Ingredients:

600g skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, cut into medium pieces

200ml full-fat coconut milk (or double cream for richness)

250ml warm water

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2–3 star anise

5–6 whole cloves

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and tied in a knot

1 tbsp tamarind juice (see note)

4–5 kaffir lime leaves (or 1 tsp lime zest if unavailable)

1 tbsp brown sugar (palm sugar if possible)

1 tsp salt, or to taste

4 tbsp cooking oil (add more if needed)

Rendang curry paste

4–5 shallots, roughly chopped

1 tbsp lemongrass, chopped

10–12 dried long red chilies, deseeded and soaked in hot water for 10 mins

4–5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tsp galangal, chopped or sliced

2 tsp ginger, chopped or sliced

1 tsp turmeric powder (or fresh turmeric, sliced)

Method:

Blend the soaked chillis, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and turmeric into a smooth paste. Add a splash of water if needed to help it along.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook slowly, stirring, until fragrant and the oil begins to separate — about 8–10 minutes. This step is key as you’re drawing out depth.

Add cumin seeds, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Stir until aromatic toss in the chicken pieces and sear gently until they’re just coloured, coated in spice, and starting to release their juices.

Pour in the coconut milk, water, tamarind juice, lime leaves, sugar, and salt. Stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and cook for 1.5–2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce and darken, clinging thickly to the chicken. Add a splash more water if it gets too dry before the chicken is tender.

Once the sauce is rich and the chicken nearly falling apart, taste and adjust salt, sugar, and tamarind for balance. You’re looking for heat, sourness, sweetness, and depth in harmony.

·      scatter with a few torn kaffir lime leaves for brightness. serve with steamed rice, roti, or cucumber salad to cut through the richness.

Notes

• Tamarind juice: soak 1 tsp tamarind pulp in 2 tbsp warm water, strain out the fibres, and use the liquid. If using concentrate, start with 1 tsp and adjust.
• Randang is traditionally cooked until almost dry, the sauce becoming a rich caramelised paste clinging to the meat. this version leans more saucy for chicken, but you can reduce it further if you want that classic dry finish.
• Even better the next day: the spices bloom and settle deeper into the chicken.

Ingredients:

500g Korean marinated bavette steak

For the rice

300g cooked rice (day-old preferred)

2 tbsp Gochujang

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tbsp korean chilli flakes

1 tbsp honey or brown sugar

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp chopped kimchi + a splash of kimchi juice

2 spring onions, finely sliced

For the pickled cabbage

½ white cabbage, finely shredded

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

pinch of salt

To serve

extra kimchi

fresh coriander

sesame seeds

Method:

Toss cabbage with vinegar, sugar, and salt. Leave 30 minutes until lightly softened.

Heat a heavy skillet until very hot. Sear the bavette 3–4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Rest 10 minutes, slice thinly against the grain.

Heat sesame oil in a wok or pan, add garlic, then stir in Gochujang, soy, chilli flakes, honey, and vinegar. Cook briefly until thickened. Add kimchi, kimchi juice, and rice, tossing until coated and slightly crisp. Finish with spring onions.

Plate the rice, top with sliced bavette, scatter pickled cabbage on the side. Garnish with coriander, sesame seeds, and extra kimchi.

Notes

• Bavette is best cooked quickly and rested well to stay tender.
• The pickled cabbage should stay fresh and crunchy, cutting through the richness of the beef and rice.
• a fried egg on top takes this into comfort food territory.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

500g diced lamb leg

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, thickly sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

5cm piece fresh ginger, grated

1 green chilli, deseeded, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded, finely sliced

1 jar Gymkhana rogan josh paste

15g fresh coriander (stalks finely chopped, leaves picked for garnish)

200g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml light coconut milk

125g spinach

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in batches until well caramelized, then transfer to the slow cooker.

In the same pan, soften the onion, carrots, garlic, ginger, and chilies for 4–5 minutes until fragrant. stir through the coriander stalks and rogan josh paste, cooking for a further 2 minutes to release the spices.

Deglaze the pan with a splash of water, scraping up any browned bits, then tip everything into the slow cooker.

Add the chopped tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir to coat the lamb well, then cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened.

Stir in the spinach just before serving, letting the heat wilt it. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Serve hot, scattered with fresh coriander leaves and green chilli

notes

• Browning the lamb properly at the start builds a deeper flavour — don’t skip it.
• Coconut milk softens the heat, but you can leave out the green chilli if you want a gentler curry.
• This curry gets even better the next day as the flavours settle and deepen.
• If the sauce feels too thin at the end, remove the lid and cook on high for the last 20 minutes to reduce.