Sunday Best: 8 Hero Ingredients & the Items I Rarely Leave Home Without
It’s been weeks since my last Substack post – the longest stretch of silence since I started writing here over a year ago. I’ve missed it. But the break felt entirely necessary. I've been busy planning my August wedding, deep in the thick of novel number three, recording the audiobook version of False Idols* and throwing myself into a new acting class that’s completely reconfigured how I approach performance. It’s been a fulfilling and creatively rich month, even if I am exhausted at times!
With this in mind, today’s post is a little softer around the edges. A treat for me to write and, hopefully, for you to read. A celebration of the ordinary-but-cherished: the ingredients that quietly hold up so many of my meals, and the everyday items that live in my bag and just make life so much better.
*If you haven’t yet pre-ordered your copy of False Idols, you can do so in hardback, e-book or audiobook format here:
Just 45 days ‘til it lands in bookstores!
The 8 Hero Ingredients I Always Come Back To
Recently, both my fiancé and I have been burning the candle at both ends, work-wise. Several weeks back, knowing we had a busy time ahead, I decided the best way to minimise decision fatigue, guarantee we continue to eat well and ensure that cooking still remains a joy rather than a chore, is to draw up a meal plan for the week every Sunday.
For those of you who have kids, I am certain this isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept but, for us, it’s been life changing. What’s more - I actually really enjoy that pocket of time fantasising about what we’ll get to cook and eat during the week to come.
Whilst our meals tend to be incredibly varied (my ADHD brain is very easily bored and I love to get creative in the kitchen), I have noticed a pattern. When it comes to ingredients, there are 8 I return to over and over. Some are quietly dependable, while others are capable of elevating a lazy lunch or shaping an entire dinner. They’re the kinds of things I reach for instinctively or when I’m stuck for inspiration and I do my best to make sure we keep well-stocked.
1. Butter Beans
Plump, creamy and comforting – they’re the lazy cook’s dream. I blitz them into soups and dips, stew them with tomatoes and garlic, or crisp them in olive oil with rosemary and sea salt. They’re endlessly forgiving and incredibly versatile.
Right now, we’re enjoying a dish I make that features Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steaks on a Butterbean and Tahini Puree, topped with Chimichurri Sauce, Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Pine Nuts.
Another real staple is a quick, easy Butterbean and Sweet Peppers dish that is somewhere between a sabzi and a korma. It’s incredibly creamy and satisfying and I love to serve it with papad and paratha.
2. Gochujang Paste
A punch of heat, sweetness and depth all in one spoonful. It’s my shortcut to flavour when I’m too rushed to build anything slowly. Great in marinades, especially when I’m making sticky tofu, and I’ll often whisk it into the broth when I’m making Peanut Butter Ramen.
My favourite way to use this ingredient though is in Gochujang Pasta. I blend it with silken tofu to make the perfect sauce. Then I’ll pour it over pasta and often put it in a baking dish with a crispy, cheesy topping, ready to bubble away in the oven for a Mac ‘n’ Cheese-style meal.
3. Preserved Lemons
Salty, citrusy joy. I chop them into a tagine, scatter them over roast veg or mash them into dressings. Also great in a light, lemony courgette pasta.
As my partner will tell you, I am obsessed with citrus and almost everything I eat gets a generous sprinkle of lemon or lime juice. But preserved lemons often mean I don’t have to bother. They bring the flavour of everything to life.
4. Silken Tofu
The underrated star of my kitchen. I use it in soups, whizz it into sauces or turn it into desserts. It’s an easy way to pack extra protein into meals and, once blended, it gives a rich, creamy texture to vegan meals.
5. Tahini
I’ll often use this for emulsifying salad dressings, enriching stews or drizzling over roasted butternut squash. I like to mix it with yogurt to make the perfect topping for my Moroccan Tagine and I add plenty to the afore mentioned Peanut Butter Ramen broth.
We go through jars of this stuff like nobody’s business!
6. Cashews
Snack? Sure. But also: creamy sauces, vegan cheeses and have you ever stuck them in your air fryer for a few minutes? Wow. We add these toasted wonders to our stir-fries when we want a little added crunch.
I also make a pasta dish where I start with a lasagna-style tomatoey base with vegetables and either lentils or vegan mince. Then, I stuff jumbo conchiglioni with cashew crema and scatter grated hard goat’s cheese over the top. I’ll bung the dish in the oven to give it a crispy topping and the whole thing makes for a filling, decadent weeknight meal.
7. Sesame Oil
Funnily enough, I was allergic to sesame oil for years and now I don’t know how I managed to live without it. A finishing touch more than a cooking oil – I swirl it into soup, drizzle it over steamed vegetables or use it to make my favourite nutty, aromatic salad dressing. I also recently discovered that using it instead of butter on corn on the cob is nothing short of excellent.
8. Lentils
The workhorse. Red ones for speed, green or brown for bite. I never feel more satisfied than when I’ve got a bowl of daal in front of me.
Black (Puy) lentils make gorgeous ragu and can be baked into pies with soft goat’s cheese, beetroot and walnuts for a lovely, vegetarian Sunday Roast main.
One of my current favourite dishes involves Hispi Cabbage that I grill on the hotplate, then bake in the oven until it’s soft and buttery. It’s covered in a Gochujang, maple syrup and lemon juice sauce as it roasts and I prep a citrusy crunch to scatter over the top. This all goes onto a bed of Puy lentils which sits on top of a tahini yoghurt base.
It’s a dish that often feels like a restaurant quality meal without us having to leave the house and it brings together so many of my favourite ingredients.
What’s In My Bag (and Why I Swear By It)
If you were to tip out my bag at any given moment, you'd probably think I was preparing for a long-haul flight, a minor emergency and a spontaneous dinner all at once. But I like to be prepared. I also like nice things that actually work, don’t smell weird and won’t melt in the heat. None of this is sponsored – just the bits and bobs that have earned their place through repeated use, panic purchases turned holy grail and a little trial and error.
Fussy Natural Deodorant in Parma Violets
Smells like sweet nostalgia in the best way. I’ve tried so many natural deodorants and most of them failed me. This one doesn’t. I’m forever loyal now.Wavy Hair Cream
I have no idea why this product seems to be exclusively marketed towards men because my curls love it. Its scented with lemon, pepper, clary sage and geranium. It’s also easy to carry and fuss free. Most importantly, it keeps the frizz reasonably in check and makes me feel like I’ve got my life together, even when I don’t.Pixi On-The-Go Tinted Moisture Stick (in Ruby)
This is ideal for those of us who love make-up that’s actually skin care. It’s not that long lasting, admittedly, but a quick swipe on each cheek when I’m in a rush immeadiately makes me look more alive, no matter what fried fillet of fuckery the world has thrown at me that day.Blossom & Blossom Age Defying Hand Cream
My brother bought me a tube of this for Christmas and even though I use it almost everyday, it’s still going strong. Magic! It contains niacinamide to help improve the signs of aging and it smells delightful.NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser
My everyday face. Buildable coverage, not too matte, not too shiny. Like golden hour in a tube. Another one for those of us who like to feel like our “make-up” is doing nice things to our skin.Lily Lolo Flawless Silk Finishing Powder
I’m an oily skin girl. So this non-cakey, mattifying, lightweight powder from clean beauty brand Lily Lolo can sometimes be a real saviour.Ilia Balmy Tint in Wanderlust
I’m actually amazed at how pigmented this lip balm is. This product was also my gateway into the Ilia brand as a whole and now I am obsessed. Hence…Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara
I am so sure this is making my lashes longer and it does apparently contain keratin which I know is good for lash strengthening. However, I have read quite a lot of user reviews now and no one else seems to report actual growth. A true mystery! But one thing is for sure, I will definitely keep on using it.Anastasia Brow Freeze Gel
Because, as we all know, brows are everything. If the eyes are the windows of the face, then brows are the window frames…. maybe? 😂This gel keeps mine in place without them looking laminated. I actually got lamination once, right before I had some new headshots done. BIG MISTAKE. My eyebrows looked like two very furry caterpillars trying to run away from each other and I spent the entire photo session trying to force them back into shape. You live and learn.
Compact Mirror & Sunglasses
The fact that I still carry sunglasses everywhere throughout Spring and Summer despite the fact I live in Manchester must surely prove what an eternal optimist I am.A Book – Currently: True and False by David Mamet
Recommended by my acting coach. It pulls no punches, is acerbically witty and, at just 127 pages, fits easily into my bag.Nalgene Bottle
If I’ve got a bigger bag with me, I’ll bring this bottle. Hydration is key, after all, so 1000ml never feels like overkill. My bottle is designed by indie brand Lorenz and features a funny little illustration on the side and the words “don’t feed the fish”.Olympus Trip 35 (Sunflower Yellow)
Almost always in my bag and I almost always regret it when it’s not. Film photography is slow magic.Savlon
Because life happens – paper cuts, bike scrapes, an overly enthusiastic friend coming out of a restaurant to greet you and knocking every single glass off a nearby table and onto his foot…Cuticle Oil & Nail Polish (Current shade: Manucurist’s Iris)
My ick is unkempt nails so I like to be ready for a chip. Hygiene matters, and I really believe hands and eyes are often the first things people notice.Tissues & My Foldable Fan
If I’m out-out, these are non-negotiables. I bought the fan in Natura in Barcelona four years ago and it has saved me in many a hot, sticky, overpacked club since.
Q&A
What is the one ingredient that has been an absolute gamechanger for your cooking recently?
What are the items you can’t leave the house without? If you could only take one of them to a desert island, what would it be?
That’s all for this issue of Sunday Best. If you enjoyed reading this, a simple click of the heart button on this post can make all the difference in the world. It means more people will see this piece and it lets me know my work is reaching you❤️.
Hope you have a marvellous start to the week.
With love,
xK
Before you go…
A reminder of something I’m doing until tomorrow on The Ampersand
This Pride month, I’m keen to shine a spotlight on a serious issue currently impacting the LGBTQ+ community in the most challenging of ways.
A recent UK Supreme Court judgement has opened the door to widespread discrimination against transgender and non-binary people and has legitimised a worldview that puts us all in danger. You can read more about this in my piece on the subject:
What’s unfolding now is an attempt to reverse progress. To punish honesty and to squeeze identity back into a narrow, rigid binary.
We cannot let this run.
One of the organisations seeking to support our trans, non-binary and intersex siblings through this horrendous ruling and beyond is the brilliant Not A Phase. They fund initiatives that help improve and uplift the lives of trans+ adults, including a wonderful fitness, wellbeing and self-defence programme called Misfits.
Until the end of this month, I’ll be donating any new subscribers’ first month’s subscription fee (or equivalent for yearly subscribers) to Not A Phase.
So, if you sign up for a paid membership to The Ampersand by 30th June, you’ll get full access to every post and special member perks, all whilst knowing you’re supporting an incredible cause.
Are you voicing over the whole book?! 🤩
Also, I don’t have ANY of those ingredients lol. I’m not the most inventive chef though 😜