Tempura time

Fingers crossed summer might actually be breaking through this never ending winter. I am ready to say goodbye to soups and stews along with my coats and tights. While I am hoping this will make my current gluten-free diet a lot easier as I won't be craving carbs on cold days sometimes I still need a fix. Today was tempura (with gluten-free flour). It couldn't be much easier or quicker especially if you lazily used pre-prepped stir fry veggies like me.

All you need to do is mix equal quantities of flour (regular plain or otherwise) and cornflour, about 4 tablespoons of each with a pinch of baking powder, an egg yolk and enough cold fizzy water until you have a light batter (that should coat the back of a spoon). Pop in you veggies and carefully deep fry in batches in a flavourless oil. 

Cucumber crisps and Avril Lavigne

As I said in my last post we got to try some crazy foods in China, without doubt toffee potatoes went down best with the group. These are, quite simply, boiled potatoes dipped in caramelised sugar served hot with a little bowl of cold water to dip them into to set the sugar and stop you burning your mouth before you eat them. Hot pot was another winner, but for me it was an all together far too stressful way to eat, you really have to put aside any politeness and grab the food you want else all you end up with over boiled cabbage. However, at one hot pot restaurant in Beijing we did get to see some fantastic noodle making, and they were delicious.

We also went north of Beijing to the Inner Mongolian Plateau and it was here we had what was possibly the strangest food stuff of the trip, mare's milk and honey cheese tubes.

I won't be trying to find these in London.

  
Now, cucumber crisps went down far better and surprisingly refreshing.

And it wouldn't have been the same without an unexpected celebrity endorsement.