail stick into the middle of tbe loaf and it comes out clean.  Allow to coo in the tin foe 15 minutes before try to cut (best left to cool completely, but it smells so good you might not be able to help yourself)

Halloumi Meatballs

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I make a big batch of these and freeze them, so feel free to reduce the amount of ingredients if you want to make a smaller batch.

These were baked in the oven, but you could cook them in an air fryer or fry in a pan if you find this easier.

I used a mix of minced beef and pork, but lamb works well and you can also swap out the herbs for what you have (parsley and dill are nice combo to use).  Breadcrumbs soaked in milk help keep these moist, and I’m going to say it again, but always have a bag of breadcrumbs in the freezer.  It makes recipes like this super quick and easy.

These are great with sweet potatoes/rice and veggies if you’re doing meal prep, or in meatball subs.

Ingredients

800 Grams Minced Beef

500 Grams Minced Pork

75 Grams Breadcrumbs

150 Mls Milk

3 Cloves of garlic

1 Tsp Black pepper

1 Tsp Smoked paprika

1 Egg

2 Tbsp Mixed herbs (I used mint and oregano)

Method

  • Line 2 large baking trays with tin foil or bsking parchment
  • Add the milk to the breadcrumbs and allow to soak in
  • Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are well combined
  • Lift enough of the mix to make a meatball about the size of a golf ball and set on the lined tray.  Continue doing this until you have used up all the mix
  • Put the trays into the fridge and chill for 20-30 minutes
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • Bake meatballs for 25-30 minutes (or until cooked through).  If you are freezing some of these allow to cool complete before freezing

Cranberry and Hazelnut Muffins

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Trapped at home on rainy miserable Saturday with a shitty cold I wanted something sweet but couldn’t face going out and having change out of my oodie (if don’t have one yet, get one they are fantastic in cold weather (I’m not advertising, but if any oodie makers would like to send me one I wouldn’t say no).

Anyway, after raiding the cupboards this is  what I came up with and they were delicious. I used Greek yoghurt because I has some that needed to be used up but could also use milk instead.  If you’re lactose intolerant you could swap the dairy for the same volume of stewed apple or mashed banana.  I’d also recommend toasting the hazelnuts in a dry pan first.  Its not mission critical if you’re pushed for time (or just can’t be arsed) but it does make them even tastier.

Makes 12

Ingredients

200 Grams Self raising flour (or 200 Grams of plain flour qnd 2 teaspoons of bsking powder if you don’t have self raising flour)

100 Grams Sugar

2 Eggs

200 Grams Yoghurt

50 Grams Hazelnuts

50 Grams Dried cranberries

100mil Oil or Melted butter

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a muffin tin with muffin cases
  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl
  • Mix all the wet ingredients together and mix well until fully combined
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well making sure that the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter
  • If you have one of those fancy ice cream scoops you can use it to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cases.  I dont have one. So I just used 2 dessert spoons to scoop and then scrape the batter in the cases.
  • Bske for 20-25 minutes and allow to cool.

Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon

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I had this in a restaurant a couple of months ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I had to make my own.  I originally had this made with tagliatelle, but I only had spaghetti at home, so use what you have.

Serves 2

100 Grams Spaghetti (dry weight, cook according to the instructions on the packet)

100 Grams Smoked salmon(roughly chopped, or many supermarkets sell smoked salmon trimmings, which is ideal for this and mucu cheaper)

1 Tbsp Tomato puree

1 Clove of garlic (finely chopped)

Knob of butter or 1 tbsp of oil

100mil Double cream

Black pepper

Method

  • Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
  • In a large pan, heat the butter/oil and add the garlic, cook for 20-30 seconds (do not allow to brown)
  • Add the tomato puree to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding a  ladleful of the starchy water the pasta is cooking in to the pan and stirring well.
  • Pour the cream into the pan and stir well, cook for another 2-3 minutes until the cream starts to thicken.
  • Stir in the smoked salmon to warm through, before adding the drained pasta and stir into the sauce
  • Serve immediately topped with a couple of grinds black pepper