Ponytail Journal

Most people have their own personal rituals when it comes to tea and coffee, be it milk and two sugars, or black without cream. These almost mechanical exercises help shape our days, and for the late-risers, a cup of coffee might come from the cheerful beeping of a Nespresso machine, while for early birds might have the time and energy to carefully draw circles upon circles of steaming water on a V60 drip. There’s a psychological benefit too, especially on cold, dark winter mornings when you need that transitory experience to transport your mind far away from the comfort of warm sheets.

We’re highlighting a super tropical soup this week called ’Tom Kha Gai’ from the PTJ recipe box. Typical to Thai cooking, this soup is all about speedy cooking. Thai cuisine is a very energy efficient form of cooking. Ingredients are cut super fine to increase their surface area and cooked on short but super hot bursts of energy. So let that be a little thought to keep in mind when you are preparing - what a good excuse to sharpen up your knife skills!

The dining table is a wonderful mediator for connection, and the kitchen is a great place to start building the happiness. Join us in cooking this elegant slow cooked rabbit dish, drowned in silky braised onions and classic French herbs.

Anne Berry has plucked a few select spots from her favourites for your next winter cruise. We are sure Nagano is no slouch in the summer, but everyone knows winter holds all the best rewards

This weekend we are so excited to present a spicy little mini-series, "Tastiest Life India" to you from the Ponytail Foodtube channel! For this first instalment, Lauren is in Mumbai to learn how to make the utmost staple dish for Indians, yellow dahl, guided by Jaswin Dias of the Taj Wellington Mews.

For Chinese New Year we’ll celebrate at Ponytail Journal with something more joyous – a crispy slice (or ten) of Peking Duck. This is a recipe that has been perfected over the last 700 years, and even though the methods are relatively straightforward, every master roaster has their own tricks to make the bird sing once again.

How to choose the right bird for your festive feast, all in perfect time for Christmas day tomorrow !

Yum Kai Thom, or Thai duck egg salad is your newest hat trick to bring to the party.

We all have to start somewhere right? The best excuse for practicing your butchery skills is during the holiday season, somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas where you can watch it done once and practice for your turn in December. Like anything, practice makes perfect, and the more chance you get to butcher meat the better.

The increasingly expensive rent and labour cost in Hong Kong has forced many companies over the last two decades to vacate their corrugated iron gates and reestablish factories further north in Mainland China. Anne Berry shows us some exciting eating and drinking experiences that prove a more grassroots approach to Hong Kong’s cutthroat food scene, all of which are taking advantage of the new abundance of industrial space.

’Miang Kham’, a tastey snack shared between Laos and Thailand, is one of the brightest explosions of flavour you’ve ever put into your mouth. It’s also the most impressive things you can serve with drinks (heres how to do it)

At Casa Lolea in Barcelona, the booze is fresh and served on generously sized ice cubes, and their food is well thought out, humble, but luxurious all the same.