New Tricks: Freshly Ground Iced Coffee

Recently I've been on a bit of a mission to bring lots of nice smells into the house. When you live in a basement, have a laundry space that is far away from one of the two windows, AND have a rabbit, it can be a little hard sometimes to keep things smelling, erm, fresh. One length I went to was to go on the definition of all sprees at Lush Cosmetics, which is pretty much one of my favourite shops in the world and universe. Their passionate use of fresh ingredients is not unlike my love of food, and the aromas their products emit as a consequence is really kind of heavenly. Queue a load of soaps and bathbombs dotted around the house for everyone's smelling pleasure, and a nice bit of escapism because each time you walk by, they make you feel like you're in Happy Dreamland.

Aroma Type #2 was inspired by our recent purchase, the Andrew James 4 in 1 Smoothie Maker. We were looking for an affordable blender because 1) The VT-BF wanted to start blending his own protein shakes in line with his recent health kick, and 2) I LOVE breakfast but it slows me down. I'm kind of thinking if I can whizz up some lovely fruits, oats, yoghurt and maybe even nuts in the morning I can drink one of the best breakfasts ever on the bus, whilst consuming plenty of stuff that helps to bring down my high, Diabetic cholesterol. So with that philosophy in place, there were really two more things that sold me on the reasonably priced Andrew James model: 1) it was red. Lots of things in my kitchen are red. 2) It came with a detachable GRINDER.

The grinder, not to be mistaken for a particular social media app, excited me ridiculous amounts. I've always wanted to be able to grind my own spice blends and coffee; we have a beauuutiful old coffee grinder which the VT-BF's grandmother acquired many years ago, but its grinding isn't actually all that. It's more of an aesthetic-but-completely-essential piece on the coffee table (also given to us by VT-BF-Nan).

So back to my smell mission. There is nothing more heartwrenchingly satisfying than the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and it's therefore one I wouldn't mind my house smelling of all the time. With my new grinder in place, the flat was just asking for some coffee beans that I could grind at least once a week, to re-release the aroma on a consistent basis and so smoothly eradicate any memory of damp clothing or rabbit pee.

I settled on a strength 5 Italian bean from Waitrose, and because it had been a particularly hot and tiring day (probably because I spent ages choosing the coffee bean) I excitedly came to the decision that I would ice my blend. I first became obsessed with iced coffee (just plain coffee with ice, milk or no milk, sugar if you want it but I don't - not the cream blended syruppy milkshake style things we get in all the high street chains) when I moved to Brooklyn and my soul was invaded by amazing coffee shops everywhere I explored. Having at least one iced coffee a day seemed to enlighten my life in all sorts of ways.

The instruction manual for the smoothie maker was just the kind I love - short and with big fonts. All I did to make my magic beans was pop them in the grinder cup, attach the RIGHT attachment (an area I could easily go wrong) and blend for thirty little secs. A nice little touch was that the grinder cup has a seal, so you can store whatever it is you might be grinding and keep it fresh - so I got to make wonderful hot coffee the next morning, too. To make the iced coffee, I took two big spoonfuls of my freshly ground beans and put them in a cafetiere. Treat as normal - add hot water and allow to brew. I lied earlier when I mentioned what the most heartwrenchingly satisfying thing was - because it's actually pushing down the plunger on a cafetiere. Arguments welcome.

Put a good handful of ice cubes in a cup - make sure it's heatproof! I love these glass ones - they're meant for tea, really, but whenever I need something heatproof I take advantage of their subtle gloriousness. Then just pour in the hot coffee and stir, and add milk or/and sugar if relevant. Give it a wee taste to see if it's chilled enough - just chuck some more ice cubes in if not.

Basically, I can't recommend all of the above highly enough. From choosing a bean that you think will suit you, to blitzing them up to oblivion and releasing their spellbinding smells, and then drinking your work in a way that tells you 'this is iced, so it is actually summer now', is just all the best. Seeing your coffee transform from those wholesome, nutlike beans into a mystical, silky, chocolate-coloured powder is a wonderful thing. And I'm happy to report that the house is still benefitting from the experiment. It's the most refreshing and inspiring thing to wake up and smell the coffee.

PS - here's what's next on my blitz-list. Pink peppercorns, fennel seeds and coriander seeds... my house is happy with me!

A journey to discovery: Green Harissa Leftovers Lasagne

The other week I made a Thai-style curry using a Green Harissa from Unique Foods; I don't think I emphasised how excited I was to discover this brand. I had gone into a Sainsbury's in central London for a VERY quick shop - I'd had a day that was super-long, super-stress, and the VT-BF had insisted I pick up a jar of pesto on the way home (so he could make his signature - pesto pasta). I was furious to find a complete absence of pesto as I just wanted to leave the shop and get home - and then I discovered a tiny section full of little, vibrant jars, filled with things that had glorious but natural colours: greens, reds, yellows, oranges. All of a sudden I forgot I was in Sainsbury's in London and was transported to the countries that Unique Foods seem to specialise in (seems to be predominantly Italy, but the harissa is from their Unique Arabia range). I felt like an artist who had been presented with some magical pots of paint, all unique in their own way and all with the ability to create an absolute work of art on their own.

Back to reality - I picked up the green harissa in an attempt to both salvage and re-introduce the need for that day's pesto. I was delighted with this pot, because I adore harissa - but a lot of the ones I find in the shops (I will make my own again soon) include the needless addition of my arch-enemy, Tomato, and so I'm frequently not able to use it. This green version was both safe and immensely exciting for me.

On the way to the till, I found a standard jar of pesto in the most stupid place. Transported back to my Londonny, don't-talk-to-me mood, I opted to take the pesto to give to the VT-BF to make his signature dish. I resolved to find something a bit more special to use my magical harissa for.

Obviously, the first thing I used it for was for my Thai curry, in experimental replacement of my usual, homemade paste. But I couldn't forget the original reason why I picked up and even discovered this jar - as a fiery replacement to  pesto. In my store cupboard, there were a load of lasagne sheets that have been chilling there for close to a year, which got me thinking. I love finding new ways to twist lasagnes, as they are so classicly made with tomato sauce and often meat too - two ways to completely push me away from a dish. And that is how my tale of epic discovery lead to my...

Green Harissa Leftovers Lasagne

Everything in this dish was already in my store cupboard or leftover from something else - except the cabbage. I had to buy this fresh but am thinking I can still classify it as one of my 'leftovers' inventions, as I used the other half to make a really nice stir-fry the next day, so it was a completely economical, no-waste purchase.

The herbs, garlic and obviously the harissa were from my Thai curry, I had the mascarpone in the fridge from picking it up in a 3 for 2 deal, and everything else was from the store cupboard. You should feel very free to replace the herbs with whatever you have a round, the beans with whatever happens to be sitting in your cupboard, and the cheese with a ricotta, cream or even sour cream if that's what you happen to have in the fridge at the time. It's always about making your current situation work!

1) Fry the onion gently in a little olive oil, then add the cabbage, shredded. Stir a bit and let it wilt down slightly - about 5 mins.

2) Add the garlic, beans and three quarters of the herbs to the mix. Pour over a little white wine vinegar - enough to stop the ingredients from sticking, and a bit more if you love white wine vinegar. Season as you like - white pepper is great in this.

3). Make the sauce. Very carefully, heat the mascarpone in a small saucepan, and add in the harissa. Mix well, and allow to heat very gently. No boiling!

4) At the bottom of a heatproof dish, organise your first layer of lasagne sheets. Depending on your dish, you may have to adjust the quantities slightly. Spread half of your cabbage mix over the top and try to flatten it as best you can. Then spoon over a third of your sauce, followed by a third of the remaining herbs. If you're going with the hard cheese (and let's face it, most of us will), give your first grating over the top of the sauce. Layer two is exactly the same - lasagne sheets, cabbage, sauce, herbs, cheese. Layer three is just lasagne sheets, sauce, herbs, cheese - but you probably guessed that already.

5) Put in the oven for half an hour on about 180 Fan. Wait for it to go mischievously bubbly and brown, then tuck in and savour.

I'm always a bit reluctant to use tiny, precious jars of stuff. It feels like a huge responsibility to decide what to use something on if you only have a little bit to last you, but eventually it's essential to bite the bullet or the precious jar will go to waste and become very depressed in your store cupboard or fridge. I'm glad the bullet was bit in regards to using my green harissa on this lasagne. It was spicy, very refreshing and oozed not just cheese but the satisfaction of an experiment gone right - as well as a bit of an 'in your face' to traditional, tomato based lasagnes. Writing this now, I would say it was a bit of a self-esteem boost, as well as a moreish and wholesome summer dinner. I recommend exploring the hidden depths of Sainsbury's (and Waitrose apparently) and making your own fortunate discoveries.

Served: Three
Took: About 20mins prep and cooking, and 30mins in the oven
Things that went wrong: Has anyone ever seen circular lasagne sheets? I have not. It's therefore pretty hard stuffing a circular dish with rectangular sheets (this can be resolved by not breaking your beautiful rectangular dish, which is what I may have done)

Saturday Night Makeaway: Thai Tofu Curry

I don't think I'm the only one in this country who relents to that naughty tradition of ordering takeaway when it gets to the weekend. The connotations behind it are simultaneously celebratory and relaxing; you've made it through the hard and tiring working week and are completely entitled to a reward, and for someone else to do all the work. HOWEVER, whilst this does make perfect sense and I'm guilty myself of agreeing and acting upon the notion, when you think about it logistically it seems a bit silly. Would it not be more logical to treat yourself to a takeaway on one of those terrible working days, when you've got home late and the thought of cooking is the last thing on your hungry, tired mind; and cook up a beautiful storm when the weekend is yours - when you have the time, energy and attitude to experiment in the kitchen and put some soul into something delicious and homemade?

It seems sensible to me, so I excitedly employed the philosophy this Saturday night. The cuisine of choice was Thai. My favourite Thai takeaway and restaurant ever ever ever, Yelo, closed down around a year ago for reasons, as far as I'm aware, are unknown. It was an awesome little hidey-hole in the ever popular and hipstertastic Hoxton Square, which was surprisingly cheap for the hopelessly trendy area it was in. Most importantly, they gave amazingly delicious and quality Thai dishes and delivered them to our humble little flat in Bow for free. Needless to say, it was devestation all round when I discovered they had gone, as quietly and sneakily as we found them.

Besides the exquisite flavours, one of my best things about Thai food is I never have to worriedly state my 'allergy to tomatoes' and wait in fear, expecting the things to have made it into the dish somehow anyway - because they're a rare addition in this cuisine. So my Saturday Night Makeaway was a bit of an homage to the mindblowing tastes, favourite restaurants and fearless eating that Thai food has brought to me.

When making a Thai curry I will nearly always make the paste from scratch; I'm not a fan of shop-bought sauces (except pesto!) and find that blitzing up garlic, onion, green chilli, ginger, lemongrass, lime, coconut, basil and coriander is one of the most rewarding things you can do - not just for the ridiculously fresh and beautiful taste but also the aromas you release into the house. That said, for this particular recipe I had JUST discovered a wonderful little pot of green harissa from Unique Foods, and was super keen to use it in something. So this time around, my paste was essentially pre-made - but like I said, all you need to do is blitz the above ingredients if you want to make your own.

Thai Tofu Curry

1) Marinate the tofu: just cube your tofu and place it into a large, sealable dish, then chuck in all your other ingredients and give it a shake. I think it's important to do this at least 6 hours before you're going to be making your dish, but I equally know this isn't always possible (this Saturday included). When his happens, I always stick the tofu in the oven while I'm making whatever it is I'm making - this helps the flavours to sink in and also crisps the tofu up a little bit.

2) If you're putting your tofu in the oven, do it now, just as you're starting. Heat some oil in a wok, and chuck in the spring onion. Keep a good few pinches of the onion back so you can use it as garnish at the end. Then add in the herbs, and make sure you include the stalks. Typically, I would be inclined to use coriander in a Thai dish, but never be afraid to improvise when what you expected isn't available. The combination of parsley and basil worked gorgeously for this. Next is the ginger - I use the Lazy jars because they come in white wine vinegar which adds to the dish. Then your garlic, chilli, lime, and finally the pastes. Give it a good mix and add the coconut milk. Stir, turn down the heat, and don't let it boil!

3) Meanwhile, heat another pan with a small amount of oil and then add your vegetables. Stirfry for a good few minutes so they get a little crispy, then add to your coconut wok. Get the tofu out of the oven - eat one now, as they're too good by themselves - and then add them to the wok as well. Leave for a few minutes so it all heats through.

4) Make the garnish: put your reserved spring onion, basil and parsley in a bowl and add the peanuts. I crushed mine all together with my mojito muddler.

5) All done - serve the curry with rice and sprinkle the garnish with extreme generosity.

I guess the good thing about Thai takeaways is that - usually - they taste much fresher (and even healthier) than your other typical takeouts. But the good thing about a homemade Thai is that it tastes even fresher than that. AND - it was made in the same OR LESS amount of time than it would take for a takeaway to arrive. Sounds like a pretty rewarding Saturday to me...

Serves: three
Took: 30 mins (plus the marinating, which took less than 5 minutes)
Things that went wrong: The VT-BF complained that we didn't get takeaway. I didn't care.

Pretty English: Cream Teas & Asparagus

Yesterday, I made a super salad using one of the ingredients of the UK season: asparagus - the vegetable that can party all night and still look and feel fresh the next day (but only until the end of July). Something else I had this bank holiday weekend was another one of my favourite UK based things of all time, and something which probably cancelled out all the goodness of the salad: a cream tea. I had my first cream tea when I was 8 in Cornwall, and have basically required it in my life ever since. It takes several forms, uses several recipes and has caused several arguments, but as long as I can consume one several times a year, I am content.

There were a few things amiss with this bank holiday cream tea. The first is that it was intended to be a picnic, but, being a traditional English bank holiday weekend, the skies turned grey and the rain tumbled down in force - honestly with a kind of 'I'm slapping you in the face' force. The other thing was that the local supermarket we went to did not have any clotted cream; for me this is an essential part of this quintessential treat and makes me feel pretty ashamed to not use it. We settled for an extra thick double cream, which obviously was not quite the same, but did play a part in today's dinner.

My Asparagus & Pasta Bake was literally a concoction of leftover bits and store cupboard residents. I did not go out to buy anything to make this, and our slightly failed cream tea was part of the reason and even inspiration for it. The blasphemous double cream helped to make the sauce, and yesterday's asparagus obviously formed the, erm, asparagus. And I can honestly tell you, it was a delicious demonstration of wasting not, wanting not.

Asparagus & Pasta Bake

1) Boil a pan of salted water and add the pasta. Simmer and cook - usually about 12 mins

2) In a frying pan, heat some oil and add the asparagus and garlic. Stirfry and add the butterbeans and chilli flakes. Give it a stir and let it crisp and heat for a few minutes. Then drain the pasta, and stir through the asparagus mix. Squeeze the lemon over your pasta and mix it all in with a good dose of salt and pepper.

3) Make the sauce. Over a low heat, add the cream, the mustard and the cheese. Allow to melt slowly and keep stirring - you don't want anything to curdle. Add a good slug of balsamic and mix well.

4) Pour your pasta into an ovenproof dish and pour over the sauce. Top with a sprinkle of paprika, some torn up rocket leaves (they will go lovely and crispy in the oven), and as with all good pasta bakes (or even non-pasta bakes), another generous grating of cheese.

5) Pop in the oven for about 10mins on 175C. It will probably differ per oven, but so long as you have a nice crispy top.

The great thing about this is that usually, a pasta bake is something that feels immense and hearty, and so maybe less suitable for the pre-summer months. The asparagus, lemon and white beans in this, plus the non-huge quantity of sauce, makes it feel a lot lighter, and a little celebration of the English spring. I did say asparagus like to party, after all. And no one can settle for a failed cream tea. If yours goes awry for any reason - whether that's down to rain, or cream, or anything else - rectify it by making this bake. It will bring some balance back to your life!

Serves: three.
Took: 25 mins - 12 for the pasta to cook, and then another 10 for it to sit in the oven, plus a few prep minutes either side
Things that went wrong: only the cream tea. Its successor was a great success!

Superheros in Season: Asparagus, Seed & Brown Rice Super Salad

Did anyone read the Borough Market blog post by Ed Smith, about the super short but super exciting asparagus season which we are now in? I challenge anyone to read it and NOT run out the door to buy some fresh, English asparagus.

(Seriously... go... now!!)

Obviously, I gained a full on obsession about these funky looking vegetables after looking at the post and spent the whole day in overdrive about how I could work some into a dish for someone who is less than keen - the VT-BF. He's not really a fan of any of the vegetables, or the fruits, or the wholemeal stuff... but he is on a bit of a health kick at the moment, so I decided to pounce on this fact, armed fully with my spear-headed friends. Seriously - look at an asparagus spear: at its lean, flexible body, its greenness brighter than spring, and its face full of arrows that say 'I may look delicate, but I mean business'. It's the ultimate superhero of the food world. And that's how I came up with the...

Asparagus, Seed and Brown Rice Super Salad

I served this salad warm, but it would work equally well chilled.

1. Boil a pan of salted water and add the rice. Let it cook - look at the instructions on the packet, but it usually takes around 25mins. Do everything else while it's simmering away.

2. Chop the asparagus into pieces about 2cm long. Heat the oil in a pan then add the aspargus and garlic on a medium heat. It would be great to get a little sizzle going, but not too much - you don't want these precious things burning.

3. Add in the beans and the coriander. I used coriander because I already had some in the fridge, but other fresh herbs would work nicely too - parsley would be great. Then stir in the seeds, and when it's ready, the rice. Cube up the feta, and stir through with the salt and pepper, and a little white wine vinegar. A squeeze of fresh lemon would be great if you have it.

That is truly a super quick, super nutritious and super healthy meal. The Avengers should eat this, and stand in wonder as all the goodness of the asparagus works its way around their bodies. It's protein packed, is filling, and is a worthy example of healthiness meeting happiness.

Some people might find it a bit blasphemous to surrender the seasonal asparagus to this frenzy of other (GREAT) ingredients, and please - I agree that little needs to be done to these humble spears to bring out the beauty inside and out of them (have you tried it on a barbecue?!). But sometimes you have to work a little magic to make the fussier amongst us consume what NEEDS to be consumed - I should know, as I'm one of the fussiest.

Remember, asparagus goes as quick as The Flash, so make sure you snap it up before the end of July. It spends the rest of the year fighting crime in a parallel universe*.

*proof needed

Served: three, or if you wanted to do it as a starter or a side, easily four.

Took: 25mins - basically as long as the rice takes. Everything is super quick to achieve.

Things that went wrong: nothing - this is fool proof. Probably because it gives you brain cells when you eat it!

New Tricks: Asda Cupcake Maker

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to cooking. Unless I really am in a rush, the whole 'saving time' thing is not necessarily a positive for me; spending time in the kitchen is a great therapy to me personally, and if it wasn't for those little obstructions like work and money and personal life, I would probably spend every day and night coming up with new dishes and just generally breathing in the surroundings of my 'safe place'.

However, because of my not exactly unknown love for the kitchen and creating new things, people kind of expect me to love the kind of kitchen gadgets that do things for me (think bread makers, ice cream machines etc), and henceforth buy me these things as presents. I'm not opposed to this, as it's my dream to have cupboards (plural) full of all the things you could possibly want in the kitchen. But when it comes to using them, I feel slightly hypocritical. We don't want to lose the cooking and baking methods that got us to the stage today where we have beautifully creative chefs and bakers creating unworldly new works of culinary art every day. It's not a hidden fact that we've all become lazier as a nation, and a little kneading by hand or manual chopping here and there might do their bits to not completely strip us of our being active and doing things for ourselves.

I'm digressing. The item that is in question today is a very pretty Cupcake Maker from Asda. I can't seem to find it on their website so I'm not sure if it's been discontinued, but I think it was a decent £10. This Cupcake Maker seriously played with my conscience. I have always been known as the resident cake maker, and have always delighted in coming up with these creations all by myself, using my own pale hands. So giving the control to a machine put me on edge a bit. However, any excuse to make a cake...

The first thing to note about this Cupcake Maker is that it holds 12 very little cupcakes, so if you want to make regular size you'd need to look elsewhere. It's a very cute size though, so would definitely be ideal for certain displays, or for littler eaters.

It can't be denied. Use was very easy - I just plugged it in for about 5 minutes to warm up, lined the moulds with some cases and filled with my mixture. The instructions recommended you use cases to line, to avoid difficult cleaning, burning of the cakes, and probably burning of yourself.

Then you close and wait. It recommended 8-12 minutes, but I found my first load were a bit underdone in this time, so I went up to 15 minutes. Make sure you test yourself and don't trust the manual timing.

And that's it. I burnt myself continuously when trying to remove the cakes - I'm not sure whether this was my own clumsiness or a downside of the maker or a little bit of both, but be careful, anyway. Obviously, the biggest problem with something like this is that it only makes 12 - tiny - cupcakes at a time, so you're constantly waiting to put in your next batch (because you definitely want more than 12 mini cupcakes, right?!). It wouldn't be very useful for a cake making marathon. But it could be handy to take along to a cake stall to replenish your stock on site - you wouldn't be able to decorate them, of course, but you could literally sell, like, hotcakes.

It was really easy to clean too. Just let it cool (which took a good while, fyi) and then wipe over with a damp cloth. So I'm kind of finding it hard on what to conclude here. Yes it was quick and easy, but I'm worried the beautiful and traditional method of cake baking is slightly threatened. Perhaps you'd better work out your moral stance on the ever changing act of baking before you decide whether to go ahead and purchase.

Very quickly, this was how I made the mix for 36 cakes - they were Mini Lime Cupcakes: Mix 125g butter and 125g light muscovado, then beat in 2 eggs. Add a wee capful of vanilla extract and the zest of one lime. Add 125g wholemeal self-raising flour and a tsp baking powder, then mix well and you're ready to go. If you like, you can make a syrup out of the lime: juice it, add 4 tbsp demerara sugar and mix up so the sugar dissolves. When the cakes come out, skewer them with a cocktail stick and spoon in the syrup. Fast food, baked goods style!

Oh, one more problem with baking such minutely sized cupcakes. It really does feel OK if you eat 6 of them.

'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' mug from the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour - YES I HAVE BEEN AND YES YOU SHOULD ALL GO.

World Food Night: The Eating

Unsurprisingly (or maybe a little bit surprisingly, given the specific foods I don't like), I LOVE a good food event. So finding one where the whole country could get involved got me a little bit excited. A while back I posted about World Food Night, and I am finally getting the chance to tell you what a rewarding and delicious experience it was!

As I mentioned previously, the concept of the genius World Food Night, organised by Refugee Action, is that everyone you invite to dinner pays for it, which then gets donated to Refugee Action to help starving people all over the world. You pick recipes from their awesome map, which is also filled with inspirational stories about where the people giving these precious recipes got them from.

I got a bit greedy. I'm sorry, I really am, but I couldn't pick just one. So I may have made three separate dishes. Oh, and I made a dessert too. This greed paid off however, because the stuff we couldn't manage to eat served for dinners for a whole week. I even froze some of it, so technically I'm STILL eating it. Hooray for world food! It was always my favourite aisle in Tesco.

So what did I make? The Cheese and Onion Pie from Lancashire and the Diruni Potato Cakes from Russia were gorgeous, had ample amounts of carb (and dairy of course, in the cheese) and were easy to make (get recipes for both here). But you know how ridiculous I am at sticking to recipes, so for the Sichuan Hotpot from China, I mixed things up a bit, and I have to say, the result was pretty beaut.

Sichuan Hotpot

(adapted from the World Food Night recipe, found here)

1) Marinate the tofu. Add the tofu to a large sealable container and toss in the soy sauce, Chinese five spice and garlic. Close the container, give it a good shimmy (you don't want to give it a vigourous shake as such, because this might break apart the delicate tofu) and leave for at least four hours.

2) Bring a huge pan of water to the boil, and add all the beans and the peanuts. Leave it simmering while you get on with the rest.

3) In a wok, heat some oil and add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, and chilli. Stir fry, and after a couple of minutes add the chilli sauce/paste. Finally add the broccoli and pepper, stir fry for a couple more minutes, then add to your bean broth, along with the red wine vinegar. Turn the heat right down under the pot, and let it all mingle beautifully while you prepare the last few bits.

4) Make the peanut sauce. In a very small pan or mini stock pot fry the extra spring onions in oil. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander and chilli flakes, and then the peanut butter, lemongrass paste, creamed coconut, and after mixing, the soy sauce. Mix all together so it turns into a sauce, and turn the heat right down. If you find it clags ups before you're ready to serve, add a bit of water and mix it in well.

5) Make the tofu. Heat a pan with oil and coat the tofu in the flour. Carefully add it to the pan and fry for a few minutes on one side, then turn over with a spatula to do the other. Be careful not to overcrowd the tofu  - do it in batches if you need to - and also beware of angry, spitting oil!

6) Serve, serve it now! Bring the hot pot to the table (but please be careful not to burn anything or spill boiling broth all over yourself - I nearly did this. It's VERY hot!) and serve with brown rice (or white if you rather), and the peanut sauce to drizzle over as you wish. The tofu can either be dipped in, scattered on top, or dunked inside and mixed with everything else, although you may lose the crispness this way. DE-BLOODY-LICIOUS.

I was about to say 'the best thing about this dish' - but there are too many best things about it. Here are all the amazing things about it:

1) It helped to raise money for starving people all over the world
2) It was a wonderful experiment of trying something new and using different methods
3) As well as being ridiculously nice, it also felt kind of wholesome - the vegetables, the warmth of the hotpot, the wholegrain rice and beans - it definitely gave an impression that we were putting something very good for us into our mouths
4) It was a very communal thing to eat - people helping themselves to the different bits was great
5) The leftovers made my life. The very next day I quickly boiled some noodles and made it into a ramen, which was unbelievably good, and I've frozen some to use as an Asian stock for something, too.

A very quick paragraph on how I made my dessert, as there is ALWAYS room for dessert. I first came up with my Caribbean Trifle when I got back from Grenada for the first time, and had some leftover Jamaica Ginger Cake (one of my favourite shop bought cakes, by the way). I always go on about mixing things up and substituting things in food, and this has become a staple example of me doing that. Slice up a Jamaica Ginger Cake and arrange it at the bottom of a deep bowl or trifle dish, scatter with some chopped mango (and banana and pineapple too, if you like) and pour over a more than generous helping of dark rum (spiced rum would also be wonderous). Next it's a carton of fresh vanilla custard, which you might want to spice with some ginger or nutmeg. Whip up some double cream which has been mixed with a little sugar, about 3tbsp dessicated coconut and even more rum, at least a shot, then layer on top of the custard. Finish with more mango and a lavish grating of dark chocolate (preferably from the beauteous Grenada Chocolate Company). Yes, there might be a bit of calorie in this dish - but we're looking for culture here, right? Just maybe try and beware getting a third helping.

I love doing stuff for other people, and helping to make a difference. But it's so much better when it's this fun and filling.

Although World Food Night has passed, I had to hold my own one late due to certain things that were going on. It's not too late to hold yours! All the details on their website.