This chicken dish is a simple stir-fry dish where the pepper is dominant—the spicy, almost tongue-numbing pepper and the touch of sweet play beautifully with the chicken. The cashew nuts add a luxury feel to the otherwise common dish. This is a simple dish, but one that will disappear from the table quickly. You can serve it as a side with rice or Malay parathas, or wrap it in lettuce leaves for a fresher touch. Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen is an excellent cookbook

Long black pepper is an ancient spice, most commonly known as Indian long pepper or pippali. It is from the plant Piper longum, and is related to the common round black pepper. History tells us it was the primary pepper used by the Greeks and Roman, making its way from India over long and dangerous trade routes. It was exorbitantly priced because of this. The molecule that we taste as peppery is called piperine. This molecule seems sharper and stronger in long black pepper b

In January, I travelled through Ethiopia for 3 weeks, an absolutely amazing experience. There was a mix of history, lots of history, wildlife, tribal communities and of course food. One of the events that my wonderful guide, and now friend, Taffesse, curated for me was a cooking session with Rose in the mountains. Rose taught me about a host of traditional recipes, and of course, shiro. As we left, she walked out with a bag of shiro, a gift, one that has come home with me. I