There’s a secret to perfect BBQ back ribs. One that will get you awesome ribs every time. Every time. It’s not hard. Internal temperature. That’s it. Cook your ribs until an instant read thermometer inserted between the ribs (never touching the bon though) reads 195F. Perfect internal temperature for perfect ribs – every time A good dry rub and a BBQ made from scratch help too, of course. Every little bit helps....

Bottle masala chicken curry is a restaurant curry you’ve never heard of. Nobody has. It isn’t a thing. Not yet anyway. But it should be. Lush sauce. Tender chicken. And incredibly complex flavours. Courtesy of a magical spice mix. Bottle masala. Never heard of it? That’s OK. Follow me down the rabbit hole. It will all become clear. Bottle masala is a spice blend. Like garam masala. Or chaat masala. But not really....

A perfectly cooked turkey is not a difficult thing. Pick a good quality bird, keep it under 14 lbs, don’t stuff it and dry brine it. Dry brined roast turkey deserves a whole lot more attention than it gets. It works. Well. Judy Rogers of Zuni Cafe fame pioneered the dry brining technique. It’s easy. It doesn’t the take up tons of room in your fridge like wet brining and it works....

Indian restaurant lamb curry. Big flavours. And that lush gravy you get when you go our for Indian food. This is how they do it. This Indian restaurant lamb curry is nameless. There’s no long standing traditional dish behind it. It’s a bit of an accident really but a really tasty one. Lamb curry is about the spicing I set out to make a particular curry one night. Didn’t have the ingredients I thought I had so I had to improvise....

Kerala fried chicken is southern fried chicken with a big Indian twist. Everything you love about fried chicken jacked up with green chili, cilantro and spice. I don’t think Kerala fried chicken is anything you can get in India. I’ve never seen on an Indian restaurant menu. But I did see it on Ugly Delicious. This is the brain child of Asha Gomez. And it’s brilliant. I’d never heard of it....

Nearly restaurant style Chettinad chicken curry is loaded with big South Indian flavours. Coconut. Green chilies. Curry leaves. And just the right amount of spice. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s not a shock. It’s too bad though. You are missing out. That’s the problem with the whole Indian restaurant formula. Chettinad chicken curry is a great Indian dish you’ve never heard of There are about a million different Indian curries....

Pork chops with mushroom cream sauce is the grown-up version of a childhood classic. OK – hands up. Who doesn’t love pork chops with mushroom soup? Did you grow up on it? For me it’s a childhood memory. It’s what I crave when I’m home sick. When I want to just curl up and whimper. These pork chops with mushroom cream sauce follow pretty much the same recipe – just upscales it....

Beef massaman curry is a mild, balanced Thai curry that’s long on flavour. A little bit sweet. Salty. A little bit sour. This isn’t red curry or green curry. It’s not your usual Thai curry. But it’s delicious. Really satisfying. Think Thai beef stew. Beef massaman curry is the old world culinary fusion As far as Thai curries go massaman curry is probably one of the most approachable. It has none of the fire of red or green Thai curries....

Special fried rice. House fried rice. Loaded fried rice. With all kinds of stuff. Crazy delicious fried rice. That’s what this one is all about. This a fun dish. More of a main course than a side. Could be dinner. There’s enough stuff in it. But I like it as part of a bigger menu. Another flashy dish on the table. What is special fried rice anyway? I looked for a definition....

Spinach salad with strawberries is sweet, salty, tangy and tart all at the same time. It is truly the taste of early summer. Spinach salad with strawberries and poppyseed dressing. One of those fruity salads that I don’t usually go for. I’m more into fresh greens and a mustard vinaigrette. But this one is really good. The creaminess of the avocado against the bright strawberries and the tangy sweet dressing. It just works....

Warm potato salad is a delicious alternative to more traditional creamy approaches. It’s a little more sophisticated. Perfect when dinner is a little fancier than burgers and hotdogs. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good creamy potato salad loaded with bits of egg and pickle. That’s hard to beat, in fact. But it doesn’t always match the menu. Creamy potato salad is a bit of a sledge hammer side. Strong....

This is serious soup. Streamlined. But still serious. Hu tieu. My way. This is not a traditional version. It’s not true to anyone’s roots. This is all the things I like about hu tieu. And none of things I don’t like. I love pork. So that works. And this is pork two ways even. I’m pretty happy about that. Asian broth soups? That always works for me. Noodles? Very much so....

Palak paneer is a North Indian spinach and cheese curry that is sure to satisfy vegetarians and omnivores alike. Delicate paneer in a rich and flavourful sauce. This is not the creamy bright green version. This is palak paneer done restaurant style. Big, bold Indian curry. Hit you over the head flavours. Not subtle. Not at all. If you are looking for the bright green version this is not it....

Roast duck with parsnip puree drizzled with a rich port reduction is an elegant meal you can serve at any fine dinner party. It’s flashy enough for New Year’s Eve. And it’s not that hard to make. Do it ahead of time. Make the sauce during the afternoon. Reheat the parsnip puree over low heat. Prep the duck legs ahead of time using sous vide technique. All you have to do is brown them in a pan or under the broiler just before you serve dinner....

Shanghai sweet and sour spare ribs. Tang Cu Pan Gu. That’s Mandarin for seriously tasty. Tender pork ribs. A sticky garlic black vinegar sauce. Sweet and sour in perfect balance. Complex. Tangy. Addictively delicious. I can’t stop eating them. This may not be what your takeaway is making. Not yet anyway. But it is what they should be making. The sour in sweet and sour spare ribs comes from black vinegar You’ve probably never heard of black vinegar....

Chickpeas. Indian spices. Tomatoes. Chilies. Onions, garlic and ginger. Sound good? It is. This isn’t the most conventional chana masala but I’m going by the literal translation so I think I’m safe. It’s a South Indian spin on a North Indian classic. Chana is Hindi for chickpea and masala means spiced or spice mixture. This is chickpeas. It’s well spice. So I’m calling it chana masala. I think I’m safe....

Garlic chilli chicken is a serious curry. Big tastes. This isn’t a curry for the faint of palate. If butter chicken is your favourite maybe this isn’t the right recipe for you. If you love a madras though. Or a jalfrezi. Then garlic chilli chicken just might be your new favourite. If garlic and green chilies are your jam, read on. This is one of those curries that are really big in the UK....

Indian restaurant vindaloo curry doesn’t have to be blow your head off spicy. It can be. Maybe it should be. But it doesn’t have to be. It can be a flavourful, hot, sour and tomato flavour bomb that lets you taste your dinner. Or it can be palate searing napalm. It’s your call and this recipe lets you do what you want. Vindaloo is a Goan dish. Goa, if you haven’t heard of it, is a city on the west coast of India....

Patak’s tandoori paste has been around forever. It is the reference tandoori paste all around the world. Spicy. Tart. Red. It’s a backyard BBQ staple. Except that you can’t get it in the UK anymore. And if you can’t get it in the UK it won’t be long until you can’t get it anywhere else. Which is alarming. At least to me. So when I heard, I decided to do something about it....

Spicy. Salty. Savoury. Smoky. Asian grilled chicken wings. Delicious. And dead easy. I love chicken wings. Seriously. It’s an addiction. Might be my absolute favourite thing to eat. So I like to mix things up. Asian grilled chicken wings are tasty wings with a twist. Who doesn’t love a twist? Deep fried wings are really good. Hard to beat really. That’s why they do it in restaurants. I deep fry sometimes....