Show Notes
Yumi and Simon haven't seen much of each other recently so have much to catch up on, including what's going on with Yumi's extremely adoring foster dog, a fantastic Japanese snack that her kids LOVE, and what to do with that leftover chilli oil you've had cluttering your pantry ever since the Great Chilli Crisp Oil Fad of 2014...!
If you want to buy the crunchy "osembe" crackers, they look like this. They're not available at all Asian grocers and the lesser imitations are distinctly LESSER - so make sure they're Japanese and make sure they're Shoyu flavoured. (Sometimes they also come with beans baked through the crackers - these are also excellent and delicious but my kids refuse them.)
To batch-cook eggplant for use in baguettes or a black bean ragu, dice 2-3 eggplants into 1cm dice, preheat a pan, warm through your chilli oil and fry up the eggplant. Setting a timer can help if you struggle to trust when the eggplant is done: You'll need at least 10 good minutes of cook time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from 5 Minute Food Fix
What to do when you're having people over - want to feed them delicious food but don't want to be tethered to the stove all night? This applies to Yumi's conundrum (what kind of menu suits a board meeting at her place?) but is a great template for Christmas too! Simon suggests this recipe from Ottolenghi, as well as prawns, maybe some crackers, and Yumi's famous carrot cake to wrap things up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yumi debriefs about meeting one of her cooking heroes (off-air Simon asked, "Was it a case of 'Never meet your heroes?' and Yumi said, "THE OPPOSITE!") and they share how to make Fatteh and a truly essential yoghurt tahini sauce which is delicious on MANY things but particularly on crisped-up leftover bread that is soaking up the juices of a perfect summer tomato.
Simon has just worked on and published an amazing book called 'Around the World in 80 Meatballs' by Bunny Banyai that gives an extraordinary insight into how the meatball exists in cultures all around the world.
On your favourite food podcast, Yumi and Simon talk about how to make a salad MORE intriguing.
Simon is getting ready to shoot his episodes of Adam Liaw's show The Cook-Up (broadcast date TBC) and Yumi is psyched about this recipe that you can get on the table in just 13 Minutes - that was shared in one of her group chats: