Quotes from Yotam Ottolenghi

Braising eggs in a flavoursome, aromatic sauce is all the rage. It is warming and comforting, ideal for the morning when you are not normally up for a great culinary challenge.

If I must choose between healthy and tasty, I go for the second: having only one life to waste, it might as well be a pleasurable one.

The most important thing for me is to walk the little alleys of the city, to find the little alcove where someone is cooking something, and just watch them do it. That's my idea of fun.

Orange blossom water would make a magical addition to your store cupboard.

Food can bring people together in a way nothing else could.

Normally, when congee is served, the different condiments and garnishes are placed in little bowls on the side so diners can make their own personal creations.

When I cook a meal, I like to serve things one by one and keep them separate. I get that from my father - he's such a purist. Some people even put their desserts on the main plate. It's just wrong.

New-season lamb shoulder, cooked pink, is the perfect platform for a mixture of fresh and cooked herbs.

Jerusalem artichokes have a great affinity with nuts. I love them with chopped walnuts or almonds, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and plenty of olive oil.

It's well worth making your own harissa, but there are some very good commercial varieties.

Conflict is very much a state of mind. If you're not in that state of mind, it doesn't bother you.

Mackerel is sustainable and healthy.

There is a unique freshness when eating buckwheat noodles cold with plenty of herbs and citrus acidity. I can't think of any better use of chopsticks on a hot and sweaty evening.

My secret with kale is to add lots of sweet or sharp flavours to offset some of that grassy intensity.

Salbitxada is a sharp and lightly sweet Catalan sauce that's traditionally served with calcots - spring or salad onions, grilled whole, make a good substitute.

Pomegranate molasses is ubiquitous in Arabic cooking: it's sweet, sour and adds depth.

Black glutinous rice works in both savoury and sweet dishes. It's a popular pudding rice in south-east Asia, where you'll often come across it cooked with water, coconut milk and a pandan leaf.

As with lemon juice, the more sorrel you use, the more it has to be balanced with something sweet, starchy or creamy - it's a yin-yang approach to cooking that I find rather calming.

Leeks are normally given the job of flavouring other things, such as stocks and soups, but I find their creaminess and sweet, oniony flavour very satisfying.

Yoghurt cuts sweetness and richness, tempers spice, and makes a dish sing.

Date syrup is a natural sweetener that has wonderful richness and treacly depth; I drizzle it over semolina porridge.

When it comes to cooking pasta, the first essential is to make sure you have a big enough pot: it needs room to roll in the water while cooking.

One Indian-inspired favourite of mine is mashed potato mixed with lemon juice, breadcrumbs, coriander and chilli, shaped into patties, fried and served with chutney and yoghurt.

TV chefs are not responsible for people's consumption of fibre; this is not our job.