June 29, 2007 at 12:34 am
· Filed under misc, savoury
There are many things in the kitchen that get me excited, but the smell of herbs elevates me to a natural high like nothing else can. Herbs, both fresh and dried, feature quite prominently in my cooking. Dried oreganos add a savoury note to the tomato paste and cut the richness of cheese in pizzas, while fresh lemon thyme works really well with roast chicken, baked potatoes, fish and anything really if you’re a thyme nut like myself.
There has been this snobbery over dried herbs where they’re treated like some outcast creation of the industrial age. Dried herbs have actually been around for ages, to either give a different dimension to the dish, or as a substitute ingredient for the lazy cook such as myself. I’m quite happy to substitute dried parsley for its fresh variant, on those days when I have neither the time nor the inclination to visit the supermarket solely for the pursuit of fresh parsley.
In any case, my favourite herb is the lemongrass. This beautiful herb usually works behind the scenes, adding gently its subtle floral essence in braised dishes or dry curries. Southeast Asian dishes tend to include a whole multitude of ingredients, and at times I often wonder if some of the herbs or spices are redundant. But lemongrass is one of those herbs whose presence can seem to be missing amidst all the different flavours, but whose absence is definitely felt when it’s removed from the recipe.
There are many ways to enjoy lemongrass. It can be blended with onions and other aromatics into a paste, or sliced thinly and scattered over meat. I extract the greatest pleasure by bruising the stalks and throwing it into the pot, letting it simmer and slowly release its beautiful notes of citrus in the background.
The tom yam fish prepared in the photo involves steaming a whole fish (I think it was barramundi that day, but any fresh white fish will suffice). While steam is happily puffing away gently cooking the fish and turning its flesh from its translucent shine into soft tender white, I make the sauce by frying sliced onions, too much garlic, oyster sauce, tom yam paste and the bruised lemongrass stalks.
When all the meat has been consumed, some people enjoy sucking the bones of the fish. I much prefer to suck on my bruised lemongrass, extracting the essence for all its worth.
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September 11, 2006 at 12:21 am
· Filed under misc
In the world we live in, one of the most precious commodities, besides oil of course, is perhaps time itself. Despite the advent of new technology such as laptops and PDAs that promises to increase efficiency and cut down on the amount of time spent working, we seem to be even busier than before. Time seems to obey the same principles that govern the Rules of Roads: the more roads you build, the more traffic jams you get caught in. The more time we set “free”, the less time we have for ourselves.
However, there are in fact many ways of filling our stomach without resorting to Macca’s or KFC. For a quick food that is both easy to prepare and exotic, I almost always turn to noodles. They are more versatile than rice, in that they take less time to cook, and you don’t have to worry about making accompanying dishes (unless you’re happy eating rice with fried eggs, in which case I salute you for your lack of fussiness).
I keep a packet of Japanese noodles (ramen, soba or udon) in the pantry together with a packet of instant noodle soup powder. Purists might read this in disgust and abandon me altogether but I really can’t be bothered making my own broth. In any case, I plunge my noodles into the hot soup and simply add any salad or leafy vegetable that’s soft enough to cook in its own steam. Slurping my piping hot noodles, I am a happy man.
Desserts, the highlight of the meal, are normally not quick to prepare. A speedy dessert would simply be ice cream, or if I’m feeling a bit industrious, I’d make a hot chocolate sauce to be poured on top of the ice cream.
Brownies are really easy to make; simply combine flour, nuts, sugar and chocolate pieces (I’m being very general here, obviously there’s more things to add and measurements to consider). Sticky date pudding is a popular Australian pudding that’s not as revered as the Pavlova or even Peach Melba, but I personally find that it’s the best of the lot. Like the brownies, it takes only about half an hour to bake in the oven. I normally let them bake while I enjoy my main meal and have them straight out of the oven for a rich and sweet finish to another long day…
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