• Chairman Mao’s Red Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou by Fuchsia Dunlop
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    Chairman Mao’s Red Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou by Fuchsia Dunlop

    Hello Everyone. I’ve been missing-in-action for a couple of months now. Those that follow me on twitter will know that Pizzaboy and I have finally bought a home. It was the right size, in the right suburb, in the right location and at the right price. This is the first time both of us have moved away from home and so far it’s been fun. We are both so happy and we can’t help but be playful whilst unpacking. I am also delighted that the kitchen is flooded with sunlight from dawn to dusk. This will make photography and blogging so much more easier and pleasant. I’ve been stocking my pantry full of all the things that I love and marking recipes in cookbooks that I want…

  • Chinese Five Spice Duck with Bitter Salad by Karen Martini
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    Chinese Five Spice Duck with Bitter Salad by Karen Martini

    This recipe was the easiest thing to put together and photograph. I didn’t prep, nor expect it to turn out quite like it did. It’s funny how the harder I try, the less successful the outcome. No matter how often this happens I still love that little surprise at the end when I am astonished by my own cooking. This is my first attempt at five-spice anything. It must seem silly that I’ve started off by using a Chinese recipe from an Italian chef – even when I have quite a few Asian cookbooks in my collection. This particular recipe jumped out at me and I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. I made some slight alterations (because I was lazy), this turned out to be…

  • Curried Butternut Squash Soup by Ellie Krieger
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    Curried Butternut Squash Soup by Ellie Krieger

    It was not long ago when I first made this soup. If you follow me on facebook you would recall a status update that read something like “ARGH!!!” I had the hardest time peeling the skin off the butternut squash. I used almost every sharp utensil in the kitchen to skin the bastard and I barely scratched the surface. I even beckoned Pizzaboy for help. We stood at the kitchen bench for almost an hour trying to cut away the tough outer layer and chop the flesh. Although the soup tasted very nice – albeit thin because i had cut quite a bit of flesh away with the skin and ended up with less than what the recipe called for – I declared I would never do it again. I told my…

  • Banh Mi Thit – Vietnamese Pork Rolls – Miniature version
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    Banh Mi Thit – Vietnamese Pork Rolls – Miniature version

    I grew up in a small suburb in Sydney called Cabramatta. It is a thriving, family-oriented Vietnamese metropolis. Taking a stroll through the shopping centre can be best described as, “a cleaned up version of Saigon.” The streets are lined with bakeries, sweet shops, tiny restaurants, grocery shops and many other places touting to make the best vietnamese products outside of the motherland. When I was in primary school mum use to walk my sisters and I home almost everyday. There were two different routes that we could take. One was a quick walk through suburban streets and the other was a longer walk through the shopping centre. I always secretly hoped that we would walk…

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