Post Type ArchivesRecipes

Chinese Pork & Chive Dumplings

on 25 November 2025 25 November 2025 0

I need my weekly dose of dumplings. I have a passion for them, the Asian, the Italian, the French, or even the Polish ones alike. Careful, still talking about dumplings here !!

One of my all-time favourites are the classic Chinese steamed dumplings, in their most common Pork and Chive version. I simply adore their garlicky, sesamey flavour, with a freshness brought by the ginger and the scallions, but also all the richness of the fatty pork. I sometimes mix it with veal if I want to lessen the strong porky taste (but that’s not very authentic if you do !).

If you’re lazy like me, buy frozen wrappers, spend 30mn on your filling, and move on to the soothing part : the folding ! Make yourself comfortable : sit down, turn on your TV, your radio or your favourite podcast, because if you want to freeze lots of delicious dumplings (and I recommend you do so), it’s gonna take a while !

Bring a companion in if you can, or two, and start wrapping. I don’t find it annoying, rather therapeutic.

Chinese Pork & Chive Dumplings – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

For some ingredients in this dish (like the Chinese cooking wine or Chinese vinegar, msg, chives), you might need to visit an Asian store :

If you’re in Paris :
- your could go to the K-mart near Opera (there are several others K-marts, check on Google) ;
- you can also go to Tang Frères in the 13th (they have other stores in Paris but be careful, some are small, this one is large) or Paris Store in the 10th ;
- ever since I moved to the 18th, I’ve been going to XP 16 or Chen Market, but those shops are slightly smaller, especially XP16, and you might not find everything you need.
If you’re in France :
- Paris Store has several shops across the country ;
- you can also order online ! There are several online Asian websites you can order from.
- For my foreign friends : I bet you can easily find some Asian shops around you or online, but if you can’t, message me with your location and I will try to find it for you !

Got everything you need ? Let’s fill your freezer with dumplings !

PS : This recipe will provide you around 100 dumplings, which is good for 8 to 10 servings depending on your appetite ! Don’t forget to buy enough dumpling wrappers (in my usual shops they average on 25 dumpling wrappers per package only).

Quick Hummus

on 12 September 2025 12 September 2025 0

At every apéro in France, you can be 100% sure there’ll be a hummus can somewhere. It is so popular that you’ll easily find it highlighted in the refrigerated section of your closest Monoprix or Carrefour, usually with a dozen varieties -spicy, without garlic, with red bell pepper, carrot hummus, you name it.

I myself bought my fair share of ready-made hummus. Truthfully, it comes in handy ; yet no matter the brand nor quality, it’s always been a disappointment, taste and texture-wise.

After a bit of research, I had already found a way to make decent hummus within 15 minutes. By that time I wanted a greener version -I love my herbs ! That is why I developed a Quick Green Hummus recipe, with chickpeas and green peas.

But classics are popular for a reason. A few days ago, I had a craving for real hummus. Without funny peas nor exotic veggies nor herbs.

I quickly adapted the recipe, which is therefore exquisitely simple –5 ingredients besides your cupboard essentials ; 15 minutes needed.

There are only 3 simple steps in this recipe :

Gather your ingredients. Peel your garlic & remove its germ (3mn) ;
Remove your chickpeas’ skins. Pour your chickpeas in a large bowl filled with water, and stir with your hands, slightly rubbing them as you go without crushing them. This will remove most of the chickpeas’ skins effortlessly ; they will float towards the surface (5mn) ;
Blend your ingredients (7mn).

I must apologize though to my Middle eastern people, because such a recipe is not perfectly authentic ; the real way to go would be to you to cook dry chickepeas instead of using canned ones, as the taste is better ; or, as a shortcut, to cook canned ones 20 minutes to make them overcooked, resulting in a softer texture. If you have a bit of extra time, definitely do one or the other ! The end result would be even creamier. But I didn’t feel the need here, as the taste and texture remain amazing, all for the time it takes to cook pasta.

The only extra step I am willing to put here besides blending it all together, is to remove the chickpeas’ skins. I find that it truly helps in achieving a less grainy texture. You could forgo this step if you want an even quicker recipe, as it won’t affect the end taste ; in this case, I recommend using a tbsp more tahini or olive oil, and a tbsp more of water.

No need for a blender by the way ; a food processor is perfect here.

That’s all ! You won’t go back to store-bought, trust me !

Quick Hummus – Recipe

Ingredients, process – Advice & key points

Tahini : This ingredient is key in achieving a creamy, silky texture for your hummus. Many Westernized recipes don’t include enough tahini ; some Israeli ones go as far as putting equal amounts of tahini and chickpeas. Taste as you go, but I recommend at least 4 tablespoons here.
Using ice cubes will help in achieving that creamy texture ! If you don’t have any, just replace them with cold water.
Fyi, this recipe yields a very large bowl of hummus! Vastly enough for 6 voracious eaters -more likely 10 regular portion sizes.
- If you want an apéro-sized bowl, halve the recipe !
- I would still advise you to make the whole recipe -I use leftover hummus in wraps and sandwiches, which is always positively yummy.

How to serve your Quick Hummus

Toppings : My favourite toppings for my Hummus are the following :
- actual chickpeas,
- olive oil (most important topping imho),
- sumac
- and paprika.

What to eat your Hummus with ? The crowd’s favourites often are :
- small pieces of pita bread, or any other type of bread available ;
- carrot sticks (their sweetness pairs perfectly with hummus).

But you can definitely get creative and use red bell pepper strips, celery strips, radishes, crackers…

Now let’s apéro !

Easy Red Curry Ramen

on 29 August 2025 29 August 2025 0

Red curry ramen with fresh noodles, cabbage, browned chicken and cilantro

Noodle soups are one of the greatest pleasures in life, but they tend to be very time-intensive – think Spicy Szechuan Beef Soup, or classic ramen that take around 10h to be done and dusted.

Well, not this one ! I wouldn’t ever post a bland noodle soup, as noodle soups are close to a religion to me. With a decent curry paste and a good broth, this Red Curry Ramen tastes just like one that’s been on the stove for hours, while you actually need 15 minutes to put it together ; all you need to do is to :

Heat up some red curry paste with coconut milk
Add broth ; let it simmer 10 minutes
Meanwhile, blanch your veggies, cook your noodles
Assemble with any leftover meat and herbs you want !

The bright orange broth tells you all you need to know : the depth and intensity of flavours, the spice-rich broth, and the milkiness of coconut are right here in front of you, demanding to be savoured. You don’t even need toppings : some noodles, some broth, and you’re good to go. I do recommend a touch of veggies though, which give a nice contrast texture-wise.

Granted, this is not an authentic recipe ; but it respects the Thai masterclass principles on balance, with a broth that is given contrast and depth of taste with the fish sauce, soy sauce and lime addition, and some freshness with cilantro.

If you’re willing to prep your own curry paste and broth, some time and work is needed, I admit ; the good knews is, you can put individual portions of those items in your freezer ; and whenever you feel soupy, you whip up a banging soup in a matter of minutes.

But even if you use ready-made curry paste and broth, you will be very happy with this recipe.

Easy Red Curry Ramen – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

For some ingredients in this dish (like the red curry paste if you don’t make it yourself, or fish sauce and ramen), you might need to visit an Asian store :

If you’re in Paris :
- your could go to the K-mart near Opera (there are several others K-marts, check on Google) ;
- you can also go to Tang Frères in the 13th (they have other stores in Paris but be careful, some are small, this one is large) or Paris Store in the 10th ;
- ever since I moved to the 18th, I’ve been going to XP 16 or Chen Market, but those shops are slightly smaller, especially XP16, and you might not find everything you need.
If you’re in France :
- Paris Store has several shops across the country ;
- you can also order online ! There are several online Asian websites you can order from.
For my foreign friends : I bet you can easily find some Asian shops around you or online, but if you can’t, message me with your location and I will try to find it for you !

Recipe – Advice & key points

Do buy coconut milk in cans ; this way, you’ll have a coconut cream solidifed on top that you can use to initially cook your red curry paste.
Careful, depending on your curry paste and the amounts you’re using, this soup can turn out very spicy. If you don’t like the heat, don’t use more than a tablespoon for two !
If possible, use my recipe for the Thai clear pork broth, but it’s still fine if you use a ready-made chicken broth.
Use your imagination (and the current contents of your fridge) to pick your toppings !
- Having leftover chicken, pork, beef, tofu ? Now is the time to use it !
- A hard-boiled egg or a soft-boiled egg is a top pick if you don’t have another protein-or even in addition to the protein.
- Any veggie laying around would do ;
  - Come winter, my personal preference here would be some type of cabbage -any kind.
  - In summer, grilled eggplants, peppers or zucchinis would be sublime !
Ideally, I recommend making your own curry paste. If so, I don’t recommend making it on a weeknight ; make your curry paste over the week-end, for example, then you’ll have plenty to store in your freezer for anytime you feel like curry-ing.
- If using store-bought, it’s perfectly good too ! My two top picks would be the Maeploy and Namjai curry pastes. The Aroy-D brand is also great, plus it is vegan !
I recommend buying proper pre-cooked ramen for this recipe. It should look like this (possibly yellower for some brands), and is shelf-stable (so not even in the refrigerated section) :

Let’s get soupy!

Green Lasagna (with Swiss Chard and Zucchini)

on 29 August 2025 29 August 2025 0

Green Lasagna (with Swiss Chard & Zucchini)

A few weeks ago, I started craving ricotta & spinach lasagna after watching a mouth-watering video on Instagram. Yet I was frustrated because this was off-season, and I couldn’t bring myself to make it.

I tend not to remain frustrated, food-wise, for long.

The gears in my mind started turning, as usual, at nightfall, when I was tossing and turning in bed. Green lasagna. That was what I wanted. With cheese. Ain’t nobody said spinach was needed specifically ! Nor ricotta.

I was only a few google researchs away from my solution : the beloved Swiss Chard.

Swiss chard is at its best between May and October, which makes it perfect for your springy or summery cravings. Earthy, slightly bitter when raw, like Spinach, it turns mild and sweet when cooked, especially the leaves. It needs to be cooked a bit longer than Spinach, especially because of its fibrous stems.

To remove any remaining bitterness, I decided to combine Swiss Chard with Zucchinis. When I settled on zucchinis, I thought : Goat Cheese ! Yay ! I could taste this great pairing in my mouth, and couldn’t wait to give it life.

I was left dumbfounded by the fresh, fragrant yet generous taste of this lasagna dish ; you’d think it quite plain, with mostly, well, greens, but it was quite the opposite. The herbs used –mint, basil, chives and oregano– were instrumental in bringing that fragrance and freshness, aided by the bright acidity goat cheese and lemon provide. The richness of the creamy béchamel and the Pecorino romano leaves you craving for more after each mouthful.

Green Lasagna with Swiss Chard and Zucchini (Veggie) – Recipe

Ingredients – Pieces of advice

You can either pick fresh lasagna sheets or dry ones.
- If choosing dry ones, you’ll need to cook them 10mn longer, and to make sure your béchamel is liquid enough. Then it works great !
If you’re feeling lazy, you can replace swiss chard with frozen spinach, which saves quite a bit of prep time. You simply thaw them, squeeze them well, and slice them up roughly. That’s it !
You don’t need a fancy goat cheese log for these lasagna ; I used a supermarket one, and it worked well.

Off to your kitchen now !

Note : This happens to be a vegetarian dish, and I have never thought of it as such -I assure you your omnivore friends will be equally thrilled by this wonder !

Pan con Tomate 2 ways (Veggie / Cured Ham)

on 11 August 2025 11 August 2025 0

If you want to get my heart in 3 words, forget about I love you : I have 3 much sweeter words in mind.

Pan. Con. Tomate.

As I failed to understand younger, less is more. This dish is one of the most satisfying summer dishes I know. A true summer dish, with aromatic summery produce. A dish you won’t mind making even when it’s 40°C outside.

And such a dish is made within 10 minutes.

First, grate your tomatoes
Meanwhile, toast some bread
Add olive oil, basil, salt to your tomatoes
Rub garlic on your bread
Spread your tomato mixture on your bread
Add toppings (if any).

This beautiful dish does not need any topping. You could spread your tomato mixture to your bread and call it a day : it will still be the most amazing 5-mn open-faced sandwiches you’ve ever had.

Yet I simply felt like playing around with my pan con tomate. I started picturing olives and feta cheese on top of this beauty, and I knew I had to attempt this version.

But I do love the traditional ones, too. Pan con tomate y jamon (with cured ham) is iconic in Catalonia ; could my humble veggie version compare to this one ?

Spoiler alert ; it could. I was truly amazed to see how I instantly felt the superiority of the veggie version over the ham version. I’m no vegetarian, but I keep discovering how easy it is to favour, as much as possible, veggie-based dishes ; and how easy it is to make those veggies shine, when you give them the same consideration you would to meat. Quality is of the essence, as well as a bit of research on traditional cooking techniques and recipes -with a great many number of dishes that are naturally vegetarian.