Bitspicy

02/09/2026

Szechwan Pork and Green beans: we haven’t had this in a while! If you really love Szechwan pepper then feel free to add more, but we feel we’ve got the level of tongue-tingling about right! We had normal green beans from Riverford but the really fine ones are actually better if you have them. Serve this as a side dish, on its own or with rice. If you want a little extra liquid add a handful of bean sprouts! Here’s the recipe:
250g minced pork
500g fine green beans, trimmed
2 tsp szechuan peppercorns, crushed slightly
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2cm piece ginger, grated
4 tbsp vegetable oil
finely chopped fresh or dry chillies (we suggest 4 red small ones but it’s up to you!)
half a red bell pepper, or 2 large mild chillies, thinly sliced to the same size as the beans
1 tbsp rice w**e or dry sherry
2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp dark
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the beans until slightly wrinkled and brown. Do this in several batches. Remove and drain.

Turn the heat down and gently fry the garlic, ginger, chillies and peppercorns for a couple of minutes.

Turn up the heat, add the pork mince and fry for a few more minutes until browned. Add the red pepper/chilli, sauces and rice w**e and bring to the boil.

Add the beans to the wok, stir to heat through and serve, with extra soy and sweet chilli sauces on the side.

02/07/2026

Leftover Chinese Mushrooms with Tofu, with added beansprouts. We love beansprouts, and have just started adding them to the chicken noodle soup we eat at least twice a week. They add a little more liquid and a wonderful subtle flavour to a really simple and delicious dish. We haven’t cooked this for a while, and it’s just as good as we remembered! Serves 2 generously, and do go for the egg fried rice if you can!

40g dried chinese mushrooms, soaked for several hours in (initially) warm water
200g tofu, pressed to squeeze the liquid out, then sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp each salt and sugar
1/2 tsp white ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 spring onions
2 tbsp rice w**e or dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water
1 tbsp soy sauce (plus more to serve)
1/2 packet beansprouts (optional)

Chop up the whole of the spring onions: chop the green part on the diagonal for a garnish, and chop the stalk finely.
Mix the salt, sugar and pepper together in a bowl.
Squeeze the mushrooms, and discard any tough stalks, reserving the soaking water. Slice into bite-sized pieces if they are large.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok, fry the garlic for a minute then fry the mushrooms for a couple more minutes.
Add 200ml of the mushroom soaking water and bring to the boil, then add the salt/sugar/pepper mix and the rice w**e. Add the spring onions, optional beansprouts and the tofu (stir very gently so it does not break up). Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the sesame oil, then blend the cornflour with the soy sauce and stir in.
Serve immediately, scattered with the reserved spring onion, and with soy and chilli sauces on the side.

30/06/2026

Pic 2 is 300g grated tofu, and I defy you to make an interesting photo of this with no props! It grates really easily, keeps its texture and frankly a bit of a game-changer! I fried it with a little oil and a tbsp of our Mexican blend. I added a little water to keep it moist and that was it! Served in baked peppers with chopped avocado, tomato and crumbled feta (an easy Mexican substitute cheese!), this was a lovely simple light supper for two. Leftovers will be going in a taco for lunch!!

25/06/2026

This is a great recipe for a warm summer’s evening as it takes about 5 minutes to cook. The leftovers can be gently fried in a wok or pan or added to noodle soup (this is delicious and what we’re having today!!). You need a bag of beansprouts, chicken, rice w**e, soy sauce and spring onions. Yes, it really is that easy! We say white pepper but if you’ve only got black then don’t be put off! Here’s in recipe in full (serves 4-6):

700g chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced Thai-style
4 tbsp oil
400g packet bean sprouts
1 tbsp corn flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tbsp rice w**e or dry sherry
1 tsp ground white pepper plus 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
100 ml water
2 spring onions, finely chopped, including the green parts

RECIPE
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, rice w**e, corn flour and egg white, and mix well.

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a wok or large pan, and quickly fry the bean sprouts for about a minute. They need to still be crunchy. Remove from wok and set aside.

Add the remaining oil and the chicken mixture to the wok, and fry for a few minutes until the meat is just cooked. Add the water if it looks too dry for your taste, although the beansprouts will add their own liquid. Return the bean sprouts to the wok with the spring onions, and heat through.

Serve with plain rice, with soy sauce and chilli sauce on the side.

23/06/2026

It’s not easy turning an omelette in a wok! But here’s the finished result: Egg Foo Yong, prawn omelette with soy sauce and spring onions. Really easy and the perfect light meal when the weather is hot! Here’s the recipe:

150g small cooked prawns, finely chopped (small ones often have more flavour and you’re chopping them anyway!)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp each of salt, ground white pepper and sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 spring onion, finely chopped
fresh coriander to garnish

Mix the prawns with the salt, pepper and sugar.
Add the soy sauce to the eggs and mix well.
Heat 2tbsp oil in a wok (traditional!) or non-stick frying pan (easier!) and gently cook the onion until soft. Stir in the prawns and heat through.
Remove the onion and prawns with a slotted spoon, add to the eggs with the spring onion and stir well.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the egg mixture. Cook gently, bringing the raw egg to the sides of the pan to encourage even cooking, until the outside is golden brown and the middle is set. Turn once to cook the other side.
Scatter with the coriander, and serve immediately with a tangy salad.

10/06/2026

We haven’t eaten this in a while but it’s an easy way of having enchiladas but with all the effort done in advance! Layer up the filling (in this case beef) with tortillas, sour cream and cheese. Use the sauce to cook the meat - I might have used too much as it was a bit sloppy, but better than being dry! I used our Mexican blend and the recipe is online!

09/06/2026

A miserable day deserves a warming not-quite-curry dish! Here’s our favourite Sambhar blend made with spinach, potatoes and egg. A squeeze of lemon and you have a delicious dish which is perfect for an easy supper or side dish (egg optional, although we love an egg curry!). The blend can also be used for a green banana curry and a Mauritian lamb curry so why not give it a whirl?

27/05/2026

We haven’t cooked this in a while so made a couple of tweaks to our online recipe (produced below to make life easy for you!). The tedious bit is actually making the fish stock - peeling a load of prawns and boiling them up - and then it involves loads of those ingredients you will already have if you ever cook SEA food! Re the stock, you can buy fresh stock or even bouillon powder, but that’s a taste session for another day! Here’s the recipe:
serves 2 as a generous main meal or 4 as a starter

First make the laksa paste:
6-10 dried chillies, or to taste
2 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped
thumb-sized piece galangal or ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp wholenut peanut butter

Place everything in a blender to create a smooth paste. This can be kept for a few days in the fridge or even frozen.

Fish stock:
1 litre water
3 cloves garlic
shells from 1 kg large raw prawns

Bring everything to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes before straining. Discard the shells and keep the liquid.

2 tbsp oil
1 can coconut milk
1 bag bean sprouts
1 chicken breast, finely sliced (or see below)
The raw prawns from the stock
2 cakes medium egg noodles, pre-cooked
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of Vietnamese coriander (laksa leaf)
fresh chilli slices, soy sauce and lime juice to serve

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the paste until fragrant.
Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the chicken, prawns and noodles, season and cook until ready.
Stir in the bean sprouts, scatter over the uncooked laksa leaf and serve in large bowls with lime juice, soy sauce and chillies.

01/05/2026

29/04/2026

We had a new recipe for our Burmese curry last night! We treated this as more of a Thai curry, with sliced chicken and red pepper, and coconut milk. 3tbsp sesame oil, 3tbsp soy sauce, a squeeze of lime to taste, 300ml ‘secret sauce’, 1 tin coconut milk, 1 red bell pepper, 600g chicken, 1 large onion. Fry the onion in the oil until soft, then add the secret sauce, coconut milk and soy sauce. Simmer for at least half an hour. Add the pepper and ten minutes later add the chicken. Cook until tender, then serve with a squeeze of lime and more soy sauce on the side. Lovely with plain rice!