5 Minute Food Fix

It's HOT CROSS BUNS SEASON and everyone has an opinion on What To Do (and what NOT to do) with this most raisiny of buns.What are your thoughts on Simon's advice?Send us an email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon is BACK! And what a welcome return. Yumi and Simon discuss what it was like to have comedian Jennifer Wong onboard as guest host, and Yumi has some tips about what to order - and what NOT to order - when going out for Yum Cha.And if you want to make Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) at home? Here's Nagi's recipe. And to do it at home?1 Bunch of Gai Lan. If you can't get this vegetable, try it with broccolini, it's very good!Trim the woody ends off the green vegetable. Wash well. If any of the stems are especially thick, slice down their length.Place the gai lan in a steamer basket or plunge into a big pot of boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes but test to make sure it's to your liking. You want it not too chewy and raw, but you definitely don't want to overcook it either. In this case I would get sexy with a timer to really make sure.Meanwhile, gently heat 4tbs oyster sauce with 2-3tbs water. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil IF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED. Toss the cooked vegetable through the sauce but try not to make it a messy jumble: at yum cha it's all neatly laid out facing the same way and halved. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special Guest Host Jennifer Wong shares a couple of great ways to make instant ramen LESS GRIM.And if you love Jen and want to see her in person, a good link to upcoming shows is here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Both Jennifer Wong and Yumi have had experience with going viral on social media - which they've decided is low-key pointless - but it doesn't mean they're not both dead keen on trying a great hack when other food influencers recommend one...It might be as simple as using a fish weight when frying a good quality piece of fish...Or it could be this little hack as tested by Nat's What I Reckon in this video which, at time of publishing this podcast episode, has 11 million views!BTW if you wanna see Jennifer Wong in person, she has a VERY FOOD RELATED SHOW coming up at Vivid Sydney 2026. More info and a link to the Great Debate that both Yumi and Jen will be on here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the dumbest gadget you ever bought?(you can email if you like: [email protected] )Yumi and guest-host Jennifer Wong share their thoughtsPLUS - Yumi has a gadget to help your fish fillets turn out AMAZING - that you probably can use tonight at home! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In these terrible times Yumi is self-soothing by re-watching her favourite TV show and Jennifer Wong is re-reading a tried, tested and quite wonderful food book called Sapphires and Garlic by New York Times critic Ruth Reichl (which you can read for free in pdf form here; the chapter on Betty is page 205.)In it is a fantastic and fantastically simple and humble recipe that the world-famous foodie created - for a frugal, whole roasted chicken.A FRUGAL REPAST FOR BETTY - WHOLE ROASTED CHICKENPreheat the oven to 200C.Wash and dry the whole raw chicken. Pat dry. Snip off the fatty flap of skin with scissors. Gently lift the skin on top of the breast meat, being careful not to puncture the skin, and spread out the fatty piece of skin between the skin and the breast. Prick a whole lemon 8-15 times with a fork and place it inside the chicken's cavity.Season the whole beast well with salt, pepper and olive oil.Place the chicken on a small rack and place that inside a roasting tray.Cut 4 x potatoes into 8 pieces each, 1 onion into 6 pieces, add 4 cloves of garlic to this then toss the lot in olive oil then tumble into the roasting tray with the chicken. Roast for 1 hour.Serve elegantly! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JENNIFER WONG joins me as guest host again (don't worry Simon, we miss you!) - and we talk about her amazing book 'Chopsticks or Fork?' - discovering where the name comes from! (It's pretty funny.)I have an opinion on where some of the truly buried treasures might be found in cookbooks and we unearth one from Belinda Jefferey's 'MIX AND BAKE'. (I said I'd post a link to buy it but unfortunately it's out of stock everywhere! My local library has it - good luck.)BELINDA JEFFEREY'S SUNDRIED TOMATO NO-KNEAD FOCACCIA THE DAY BEFORE:Mix the flours: 250g plain flour and 250g spelt flour, 1tsp salt, 1/4tsp dried yeast1tbs honeyStir through 500ml water and 3tbs olive oil. It will be a wet, shaggy dough. Do your best to mix well.Put it into a clean, oiled bowl, and leave in a calm spot for 12 hours.Knock it down by kneading and folding it a couple of times and then stretch out the dough to fit a baking tray. Set it aside for 2 hours.When ready, pre-heat the oven until it's properly hot 200C.Dimple the top of the dough with your fingertips, drizzle it with good oil and flaked salt, rosemary and olives (or sundried tomatoes).Bake for 30 - 35 mins.Eat on the day! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon takes a break from Food Fixing and so I rope in Jennifer Wong, host of 'Chopsticks or Fork?' on ABC, a show about food, that is also a book.Jen is funny and literate about food, especially Chinese food, so I thought: Great! Let's absolutely drag this online trend of making dumplings without actually bothering to wrap the filling in the wonton skin. You can see what I'm talking about here.It's not all ridiculous, though. From Tony Tan, we have a fantastic vegan mushroom dumplings recipe here, which also has the Curry Oil Jen was talking about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon's Creamy Bean GratinMETHOD:2 tins of white beans, drained well, or 300g flageolet beans soaked overnight then cooked for 30-40 mins the drained and dried out wellIn a bowl, mix together these things:8 anchovy fillets4 tbs garlic oil (from last episode)1 head of garlic (from last episode)300ml creamsalt, pepper and a light grind of nutmegsplash of milkIn a gratin dish (smallish, around 25cm), lay out the beans then top with the creamy mixture and some sprigs of rosemary.Optional: Top with gruyere cheese.Bake for 15 mins and use the broiler if the top isn't going all bubbly and brown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon has taken the news that Yumi started introducing a tiny bit of her digestive nemesis - GARLIC - into her diet, and he's run with it.Inspired by the recipe from Gizzi Erskine's seminal cookbook, SLOW, Simon has a way to do garlic that is pretty magical and also, supremely easy.Tumble 4-5 whole bulbs of garlic with the tops sliced off into a tiny saucepan. Cover it with good quality olive oil.Add herbs like rosemary, thyme to the oil IF YOU WANT.Gently and slowly cook until bubbles are forming around the bulbs - for 20-30 mins. Strictly DO NOT BOIL.Remove the garlic cloves. They are available to be used as a condiment, smooshed onto toast, blended through a salad dressing or part of a bean gratin.The oil, once cooled, can be used to flavour anything at all ...with fewer digestive complaints! And NO, Simon did *not* provide the show notes he said he would. However, we will do a whole episode on the Bean Gratin he mentions. Next! On your 5 Minute Food Fix. xxx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Ottolenghi and Hetty McKinnon have in common?(Besides best-selling cookbooks?)They both embrace fancying up seeds and nuts to devastatingly good effect in a salad. How can we replicate it?And what hack does Yumi have on days when you just haven't got the energy?(PS. This is not a sponsored episode, just a really good hack that you can get from the shops!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a cult TV show that half the world knows about and is OBSESSED by, and the other half has no idea whatsoever.That show is Heated Rivalry and Yumi counts herself as completely, 100% indoctrinated into the cult of Shane and Ilya. In today's episode, Yumi discovers that Simon has actually watched it as well !! and nearly implodes in delight. She also has a TUNA MELT recipe (IYKYK) that looks a lot like this one, with a few variations.TUNA SALAD FOR TUNA MELT1 well-drained 425g tin tuna2 celery sticks, dicedfreshly chopped parsley, 1/4 cup3 gherkin pickles, finely chopped, or 10 cornichons1/2 cup of good mayonnaise, to taste (add more or less depending on how you like it)salt, pepper, chilli flakesMETHODAssemble and mix the tuna salad. (This can be made ahead until your "boring" hot boyfriend comes over.)Turn on the grill or sandwich press.Spoon it out onto good quality sourdough bread.Top with 2 slices of American cheese or grated tasty.Pop under the grill until melted.Top with another piece of bread, press it down, then return the whole thing to the grill until toasted. Flip to toast the other side. Serve immediately. With ginger ale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Much to Yumi's jealousy... Simon has discovered that his kids actually quite like soup - and a sophisticated one at that!On this episode you'll also hear about the super-easy stock that Yumi has been making now that she has hardly any freezer space.SOUR LENTIL SOUP - ADAS BIL HAMOD200g brown of green lentilscover with salted water then boil up for 20 mins until cooked but still with a bit of bite and shapedrain them offin a big pot heat 3tbs olive oil, 2 chopped onions and 5 garlic cloves, 1.5tbs cumin seeds and the peel of a lemon.Cook down gently and consistently for at least 15 minutes, stirring until soft and golden.Add in 3 chopped waxy potatoes.Throw in the lentils then the chopped hard stalks of some chard.Add a litre of stock and 800ml water.Bring to a simmer, pop the lid on the pot and simmer for 20 mins.When ready to serve, stir through the leaves of the chard or some baby spinach and the juice of 3 lemons.Finish with a dash of olive oil, coriander and/or chopped washed coriander.Also if you're interested, here is a good online recipe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More genius ideas about how to feed the whole family from the legendary Simon Davis.In this episode Yumi has a story about how her two younger kids nearly got food poisoning... and the fact is, Simon has ACTUAL REAL HELP for parents trying to feed their kids.2-Speed Pilaf (serves 4)You need a good-sized, heavy-pased pan with a lid that fits.Start by in that pan, adding 1tbs butter and 1tbs olive oil, add a finely chopped onion. Fry down until the onion has softened and then add a clove or two of minced garlic. Fry up 1.5cups of basmati rice, 1tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. (Leave these out if your kids are sensitive of spices!)Add in the 2.5 cups stock and water and cook at a low heat with the lid on. Allow to cook for 12 mins.For kids?Stir through a knob of butter and some peas and sweet corn.For the adults?Take some purple seedles grapes and a little olive oil fry them until blistering.To the pan, toss through mint, dill and parsley, some lemon zest and lemon juice.Spoon the rice into bowls, top with the blistered grabs and a fat dollop of labne or crumble over some fetta and sprinkle over some Aleppo pepper.YUMI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an incredible recipe from one of my most treasured cookbooks of the past year!If you love feeling nurtured and nourished by food that is loving and rich in flavours... please try this!Sami's book FALASTIN can be found here.And a version of the recipe (save me typing it out) can be found on this website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SIMON'S SPIN ON THIS SILLY INTERNET FAD!Take 500g of Greek yoghurtMix in 2+tbs of honey, 1/2tsp vanilla, zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt.Mix well and check for sweetness. Mix to make sure the salt is dissolved.Press in some digestive biscuits, cover, and set it back in the fridge and leave it overnight.Serve with a fresh drizzle of honey, a handful of chopped pistachios, and some berries (compote = optional!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yumi shares a bad experience she had with being married.(It's food-related, trust me.)And Simon brings in the New Year with a perfect, easy, and really, really effective way to nail a good piece of salmon or trout.Bring a small pot of water to the boil. (It needs to fit your pieces of fish.)Add a teaspoon of salt and any aromatics that get you excited, eg., a teaspoon of peppercorns, a bayleaf, some garlic. But none of this is essential.Turn off the heat then gently lower your salmon pieces into the water. Put the lid back on the pot and leave the fish undisturbed for 11 minutes. (A bigger piece might need 13 mins, a smaller piece might need 9. But 11 is pretty spot-on for a standard piece of fish.Carefully scoop the fish out and let it dry on some kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.Serve with Simon's Yoggutty SauceStart with 3-4 spoons of thick Greek yoghurtstir in some tahini or a spoonful of horseradish, with a big squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's nothing Yumi loves more than being set on a food adventure!In this case, it's a friend's new baby that triggers a trip to the butcher and the creation of an iconic roast lamb meal.We also shout out to the legendary Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats, whose lamb creation was incredibly necessary (although adding anchovies is Yumi's idea).Check out Nagi's recipe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the second episode of 5 Minute Food Fix where Nagi and I celebrate yummy things that can make your regular (food) programming pop!I find her inspiring and such an enthusiastic communicator when it comes to food. (Listen to her go off about peas on this ep! So good!) When we spoke, her second cookbook DELICIOUS TONIGHT was just being launched. It went on to sell more copies than any other cookbook that year, won the ABIA at the end of the year for Best Illustrated Book, is still in print and can be purchased here.NAGI's WHIPPER TAHINI DRESSING1 cup plain yogurt21/2 tbsp tahini*11/2 tbsp lemon juice (substitute 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)1 garlic clove,* finely grated1/4 tsp kosher salt*Whipped tahini preparation—Place the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Set aside.Whip tahini—Once the roasted vegetables are done, microwave the tahini yogurt mixturein the bowl for 20 seconds on High, then whisk vigorously for 10 seconds until it resembles softly whippedcream. Use immediately.Use for any vegetable. Especially great with asparagus, green beans, broccoli, broccolini, carrots, cauliflower,pumpkin, sweet potato, and zucchini.LEFTOVERS Whipped tahini will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm gently thenre-whip. Not suitable Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yumi was so stoked to speak with fellow Japanese-Australian, the utterly legendary Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats. She has so many great suggestions for what to do with the whipped ricotta - so listen to the episode for more, but in the recipe below, you serve it with delightful (and perfect for right now as the tomatoes ripen so beautifully) burst tomatoes.WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH BURST TOMATOESWHIPPED RICOTTA1 cup full-fat,good-quality ricotta, at room temperature1/2 tightly packed cup finely grated parmesan*2–3 tsp milk, if requiredBURST TOMATOES2 punnets cherry tomatoes2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil1/2 tsp salt*1/8 tsp black pepper11/2 tsp dried oreganoTO FINISH1 tbsp good-quality extra-virgin olive oil2 tsp lemon juice, plus extrato taste12–15 small basil leavesSERVING OPTIONSCrostini or Crusty White Bread! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does cooking for one sound sad? Depressing? Lonely?It's kind of okay - if you're armed with some hacks so you're not starting from scratch every meal. YUMI'S ANCHOVY SALAD DRESSING (TO LEAVE IN THE FRIDGE FOR WHEN YOU JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED)60g anchovies250ml olive oil10g honey25g tahini20g best balsamic vinegar50g white balsamic vinegarjuice of one lemon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WHAT can be done with a BBQ chicken from the supermarket or hot chicken shop?Today, Simon wants to use a pre-bought red curry paste to turn chicken into something magical, then adding it to the inside of a crunchy lettuce boat. You will need 1 good jar of Thai Red Curry PasteMethod:Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small saucepan on medium heat.Toast off the 3 spoonfuls of Thai red Curry paste in the pan to awaken the flavours.Scrape that off the pan and set it aside - you'll use it in a sec.Then to the same pan add in a couple of spoons of Greek Yoghurt and a big squeeze of lime juice (3 tbs) plus 2tsp honey and a big pinch (1/2 tsp) of salt.Add half a chopped red onion, a chopped celery stalk, 12 chopped cornichons and some coriander.Add in 400g shredded leftover chicken. Add in the yoghurt-curry mixture and mix with a light touch.Top everything with a handful of roasted peanuts and some coriander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When figs are plentiful, one must pounce! Like a hungry bear!The beauty of figs is that they are seasonal. Nothing signals the *sigh* End of Summer like figs being plentiful and affordable.On this episode, Yumi and Simon run through their favourite things to do with figs, including a fantastic recipe from THEIR COOKBOOK WHICH YOU CAN BUY HERE.SIMON'S FREEFORM FIG TARTPastryCombine 200g diced cold butter with 250g plain flour in a food processor for a few short bursts until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add in 125g (half a cup) of sour cream. It shouldn't take long and when the dough forms a ball, wrap it up and pop it in the fridge to rest for at least 20 mins.Preheat the oven to 190C.Trim and quarter the figs. Roll out the pastry to a 35cm circle about 3mm thick. Get it on the oven tray then spread the circle of dough with 1/4 cup of marmalade, leaving a border clear.Top with the figs in whatever pattern you want. Sprinkle with 1tbs caster sugar, then fold the edges of the dough in to shape a freeform crusty tart.Brush the edges and top of the crust with beaten egg.Bake for 45 - 50 mins until the tart crust is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbling. Serve with creme fraiche and strong tea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this reheated episode, Yumi gets excited about a couple of upcoming races she's got planned (please don't look up my times!) and how she's basically trying to gain as much muscle as she can.Nagi Maehashi's recipe is a huge inspiration, and is the one that Yumi mainly talks through in the episode.But as you'll hear in the intro, since recording this episode, Yumi has made it 30+ times and has brought in her own variations. It's basically swapping the 310ml of fresh cream for 450g Greek yoghurt, and compensating for the greater volume with a little more sugar.YUMI'S TRIBUTE: BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKEPre-heat the oven to 200C and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper, going quite high up the sides.Get 750g cream cheese at room temperature (Lactose-free cream cheese is now available!) into a mixer, add in 240g caster sugar and whizz to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add in 220g lightly whisked egg, 2tsp vanilla paste, mix, then use a tea strainer to sift in 30g plain flour. Mix. For the final step, add in 450g Greek yoghurt and mix until combined. (There is no need to overdo this step. Stop when it is done.)Scrape the whole lot into your prepared tin then bake for 45 minutes. Licking the bowl/spatula is encouraged.Allow it to cool before serving. Best eaten within 4-5 days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time of year it's VERY HARD to get motivated in the kitchen!That's why we thought we'd revisit this recipe from Adam Liaw.Use Springwater Tuna, drained well1/4 cup good olive oildried oreganobasil leaves5 really lovely tomatoescheck if you need salt and pepperREMEMBER to make good toast! Actually toast it, don't just warm the bread. To serve, drizzle with olive oil, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper. YUM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the time of recording, Simon had been working on some incredible-sounding cookbooks including the one from Masterchef Winner Natty Wolf, which is out now.It inspired him to cook up the SATAY recipe you've always needed!SIMON'S EASY HOME SATAY1/2 bunch coriander1 fresh red chilli1/2 clove garlic3tbs crunchy peanut butterlug of soy sauce2cm nub of fresh gingerjuice and zest of 1 limeWHIZZ IN THE BLENDER AND TASTE! What does it need more of? Taste and create! Thread chicken thigh fillet chunks onto skewers, coat well in the satay marinade, and bake in the oven at 180C until cooked through. Serve on rice. Yum! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.