March 2025 favourites list

It is late March and here in the UK spring is springing. With it, lighter mornings and a little bit of sunshine. The brash colour of the early spring flowers are such a joy to behold after the dreary winter months. 

 

I hope you enjoy this month’s selection with some photos I have taken of this spring’s flowers.

Food writing

Olive Magazine picks the best places to eat in Shoreditch, London: https://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants/shoreditch-foodie-guide-where-to-eat-and-drink/

Asma Khan is the creator of Darjeeling Express, a unique restaurant empowering women. In this interview, she speaks about sexism in the hospitality industry and why it doesn’t have to be this way. https://metro.co.uk/2025/03/08/female-chefs-kept-quiet-years-need-call-toxic-kitchens-22690539/

This is childish, but I couldn’t resist… Why do beans make you fart? https://www.self.com/story/why-do-beans-make-you-fart

 

Food advice and kitchen tips

Made one of those recipes requiring only half a can of coconut milk? Found yourself throwing away the other half? Don’t do this again – freeze it! https://lifehacker.com/food-drink/yes-you-can-freeze-coconut-milk

This How To guide from BBC Good Food has given me ideas on how to shake up my home cooking – the ingredients which will change how you cook. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredients-that-will-change-the-way-you-cook

Andrew Wong shares his wisdom on Chinese cooking sauces, plus his recipes for Beef XO, ginger and spring onion relish, and black bean sauce: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/andrew-wongs-chinese-sauces-masterclass/

 

Recipes

Spring means the start of salad season. To bridge the gap, here is Nigel Slater’s recipe for a raw winter slaw with herby mayonnaise: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/feb/11/nigel-slaters-recipe-for-raw-winter-slaw-with-herby-mayo

If you follow me on Bluesky, you’ll know about my Chaat obsession. Here is Dishoom’s Tandoori chaat charred sweet potato recipe: https://www.dishoom.com/journal/recipes/dishoom-tandoori-chaat-charred-sweet-potato-recipe/

Easy healthy Indian curry recipes for midweek recipe inspiration: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/wellness/midweek-meals-recipe-indian-curry-easy-healthy-cooking-b1209098.html

 

Food and health

There are a lot of food scares out there. This seems like a balanced and helpful look at the issue of mercury levels in tuna: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/mercury_in_tuna

I have joked about how there’s a second stomach for dessert, and it seems this has some basis in science. Who knew? https://www.npr.org/2025/03/15/nx-s1-5328768/sugar-brain-cravings-dessert

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

My latest instant noodle review – Itsu’s chick n ramen (vegan) instant noodle in a pot: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/03/itsu-chick-n-ramen-instant-noodle-review.html

My beginners guide to Chaat: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/02/chaat-beginners-guide.html

TV

Unforgotten, Season 6

Sanjeev Bhaskar returns as DI Sunny Khan working with DCI Jessica James (played by Sinead Keenan) investigating a “fresh” cold case involving body parts found on Whitney Marsh. Taking in themes of what it is like to be a carer, neurodiversity, incel culture, right wing news channels, tensions in contemporary academia, and the timeless matters of human nature. It has received unfair criticism for being “political” but as writer and creator Chris Lang said “I like to hold up a mirror to the UK, and reflect where we are".

Available on ITV player:

https://www.itv.com/watch/unforgotten/2a3372/2a3372a0031

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.

Itsu Chick N Ramen instant noodle review

Wandering around, idly gawping at the shelves of ingredients and food items at Longdan (the Vietnamese grocery shop in Lewisham which specialises in east Asian food products and plant based eating) is something I relish. On a recent visit, I spotted some instant cup/pot style noodles from Itsu. Itsu runs east Asian inspired take away/restaurant outlets in the UK, but have diversified into food products available in some supermarkets and speciality grocers. The packaging promised noodles in “hand crafted broth” which immediately grabbed my interest. I paid £1.95 for one pot of Itsu Chick N Ramen.

 

The product

Itsu have, according to their packaging, collaborated with a “highly respected food entrepreneur” from Japan named Yoshihiro, who has created the sesame miso broth paste in this pack. The broth paste is, they say, inspired by the ramen chefs of Tokyo. They have put Yoshihiro’s picture on the container, and he looks like a kindly uncle who is very particular about his noodle broth. Either that, or I’m a sucker for cutesy marketing. 

 

The “Chick-n” labelling on the packet is misleading, as these noodles, when made up are vegan and vegetarian. The packaging clearly states the product is suitable for vegans. I would suggest that since the main flavour here is miso, that the product should be renamed, the current name is just confusing! Unfortunately, this product, because there is a small amount of alcohol in the broth mix, is not Halal. 

 

What’s Inside

Once I popped off the lid, I found a sachet of sesame miso based broth paste. 

 

As a set out above, it does contain alcohol, making it unsuitable for those eating a Halal diet. There was insufficient information on the packet to determine if it is kosher. (Wine can be kosher if produced correctly, and unflavoured sake is capable of being kosher). The broth has miso paste, sesame paste, yeast extract, and a number of other flavourings and spices.

 

There was also a cake of rice noodles which were fairly narrow, but very thin, which lend themselves for quick cooking/reconstitution in the pot. These noodles, being made from rice flour, are suitable for those on a gluten free diet who normally miss out on noodle products. They are also very low in fat. Obviously, they contain carbohydrates, being made out of rice. But as I have said many times, I’ve never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like!

What does it taste like

I made the noodles according to the instructions and as a result they were soft, but not squidgy or too yielding. 

 

I enjoyed their texture, which is reminiscent of the Vietnamese rice noodles used for Pho. There’s a touch of chilli heat thanks to the dried red chilli and dried spring onion which come with the noodles. If you were to forget about these noodles when reconstituting and return much later, I think that they could become soggy rapidly because they are so thin. Put your timer on!

 

I should mention that these noodles are not ramen noodles, nor do they taste like ramen noodles. Again, the product name doesn’t truly reflect the nature of the product itself, but Itsu are popular enough that this is unlikely to matter. 

 

The broth, however, is the true highlight. It has richness, a touch of creaminess, umami savouriness, and feels much more luxurious than you’d expect from an instant noodle product. Is it “hand crafted” as claimed? I can’t say. But it is definitely flavourful and makes this product worth the price.

 

I modded my noods (as you do!) by adding toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions. The freshness of the spring onions added crunch and the green aromas and flavours I love from spring onions (a hero ingredient in east Asian food). Toasted sesame seeds can’t be eaten by everyone because of concerns about nut allergies, but I love their rich smell and nutty flavour. Because I made these noodles at home, I was able to toast the seeds immediately before eating, but if eating instant noodles at home, I would buy some pre-toasted sesame seeds from an Asian grocery shop.

I use Gingey Bites’ rating system for my noodles. For Alex’s scoring method and an index of all of her instant noodle reviews, please see: https://gingeybites.com/guide-to-instant-noodles

Texture 7/10

Flavour 8/10

Ease of making 10/10

Would I buy them again: Yes

For my previous Instant noodle reviews please see:

You can read my review of Nissin x Shoryu “Ramen Masters” Cup Noodle: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/01/nissin-x-shoryu-ramen-masters-cup.html

You can read my review of Maruchan spicy chicken and prawn noodles here: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/05/maruchan-spicy-chicken-and-prawn.html

You can read my review of Nongshim brand’s “Chapagetti” noodles here: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/09/nongshim-chapagetti-noodle-review.html

If you follow my instant noodle reviews, you will know I love to add ingredients and flavours to instant noodles. Here, at Kavey Eats blog (run by the brilliant food, travel and cooking enthusiast Kavita – AKA Kavey) is a new spin on modifying Korean instant noodles from Su Scott’s new cookbook Pocha: https://www.kaveyeats.com/tomato-kimchi-ramyun-instant-noodle

This review represents the genuine opinions of Snigdha, who has received no incentive to write this review, and who purchased the product with her own money.

 

February 2025 Favourites list

Hello readers! This month I asked foodies on the Bluesky social media network to recommend places to eat in the London Bridge/Borough Market area as I wanted to do some food shopping and lunch. (Incidentially, Bluesky is a very nice social media network which is well moderated and full of interesting food obsessives, including the Foodie Queen herself, Nigella Lawson.)

As with any request to the "hive mind", lots of people were happy to assist. I received the following recommendations, which I am happy to share with you.

Rambutan (Sri Lankan food)

Akara (West African food)

Berenjak (Persian food)

Juma (Iraqi food)

Lahpet Larder (Myanmar/Burmese food)

Oma (Greek food)

Lobos Tapas and Meat (Spanish food)

Brindisa (Spanish Tapas)

Barrafina (Spanish Tapas)

Al Pastor (Mexican food)

Boot & Flogger (Gastropub)

Mallow (Vegan food)

In the end, inspired by our trip to Myanmar, we chose Lahpet Larder. This month's pictures are from that lunch. It's a very nice small restaurant with an express lunch menu with two courses for £17.50, alongside their a la carte menu. It also stocks some food products if you want to cook the food of Myanmar at home.

 

I hope you enjoy this month's selections and the Burmese food photos. I'll be going back to Borough to check out some of the other recommendations at a later date. 

Food writing

Mushrooms, fascinatingly are neither plant, nor animal. They are definitely delicious, and good for you. The health benefits of regular supermarket mushrooms, and some eyecatching specific varieties: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/mushrooms_health_benefits

Where do Michelin starred chefs go for cheap eats in the UK? This is one to bookmark for later: https://news.sky.com/story/best-cheap-restaurants-uk-picked-by-michelin-chefs-13064691

Corn and lentil fritters

What are the best tinned baked beans? Leading brands and supermarket own brands do battle, as Felicity Cloake taste tests them all. (If your baked beans are bland, you can always make masala baked beans – do check out Meera Sodha’s recipe and Dishoom’s recipe).  https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/feb/08/best-baked-beans

A homemade soup will always have better flavour than shop bought, and better texture than tinned. But if you still think your soup could do with more pep, here are some reasons why your soup could be a bit bland: https://www.marthastewart.com/why-your-soup-is-bland-8788020

Shan pickles

 

Food advice and kitchen tips

Misconceptions about cooking debunked: https://www.mentalfloss.com/misconceptions-about-cooking

I bought a large bag of Lemongrass from the Vietnamese grocery shop in Deptford. Some I intended to use for Bun thit noung, and some for Thai green curry paste. This is for ideas on what I will do with the rest. https://www.eater.com/24365177/lemongrass-home-cooking-how-to-use

Recipes

Nadiya Hussain’s Kabuli pulao brings a taste of Afghanistan to your plate – a spicy lamb pulao with a side dish of spinach and carrot, raisin and almond topping: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/nadiya-hussain-recipe-ramadan-rice-kabuli-pulao-b2684063.html

Felicity Cloake’s “Perfect” series is always worth reading, as she compares recipes, and does the hard work so you don’t have to. Her investigation into the variants of Sichuan Smacked cucumbers will give you a number of variations to try, after you’ve tried her version: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jan/15/how-to-make-the-perfect-smacked-cucumbers-recipe

Lahpet thoke - pickled tea salad

Boondis are little fried pearls of besan (chick pea flour), used in sweet and savoury dishes. Here is a Boondi Raita In Minty Yoghurt Sauce recipe from Mamta’s Kitchen: https://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=14081

Food and music

Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand used to be a chef. As the band reinvent themselves with a new line up, Alex reflects on food and music: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jan/26/alex-kapranos-it-took-me-a-few-years-to-realise-that-i-didnt-have-to-drink-everything-on-the-rider

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

Chaat are one of my food obsessions. This lesser known Indian food tradition encompasses many street food classics. Want to know more? Dive into my beginner’s guide: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/02/chaat-beginners-guide.html

Braised pork noodle salad

 

TV

Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands

There are always hidden stories in music. This documentary explores the untold story of Scotland’s girl bands. From 80s pop-goth icons Strawberry Switchblade to lesser known acts, this decade by decade exploration of women in music is going to get you exploring the songs and histories for days and weeks afterwards.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00265qy/since-yesterday-the-untold-story-of-scotlands-girl-bands

Belachaung

 

Film

Quiz Lady

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) play against type as warring sisters who have to put their differences behind them to help their mother who owes gambling debts to a very unsavoury man. One sister has a hidden talent; a genius at answering quiz questions. This isn’t for serious film buffs, it’s just for fun. I saw this on BBC iPlayer, but it has been removed. It is available on Disney+.

https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/quiz-lady

Ballywalter

Billed as a “comedy drama” but this is more drama than for laughs, Patrick Kielty and Seána Kerslake play hopeless losers brought together by coincidence, bad luck, bad judgment, and loneliness, who end up finding hope in their growing friendship. TW: suicidal intentions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00265s8/ballywalter 

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.