Pork & Chive Dumplings

With a spicy tangy dipping sauce *cue the drooling*

The closest I'll ever get to being a (w)rapper - HAH.

These pork and chive dumplings took me right back to my uni days – there was this small restaurant down the road from my residence that sold the BEST dumplings I've ever had in my life. They were fat, juicy, huge, and so satisfying and a great hangover cure. Believe me when I say I used to eat 14 of them in one sitting to myself.

I attempted to replicate them at home and it's safe to say, I was close enough. As close as I'll ever get to replicating those parcels of happiness.

Not to mention, the dipping sauce pairs so perfectly with these dumplings. They definitely taste 10x better with the sauce.

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INGREDIENTS FOR WRAPPERS

300g plain flour

170ml warm water

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

500g pork mince

1 tsp ground white pepper powder

2 tbsp chives, chopped

1 tsp salt

INGREDIENTS FOR DIPPING SAUCE

2 tbsp tamari sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp sesame oil

METHOD

1. Mix together the plain flour and water until it forms a shaggy dough. The dough shouldn't be sticking to your fingers. So if it is, add more flour until it no longer sticks. When pouring in the water, pour it in a bit at a time so you can control the consistency of your dough. If you find the dough is too dry and flaky, add a tiny bit more water until it becomes a little moist.

2. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate whilst you make your filling.

3. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together for the filling until well combined.

4. Get the dough from the fridge and take out small chunks from it. Roll the small chunks into flour, and flour a clean surface so you can roll the pieces of dough out into thin circles. Each dumpling wrapper should have a 3-inch diameter, and should be as thin as a 10p coin - quite thin!

5. Once you have rolled out about 15 dumpling wrappers, start spooning in the pork mixture onto the middle of a dumpling wrapper, then get two edges of the wrapper and pinch them at the top. Now this is where you can fold them as creatively as you can, but just make sure the pork mixture is sealed inside the wrapper and has no chance of any juice or filling escaping. Repeat this for all your dumpling wrappers

6. Heat up a frying pan on medium heat and pour in a little bit of sesame oil. Once the oil starts to sizzle a little, place the dumplings on to the frying pan and allow them to cook for about 8-10 minutes on all sides. The wrapper will start to turn golden brown (as seen in the photo above). Once cooked, transfer to a plate. Repeat this for all dumplings.

7. For the dipping sauce, mix all ingredients together in a dipping dish or small bowl.

Channa Masala

a.k.a chickpea curry

THE TRUTH IS... I tried to replicate my auntie's (masi) recipe for channa masala. Alas, nothing will ever beat your mum's or aunt's cooking. So I will be honest and say this masala wasn't even close to being super authentic.

HOWEVER... it was still really yum and I finished it all. So I'd definitely recommend trying this one out when you're feeling like a warm and cosy meal.

The key to this recipe is to mush the chickpeas towards the end. Thanks to my cousin, she told me this actually thickens the curry even more, and also helps to break down the chickpeas and soften them.

I'd highly recommend eating this with some basmati rice, or you can try out my naan recipe!

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INGREDIENTS

480g canned chickpeas, drained

1 large brown onion, chopped

400g can of chopped tomatoes, keep the can!

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

3 large garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 'thumb-sized' piece of ginger, chopped finely

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chilli powder (or more if you can handle the spice)

1 tbsp lime juice

A handful of coriander, plus a little more for garnish

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp tamarind sauce (optional)

Salt

METHOD

1. Start off by rinsing the chickpeas under warm water. Fill up a large bowl with water, and pour the chickpeas into it. Allow the chickpeas to soak for about 3 hours before cooking.

2. Once three hours has passed, in a large pot and on medium heat, pour in the oil, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Wait until they start popping, and then add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger. Mix and allow them to cook until soft.

3. Once softened, add in the chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, and ground coriander. Mix until well combined and fragrant.

4. Then add in the chopped tomatoes, and this is where you will need the empty can. Fill up the can with water and pour into the pot. Season with salt, mix everything together and turn the heat down a little. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes. You can taste the curry at this point to see if it at your desired saltiness or spice!

5. Add in the chickpeas and coriander, and give everything a final mix. Allow the curry to simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat, occasionally stirring.

6. Once the curry starts to thicken, using the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher, crush the chickpeas in the pot. This will allow for the mixture to thicken and for the chickpeas to become softer. Now add in the tamarind sauce (optional) and lime juice, stir until well combined.

7. Once the mixture is thick and no longer watery, give everything a final mix. Serve with coriander as garnish.

Truffle Mushroom Risotto

One of my favourite hearty meals with the perfect amount of truffle-y-ness

I've eaten a lot of truffle mushroom risottos, and I always find there's never enough truffle. But why is that??

I don't have answers. But I do have a solution – create my own with enough truffle!

I made this risotto with the goal of making it creamy without adding cream, and truffle-y by adding enough truffle oil. Now if you want to be super fancy, you can also grate actual truffle into this and also on top when serving. However, I'm not that extra so I stuck to truffle oil.

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INGREDIENTS

6 portobello mushrooms, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3/4 of a large brown onion, chopped

1L vegetable stock

400g risotto rice

2 tbsp lightly salted butter

5 tbsp parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

3 tbsp truffle oil (or more if you fancy!)

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

METHOD

1. In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, garlic, and onion. Fry until they soften but not fully brown. Then add in the mushrooms and cook everything until well combined and mushrooms have softened too.

2. Add in the risotto rice and mix. Then pour in the vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer until the vegetable stock has been absorbed. This should take roughly 10 minutes, however, stir the mixture every couple minutes or so.

3. Once the vegetable stock has absorbed, season with salt and pepper and mix.

4. Add in the butter and parmesan cheese and combined well.

5. Give the risotto a taste to see if you'd prefer some more salt or pepper. If you're happy with the taste, add in the truffle oil and mix it through thoroughly. Give it another taste to see if you want to add more truffle oil!

6. Serve with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil on top.