Madras Rice with Grilled Lamb Chops, Labneh and Hot Chillies. Indian-lebanese fusion

 Bring together the warmth of Indian spices and the freshness of the Levant with this colourful Madras rice. Fragrant coconut rice with cauliflower, chickpeas and red peppers is paired with juicy grilled lamb chops, creamy labneh and fiery chillies for a dish that feels both comforting and exotic.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Rich Indian-inspired Madras flavours

Creamy coconut milk and tender chickpeas

Perfectly grilled lamb chops

Refreshing Lebanese labneh topping

Ready in under one hour

High in protein and naturally gluten-free

Miso Eggplant – Japanese-Inspired Glazed Aubergine

 Few vegetables absorb flavour quite like eggplant. In this dish, silky roasted aubergine meets the deep umami of miso, soy sauce, sesame and a touch of sweetness. The result is rich, glossy and intensely savoury — somewhere between Japanese comfort food and modern fusion gastronomy.

This version takes inspiration from traditional Japanese nasu dengaku while adding a more refined plating style, perfect as a starter or elegant side dish.

Japanese Curry Meets Brit Crumbed Fish

This creation was inspired by a visit to Coco Ichibanya in London's China Town.

Coco Ichibanya is a 'fast food' place with table service, specialising in Japanese style curry.  

The menu of this popular chain restaurant inspired with omelette, katsu and some shrimp/prawn croquettes with curry.

The following week, at home, Brit crumbed fish (frozen and intended for oven baking) met Japanese style curry sauce.  I knew the fish would be crunchy like anything coated in panko and fried.  S&B cubes, first discovered during Covid, made the curry sauce.  Finally, there was a nice mathematical straight line of curry for presentation (that seemed important in all the ichibanya menu pictures).

Thai Marinaded Chicken.

This is an old favourite (had the recipe for years), it works brilliantly with both oven roasted chicken thighs or wings or grill them over charcoal.

I used wings here (as you can see), oven roasted  with a Thai carrot and sweetcorn salad and sweet potato fries (made extra use of the oven there).  

The marinade is sweet (honey), sour (lime), salty, spicy and umami rich with soy and fish sauce.  Yes, spicy isn't a taste sensation unfortunately but I do love using some freshly minced chilli and chilli powder plus coriander powder for added depth.  Ginger and garlic get in too.  It's punchy, tasty and cooks brilliantly.

There's just enough honey to balance the lime, soy and fish sauces..perfect

Korean–Greek Fusion Lamb & Kimchi Noodles with Eggplant & Tzatziki

 A Fusion That Actually Makes Sense

Some fusion dishes feel forced. This one doesn’t.

Here, every element has a purpose:

The garlic and olive oil marinade gives the lamb a deep Mediterranean identity

Kimchi delivers spice, acidity, and fermentation — cutting through the fat

Eggplant bridges both cuisines, soaking up flavor like a sponge

Tzatziki cools everything down, adding freshness and creamy contrast

This is structured cooking: richness, acidity, heat, and freshness working together.

Vegetarian Dhansak, fragrant spices

The first time I made this, it was originally a Chicken Dhansak.  Then, after tasting, there was a prompt declaration 'didn't require chicken.'  Chicken has not featured thereafter.

The spices really sent this off the charts and I added a soft boiled egg as egg and curry flavours work so well together.

The soft(ish) boiled egg was pricked lightly at the wider end and simmered for 6.5 minutes at sea level. After dousing in cold water and cooling,  peel the shell under gently running tap water.  Perfect, there's more though, the egg is only a garnish

A lovely fragrant spice paste with fresh ginger and garlic, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, black pepper, fennel, green chillies and red chilli powder starts us off.  (The original recipe suggested fenugreek seeds that I've never owned and some cinnamon that was forgotten).

Green birds eye chillies add both extra heat and a welcome touch of sour.

Whole red lentils are also a favourite, split would also be fine...

Onwards and upwards..

Thai Style Bolognese: Spicy Italian Pasta with Lemongrass and Thai Basil

 Thai Style Bolognese That Reinvents Classic Ragù

Every cook eventually plays with the idea of reinventing a classic. This Thai style Bolognese is exactly that: a comforting Italian ragù that travelled east and came back full of spice and fragrance. It was born during a night of eating and heavy drinking with Asian friends.

At its heart, this dish is still a traditional spaghetti Bolognese recipe built on the classic Italian foundations: carrot, celery, onion, pancetta and a mix of pork and veal mince slowly cooked with tomatoes and red wine.

But this version becomes a true Italian Thai fusion pasta thanks to a few powerful Southeast Asian ingredients: bird's eye chilli, lemongrass, Thai basil, cilantro and oyster sauce.

The result is a spicy Bolognese pasta that remains deeply comforting while adding brightness, heat and aromatic complexity.

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Paneer Croutons

An Indian spiced lentil and sweet potato soup met marinated paneer 'croutons.'

I couldn't resist some sourdough baguette and butter either.

The soup is spiced more than hot, fragrant with ginger, onion, chilli, cumin, turmeric and coriander.  Basic spices, tasty ones too.

Paneer is cubed and marinated in ground cardamom, mint, lemon juice and a few more spices then wok fried on parchment.

Parchment is great, it works for frying fish too, prevents sticking and makes for easy clean-up.  The wok can't help adding a touch of smoke either (never a bad thing).

This is all very simple and surprisingly tasty.  Freeze some soup and when a day over-runs, guess what?  Grab some soup, microwave and feel nourished until dinner time.

Shrimp Soup, Wakame and Dried Shrimp Paste

A furtive creation, inspired by wakame (dried seaweed from Japan) in the broth.  Then an afterthought to add dried shrimp paste.

More umami...from fresh and dried mushrooms.  There's ginger (a personal fetish) and spring onion too.

Let us not forget the all important prawns plus the broth is easily made from a few simple, storecupboard/pantry ingredients. 

Loving the Japanese influence of Wakame and a Chinese mushroom stir fry with a touch of shrimp paste.

Seabass and Sichuan Potato Salad

Of course there's crispy fish skin from the wok fried seabass.

The fish is really a garnish for these tasty potatoes.

A 'salad' happily invited from hades, it's hot.  No mayonnaise dressing either (like many western potato salads).  Instead, we have spring onion, garlic, ginger, chilli oil, sichuan pepper, cumin, light soy, sesame oil and black rice vinegar.

I used evenly sliced sweet potato and large yellow potato.  They soaked up the sauce beautifully.  Dressed warm of course.

Finally, the potatoes are served with seared seabass (skin separated and crisped).

Singapore Fried Beanthread Noodles

A noodle fry with beanthreads and nothing related to Singapore apart from in name.  These fried noodles appear in almost every Brit Chinese takeaway, the small ones in a parade of shops that might include a curry house and a laundrette.  I love them and hence a cooking foodie journey began.

 

Beanthreads are arguably more forgiving than rice noodles, both have been tried (and some beanthreads come in convenient individual packets...mentioning no names). 

Initial versions of the dish included a home made chilli oil, however chiu chow chilli oil from Lee Kum Kee is now the favourite.  Oops, names. 

This really is a true East meets West, generated from the East and made/enjoyed here.  All accomplished without erroneous claims of authenticity.

If you like spicy food, add more chilli oil, bear in mind the one recommended here is somewhat ferocious! 

Thai-Inspired Beef, Asparagus & Vermicelli Salad

 A fresh, vibrant dish combining seared matured beef with crisp asparagus, herbs, rice vermicelli and a sweet-spicy mango tamarind finish. Light, aromatic and perfect when you want something elegant but easy.

Ingredients (2 servings)

250–300 g matured Scottish beef (short horn or similar cut)

Green asparagus tips

Rice vermicelli

Dried mango strips

Fresh coriander (cilantro)

Fresh mint leaves

Red chilli (fresh)

Ginger, finely chopped

Lime

Fish sauce

Soy sauce

Sugar

Mango & tamarind sauce (sweet & spicy)

Salt and black pepper

Neutral oil for searing

Chicken Phad Thai

I hesitated posting Phad Thai, but it's so delicious and easy to make at home.  There are credentials too, after making it in Thai cooking school in Koh Samui.  Wide rice noodles (10 mm) are perfect for this.  The sauce is just smashing, spicy, salty, sour and a touch of sweet.

A Phad Thai can have all manner of proteins, today I chose egg (a staple for the dish if am being honest) and chicken.  Prawns, tofu, pork are all fair game.

The sauce truly makes it, pound chilli, spring onion, tamarind, sugar, dried shrimp paste and fish sauce in a pestle and mortar, ready to fry later.

I missed a trick, though, leftover beanshoots from those Lunar New Year longevity noodles could have cheerfully gone in.  Ohh well, next time!

Jumbo Prawn Makhani

I tried hard to master the Indian Makhani sauce (unusual for a Brit from the home of 'Chicken Tikka Massala').  It was illusive but worth persevering.  Once you've smashed this sauce, chicken, paneer or prawns/fish are all fair game.  Handy if you're catering for mixed diets in a meal.

Prawns here.

For me, I wanted a spicy sauce with touches of cream, almond or cashew nut paste and butter.  I was lost until a former colleague, originally from Mumbai talked me through his  'butter chicken' recipe.  I didn't look back and am incredibly pleased to share it.  My colleague stressed kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves.

It's a light and spicy sauce that cooks in around 20 minutes, absolutely worth trying.  I added a splash of vodka, for fun and to bring out flavour compounds in the tomatoes.  It's purely optional and certainly worth considering.

Beef fillet with Thai pad krapao sauce, mushrooms and coconut milk

 This dish is a quick fusion between classic Thai flavours and a Western-style beef fillet. Instead of making pad krapao paste from scratch, I used the Lobo Thai Basil Pad Krapao sauce base, which delivers that unmistakable hit of holy basil, chilli and garlic in minutes. Paired with tender beef fillet and softened with coconut milk, it becomes rich, aromatic and surprisingly elegant. And the colours are vibrant.

The sauce is built around sautéed onions, red chillies, mushrooms and sweet corn, which bring both texture and balance to the heat. A squeeze of lime juice at the end sharpens everything and keeps the dish lively. The beef is cooked rare to medium-rare, then sliced and laid directly into the sauce so it stays juicy without overcooking.

Finished with fresh coriander and chives, this is comfort food with a Thai accent, ideal for a fast but impressive dinner.

Shrimp with Green Pepper and Chilli Black Bean Sauce

Fast and impressive, two words close to my culinary heart.  The sauce is scratch made from the collection of chinese condiments that lie mostly in the fridge.

I'm also a sucker for a noodle fry.

We have diced green pepper and red onion for vegetable goodness (truly I prefer brown or yellow onion as it stays crunchier when stir fried however, using what you have doesn't hurt).

The Shrimp are frozen and raw.  In Britland almost all shrimp is frozen, so I buy higher welfare 'jumbo or king' that I'd call medium at best.  Simply defrost them at the start of meal preparation and clean (mine are already shelled).

And, it is a noodle fry..because..my kitchen my rules.

There's plenty of umami and chilli, whilst this version isn't overly salty.  A pack of fermented salted black beans lies patiently in the fridge, waiting for moments such as these.

Wok Braised Chicken Wings

It's likely no secret that I love a chicken wing or 5.  Normally they're oven crisped however, today I tried a wok braise.

With ginger, spring onion, garlic and mushrooms.  There's also dark soy sauce and, last but absolutely not least, oyster sauce.

An interesting tip of adding chicken stock powder to the marinade worked surprisingly well.

There's steamed jasmine rice to serve.

Low-Carb Pork Rib Tips, Oyster Mushroom & Pak Choi Wok

 Spicy Sichuan-Inspired, No Rice Needed.

This dish was born from a well-stocked fridge and one powerful jar of Chinese chili preserved vegetables. No rice, no noodles — just pork fat, mushrooms, greens, heat, and umami. Fast, honest, and deeply satisfying!

Why this works

Oyster mushrooms take the role of carbs, absorbing rendered pork fat and sauce while bringing a meaty bite. Pak choi keeps everything fresh and light, while chili preserved vegetables replace soy sauce and salt in one decisive move.

Kimchi pancakes with bok choi, enoki and pork wok

 This dish is built around contrast and depth. Crispy kimchi pancakes bring heat, acidity and texture, while the wok delivers a fragrant, umami-rich mix of pork, bok choy and enoki mushrooms seasoned with lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, anchovy and black pepper. Korean comfort meets Southeast Asian aromatics, naturally and without forcing it.

Thai Red Chicken Curry with Squash and Kale

This is exactly why I love home cooking.  The same vegetables that made an Italian pasta are now in a Thai curry.

There's red curry sauce too, it 'sank' of sorts in the pic above. Proof of the red curry sauce is here:

I have tinned coconut milk (around 60% coconut) plus pure coconut block (that can be made up to whichever percentage chosen).  Add Thai curry paste, Thai chillies and lime leaves (all frozen in the special draw at the bottom of my freezer). It's never difficult to rustle up a Thai coconut curry.