My World of Flavour
The experiences and recipes that shape the way I cook.
For the last 30+ years I’ve been obsessed with food and cooking from Italy to India, the Mediterranean to Mexico. Cook Eat World was born out of that obsession, and since 2011, in some shape or form, I’ve been sharing my recipes online. Read my story.
I’ve worked as an art director since the early ’90s, but I very nearly chose a career in food instead. Design won out, but cooking has always been my greatest passion. I love entertaining, feeding people and discovering flavours from around the world. Cook Eat World is where those two creative worlds come together.
Travel has shaped the way I cook more than anything else. Every trip brings new flavours and ideas home with me. Some dishes become lifelong favourites (grilled mozzarella in lemon leaves from Sorrento), others are best left as memories (sheep stomach tacos in Mexico City).
I’m not interested in simply copying recipes—I evolve them into my own versions. Some are authentic, some aren’t, but who really cares? They all have one thing in common: they have to be delicious.
I’m happy to spend a little extra time cooking if it means better flavour, but I also believe recipes should be achievable. If something is too complicated or simply not worth the effort, it doesn’t make the cut (I’m looking at you ‘3-days to cook, Balinese duck curry’). These are the recipes I genuinely cook and love, and this collection changes as new favourites find their way onto my table.
start here – The Recipes You should cook first
These are what I would call my signature dishes — they’re the ones friends and family request the most and the recipes I like to cook the most too. Nothing too taxing or complicated, just simple and simply delicious food. It’s the place to begin if you want to cook and eat like me.
Burmese Chicken Curry
One of the first curries I learned from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, I’ve cooked this so often I know it by heart. Light, fragrant and full of flavour, it’s one of my signature dishes, and there are almost always a couple of portions waiting in my freezer.
APPLE & FENNEL SALAD
I can’t remember where the inspiration came from, but this has become one of my most-served dishes. My go-to bring-a-dish, it pairs with almost everything. Sweet apples and fragrant fennel are especially good with pork chops or a juicy salmon fillet.
Spaghetti with Cavolo Nero & Almonds
I was inspired to make this from a recipe in a River café cookbook. The original was quite different, but the flavour profile led me to my version, which I’ve been making for hundreds of years! It’s my most requested pasta.
CHICKEN KATSUDON
As Japanese comfort food goes, Katsudon just beats Katsu Curry. I make it at least once a month and never tire of its combination of flavours and textures. Whenever I need a hug in a bowl (from too many wines), this classic rice bowl is my first choice.
Chicken with cannellini beans
A relatively new addition, but already one of my favourite Italian dishes. I love beans in every form, and this simple one-pot meal is deeply satisfying. It’s easy to make, packed with flavour, and the recipe I’ve cooked more than any other over the past year.
Hainanese Chicken & Rice
As my obsession with Malaysian food grew, Hainanese Chicken Rice became one of my favourites. I love how nothing is wasted—a whole meal from one chicken and a little rice. The fragrance, simplicity and flavour make it a dish I return to again and again.
Lamb Madras Curry
I couldn’t leave out the first Indian curry I ever made at home. Over the years it’s evolved into my own version, built around a homemade curry powder. Rich, luxurious and deeply satisfying, it’s now a special-occasion curry I always look forward to.
Parripu Daal
While we’re talking Indian, this Dal is one of my most-loved recipes. It changes a little every time I make it, but the heart of the dish never does. I love it over rice or alongside fish—it’s the Indian lentil recipe I return to most.
Cauliflower with Tahini
When I lived in Sydney, a local Lebanese restaurant inspired many of my favourite dishes, including this cauliflower. Deep-fried until almost blackened and served with creamy, nutty tahini, it’s such a perfect combination that it’s now the only way I cook cauliflower.
from Inspiration to recipe
Travel is my number one inspiration when it comes to creating recipes from around the world. Here are a few ‘before and after’ dishes and how they made their way from international restaurant tables, to my kitchen at home, to the pages of Cook Eat World.
Pasta Al Pesto – Liguria, Italy
A meal in the old town of Genoa, Italy opened up a whole new appreciation of basil. This dish in particular which features sweet, fragrant pesto pasta with potatoes and beans just blew me away. I knew from the very first bite that I had to make my own at home. While I can never replicate the freshness of the Ligurian basil, my version of pesto al pasta is uniquely delicious in its own right. Humble, simple and incredibly tasty.
Yurinchi Chicken – Tokyo, Japan
After a night of Japanese yuzu highballs in Tokyo, this combination of crunchy and juicy karaage chicken topped with the most alluring sour vinegar sauce went some way (not very far) in soaking up some of the alcohol. We devoured this delicious treat along with a shameful amount of other yakitori treasures, washed down with even more highballs. The hangover was real, but I somehow managed to remember this dish and recreate it perfectly at home.
Salt Pork with Lentils – Paris, France
On a freezing cold December night in Paris, hunger took hold as we ambled aimlessly through the streets. On passing a bistro at the St-Lazare station I declared that I had to eat immediately. Inside we were treated to one of the best meals I’ve eaten in France. This traditional salt pork with sausage and lentils was the main event. It was so sensational that I bought a lump of salt pork and sausage the very next day to take home. I’ve been cooking this hearty treasure ever since.
Curry Laksa – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Passing through Malaysia has become commonplace as I visit my family in the UK from Australia. I always make time, and room for an authentic curry laksa soup. This coconut curry with silky noodles is one of my most favourite discoveries and is a regular on the menu at home. It’s fragrant, filling and completely addictive. Even the laksa at the airport is life-changing. It makes me want to book a flight right now.
Pinsa Romana – Rome, Italy
Wandering through the streets of Rome without an agenda is one of my most favourite things to do. Happening upon this fantastic pinsa shop in Trastevere is one of the best finds in Italy. My fennel-rich sausage with creamy roast potatoes and a smoked mozzarella was pure perfection. At home, pinsa dough is a labour of love, but worth the effort, and I dare say gives the Roman version a run for its money.
Picon Punch – Metz, France
Picon is an interesting aperitif, and I’d not heard of it before travelling through France a few years back. The drink that inspired my cocktail is actually not a cocktail at all, but a simple mix of this bitter aperitif mixed with beer, which I enjoyed with gusto one evening in the beautiful city of Metz. It inspired me to find out more about Picon, which in turn led to this delightful combination…
The recipes I cook on repeat
I have an unofficial roster of go-to dishes that I cook again and again, some of those recipes are here at cookeatworld, some are in the making for future additions. It’s always a moveable feast, with dishes entering and leaving the list over time. Many have been around for over 30 years, some are newer additions. All are delicious, tried and tested and enjoyed by me, my family and friends and many happy website visitors over the years.
THE FIRSTS
The first time I try a dish can often solidify its inclusion as a keeper in my life. I’ve eaten many memorable dishes around the world, but on occasion, when you strike gold, you just KNOW that you’ll be eating this for the rest of your life! I love nothing more than recreating recipes I’ve discovered overseas back in my home kitchen. Sometimes with great success, other times I must conclude that it’s not possible to recreate the magic. Here are two of my greatest discoveries!
A first in Malaysia
KARI AYAM
(Malaysian Chicken Curry)
Malaysian food is probably my favourite cuisine. It’s rich, diverse flavours drawn from Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines makes for something unique and special. My first exposure to Malay cuisine was in 2005 as I made my way to my 1 year in Australia. A stop-off in Kuala Lumpur solidified a life-long love of Malaysian food, and that 1 year turned into 22+ years in Oz, where the local Malay population thrives – all my favourites; Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Rendang, Nasi Goreng, Ayam Goreng, and of course Kari Ayam – my homespun, but very authentic Malaysian chicken curry. A perfect blend of spices (see my Malaysian Curry Powder Recipe) go into this delectable coconut curry. It’s been a labour of love, but this recipe is THE ONE!
A FIRST IN ITALY
PALLOTTE – CACIO E UOVA
(Bread, Cheese & Egg Balls)
There have been many epic meals in Italy, but living in Abruzzo for a few summers was the most satisfying. It’s a region of Italy that’s often overshadowed, but boy does it deliver a regional masterclass of flavour! The simple Arrosticini lamb skewers are an absolute treasure, along with this dish Pallotte, cacio e uova, which I first ate in the tiny town of Pacentro, that Madonna’s family originated. Impossibly tasty bread, cheese and egg balls in tomato sauce. One of those dishes that took me completely by surprise and one that will stay with me forever. This recipe took a while to get right at home, but I eventually figured it out and they’re now just like Nonna Ciccone may have served!
food for all seasons
Spring & Summer
These dishes are interchangeable in that the menus are played out over both seasons, with a few variations here and there. I love outdoor eating, so the BBQ plays a larger part during the warmer months. My meals tend to focus on one BBQ item, accompanied by a few light dishes and salads that I can prepare in advance. Marinating becomes my friend, and I’ll pre-prepare the meat well in advance so that things are easy and fuss-free when it comes to cooking and serving.
AUTUMN & WINTER
As the days shorten and the temperature grows colder, it’s the time of year for hibernation food. Low and slow favourites fill the house with warmth and fragrance. It’s the time of year that screams for comfort eating and I have a whole world of recipes I call upon to cheer me on.
See my full Autumn and Winter collections
What I cook for Friends
I’m big into entertaining and I love nothing more than cooking big spreads for friends and family. From meze tables to Asian curry buffets. From giant communal pasta bowls to BBQ feasts, it’s all on the menu. My favourite recipes are those that allow for pre-prep, to make everything easy. Below are four of my favourite things to make that satisfy the masses, without killing me to make.
You can also discover three custom-curated Dinner Party Plans here, from Indian, Italian or Turkish.
My favourite ingredients
I call upon many ingredients when cooking, but my go-to favourites offer so much variation, in that there are so many delicious recipes I can whip up from one key ingredient. Here are my top ingredients, the ones I turn to again and again.
chicken
The most eaten meat by a mile, it’s versatile and cooks quickly. Here are five of my most popular chicken recipes:
1. Chicken Lahori Curry
2. Creamy Chipotle Chicken
3. Chicken Satay Curry
4. Chinese Shandong Chicken
5. Harissa Chicken
Beans & Legumes
I can’t get enough beans. They’re on my menus all the time. They make everything rich and decadent. My top five:
1. Chicken & Lentil Curry
2. Italian Sausage & Lentils
3. Greek Gigantes Plaki
4. Spinach Dal (Dal Palak)
5. Dal Makhani
Eggs
As a child I ate eggs like they were going out of fashion. Nothing has changed. Here are my five most favourite recipes:
1. Turkish Sucuk with Eggs
2. Japanese Scrambled Eggs
3. Akuri (Parsi Eggs)
4. Chicken Egg Foo Young
5. Eggs with Shatta Sauce
Rice
My rice cupboard (yes, I have a whole cupboard), is packed with all manner of rices from around the world. My top 5 recipes:
1. Laotian Nam Khao
2. Mexican Cilantro Rice
3. Moroccan Rice with Silverbeet
4. Kimchi Fried Rice
5. Nduja Risotto
So, are you hungry yet?
I love that I have this outlet to share all my favourite recipes, it’s always great to hear from people who’ve enjoyed one of my dishes. It’s even helpful to hear when they haven’t (even though they’re wrong!). As for the future, for as long as I can hold a pan, I’ll be cooking, eating and sharing my food with you all. Future travel is planned to facilitate not only my own curiosity and greed, but to ensure that whatever I decide to share is not only delicious, but a bona fide favourite from my kitchen to yours. If you’re still unsure what to cook, visit my World Cuisine Recipes collection – it will steer you in the right direction for sure…