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.

Chaat - a beginner's guide

Chaat – a beginner’s guide

Chaat are Indian snacks and light meals which are one of my greatest food obsessions. Highly addictive, these snacks are the quintessential Indian street food. 

 

Mamta Gupta, joint founder of Mamta’s Kitchen (a website full of family recipes) provides this explanation of what chaat is:

“Chaat is a Hindi word which means 'lick' or 'to lick'. Dishes that come under this heading are so delicious, tangy, hot, spicy, street snacks that they make you want to lick your plate/fingers/lips, making a 'ctt' type of sound between tongue and palate.

These are mostly vegetarian dishes, a speciality of northern India, traditionally sold by locally well recognised street hawkers called Chaat Vallahs/Wallahs.

Chaats are especially popular when people go out with their friends and family, in the cool of the evenings to do their shopping or for walks. You can see them gathering all around a Chaat Wallah's cart, eating from their disposable plates, licking their fingers and plates, smacking their lips!”

As Mamta says, the majority of chaat dishes are vegetarian, and often vegan. The inclusion of veggies, herbs, and pulses make these snacks healthy and filling.

Sejal Sukhadwala, the Indian food writer and author of “The Philosophy of Curry” said this about the subject, some years ago on Twitter: "With all this talk automatically equating 'snack food' to 'unhealthy junk food' here's my tuppence worth. Chaat is (or can be) inexpensive health food. Eat more chaat! Chickpeas, sprouted beans & lentils, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, green mangoes, yoghurt, tamarind, green chutney... are all 'good for you'. The hot, sweet, sour, pungent, deeply savoury flavours prove healthy eating doesn't have to be austere. A friend even calls bhel 'salad'."

What you’re looking for…

A mix of textures and flavours in each bite, put simply.

I asked Kavita Favelle, founder of Kavey Eats, and joint founder of Mamta's Kitchen about her feelings about chaat. She said, putting it perfectly:

“What I love most about chaat is the contrasting textures and flavours. There always a crunchy element, solidity from chickpeas and potatoes, creamy tangy natural yoghurt, and the sweet sharp flavours of tamarind chutney. I like to add a herb-laden green chutney too, for added freshness. Such a great set of dishes for not too much cost or effort.” 

Chaat dishes should have:

Something crispy – sev, moori (bhel), pomegranate seeds, roasted pink peanuts, round semolina puris (gol gappas/pani puri/phuchka), poppadom.

Something veggie – chopped tomatoes, red onion/shallot, cucumber, boiled cubes of potato.

Something “pulse” like – chick peas, sprouted beans/lentils.

Something herby – fresh coriander leaf, fresh mint leaf, freshly fried curry leaves for a south Indian twist.

Something saucy – date and tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, garlic and chilli chutney, yoghurt (plain live yoghurt), jeera jol.

Something spicy – chaat masala, garam masala, amchoor, kala namak, ground coriander, ground cumin.

What is all of this stuff?

The above list might seem full of unfamiliar ingredients, but don’t worry, here’s your guide to what they are…

Chaat masala – spice mix which you can buy in Indian grocers typically with amchoor, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, asafoetida, and chilli powder. Some people make their own chaat masala, but personally, I would not bother. If you also like spicy fruit salads, there is also a fruit chaat masala. 

Garam masala – classic spice blend used in Indian cuisine, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom (with regional variations and fam.ily variations).

Amchoor – ground green mango, it delivers a sour flavour, if you want more tang than just the chaat masala provides.  

Kala namak – black salt which is salty with a slightly funky (sulphurous) smell. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi, but you can use normal salt if you are sceptical.

Moori/bhel – Indian puffed rice (not the same as rice crispies) available from Indian grocery shops.

Sev – fried noodles made of gram flour (besan/chick pea flour), available from Indian grocery shops, in either plain or spicy flavour. Nylon sev is particularly thin, but different thicknesses are available. 

 

Date and tamarind chutney – a classic sweet and sour chutney, you can make your own, but available in supermarkets as “date and tamarind chutney” or Indian grocery shops as “bhel puri chutney”. 

 

Coriander chutney – zingy green hot sauce with coriander leaf, chilli, lime juice, garlic, ginger, salt and potentially cumin, coriander, or chaat masala.

Garlic and chilli chutney – hot red sauce with regional variations.

Jeera jol – jeera water (sour and spicy water served with gol gappas/pani puri/phuchka).

What are the classic dishes?

Here is where things get fun!

Gol gappas/pani puri/pani poori/phuchka – fun flavour bombs! Crispy, crunchy semolina ball shaped puris, filled with boiled potato, chick peas, and jeera jol.

Pani puri

 

If you are still sceptical about Gol gappas, Mamta had this to say about them:

“Out of all the street foods of India, my favourite has to be Gole-gappa or Pani poori. The joy of standing in a circle around the mobile cart of your favourite chaat-wallah and him passing you these crisp poories of delicious ‘fire-water’ one by one, is very hard to describe. It just pops in your mouth, filling it with deliciousness!"

Bhel puri – puffed rice, hard puris, sev, date and tamarind chutney, chopped vegetables. 

Bhel puri

Jhal Muri/Moori - Moori (puffed rice), Sev, peanuts, cucumber, tomato, shallot, green chilli, coriander, chaat masala, amchoor, salt. A spicy and crunchy yet fresh tasting chaat snack.

Jhal muri

Dahi vada/doi bara – fried lentil flour dumplings in plain live yoghurt, with freshly ground cumin and date and tamarind chutney.

Doi bara

Papdi/papri chaat – papdis are small round crispy fried wheat dough flatbreads, which are then served with chickpeas, potato, plain live yoghurt, chutney, chaat masala, coriander leaf and sev.

Chana chaat - Chick peas, potato, cucumber, tomato, coriander leaf, red onion, yoghurt, spicy sev, bhelpuri chutney, chaat masala, kala namak.

Darjeeling Express' Chana chaat

 

Snigdha's homemade Chana chaat

Samosa chaat – a traditional potato and pea samosa, cut into pieces, and slathered with plain live yoghurt, chutneys, and topped with sev.

Samosa chaat from Masala Zone

 

However, if you’re going to make chaat at home, you don’t need to feel constrained. You can combine different elements however you like! Or you can prepare the ingredients and let your family and friends invent their own chaat plates.

Have a lip smacking time making and eating chaat!

Snigdha would like to thank Kavita Favelle and Mamta Gupta for their invaluable contributions to this blog post. If you have not already visited Kavey Eats or Mamta’s Kitchen, you really should. You will find Kavey Eats here: https://www.kaveyeats.com/, and Mamta’s Kitchen here: https://www.mamtaskitchen.com/

January 2025 favourites list

Happy New Year to you all!

Welcome this first Favourites list for 2025. January is wintry and cold, and spring seems a long way away. My food preferences prefer snuggly and warming bowls of comfort at a time like this. Therefore it is no surprise many of my recipe choices here are soups. One thing British food does very well is comfort food. A classic is, of course, the Sunday roast. This week’s pictures are from a recent pub lunch at the Bickley Arms in Kent. 

 

I hope you enjoy this month’s selections. 

Food writing

I found a full scan of a vintage salad recipe book available online. The art nouveau cover is to die for. There is a salad for each day – check what your birthday/anniversary/saint’s day holds in store for you. There are also lots of dressings in a section at the end: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015094333583

This cheeky little bit of food/cooking satire made me laugh – on social media outrage about posting recipes online: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/did-you-even-consider-every-possible-lived-experience-before-recklessly-posting-your-chili-recipe-on-social-media

Food writer Courtney Pochin from London newspaper Metro tells us what the 10 best things she ate in London in 2024 were: https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/19/im-a-food-writer-10-best-things-ate-london-2024-22385455/ 

Food and science

Food and where cooking, science, and considerations of authenticity collide... Cacio e Pepe receives scientific analysis. It appears that the secret to Cacio e Pepe is starch control, and scientists found that using the pasta water is too uncertain, and suggest the use of cornflour or potato starch. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.00536

I don’t think bay leaves are a con. But that’s because I’m lucky enough to have a small Mediterranean bay tree in my back garden for fresh leaves, and dried Indian bay leaves (which are slightly different) can be found which are not too ancient in Indian grocery shops. This article discusses bay leaves, what they add, and how to use them: https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/do-bay-leaves-actually-add-flavor-or-is-it-all-a-con

 

Food advice and kitchen tips

Some people hate cooking, others just don’t feel like it every now and then. If you are feeling like feeding yourself has become a chore, here are some ideas on three mindsets to make it easier. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5226105/hate-cooking-3-mindsets-to-make-it-less-of-a-chore

Olive oil is expensive right now and can go rancid before its best before date – to stop this, think carefully about where you store it – don’t keep it by the hob and keep it away from light: https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/31/rancid-reason-shouldnt-keep-olive-oil-next-oven-22273515/

Recipes

Gochujang is having a moment – the Korean chilli paste is a super versatile ingredient. Here is a recipe for a sweet potato and gochujang soup with crispy chick peas. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/sweet-potato-gochujang-soup-crispy-chickpeas-recipe-b2671982.html

Nigella Lawson’s golden soup, made from yellow courgettes, is what she calls her “Happiness Soup”: https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/food-drink/nigella-lawsons-incredibly-easy-golden-34425254

With the flavours of Spain, this Mediterranean fish with orzo and tomatoes is like a flex on Fiduea: https://spainonafork.com/mediterranean-fish-with-orzo-and-tomatoes-recipe/

If you’re looking for soup inspiration but are looking for immune system boosting ingredients at a time when everyone seems to have caught some bug or another, this is for you: https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/food-and-drink/immunity-boost-soup-recipes-winter-3471022

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

As many of us withdraw from unethical and dubious social media platforms, I rescued my Cauliflower and potato pakora recipe thread from Twitter and brought it to my blog: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/01/cauliflower-and-potato-pakoras.html

 

Music

From last January’s Celtic Connections, this Songs of Modern Scotland concert brings together many of Scotland’s best loved musicians play some of Scotland’s best loved songs with a full orchestra. The Hamish Hawk version of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out and Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire’s version of The Blue Nile’s Tinseltown In the Rain are magical.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001w4mh/songs-of-modern-scotland-celtic-connections

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.