Green and red hot sauce

These are my basic green and red hot sauce recipes which I adapt every time to accommodate for seasonal availability.

I’ve been growing my own chillies since Christmas and I’ve already harvested about two kilos, the equivalent of four batches of hot sauce. I urge you to try growing your own; it’s ecological, economical and incredibly satisfying!

Some tips: Make sure you taste and adjust amounts of ingredients as necessary, as every batch will be different. You may sometimes need to add a little sugar, or more or less vinegar or garlic. And always, always, always use gloves! I’ve learnt the hard way that while your tongue may become desensitised to chilli, your eyes never do…

The Hub House Diner, Dulwich Hill

The Hub House Diner, next to Moon’s Fresh Sushi on New Canterbury Rd, has been eagerly awaited by Dulwich Hill locals since the signage went up just before Christmas. They were absolutely packed on their first – and second – day of opening. I suspect they weren’t quite prepared for how busy they’d be, which resulted in the longer than ideal wait time as mentioned by some on Urbanspoon. I did appreciate that the owner (or floor manager?) indicated to us before we sat down that there would be a bit of a wait. I’m not going to slag them off for it – I mean, it’s their first weekend open people, give them a break!

Mamak, Chinatown

Cheap, delicious and BYO, Mamak is my kind of place. It is deservedly popular, and arriving at 6.30pm on a Friday means an hour-long wait. Not always practical but worth it when you need a good Malaysian roti fix!

Pumpkin and smoked pork soup with crispy sage leaves and chevre toast

It’s a mouthful I know, but the beauty of this dish is in the combination of all elements. The soup is sweet, clean and slightly smoky, the crispy sage adds earthiness, and the goats cheese toast provides a hit of salt as well as a contrasting texture.

Mut jup mun gai yik (a.k.a. honey soy chicken wings) and a lovely riesling

These sticky wings are absolutely divine and incredibly popular with young and old alike. According to my parents, this has been my favourite food since before I could talk!

Comforting chicken noodle “soup”

Inspired by my mum and guaranteed to feel you feel loved, this is not quite a soup, not quite pasta, and not quite a stew, but a very soothing and delicious fusion of the three. A fantastic way to use up an old roast/bbq chicken.

Anchovy and herb roasted vegetables

I LOVE anchovies! I recently discovered the joy of adding them to roast vegetables and haven’t looked back.

Zucchini and haloumi fritters

These are incredibly delicious and very easy to make. The haloumi makes them quite salty so I just serve them with a squeeze of lemon, no extra sauces or dips needed!