pumpkin soup is one my favourite meals to have, and serving it up with an asian meal with hints of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves is the best way to begin the meal. i also add a piece of bruised ginger to gently infuse in, without making it too spicy. the topping of crispy lightly caramelised pumpkin seeds is a *chef's kiss*

This is inspired from a NYTimes cooking recipe – an app that I have been scouring for inspiration instead of wasting time on Instagram. I saw a tomato rice recipe that inspired me to take a twist on it. Tomato and soy sauce is a wonderful combination and not used enough in my opinion. The tomatoes are blistered gently in a pan with flavours of ginger and garlic, and the a touch of soy sauce, with scrambled eggs, rice, veggies (mushroom works best here in my opinion), spring onions and toasted black sesame seeds – a beautiful umami dish.

This is a real surprise package flavour bomb. Previously I've been hesitant to integrate too much fruit into savoury dishes, but this combination of sweet grilled pineapples cubes with lot's of spicy chilies, soya, ginger, garlic and basil is a sheer delight. I also add in scrambled eggs because that just makes it perfect.

One morning I woke up craving scallion pancakes, and ever since, this has become breakfast at least once a week. The authentic version is a lot more pan fried than the one I do, simply because I do feel a bit of guilt, but for me, the taste does not differ too much, except perhaps it is less crispy and flaky than the authentic version.

Noodles have been a bowl of comfort since the beginning of time. It perhaps began with an intense love affair with instant packet noodles, and whilst the lust still lingers for it, the mind has been firm in steering towards flavourings made from scratch and not just in 2 minutes! This sauce is made keeping nutrition in mind – calcium-rich tahini, tamari (as it’s gluten free), and a whole bunch of fresh green veggies are added in for fiber. I do often add in a fried or scrambled egg, occasionally firm tofu cubes or paneer whilst stir frying. As for the noodles – I have experimented with various gluten free and vegan brands, and really, they all are wonderful, but my favourite are egg noodles simply because of how the sauce clings on, whilst maintaining the firmness of the bite of noodle.

Savoury This is where simplicity in basic cooking can you give you a gorgeous satisfying and balanced meal – plain rice (carbs), stir fry greens (fibre), peanuts and/or egg (protein), ginger and garlic (immunity boosters). Bok choy or pak choi – both are the same, are similar to that of spinach in which they tend shrink a fair bit whilst cooking – so you start with a large quantity and end up with a fair bit less! This is a basic simple stir fry, devoid of chilies and heavy spices – ginger and garlic play the aromatics. For me, this is my healing bowl, hence no chilies, but a side of chili sauce never hurt! I love to add a fried egg on top or a pan seared tofu when possible, otherwise a good chunk of peanut suffice! The Recipe Serves 2 Ingredients 1 cup bok choi 8-10 slices of ginger 1 tbsp garlic 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp soya sauce 3 tbsp water 1 tbsp toasted and chopped peanuts To serve with plain steamed rice Optional: add a fried egg on top Instructions In a medium pan, heat the oil with garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant and sizzling Then add the bok choi and stir until slightly wilting Then add the soya sauce, water and salt and stir to cook Do not allow the bok choy to wilt completely – you want to maintain a bite to it. Serve hot with rice Sprinkle toasted peanuts on top

Savoury A warm, detoxifying coconut milk-based broth, infused with fresh ingredients, and not a single piece of ready packet-ed sauce – this is my version of a nourishing bowl of ramen. I use a pack of instant noodles to pour the curry over, but you can go ahead and serve the curry with a side of rice or boil udon, hakka or the likes separately. Everything is interchangeable and substitute-able. This time, I’ve used some eggplant, cauliflower, spinach and paneer, but you can use any range of ingredients: sliced carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, green beans, baby corn, corn… you get the gist! If you like, you can pan fry the paneer or tofu beforehand. The Recipe Serves 2 Ingredients 200ml coconut milk 100ml water 4-5 Indian lemongrass leaves (leeli cha) 1 dried kaffir lime leaves 2-3 slices of ginger 4-5 coriander stalks 4 tbsp onion-garlic-green chili paste 1 tsp whole cumin seeds ½ tsp whole coriander seeds instant noodles – 1 packet 1 cup veggies of your choice: spinach, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, baby corn 100g paneer or tofu cubed 1 tsp salt ½ tbsp coconut oil Garnish: toasted peanuts chili sauce coriander lemon slices Instructions Heat the coconut oil in a deep pot, and add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds, along with the ginger slices Once they start to sizzle, add the onion-garlic-chili paste and sauté After a few minutes, add the vegetables (except spinach) and salt While the vegetables cook, take a string and tie the lemongrass, coriander stalks and one green chili together, leaving a long part to hang over the pot – this is your garni bouquet Once the vegetables are al dente, add the coconut milk, water, kaffir lime leaf, spinach and the garni bouquet. If you’re pot is on a flame gas – be mindful of the other side of the string – to be safe, you can tie the other edge to handle of your pot and cut off the remaining to ensure no dangling thread gets in contact with the flame Let this simmer for at least 10-15 minutes on low heat Remove the garni bouquet carefully after the curry is done In your serving bowl, place the instant noodles, paneer cubes, coriander leaves, and some fresh red chili Pour the curry on top of the noodles Garnish with toasted peanuts, sesame, chili sauce, coriander leaves and slice of lemon

Savoury Inspired by David Lebovitz, watching his snapchats making something to do with chicken and a Vietnamese caramel and ginger sauce, also known as Ga Kho. I couldn’t hear him as I was sneakily doing this during a meeting which I had no interest in being in. The day went on in madness, and by the time I went back to it, it had passed its’ 24 hours time limit. So, I did what I could best, recreate based on memory (and I have a weak one!), and working on it bit by bit as I cooked along. Upon further research I found that there are so many variations to this in the Vietnamese cuisine – one that I have been fairly enamoured with – they balance out so many flavour profiles with pinches of this and armfuls of that… it’s truly magic for the palate. I use one pan only to make this sauce. First start cooking the ginger, scallions sand garlic. Whilst in the other pan start making the chilli caramel – which is simply boiled down and cooked sugar, with lovely red chillies. Could this be any better? I used Thai bird red chillies, but you can substitute with regular red chillies, dried chilli flakes or green chillies… whatever is convenient. The chilli quotient can be adjusted to your own tastes. Note: you can use paneer in place of tofu. The Recipe Serves 2 Ingredients 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup water 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced 4 shallot bulbs, halved 1/4 cup spring onion, green parts, chopped 15 ginger slices 3/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp dark soya sauce 100g firm tofu cubes brown rice to serve Instructions In a medium pan, heat the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, shallots, and 2 chillies and cook with salt for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the ginger mixture into a bowl. In the same pan, add the sugar and swirl the pan a few times to distribute evenly. Maintain a low heat and watch carefully, while waiting for the sugar to melt into caramel – this should take 15 minutes. Once all the sugar crystals have started to dissolve and bubbles start forming, remove from heat and add the chillies and butter and stir vigorously until it melts. Place the pan back on heat and slowly add water while stirring. The caramel may harden at places, but continuously stir the sauce until they melt and increase the heat to medium. Add the ginger mixture and soya sauce and stir. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, add the tofu and stir to coat the cubes and cook for another few minutes. Serve hot with brown rice.