March 2021 Favourites list

Hello again, my friends!

Spring is here! March has brought with it a little bit of sunshine and a lot of colour. The Spring flowers are so vibrant and life affirming, after what has felt like a longer than usual Winter. Drinking in the colours has been joyful. 

Magnolia flowers

 

For the first time in a long time, I have news! I have had my first Coronavirus jab! As I mentioned in last month's Favourites List post, the UK vaccine rollout has been a source of hope for many of us here. Well, my turn has come around, and I was ready for it!

Arriving at the local health centre tasked with vaccinations, the security guard asked me if I was here for my vaccine.... Without hesitation, I replied "bring it on!" He laughed at my eccentricity, my miming of jabbing my own arm was probably more theatrical than was strictly necessary, but he smiled and directed me into the building. 

Inside, was an operation of such organisation, efficiency, happiness and positivity, I won't forget it in a very long time. Yes, you read that correctly; happiness and positivity. Volunteers smiled and greeted us, reminding everyone to sanitise their hands on arrival. 

I was shown into a socially distanced waiting room where a very kindly man checked I understood what vaccination was, and whether I consented to the process. Then ten of us at a time were walked to the nerve centre of the operation; rows of cubicles where details were taken, information about the vaccine was given, arms swabbed, jabs administered. Local GPs who would normally be working in their own clinics were carrying out the vaccinations and ensuring everyone understood what was happening. 

Then we were given a sticker with the time of our injection, and shown to a second socially distanced waiting room. The idea being we would wait for 20 minutes in case of an immediate adverse reaction. I was there with around 30 people and nobody had any problems. In that time, three smiling and relentlessly positive people asked me if I was OK, and whether I was feeling strange. At the end, I was told I could go home, but before leaving was presented with what is now my favourite pin badge (some of you will know how much I love a pin badge) proudly stating that I have had my Covid vaccine. 

I would like to express my heartfelt and deep gratitude to the medical staff, doctors, nurses and amazing volunteers. They made the experience one without trepidation or worry. In a couple of months, I'll be back to do it all over again. 

So, on to the main event, my March favourite food writing, cultural picks and recipes. With photos of some of the Spring flowers I've been spotting this past month. I hope you enjoy my selections. 

Food writing and articles:

What is in season in March, and some recipe ideas for cooking inspiration: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/whats-in-season-march

Kavey has continued her exploration of the food of the UK. Here is her post on the best traditional food of Wales: https://www.kaveyeats.com/the-best-traditional-food-from-wales

 

Spring blossom

Kavey’s final instalment of her foods of the UK series is about the best traditional foods of Northern Ireland: https://www.kaveyeats.com/the-best-traditional-food-from-northern-ireland

Cooking steaks in a toaster? I'm not saying it wouldn't work, but how can you have crumpets with jam afterwards? https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/26/chef-reveals-how-to-make-the-perfect-steak-at-home-using-a-toaster-14151349/

Could this be a big time saving kitchen tip? Don't take time making rice, noodles or pasta, just roll up a tortilla: https://www.eater.com/22225516/just-put-everything-in-a-tortilla

Cleaning and storage tips from a restaurant kitchen to yours: https://food52.com/blog/25900-restaurant-kitchen-cleaning-storage-tips

Recipes:

From Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new cookbook ‘Eat Better Forever’: recipes for Asian hot pot with mushrooms, celeriac and beans, Curried beany cullen skink, Mushroom & black rice ‘chachouka’ and traditional chachouka: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-book-recipes-ideas-b1787802.html

Purple pansy

 

I made this delicious and simple Korean lamb hotpot with gochujang: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jan/09/korean-spiced-hotpot-to-baked-squash-chantelle-nicholson-recipes-for-winter-meals

Chef Asma Khan (of Darjeeling Express, London) shares her mung dahl recipe for home cooking: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-26/best-indian-dal-recipe-for-home-asma-khan

Meera Sodha’s recipe for Iranian white bean stew Fasoulia: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/feb/02/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-iraqi-white-bean-stew-fasoulia

Rosie Reynold’s recipe for one pot chicken noodle soup for an easy weekday main meal: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/chicken-noodle-soup-recipe-easy-b1807280.html

Raymond Blanc shares his mum’s vegetable soup recipe. One main soup, which you can eat three ways: https://www.itv.com/food/articles/maman-blancs-vegetable-soup-three-ways

Sushi bake is a Filipino dish layering sushi rice, seafood, sriracha chilli sauce and mayo. With its roots in Japanese food, it is infinitely flexible comfort food: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/sushi-bake

Cream primrose

 Orzotto is like a risotto, made with rice shaped pasta called orzo. Here’s a Gorgonzola, leek and walnut orzotto, which is warming and cheesy: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/gorgonzola-leek-and-walnut-orzotto/

This crab tostadas recipe is from Borough Market's Tacos Padre stall. Grab yourself some crab meat, coriander, avo and get crunching! https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/fish-and-seafood/crab-tostadas/

Seven London chefs share their quick and easy lunch recipes for those of us working from home: https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/foodanddrink/quick-easy-lunch-recipes-london-chefs-b907072.html

For the history buffs – recipes from Ancient Greece and Rome: https://blog.britishmuseum.org/cook-a-classical-feast-nine-recipes-from-ancient-greece-and-rome/

Cook like a Suffragette: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/suffragist-cookbook-historical-recipes

I'm intrigued by this peanut lime noodle salad with tofu: https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/peanut-lime-noodles

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen:

My recipe for Chicken and sweetcorn soup with egg. https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/03/chicken-and-sweetcorn-soup-with-egg.html

Euphorbia

 My other writing:

I was recently asked to provide some insight into the employment law issues involved with working from home by Adriatico News in Italy. A link to their news article and my original words in English are here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-statement-adriatico-news-working-from-home-snigdha-nag and https://www.adriaticonews.it/2021/02/24/snigdha-nag-lo-smart-working-non-e-cosi-ovvio-da-generalizzare-anche-se-si-lavora-da-casa-bisogna-pensare-alla-salute-e-alla-sicurezza-dei-propri-dipendenti/

TV:

The Great

The Investigation

Deutschland 89

Film:

Frantz

One Night in Miami

Frances Ha

Music:

Radiohead - The Bends

Various Artists - Buena Vista Social Club

Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.  

Chicken and sweetcorn soup with egg

This recipe is my attempt to recreate Chinese restaurant style sweetcorn soup. I posted a photo of the finished dish on social media and was amazed to receive several requests for the recipe. I wasn’t prepared for this, so I’m sorry but I don’t have any of my more usual step-by-step photos with the instructions this time. 

 

It may well be that some of the ingredients I’ve chosen are those used in Chinese food, but are not authentic to this dish, but I wanted a soup which wasn’t too bland given the main ingredients are sweetcorn and stock. If my recipe isn’t quite right, then I apologise. This is very much my take on this soup, made for my taste. Absolutely no disrespect was intended.

I have made this soup with chicken and egg. I have been advised you can make it more luxurious by adding crab meat.

I have used Hong brand creamed corn. Your local Chinese grocers should sell cans of creamed corn and some supermarkets sell it. If you can’t get it, then you might have to use a can of regular sweetcorn and blitz it in a blender with a small amount of milk and/or cornflour mixed with water. 

I have used homemade vegetable stock to make this soup. You do not need to, and you can use either a stock pot or a stock cube. I will indicate in the instructions what to do if you are using pots or cubes.

You can find ginger paste in the supermarket, and I would have used fresh ginger had I not run out of it!

Shaosing (or Shaoxing) rice wine is a hero ingredient for Chinese food. It adds depth of flavour and complexity to your cooking. It is very useful for creating Chinese style marinades. I would advise you to try to seek it out from a Chinese grocery story (although some supermarkets sell it), but if you can’t get hold of it or don’t want to invest in it for a single recipe, just omit it. Don’t substitute for something else as it won’t be the same. Obviously, if you do not consume alcohol for any reason, miss this ingredient out.

Serves 2 people as lunch/dinner or serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

2 chicken thigh, deskinned and deboned

1 can creamed corn

1 teaspoon ginger paste (or a half inch piece of ginger peeled and grated finely)

1 tablespoon Shaosing rice wine

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

700 millilitres of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

1 tablespoon of cornflour, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, in a small bowl

2 eggs, beaten and left in a separate bowl

2 spring onions, sliced, including as much of the greens as you can manage

 

Method

In a small pan, cover the chicken thighs generously in water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and when cool enough to handle, chop into small dice. If you are not using homemade stock, you might want to save the water and use it to make up chicken or vegetable stock using either a stock cube or stock pot. Leave the chicken to one side.

Put the stock in a saucepan and heat up. Once hot, but not boiling, add the creamed sweetcorn, ginger, soy and Shaosing. The heat will drop because the sweetcorn is room temperature. You need to keep the heat on it so that it is piping hot but not boiling.

When it is hot, add the chicken and sweetcorn/stock blend. Mix thoroughly. Ensure that it gets back to a hot, but not boiling temperature. (If you are using leftover chicken from the fridge, you might want to make sure you give the chicken a few minutes to get heated up. This is necessary to avoid food poisoning.)

Get the beaten eggs ready. Swirl the soup and slowly drizzle the egg into the soup. It should form coagulated threads almost immediately. If it doesn’t do so, then the soup isn’t hot enough, so increase the heat, wait and try again. Keep the soup moving and swirling while you then slowly pour in the remaining beaten egg.

When you can see that all the egg has turned into cooked threads of protein, the soup is ready. Dish up into bowls and top with the spring onions.

Enjoy while it is hot. The cooked egg is not particularly suitable for reheating, so eat the soup now.