We’re going Stir Crazy!

Plate of spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and konjac noodles made using a recipe from 'Stir Crazy' by Ching-He Huang | H is for Home

This Thursday, instead of our usual Cakes & Bakes offering, we’re sharing a cookbook review.

Cover of 'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang | H is for Home

It’s Stir Crazy by Emmy-nominated TV chef, Ching-He Huang. Born in Taiwan and raised in South Africa and the U.K., Ching shares 100 healthy stir fry recipes in her recently-published book.

In addition to the recipes, Ching sheds light on helpful wok-cooking methods. She reveals some of her ‘stir-fry hacks’ and explains the order in which ingredients should be cooked off and why. And, if you’re on a special diet – she’s got you covered – each recipe helpfully sets out the nutritional information of the dish.

As a veggie, I was thrilled to see that there are 80 pages of purely vegetarian and vegan recipes. Furthermore, in the meat and fish sections, she give lots of helpful tips as to how to convert them to veggie dishes, if so desired.

'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang with selection of noodles from Yutaka | H is for Home

Not only is this a book review, it’s also a food review; along with Stir Crazy, we’ve been sent a selection of  dried and ready-to-eat noodles from Yutaka to try.

'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang with selection of noodles from Yutaka | H is for Home

The only way to properly review a cookbook AND noodles is to try out one of the recipes using some of the ingredients sent. I chose Ching’s simple spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles. However, instead of using egg noodles as her recipe called for, I used the pack of the gluten free and organic konjac noodles (called shirataki in Japan).

In addition to being gluten free, the root vegetable Konjac is vegan, low in calories, low in fat and high in fibre. It’s extremely low in carbs, so if you’re following a ketogenic diet this is a fantastic product to include in your meals.

Nutritional information for Yutaka konjac noodles | H is for Home Yutaka konjac noodles tossed in toasted sesame oil | H is for Home

My usual trinity of flavours for wok cooking are chilli, garlic and ginger. However, This recipe didn’t use garlic but a couple of spring onions. The smell of the flavours combining when they were being fried off together were divine.

Chopped ginger and sliced red chilli and spring onion | H is for Home

If I hadn’t been stopping after each stage to take photos, this recipe could have been rustled up in under half an hour. Quick, healthy – and most important of all – tasty!

There are so many other recipes in the book that I want to give a go – Kung Po tofu, vegetable chop suey, egg foo yung, aubergines in a spicy peanut sauce, spicy coriander chickpea fried rice… are you drooling yet?!

Frying chopped ginger and sliced red chilli and spring onion in a large wok | H is for Home Frying spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and konjac noodles in a large wok | H is for Home

All this talk of stir fries is making me hungry – here’s the recipe…

Spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles
Serves 2
Prep Time
12 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
17 min
Prep Time
12 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
17 min
Ingredients
  1. 200g pack Yutaka konjac noodles
  2. 2tsp toasted sesame oil
  3. 120g curly kale, sliced
  4. 2tbsp rapeseed oil
  5. pinch of sea salt flakes
  6. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled an grated
  7. 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced at an angle
  8. pinch of dried chilli flakes
  9. 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  10. 50ml cold vegetable stock
  11. 1tbsp low-sodium light soy sauceSpicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Drain the liquid from the konjac noodles using a sieve and rinse under a cold tap
  2. Put the noodles into a bowl, drizzle over the 2tsp toasted sesame oil and toss. Set aside
  3. Pour 1 litre of water into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the kale and blanch for 3-5 seconds, then drain and set aside
  4. Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and add the rapeseed oil
  5. Add the salt and let it dissolve in the hot oil
  6. Add the ginger, fresh chilli, dried chilli and spring onions in quick succession to explode their flavours in the wok
  7. Add the vegetable stock and stir-fry on a medium heat for 30 seconds
  8. Add the kale and noodles and toss all the ingredients together to warm through
  9. Season with the light soy sauce and give it one final toss, then transfer to serving plates and eat immediately
Print
Adapted from Stir Crazy
Adapted from Stir Crazy
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Bookmarks: My Vietnamese Kitchen

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cover of "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book with dried noodles, pak choi, lime, chilli, ginger and garlic

My Vietnamese Kitchen is the most recent, successful undertaking of Saigon-born Londoner, Uyen Luu.

title page of "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Amongst other things, she’s a prop stylist, photographer, film-maker and supper club host.

fried fish recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

It’s a gorgeous book – full of culinary delights with striking colour and flavour combinations.

breakfast chapter from "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

A distinctive feature is the wonderful photography and superb staging of ingredients & prepared dishes.

rice roll recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

It really makes the food live!

omelette soup recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

The first section covers the wide variety of herbs, spices, rice & noodles that are staples – then moves onto chapters featuring breakfast, soups, snacks, noodles, lunch & dinner and sweets.

herb photo from "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Recipes are clear & easy to follow – a quick browse and you’ll want to get cooking at the first opportunity.

beef stew recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Uyen’s mother is a great influence – and there are many family dishes, methods and memories. She also draws in the culture & ceremony of food in Vietnam.

sticky fingers chapter from "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Compared to say Chinese, Indian or even Thai food, Vietnamese cuisine is not the most widespread or indeed available outside its own borders. Uyen makes the cuisine very accessible – the book really conveys the fresh, healthy & exciting range of fare.

pork belly recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Whilst dishes are distinctly South East Asian, there’s also a French influence in places. Don’t these filled baguettes look irresistible? A perfect illustration.

sandwich photo in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

The book is a real insight into Vietnamese tastes, lifestyle & customs – and we can thoroughly recommend it as cookery course, travel brochure or food styling guide. You’re also sure to get some interiors inspiration too!

skewer recipe in "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

Also available on Hive, Amazon and Abe Books.

avocado ice cream from "My Vietnamese Kitchen" cookery book

[Many thanks to Ryland Peters & Small for this review copy]

Gimme Five! Cookbooks

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Selection of 5 cookbooks

Everybody loves to get a book for Christmas. I especially love to find a new, glossy, hardback cookbook under the tree to add to my collection!

Anyone who follows this blog will know that we love baking bread, cakes, pastries and cookies as well as using foraged ingredients. Here are five cookbooks that will go a long way towards extending our cookery repertoire!

  1. The Delia Collection – Baking: £10.03, Hive
  2. The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook: £14.60, Foyles
  3. Tartine box set: £45, Blackwells
  4. Hedgerow (River Cottage Handbook, No.7): Amazon, £10.34
  5. Pie: Delicious Sweet and Savoury Pies and Pastries from Steak and Onion to Pecan Tart: from £11.37, AbeBooks

Bookmarks: How to Make Bread

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How to Make Bread book with apples and home-made, buttered bread

This edition of Bookmarks is a little different…

cover of the 'How to Make Bread' book

title page of the 'How to Make Bread' book

…it’s a hybrid – both book review and cookery post.

cornbread recipe from the 'How to Make Bread' book

hot cross bun recipe from the 'How to Make Bread' book

Long-time followers of this blog will know that Adelle is partial to a bit of bread baking and she squealed with delight when this book, How to Make Bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, came through the letterbox!

sourdough chapter page of the "How to Make Bread" book
image of an unbaked loaf being slashed with scissors to decorate in the 'How to Make Bread' book

The recipes are divided up into basic & other yeasted breads; wheat-free or gluten-free breads; sourdoughs and pastries & sweet treats.

olive " herb bread recipe from the "How to Make Bread" book
pizza recipe from the 'How to Make Bread' book

There are also really useful chapters on the basics of bread-making and a list of suppliers & stockists of all the wonderful flours, grains and bread-making paraphernalia.

page showing a stack of bannetons, breadboards and other baking implements in the 'How to Make Bread' book

image of bread & cheese from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

Beautifully staged photographs by Steve Painter and to die for props – Justin’s been emulating them with his breadboards, wooden spoons, herbs and dustings of flour!

instructive images on how to knead dough from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

pitta bread recipe page from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

The book is fantastic for a real bread beginner. It has clear, step by step images. It has inspired the resurrection of the starter that was killed in the pantry by the central heating when it was turned on last winter (that sounds like a game of Cluedo!)

tomato bread recipe page from the 'How to Make Bread' book

rye bread recipe page from the 'How to Make Bread' book

After an age pouring over all the different bread and pastry recipes, she chose the beer bread as her first attempt.

beer bread recipe page from the 'How to Make Bread' book

ingredients gathered together to make the beer bread from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

Here’s the recipe…

Makes 4 rolls (Adelle made 1 large loaf from the same quantity dough)

Added notes: long proofing/dough rising basket (900g/2lbs capacity), greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper,
(warning, you’ll also need a collection of different sized mixing bowls!).

  • 400 g/3¼ cups malthouse flour (or 2 cups unbleached bread flour, ¾ cup multigrain blend and ½ malted wheat flakes)
  • 10 g/1 teaspoon salt
  • 200 g/1 ⅔ cups malthouse or unbleached strong/bread flour
  • 2g fresh yeast or 1g/¾ teaspoon dried/active dry yeast
  • 200g/200ml/6oz organic ale or other beer (Adelle used Marston’s Oyster Stout)
  • 4g fresh yeast or 2g/¼ teaspoon dried/active dry yeast
  • 200g/200ml/6oz organic ale or other beer
  • rolled oats, for coating

…and here’s the method…

  1. Into one (medium) mixing bowl, sift the 400 g/3¼ cups malthouse flour (or equivalent) and empty the sifted larger grains into a shallow dish. Set aside.
  2. Mix the salt with the sifted flour and set aside. This is the dry mixture
  3. Into another (smaller) mixing bowl, sift the 200 g/1 ⅔ cups malthouse flour (or equivalent) and empty the sifted larger grains into the dish with the rest of the reserved grains.
  4. Into another (larger) mixing bowl, weigh out the 2g fresh yeast (or equivalent). Add the 200g/200ml/6oz ale and stir until the yeast has dissolved. This is the wet mixture. (Leave the second batch of ale in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator.)
  5. Mix the 200 g/1 ⅔ cups sifted flour into the wet mixture until it comes together.
  6. Cover and let ferment overnight in a cool place.
  7. The next day, in a (smaller) mixing bowl, weigh out the 4g fresh yeast (or equivalent). Add the remaining 200g/200ml/6oz ale and stir until the yeast has dissolved. (Don’t worry if the ale has gone flat.) Pour into the fermented ale mixture and mix.
  8. Now add the reserved dry mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together.
  9. Cover with the bowl that had the dry mixture in it and let stand for 10 minutes.
  10. After 10 minutes knead as follows: [in the bowl, pull a portion of the dough up from the side ans press it in the middle. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat this process with another portion of the dough. Repeat another 8 times. The whole process should only take about 10 seconds and the dough should start to resist.] Cover the bowl again and let stand for 10 minutes.
  11. Repeat this step three times, but the last rising should be for 1 hour.
  12. When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Transfer the ball of dough to the floured work surface.
  13. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions using a metal dough scraper or sharp serrated knife.
  14. Take each portion of dough and roll between your hands until you get a perfectly round, smooth ball.
  15. Add as many oats as you like to the reserved dish of malted grains and mix.
  16. Roll the top of each ball of dough in the grain mixture. Place, grain side down, into a prepared proofing basket/banneton.
  17. Let the dough rise until slightly less than double the size – 30-45 minutes.
  18. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9 and put a baking stone in to heat up. Place a roasting pan at the bottom of the oven to preheat. Fill a cup with water.
  19. Tip the basket upside down onto the bread peel and lift it away from the risen dough. Slide the bread onto the hot baking stone, pour the reserved cupful of water onto the hot roasting pan and lower the temperature to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
  20. Bake for 30 minutes.
  21. To check if it is baked through, tip it upside down and tap the bottom – it should sound hollow.
  22. If it’s not ready, return to the oven for a few minutes. Set it on a wire rack to cool.

…and here’s Adelle’s finished loaf…

beer bread from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

sliced & buttered beer bread from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

close up view of beer bread from the 'How to Make Bread' cookery book

You can get your copy of How to Make Bread from the Cico website. And as usual, it’s also available from Hive, Amazon and Abe Books.

[Many thanks to Sarah at Ryland Peters & Small and Cico Books]