I am excited to share that I will be doing a TED Talk at TEDxNorthernQuarter on 11 September 2026, where I will be giving a talk about food and how it shapes culture, identity, faith, and the way we connect with each other.
From the meals that tell our stories to the flavours that bring people together, I cannot wait to share this journey with you!
Join me there Tickets: /events/buy-tickets-2026
Or in my bio ! Use code: tedx26 for a cheeky discount! :)
@tedxnorthernquarter
Jamaican Curry Goat made according to science 👨🔬
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Jamaican curry Goat is Jamaicans beloved dish and today I want to explain why its so delicious with science
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-jamaican-curry-goat
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The objectives and how I achieved them:
The meat - Should be fork tender and never dry
* Achieved through cooking it at slow temperatures to slowly turn the collagen into gelatin and not damage the meat
Flavour to be deep and complexed with the curry powder
* Achieved by using the signature Jamaican move: burning the curry powder
A glossy lip coating gravy with a thick body
* Achieved Selecting goat pieces with bone because the collagen from the bone dissolves into the braising liquid as gelatin, which gives it the gravy its silky mouth feel potatoes that are tender but still hold their shape
* Achieved Cooking only 30 minutes before the final dish has been completed
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#jamaicancurrygoat #currygoat #jamaican #jamaicanfood
The only three light set up for your food videos
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For this set up I used the
1. Key light is @godox_global@litemons LE300Bi
2. Back light @godox_global@litemons LE200Bi
3. Bounce
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#lighting #foodlighting #lightingtips #cookingvideo
Spaghetti bolognese made according to science 👨🔬
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Im not Italian but I grew up eating this dish but this time I wanted to use science to help me make it Better
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-spaghetti-bolognese
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The objectives and how I achieved them:
The sauce — glossy, emulsified, clinging to every strand
* Achieved through two emulsification events: starchy pasta water tossed over heat, then Parmigiano off the heat to reinforce it.
The meat — tender and yielding
* Achieved through four interventions: rendering the pancetta, browning the mince undisturbed, adding milk before the tomatoes, then 3–4 hours low and slow so the collagen unwinds into gelatin.
The flavour — deeply savoury and layered
* Achieved by treating every ingredient as its own event. Pancetta, soffritto, caramelised tomato paste, wine, milk, long simmer. Each one builds on the last.
The pasta — seasoned from within, integrated with the sauce. Not sitting beneath it.
* Achieved by salting the water at 10g per litre and pulling the pasta two minutes early so it finishes cooking in the sauce.
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#science #spaghetti #bolognese #food recipe
Food in Parables EP2 - Vietnamese Summer rolls with peanut butter sauce
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Today’s dish is inspired by the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Here a man is beaten and left on the side of the road, and the people you’d expect to stop and don’t. But a stranger kneels down and wraps him in everything he has. That image hasn’t left me and I am trying to embody that kind of love today.
This is episode two of Food in Parables and it inspired me to make summer rolls. Each one carefully layered, each one wrapped with intention. You can’t rush them. You have to be present with every fold and I think that’s exactly the point. Loving your neighbor isn’t passive, It’s deliberate and It’s hands-on. It costs you something!
36 parables to go and every single one is teaching me something new.
Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/vietnamese-summer-rolls-with-peanut
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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#parables #jesus #bible #parable #food
Hainanese Chicken and Rice Made according to Science 👨🔬
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This is a recipe I’ve tried and test every day for the last two weeks and this is the final!
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-hainanese-chicken-and
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The objectives and how I achieved it:
The Skin - the skin needs to have that signature gelatinous, silky skin that Hainanese chicken is known for, and it also needs a slight jiggle that almost melts the moment it hits your mouth.
* I achieve this by poaching the chicken low and slow at 80°C. This, with the research I did, ensures that the chicken’s actin never goes above the threshold that makes the chicken chalky and dry. Aggressive boiling destroys all of the actin protein and also the collagen, which gives the skin a mushy texture.
The meat - the meat needs to be tender, juicy, and never dry, even the breast, with that soft pink blush near the bone that used to terrify me.
* I achieved this by cooking the chicken to the right internal temperature rather than cooking it by colour or time alone. The thermometer was my tool that made this chicken perfect.
The rice - the rice needs to be fragrant, glossy, and deeply flavoured, and not just plain steamed rice.
* I achieved this by toasting the raw rice with rendered chicken fat, garlic, and ginger before adding the poaching broth to cook it in.
The Spring onion and ginger sauce (My Favourite) - it needs to be fragrant, fresh, and only slightly greasy.
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#hainanese #chickenandrice #chicken #food #science
Food in Parables EP1 - Lemon Seed poppy loaf
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Inspired by the parable of the sower
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Today’s dish is inspired by the parable of the sower. Here a farmer plants seeds across various terrains but the special thing is he uses the same seed and there are completely different outcomes because the only difference was the ground it landed on. That question has been sitting with me ever since.
This is episode one of Food in Parables and I’m cooking through every parable Jesus taught in the Gospels one dish at a time. We’re starting with the parable of the sower, which inspired me to make a lemon poppy seed loaf that honestly means more than it looks. The poppy seeds are the ones that made it in this loaf and the lemon is a reminder of the ones that didn’t.
37 parables to go and I cannot wait to share every single one with you.
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/lemon-poppy-seed-loaf
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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#bible #parable #gospels #jesus
Tiramisu made with the help of Science 👨🔬
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Italy’s most beloved dessert, made with the help of science
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-tiramisu
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The objective and how I achieved it of this recipe was the following:
Target Texture - light set cream that holds a clean cut : Cooking the yolks to 71°C, use cold mascarpone stop the cream at soft peaks and the whites at firm peaks, and rest it for at least 8 hours. Every one of these controls the fat and protein structure that gives the cream its body and clean cut.
Target Flavour - a deep coffee flavour throughout and not just in the biscuit: Room temperature espresso, alcohol in the soak, and an overnight rest. The alcohol pulls more flavour out of the coffee, and the long rest lets those aromatics travel into the cream so the coffee flavour is throughout the whole dessert, not just sitting in the biscuit layer.
Target Biscuit - uniformly moist, not soggy and not dry: One second per side, no more. The biscuit needs a dry core so moisture can redistribute inward overnight. Soak it fully and the structure collapses.
Target Cocoa - cocoa that dissolves cleanly and does not stick to the crust: we apply it at the very last second. Cocoa absorbs moisture almost instantly and will clump if applied too early. Quality cocoa also cuts through the richness of the cream and resets your palate between mouthfeel
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#tiramisu #dessert #sciencebased #science
Nihari made with Science 👨🔬
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Nihari is a dish I tried five years ago and I fell in love but today we are making it with the help of science.
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-nihari
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The objective to this recipe was the following:
TARGET TEXTURE — silky, lip-coating broth
* Bone-in shank, cross-cut into 5–6cm rounds The bone exposure maximises collagen and marrow release — both essential for gelatin body in the broth.
* Separate marrow bones Marrow stirred in at the end emulsifies the broth. This is what gives nihari its lacquered, glossy appearance rather than a greasy surface.
* 5–6 hours at 82–88°C — not a rolling boil Collagen converts to gelatin slowly. High heat toughens the meat and breaks the emulsion into a greasy, cloudy broth.
TARGET FLAVOUR — deep, unified, no sharp edges
* Whole spices, toasted and freshly ground Toasting creates new flavour compounds that don’t exist in raw spices. Pre-ground has already lost most of its volatile aromatics.
* Spices bloomed in ghee, not added to water Aromatic compounds in spices are fat-soluble. Ghee is the solvent — without it you extract a fraction of the flavour potential.
* Onions cooked to copper, not gold The Maillard reaction needs to fully complete. Gold onions mean it barely started — the gravy will taste thin regardless of how many spices you add.
* Overnight rest in the fridge Spice compounds continue migrating and equilibrating for hours. Sharp individual notes round out. Day-two nihari is a noticeably different dish.
TARGET CONSISTENCY — gravy that coats and clings
* Atta flour slurry, not cornflour Atta gives a softer, more integrated thickness
* Slurry simmered 20 minutes after adding Raw starch has a chalky, floury taste that only disappears once fully cooked out
* Season only at the end The liquid reduces significantly across 6 hours, concentrating salt
TARGET CONTRAST — garnishes are not decoration
* Fresh ginger, coriander, green chilli, and lemon ready to serve Nihari is intensely rich — it needs contrast to stay enjoyable
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#curry #nihari #pakistani #indian #sciencebased
A meal inspired by the resurrection of Jesus ✝️
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Easter isn’t just a holiday. It’s the moment that changed everything and every dish on this table tells part of that story.
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Full recipe on my Substack! �/p/john-211-6-classic-fish-pie �Or comment “Recipe” and I’ll send you the direct link 🤍
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Drinks – Horchata | Mark 16:1-2
The two Marys set out before dawn carrying spices to anoint Jesus’ body, wondering who would roll the stone away. When they arrived it was already gone, and inside stood an angel in white who said “He is not here, He has risen.” I made a horchata to honour that moment — white for the angel, spiced for the love they carried to that tomb.
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Course 1 – Vietnamese Shaking Beef | Matthew 28:2 �A violent earthquake struck as the angel rolled the stone away — but here’s what always gets me, the tomb wasn’t opened to let Jesus out. He was already risen. It was opened so we could look in and see it for ourselves. I made Vietnamese shaking beef for this one, because some moments are too big to sit still.
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Course 2 – Tofu Skin Rolls | Luke 24:12 �Peter ran in and found only linen on the floor and the cloth that covered Jesus’ head folded neatly to one side — not torn, not scattered, just folded. He walked away filled with wonder, and I love that about this moment. These tofu skin rolls carry that same quiet mystery.
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Mains – Fish Pie | John 21:1-6 �The disciples fished all night and caught nothing, then Jesus appeared on the shore and told them to cast the net one more time. 153 fish — so many they couldn’t haul it in. He didn’t have to show up like that but He did, because that’s who He is. Warm, generous, more than enough.
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Dessert – Mango Sago | Matthew 28:18-20
“Go and make disciples of all nations.” He didn’t wait for them to feel ready, He just said go. The big and small tapioca pearls represent every leader and every new believer carrying that same call forward.
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Every bite tells a story of resurrection, revelation, and redemption. Pick up your cross today and let’s follow Him together.
Jesus loves you, and so do I ❤️
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#easter #jesus #resurrection #bible #food
Hot Cross Buns made with Science 🐣
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Hot Cross buns are Easters most loved baked goods out there and today we are making it according to science 🧪👨🔬
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Full recipe on my Substack!
/p/science-based-hot-cross-buns
(Or Comment “Recipe” to be sent a direct link <3)
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The Objective to this recipe was the following:
* The crumb/dough — Open, soft, and pillowy with no gummy halos around the fruit, pulling apart in soft, slightly elastic strands rather than crumbling or compressing.
* The crust — Deep golden brown from the Maillard reaction, with a slight chew and gelatinised surface that contrasts against the soft interior.
* The spice — Warm but not overwhelming, with citrus top notes from the orange zest lifting the heavier cinnamon and mixed spice underneath.
* The fruit — Plump, tender, and evenly distributed so every pull-apart portion has fruit in it, never shrivelled or leathery.
* The structure — A domed shape held cleanly out of the tin, with soft white sides where the buns touched during baking.
* The smell — Yeasty, citrusy, and warmly spiced with a hint of Maillard caramel, complex rather than flat and overly sweet.
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#hotcrossbuns #sciencebased #science #baking #hotcrossbun
