Tag Archives: rice

Comforting Recipes From Nicola Millbank AKA Milly Cookbook: Hangover Spicy Rice

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Four comforting recipes from Nicola Millbank AKA Milly Cookbook hangoverspicyriceHangover Spicy Rice

Serves 1

Perfect after the night before and a doddle to make; you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Ingredients:

– 2 tsp. of vegetable oil

– A few cherry tomatoes, halved

– 1 spring onion, finely sliced

– 1 pack of microwavable brown rice

– 1 tbsp. of soy sauce

– 1 tbsp. of sweet chilli sauce

– 1 tsp. of toasted sesame oil

– Juice of 1 lime

– A good pinch of dried chilli flakes

– 1 free range egg

– Extra soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce to serve.

Method:

– Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the spring onion and tomatoes. Cook down for a couple of minutes until softened and then add in the pack of rice, frying for a further 2 minutes.

– Pour in the soy sauce, sweet chilli and sesame oil and squeeze in the lime juice. Allow to fry for a further few minutes, stirring occasionally.

– In another small frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil and fry the egg until cooked in the middle and crispy around the outside.

– Plate up the rice, top with the fried egg and add a dash of soy and sweet chill sauce to serve.

 

 

Wong Kei – the most famous Chinese restaurant in London!

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Wongkei restaurant in Wardour Street Soho

My friend Roy at the Wongkei, which has been frequenting since 1979

I was having a chat with my friend Roy, when I mentioned that I’d never actually been to Wong Kei Chinese restaurant. He was astounded. After all, Wong Kei is hugely famous. It serves incredibly cheap food, but has a reputation for having rude waiters and for not accepting any kind of credit cards – cash only! It is in the lower end of Wardour Street, in the heart of London’s China Town and seems to have existed forever.

It has entered London folklore. Many people will tell stories of having arguments with the waiters there. And I remember at one poetry performance, a woman reading a poem about the drunks who used to come to Wong Kei late at night.

Because it is such an institution, I suggested that Roy and I should go there for lunch. Roy is a regular at the restaurant – he first visited in 1979 – and he says it has hardly changed in all that time. When we visited it was mid-day and at that time of day the restaurant seems to operate as a sort of cheap canteen for the local Chinese community.

It is absolutely basic in its décor. Lines of Formica tables, sturdy restaurant chairs, no table cloths and a pot of chilli sauce on every table. As soon as we arrived someone brought a pot of tea – which is free.

Roy admits to being a creature of habit and generally has beef with fried noodles. I had roast duck with soup noodles, which is my favourite Chinese lunch.

The food arrived fairly promptly and it was very pleasant. I felt that the duck was slightly overcooked and I’ve had better noodles- these lacked the sort of bite that I enjoy. The broth was rich and tasty and there was plenty of chilli sauce to spice things up.

Wong Kei in Wardour Street Soho

Wong Kei at lunchtime – serving seriously cheap Chinese food

Likewise Roy’s beef was perfectly nice. I found it a bit blander than I’m used to.. Again the noodles weren’t as crisply as I’d have liked. But the point of the restaurant comes when you ask for the bill. The price for two meals was £10.50. In the West End of London, it’s probably the cheapest meal you can find.

It is busy, it is bustling, the waiters put food on the table and take it away. The food isn’t top class, but it is ridiculously cheap. It’s not a place for a romantic meal, but as an alternative to a lunchtime sandwich it makes a nice change.

The Inept Girl's Guide To Cooking: Stuffed Peppers

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I thought stuffed peppers would be hard, thankfully, I was wrong.

Take 4 peppers, any colour you want, chop the top off and scoop out the insides and clean. Place in a baking try, take some olive oil and drizzle lightly over the peppers. Cook for 20 minutes or until roasted.

While the peppers are cooking take some couscous and put it in a bowl. Add boiling water (the pack will tell you how much, generally 115ml or water per 75ml of couscous) leave for two minutes and it will be cooked! I know, I love couscous, it is so easy and quick.

Now, this is where the fun starts; you can stuff the peppers with whatever you want, I added Tomato, mushroom, onion and mozzarella. Quite simple but it tastes amazing.

 

While the couscous is cooking peel and chop up some mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. Put in a frying pan with a little oil and start to cook. Add the couscous when it is done. Keep checking on the peppers.

Add the mozzarella to the pan, take the peppers out of the oven and stuff the mixture into them. Put the tops on and then put back not the oven for a further 20 minutes. Cooking times may vary so feel free to adjust.

Take the peppers out of the oven and they are ready to serve. They taste great with the melted mozzarella, I also added some honey roast parsnips, which will be coming up soon in my column. I also added cooked apples on top as an experiment and it went down quite well.

The best things about stuffed peppers is the variety, you can have rice instead of couscous and any vegetable or even meat, so have fun.

Enjoy!