Busy? Tired? Hungry? And, to make matters worse, it’s only Monday? Then, says Zoë Perrett, you need that (Sweet Chilli) Friday feeling, stet…
A recipe book might seem less appealing than a large g&t when you finally get in from work to a famished family demanding instant sustenance, but it’ll stand you in far better stead when everyone gets fed and you can treat yourself to that very tipple in peace – and maybe even sneak in a bubble bath for good measure.
Penned by half-a-dozen working mothers who were sick of endlessly serving up the same suppers week in, week out, Sweet Chilli Friday is a collection of fast, simple recipes shared at the monthly meetings of the women’s cookery club, Peppercorn Passion. The dishes demonstrate you don’t need culinary prowess to impress – and nor do you need a Nigella-style fancy pantry.
Born when old school friends Sangita Manek and Sheetal Mistry started exchanging recipes with first one another, then Alpa Lakhani, Anjana Natalia, Sonia Sapra and Deepa Jaitha, Peppercorn Passion has been successfully expanding culinary repertoires (and quite probably delighted husbands’ waistlines) for the past six years – and now the authors are inviting you to tickle your own family’s fancy by trying something new.
The Peppercorn Passion ladies may have South Asian roots, but the 60 recipes in Sweet Chilli Friday rove the globe from Europe to Southeast Asia. They’re dishes are also all vegetarian, but, with the likes of Burmese khao suey noodle soup and sweet potato and black bean burritos on offer, it’s highly doubtful anyone will miss the meat.
And if they do, just tell them you’re now a fully flexitarian family – and, if they don’t like it, they’re jolly welcome to don their own aprons.
Make it happen
Where to find it: ‘Sweet Chilli Friday’ by Alpa Lakhani, Anjana Natalia, Deepa Jaitha, Sangita Manek, Sheetal Mistry & Sonia Sapra is published by Meze Publishing, RRP £15
Find out more: For details and to order, click here
Read this: To read an interview with the Peppercorn Passion cooking club, click here. For three recipes from the cookbook, click here. For two Indian recipes from the cookbook, click here
Amuse Bouche 