Category: Uncategorized

1. Take the rock glass and fill with cubed ice.
2. Build drink in glass in the same order as the ingredients listed.
3. Stir briefly.
4. Take a chocolate shard and sprinkle with Maldon Smoked Sea Salt.
5. Add chocolate shard on the edge of the glass.
6. Sip slowly and enjoy!

Yotam Ottolenghi returns with Ottolenghi COMFORT, his much-anticipated new book that brings warmth, nostalgia and bold flavours to the heart of comfort cooking. Known for his vibrant, flavour-forward approach, Ottolenghi reimagines classic dishes with a twist, offering over 100 irresistible recipes that evoke a sense of home. Each dish is a celebration of the connections food fosters, whether through family traditions, childhood memories, or the influencer of travels near and far.

In Ottolenghi COMFORT, Yotam blends his rich culinary heritage with modern inspiration, weaving together personal stories and the joy of sharing food with loved ones. As the chef-patron of seven Ottolenghi delis and renowned restaurants NOPI and ROVI, Yotam has spent years honouring his craft, creating recipes that resonate with cooks around the world.

This new collection is not just about food – it’s about the experiences and memories we pass down from generation to generation. With eight bestselling cookbooks to his name and over thirteen years as a columnist for The Guardian, Ottolenghi continues to inspire with recipes that celebrate the essence of home.

In Conversation with Yotam Ottolenghi…

Yotam, we’re BIG fans of your latest cookbook, Ottolenghi COMFORT. You focus on the theme of comfort cooking – how did your own experiences and memories shape the recipes in this book?

My own experiences and memories definitely shaped a lot of this book, as well as those of my fellow co-authors, Helen, Verena and Tara. Between us, there is a fair bit of global ground. Helen’s stretches from China to Malaysia to Melbourne to West London. Verena’s takes in Germany and Scotland, to New York. Tara was born in Khartoum, grew up in London, spent a year eating tapas in Barcelona and three years in Sarajevo, And for me, my parents are Italian and German, and then I’ve lived in Jerusalem, Amsterdam and now of course London. We always knew we wanted to do something ‘cosy’: about the food we eat at home. Before it was ‘COMFORT’ – we tried out ‘HOME’ and ‘FAMILY’. COMFORT manages to be about both these things but it’s somehow universal in a way that’s unique.

Food is deeply connected to memory and family traditions. Is there one recipe in particular in Ottolenghi COMFORT that reminds you of your childhood?

The chicken meatballs with potatoes and lemon is one recipe that really stands out from my childhood. It’s a recipe that takes me back to my home and reminds me of my both parents, who both cooked a lot when I was growing up. Meatballs were always there, one way or another.

As someone with such a busy career in restaurants and writing, how do you personally define “comfort” when it comes to your own cooking and eating habits?

Comfort not only means different things to different people; it means different things to the same person, depending on the season, the setting, the reason for a meal. It’s about the time of year, the season, the company. To me, comfort food now is quick and something my kids will love too! My go to is a quick toastie toasties that I fry in a pan, with whatever cheese is around, plus a pickle or ferment. Cheddar and feta, for example, with sliced gherkin, or comte with kimchi. A good smear of butter, mayo or mustard (or all of them) as well.

How has your approach to cooking evolved over the years, and how is that reflected in Ottolenghi COMFORT compared to your earlier books?

Spending time with my family is the most important thing to me, so when I’m cooking at home, I want something that is of course always delicious, but gives me time to spend with them. I think Ottolenghi COMFORT shows this – the recipes are maybe a little simpler, can easily be done, and rely on a lot of ingredients that you will already have lying around or can be used across lots of the recipes in the book.

What does a typical day in the life look like for you, Yotam?

A typical day is still quite varied, but often starts with a proper breakfast at home and the school run. I then will head into the Test Kitchen in Holloway and I love to see all the creativity and ideas that all the chefs have there. I often taste some of the recipes being developed, and we work through little changes and adaptions to really make a dish an Ottolenghi dish. Sometimes I will do some filming at the kitchen, other days I might have some writing to do for my columns in the Guardian or the New York Times, and then other days I visit a deli or restaurant. I love to see what customers are choosing and what is really resonating with people eating with us on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I get home and make some dinner for us all. It’s really important to me to be able to sit down as a family and have dinner, like I did as a child with my family.

Do you have a favourite cookbook that you’re reading at the moment?

I really am loving SIFT by Nicola Lamb at the moment. I started out as a pastry chef and my inner pastry buff couldn’t help but tuck in. It is the ultimate baking guide, but Nicola really makes it so accessible.  The first half of the book dives into the theory and science of baking, breaking down complex ideas into easy-to-understand diagrams. The second half is a treasure chest of recipes. It has without doubt made my 2024 all the more delicious!

Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

I am loving dukkah at the moment – it is a seed and nut mix from Egypt. Everyone has their own spin — the one I like to make has a gentle smokiness, a touch of citrus and a satisfying crunch. It’s the perfect go-to finishing touch.

For my toasties, I always have to have some cheese lying around that I can turn to when in need.

And then finally, always having some kimchi in the fridge. Again, just perfect to add to so many things to give it a little more flavour – rice, toasties, stews, pancakes, sometimes just out the jar!

German-Style Sausage Roll Recipe

If you want to spot a ‘Verena recipe’, the inclusion of butter and pastry are often clues, as is the use of mustard. These are no exception: inspired by everything she associates with German sausages – the spices in bratwurst, for example, the mustard dipping sauce, the pretzels – and a celebration of all the wonderful things that can be wrapped up in all-butter puff pastry.

Getting ahead: These can be made a day ahead of baking and kept in the fridge (or further ahead, if baking from frozen).

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients:

• ¼ tsp white peppercorns
• ¼ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1¼ tsp dried marjoram (or thyme)
• ¾ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground mace (or nutmeg)
• ½ tsp English mustard powder 50g salted pretzels, roughly crushed
• 60ml milk
• 1 egg, beaten, ½ tablespoon reserved for brushing
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 onions, chopped into roughly 1cm dice (325g)
• 2 tsp dark soft brown sugar
• 350g good-quality pork sausage meat (or start with pork sausages, and remove the casing)
• 15g chives, finely chopped
• 1 pack of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320g)
• flour, for dusting
• Maldon Sea Salt flakes
• Honey mustard dipping sauce:
• 3 tbsp yellow mustard (we like French’s)
• 1½ tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 15g chives, finely chopped

Method:

1. Put the peppercorns, coriander seeds and 1 teaspoon of the caraway seeds into a medium sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then transfer to a spice grinder (or a pestle and mortar). Blitz to form a semi-fine powder, then add the remaining spices, along with the mustard powder and ¾ teaspoon of Maldon Sea Salt. Set aside.
2. Combine the pretzels, milk and egg in a bowl and set aside to soften.
3. Add the oil and butter to the same sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onions, along with ¼ teaspoon of Maldon Sea Salt, and cook  for 15 minutes, stirring often, until softened and starting to caramelise. Add the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until fully caramelised. Set aside to cool.
4. Add the sausage meat to the bowl containing the pretzel mixture, along with the chives, spices and cooked onions. Mix well to combine.
5. Mix together all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
6. Unroll the puff pastry and place on a lightly floured work surface. Slice it in half, lengthways, to form two long, wide strips, about 11½cm x 38cm. Arrange half the sausage meat in a long log shape down the middle of one of the pastry strips, then lift one edge of the pastry over the meat. Brush the remaining free edge with some of the reserved egg, then lift and slightly pull it up and over the pastry, overlapping a little to ensure that it sticks. Repeat with the remaining pastry and sausage meat, then roll each log over so that the seams are both underneath. Brush all over with egg wash, sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of caraway seeds, then lightly score the top of each log, each cut about 2cm apart. Arrange the logs on a large parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 32–35 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through, until golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 12 portions. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with the dipping sauce alongside.

Where to buy ‘Ottolenghi COMFORT’?

You can find where to purchase Yotam’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Yotam’s recipes!

1. In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients and stir the mixture thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are well-blended.
2. Transfer the mix into a soda stream bottle, filling it only one-third full to avoid excessive pressure build-up
3. Ensure the liquid is very cold before carbonating (refrigerate for several hours or use an ice bath).
4. Use the soda stream to carbonate the mixture, as per your machine’s instructions.
5. Pour 125 ml of the carbonated Pyramid Paloma mix into a coupe glass.
6. Float a fresh basil leaf on top of the drink.
7. Sprinkle Maldon Garlic Sea Salt onto the basil leaf for a salty and aromatic garnish.

1. To prepare the verdita: In a blender, mix fresh pineapple juice, ginger juice, simple syrup, and Bittermens Xocolatl Mole, and blend until smooth.
2. Add mint leaves and coriander, then blend.
3. Strain to remove any pulp.
4. Take a rocks glass and run a lime wedge along the rim.
5. Dip the rim into Maldon Chilli Sea Salt and coat it evenly.
6. In a cocktail shaker, add 50 ml of gin, 50 ml verdita, 25 ml fresh lime juice and a dash of chili bitters (optional).
7. Add ice cubes and shake vigorously.
8. Strain the mixture into the prepared rocks glass filled with cubed ice.

1. Preheat the oven 160C.
2. Peel the pears and slice them, add them to add with 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp lemon juice, mix and keep aside.
3. In another bowl add the blueberries, rest of the lemon juice and 2 tsp of caster sugar, mix and keep aside.
4. Rub the butter all over the tin, place the baking sheet into the bottom of the tin.
5. In a bowl add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract, cream them until smooth. Add eggs and whisk again until it creamy. Add ricotta and half teaspoon of Maldon Sea Salt and combine it well. Sieve flour, baking powder and fennel powder into the batter, mix it well with the hand blender.
6. Once the mixture come together, add the blueberries and mix it until the batter is all combined.
7. Pour the mixture into the tin, then layer the top of the batter with pears coated in turmeric into a round circle covering the batter. Sprinkle with demerara sugar, put in the oven and cook for 55minutes in the oven on 170C. Switch the oven and leave the cake to rest for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove after 10 minutes, sprinkle rest of the Maldon Sea Salt over the baked cake while it is still warm.
8. Enjoy with cream or on its own.

We’ve teamed up with Chef Romy Gill MBE to share some of our favourite recipes from her latest cookbook, Romy Gill’s India.

In this cookbook, Romy shares over 70 recipes which are inspired by her beloved family, with flavours that define her childhood. From iconic dishes like Butter Chicken, which is a staple in every Indian home, to the delicious simplicity of a Masala Omelette, Romy invites cooks to savour the authentic tastes of India without a fuss! The instructions for each dish are easy to follow along with readily available ingredients. Every dish is designed with the home cook in mind, ensuring that your journey into Indian cuisine is as delightful as it is delicious!

Today, we’re sharing Romy’s delicious Butter Chicken, also known as Mung Makhani.

How to make butter chicken

There are so many different recipes for butter chicken. This is Romy’s take, because there is a lot of spark and dispute going on in India about butter chicken. Romy served so much butter chicken in her restaurant, so she went in search of the very best butter chicken recipe and researched how it all started. She found this gave me a better understanding of this best-loved dish. With its silky smooth, gently spiced tomato, cashew and cream gravy, it’s a comforting, warming dish that feels decadent. It was in 2013 when Romy started to take a closer look at butter chicken and its history. Her mentor, chef Manjit Gill, took her to the first ever Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryagang in Delhi. A restaurant co-founded by Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundal Lal Gujral and Maggu (also known as Thakur Das) and it was where they created both butter chicken and dal makhani.

1. To make the marinade, mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Prick the chicken pieces with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir well to coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least a couple of hours.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°Cfan/400°F/gas 6.
3. Spread the marinated chicken out on a baking tray and cook in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
4. While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. If the chicken finishes cooking before you have finished making the sauce, switch the oven off after the15 minutes and leave the meat to rest in the oven. Blanch the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes, then remove their skins. Cut into quarters and remove the seeds, then roughly chop and place in a food processor. Blitz to a smooth purée.
5. Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the puréed fresh tomatoes as well as the tomato purée and cook for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through, stirring regularly to avoid them sticking and burning. Add all the spices, chilli powder, Maldon Sea Salt and sugar, mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes until emulsified.
6. Lower the heat, then add the ground cashew nuts and cream, and stir well. Add 500–600 ml (20–24 Fl oz/2 1/2 cups–scant 3 cups) water – the quantity you choose to add depends on how runny you want the sauce to be. Bring the mixture to a boil, and when it starts bubbling, add the chicken, lower the heat and cook for a further 8–10 minutes. Sprinkle over the cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving with rice or any Indian flatbreads.
7. Where to buy Romy Gill’s India: Recipes From Home
   
   You can find where to purchase Romy’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.
   Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.
   Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Romy’s recipes!

Shu Han Lee, the celebrated author of Chicken and Rice, returns with her latest cookbook ‘Agak Agak’. In this vibrant collection, Shu captures the essence of Singaporean cuisine with recipes that showcase bold flavours and spices while remaining accessible to home.

Shu grew up in Singapore before moving to London in 2009, which allowed her to bring a unique perspective to her approach to cooking. With ‘agak agak’, she merges the deep connection between heritage with the practicality of home cooking in a Western kitchen.

Rooted in the Malay concept of ‘agak agak’ – a term those loosely translates to ‘to taste’ – the book emphasises the flexibility and creativity in the kitchen. Shu invites readers to experiment and adapt, transforming traditional dishes into everyday meals that burst with rich, multicultural influences that define Singaporean food. The cookbook serves as a bridge between cultures, offering recipes that are easy to recreate while staying true to the vibrant and diverse flavours of Singapore.

You’ll find a bundle of recipes to choose from, such as classic and modern recipes of Kaya Toast with Half-Boiled Eggs, Nasi Goreng, and an 8-hour Ox Cheek Rendang! For something sweeter, Shu offers readers Pandan Swiss Roll and Black Sticky Rice Pudding with Rhubarb, amongst others.

We’ve shared one of our favourites from the cookbook; delicious steamed aubergines paired with a cherry tomato sambal.

Steamed Aubergines with Cherry Tomato Sambal

When steamed, aubergines (eggplants) become silky soft and almost creamy inside – a perfect sponge for soaking up any sauce. Here, Shu topped the aubergine with a summery sambal, made with fresh cherry tomatoes. It brings together two of her favourite sauces to eat with aubergine: sambal chilli (a must-have at any Malay nasi padang stall) and tomato sauce (well-loved in all sorts of Italian classics like aubergine parmigiana). As the tomatoes fry, their sugars caramelise and give the sambal a rich, sweet–sour depth. This isa dish that really sings of hot sunny days – whether in sweltering Singapore or in a British back garden in August.

Serves: 2-3 as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 medium aubergine (eggplant) (about 250 g/9 oz)
• 2 tsp white rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• small handful of Thai basil
• small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

For the tomato sambal topping (see tip):

• 50 g (1!⁄” oz) large red chillies, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 banana shallot, roughly chopped
• 100 g (3½ oz) cherry tomatoes, half roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• Juice of ½ lime (about 1 tbsp)
• ½ tsp light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp Maldon Sea Salt, or to taste

Method:

1. Slice the aubergine into 2 cm (¾ in) thick, finger-length batons. Now, place the aubergine batons in a large bowl of water with the vinegar, and leave for 10 minutes. This extra step helps the aubergine keep its beautiful purple/white colours.
2. To make the tomato sambal topping, pound the chillies, garlic, shallot and half the cherry tomatoes using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a small blender until you get a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan set over medium heat and fry the sambal for 15 minutes, until fragrant and the oil seeps backout. Quarter the remaining cherry tomatoes and add to the pan, frying until their skins blister and burst. Lightly crush some of the tomatoes so they release their juices into the sambal. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and Maldon Sea Salt.
3. While the sambal is frying, steam the aubergines. Stack them in a steamer basket, and set over gently boiling water. Cover and steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes until they’re soft but still firm enough to hold their shape. Transfer the steamed aubergines to your serving plate, arranging them in a line down the plate and drizzle the light soy sauce over evenly.
4. Warm up the cherry tomato sambal again so it’s sizzling, then spoon it over the aubergines. Make sure you get everything in the pan, including the bright red chilli-spiked oil. Sprinkle the Thai basil and coriander over to serve.

Tip:

You can shortcut making the tomato sambal by gently frying the cherry tomatoes in oil until they burst, then stir in 2 tablespoons of Sambal Tumis and a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt flakes.

In conversation with Shu Han Lee…

Agak Agak’ embraces the idea of cooking ‘to taste’. Can you tell us more about this approach and how it reflects the essence of Singaporean cuisine?

Based on the Malay word for ‘somewhat’, ‘agak agak’ really comes to life in the home kitchen, where cooks are encouraged to rely on all their senses and experience, rather than tools or rigid formulas. It’s not a hot mess of luck or guesswork though. It’s knowing to wet your hands if your mee hoon kueh (handmade noodles) dough feels a tad dry. It’s knowing to hold back on the chillies, depending on how spicy or sweet they are this time. It’s the way my mum, aunties and uncle cook – and it’s the way I’ve come to cook, especially here in the UK where I don’t always have the same ingredients to work with; nor the long hours to potter away. I think many other food-loving cultures will recognise this same sort of instinctive, adaptive way of cooking in their home kitchens  (for instance, Italians with their ‘quanto basta’, or as much as needed)!

I like to think this ‘agak agak’ approach has helped to shape Singapore’s rich and exciting cuisine from our early days as a bustling port island. Many Singaporean classics, as we know it today, are born out of cooks trying to find a taste of home in a foreign land. With different local ingredients, and with different tools, they used their senses to approximate the flavours they missed, or wanted to create. The incredible array of food you find in Singapore didn’t come from simply following recipes exactly. It came from a long history of adjusting and adapting and doing things ‘to taste’. One example is our national dish, Hainanese chicken rice: the early Chinese traders brought it over Hainan, but we serve the gently poached chicken with a fiery chilli garlic sauce, instead of the traditional spring onion sauce.

You encourage readers to use your recipes as inspiration to create their own dishes. Can you share a story or example of how you’ve done this in your own cooking?

I love mixing up traditional recipes with the seasonal produce I can get here in the UK. I find results would often taste better and be cheaper, having not been flown halfway across the world a week ago. One example in the book is my Rainbow Chard Belachan, inspired by the traditional ‘Kangkong Belachan’, a dish of water spinach (kang kong) stir fried with hot bird’s eye chilli and pungent shrimp paste. What makes this dish really sing is the contrast of crunchy stalks and silky smooth leaves – and chard offers that same delightful contrast that water spinach does. 

Having moved from Singapore to London in 2009, how has your experience living abroad influenced your approach to Singaporean cooking?

As mentioned above, I like to make use of British seasonal ingredients as much as I can – Britain has a wonderful larder of fresh, vibrant produce and it would be a real shame not to use it. On the flip side, I’ve also learnt to work with the lack of availability of certain Singaporean ingredients and resources that I had taken for granted. It’s made me think up new shortcuts and/or replacements, and it’s forced me to be clever about recreating the wonderful flavours I grew up with in simpler ways.

As a food developer with your own spice company, Rempapa, what role do spices play in your new cookbook, and how can home cooks elevate their dishes using spices?

Because of Singapore’s proximity to the Indonesian spice islands, its immigrant Indian population and its historical role as a port city, spices play a huge part in Singaporean cooking, and in this cookbook. In fact I have one whole chapter dedicated to curries (though you’ll find spices feature in many more recipes beyond this chapter)! My top tip with spices is to make sure you use and replace them regularly, as the forgotten jar at the back of your shelf is likely to taste of nothing more than dust.

What does a normal day in the life look for you, Shu?

My days vary a lot, as I flit between managing Rempapa and writing or developing recipes for other brands! As Rempapa is currently a one-woman show, I also have to juggle everything from sales to accounts to content creation. I am happiest though, when I’m in the kitchen, trying and tasting new things (least happy when I’m forced to face a spreadsheet)!

With so many bold colours and delicious flavours to choose from, you MUST have a favourite recipe in the book?!

It’s really difficult to choose, but I really hope everyone tries the Chilli Crab Spaghetti. Chilli crab is one of the most iconic dishes of Singapore, but as with all the best things it’s continued to evolve. On many modern menus, you’ll find that same rich, spicy, fragrant tomato sauce served up with spaghetti instead of fried mantou buns – and this is the version I choose to share in Agak Agak. I use cooked crab meat, both white and brown, so it’s super easy for home cooks in the UK. The latter adds a rich depth to the sauce, much like shrimp paste. It’s a recipe that really shows off how fresh and creative Singaporean cooks are – and is insanely delicious of course!

Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

A sharp kitchen knife, garlic, and a bottle of good soy sauce

Where to buy ‘Agak Agak’?

You can find where to purchase Shu’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Shu’s recipes!