Easy peasy chicken wings

By far the easiest sauce I've made, inspired by Jamie Oliver (he calls it the Gangnam style chicken wings, Gangnam is actually a place in South Korea, and I think these ingredients are more influenced by Chinese cooking).

All you need is:
chicken wings
honey
soy sauce
chilli sauce (if you don't fancy spice - use ketchup and fresh chilli - manly for decorative purposes)
garlic
ginger
spring onion
sesame oil
lemon juice
sesame seeds

I haven't put down amounts because, quite frankly, do it to your taste and how many wings you're cooking and the amount you want on your wings.

Preheat oven at 160 degrees. Give your wings a bit of a wash, and stretch each one so they are not so compact (this will help the wings cook evenly). 25-30mins should be enough but check the meat around the bony areas to double check. If you like your skin a bit crispy, turn the heat up in the oven for the last 5 mins.

Whilst that's cooking, chop garlic, ginger and chilli into tiny edible pieces. In a bowl, mix in all the rest of the ingredients, including your chopped goods - keep tasting to find your perfect match. Remember soy sauce is salty so don't add too much in all at once. I quite like the sweet taste on chicken wings, so I added more honey and chilli to mine.

Once happy, pour the sauce over your chicken wings making sure it goes into every nook and cranny of your wings. You can leave a bit to one side to serve as part of your dish if you want to dip your wings in. Put back into the oven for 5 mins, or until you are happy with the colour of your wings.

Serve with boiled rice and some pak choi.

And as they say at home "sek fan" (literally translated - "eat rice") and tuck in!

Rick Stein's India starter spice set

I don't know about you but come end of August/September I immediately think of Winter, but every cloud does have a silver lining, as Winter is the time to start cooking again (it's been known that I hardly do any kind of cooking during the summer months...unless a barbecue is involved). The dark, chilly afternoons are the best times to have lots of ingredients laid out with great big pan heating up (with a hot chocolate/mulled wine of course - delete as appropriate). So with this in mind, Spices of India, the UK's leading online Indian grocery store, has only gone and created a spice starter pack for us curry enthusiasts inspired by the ledge that is Rick Stein. Who needs Brick Lane ay?

Following the huge success of Rick Stein’s India TV series and cookbook, Spices of India, has pulled together a selection of the harder-to-find spices to create the Rick Stein’s India Starter Spice Gift Set (£39.50). It has been designed with home-cooks in mind, looking to recreate authentic Indian flavour in their kitchen.

The set includes a hardback copy of Rick Stein’s India together with 11 Indian spices and ingredients, which feature extensively in many of the recipes in the cookbook. For more information just visit www.spicesofindia.co.uk The set includes: 

Amchur (Mango) Powder, adds a pleasing sourness to many Northern Indian dishes.

Asafoetida powder – Hing Vandevi, a pungent ground resin which tastes like garlic and onions.

Black Salt (Kala Namak powder), often sprinkled over nuts and snacks.

Black Cardamom, often used in rice and dal dishes and has a smoky flavour.

Kashmiri Chilli Powder, milder than most chillies and adds a rich deep-red colour to many curries.

Millet (Bajra) Flour, the key to making authentic flat breads.

Kokum, a dried fruit which has the same flavour-balancing technique as adding vinegar or lemon juice.

Mustard Oil, very hard to buy in the west and is essential for truly Indian chutney’s.

Mustard Seeds, often used at the spice tempering stage of most curries.

Screwpine (Kewra) Water, a fragrant essence of the pandan leaf which is often poured on rice to perfume it.

Tamarind, used to add a sweet tartness to many dishes.

                                                                                              

Spices of India is listed in Rick Stein’s India as a supplier of spices and ingredients, including the harder-to-find ones that feature in the book and the programme, such as black salt, black cardamoms and chapatti flours, which can be bought online. It's as easy as that.

Also, check out BBC Good Food for a hearty potato and pea curry. 

Review: Bread St Kitchen

Sunday Roasts.

Enough said.

Another mission of mine whilst living in London is to find the best Sunday Dinner.

So far, The Princess of Shoreditch has given me the best 'special occasion' Sunday dinner, and The Water Poet does a lovely veggie roast (okay, so it's probably the only veggie roast dinner I've had, but as a meat eater I thoroughly enjoyed it so that must speak volumes, right?).

Bread St Kitchen at One New Change by Gordo Ramsay himself was a lovely little place to hang out on a Sunday. The first impression of it doesn't quite give it the justice it deserves, 'ooh yes it's fancy', 'Gordon Ramsay ay?' but once inside it's decked out very casually and quirky (like the hanging wires of the lightbulbs over the open ceiling work and vintage lamps), I think the East-ish side of the location probably had an influence. On Sundays, they have live music which was perfect to relax in with a glass of red and bread.

The atmosphere was relaxed and airy. Families (kids get special offers), the elderly, the young uns. The staff were also very friendly, helpful but not in your face.

Most importantly, I got 2 Yorkshire puddings with my beef roast, Friend had the chicken, and I devoured it all including the bread and even had room for a Rasberry Parfait - which was so light and refreshing.

The food quality is probably worth its price tag - I mean it's not the most expensive meal I've had, but I wouldn't call it on a budget. But overall, I would definitely come again, even try out the bar downstairs. Nice little place to hang out at the weekend - it's not full of City workers for one thing, so you're certain to get a seat.

4 out of 5