A bowl of goodness: Asian seafood and mushroom noodles

A bowl of noodles is a favourite Asian lunch. It is healthy, filling and delicious.

The type I make most often is a little constellation of delightful chunks and pieces.

Seafood:

• two types of shrimp,
  
• squid,
  
• baby octopuses,
  
• clams,
  
• mussels.
  

Seaweed:

• konbu,
• wakame,

Mushrooms:

• shiitake,
• cloud ear,
• jelly ear,
• yamabushitake,
• oyster mushroom,
• snow ear.

Veggies:

• daylily buds,
• lotus root,
• pak choy,
• kang kong.
  

A smidgen of toasted black and white sesame seeds livens up an already vibrant mix even further.



I made this one Korean style, flavoured with kimchi, but I also make it, with the help of some herbs and condiments, in a variety of other styles:

• Japanese miso (miso paste and katsuobushi extract),
• Thai tom yam (galangal root, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, chilies and fried chili paste) or
• spicy Szechuan (doubanjiang, Szechuan pepper and sesame oil).

Dim sum : touch my heart!

Dim sum is supposed to be lunch food only, something you grab in between business appointments. At dinner you are expected to take your time with your family. Since I am not burdened with either, I can do as I please. So when I'm lazy I just fix me dim sum.

I line a bamboo sieve with a banana leave. Its gentle scent transfers to the dough with hot steam and make simple lowly buns a culinary delight.

While the pot is steaming away, I make my own Thai-style dip:

• a glub of Thai chili sauce
• juice of one lime
• a clove of garlic, crushed (NOT chopped!)
  
• a sprinkle of fish sauce
• a wee splash of Kikkoman soya sauce
  
• chopped fresh coriander.

Twelve minutes and, voilà, lazy bachelor's dinner is ready!

Simple lunch pleasure: grilled goat cheese sandwich

Culinary delights don't have to be complicated. It is mostly down to quality ingredients and right combinations.

This grilled goat cheese sandwich takes 5 minutes to fix. First, I sprinkle delicious sesame bread I buy from a Brazilian grocer with a few drops of aceto balsamico bianco and olive oil. I cut the cheese (no puns here) into thin circles and line them on the bread. Three minutes under grill is enough to turn the dry and sharp mass into drippy flavour-oozing deliciousness.

Now tomato wedges and some Italian lettuce mix and your lunch is ready!

This is the French goat cheese I use: crottins de chèvre, "goat drops". What a poetic name.