Crisp salt and chilli tofu

I find this dish so comforting. Perfect for a Valentines night dinner with yourself! <3

It’s usually made with spring onions too, which are a delicious addition. If using chuck them in towards the end along with the chilli and garlic.

Moon’s Fresh Sushi, Dulwich Hill

Dulwich Hill is a fabulous suburb to live in, with Vietnamese, Thai, Lebanese, Pakistani, Chinese and Portuguese restaurants, plus plenty of excellent cafes, delis, butchers and patisseries. There are times, however, that I simply need sushi. 

Japanese spinach with sesame

Ok, this is not authentic, but it’s a very quick and easy approximation to the delicious horenso no goma ae I always have to order at Japanese restaurants. The classic recipe calls for boiled sake and hand-ground sesame seeds, but hello, it’s Tuesday.

Green Palace Vegetarian Restaurant, Newtown

Green Palace is one of many, many Thai restaurants on Newtown’s King St strip. However, it stands out from others because of three things: it’s vegan, it’s cheap, and it’s really REALLY delicious. I know, it surprised me too!

Chinese twice-cooked pork

When I was growing up, my mum often used to make this dish for a weeknight dinner. As a child I was never quite sure why it was called twice-cooked, and I’m still not sure if she actually did both steps of the cooking, but I find it the perfect way to use up any leftover pork belly. The other night I made dinner of pork belly stewed in orange, soy and spices but there was loads leftover, so tonight I used the it to make this delicious stir-fry.

Pork belly & ribs stewed in orange, soy and spices

This is my mum’s best classic, comforting winter dinner dish and a firm family favourite. It fills the house with an incredibly enticing, warming fragrance from the star anise, cinnamon and orange, and reminds me of the happiest moments of my childhood. The pork is stewed until incredibly tender, so that the fat just melts in the mouth and the meat is worthy of ‘pulling’ pork status. The ribs are a treat for those who aren’t into pork fat (i.e. crazy people, and my sister).

Yen For Viet, Marrickville – Take 2

Mr Black and I first visited Yen For Viet when it was brand new (see my first post here). Since then we’ve been back a few times – when we can get a table! Even on a weeknight they’re pretty busy, and deservedly so. Their food is excellent quality and, while not as cheap a most places on the Illawarra Rd strip, is still fantastic value. They are both BYO and licenced, which is great because there are no bottle shops anywhere nearby!

Confit duck dumplings fried in duck fat

I am obsessed with few things in life, but duck and dumplings are definitely two of them. While shopping for ingredients to make dumplings the other evening, I had the GENIUS idea to combine the two. Even more brilliant, I got my friends to help make them! They didn’t quite turn out quite as prettily as my usual dumplings (I’ve had a lot of practice) but it was great fun. We also made some spinach and tofu Ladakhi mokmok (aka momos in Tibet or Nepal), which I’ll post separately for the vegematarians

Minh Vietnamese, Dulwich Hill

Minh is our local Vietnamese joint. It’s closer than (but not quite as good as) the Viet places in Marrickville and makes for a decent low-key meal. Plus, they are licensed and BYO and serve a decent glass of house wine as well as a few old favourites by the bottle such as Oyster Bay sav blanc.

Pork and eggplant adobo

This is one of my absolute favourite comfort dishes. It’s perfect for when you have no fresh vegies, and are feeling unwell or tired, and need something warming and hearty. (Tick, tick and tick!) The ingredients might not sound exciting, but trust me, this dish is more than the sum of its parts!