All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup

By 9 Comments

I am still making an effort to have interesting lunches. Soup is perfect at this time of year as it freezes well and just needs heating through for an (almost) instant lunch. This is my Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup and I make it with plenty of chilli. I love the heat of the chilli with the creaminess of the coconut but you can make it as hot as you like.

This is a great recipe for using up any vegetables you have in the house. I like to use a few different colours if I can to brighten up the soup a little. The lime and coriander really lift the flavours and give it a zing and freshness which is just what I want from this soup. read more

Five Minute Salmon Noodles

By 14 Comments

I blinked and it is the end of January! I can’t believe this is my first post of 2021. But these five minute salmon noodles are quite an apt recipe for now. I’ve been working from home and the appeal of toast and sandwiches has worn pretty thin. However, I don’t want to be making a time consuming lunch each day. So I started to think about food I could make in a few minutes; a few basic recipes which will add variety to my working week and be a doddle to make.

I used some sweet chilli hot smoked salmon for these noodles. It was reduced and I used it for two lunches (the other of which I’ll tell you about below). A handful of fresh vegetables, dried noodles and a soy dressing made from store cupboard ingredients are all you need for a delicious lunch in minutes. read more

Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

By 22 Comments

Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

I love koftas in a curry. More often than not they are lamb based and I wanted to try and make a vegetarian version. My spinach and potato kofta curry came about because I wanted the main part of it to be roughly based on saag aloo. This is a bit more effort than some of my other recipes, but, I’ve made double batches of both the koftas and the sauce and frozen them so I can have it again with no effort at all!

ingredients

You will need (for four portions):

For the koftas:
  • 600g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • Pinch turmeric
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 5 nuggets frozen spinach (you can use fresh, wilt it and chop it before using)
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • Salt and pepper
For the sauce
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • 200ml water
  • 75ml double cream (you can leave this out or use a plant based alternative to make it vegan)
  • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

method

For the koftas

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until they are cooked. read more

Satay Pork Fried Rice

By 16 Comments

I really like the flavour of satay: nutty, salty and with a hint of ginger and garlic. Quite a lot of the recipes I have tried involve marinating before cooking and frankly, on a weekday when I want dinner in a flash, mixing up a marinade is not what I want to be doing. My satay pork fried rice has all the flavours you’d want from satay, is super simple to make and contains three different vegetables. As it’s a versatile recipe I’ve popped a couple of variations to the original at the end of the post. read more

Sticky Soy and Chilli Chicken Thighs

By 14 Comments

sticky soy and chilli chicken close up

From time to time I get a recipe stuck in my head and I can think of nothing else until I make it. These sticky soy and chilli chicken thighs are exactly one of those recipes. There were several criteria that these thighs had to fulfil and anything short of my imagined flavour would not suffice. Most importantly they had to be sticky; properly glazed so that they left trails of marinade on the plate. Secondly, they had to have a salty soy base and a little chilli kick. The ginger, garlic, lime, onion and sesame were all added for depth of flavour. They were everything I wanted them to be.

ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (I used a low salt one)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • Juice 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 small piece ginger, around the size of a thumbnail, grated
  • Pinch dried chillies
  • 2-3 spring onions, sliced

method

Mix all the ingredients together except the chicken to make the marinade.

Put the chicken thighs into a roasting dish and pour over the marinade. Really mix the chicken and marinade together making sure you get some inside, over and under the thighs.

Put in the fridge to marinate for around an hour, longer if possible, but a shorter time wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Preheat an oven to 200C. Put the chicken into the oven with all the marinade and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste the chicken and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through after 40 minutes total roasting time.

I served these sticky chicken thighs with a noodle salad full of fresh herbs.

Combining honey and soy together means you can’t go far wrong with a salty, sweet and sticky end result. The thing I love about roasting the chicken rather than frying it is that the chicken and marinade cook into each other and you’re left with a thick, unctuous sauce which is just asking to be spooned over the chicken. It would be delicious on the BBQ, you’d need to baste it often, and I think it would work really well with tofu too. This is my kind of comfort food. I can imagine a cold evening where I roast these, simply serve them with a bowl of white rice and let the leftover marinade mingle with the rice.

Miso Glazed Aubergine with Pickled Cucumber Salad

By 10 Comments

miso glazed aubergine, cucumber pickle and red rice

I’m not ashamed. I will admit it. I am an aubergine-aholic. Babaganoush, parmigiana, in a curry, moussaka, stirred through pasta there isn’t any meal I don’t love which has aubergines in. This recipe may sound familiar, as I have made something similar before, but this miso glazed aubergine when combined with a quick pickled cucumber salad really is a match made in heaven. Depending on the size of your aubergines this takes around half an hour to make, a little longer if they are large and need more time in the oven.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

For the aubergines

  • 2 aubergines, sliced in half lengthways and flesh scored in a criss cross pattern (don’t slice into the skin though)
  • 2 tbsp miso paste (the best you can get your hands on)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp runny honey (use agave or maple syrup to make it vegan)
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the cucumber pickle

  • 1 small cucumber, sliced into a strip using a vegetable peeler
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 small piece ginger, finely grated
  • Few sprigs fresh coriander, roughly chopped

    • read more

    Miso Roasted Aubergine with Rainbow Chard and Soy Dressing

    By 14 Comments

    miso roasted aubergine with chard and brown rice

    There’s a bit of a miso theme on the blog at the moment. For two reasons: firstly, miso is delicious and secondly, it’s expensive and you have to buy quite a lot. So I needed to use up my stash and I really wanted to have a go at my own miso roasted aubergine. Most of the ingredients used are pretty standard store cupboard staples; I was pretty amazed how much more than the sum of its parts this recipe is. It’s fantastic, if I do say so myself, and my miso glaze and my soy dressing will be making many future appearances in my kitchen.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 2 aubergines (normal purple ones are fine but if you can get stripy or white ones they do look lovely and are slightly smaller)
    • 150g brown rice
    • 5 stalks of chard roughly chopped

    For the miso glaze:

    • 2 tbsp white miso paste
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp runny honey (use maple syrup or agave to make it vegan)
    • 1 tsp water
    • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

    For the dressing:

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
  • 1 tsp pickled ginger
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Juice 1 lime
  • black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar

    • read more

    Squash and Chickpea Tagine

    By 16 Comments

    Squash and chickpea tagine ready to serve

    This is actually surprisingly quick to make and I normally have some or most of these ingredients in the kitchen so it’s a great recipe to keep coming back to. My squash and chickpea tagine is a great way to use up some spices and a few tins from the cupboard. The fennel and paprika aren’t perhaps the most traditional tagine ingredients but I really think they add to the sweet squash and earthy chickpeas. If you roasted the squash before adding it I think it would be even tastier. Try and find apricots that aren’t completely dry, when they’re still a little soft they have a beautiful honeyed flavour. A few toasted flaked almonds on the top would give a lovely crunch to the dish.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for four):

    • 1 large onion, sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds
    • 1 small squash, peeled, seeds removed and chopped into chunks
    • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
    • 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • 200ml vegetable stock
    • 1 tin chickpeas, drained
    • oil for frying
    • salt and pepper
    • 10 dried apricots, halved
    • Juice 1/2 lemon

    Method

    Heat a little oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Fry for 10 minutes until starting to soften, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes more.

    Add all the spices and continue to fry for a few more minutes then tip in the squash. Stir the squash into the pan to ensure it gets a good covering in all the spices.

    Tip in the tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock, bring the pan to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

    Check the squash is cooked and add some salt and pepper to the tagine. Stir in the apricots and lemon juice then leave on a low heat while you make your side.

    Serve up in bowls.

    You could have this on its own as a hearty soup, serve it with cous cous, brown rice or tabbouleh. I most recently served this with giant cous cous that I had added lemon zest, fresh coriander and mint to and it was a great combination. It’s full of veg, it’s hearty and just perfect at this time of year when the evenings can still be a little on the cool side. Give or take a few grams it’s got five of your five a day in and, I didn’t realise until afterwards, turned out to be accidentally vegan.

    Sticky Chilli Pork and Noodles

    By 9 Comments

    Sticky Chilli Pork

    I’m not sure quite what’s happened but all of a sudden I find myself spending over £50 a week on food shopping. I know, it’s not a shocking amount and it’s certainly less than I know other people spend but it’s twice as much as I used to spend. I didn’t really notice it creeping up over time and I haven’t really changed what I eat (less meat if anything) but it irritates me nonetheless. There’s only so many beans and lentils one person can eat in a week so thrifty meals are essential to give plenty of variation. My sticky chilli pork is quick, tasty and feeds four people for less than £6.

    You will need:

    • Oil for cooking £0.02
    • 2 pork chops £2.00
    • Salt and pepper £0.02
    • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce £0.25
    • 4 noodle nests £1.00
    • 2-3 spring onions, sliced £0.10
    • 1 tbsp sesame seeds £0.07
    • 1 small pepper, sliced £0.60

    For the dressing:

    • 2 tsp soy sauce £0.07
    • Juice 1/2 lime £0.15
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed £0.02
    • 1 small piece ginger, peeled and grated £0.05

    Total cost: £4.35

    Cut any fat off the pork chops and slice into strips. Season with salt and pepper.

    Heat a frying pan or wok and add a little oil. Add the pork strips and fry until golden.

    While the pork is cooking cook the noodles according to packet instructions.

    Mix the ingredients for the dressing together.

    When the pork is cooked through, add the sweet chilli sauce and continue to cook until the pork is coated and glossy. The sauce will thicken a bit.

    Drain the noodles and stir the dressing through to stop them sticking.

    Serve the noodles with the pepper, spring onion and sesame seeds and top with the sticky chilli pork.

    I think this is a pretty well balanced meal; veg, carbs, protein and a little bit of naughty sweet chilli sauce on the side. For something to enjoy in the week when I want something quick and simple this is the kind of thing I cook. It is also delicious with chicken and I’m yet to try it with tofu. I’ve got a few other budget meals to see here and I’m trying to grow these recipes more and more. If you’ve got anything you’d like to see thrifty, let me know!

    Pulled Pork Ribs with Carrot & Ginger Slaw

    By 1 Comment

    pulled pork ribs with carrot and ginger slaw

    I’m often a bit slow on the uptake. Pulled food, more specifically pulled pork, has been doing the rounds for some time now and it’s not something that I had attempted. Yet. I wanted to make an Asian coleslaw that used some spring carrots (I demoed this at Eat Reading Live) but wasn’t too sure what to serve it with. It seemed an ideal time to attempt some sort of pulled pork. If, like me, you can’t be bothered with pulling anything I think this would be fantastic with some leftover roast pork or chicken in a nice soft roll.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two buns):

    • Handful spring carrots, peeled and grated
    • Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
    • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
    • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
    • Juice 1/2 lime
    • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • 6-8 baby back pork ribs (preferably in some sort of spicy/Asian marinade)
    • Buns to serve

    Method

    Start by roasting your ribs. I chose to use ribs because they are cheap and if you get good ones they have a nice amount of meat and fat on. I got mine from the farmers’ market and threw on some piri piri marinade that was hanging around in the cupboard. The lady at the market said that 160C for 45-50 minutes would be about right. Check what your butcher recommends.

    Remove the meat from the ribs. It’s not the neatest task in the world; I found a fork, knife and hands all very useful. Put the meat to one side.

    Make the coleslaw by mixing together the grated carrot and ginger then add the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lime juice, coriander and some salt and pepper.

    Fill the buns with the coleslaw and meat and tuck in.

    The rib meat wasn’t as tender and juicy as I’d envisaged and I think this was because the ribs were roasted more than slow roasted. I’m not sure I’m patient enough to wait for slow roasting! There was a surprising amount of meat that came off the ribs though so the proportions of meat to coleslaw to bun were perfect. The coleslaw was fresh and crisp (I can’t eat enough coriander) and is a great way to use up sweet spring carrots by doing something different.

    Recent Tweets

    • Error: Invalid or expired token.