Late night movie snack party for one

Can't party with friends? Then smash these snacks and a movie instead.

Source: Danielle Abou Karam

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7.00pm and 10.00pm, or stream it free on SBS On Demand. Catch the late night snack episode Wednesday 25 August. ---

 

The worst thing about lockdown life is the lack of company. Well, the worse thing is actually sky-rocketing COVID numbers and no end in sight. But loneliness is up there.

No matter how much you love them, when it's just you and the same 5, 4, 3, 2, even no people, things can get really mundane, really fast. Every part of your being wishes you could get together with new buddies and a bunch of good food and conversation to match.

Sorry, not yet. But a really good movie might reduce the longing. Especially when you combine it with eating your cares away via a truckload of matching snacks.

So, pick your movie, fire up the tele and the oven and get busy. You've got a party to attend and you'll cry if you want to.

Blade of the Immortal

Get the party started with this action-packed manga thriller. A highly skilled samurai in feudal Japan has been cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. He promises to help a young woman avenge the death of her parents, leading them both into a bloody war. Warning: bloody is a very apt description for this gruelling film from prolific cult director Takashi Miike. But don't let that put you off because it's also irresistible fun!

Choice snack: Fat Pocky

The kind of easy, light snack a horror/supernatural/thriller/drama/action film calls for. Source: Adam Liaw

Believe us, you're going to need something light, sweet and fun to take your mind off the movie from time to time. This cute take on the famous Japanese snack will help put the focus on the merry side of things.

Panga

All heart and soul, Panga follows a retired kabaddi player ( Kangana Ranaut as Jaya) who returns to the sport after seven-years away raising a family. At its heart this little sports gem is really a romance film, charting the love between Jaya and her husband, who makes his own sacrifices to help her achieve her dream.

Choice snack: Proper Punjabi samosas

Munching on samosas watching a fabulous film is as good as life gets. Lockdown or none. Source: Anjum’s Australian Spice Stories

It has to be samosas. Not only are they one of the best late-night snacks around, but served with a cup of masala tea, they also perfectly embody the cosiness of the family in Panga.

Chevalier

In this incredibly funny, but equally dark comedy, six foolish men play a series of increasingly bizarre games while fishing from a luxury yacht in the Aegean Sea. It's a queasy look at the competitiveness of the modern male dynamic as seen by the focused eye of whip-smart female director Athina Rachel Tsangari.

Choice snack: Spanakopita toastie

Maybe make three, it's quite a long movie... Source: Danielle Abou Karam

The perfect snack in any language, this golden toastie packs in all the flavour of a traditional spanakopita with a tenth of the fuss. You'll want to make at least two as the first one will leave you wanting another.

Polina

This poignant coming-of-age dance/love story manages to rise above the inevitable clichés the genre so often leaps and bounds into. Polina follows a gifted Bolshoi ballerina who falls in love with a French dancer who introduces her to contemporary dance and a new life in France.

Choice snack: Pirozhki

You can get your pirozhki prepped ahead of the movie, ready to slide into the oven during the opening credits. Source: John Laurie

There's a of angsty decision making going on in Polina, so you're going to need some comfort food to see you through. Pirozhki should do the trick. Just don't eat too many of these hearty beef and cabbage parcels if you want to be able to practice your dance moves while you watch.

The Assassin

In this exquisite martial arts feast, Nie, a general's young daughter is kidnapped and trained to become an exceptional assassin. When she fails a mission she is ordered to kill her betrothed, forcing her to choose between love and duty.

Choice snack: Rou jia muffins

Rou jia mo have been made in Shaanxi Province for more than 2000 years. So Lie probably snacked on them during her quest to defeat the assassins. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

You're going to need one hand free to help Nie fight her way to freedom, so Adam Liaw's rou jia muffins are ideal.

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

When Italian mama meets gay fiancé, it's as much OTT fun and drama as you'd wish for.

Choice snack: Seadas

Seadas take a long time to make. But even the best romances can take a while to get going. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

These Sardinian deep-fried dumplings are filled with ricotta, sultanas and lemon and smothered in warm, sticky honey. They are as sweetly divine as an Italian gay man getting married in his home town.

The Mystery of Henri Pick

An editor discovers a masterpiece among a pile of rejected manuscripts. She tries to track down its unknown author, who may already be dead. This light-hearted, fast-paced, well-acted mystery flits through the charming villages of rural Brittany. It's basically a heap of fun.

Choice snack: Madeleines

Delicate little cakes infused with vanilla, madeleines are fit for big and little kids. Source: Merle Parrish

No one needs a reason to bake a batch of Madeleines, but if you did, this movie would be it. A light, melting and endearing biscuit is exactly the right snack to munch on while you watch.

In Between

Three very different flatmates in Tel Aviv straddle the precipice between traditional Syrian culture and their free-spirited ways. The sharp script showcases a Syria (and particularly the nuanced women who live there) in light-hearted, apolitical way rarely shown.

Choice snack: Muhammara

This beautiful dip is balanced in between the heat of spices like chilli and paprika and the sweetness pomegranate molasses. Source: Adam Liaw

A film this good requires dipping into again and again. It's fair to say you won't be able to get enough of this char-grilled capsicum and walnut dip either.

Sometimes Almost Never

This quiet, emotional burner has a gentle comedy at its heart. It stars Bill Nighy at his eccentric best, after all. It calls for an equally quiet, British kind of snack, but one with bite.

Choice snack: 18th century gingerbread

You'll want to munch on these plump gingerbread pillows way more often than sometimes. Source: Murdoch Books / Regula Ysewijn

This is a very British gingerbread, but not as we know it. It's from a 1717 cookbook calledThe Compleat Housewife, or, Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion. It also packs in the spice - alongside the ginger and black treacle you'll add cloves, mace, and both coriander and caraway seeds.

I Am Not a Witch

When an eight-year-old Zambian girl is convicted of being a witch after an incident in her local village, she is consigned to a witches camp in the desert. This politically-charged film is beautifully captured with both sorrow and humour by debut writer-director Rungano Nyoni. The compelling performance by Maggie Mulubwa as Shula is impossible to forget.

Choice snack: Fish frikkadels

Afrikaner frikkadels are baked, not fried. Which frees you up to pop them in the oven and get the movie started. Source: Sarah Graham's Food Safari

Tasty fish meatballs are popular throughout the Zambezi Valley and will make a delicious complement to Nyoni's intense movie. There's a tangy pineapple salsa to go with them that will lift you through the movie's heavier moments.

Pop Aye

An architect (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) sets off on a road trip through Thailand to take his elephant Bong back to his hometown. Yes, this movie is as warm, joyous and slow-moving as that sounds.

Choice snack: Turmeric coconut chicken wings

These wings are a labour of love, but it's 'boy and his dog' movie featuring a man and his elephant, so it needs something special. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

All the flavour of a Thai chicken curry are packed into these moreish chicken wings. They are served with a spicy nahm jim jaew dipping sauce that would knock an elephant's socks off.