It’s been almost six years since we had a proper sun-soaked family holiday abroad. Jesse was a fully fledged toddler, unsteady on the Balinese sand and still amenable to afternoon naps in his stroller. Izzy was five and full of wonder, mesmerised by the sights and sounds of Sanur.

Already a memorable adventure, our trip to Bali was made all the more special by Mr L.A.’s moonlit marriage proposal. On bended, knee amidst the tropical gardens of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, he asked me to be his wife. An intimate meal for two arrived shortly after, the menu handpicked by my husband-to-be.

Food is always a central part of our travels. Wherever we go, it’s usually the meals we share that leave an indelible impression, filling our minds with memories as varied as the colourful stamps in our passports.

As culinary tourists, the sights we flock to are stalls selling street-food and bars famous for their cocktails. We remember tiny little beachside cafes, seafood curries devoured at sunset and mysterious snacks purchased from brightly lit convenience stores.

We eulogise about hotel BBQs, huge buffet breakfasts and room service eaten picnic-style from the comfort of a kingsize bed. Even when we stay closer to home, cream teas, local delicacies and food made from seasonal British produce always feature heavily on our holiday to-do list.

Six months after our wedding, Mr L.A. and I spent two weeks in Koh Samui. The highlight of our honeymoon was the Friday night market at Bophut’s Fisherman Village. As we strolled through the crowds, a smörgåsbord of exotic food and curbside cocktails littered the busy streets.

At sunset, we paused to purchase mojitos, admiring the makeshift bar fashioned from driftwood and paint. Further on, we stood mesmerised as pad thai was prepared from scratch, colourful ingredients sizzling frantically in a huge iron wok. With our hunger satiated and our bellies full, we eventually tumbled into a tuk tuk, clinging on for dear life as it trundled back to our hotel.

After trawling through long-forgotten footage from our travels, Mr L.A. kindly created this highlight reel of our adventures in Southeast Asia…

The colours, flavours and ingredients from this part of the world are among my favourites, forever linked to two perfect family holidays, one with my children and one without. Nasi Goreng is a delicious twist on Chinese stir-fried rice and one of the most popular Indonesian dishes. I first tasted it in a tiny beach hut restaurant in Bali, feeding mouthfuls to Jesse in between my own hungry bites.

This recipe, adapted from Jamie’s Comfort Food, is something I cook often. My children aren’t so little anymore. Without photos and film the memories begin to fade, but food brings everything back, flooding my senses with tastes and smells that will always remind me of dreamy days spent lounging on a beautiful Balinese beach.

You will need:

• 2 x 250g Tilda Pure Steamed Basmati Rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
• 1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 200g fine green beans, finely sliced at an angle
• 200g tenderstem broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Groundnut oil
• 1 tbsp palm sugar {or muscovado sugar}
• 3 tbsp kecap manis {sweet soy sauce}
• Fish sauce
• 4 spring onions
• 4 large eggs

Cucumber Pickle

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 bunch fresh coriander {30g}
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp caster sugar

1. Start by making the pickle. Peel the cucumber, slice it into 1/2cm thick rounds and place in a bowl  Finely chop half the coriander stalks {reserving the leaves} and add this to the cucumber with the rice vinegar and the lime zest and juice. Sprinkle over the caster sugar, season and toss well.

2. Place a large heavy-bottomed pan or wok on a high heat, adding a good lug of oil before you throw in the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander stalks and palm sugar.

3. Stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the green beans, broccoli and rice, separating the grains with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, tossing regularly until the rice is hot through.

4. Stir in the kecap manis and a few shakes of fish sauce to season before removing your pan from the heat. Place a quarter of the rice in a small bowl, push down to compact and then turn out on to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining rice.

5. To create beautifully crisp, bubbly eggs, add 1/2cm oil to a non-stick pan on a high heat. Once hot, crack in the eggs and fry so the whites really bubble up, becoming crisp and golden around the edges. Hold the pan at an angle and spoon hot oil over the yolks until they are cooked to your liking. Remove to kitchen paper and pat off the excess oil.

6. Use the eggs to top each portion of rice and then scatter with spring onions, slithers of chilli and the reserved coriander leaves before serving with the cucumber pickle.

Love Audrey xxx

P.S. This is my entry to become a #MarkWarnerMum in the ‘Serious Foodie’ category. You can find more information about the Mark Warner Holidays’ Family Ambassador Programme here. Wish me luck!