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Easy English Breakfast

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English breakfast with sausage, bacon, egg, beans, mushrooms and grilled tomato

I have some obsessions, food-wise. One of them is banh-mis ; another would be pasta salads, or also raviolis, and the list goes on.

A solidly anchored one is English Breakfast. I have a passion for savoury breakfasts, which culminates with the traditional English one.

I remember reading a book in my earlier days ; a simple, cringe teenager romance book, wrote by an English woman. There was a breakfast description, made my a humble mom, which I remember to this day. She described how she cooked the bacon and sausages, the eggs, the tomatoes, the toast : simple -less elaborate than the full English- but beautiful, homely, and extremely crave-worthy.

I won’t rave about the great bacon-sausage-egg triplet ; I know you know. When you add beans and tomatoes though, it creates a whole new dimension for this dish. It all becomes more balanced, with a sweeter flavour brought by the beans, as well as a saucy sauce you get dip your toast in. The tomato, slightly grilled, adds freshness and umami to the somewhat greasy meats.

There is one central piece of meat from the Full English that is lacking : black pudding, which is a type of blood sausage. I simply couldn’t find it in Paris, so I skipped it. Definitely include it if you can !

Easy English Breakfast – Recipe

Ingredients – Tips & where to find them

  • Bacon : Here, you want the English kind of bacon -English back bacon, not pork belly : rather lean and not too thin, contrary to the US one, as you see on the picture. It won’t get too crispy, it’s rather meaty, so you grill it. If hard to find, simply replace with what bacon you have on hand !
  • Sausages : Ideally, you want to find small English breakfast sausages. I replaced them with French small sausages ; choose according to what’s available near you !
  • Beans : Use canned Heinz beans, as the English do ! You’ll find them at any English store.
  • Toast : I simply popped them in the toaster for more ease. If you want it the traditional way, you’ll need to fry them in the pan with oil and butter.
  • Eggs : The most traditional egg type you’ll come across is the sunny side up, but you can go for scrambled eggs for more ease, which I do when I have more than one person to serve.
  • Mushroooms : I went a bit French here and added garlic and chives. Do as you please, so long as they’re browned and nicely cooked !

Recipe – Advice & key points

  • Oven : Using the oven here is key to a stress-free breakfast prep ! Turn it on at 60°C, which is enough to keep food warm. Put your bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes there once they’re cooked/grilled. Then simply finish cooking with your eggs and toasts and serve everything warm !
  • Amounts : Yes, this is more than a breakfast : the quantities are definitely large, so either adjust and share, or think of it as a brunch -but don’t tell the English I said that.

All set ? Let’s cook the GOAT of breakfasts !

Umami Tuna Pasta Salad

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Umami Tuna pasta salad with snap peas, red onions, basil and wild garlic

Yesterday, the weather was 26°C. As I went home from work, I knew I was going to whip up my go-to : tuna pasta salad ! When I feel lazy, I cook my pasta, add cherry tomatoes, pour a tuna can, add olive oil and that’s it. Makes my day everytime.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Tuna pasta salad ? Booring ! And we all know how to make one.

I still think this recipe is worth posting. Ever since I started cooking, I kept improving, little by little, my understanding of how you build a dish. Here are 5 tips to make this dish significantly better than what I’d get from my local bakery :

  • For boosted umami, anchovies in oil and olives are great choices, and pair well with the base tuna protein here.
  • You need to add acidity and bitterness to create flavour depth, here through celery and lemon.
  • You can bump the overall flavour though simple choices : not forgetting about fresh herbs -basil and wild garlic here- and investing in a quality olive oil.
  • Textures matter. Pasta salads can be on the softer side ; by adding sugar snap peas, not only do you round the flavour with its sweetness, but also bring forward a much needed crunch.
  • Finally, don’t forget to add enough salt ! For 2 people’s worth of salad, you need a LARGE pinch of salt. 

Umami Tuna Pasta Salad – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

You might need to visit an Italian store to find quality anchovies in oil. For all the other items, no issues should arise in finding them ! 

Ingredients – Advice & key points

Not much to say here ; it’s a straight-forward salad!

  • Don’t buy low-quality olives ! My personal favourites are the Kalamata or Taggiasche kind.
  • Feel free to switch herbs ! Wild garlic in particular is skippable ; and basil could be replaced with chives, for example, even though the taste would be less intense.  
  • I like my sugar snap peas raw here. Taste them as is, and if you don’t enjoy it raw, blanch them 2 minutes in salted water ! 
  • If you cannot find sugar snap peas, replace them with green beans. 

All set ? Let’s make this Umami Tuna Pasta Salad!

Easy Mapo Tofu (Spicy tofu and meat sauce)

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The first time I had Mapo Tofu, I was in my own kitchen, experimenting.

As I tasted, I froze, basking in this one-of-a-kind peppery and spicy taste. I remember thinking : I-do-not understand the reasoning of most Chinese restaurants in France. How crazy they almost never sell this dish ! It would be an absolute banger –rich, comforting, with a generous pork sauce made extra cozy with the added soft tofu texture ; and at the same time, you get a slap in the face from the added peppercorns and chilies. 

My companion went on and on about it for days. Everytime I talk about making Mapo Tofu, it is the main event in the house -though I have to limit it so we don’t become walking donuts. 

I tried to craft a recipe that is as quick (30 minutes ! Yes !!) as it is authentic, centered around the traditional recipe that goes back to Chen Mapo, the wife of a restaurant’s owner. “Ma” (麻) means pockmarked, referring to her facial scars, and “Po” (婆) means old woman or grandmother. So, “Mapo” roughly translates to “pockmarked old woman”, a nickname locals gave her. 

Madame Chen was known for her flavorful and spicy tofu dish, which she served to laborers, especially those working along the Jinjiang River, in Chengdu. The dish became locally famous for its:

ChatGPT a dit Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a classic Sichuan (Szechuan) dish with deep cultural and culinary roots in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, China. Its origins date back to the late 19th century (Qing Dynasty) and are closely associated with a small restaurant called Chen Xingsheng Restaurant.

  • Málà (麻辣) flavor: a distinctive combination of numbing (má) from Sichuan peppercorns and spicy (là) from chili oil

  • Soft tofu: offering a smooth contrast to the bold, oily sauce

  • Minced beef or pork: though beef is more traditional in Sichuan

  • Fermented black beans (dòuchǐ 豆豉) and doubanjiang (豆瓣酱): fermented bean-based ingredients, that give the dish its signature depth.

I know the red color might seem impressive, but Mapo Tofu does not have to be crazy spicy. The doubanjiang paste, that is the core of this recipe, is quite mild ; the added heat comes from the red chilies used, so it is all a matter of adjustment. 

Easy Mapo Tofu – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • I used pork here, but you can definitely use beef instead, which is a popular choice in the Szechuan region.
  • Only 3 ingredients will require a trip to the Asian store, but they are usually easy to find :  
    • Doubanjiang, or Toban Jan : spicy, salty paste made from fermented beans and soybeans, salt, rice and various spices. I usually go for the Lee Kum Kee Toban Djan brand.

 

Amazon.com : Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce (13 oz - 1 Pack), Toban Sauce, Sichuan Style, Mild Spice, Perfect for Stir-Frying, Noodles, Seafood, Mapo Tofu, and Dipping Sauces : Grocery & Gourmet Food

 

    • Dòuchǐ: a type of fermented and salted black soybean, prized for its deep, savory umami flavor. Either choose the dry kind, or the one preserved in oil -but in such case, remove as much of the salty oil as possible before adding to your dish.

 

  • Soeos Chinese Douchi, Fermented Black BeansAmazon.com : SXET Femented Black Bean Sauce, Sichuan Douchi, Delicious Fermented Black Bean Paste, Black Bean Hot Chili Sauce for Condiment 豆豉酱 9.8oz/280g ( pack of 1), 1.0 Ounce : Grocery & 

 

    • Shaoxing rice wine : one of the essentials of your Chinese pantry ! This one is darker than your classic rice cooking wine, and has a more complex taste.
  • If you cannot find Douchi, simply replace it with 1 extra tablespoon of Doubanjiang. This is how I made it the first time and, although less authentic, it was absolutely just as delicious. 
  • If you don’t own a seasoned carbon-steel wok and only have a nonstick wok or nonstick pan, it’s OK. You’ll just have to preheat it well for a few minutes ; also use 1/2 the amount of oil indicated ; and cook the ingredients a bit longer.
  • The recipe is spicy, but not crazy spicy. 
    • If you’re shy on chilies, remove the fresh one; 
    • If you’re big on chilies, add one more ! 

Let’s wok it up!

Green Shrimp Noodles

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Shrimp noodle salad with a Thai-inspired green sauce and green onions

Noodle salads are the best salads ! The Western classics, with an olive oil/vinegar or a simple mayo base, are great, but sometimes you might crave something more exotic.

I will say this much ; I had a strong Mob inspiration for this one, as I stumbled across a video of Thai-inspired green shrimp noodles. I couldn’t access the recipe, but tried to recreate it my own way.

I found it very clever to make a quick coconut-based dressing, throwing all the ingredients in the blender. It gives mixed green curry / ceviche vibes, with an end salad coming across as zingy, filling, and anything but boring.

This Green shrimp noodles salad is absolutely great for lunch, as it comes together within 15 minutes : 

  • First, soak your noodles
  • Gather all your sauce ingredients, and blend !
  • Quickly cook your noodles along with your snap peas  
  • Assemble, throw a few green onions and chilies if you wish, and enjoy ! 

Green shrimp noodles – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & where to find them

  • Shrimps : I recommend using frozen, peeled shrimps here, to make it even easier. Simply thaw it a few hours in the fridge, or the night before. ww
  • Sugar snap peas :
    • You can replace them with any veggie you want, ideally a bit crispy such as thinly sliced cabbage / mushrooms / bell pepper, depending on the season. 
    • You can either blanch them or eat them raw. Raw sugar snap peas have a crisp, juicy bite and a fresh, grassy sweetness—kind of like a cross between a garden pea and a green bean, but with more crunch. Blanched sugar snap peas (after about 2 minutes in boiling water) become tender-crisp—still snappy, but just slightly softened. The blanching brings out their natural sweetness even more, mellowing the raw grassy notes and giving them a more buttery, smooth flavor.
  • Rice noodles : 
    • Follow package instructions here, and be careful not to overcook them ! Oftentime, you will need to soak them, then to cook them quickly in boiling water.
    • Replace them with any noodles you have on hand -spaghetti or udon would be great, too. 
  • Thai chili jam (Nam Prik Pao) is Thailand’s smoky, sweet, spicy, umami-packed chili jam. Skip it if you don’t have it, or replace it with a mix of chili oil/chili crisp and shrimp paste. 

Let’s dig into it !

Oven Beef shawarma

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A Lebanese restaurant has recently opened near the place I work, and we went there with some colleagues to grab a shawarma. We did not adore the Beef shawarma though ; everything about it was nice, except the meat itself, quite elastic and dry.  

I kept thinking about this meal later, as the flavours, which were on point, made me crave for more. Suddenly, it dawned on me ; I needed to make one myself, and see if I could beat the restaurant’s version!

I researched my subject as much as I could. I wish I had a vertical roaster to make proper shawarma like in Middle-Eastern eateries ; it’s also interesting though to try and make it easy for any home-cook, as it forces you to become creative.

Here I replace the vertical roaster with the horizontal grill from my standard oven, on high heat ; the result is not the same, but it cooks the meat quickly without drying it, which is what you aim for ! 

You could also pan-fry it if you wish, using a cast-iron pan ideally.

Then all that’s left to do is to assemble your pita, with a quickly-made tarator sauce, a few veggies, a bit of parsley ; et voilà ! You’re ready to devour. 

Oven Beef Shawarma – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Be careful to account for the marinade time ! It’s best to prep this dish the day before you cook it.
  • Beef :
    • If choosing from a butcher, I recommend using a good cut of beef, like ribeye or tenderloin, but you can also use flank steak ; the marinade will help tenderizing it. It is important to choose a cut that is not too lean so that the meat remains tender.
    • Also, remember to cut against the grain to get a tender texture.
  • Spices :
    • You will most likely need to visit an Arabic store to find the spices you need -especially for items like powdered cloves, caraway, or cardamom- and pita bread, as well as for the optional pink turnip pickles. 
    • You can either buy each spice separately, or use a Shawarma mix if you happen to find one. 
  • The remaining ingredients are either basic pantry items or produce you can easily find at the grocery store.

How to eat your Oven Beef Shawarma

  • I definitely recommend eating your Beef Shawarma with pita bread and tarator sauce (a tahini-based sauce with lemon).
  • Other veggies that you can choose amongst, for the pita bread assembly, are the following :
    • tomatoes;
    • red onion;
    • cucumber;
    • radishes.
  • Don’t forget to sprinkle parsley, and hot sauce if you feel like it ; there you go ! 
  • You can also make bulgur or rice bowls with the same ingredients, if so wished, which makes it easier to reheat for lunch or later use.

Let’s dig into it !

One-pan Mediterranean rice & beans

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Mediterranean one-pan rice & beans

I didn’t care much for olives back in the days. I’m glad to be obsessed with them now ; add olives to tuna, to tomato sauce, and get an instant umami boost. The very words of olives with tomatoes draw a bright ray of sunshine in my mind.

The rice dish I came up with has this Mediterranean vibe to it. Olives, red bell peppers, tomatoes and onions ; that sounds like bliss, right ?

You don’t even need meat to make this rice dish shine. Simply add beans -because rice & beans, no matter how – in this Louisiana version, or in this Italian one- is gorgeous.

Now you still want it to be alluring, not just a blob of dry rice, right ? Fear not, because avocadoes have your back. They bring this needed creaminess that makes each tablespoon glide oh so very well.

Here’s what to watch out for when making one-pan rice dishes in order to not end up with a gooey mess :

  • Create texture by pan-frying some of the ingredients first. Here, you pan-fry the pork until golden and crispy;
  • Don’t add all the ingredients at the same time. Each of them requires a different cooking time ; adjust accordingly;
  • When adding rice, make sure you :
    • Rinse it twice or thrice, and
    • Toast it in hot oil.
    • Trust we, I’ve done it without, and the grains end up sticking to each other, which you really don’t want.

Once you know that, there’s really nothing left that stands between you and a delicious, 40mn meal.

Between the creamy avocado, zingy lime and fresh cilantro leaves, you get a fragrant rice with beans with Mexican-ish influences, but also strongly European ones with very Mediterranean olives, bell peppers and tomatoes addition. I love a good fusion dish, and I’d say this is a pretty decent one !

One-pan Mediterranean rice & beans – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

  • You should be able to find all the ingredients at your usual grocery store.
  • The liquid smoke is optional : find it on Amazon or at your local vegan/vegetarian/organic store.
  • To make the dish fully vegetarian, simply use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock !

Recipe – Advice & key points

  • As written above, make sure you rinse your rice before using. This will prevent it from getting sticky.
  • This recipe yields enough fried rice for 5 portions as mains.

All set ? Let’s cook some sunny rice & beans !

Thai fishballs noodle soup

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Thai fishball noodle soup with a clear broth, cilantro, green onion, garlic oil

Hidden treasures, with the emotional rollercoaster they create, are truly of one the great joys in life.

Think Easter eggs ; or about this true friend that you first thought was a bore ; or, about this dish.

Thai fishballs noodle soup looks deceptively neutral. The broth is clear, the fishballs are not the most attractive protein ; why bother ?

Well, get ready for a Thai masterclass on balance. Not only does this delicate Thai clear pork broth shows a banging depth of taste thanks to slow-cooked bones and fish sauce addition ; it gets some kick and tang from vinegar and chilies, and some freshness with cilantro and scallions.

Add tasty fishballs, a bit of garlic oil, some meat from the bones, and thin noodles : you’re done !

It ain’t no quick dish ; you have to deserve it. To patiently make your 3h broth, to cautiously fry the garlic to get its game-changing oil, and to even mash and mix your fish mixture, if deciding to use homemade fishballs. 

The good news is, like any true Sunday dish, once the hard work is done, it’s done ; the rest is all a matter of assembling. Therefore, trust the recipe and make large amounts ! Then you keep the broth, fishballs and meat in individual portions in the freezer, the garlic oil in the fridge ; and whenever you feel soupy, you whip up a banging soup in a matter of minutes, only needing a few fresh herbs and mung bean sprouts.

Thai fishballs noodle soup – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Use the recipe for the Thai clear pork broth ; I really do not recommend using a premade broth for this specific recipe, as the broth is absolutely key in the delicate flavours of this dish.
  • You can either buy frozen fishballs frozen from your local Asian store, if you want, or use my fishballs recipe.
  • I highly recommend making the garlic oil, as it adds a subtle key flavour to the dish. It only requires around 10 minutes !

Let’s get soupy!

Thai Clear Pork Broth

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Thai clear pork broth

When we went back from Bangkok, we had a whole new gate that had opened in our minds, with so many new dishes in mind that I couldn’t wait to try and recreate.

One of them stood out. With my companion, we decided that the n°1 food item from the trip was as clear as its broth is : the Thai clear noodle soup.

The ingredients could vary for this street-food staple, but the magic came from the broth. At Jeng Kung Fish Ball Noodle (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวลูกชิ้นปลาเจงคุง), we had the epitome of the perfect clear broth : full of flavour despite its treacherous neutral colour, slightly sweet, slightly tangy with added Prik Nam Som, and a sheer bliss to eat with bouncy noodles and homemade fishballs. I do not believe this dish can be bested one day.

The first central step towards building up this dish again was to master the broth. So I reasearched the subject as much as I could, with a highly satisfactory end result.

I used this broth to recreate the Jeng Kung fishball soup, but I’m positive it would make any noodle soup shine. Actually, the other main type of Thai clear noodle soup is the Charsiu one, often served with wontons, which I’ll soon try to reproduce too, using this broth.

Get ready for a very simple and straight-forward recipe ! It doesn’t require many ingredients nor skills, and the end result is glorious.

Thai Clear Pork Broth – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Pork bones :
    • Pork bones are instrumental to the flavour of this broth. You can replace them with chicken bones if needed.
    • As the simmering process goes, water-soluble compounds in the bones, meat, and connective tissues are released into the liquid. This includes amino acids, peptides, and various aromatic compounds, which develop into the umami and savory flavors of the broth. That is why the 3-hour time frame cannot be negotiated !
    • If you happen to have some meat attached to the bone, that’s even better flavour-wise ; plus, you can take off this meat from the bone later, and use it as a topping for your future noodle soup !
  • Daikon : You should be able to find it fresh at any Asian store with a fresh produce aisle.
  • Do not let your broth reach the boil ! You should only keep it at a simmer in order to better develop its flavours.
  • I recommend making a large batch of this soup base on the week-end. Then, keep any leftovers in individual portions in the freezer to quickly whip up a quick noodle soup of your liking !

Note : This recipe will provide you with around 3L worth of fish stock.

Let’s get brothy !

Egg & avocado tacos

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Egg & avocado veggie tacos with red onion, cilantro, hot sauce

This is a brunch classic : egg & avocado, the well-known and beloved match.

Does egg & avocado tacos sound like an umpteenth variation on the classic avocado toast ? Pretty much. Does it taste anything like the Western version ? Not in the least. 

These tacos have a very distinct Mexican taste to them. Actually, it’s quite surprising to see how Mexican it can get when you know how short the ingredients list is.

It all relies on the condiments and toppings used, as well as the taco itself : take :

  • true Mexican corn tortillas,
  • a good Mexican hot sauce -I highly recommend this one, if you can handle it,
  • plenty of cilantro,
  • cotija cheese (replace with feta cheese), 
  • red onions,
  • lime,

and this, my friends, is how you build a very flavourful taco.   

I’m not saying these tacos are authentically Mexican, mind you. This is a Westernized, vegetarian variation on tacos : but you will travel with these, and your tastebuds will be dancing the bachata in the sun.  

The 20 minutes mark –actual 20 minutes, not food bloggers’ 20 minutes- relies on oven-cooking the eggs :

  • this oven-cooking process barely takes 4 minutes ; no more.
  • as soon as you pop them in the oven, all you have to do is chop avocadoes, red onion & cilantro ;
  • then, you heat up your tacos, and you’re already done ! 

Assemble yourself or let your guests do it ; it’ll save up on assembly time and allow for each one to customize it to their taste preferences. 

Egg & avocado tacos – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • For the corn tacos, hot sauce and cotija cheese, you might need to visit a Mexican store.
    • If you’re in France or in Spain, you can order from La Esquinita. They also have a physical shop in Paris I go to. They don’t always have cotija cheese, though ; when I can’t find it, I just replace it with feta cheese.
  • Use a hot sauce that you’re comfortable with to enjoy these tacos -not one you can only put two drops of, or your tacos might be too dry. If you feel wary, you might replace half the gochujang with ketchup.

Ingredients & cooking – A few specifics

  • For the tacos : I recommend
    • using corn tacos, which are more traditional are flavorful than their wheat counterpart, and ;
    • heating them in a hot pan, rather than microwaving them. 
  • Avocadoes : Use avocadoes that are ripe enough, or the tacos will be disappointing !
  • When in summer, feel free to make an actual pico de gallo by adding minced tomatoes to your chopped onion and cilantro.

Now let’s taco !

If you want more vegetarian tacos recipes, you can also check my Express gochujang mushroom tacos.