Marta’s Kitchen

19/11/2024

The amazing supporters of Marta’s Kitchen with their Trini Curry Chicken last weekend. Just look at those happy faces ! Just knowing I can share that little piece of happiness with people makes all the hard work worthwhile 🙂

And Trini Curry Chicken is an absolutely BANGING dish.

14/11/2024

Bursting with excitement about this one. Marta’s Kitchen will be out tomorrow supporting Reading’s premier underground rave crews Breaking Bass and WOBZ. They are bringing the big sound and an extra special jungle and dnb line up, I am bringing big flavours and …. Showcasing a brand new dish !!!!

Everyone who knows me knows I am super passionate about strong flavours. And I have a special soft spot for Caribbean cuisine. And I am going to make an educated guess here but I will say that most people I know who try Caribbean cooking usually traverse the same number of choices which are jerk chicken and curry goat (sometimes oxtail stew and brown stew). That’s what you get in most restaurants and stalls because these dishes are best known and most popular.

But Caribbean cuisine has so many more amazing dishes to offer and I am on a mission to bring you a dish that (unless you are from that part of the world or have friends or family from there) you may have not tried before.

Introducing for the first time : Traditional Trini (Trinidad) Chicken & Potato curry !!!! This one is a lesser known but equally as worth trying curry hailing from the beautiful island of Trinidad & Tobago. It’s cooked using on the bone chicken for a fuller flavour and uses something called green seasoning (which, for full effect, has to be made from scratch) and I promise you - it hits all the bases when mega flavour sensation is concerned.

I want to add something here as well. We all know there is a lot of talk about venues closing down, small events not being able to continue. That is true and the only thing that stands between that tragic reality is us. We need to support independent crews and small venues. They need us and they deserve our time as they keep the spirit of the underground alive and are an incredibly important part of our culture.

So I guess what I am saying is this: come and support the crews. Support the only underground venue in Reading. Even if it’s just for a few hours, it’s a great opportunity for catch up with mates, munch on some Trin curry, and be a part of a cultural movement that we all need to keep going.

I hope to see you tomorrow at The Facebar !

Ticket link in the comments

28/10/2024

17/10/2024

Are you ready to rock your vampire vibe ? Get your best ghoul on ? If the spooky season, amazing music and some scran to go with it sounds like your cup of witches brew, check out my menu for the the only Halloween party to be at Halloween Hogscoop Hog roast featuring Tunnel crew and Majestic Vibes soundsystems next Saturday at Magnolia Park in High Wycombe.

I have put this menu together to offer something for the meat eaters and veggies and to incorporate a cheeky fusion dish which combines my fav Caribbean influence with an all time classics that is Mac n cheese.

The flavours of home made jerk marinade, or home made pesto will rock your taste buds - and you can also have cake to top it all off.

If you don’t have your tickets yet - get on the case and make sure you come to say hello at Marta’s Kitchen 🙂

05/10/2024

Restaurant review - Bakery House

I wanted to share a few observations after our visit to a food place which has great reputation in Reading amongst those who appreciate authentic, hearty and cooked with love ethnic food (served in a low key environment).

Bakery House, which is based at London Street (close to where the legendary AfterDark club used to be) is a Lebanese restaurant serving a really good selection of traditional Middle Eastern dishes.

You will find a great selection of the usual suspects (hummus, falafels, shawarma etc) - all prepared to a very high standard and served at really generous sizes. You can play it safe with the classic or go a bit off piste with dishes like fatoush (broad beans with garlic) and be confident it’s all going to come out freshly cooked and super yummy.

Where Bakery House really shine tho in my opinion is their grill. And specifically- their lamb. I have always ordered lamb in there and not planing to change any time soon. It’s always spot on - perfectly cooked, juicy, fragrant and impossibly moreish (my order this time was triple lamb - humus topped with lamb and ouzi rice which is rice with ground lamb topped with shredded grilled lamb. Too much lamb? No such thing as far as I am concerned).

My daughter decided to be adventurous and ordered a Lebanese version of moussaka which is basically an aubergine and lamb stew (not the layers with bechamel sauce you will see in Greece) and absolutely loved it and my partner happily consumed a chicken shawarma which was grilled to perfection and served with really nice home made sauces.

We were also served complementary home baked breads to accompany our food. Those were perfectly ligh and fluffy and helped to mop up all the foods and sauces.

A starter at Bakery House will cost you around 6 pounds and a main about 12-13 so that means a 20 pound banknote gives you a gorgeous two course meal - not bad in current times.

You can top off your meal with some traditional Lebanese coffee (strong and punchy Middle Eastern version of espresso). You can even choose ouf of the grand selection of three puddings (I don’t recommend it, puddings are definitely the weak spot of Middle Eastern cuisine in my opinion). Our baclava was very disappointing.

All in all - great place to dine with your friends, family etc and put some lamb joy in your life.

PS the neon pink stuff is pickled turnip 🙂

http://bakery-house.co.uk

03/10/2024

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a massive fan of Asian food. I could live happily on a diet consisting mainly of Asian dishes and - amongst those - ramen holds a very special place in my heart.

I can make a pretty decent ramen from scratch but (and that’s a big but) there are classic ramen recipes which take a lot of time to prepare properly. Amongst those tonkotsu (or tonkatsu) is one of my firm favourites.

Now, I am normally the first to advocate making things from scratch. Tonkatsu broth is where I am prepared to make an exception. Why? Because proper tonkatsu takes absolutely ages to make (without going into huge detail, you have to blanch, clean and boil pork bones for A LONG TIME).

Imagine therefore my excitement when I across a proper tonkatsu “make it at home” kit in my local Chinese supermarket. The kit is deep frozen so you make it by reheating most ingredients in hot water and then boiling the noodles and broth separate to then assemble the final dish.

The kit comes with: char siu (roasted pork) which is surprisingly good (flavourful and juicy), bamboo shoots, Chinese mushrooms, fried garlic, seaweed and freeze dried spring onions. I resisted the temptation to add anything else (egg would have been the one for sure) as wanted to judge the kit on its own merits.

Verdict : absolutely brilliant. Proper broth, all the key ingredients and can easily be funked up to the next level by adding some fresh veg or toppings at which point you have a bowl of ramen that you would expect in a restaurant. And finally - the portion is really decent size, definitely a main meal situation.

The kit is 6 quid and can happily live in a freezer for the next moment when ramen cravings kick in and you don’t want to go out or order in.

Defo one for the ramen lovers out there 🙂

16/09/2024

Someone asked me at the event last weekend about my jerk chicken and how do I make it taste the way it does.

Simple answer is : I analysed and optimised every stage of producing it. Making jerk (and eating it) is a personal passion of mine and, to be very honest, it’s too often that I find the one I buy quite disappointing. I appreciate my acceptance bar is quite high as I measure it against the jerk foods I had on the streets of Jamaica (and you will never be able to beat that) but too often the jerk chicken I buy in U.K. is either too bland (unforgivable crime for jerk for me) or dry and not succulent enough.

To be very honest, I decided to create a process of making jerk that hits all the spots for me and pays respect to those jerk stalls I have been so wowed by on the streets of Kingston. Full on flavour. Juicy and moreish. That unmistakable smoky aroma. Basically food that sings on your palate and leaves you wanting more every time. Nothing less was going to be good enough.

How do I achieve that? For starters I make my own marinade from scratch. Jerk marinade is one of those things that can never be fully recreated in a jar as the aromatics don’t fully last through the preservation process. Fresh is always supreme and you can really tell the difference.

My jerk marinade consists of 13 ingredients: scotch bonnet peppers, red onions, scallions, fresh lime and orange juice, vinegar, fresh thyme, soya sauce, freshly roasted all spice berries, nutmeg, cloves, garlic and ginger. It’s an incredibly complex flavour profile that kicks all sorts of ass if put together well.

I also brine my meat overnight in aromatics (that’s not a traditional Caribbean technique as far as I am aware - I learnt it from the Texan pit masters studying their art of elevating meat - brining makes a massive difference to the finished product but takes a lot of time).

I then individually score and tenderise each piece of chicken to make sure maximum flavour pe*******on and supreme texture. The marinaded pieces are left to soak up that gorgeous flavour overnight.

And finally - cooking. Here is where I have another elevation technique that I have added that makes my jerk something I am really proud of it. I treat the pieces in the smoker before cooking them. That gives them that unmistakable aroma and flavour. It really needs to be tried to be believed.

All in all - it’s all about analysing every stage and doing my absolute best to pack in as much flavour into quality meat without making any compromises. It takes lots of time and effort but the result speaks for itself. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As to the question which i often get asked : is it spicy ? Hell yes !!! Jerk has to be. It can mega spicy or just spicy but if it ain’t spicy - why are you having jerk (that is not an unreasonable question).

Watch out for more jerk additions to the menu coming soon including a vegan one !

13/09/2024

Friday challenge from Marta’s Kitchen - big decisions tonight at Requiem event !

29/08/2024

August and September are one of my favourite times of the year. Fruit of all varieties is in abundance and berries are just coming into their very best glorious self.

Time to celebrate the flavours of the late summer with a classic simple pudding which I managed to create out of locally sourced, zero packaging and entirely non-chemically boosted ingredients.

Combine beautiful Russet apples donated from a local apple tree (Russets are the best cooking apples in my experience with unique flavour that beats Granny Smiths hands down) and blackberries foraged from my local park.

With just a tiny sprinkling of brown sugar (I think most recipies call for way too much sugar for my liking, apples are super sweet on their own) and a gorgeous oaty crumble to top it off, this really is a celebration of the summer for me. Simple and delicious.

08/08/2024

The simple beauty of hearty and wholesome cooking - making soup stock for borscht.

I don’t know about you but I think this looks really pretty and will taste even better in two hours.

27/07/2024

Mac & cheese with pulled pork topped with crispy onions and home made pesto by Marta’s Kitchen

25/07/2024

09/07/2024

Last weekend outing - just perfect in every way.

I will admit it was a bit nerve wrecking knowing I was a) introducing a brand new and quite complex dish (Korean bulgogi), b) bringing out a new sauce and c) had to work on my own on Saturday. It was hectic to say the least.

But who cares as the results were as follows: empty pots, happy chomping faces, kind feedback and this amazing sense of satisfaction of job well done.

Being as particular as I am about my food this is not easy to achieve, I promise you. That’s why my food will never be made at volume. It will always be small batches, made with love, just the way I would want to eat it. No corners cut, high quality ingredients. And it seems there are enough people out there who appreciate that.

The pork bulgogi was a very complex dish to deliver with 7 different elements coming together and the jerk chicken now is something I am truly proud of having been perfecting the recipe and the cooking method all year.

Plus the new mango sauce has really gone down a treat and that was super awesome.

Thank you everyone who came, trusted me with their taste buds and supported me.

05/07/2024

Super excited about introducing a new dish tomorrow.

Presenting: spicy pork bulgogi. A true classic from the culinary Mecca that is South Korea, this dish combines all the big flavours, packs in some serious umami and looks banging to boot.

To put this together I am using best quality pork shoulder from the Polish butchers (we know how to rear good pork in Poland, even if I say so myself), marinated in a secret mix of gochujang, garlic, Asian pear and other spices, served on steamed jasmine rice with homemade sauce. Served with a side of homemade kimchi and soft fried egg.

I can’t wait to be serving this tomorrow !!!

25/06/2024

New vegan fusion recipe: Mushrooms & Miso Orzo

Ingredients:

Box of chestnut mushrooms
400 g bag of orzo
4 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
2 tbsp of orzo
Veggie broth
Half a glass of white wine
Juice from half a lemon
1 tbsp of soya sauce
3 spring onions
White miso paste
Dill

Method:

Sautee mushrooms in olive oil until seared and set aside
Chop shallots and garlic finely and sauté on low heat until cooked
Add orzo and toast for one minute
Add broth, wine and lemon juice
Cook on low heat until orzo is soft and broth is all incorporated
Add soya sauce
Add miso paste
Add mushrooms and chopped spring onions
Cook for another min or two
Serve with chopped dill

Japanese/Italian fusion gorgeousness awaits - Bon Appetit 😋

23/06/2024

Awesome night as always at Breaking Bass x WOBZ Presents: BISH. The feedback on new mango and habanero sauce was overwhelmingly positive, there were happy faces chomping down on chicken and goat and both WOBZ and Breaking Bass crews seemed to enjoy the meals too (nothing nicer than feeding the boys at the end of the night when they have to lug the speakers back in - that’s where you get the biggest appreciation ever).

Big plans afoot for two events in July now (both private bookings for a change) and the official launch of the mango & habanero sauce being available for sale - watch this space.