The Kung Pao

... or Gong Bao? I guess it doesn't matter, as long as it's a bowl of spicy peanut-y chicken goodness that I should've tried a long time ago.

Dissolve two spoons of cornstarch in four-five tablespoons of soy sauce and a spoon or two of Chinese rice wine (or Mirin, but skip the sugar later if you use this). Toss a kg of diced chicken thighs in this mixture and set aside.

Mix together a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of hoisin sauce, a spoon of Sichuan chilli paste, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a spoon of sugar (skip if you've used Mirin), 2-3 teaspoons of sesame oil, and a spoon and a half of cornstarch. This is your sauce. Set aside.

In a wok, shallow-fry the chicken in two tablespoons of vegetable oil on high heat. Once the chicken is cooked, add three red chillies, five thinly sliced spring onions, half of a green capsicum, a spoon of ginger paste and a spoon of garlic paste, and stir-fry for a minute or two. Add the sauce and a cup of roasted unsalted peanuts, stir for another minute, and take off the heat. Garnish with spring onion greens, and serve hot with stir-fried veggies!

The Karahi

One of my favorite meals of all time is any spicy curried chicken with parathas, and this recipe is ideal for when I'm craving my favorite meal. Pakistani-style chicken karahi is different than its Indian cousin; while Indian chicken kadhai involves a drier dish with large pieces of onion, capsicum and tomato, this one is all about lots and lots of crushed tomatoes.

In a wok, heat maybe a third of a cup of oil, and add to it a kg of skinless chicken, bone-in and curry cut (I used boneless chicken but it just wasn't the same). Fry the chicken in the oil until the chicken browns a little on the outside. Add to it a spoonful of ginger paste and a spoonful of garlic paste and about 6 chopped green chillies and stir. Then add about 5 roughly crushed tomatoes and maybe a dash of paprika, plus a spoon of coriander powder and a spoon of cumin powder. Add salt to taste. Stir and cook together on low until the chicken is well cooked and the consistency of the gravy is thick and well combined. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves (and sliced ginger: optional). Serve with parathas!

The Indian Chowmein

Spicy mixed Indo-chinese chowmein makes my day, and may make yours too!

Boil about 70g egg noodles for 4 minutes; drain and wash in cold water, and set aside. Also scramble two eggs roughly (no milk, no salt, just plain scramble) and set aside. In about two tablespoons of oil in a big wok, add two fat spring onions, sliced, four sliced green chillies, and a spoon of chopped garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add two thigh fillets of chicken (chopped into very small pieces), and a cup of raw prawn and cook until chicken is almost completely done. Add about 4-5 tbsp soy sauce, a spoon of vinegar, a spoon of garlic chilli paste, half a spoon of cumin powder, and a pinch of garam masala, (and any veggies you'd like to add, or not) and stir for two minutes before adding the cooked noodles and egg. Check for spice levels; optional: dash of paprika. Stir-fry and serve piping hot by itself! Looks like, and essentially IS, a blob of carb and protein, but tastes like instant comfort! Serves 3.

The Thai Green Curry

Fish curries for the win!

So you can buy perfectly good Thai green curry paste in the market, but in case you want to make your own:

Grind together the following ingredients: 3 green chillies, a shallot, a clove of garlic, an inch of ginger, a half cup of coriander leaves, 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, a stalk of lemongrass, a half lime with a little zest, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of coriander, a little ground pepper, a spoon of fish sauce, two spoons of olive oil, and lastly, if you can find any, a half inch of galangal.

Phew. So in a pan, start by sautéing a little garlic in a spoon of oil. Add to it your favorite veggies (broccoli, carrots, beans, shitake mushrooms) and the entire green curry paste (or about 4 tablespoons of store bought paste) and cook. Add pieces of about 3 fillets of your favorite white fish and a cup and a half of coconut milk, simmer and serve! So easy. Serves 4.

The Protein Curry

Another invention by the protein-loving husband!

Boil 3 eggs, and blend into a paste with 1/3 cup milk. Set aside.

Make a paste of the following: a cinnamon stick, a brown cardamom, a green cardamom, two cloves, a nutmeg, two peppercorns, a little mace, 1/2 onion, an inch of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic: use half of it to marinate 1.2 kgs of chicken thighs (cut into small pieces) with a spoon of turmeric.

In a little oil, add two green chillies, chopped, along with the rest of paste, and cook for a bit. Then add the marinated chicken, and cook until water comes out of the chicken. Add salt and a spoon of sugar, and the egg paste made earlier, and simmer (covered) until reduced to your preferred consistency. Serve hot with rotis! (Optional garnish: coriander leaves)

The Teriyaki Floss

It is a well-established and widely accepted fact that if you bring home a tin of pork floss, you will put it on EVERYTHING. Tonight, I douse my teriyaki udon stir-fry in pork floss for your entertainment.

Boil udon noodles for 8 minutes, drain, and keep aside; we'll need about two cups of cooked udon. Sauté half a cup of chopped spring onions with a spoon of chopped garlic and a few slices of red chillies in sesame oil. Add to it about 300 grams of sliced chicken, salt to taste, and a dash of paprika and cook. Once the chicken looks almost cooked, add two cups of broccoli florets and sauté some more. In a separate bowl, mix three tablespoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon of ginger paste, a spoon of sugar, a spoon of mirin, a spoon of cornstarch and a little water to make a thick sauce-like consistency. Add to the wok. Now add your cooked udon noodles and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes before taking off the heat.

Serve with a generous bit of pork floss, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds! Yum.

The Crustacean Tail

Lobster tails have been on my mind for a while now, so I decided it was time to get my hands dirty. As a working professional, elaborate things such as lobsters aren't hard to tackle on a weeknight... not if you have garlic and butter at home! This recipe is probably one of the easiest ways to prepare lobster tails in less than 30 minutes!

Lobster tail with garlic butter and herbs

To butterfly a lobster tail, plate one flat on a cutting board with the head side facing you and the tail side facing away. Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the shell at the top until you reach the beginning of the tail. Turn the tail around to the side with the ribs, and crack all the ribs. Turn the tail back around to the cut shell and use your fingers to pry open the shell and dig out the lobster meat in one piece; leave it attached to the tail bit. Place the meat on top of the now-empty shell. Prepare four of these and place them in a baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Mix in a bowl a spoon of Dijon mustard, two spoons of melted butter, a spoon of pressed garlic, a spoon of oregano, salt, pepper and paprika to taste, two spoons of lime, and a spoon of finely chopped coriander. Maybe add a small drizzle of olive oil. Pour this mixture over the lobster tails, and add an additional slice of two of (solid) butter on top of each. Pop the baking dish into the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the lobsters look solid and opaque.

To serve, take the lobster tails out of the baking dish and put on a plate, then spoon the liquid leftover in the dish onto the tail generously like a sauce. Season if you want, and serve with something light on the side!