How Nagi Maehashi turned RecipeTinEats into a global sensation

"So many people get that wrong," she says.

"It's one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, bring it to a simmer on medium heat, then turn it down to low, cover it with a lid, cook for 13 minutes and then let it rest for 10.

"I don't have a rice cooker, I don't have the bench space, I do it on the stove all the time, and it never fails."

Talk to anyone of the 15 million weekly viewers of her RecipeTinEats website and they'll back that guarantee. Her recipes, and there's about 1200 of them on the site, always work, they're always delicious, always so easy, is the general consensus when you bring up RecipeTinEats.

She's been known to test recipes again and again - one vanilla cake went through 89 variations before she was happy with it - and from the beginning, she's always had the reader at the centre of every recipe.

"I want people to have that confidence that the recipes will work," she says.

"When you're starting out, learning to cook, that's a big part of it for me."

Maehashi started cooking with earnest when she moved out of home as a way of relaxing after long days at work. At 18, fresh out of high school, she scored a coveted position on the Price Waterhouse Coopers cadet program and the next 16 years were spent climbing the corporate ladder.

It was never anything more than a hobby until she reached her mid-30s. She was exhausted by work, years of pushing for promotions, international travel, so she quit. She toyed with the idea of opening a cafe but kept thinking about writing a blog.

"So many people were doing blogs because they were passionate about food and had a bit of spare time, but I said to myself I'm not going to do it unless I can make money from it. I needed a job, I didn't have a source of income."

She did all the research, looked at competitors and thought about how she could differentiate herself.

She launched RecipeTinEats in May 2014. The website has had more than 335 million views in the past year alone, she's got 4.6 million social media followers, regular columns in newspapers and now she's published her first book, Dinner.

Her fans went mad. According to Nielsen BookData, it was the highest selling title from a debut Australian author in its first week of release and achieved the highest selling release week figures for a cookbook in the Australian market to date.

"I never dreamed of there ever being a book," she says. "It never crossed my mind. It's all kind of surreal."

Apart from rice, she'd love it if we all mastered a roast chicken. There's an exclusive pot-roast version in the cookbook which I attempted to cook the day before the interview so I could talk to her about it. Except then I realised, close to dinner time, that I haven't taken the chicken out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature as per instructions.

"Oh, it's such a forgiving recipe that you probably could have got away with it," she says. "That recipe will blow your mind, wait 'til you see the juices when you cut through the breast. It's the most amazing recipe."

Sometimes, after a long day, even I don't have the energy to deal with the hassle of chopping vegetables, pulling out woks and smoking out my kitchen - let alone remembering to cook rice the day before! So I published a "dump and bake" fried rice on my website - albeit with some trepidation - convinced it would be slammed as an abomination. To my total surprise, the recipe was a smash hit and had 100,000 views in 24 hours! Truth is, it's delicious - the flavour is fantastic, the rice is fluffy and moist. The most asked question I get is, "How can I add chicken to this?" Well, here's how!

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan-forced.

2. Bake covered: Place all the baked fried rice ingredients, except the vegetables and bacon, in a 23 x 33cm metal pan (not ceramic or glass). Shake to spread the rice evenly, ensuring all the rice is submerged under the stock. Sprinkle the vegetables evenly across the surface, then sprinkle the bacon on top. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

3. Marinate chicken: Meanwhile, place the marinated chicken ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside to marinate while the rice cooks.

4. Bake uncovered: Remove the foil (reserve foil), then spread the chicken in a single layer across the surface of the rice. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

5. Rest and serve: Remove from the oven, cover with the reserved foil and rest for 10 minutes. Use a rubber paddle to turn the rice over and gently break it up. Add the scrambled egg (if using). Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with the green onion. Gently toss the fried rice to mix it through, then serve!

Serves 4 as a main.

Notes:

1. Basmati and medium-grain white rice can also be used. Not suitable for risotto rice, paella rice, brown rice or sushi rice.

2. Or all-purpose soy sauce. Do not substitute with dark soy sauce.

3. Or mirin or dry sherry. If you can't consume alcohol, omit and add 60ml low-salt chicken stock and cook for one minute longer.

4. I just use a garlic crusher in this recipe for convenience.

5. I tried all sorts of ways to bake the egg in the oven along with the rice! But it just didn't work, or got unnecessarily fiddly. Really, it's just easiest to cook it on the stove. Whisk the eggs, then scramble them in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil until just cooked. Transfer to a bowl, then add to the rice as directed.

Leftovers: Fridge three days, freezer three months.

Here's a fast, brilliant way to up your veggie intake in an eye-catching bowl of spinach-pesto spaghetti. Unlike basil, baby spinach is available year round, it's cheaper and requires no prep other than ripping open a bag. For a different take, swap the spinach for kale or silverbeet, and the pine nuts for almonds or walnuts!

1. Spinach pesto: Place all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor - jam that spinach in, there's a LOT of it! Blitz until the spinach is chopped into little pesto-sized bits. Scrape the sides down as needed. With the motor running on low, pour in the oil in a thin stream. Pesto, done!

2. Spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with the salt as per the packet directions. Just before draining, scoop out 250ml of the pasta cooking water. Drain the spaghetti, then return to the empty pot.

3. Toss and serve: Add the pesto to the pot with 125ml of the pasta cooking water. Toss well, using the extra water as needed to loosen. Serve immediately while hot, or let it cool and serve at room temperature like you would a pasta salad. Either way, garnish with parmesan, baby spinach and pine nuts.

Serves 4.

Notes:

1. Walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds are also great with baby spinach. Toast pumpkin seeds as you do pine nuts. For walnuts and almonds, toast in a 180C oven for 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, or until they smell nutty. Cool slightly, then roughly chop. Leftovers: Fridge two days. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a stellar combination of super-fresh flavours and great textures, combined with the silky richness of the lime coconut dressing. The combination of plump prawns with sweet apple, crunchy cabbage and vibrant herbs is unbeatable! I've also got a great tip for thickening the tangy lime coconut dressing so it clings to every vegetable (spoiler: chill in fridge!). Make this one for hot summer days or as a fantastic starter for Asian-themed menus.

1. Dressing: Measure out the coconut cream into a jug and refrigerate for one hour to thicken. Do not leave for hours as it will get too thick! Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the flavours meld.

2. Slice apple: Slice the apple into 2mm batons - you need 40g in total. (Cut the apple just before serving and toss with the lime juice.)

3. Make salad: Place the cabbage, apple and green onion in a bowl. Drizzle over three-quarters of the dressing and toss gently. Add the prawns, mint and coriander and toss gently again.

4. Serve: Pile the salad high into serving bowls and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with extra coriander leaves and serve immediately!

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main.

Notes:

1. Baby wombok is the small, young version of standard wombok cabbage. The leaves are slightly more tender, which works well in this salad. If you can't find it, ordinary wombok cabbage is fine.

2. I use store-bought whole cooked prawns. These are naturally seasoned, so you don't need to salt them. You can also cook your own raw prawns. Toss the prawns in two teaspoons of oil and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat for 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side (depending on their size). Remove, cool, then use as per the recipe.

3. The dressing is best made fresh to preserve the lime flavour. Salad components can be prepared ahead (except the apple, which is always best cut fresh) but keep them separate.

4. Refrigerating the coconut cream thickens it so the dressing is nice and creamy, rather than runny.

Leftovers: Once dressed, serve immediately. Left-over salad does not keep well.

This is THE sweet finish you pull out for hot summer days, to end rich meals or when you simply do not have the time (or inclination) to make a labour-intensive dessert. It's as simple as pouring everything into a tin, then whacking it in the freezer. No need to scrape the granita regularly, like most recipes call for, because the alcohol keeps it from freezing solid. Beautifully refreshing, sweet enough and tangy enough, everybody loves it! Using prosecco is ideal because - a) it's a bit sweet, b) it doesn't taste boozy once frozen, c) the kids can't have any so this is ALL for the grown-ups!

1. Sugar syrup: Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a large jug, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least one hour until cold.

2. Mix and freeze: Add the remaining ingredients to the jug, then stir. Taste and adjust the flavour, if desired. Pour into two 23 x 33cm ceramic, plastic or glass dishes or containers so the liquid is no more than 2cm deep.

3. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for four plus hours (you can make this days in advance!). There is no need to scrape periodically as the alcohol prevents the mixture from freezing solid.

4. Serve: Scrape the mixture with a fork to create granular flakes. Spoon into pretty little bowls or glasses and serve garnished with lime wedges and zest, and mint leaves, if desired!

Note:

Prosecco is a sparkling/semi-sparkling white wine from Italy. It is typically sweeter than French champagne and most sparkling wines, which makes it ideal to use in granita. While you can substitute with other types of sparkling wine or champagne, you will probably need to add more sugar and possibly less lime juice.

Leftovers: Keeps in the freezer for three months!

Serves 5-6.