We've discussed in previous posts how you should concentrate on creating and producing food you know and are familiar and comfortable with, and in this way producing the very best of results.
I have a group of the most gorgeous Thai girlfriends. They are THE happiest, friendliest, most generous, humourous, caring and loving people I have ever met.
And they LOVE preparing, cooking and eating food together. And what's even better, they love inviting me to share this moving experience with them.
I learn so much from these girls. Mostly I pick up cooking tips and habits from them, but I also learn so many other cultural things. They love being here in Tassie. They love our lifestyles here. They try hard to assimilate. Sometimes people have been unnecessarily cruel to my friends. This makes me ashamed to be Australian. But other times, the girls are so happy to share our life here, that I'm proud to be Australian.
They get together often, as they would at home in Thailand, chattering away in their own language. But you don't have to know the language to get the drift of what they're talking about!
Mostly it's about the food, which way they're preparing it, who thinks it needs more of what, and let's all taste it before we go any further!
It all seems so simple and easy when I'm with the girls in their kitchen. But when I try to duplicate their pho, it doesn't taste in the slightest bit like the one I had with them. Why is that?
I've put great thought into it, and you know what? I reckon it's that crazy little thing called "love"! (Who else could combine Freddie Mercury with food?)
It's got to be their passion and love of the food that gives the girls their culinary edge.
The girls frequently return to Thailand to brush up on their skills (and have the odd facial enhancement while they're at it! They tell me it's way cheaper over there, and I should come over with them next time!!).
There's nothing like eating their genuine Thai food, prepared and cooked in the traditional way by the girls. You gotta love this immigration thing!
Monday 23 July 2007
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17 comments:
Thats a nice piece Rita, and sends me back (but the stories too long to recount).
I'm all for diversity Rita and have always enjoyed sampling the delights of other cultures and learning their techniques. My best man was an Indian , we grew up together, now I can tell you a thing or to about Indian food, its a bit of a passion of mine, just as well as the top English dish is Indian.
On the other hand, immigration... Well, no wonder there is so much fish and chips.... Us pommies are still Australia's number one import. Bring on the French.
Hi cartouche - wouldn't most of our fish & chips still be greek, not pommie? I loved your country for its fish & chips, and would dearly love to see chippies like that dotted round the place here.
Did you cook with your Indian friend?
I agree about the diversity, but can we extend the importation to many other lands as well as France please?
Tommorrow Rita I will give you a little insight into the lovely immigration dept rules and regs on how to arrive on these shores. Should be an eye opener.
Rita I see exactly where you are coming from. Living in Halls with a large number of indian students, the girls who all could cook and cook well, spoilt me for indian food. I still cant eat Rotti without comparing it to the ones we made in the buttery and cooked on the stove top - no skillet or anything, just straight onto the element. Flip once and dab ghee in the centre. Eat.
Yes, we're still trying to clean those elements zelda.
You can't get a decent indian bread in hobart, but.
Sir Grumpy
Seems like the rest of you are really hooked on genuine Indian.
What do you think of our current Indian restaurants here in Hoabrt?
CRAP, Rita.
Sir G.
One takeaway in town, apart from having very ordinary food, looks filthy. It's near that French place that had the fire.
Don't we have food inspectors in Tassie?
Yes Rita, dining at the "Al'Rhammadams", was a delight. They had their own clay tandoor oven, Nans slapped on the side. Cubes of chicken would be cooked and dusted in spices, indescribable chutneys and preserves all over the place, and yes the curries. Sister Estelle opened an establishment with her chef husband, and the Passanda with a good few Tiger beers, was a memorable night. I used to get together sometimes after work and occasionally muck about with the family in the kitchen.
Here is a basic curry recipe, that I've used for years.
1 cup of almonds, cashews or macadamias.
Brown off two onions and at the last minute add a little butter to pan, 1 inch cube chopped fresh ginger, 6-8 garlic cloves, lightly fry to activate flavour, do not burn.
In a good blender, add nuts, 1 cup of clarified butter (or ghee) 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt, teaspoon garam massala, half cup of coconut cream, half handful fresh corriander, 3 pinches of cinnamon, as much quality mild curry paste or madras to your taste, tablespoon of tomato puree, safron or turmeric for colour. Chillies if you want to take the enamel off your teeth.
Blend the lot to a smooth paste, add a little more ghee, to get the required consistency, or coconut cream.
Heat up and serve over the meat of your choice.
Thanks to Estelle and Juggie.
And Sir G, personally I love Anna Purna.
Yummm cartouche - recipe sounds gorgeous. We must try it soon.
Annapurna - I heard bad hygiene reports about it recently by someone very reliable. Not too sure on that one.
My preference is Tandoor Curry House, as I love Indian, but am always a bit dubious about our Indian restaurants here. The one referred to above by Anon is Little India, and yes, is definitely black banned by any sane person!
I don't know which way the food inspectors were looking when they examined that place but I agree with you Anon. Maybe it was Basil Fawltys food inspectors?
Food inspectors. You get your good ones you get your bad ones. Reality check for some of you, they usually last about 15mins, once a year, including the chit chat. Always have to find something (seal on a sink, that sort of thing). Now I run a tight ship, for some it may be different. But think of it this way; there are not many inspectors, they are way over worked at the moment and not nearly well paid enough. But trust me on this one, if its serious, they get stuck in, and rightly so. I have a good relationship with mine, and I like to think that the customer health inspector restaurant relationship is symbiotic. We all have something to offer.Personally,I think food is like sex! If someones going to put something in me, they had better be clean, I'd better enjoy it, and they darn well better not give me anything.
As for sexual harrassment of your workers, no I do not frequent establishments for this reason either.
I have had a good curry at Annapurna, cartouche.
But they let themselves down badly when a bunch of us went for a special lunch event.
It was bloody awful.
And a mate who gets the garlic naans. They seem to used pre-cooked naans with some quickly chopped raw garlic pressed into them at the end.
Like, whatever naan (cheese etc) you order, there is a basic naan with a quick add-on.
Now, proper garlic naans has the garlic incorporated properly like, guv'nor.
Wouldn't get away with it in Southall mate, I can tell ye.
Sir Grumpy.
I guess I'm spoilt. The sheer proliferation of Indian restaurants in the U.K. and most of them were pretty good. I love Indian food, culture etc. Its good in the UK because they can attract the very best. Hobart? Yeah, top of every Indians wish list.
I remember telling my wife (who is Taswegian), "Look I aint going if there is'nt a decent curry house".
Annapurna, is about as good as I've had here, not perfect, but good.
On to Kingston, Cafe Nammaskar. Great Nans, but some of the curries early on were described as gravy. Tsk Tsk. Come on guys, pull out the stops, show Kingston what your really made of.
PS. Magic curries?
I think the service and food at Magic Curries is brilliant. Have been very disappointed by Annapurna on a number of occasions.
When we go past Magic Curries in the car, me and the missus chant....Magic Curries....Disappear!
The main course I had tasted like tomato ketchup with vinegar in it.
(Yes, yes. I know Chicken Tikka Masala has its roots in that...but CTM has much MORE as well).
When I complained (gently, and because I was asked if everything was okay when the waiter saw most of my meal left alone) I got the most sour-faced response. The woman running front of house had a haughty attitude as though the kitchen could do no wrong.
I had left 80 per cent of my mains and relied on the mercy of my missus for some of her less-bad stuff.
Won't never go back and no one can convince me it is any good.
Sir Grumpy
I'll tell you one place we won't be going back to. I think it's called Vima or something, near the lovely German bakery in Sandy Bay.
Someone on a local blog said they had a good feed, if you ordered cooked from fresh.
Well me and the kid din't have time on Saturday, but as the chef was just delivering a batch of Szichuan beef to the bain marie, I thiought why not.
Must be just cooked.
He looked at us, no hello, etc.
Then he called out to a woman in the kitchen, obviously to come and serve.
Out she comes, no smile, no hello, no nothing.
Not even how can i help your, or what would you like.
I asked for some the the beef. She slapped in on a plate and shoved it towards me. The kid wanted noodles. She slapped them on a plate and almost threw them across the counter at us.
I asked if there was chilli sauce.
On the table , she said then turned and stormed back off into the kitchen.
Noodles were shit and claggy. Kid left them.
Beef was so basic.
But what sticks in the mind was the terrible lack of politeness or service.
The kid wanted a drink. But I said, look we'll get it somewhere else, I wouldn't give this place another cracker.
Unbelievable. And we don't have two heads.
That sounds awful, anon. I haven't been there but had heard a few good things about it.
I don't know anything about the owners either.
Well - another one to watch out for, or for someone else to try it & see if they get the same treatment.
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