What is a Tarka? Simon explains and there's a really good picture of what it looks like on top of a daal here.

CASHEW SPICE TARKA

1/4 cashews

1 tbs ginger

2 sprigs curry leaves

1/4 tsp nigella seeds

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Meera Sodha's

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp mustard seed

1 long green chilli

curry leaves, all fried in smoking hot oil

QUICK NO-FRY BASIC RED LENTIL DAAL

1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 tbs grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 cinnamon quill

300g red lentils

600ml water

ADD EVERYTHING TO A POT, PRESSURE COOKER or SLOW COOKER and cook for about 40 mins. Add salt and pepper. Then top with a Tarka of your choice!

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I won't name the restaurant because it's gorgeous and fantastic and deserves every success!

JATZ CRACKERS CHICKEN

Marinate chicken tenders or thigh fillets cut into strips in Greek yoghurt with a pinch of salt.

Blitz the Jatz Crackers to form a crumb.

Coat the chicken in the crumbs.

Air fry for 15 mins.

To cook in the oven? Lightly spray with oil and bake on a tray (spread out) for 10-15mins, 200C.

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On this episode, Simon reveals just how much he listens to Yumi's work on Double J, and reminisces about when his kids were so little he had to make lots of tray-bakes, because they're very "set-and-forget" - allowing one to get on with the very hands-on work of parenting!

ONE TRAY SALMON (or other fish) BAKE

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

Rub a family sized salmon fillet with dijon mustard, oil, salt and pepper.

Chop a fennel bulb into narrow-ish wedges. Add to the tray with broccoli florets, squished kalamata olives, lemon zest, fennel seeds and a big drizzle of oil.

Cook for 15 mins and serve immediately.

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Simon is very caffeinated and VERY stoked with his new coffee machine.

What could he possibly use coffee in - for cooking?

The obvious answer is TIRAMISU. Both your hosts have extensive experience making this dessert - - and Simon has some key DOs and DON'T when it comes to nailing it.

Here's Nagi's recipe...

Here's Simon's:

Serves 10-12

6 eggs , yolks and whites separated

1cup (220g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

500g mascarpone ,

1 1/4 cups black coffee 

3 tbsp Masala

1 packet (c.350g) lady finger/savoiardi biscuits

100 g good-quality dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped into small

rubble-sized pieces

Cocoa , for dusting

Method

Beat the yolks and sugar in a stand mixer on speed 6 to 7 for 10 minutes or until it

changes from yellow to pale yellow (almost white), and is thick. Add vanilla and

mascarpone, beat until just combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl,

set aside.

Add egg whites to another bowl and beat until they’re stiff and foamy, about 3

minutes. Add 1/2 the cream mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold through. When

most incorporated, add the remaining cream mixture and fold through until just

combined.

Mix the coffee and Masala together. Quickly the dip biscuits in and line the bottom of

a rectangular dish (I like to use a small-medium enamel roasting tin). Spread over

half the cream, scatter over half the chopped chocolate, then top with another layer

of coffee dipped biscuits.

Spread with remaining cream and scater over the remaining chopped chocolate

pieces.

Cover, refrigerate for at least 4 – 5 hours, preferably overnight. Dust with cocoa

powder just before serving – either before you cut or after placing onto serving

plates.

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Who DOESN'T adore a linguine or spaghetti - with prawns?

It's one of my favourites (Yumi) and it's been a goal of mine this year to figure out the best recipe for making it at home. For myself. Cos - yum.

COMBINING marinated prawns with THIS RECIPE FOR SPAGHETTI ALLA ASSASINA is a bit of a cheat... but if you love chilli...and black pepper...and prawns... This is going to be a winner!

I used 150g of prawn tail meat per serve, and marinated them in a non-reactive bowl with a couple of teaspoons of sambal oelek (from the mainstream supermarket) and a ton of fresh black pepper. You don't want the marinade to be soggy.

PS. I got lazy and one time tried just tossing the prawns in with the spaghetti as it cooked and IT FAILED. Soggy prawns and super gross. You need to fry the prawns seperately!

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Apparently we’re in our Freezer Girl Era now – – and yes, I know I’m a boy. But this trend?

I’m fully on board. It’s about filling your freezer with little things that make weeknight cooking feel like you actually have your life together.

This isn’t bulk meal prep. This is freezer magic – a stash of flavour bombs and shortcuts that save you mid-week.

Here’s what’s in my current rotation:

 Flavoured butters: mix butter with garlic and herbs, or miso and sesame oil, or

truffle and parmesan. Roll into a log, freeze, and slice off coins as needed.

 Pesto ice cubes: blitz wilting herbs with oil and garlic, freeze in trays. Add to pasta,

soups, sandwiches – boom.

 Rice balls: leftover rice + soy + sesame = freezer patties you can pan-fry from frozen.

 Wine cubes: splash of red or white to rescue a bland dinner. You’re welcome.

 Cookie dough blobs: bake one, freeze ten. Smug levels: high.

Stock your freezer like you’re feeding your future self – or just buying yourself five quiet

minutes.

- Simon

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It feels like Spring and Summer are around the corner, and Yumi is excited about a pasta salad that can be served warm and has a super-cute, mouth-pleasing texture that may well intern it into the FOREVER FILES.

Based on this recipe, Yumi has halved the quantities to suit her ("Mercifully Divorced") lifestyle and improved it by cooking the corn and adding chopped smoked almonds at the end.

Quick answer to a riddle we don't solve on-air: Creste di Gallo looks like this!

And the book Simon is talking about is The Geometry of Pasta.

SUPER-CUTE PASTA SALAD

• 125g ditalini pasta
• 2 ears fresh corn, shucked and washed
• 1-2 large stalks celery, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives
• roughly chopped smoked almonds (optional)

DRESSING

• Granulated sugar (probs don't need)
• 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
• 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon hot hot chilli sauce, minced chipotles in adobo, or gochujang, or sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Kewpie)

METHOD

Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a tiny bowl or jar.

Prepare the celery by chopping to pieces the same size as the pasta will be when cooked (about the same size as an adult human tooth).

In a large, heavy-based pan, cook the corn until slightly charred.

Boil the pasta to al dente. (Very important not to overcook it or it'll be gross!)

Drain the pasta well then combine the salad ingredients, mix well and pour over the dressing.

Serve immediately with smoked almonds scattered over the top.

LEFTOVERS can be revived with some fresh rocket, tuna, chopped tomato, etc.

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Apologies in advance!

Your hosts completely lose it and start laughing like hyenas over the Netflix doco 'Poop Cruise' - which is not for the faint-hearted!

Listen along though - it's good for you to laugh!

Otherwise skip through to the 3 minute mark for chat on making:

STEW - HORRIBLE WORD. BRILLIANT THING TO EAT

A meaty, miso-boosted winter stew that’s big on flavour, low on fuss – TERRIBLE name, EXCELLENT dinner.

RATIO: Meat to Veg = 2:1

Brown your meat in batches to get the meat lovely and flavourful. Take your time.

Add some onion wedges and get it softened in the pan. Add in your more robust herbs like thyme and rosemary, tomato paste and aromatics.

Add a big blob of miso paste and then your vegetables (evenly cut, not too large), and your (good quality) stock.

To serve?

Freshen the whole thing up with a grate of lemon zest, squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar, and a scattering of fresh herbs like parsley or basil. Serve with a hunk or bread, or mashed potato, or even rice!

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To make the Toum, blitz

6 garlic cloves

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons lemon juice in a food processor.

While it’s running, slowly drizzle in 1½ cups of vegetable oil until it thickens into a fluffy white cloud. Season with salt. It’s bold, punchy, and keeps for a few days in the

fridge.

Chicken Pita

Mix 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon ground coriander and 3 tablespoons oil with a spoonful of toum (or not – if you're allergic to garlic/alliums).

Slice 500g of boneless chicken thighs in half lengthwise, salt them, and marinate for a few hours or overnight!

When you’re ready, skewer the chicken – folding the pieces onto themselves – and grill over

medium heat for 10–12 minutes until beautifully charred.

Serve on warm pita with pickles and, if you dare, a very generous smear of toum.

And if you’ve got leftover toum? It’s brilliant slathered on roast veggies, stirred into yoghurt for a quick dip, dolloped onto fried eggs, or used in place of mayo in pretty much anything.

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Yumi's son is the main budding chef in the brood, and he's obsessed with this book by Reece Hignell. It means Yumi and Manbaby have tried MANY recipes from the book, including this one for a giant Devil's Food Chocolate Cake.

CAKE BOI'S DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE - aka Chocolate Lover's Heaven!

Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan-forced.

Grease and line 2 20cm cake tins.

Sift 480g flour, 700g caster sugar, 170g cocoa powder, 4tsp baking soda, 1tsp baking powder and 1tbs salt. (Yep, I said 1 teaspoon but it's actually a whole TABLESPOON.) Reece's recipe also has 1tsp ground nutmeg to add in at this point although we left this out cos = fussy kids.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 480g milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2tsp vanilla and 4 eggs. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fully combine before repeating with the remaining 2/3.

Add in 480ml boiling water then mix for 1 minute.

Divide the mixture evenly (I use scales) between the 2 cake tins then bake for 50 - 55 mins.

Check with a skewer that the cake is cooked - a few moist crumbs is good, wet batter is not.

Allow the cooked cake to cool on a wire rack.

My kids don't like icing so we stop here!

ICING:

Finely chop 400g of 54% cocoa chocolate. Place in a stand mixing bowl.

Heat 600ml thickened cream in a small saucepan until it reaches a simmer. Add in 50g butter, then pour the lot over the chopped chocolate.

Allow it to sit for 1 minute, then mix it until smooth and glossy. Add 1tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Stir well, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set.

Run the icing in the electric mixer to get fluffy and awesome. Spread over the two cakes. Reece suggests horizontally halving the cakes to make 4 layers.

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