Explore every episode of the podcast 5 Minute Food Fix

Simon is getting ready to shoot his episodes of Adam Liaw's show The Cook-Up (broadcast date TBC) and Yumi is psyched about this recipe that you can get on the table in just 13 Minutes - that was shared in one of her group chats:

It's Marion Grasby's microwaved EGGPLANT RECIPE and is frankly ...amazing! You need to try it to believe it but since recording this ep Yumi has made it 3 more times and it's a keeper, a winner, and a crowd-pleaser.

(Sometimes I top it with finely sliced matchsticks of cucumber, fresh coriander and more chilli. You can get pretty creative.)

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SIMON IS BACK!!

Yumi is delighted to be joined by the steadfast cooking legend and cookbook editor Simon Davis again.

Woot!

They unpack the uses of raising agents like bicarb soda and baking powder in cakes, and whether self-raising flour has a place in our kitchens.

Yumi is also pretty psyched to try this recipe.

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If you follow Reece Hignell's instagram, you might've seen that he hosted an idyllic week of cooking in a French chateau.

Naturally, Yumi has questions!

For Reece's LEMON TART recipe, check out his cookbook here.

And don't forget, Yumi's event with legendary Palestinian-British food writer Sami Tamimi is this weekend in Sydney!

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Cakeboi's Reece Hignell is a jam-making expert!

Filling in for Simon Davis again, Reece is the guy who made his Nan's cake recipes on Masterchef (including her Pumpkin Scones!).

On today's episode, he shares his tips for making jam delicious, vibrant and set. SET!

Don't forget: Yumi is interviewing Sami Tamimi this Sunday in Sydney if you wanna come along!

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Cakeboi legend Reece Hignell is guest host again and one thing he KNOWS how to do is scone.

Yumi has her mind blown several time this episode AND - your hosts solve the age-old dilemma of WHEN and HOW to add jam and cream to your scones!

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Cakeboi's Reece Hignell (instagram here) is SUPREMELY lucky to travel as a foodie and recently he went through Europe in search of the ultimate CARDAMOM bun.

One of his chefs came up with a brilliant hack if, like Reece (and Yumi, and Simon), you're absolutely bonkers for a bit of cardamom in your sweet goods and your chai. YUM YUM! You'll hear all about it in today's episode.

PS. If you happen to be going to Copenhagen any time soon, absolutely make an effort to go to Juno The Bakery in Østerbro.

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Reece Hignell is known for his legendary sweets. During his time on Masterchef he famously drew inspiration from beautiful, handwritten recipes from his Nan. He talks about her Caramel Slice on this episode, and how it can help a starting chef learn some basics that they can then apply to more advanced baking.

Find Reece's cookbook here.

(And don't forget Yumi will be interviewing Palestinian chef and food writer Sami Tamimi at the Sydney Opera House when he visits Australia in October.)

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Master baker and Newcastle royalty, Reece Hignell is guest host for the next few episodes!

He came to national attention as a Masterchef contestant and now has a world-renowned bakery in Newcastle called Cakeboi, and is the author of my son's favourite cookbook!

But one of the things that made him famous was his ability to make brilliant, complex and nourishing curries.

In this episode we talk about finishing a curry with a few flourishes that can elevate even something you made with paste from a tin, jar or a box.

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Ingredients (to make 2 big Okonomiyaki)

250 grams of dried yaki noodles or ramen noodles

One cup of green cabbage, finally shredded

2 green onions, finely chopped

One cup of snow peas washed and trimmed

6 thin slices of bacon 170 grams)

2 eggs

1 heaped tablespoon of potato or cornstarch

2/3 of a cup 80 grams of flour

1/3 of a cup plus one tablespoon of dashi broth or chicken stock

PLUS

Sunflower oil for cooking, Okonomiyaki sauce (yakisoba sauce also works) and Kewpie Mayo for serving

Mix the flours, starch and dashi/chicken broth until you get a smooth consistency. Refrigerate. (Remember, Chrissie insists it need to be cold!)

Meanwhile cook with the noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. 

Wash and finally chop the cabbage and green onions.

Oil the teppanyaki stainless steel with a paper towel and heat it over medium heat. Poor half of the batter, spreading it into a pan cake shape with a spatula. Top with half of the cabbage, green onions, snow peas, and 3 slices of bacon. Cook for 3 minutes

And the same time, next to the pancakes spread half of the cooked noodles into a circle of the same size.

Cook for three minutes then flip them. Crack one egg onto the griddle and spread it out with a spatula. Once it starts to set on top, place the noodles circle over it, then cover with the flipped pan cake so the noodles are now between the egg and the bacon flip everything again to the egg is on top and cook for another three minutes. Repeat the same process for each pancake and the remaining ingredients. 

To serve drizzle over the economyaki sauce and Japanese (Kewpie) mayonnaise. Eat immediately while dreaming about Japan.

EVENTS:

Yumi will be hosting a conversation with Sami Tamimi on Oct 4 at the Sydney Opera House. Find out more here.

And I'll also be speaking with Elaine Castillo about her amazing book MODERATION on Thursday Oct 15. Find out more here.

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Yumi and Chrissie were both there when politician Julie Bishop came on their show The Circle to talk her creamy herby chicken. It was years ago but the memory is VIVID for both of them! To the point where they both remember the recipe!

Chrissie will also talk you through the 101 of the PERFECT BURGER.

JULIE BISHOP'S CHICKEN

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20–30 minutes

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillets (trimmed)
• Thick cream
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Fresh herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil or butter for pan-searing

Instructions

1. Sear the chicken: Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a little oil or butter. Season the chicken breast fillets with salt and pepper, then cook until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through.
2. Make the creamy sauce: Reduce the heat and pour in the cream, allowing it to simmer and reduce slightly while picking up the pan juices.
3. Add cheese and herbs: Stir through the grated parmesan cheese until melted and rich, then mix in the fresh herbs.
4. Combine and serve: Return the chicken to the creamy herb sauce to coat thoroughly, then serve hot (traditionally paired with rice pilaf or steamed greens)

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As we go to air, SPRING has just sprung, but that doesn't mean it's too soon to be thinking about and planning for Christmas!

Chrissie has some great ideas about how to stress less, enlist the uncles, keep seafood front and centre, and make the perfect, crunchy roasted potato.

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Chrissie Swan guest-hosts again on this episode that gets your head into the Christmas spirit! And no, it's not too early to be thinking about it! (IYKYK)

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Chrissie Swan joins Yumi again to discuss what contingency plans should be made to INDEMNIFY A SISTER against running out of dessert...!

APPLE CRUMBLE:

2 cups of plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

250g butter

Mix all the above in a food processor until just barely combined.

Tumble on top of a baking dish with 4-5 cups of stewed apple down the bottom.

Bake at 160C fan-forced for 45 mins.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

FOR TICKETS to the In-Conversation Sami Tamimi and Yumi Stynes, click here

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Chrissie Swan and your food fix host Yumi Stynes used to eat a lot of weekend lunches together when they lived in the same city.

Back then it was crunchy, chewy bread, butter and maybe a burrata.

But that was 15 years ago. What now?

MAYBE, it's a foccacia.

There's a great Karen Martini recipe here - ignore all the toppings and just use the foccacia basic as a template - it's excellent and you don't need to "rice" the cooked potato. Mashing it with a fork will be fine.

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Chrissie Swan is guest co-host again and she is absolutely FLUENT in Bolognese.

Here are the hacks, by Chrissie:

As I mentioned - with bolognaise every single batch is different.

Here’s my base:

2 onions

8 cloves of garlic

2 carrots, peeled and quartered

3 celery stalks, quartered

1kg coarsely minced chuck steak from the butcher

1 heaped teaspoon of flaked sea salt

3 chicken stock cubes

500g tomato paste

2 x 800g tins of tomatoes

thyme

bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

200ml milk or cream

...but on the day we recorded this episode

I had added literally everyone’s secret ingredient plus about 400grams of Xmas ham

Added in:

Parmesan rinds

Milk

Anchovies

Loads of parsley

Oxtail

Vegemite 

Rosé

Finely ground up leftover ham can take the place of bacon (or speck).

Be generous!

Cook it in some sort of electric frypan or oven situation that doesn't require your ongoing attention so you can set it and forget it.

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Yumi is delighted to be joined by her old The Circle co-host, Chrissie Swan.

Chrissie is a Logie Award-winning TV presenter and host of The Chrissie Swan show on NOVA, mum of 3, fantastic cook, and all-round legend!

The two catch up and talk through the two internet food fads Chrissie has tried and loved.

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Simon has been booked to be a guest on a cooking show, shooting soon.

So... what to cook?

It can be agony to decide, but Simon's first impulse is to make his famous and delicious FISH FINGER SANDWICH.

The legendary sando is easy AND supremely yummy, so is there a problem?

POSSIBLY! Warning! This episode contains contagious LoLs! Stay til the end!

FISH FINGER SANDWICH - serves 2

Pre-heat the oven to 220C

Spread out 10 fish fingers on a baking tray and cook for 15-20 mins, turning halfway through.

Meanwhile, prepare your cheat's tartare by combining 8-10 chopped cornichons with 130g Greek yoghurt, juice of 1/2 lemon and a pinch of salt.

Lightly toast your humble sliced bread *nothing fancy.

Slather each slice with a generous amount of your tartare.

Top with 4 fish fingers and leave a bonus one to the side.

Add on top - lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes and quick pickled onions, the recipe for which can be found in Simon and Yumi's cookbook.

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Yumi and Simon ask some age old questions about why some cooks are hectic and they come up with some theories...

A chef who is completely NOT hectic but calm and delightful is Marion Grasby and Yumi has been fun cooking a few recipes from her website, including today's Chicken Lemon and Orzo, that you can whip up in a LEGIT 30 mins.

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There's no convincing Yumi that garlic deserves to be eaten.

HOWEVER, she does have memories of loving garlic bread and that is because it is, in fact, Very Yummy (if you are not a vampire or FODMAP).

Simon's ULTIMATE Garlic Bread:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Get a good-looking baguette and slice it but not all the way to the bottom, leaving the base intact.

100g softened butter and 4-5 garlic cloves grated on the side of a box grater

Wrap the baguette in al foil.

Pop in the oven for 12-15 mins.

Semi-undress the garlic bread from its foil.

Return it to the oven for another 8-9 mins.

Serve IMMEDIATELY. NO LEFTOVERS.

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COME TO YUMI'S 'WELCOME TO FRIENDSHIP' book launch!

Saturday 8 August, 2026. 2pm at Gleebooks in Sydney.

On today's episode, Simon is excited and psyched about a book called 'SMOKE, RICE, WATER' by Kishwar Chowdhury.

From it, he's recommending as a starter dish, the Pumpkin with Nigella Seeds.

METHOD:

Prepare 500g butternut pumpkin by peeling and cutting into cubes

heat 3tbs oil over a medium heat

then add in 1tsp Nigella Seeds until they crackle

add in a diced onion and 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and cook over that medium heat

Once it's softened and translucent, add in the pumpkin with a teaspoon of ground turmeric and a generous pinch of salt.

Toss and then cover the pan with a lid.

Once it's tender remove the lid, taste and ramp up the heat, adjust the seasoning. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped spring onion. Serve. Delicious as a side, fantastic on rice.

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Why do some recipes fall out of rotation?

And how good is it when they come back, like a beloved friend?

OTTOLENGHI'S PRAWN, ORZO and MARINATED FETTA recipe can be found here.

(Yumi leaves out the garlic and uses a whole 500g bag of frozen prawns, defrosted in a sieve over a bowl overnight in the fridge, and it's perfectly great.)

The whole cookbook SIMPLE by OTTOLENGHI can be found everywhere, including here.

Fill out our listener survey here, gracias.

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Yumi is deep in book promo at the moment - with WELCOME TO FRIENDSHIP - the long-awaited fifth book in the 'Welcome to' series, due for wide release July 28, 2026. (FYI you can pre-order and get yourself a set of free badges by uploading your receipt to this website. Not to hustle but you need to do it TODAY! because eligibility expires 27/07/2026)

Also, it wouldn't suck if you could please fill out this survey! Won't take long and helps us make better shows.

TURMERIC CAULIFLOWER

Pre-heat the oven to a nice and hot 200C.

Break up the head of a large cauliflower by using a sharp knife to cut out the core and then using a combo of hands and knife to break it up into nugget-sized pieces.

Tumble the cauli into a pre-heated, oven-safe frypan with 3-4tbs oil.

Coat in a mixture of:

1tbs paprika

1tbs sumac

1/2tsp turmeric

generous amounts of salt and pepper

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Fry for 10 mins, mixing and stirring.

Relocate the pan to the oven and leave it for 30 mins or until charred and sweet.

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Packet gnocchi, but make it useful

A message from Simon:

Today’s fix is packet gnocchi. And I want you to not boil it.

I know the packet tells you to boil it. Ignore the packet. The packet does not know your life.

The best thing to do with shelf-stable gnocchi is roast it.

Straight onto a tray. Olive oil. Tomatoes. Garlic. Lemon zest. Olives. Into a hot oven. Done.

What happens is the gnocchi goes golden and a little bit crisp on the outside, but stays soft and chewy inside. Which is frankly much more interesting than boiled gnocchi, which can sometimes have the texture of tiny damp pillows.

This version has cherry tomatoes, olives, bocconcini, lemon zest and basil. Very easy. Very pretty. Very “I have made dinner” for someone who has mostly just tipped things onto a tray.

The lemon zest matters because gnocchi can go a bit beige and heavy. Lemon wakes it up. The bocconcini goes in at the end so it softens, but doesn’t totally vanish. And basil goes on last because cooked basil is a crime.

You can add zucchini, capsicum, eggplant, chilli, rocket, parmesan, leftover roast veg, whatever. This is not a recipe that wants you to go to three shops.

The fix is: roast the gnocchi. Don’t boil it. It’s faster, better and involves one tray, which is spiritually important.

RECIPE: Lemony olive and bocconcini gnocchi traybake

Serves 3–4

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Tip a 500 g packet of shelf-stable potato gnocchi onto a large baking tray.

Add 250 g halved cherry tomatoes, one sliced zucchini or one chopped red capsicum, half a cup of pitted or torn olives, and two finely sliced garlic cloves.

Add three tablespoons of olive oil, the finely grated zest of one lemon, salt and black pepper, then toss everything together really well.

Spread it out so the gnocchi has space to crisp.

Roast for 20–25 minutes, tossing once, until the gnocchi is golden and the tomatoes have collapsed.

Tear over 150 g bocconcini and return the tray to the oven for 3–5 minutes, just until the cheese softens.

Finish with a handful of basil leaves, more lemon zest if you like, and chilli flakes or parmesan if you want them.

Serve straight from the tray and feel smug about the lack of washing up.

PLEASE FILL IN OUR SURVEY HERE

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Impressing friends with one's cooking skills is truly one of life's joys. Yumi has found a new way that is super easy and you probably have 90% of the ingredients already.

BELINDA JEFFEREY's CHEESE BISCUITS

Combine all the dry ingredients: 300g plain flour, 50g Self-raising flour and a teaspoon of salt. Add in 2tsp mild chilli flakes.

Mix well in the food processor.

Add 40g freshly grated parmesan and a whole grated block of Mersey Valley (250g).

Add 250g cold, cubed butter, whizz the mixture. It will look crumbly and quite dry. While it's whizzing, add in the juice of 1 lemon. It will come together.

Halve the dough. Fashion each half into logs about the width (girth?) of a 50c piece. Wrap in baking paper and chill until needed.

When you're ready to cook them, pre-heat to oven to 180C. Slice 4-5mm pieces off the log and spread them out on a baking tray. Top with sesame seeds or nigella seeds and bake for about 14 minutes. Serve with beverages and olives!

PRE-ORDER WELCOME TO FRIENDSHIP HERE.

UPLOAD YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE HERE for free friendship badges!

Bored? Please fill in our survey HERE.

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Yumi organised an adult playdate for HERSELF with a friend for some cooking fun.

It didn't work out exactly to plan but they *did* get to make this amazing gnocchi from Ottolenghi's 'SIMPLE'.

You can find a full version of it in this article - and Simon's recommendation is that you roast up a sweet tomato sauce alongside the gnocchi and then serve with a rocket salad lightly dressed with lemon juice and good quality olive oil.

And here is the SURVEY that we'd like you to please fill out!

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It's time to fancy up your humble piece of fried salmon with a recipe from a cookbook that's a couple of years old but Yumi dusted it off and has been cooking from it quite a bit in the past weeks. It's - OTTOLENGHI's 'SIMPLE'.

Simon has good news if you're a fan of the cookbook and its author...

And you can find the salsa and salmon recipe here.

Do you feel like filling out a survey for us? Will help us make better shows. Click here xx

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Yumi is threatening to host a dog re-naming ceremony to honor Norweigan striker, community boyfriend and everyone's emotional support Viking, Erling Haaland (it's not her hound so technically NO, and also, just no.)

Simon, meanwhile, has been impressing adults with this really easy-to-nail and incredibly yummy Marmalade Self-Saucing Pudding,

RECIPE: Marmalade self-saucing pudding

Serves 4–6

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a medium baking dish.

In a bowl, mix one cup of self-raising flour, half a cup of caster sugar and a pinch of salt.

In another bowl, whisk 60 g melted butter with half a cup of milk, one egg, one teaspoon of vanilla and a third of a cup of orange marmalade.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then scrape the batter into the baking dish.

For the sauce, stir a third of a cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of marmalade into one and a half cups of boiling water. Add 30 g butter and stir until mostly melted.

Carefully pour the hot liquid over the back of a spoon onto the pudding batter. It will look wrong. That is fine.

Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and spongey and the sauce is bubbling underneath.

Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.

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Yumi and Simon have been watching the World Cup football and it's been both fun and heartbreaking. If you're feeling bitter about Australia (or Japan, or Korea, Ghana, Canada etc etc), maybe you can enjoy the bitter feeling with the perfect winter salad.

Crunchy Bitter Winter Radicchio Salad

Toast a half cup walnuts in a dry frypan.

Set aside.

Tear apart a head of radicchio lettuce. Finely slice a small fennel bulb.

Peel two whole oranges and slice into neat discs. Retain any lost juice then add to it: 2tbs olive oil, 1tbs red wine vinegar, 1tsp mustard and 1/2tsp honey. Adjust to taste.

Toss the dressing through the radicchio leaves and fennel. Gently pass through the orange slices, a handful of chopped green olives.

Top with toasted walnuts and finish with some shaved parmesan or a crumble of fennel.

SURVEY! We'd love your feedback about listening to this podcast. FIND THE SURVEY HERE

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ARE ALL RICOTTAS CREATED EQUAL?

It's a question to kick off today's episode.

Yumi has also been entertaining one of her besties, and whenever she comes to visit that means it's time to revisit the legendary Spanish dessert Burnt Basque Cheesecake. I've been making this for quite a while using Nagi's recipe, but after a visit to unmissable Redfern eaterie, Flyover Fritterie, I was inspired to try adding saffron, rosewater and cardamom.

To make it, follow the directions from Nagi's recipe but use these quantities:

500g ricotta

2 x blocks of cream cheese

250-300g of caster sugar*

a healthy fat pinch of saffron threads, bloomed in 2tbs of warmed rosewater

about 30 cardamom pods, smashed open, seeds removed then seeds run through the spice grinder (fibrous pods composted).

310g Greek yoghurt

30g custard powder

a squeeze of vanilla paste

*I have made this twice - once using 250g sugar, once using 300g sugar - it was freakin delicious both times so do what you like.

PS. If you want to help our show to grow and gather info about how to improve, please do us a favour and fill in this survey? Should only take you a couple of minutes and we'd be so grateful!

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ORZO TRAY BAKE WITH FETTA AND PEPPERS

Turn oven on to 220C.

Quarter 4 peeled red onions, one whole chilli, one roughly chopped red pepper, and split a head of garlic across the hemisphere of the bulb.

Drizzle with olive oil then roast for 20mins until the onions are cooked and the veg are starting to char.

Add in a tin of cherry tomatoes, a tsp of nigella seeds and a tsp of crushed coriander seeds.

Cook for 20 more mins, squash the tomatoes now on the back of a spoon, squish out the garlic and add it back to the pan with 800ml water, 250g orzo, mix and then dot with a whole packet of fetta (200g) that you crumble over. Cook for 15 mins until the orzo is cooked.

Top with sprinkled green herbs like parsley, dill or fresh coriander.

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Simon and Yumi belly-laugh over some food-related nonsense and it's contagious, so listen if you need to get some sunshine today. Yumi also shares a bit about what happened at her recent (and very fancy) birthday lunch.

And maybe you also need ...chocolate cake? The quite legendary CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe from the wonderful Helen Goh can be found here.

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Yumi and Simon haven't seen much of each other recently so have much to catch up on, including what's going on with Yumi's extremely adoring foster dog, a fantastic Japanese snack that her kids LOVE, and what to do with that leftover chilli oil you've had cluttering your pantry ever since the Great Chilli Crisp Oil Fad of 2014...!

If you want to buy the crunchy "osembe" crackers, they look like this. They're not available at all Asian grocers and the lesser imitations are distinctly LESSER - so make sure they're Japanese and make sure they're Shoyu flavoured. (Sometimes they also come with beans baked through the crackers - these are also excellent and delicious but my kids refuse them.)

To batch-cook eggplant for use in baguettes or a black bean ragu, dice 2-3 eggplants into 1cm dice, preheat a pan, warm through your chilli oil and fry up the eggplant. Setting a timer can help if you struggle to trust when the eggplant is done: You'll need at least 10 good minutes of cook time.

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There's no need to feel sad and scurvyish this winter with this pasta that Simon has been regularly making that bursts with lemony flavour and sunshine.

(Also, has someone seen the *real* Yumi? because this one seems uncommonly interested in sport and not just sport but men's sport and therefore must be bodysnatched, please send help.)

PASTA AL LIMONE

RECIPE

Measure out 200g linguine and set it in a large pan that has a lid that fits.

Zest 2 lemons into the pan. Add in a bashed clove of garlic, 100ml olive oil and a teaspoon salt. Cover with 600ml water, cover with the lid and then bring the whole thing to the boil.

As soon as it reaches boiling, remove the lid and allow it to simmer gently for 8 minutes, turning carefully with tongs every minute.

Squeeze in the juice of one of the lemons, cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat then stir through 50g butter and some finely grated parmesan cheese (optional). Allow it to sit and soak up the juices for 2 minutes.

To serve, add basil leaves (optional), freshly cracked pepper and any more cheese if you want.

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SIMON'S BACK!

Yumi is veering wildly off her personal brand and getting deeply engaged with the Men's World Cup football (!) - and wants to talk with Simon about World Cup foods, catering when watching from home and just how food can get us into the spirit of a truly global sport. The restaurant they're raving about in Sydney? It has a strong instagram game.

Simon is pretty excited because even though coastal Vic is in its most DEPRESSING era (winter), there are foods that can give us comfort.

WINTER DAAL WITH LEMONGRASS

Toast off a couple of teaspoons of bashed coriander seeds and bashed cumin seeds in a large pot.

Tip them out then add in 300g split red lentils and cover them with a litre of water. Add a good pinch of salt.

Bring to a boil then add in 2 bashed lemongrass stalks. 3 chopped garlic cloves and a teaspoon of ground turmeric. Add in the toasted seeds and a half teaspoon of chilli powder.

Cook for 15 minutes until the lentils feel cooked.

Turn the heat down to medium and add a tin of coconut milk and 200g baby spinach leaves. Cook down for another 10 mins.

When ready to serve, in 2 tbs of neutral oil, fry up 1tsp black mustard seeds, a few handfuls of curry leaves and a bit of sliced onion. Spoon that over your creamy, coconutty daal. Serve immediately. Leftovers freeze brilliantly,

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Yumi and Jen unpack some of the latest "trends" in butchering and abusing innocent dumplings.

If you want to order Jen's favourites?

Here's the Chinese words 潮州粉粿

Or at yum cha, you could ask for a "Chiu Chow Fun Gor"

More info here.

Thanks for listening and to see Jen live, check out her webpage for the most current info.

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Yumi is excited about the events she's going to be part of that includes a one-on-one chat with Adelaide food legend and the woman behind 'Pawana' restaurant, Durkhanai Ayubi.

In preparation, she cooked one of the truly delicious (but achievable!) recipes from the revered book, also called 'Pawana'.

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Yumi and Jen laugh uncontrollably as they try to convince each other of the veracity of adding various foods to a pot pie.

Lasagna?

Possibly.

In a pot pie?

Let's discuss.

To find the SBS recipe in question, try here.

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One of Yumi's friends went away with a group of friends for the weekend and what transpired in the kitchen and food planning has been cause for a pause for thought (and significant irritation).

What happens in your group of friends?

Any thoughts or feedback always welcome at foodfixemail@gmail.com

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Yumi and Jen are EXHAUSTED. Yumi is recording in her pyjamas (but only if you can see from the waist down), and decides to go rogue on today's episode.

Inspired by Tik Tok and Instagram account I Am Unique Daily, and wondering out loud whether Resting Bitch Face is a superpower or just ...unfortunate?

For events where you can see Jen live in person, go here.

To listen to Yumi when she's on Double J playing her fave tunes and being generally unhinged, listen via the ABC Listen app.

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Fresh off their success at the Sydney Writers Festival, Yumi and Jen get the lols remembering the utter nonsense that was My Day on a Plate. There's a similar column which Jen recommends called The Grub Street Diet, and Yumi likes a hilarious podcast that debunks bad diet advice.

If you want to see Jen live and doing what she does best? She'll be at VIVID SYDNEY in a couple of week.

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Yumi Stynes and Jennifer Wong make each other laugh and Yumi recounts a story of going grocery shopping with Jen and being feeling like she was with a mega-celebrity.

Jen also talks about her experience eating the Chinese vegetable Kang Kong, also known as Water Spinach - and how to make it really delicious with fermented tofu!

Catch Jennifer Wong live at one of her upcoming dates - including a special FOOD-RELATED lol-fest in June that you can find here.

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Yumi Stynes and Jennifer Wong dig into ideas around the trouble with ethnic food shame as your origin story.

They also have a little yap about Onigiri and why it may be the GOAT of convenience store snacks.

Yumi and Jen can be seen ONSTAGE TOGETHER at the Sydney Writers Festival this week! (Week of 18 May 2026)

More info and for ALL of Jennifer's events, have a look here.

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In today's episode, Yumi and Jen dig deep into where San Choi Bao gets it SO RIGHT as a weeknight dinner that everyone can make out of whatever they have in the fridge.

Jen also has an amazing revelation to share about just why RESTAURANT san choi bao is so delicious and crunchy - and it's a hack you can easily replicate at home.

FIND OUT where you can see Jennifer Wong live via this link...

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"You've met me at a very Chinese time in my life..."

Americans are "China Maxxing" - discovering food, Chinese medicine, and other cultural habits that are life changing! Yumi and Jen unpack.

AND - if you want to see Jen live?

Check out this link for dates - especially check out a free show all about food here on May 23, her show as part of VIVID SYDNEY on June 5, 2026, and Yumi and Jennifer will be onstage together for Sydney Writers Festival's GREAT DEBATE.

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Yumi and guest-host Jennifer Wong share their anxieties about what useful skills they'd have in a post-apocalyptic wasteland...

...And Yumi comes through with a really good Yoghurt Flatbread - which is good for right now - tonight even? But may also come in handy if we run out of bread but can still use a frypan.

A very good recipe here, and here, and this is the one Yumi uses which is 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt + 1 cup SR flour.

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Yumi gets Jennifer Wong to explain how every regional Chinese restaurant in Australia ...somehow, mysteriously, shares the same menu?

You can find out more about how Jen knows so much about the Chinese restaurants of regional Australia by checking out her book Chopsticks or Fork? - available everywhere. She also has a bunch of shows on in coming months, including Sydney Writers Festival (Yumi also doing a bunch of events), and VIVID, and more. Find out everything Jen has on here.

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Jennifer Wong joins Yumi again to talk about DIP - and whether supermarket dip is any good!

EDAMAME GUAC

400g good quality, ripe avocado

150g shelled edamame, boiled gently for 3 mins, drained well

1 bunch coriander, washed well of dirt, then dried in a clean tea towel

spring onions or chives, half bunch

1/2tsp salt, or more to taste

juice of 1 or 2 limes

BLEND EVERYTHING - then taste for seasoning. OPTIONAL - add fresh chopped red chilli

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Special guest host Jennifer Wong is going to be onstage with Yumi at this year's Sydney Writers Festival's GREAT DEBATE. It's always an absolute hoot and you can find out more here...

But the two foodie loving ladies get to hang out on today's episode and talk about their mothers, Mum cooking tips, and an incredible slice that Yumi has since made several times from Aussie food teacher and author, Belinda Jeffery. Belinda very generously shares her amazing recipe (that her mum used to love!) here.

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Throwing together a Poké Bowl or Donburi (or "Buddha Bowl" if we must) is a fantastic exercise in customising a dish to suit both individual taste and making use of what's sitting in your fridge!

Having some stand-by ingredients like seaweed salad, a sprinkling of furikake, crunchy fried onions, and the classic Kim-Chi - will set you up to succeed with a bowl that is really tasty but also healthy and colourful. FANTASTIC!

Yumi has a very simple Japanese Omelette recipe to share that'll cost you almost no time but will totally elevate your dish.

Try it by whisking together 2 eggs with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.

Listen for more.

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Simon's half-arsed sell on this dish is hilarious and worth the price of admission - but the meal itself is a keeper.

It's his riff on a Nigella recipe: SIMON'S REAL LIFE CHICKEN

Find a wide fry pan with a good-fitting lid, then get

8 chicken thighs, skin on

and you fry them in 2-3tbs garlic oil with zest of a lemon added in, skin-side down, until browned.

Set the chicken aside... and then to the still sizzling pan, add in 500g Basmati rice and stir well.

Add 1tsp ground cumin.

Pour over 1L of hot chicken or vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper, bring everything up to a simmer, add the chicken, pop the lid on then simmer gently for 25 mins.

To serve, squeeze over lemon, toss over some herbs and add a dollop of Greek Yoghurt.

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