People tend to associate ramen noodles with the dried noodles you zap in the microwave for a quick cheap meal.  This does not compare with freshly made Japanese ramen noodles.

Ramen also refers to the Japanese dish of noodles served in a broth and topped with meat and/or vegetables.  I decided to make ramen noodles with a miso broth and miso roasted pork belly for this week’s date night.

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As we try to stick to a fairly low carb diet most of the time, I haven’t made fresh pasta for ages.  This was a great excuse to make ravioli for date night.

As every date night is a special occasion I decided to push the boat out and make 3 different types of ravioli with 3 different sauces.

Veal & Spinach Ravioli in a Walnut Sauce, Ostrich & Pancetta Ravioli in a Porcini Sauce and Venison & Butternut Ravioli in a Sage Butter Sauce.

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Of all the Thai food we ate in Chiang Mai (and we ate a lot), 2 of our favourite dishes were Khao Soi (a soup like dish consisting of egg noodles and meat in a curry coconut sauce) and Khao Kha Moo (braised pork leg on rice).  When Adrienne brought home fresh turmeric last week it was a sign to make Khao Soi, and in keeping with the Thai theme I decided to try and recreate the fabulous Khao Kha Moo from the famous “Lady with the cowboy hat” at the Chang Phueak Gate in Chiang Mai.

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This is actually a date night from December but totally forgot about it with all the Silly Season chaos.

There’s so much more to Indian cuisine than the Butter Chicken, Vindaloo, Madras and Korma’s we see on local menus.

Goa – a coastal region in western India is well known for it’s seafood dishes.   Goan cuisine is heavily  influenced by its Hindu origins, Muslim rule and subsequent Portuguese colonialisation.

This prawn  curry starts of with a masala of spices, garlic, ginger and vinegar (the Portugese influence), before coconut milk is added to make a creamy curry full of flavour.

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