“Most cultivated and Asian mushrooms are available year round, although wild mushrooms are generally only in season during Autumn and Winter. This dish will work well with any combination of mushrooms. Try varieties such as slipper jacks, chanterelles and pine mushrooms.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“Every week, I use a large quantity of pork in my restaurant, Red Lantern. Asian cultures love pork and Asian chefs have developed a plethora of recipes for its preparation. Interestingly, I find the most delicious and succulent Asian pork recipes require meat that is full of fat. My favourite cuts of pork are the belly, shoulder and neck, which also happen to represent the best value. Slowly roasted or braised, these cuts yield meat that is sticky and unctuous, creating an addictive feeling in the mouth that is second to none. I don’t know why we are so scared of fat!” - Chef Mark Jensen

“I came across a locally distilled gin when I visited the Maltby Street Market. It was called Little Bird Gin, and it surprisingly had great botanicals like grapefruit, orange and ginger. I decided to use it to make some Asian inspired gin-based dressings for freshly shucked oysters.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“One of my most memorable fishing experiences was being out there on the boat in Newquay Cornwall, catching spider crabs. I was completely blown away by the sheer size of them - from claw to claw, a spider crab can expand up to 2 metres long! If you can’t get your hands on spider crabs, substitute with blue-swimmer, spanner or mud crab.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“I had never tried a Scotch egg before arriving in Britain. I was amazed at how many stores, delis, farmers' markets, cafes, restaurants and even highway rest stops served them! These soft-boiled eggs coated with pork mince reminded me so much of a dish I came across in South East Asia. The recipe used quail eggs, which I thought would work perfectly in my Scotch egg.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“This classic British dish usually calls for boiled prawns covered in a thick cocktail sauce made from mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and Tabasco. Here, I have transformed this traditional dish into something with a fresher, lighter, South East Asian flavour. - Chef Luke Nguyen

“These crisp vegetarian cakes would make a great accompaniment to your bacon and eggs in the morning. Alternatively, break them in half and toss through a green papaya salad with fresh Asian herbs.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Travelling through the UK, I saw so many fish and chip shops, cafes and pubs serving battered scampi with mayo. Despite this dish's popularity, I found the batter a bit too thick for the delicate crustacean. So here is my version of the fried seafood treat with just a light dusting of potato starch and an aromatic seasoning, along with a punchy garlic mayonnaise for dipping action.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“A classic banana cake from Saigon inspired this bread and butter pudding recipe. It's light and not overly sweet.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Scallops in Scotland are incredibly juicy and plump so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to cook with them. I have kept the roe on, as I really like its flavour and colour, but you can discard it if you wish. Combining whisky with soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli may seem a little strange, but the flavours work really well together.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“This is a very traditional Vietnamese dish called ‘Thit Kho’, juicy pork belly slow-braised in young coconut juice. If you can’t get fresh coconuts, you can buy the coconut water in a tin from your local Asian market. Make sure to read the back and purchase ones with no added sugar.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“I’ve sampled all varieties of curries in Bangkok, but this noodle curry, originating from Chiang Mai, has to be one of my favourites. This recipe uses Thai curry powder – a fragrant blend of ground pepper, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, chilli flakes, turmeric and ginger, available from spice shops and Asian markets.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“If you’re up near the Giant Swing or the Democracy Monument, you must dine at Mit Ko Yuan on Dinso Road in Sao Chingcha. I’m telling you, this place has not changed a bit since it opened over 60 years ago. They’ve still got the original decor so it’s truly olde worlde, with tiled walls, blue shelves and gorgeous old wooden tables and stools down each side. It oozes character. Despite being wildly popular they’ve never expanded and they even run the same menu they had when they opened – there’s a copy of it on the wall complete with the original prices. I really enjoy their yum woon sen, which you’ll also see cooked on the street too and you will see the cook stand behind a wok and cook this dish to order. It only takes a few minutes before you are eating this divine plate of seafood noodles.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“I came across a street food cart in Saigon’s busy Chinatown wok tossing rice noodles. I couldn’t help myself but ask the owner if I could make my own dish. Within 3 minutes, I was done. This noodle dish is a very simple, quick and tasty dish to make at home on any night of the week. - Chef Luke Nguyen

“We (sometimes) serve this popular street food dish at Red Lantern. We poach the chicken in a master stock, then baste it with a honey and maltose mixture before hanging it until the skin becomes completely dry. To then achieve a very crispy skin, we ladle very hot oil over the skin again and again until it blisters and becomes crispy. I have kept my master stock alive now for 15 years, and it develops more flavour every time I use it.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Clams are a popular offering on restaurant menus all along the French coastline. Here their lovely juices are released into an elegantly fragrant coconut-water broth, spiked with ginger, tamarind and tangy lime.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“When we are our way across Vietnam, Pauline, Lewis, and I often found ourselves looking for restaurants with a sign reading Cơm Bình Dân (“home-style cooking”). We tired very easily of the food made fancy in some of the upscale restaurants and craved for more simple and honest food - food that is the true essence of Vietnamese cooking.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“Mussels are the perfect thing to dish up when you have lots of guests, as they are so quick to cook, and go a long way: a kilo of mussels can be shared among four to six people. If you are planning on preparing more than a kilo of mussels, be sure to cook them in small batches.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Here’s another of my favourite dishes and it’s one that I have for lunch two, or even three, times a week when I’m in Saigon. It not only packs a ton of flavour but has a cool backstory too. When rice is milled to separate the husks from the grains, some grains end up breaking in the process and need to be separated out from the first grade, undamaged rice. Back in the day, poor rice farmers would save this broken rice and eat it as a cheap source of food. Today, it’s become something of a delicacy for the Vietnamese and is so sought after that it’s actually rather expensive to buy. I love the irony of this. Why do Vietnamese people love broken rice so much? I think it’s because of the texture, which is something quite special. The marinated pork in this dish requires the smokiness that comes from chargrilling to taste right, even though some vendors pan-fry it instead. So when you go to Saigon, look for ones that grill over coals. To serve, the pork goes on the rice with coriander, some cucumber, tomatoes and a bit of spring onion oil. On goes a fried egg, some lap cheong (optional) and with tasty nuoc cham on the side, it’s a perfect light meal for any time of the day.” - Chef Luke Nguyen