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Updated May 2013

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*Now published*

Capital Spice by Chrissie Walker

Enter our free draw for a copy here

• Join award-winning cookbook author Corinne Trang, a celebrated expert on Asian cuisine, as she guides you through New York City's Chinatown demystifying the world of Asian ingredients. You'll discover markets specializing in dried seafood, bird's nests, and more, and meet an herbalist. You'll visit a typical Asian supermarket and vegetable stand where condiments and produce will be identified and tips on proper storage and use will be revealed. You'll taste all sorts of dumplings, northern style pulled noodles, Southeast Asian beef jerky, and Asian-style ice cream including black sesame and lychee. The tour will also include a Taiwanese tea service. Bring an open mind and an appetite!
  
  Tours are scheduled every Wednesday starting the first week of July, from 10 AM to 2 PM (unless otherwise noted) for a minimum of 8 and maximum of 10 people. (Please note: autographed copies of Essentials of Asian Cuisine, The Asian Grill (2006), and Noodles Every Day (2009) are extra and available at a discounted price.) For more information including cost or to arrange a private group tour, please email ct@corinnetrang.com. Also feel free to browse through the website at http://www.corinnetrang.com/
  

CURRY FOR CHANGE

THE CAMPAIGN:

TIMINGS:

June

THE CAMPAIGN ONLINE:
Visit our micro site:www.curryforchange.org.uk
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Follow the campaign on twitter: #curryforchange

Confirmed events:

• Darjeeling Express Supper club

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CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:

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Majestic Malacca

For more information on Malaysian holidays visit MASholidays here

For flights to Malaysia visit

Train2e@t Local Foodbook - Kuala Lumpur by Danny Chen

Danny Chen is the author of this small yet deliciously stuffed book. He is the complete modern man, being a lover not only of Malaysian cuisine but of music and travel too, and well placed to pen a volume that considers one of the best things in life: Food.

Danny isn’t a full-time food writer although he is evidently a full-time eater. It’s the Malaysian national hobby which is practised to perfection at least five times each day. People talk about lunch at breakfast. They ponder dinner at lunch, and then there are those other between-meal meals.

Malaysian street food is fast food.  That expression will lead my dear reader to assume that the roads of Kuala Lumpur are lined with pizza parlours and burger joints. Well, they are creeping in and it’s a mystery why. Fast food here is the traditional street food that is made while the drooling diner waits, or is already in a steaming pot ready to be served. Now that is surely faster than that Western ‘fast-food’ for which one will queue to order, queue to pay, and leave after only moments, having chewed an insubstantial and iffy patty which lacks flavour, cultural context and pertinence outside the land of its inception.

Kuala Lumpur has thousands of restaurants and street stalls selling food to the local population who appreciate a cuisine as diverse as those who seek it. Every resident will have his favourite spot for a soup noodle dish, his preferred stall for fried tofu, and a restaurant which he believes sells the best rice dish.

Danny Chen gives the food lover, be they Malaysian or visiting tourist, an overview of some of the most iconic, tempting and economic dishes to be found in the city, and the element that links all these plates is the transport system. Danny has selected eateries that are within a kilometre of a station. There is an Integrated Train System map at the front of the book to enable the hungry to plan both meal and method of getting to it.

Kuala Lumpur offers vibrant foods that reflect the cultural mix of those living in the city. Train2e@t Local Foodbook will encourage locals to try some restaurants and stalls with which they might not be familiar, and it’s surely going to become the must-read guide for the visitor. More accurately it’s the must-carry guide for any tourist who wants to immerse himself in traditional culture. Remember those aforementioned 5 meals per day.

I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon with this charming and culinarily passionate writer who took me on a mini grazing marathon. There is a world of traditional Asian dishes in Malaysia and it seems we made an effort to sample an embarrassing wealth of them. Every nation who has had even a passing relationship with this peninsula has left its mark. Along with Malay there are Chinese specialities and Indian curries, amongst others.

We stroll through the thronging Chinatown and pass stalls selling ‘designer-label’ handbags along with the usual array of tourist kitchery, but we were on a mission and heading for Madras Lane. The official name of the street is Jalan Sultan but Madras Lane is the name by which it’s known, and is said to pay homage to the Madras Cinema which burnt down in 1978. In typical Malaysian fashion, the Madras showed Chinese films to a Malaysian audience.

Madras Lane can be intimidating with its cramped tables and novel dining etiquette. Danny says that it’s important to pick a stall for one’s food and then find its associated tables, as there are rules about sitting in the correct zone.

We sample assam laksa which  is a sour, fish-based soup and was listed at number 7 on the World's 50 Most Delicious Foods complied by CNN Go in 2011. Assam is the Malay word for tamarind which is a common souring ingredient in Indian recipes. It was used to great advantage here to give rich sharpness. Next was the more usual Curry Laksa which has a creamy coconut stock base. We also enjoyed rice noodles and stuffed tofu. With each dish Danny gave information about origin and ingredients.

The meal was hot and spicy so a refreshing drink was in order. Danny suggests Petaling Street market in Chinatown for a mug of Air Mata Kucing. This is a traditional Malaysian drink and the name translates literally as "Tears of the Cat's Eyes" as the leaves of this tree seem to glow in the dark. You may know the fruit as a Longan which is related to the lychee. Dried longans are boiled with rock sugar to produce a sweet liquid looking like black brewed tea. Unmissable.

Our next stop introduced us to Indian food in Malaysia. It’s exactly like Indian food in India and Anuja restaurant made no concessions to Europeans. No silverware here …and no plates. Restoran Anuja, in Jalan Pudu, is a 2-storey restaurant and those in the know will head upstairs to enjoy air-conditioning. It’s famed for its banana leaf rice. The leaf is in fact your plate and it’s a substantial swath of green to accommodate an equally copious spread of biryani with eggs, side dishes, sauces, chutneys and piping hot fried fish. There was also moist and flavourful fried chicken along with papadoms and naan bread. The restaurant is casual but the standard of food was as good as one would find in any restaurant sporting the usual complement of forks and crockery. Delightful.

Yes, I was spoilt by having Danny Chen as a guide but anyone can buy his book and it’s worth the investment. You will find the best examples of remarkable dishes; you will eat with locals; you will eat like locals; and will doubtless be planning your stay to encompass as many of the gastronomic attractions of Kuala Lumpur as the historic variety. This is a colourful, informative and exciting book for anyone who considers eating as important as breathing.

Train2e@t Local Foodbook - Kuala Lumpur by Danny Chen is available here

For more information on Malaysian holidays visit MASholidays here

For flights to Malaysia visit

Hop-On Hop-Off – Day and Night Tour in Kuala Lumpur

although Malaysia has enough to delight, tempt and inspire those who want a longer visit. Malaysia does indeed have those tropical beaches, but it offers more.

One can miss so much without a guide, but walking tours take time and might not be appealing in hot weather …and it’s liable to be hot weather in Kuala Lumpur. But a bus tour will give the visitor an overview and will cover the most celebrated attractions. Hop-On Hop-Off Day and Night Tours are unique, comfortable and give that aforementioned overview, and some of those sites visited are actually shown to best advantage after dark.

The Hop-On Hop-Off service has a regular circular route that allows tourists to start the tour at any point and end at the same place. The route passes around three dozen local attractions with 22 designated stops.

Tickets can be purchased on the distinctive double-deck buses, from authorized agents and, conveniently, on-line. They offer a flexible "hop on, hop off" service which allows the passengers to alight at any of the stops to see sites in more detail, or they can stay on the bus for the whole circuit. Tickets are valid for either 24 hours or 48 hours allowing passengers to set a relaxed pace but still see plenty of this city.

The Hop-On Hop-Off service has a pre-recorded commentary on headsets in nine languages (Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Hindi, Tamil, Arabic, Japanese, French and Spanish).  There is a driver and a tour assistant on each bus to help passengers during the trip. They are both local and will be able to answer any questions.

There is a Customer Service Centre for the Hop-On Hop-Off tours at Malaysia Tourism Information Centre (Jalan Ampang), Bukit Bintang, KL Sentral (arrival hall) and Central Market, and there is also a toll-free info-line at 1-800-88-5546.

Some highlights:

Chinatown

Sri Mahamariaman Temple

Petronas Twin Towers

Batu Caves and Lord Muragan Hindu Temple

Kuala Lumpur City Gallery

Satay Station

For more information on Malaysian holidays visit MASholidays here

For flights to Malaysia visit

Peranakan in Malacca, Malaysia

In the 15th century some city-states on the Malay Peninsula paid taxes to China and Siam, now Thailand. There is a legend that the Emperor of China sent a princess, Hang Li Po, to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute. The 500 nobles and their servants who accompanied the princess eventually married local girls, and their descendants became “Straits-Chinese” or Peranakans.

You might think you know nothing of this unique culture, but Peranakan ladies have inspired the striking, beautiful and iconic costume worn by Malaysia Airlines staff that is loosely, or more accurately, tightly, based on the Peranakan kebaya. The traditional dress for Peranakan women is a long skirt adapted from the Malays’ batik sarong, with a chiffon embroidered blouse called a kebaya. These gorgeous creations are enhanced still further by the traditional three fastening brooches called kerosang. The costume is completed by a pair of intricately beaded slippers called kasot manek. These were originally made by sewing Bohemian glass beads onto canvas-topped shoes. The designs tended to be floral and reflected the patterns found in the colourful Peranakan dinner services and tea sets.

Malaysians and Indonesians use the word ‘Peranakan’, meaning descendant, followed by a qualifying indication of ethnicity, such as Cina for Chinese, and Belanda for Dutch, the term referring to the origins of someone’s great-grandparents or ancestors even further back than that. Female Straits-Chinese descendants were called nyonyas. The word nyonya or nonya comes from Javanese and is thought to be a corruption of the word ‘donha’, the Portuguese for lady. Baba is a Persian word borrowed by Malay speakers as a respectful name for grandparents. The term is thought to originate with Hindi-speaking traders.

Baba Nyonya heritage is celebrated at the private museum, called the Peranakan Museum, run by the Babas and Nyonyas of Malacca. This traditional 19th century Peranakan house is located along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. The building shows some of the typical elements of a Peranakan house: it’s a long house as properties were taxed by width, and has an interior courtyard which allows both light and refreshing rain into a home that would otherwise be rather gloomy.

From the Malay and Chinese influence Nyonya cuisine has developed, and it’s becoming more popular as food-lovers search for regional or speciality dishes. There is too much exciting food in Malaysia to even consider a burger or even the ever-popular fried chicken on your visit, and it’s unlikely you’ll find Peranakan dishes outside the Peninsula.  Peranakan cuisine takes advantage of a larder of regional spices, and a battery of unique dishes has evolved to entice and intrigue the diner – they range from the mild and comforting to the spicy and complex. The visitor might have had Peranakan food in Singapore and that is also authentic, but the Peranakan food in Malaysia is said to be hotter.

Laksa Lemak – rice noodles in coconut sauce – is a popular dish in Malaysia with each restaurant offering its own interpretation. Ayam Buah Keluak – Chicken with Keluak nuts – Is one of the most famous Peranakan dishes. It’s delicious but needs to be prepared by professionals: the seeds contain hydrogen cyanide and are poisonous if consumed without proper processing. The nuts are boiled and buried in ash and banana leaves and covered with earth for more than a month. They change colour from a creamy white to dark brown or black; the hydrogen cyanide released by the boiling and fermentation is washed away with fresh water. The result when cooked is a nutty-sweet preparation which is often returned to its shell for final presentation. Ayam Buah Keluak is thought by many Peranakan food aficionados to be the characteristic expression of how well a chef has mastered the

Assam Pedas Mackerel

Restoran Peranakan

Restoran Peranakan
107, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock,
75200, Melaka (Malacca)
Malaysia


For more information on Malaysian holidays visit MASholidays here

For flights to Malaysia visit

Korean Royal Cuisine

Korean food fits well with the tastes of the British public. We crave spice but also freshness. We enjoy simply cooked seasonal ingredients. Korean food has much to offer and it’s more available than ever. But what is Korean food?

Korean Royal Court cuisine can be traced back to the palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, which
ruled Korea from 1392 until 1910. Kings were pampered and it was important for them to eat healthy food.  They were carried on sedan chairs so they didn’t even have the chance of gentle exercise. Their diet was designed to be low in fat to compensate for physical inactivity.

The king would dine on a dozen different main dishes along with a number of accompanying dishes including two types of cooked rice, two types of soups, three types of kimchi (pickled vegetables), two types of stew, three types of condiments and a steamed dish.

The twelve principal dishes were served on small plates and consisted of cooked vegetables, fresh vegetables, chilled roasted meat or fish,  a boiled dish, pickled vegetables, dried meat or fish, salted fish, stir-fried vegetables, and slices of boiled beef; there would also be three special dishes of poached eggs, sashimi, and warm roasted meat or fish.

All these dishes served not only to nourish the monarch but to act as a guide as to how the rest of the country was faring: the population was obliged to offer the king the best of their produce. Crops would be harvested, game would be hunted and trapped, and fish would be caught. The quality and quantity of these foodstuffs would be an indication of the health and happiness of the nation.

A particularly attractive Korean dish gives a hint of the refinement of some of these courtly foods. It’s the Gujeolpan which is the name for the food and what it’s served in – very much like a casserole being served in a casserole or a tagine being served in a tagine.

Gujeolpan or ‘platter of nine delicacies’ is just what the name suggests. It’s traditionally an octagonal lacquered wooden box with eight compartments around the sides and a central compartment.  These days they are also made of ceramic and even plastic. The outside sections are filled with cooked vegetables, meats and eggs (with yolk and white separated). The foods are placed so that similarly-coloured items are opposite and this creates a harmonious design when the Gujeolpan is filled.

The centre of the Gujeolpan is reserved for the delicate wheat pancakes (Miljeon-byeong) which are often coloured with pureed vegetables. Each guest takes a little of the prepared foods and fills a pancake. This is rolled or folded and then dipped in sauces before being eaten. The Gujeolpan always looks beautiful and exotic, and even the formality of filling and rolling is appealing.

Gujeolpan

Ingredients

For marinating beef

Pancakes

Mustard Sauce

Vinegar-soy sauce

Method

Asma Khan

Naga Pan-Asian restaurant

Park Regis – Singapore

Perfection in Imperfection

Kaiseki Yoshiyuki - Singapore

origami show imagination and flair but the décor doesn’t overshadow the food. Nothing here offends the senses.


A meal at Kaiseki Yoshiyuki is memorable. The presentation is classic with each of the many courses being offered to the guest as a complete set on their personal tray. Every dish is beautiful, light and delicious, and there are even elements of culinary whimsy. Yes, the impression is of timeless formality, but enjoy the food and the event. This is as far from one’s usual fast sushi outlet as one could imagine. Sit at the counter and savour the ambiance.


Iggy Chan never disappoints. Kaiseki Yoshiyuki is a credit to both Ignatius and this worthy chef who takes advantage of Singapore’s access to the best ingredients from across the globe. This must surely be on the must-visit restaurant list of any local or tourist.


Opening times:
Monday - Friday
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm for lunch
7:00 pm - 9:30 pm for dinner

Saturday
7:00 pm - 9:30 pm for dinner

Kaiseki Yoshiyuki
Forum the Shopping Mall
#B1-39
583 Orchard Road,
Singapore 238884
Singapore

Visit Kaiseki Yoshiyuki here 

Raffles Hotel - Raffles Courtyard for a taste of Italy

The Ritz Singapore Spring Weekend Afternoon Tea

with Executive Chef Massimo Pasquarelli and Executive Pastry Chef Terence Pang

totally different. I remember two desserts: one was bread with sugar, and the second was milk – my grandmother collected the milk in a cast-iron pan and scooped the mousse from the top, and added sugar.’

Cheese is a traditionally European ingredient: how does Massimo reconcile that with working with such a talented Asian pastry chef as Terence Pang?

‘We started work on the menu in November. Terence is someone who is very passionate and it’s been very easy to get ideas together. Before we are able to offer this menu to the guests we need to have it clear in our own minds. If we see that there is excitement about the theme then it means that it makes sense.’

At the Ritz-Carlton Singapore the Sunday Brunch and the Tea have an Asian accent. I wondered if that was a difficult step for this very European chef. ‘I went back to basics. At the end of the day it’s all about passion, whether the chef is French or Chinese, and even if he doesn’t speak English, you can see it in his eyes, you can see how much of himself he puts into his food. That’s how I got into Chinese cuisine – I followed those Chinese master chefs, looked at their benchmarks, and came back to the kitchen to see how we could improve what we were doing here.’

Having planned this Spring Afternoon Tea late last year, Massimo and Terence must now be planning the next season’s theme. ‘Yes, first of all we have to define Summer, and come up with a new concept. After the Cheese theme, the next one I want to present is a sunny Summer landscape, perhaps with a corner of blue sky ...something with coconut, maybe. Every quarter I want to come up with something different, with the theme coming first and then the recipes.’

These two executive chefs have formed an enviable culinary partnership. They creatively and comfortably straddle both Europe and Asia in a fashion that transcends that rather hackneyed description ‘fusion’. They combine the best of ingredients from across the globe and offer their guests plates of extraordinary culinary artistry and imagination, and the results are harmonious and memorable. Their handiwork is almost too delightful to eat. Almost.

Punjab Grill by Jiggs Kalra

The House of Trembling Leaves

Willin Low - Wild Rocket, Singapore

Majestic Restaurant Singapore

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore - 

Grand Vintage Champagne Sunday Brunch

Arun Kapil – Green Saffron

It’s possible that the names of both Arun Kapil and his company Green Saffron will be new to you but it’s likely that over the next year or so they will become, if not household, at least kitchen names. The man and the company are carving out a respectable place for themselves in Ireland and in the UK. Green Saffron is an award-winning family business based in the famous food county of Cork, Ireland. They specialise in the best quality whole spices and unique blends and sauces for use in home as well as professional kitchens.

Green Saffron Red Lentil Dahl Spice Mix arrived along with food products from far and wide, the usual post of boxes of (usually) interesting items, but this little packet was bound to find its way to the top of the pile. Dahl is comforting and particularly when, as on this day, the snow is snowing, the wind is blowing (cue a song). I weathered that storm with the most delicious pot of lentils I have ever eaten.
But how did this particular spice route start? This handsome olive-skinned chap has not a trace of Irish brogue but a rather polished upper-class English accent. He comfortably straddles Asia and Europe and is well-placed to take advantage of both continents.

‘My father’s Indian, from a Brahmin Hindu family, and trained in Lucknow as a doctor. My mother’s from Headingley, Yorkshire. My father was the youngest of 7, and it was a big thing for an Indian to decide to come to Britain in the 60s, but he was the black sheep of the family. His mother and father had died when he was quite young, and his family said, “If you’re leaving, you must learn to fend for yourself,” so they taught him how to cook. Now for a Hindu man in the 60s to cook was quite strange. They taught him to cook kitcheree, lentil dishes, potato dishes, tomato dishes, and packed him off.

‘He came to Leicester, where he met my mum in Leicester General Hospital. My mum clearly had a liberal way of thinking, because to be marrying an Indian man in those days was quite a rebellious thing to do! So the three of us – myself, my younger brother and my elder brother – had a very loving, liberal upbringing.’ It’s evident that Arun’s parents have given him a free spirit and a ‘can-do’ attitude that has served him well.

A gastronomic career wasn’t initially on Arun’s agenda although he has always loved good food and vibrant flavour. ‘If we weren’t making models out of Corn Flake boxes and Andrex tubes we were cooking: rock buns, marble cakes... I have so many memories of cooking – corned-beef hash, Mum’s cowboy ranch beans which we used to have when we went to Wales on our holidays. ‘Kitcheree is the one recipe of my dad’s that I keep coming back to. I have vivid memories of being fed on rice pudding and raspberry jam, or kitcheree (the basis of the English kedgeree) while my mum was having my little brother. Now that my father is retired he is coming back to cooking, and Methi Aloo (potatoes with fenugreek leaves) is his latest thing, which was a childhood favourite of his.

‘Mum and Dad were by no means extravagant: “We have to cook for ourselves, we can’t afford to eat out all the time,” very practical. But I am fortunate in that we used to go to India quite a lot when I was young, so having seen big bowls of lentils, Mum and Dad in the kitchen cooking, sweet and aromatic smells, ladies in saris, bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label – it was an attack on the senses and it was something I wanted to dive into.

‘It was when I went away to school at Oundle that I began to ignore my Indian side and concentrate on the British, probably because I wanted to ‘fit in’.’ Oundle was founded by the Worshipful Company of Grocers; coincidentally the Company was responsible for maintaining standards for the purity of spices, and was closely associated with the East India Company.

‘That was while I was in junior house at Oundle, but when I moved up to a senior house I began to rebel, or at least my Indian side began to come out and I became a little more ‘left of centre’! I was in a rock band at school, joined the National Youth Music Theatre (my first pay-cheque ever was from the BBC!), and I was into acting and music.’

School finished and Arun moved to London where everybody assumed he would take a lucrative job in the City. ‘I

Easy Indian Cooking

Hari Nayak is an Indian-born chef who now tempts the taste buds of Americans. In fact he, unlike most Indian chefs in the West, graduated from a non-Asian cookery school, and in his case the prestigious CIA. That’s not the Central Intelligence Agency of the USA but the more internationally appreciated Culinary Institute of America.

Easy Indian Cooking reflects Hari’s memories of the food with which he grew up, his unique understanding of traditional Indian food, and an appreciation of what ingredients are available to an American or European housewife. You won’t be expected to book a shopping trip to Mumbai and you won’t need to install a tandoor.

Indian food has long been popular in the UK, and Chicken Tikka Masala has been said to be our national dish, but it is now interesting food-lovers in the US – that’s Indian food, not the hybrid Chicken Tikka Masala! Yes, it’s a different flavour palate from Mexican food but Americans have always enjoyed spices of all kinds so it’s not such a leap into the culinary unknown to present them with delicious and rich flavours and textures of the sub-continent.

Hari has chosen recipes that are simple to prepare, are economic, delicious and moreish. They range from the mild and aromatic to the chilli-hot but one can vary the heat by using less spice (although I would counsel making the dish to the recipe for the first time). Those new to Indian cooking will be surprised to know that the focus is on flavour rather than heat.

One of my favourites from Easy Indian Cooking is the recipe for Vaangi Baath – Spicy Eggplant (aubergine) Rice with Mint. The basic preparation is a South Indian dish popular among the Brahmin community and seldom found in restaurants – Hari adds his own twist by using a little fresh mint.

Many Indians are vegetarian and so that cuisine offers a huge array of dishes that don’t contain meat. These are just as flavourful as those cooked with animal products but, in these days of financial gloom it’s good to take advantage of better-value (and healthier) ingredients that don’t sacrifice taste.

Hari offers a selection of lentil (dal) recipes that will likely convert carnivores to at least part-time vegetarianism. Spicy Red Lentils use those small lentils that are found on every western supermarket shelf. The list of spices might look lengthy but once you have those you will be able to make most of the other dishes in this inspiring book. These lentils make a comforting meal when simply served over basmati rice with a relish as garnish.

Easy Indian Cooking has more than 100 Indian and Indian-inspired recipes that will introduce a new audience to the vibrant tapestry of sub-continental fare, and to the skill and charm of this talented chef.

Easy Indian Cooking
Author: Hari Nayak
Publisher: Periplus Editions
ISBN-10: 0804843031
ISBN-13: 978-0804843034

Ramen at YO! Sushi

Cinnamon Kitchen – The Cookbook

Cinnamon Kitchen is another of the restaurants in chef Vivek Singh’s empire. Cinnamon Club in Westminster has long been the classy and dark- polished-wood Indian restaurant of choice for the great and the good, and even politicians from the big house up the road. Cinnamon Soho has recently opened and offers a dining experience that’s fast, casual and buzzy and introduces a new audience to the same standard of delicious food, but in a form rushed diners prefer.

Cinnamon Kitchen was the second in Vivek's portfolio and manages to straddle the two concepts. It’s more casual than its formal parent, Cinnamon Club, but it still has the air of fine dining, just clothed in less tailored attire. Smart-casual would describe the guests and the ambiance.

Cinnamon Kitchen – The Cookbook presents a beautifully photographed collection of recipes from the Cinnamon Kitchen team. They cover every course as well as some drinks from Anise, the bar, and some recipes have step-by-step images of preparation for the novice.

At first glance some of the recipes might look complicated but they can all be broken down into their constituent parts, giving 3 or 4 recipes for every one listed. All of those are simple to follow and can be used together as suggested or in a mix-and-match with other dishes. The spices are all available from your local Asian grocer or online and a selection of half a dozen or so will enable the home cook to tackle most of the dishes here.

Dry-spice-crusted Guinea Fowl is one of the simplest dishes to prepare. Vivek suggests you cook this in a tandoor (yes, trot out and get one; it can also be used as central heating) but he concedes that it works just as well on a regular barbecue or in the oven. Chicken can be used, if you prefer, but increase the cooking time as it’s larger than the guinea fowl.

Galouti Kebabs are not that common in Indian restaurants but you will find them on some of the finest menus, and they are exceptional preparations. The skill is in the mincing just as much as in the spicing. The secret to success is grinding the meat to a smooth paste. Once you have minced it a few times you will think that’s enough, but process it some more and you will find you have kebabs that are truly melting and memorable.

Lentils are a staple of Indian cuisine and form much of the traditional Subcontinental diet. They are economic, delicious and nutritious. Vivek has recipes for both black and yellow lentil dishes. My favourite is the yellow version, and it’s versatile as several different lentils can be used individually or together. I enjoy the mixed version as there are different textures remaining when the dish is cooked. It’s a simple traditional dish that can even be made in a pressure cooker to save time and fuel. Most Indian households have at least one of these practical gadgets. Eat these aromatic lentils with almost any meat, fish or vegetables or even along with just rice or Indian bread. This freezes well for future use.

Desserts in Indian restaurants tend to be a bit thin on the ground and predictable, but Vivek has several inspiring sweet dishes that have accessible ingredients, and very few of those. One of his desserts is Spiced Banana Tarte Tatin. It’s a blessing to be given permission to use shop-bought puff pastry, but buy the best quality available. The topping is, unsurprisingly, bananas but with a hint of pink peppercorn to spike the fruit. The caramel gives a sweet lacquer and shine to the finished tart.

I mentioned Bar Anise, and they have contributed a battery of cocktail recipes that are potent, impressive and delicious. The Cinnamon Bellini must surely be a signature with that warming spice that is its eponymous flavour – what better way to start an evening. A Vivek Vodka or Singh Sangria could be the next Anise mixology inventions.

This is a stunning, gift-quality book that would be appreciated by any lover of vibrant Indian flavours presented in stylish fashion. It’s a book to pore over but it’s far from a coffee table novelty and it’s likely to tempt even those who didn’t realise that they had a kitchen, as every good cookbook should. Vivek never disappoints.

Cinnamon Kitchen – The Cookbook
Author: Vivek Singh
Publisher: Absolute Press
Price: £25.00
ISBN-10: 1906650802
ISBN-13: 978-1906650803

Cobra Good Curry Guide 2013

Curry is said to be our favourite food in Britain. Popular indeed, but quality of restaurants can be patchy. We hear from friends that a particular chef is a star, that the local tandoori has chops for which to die, and the recently closed estate agent (it's the economic climate) now sells Biryani. But a good bespoke curry guide would be worth its weight in gold vark.

Pat Chapman has penned more than thirty books on Indian food and is one of the most respected supporters of the Indian restaurant industry, as well as being a passionate educator. His cookbooks are considered classics, but his annual Good Curry Guide will be sought by those who prefer to have someone else do the shopping and the chopping.

Cobra Good Curry Guide is without rival. It’s comprehensive with many full reviews as well as listings of those which are considered ‘OK’. Pat takes pride in the fact that his guide has morals. The restaurants included are there by popular public demand and not because the judges have been garlanded with folding moola – in fact, for the most part, the judges are the diners. No exotic trips have been promised and no assessor’s children have been sent to university on the strength of ‘putting a good word in’. Pat rightly notes that would discredit the guide.

The guide covers every genre of Indian restaurant from the polished Michelin-spangled likes of Atul Kochhar’s Benares to the traditional high-street curry house. We are encouraged to enjoy both styles of cuisine (and everything in between) as restaurants are not compared and each one stands on its own individual merits. 2013 finds this tempting tome in its 30th year. Pat will have seen changes in our expectations of Indian food over those three decades. We can find, if we are lucky, a good meal in a Bangladeshi ‘curry house’ and those dishes have become a hybrid cuisine, and it’s comfort food and familiar. These days many diners also want the chance to taste truly authentic Indian dishes and we can find more and more restaurants providing those.

India has introduced the world to its classic cuisine and it is now taking its place alongside the much-vaunted French and Chinese. Cobra Good Curry Guide enables us all to find the best and the most exciting of Britain’s thousands of Indian restaurants, and for only £14.95 it should be on the wish-list of any good food lover.

Cobra Good Curry Guide
Author: Pat Chapman
Price: £14.95
ISBN 978-0-9537735-3-4

Buy books direct from Pat Chapman here

Café Spice Namaste

It’s an icon of Indian food. It’s a beacon of culinary hope around the corner from The Tower of London. It’s a haunt of discerning businessmen, stars of film and the small screen, and indeed anyone who enjoys vibrant food and friendly service.

Chef Cyrus Todiwala and his partner in life and restaurants, wife Pervin, have been at the helm of Café Spice Namaste for the past 17 years. It’s a restaurant that has seen other Indian eateries come and go but Café Spice Namaste remains, and just continues to do what it has always done: providing memorable food.

One might ask why it’s taken me so long to review Café Spice Namaste. Well, in truth I have written about their celebrated Khaadras Club (see review here) and that is a frequent event that allows Parsee food aficionados to indulge their passion for a little-known cuisine. The eagerly-anticipated feast introduces some unique dishes that you will not likely be offered elsewhere within these cold northern shores. Cyrus also has his eponymous restaurant at the Terminal 5 Heathrow Hilton (see review here); and then there are his cookbooks; and he has recently been listed as one of the 101 most influential Asians in the UK; and then there’s his line of chutneys. Yes, that Mr T can keep any food journalist busy.

The Painted Heron

This corner of London remains one of the most expensive and sought-after. Cheyne Walk has a mix of stylish houses, and has been the address of choice for the worthy and notable for the past couple of centuries, although it might be best remembered as the home patch of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger.

Near Battersea Bridge, the Painted Heron enjoys an enviable location with its easy transport access. Its unobtrusive exterior barely hints at the nature of this pillar of the Indian dining scene. Its name doesn’t suggest Indianness in any way. No cinnamon, saffron, mango or tamarind over the restaurant door to tell the diner that its fare includes some of the best Subcontinental-inspired dishes the capital has to offer.

The Painted Heron is celebrating its tenth anniversary and has undergone some refurbishment. Its walls are a subtle grey and the architectural features of alcoves and columns play their part in presenting a contemporary dining space that is cosy rather than austerely Zen. Tables laid with red glass chargers offer splashes of hot colour.

Proprietor and cigar aficionado Charles Hill has taken advantage of the no-smoking laws and has turned the rear courtyard into a striking (pardon the Swan Vesta-esque pun) outdoor Cigar Lounge. I am not a smoker but I do enjoy sitting with an after-dinner spirit and being enveloped by fragrant cigar smoke. No, a packet of Woodbines just does not have the same caché. The Cigar Lounge is also fitted with a retractable roof, and that’s probably a blessing.

and has worked with the Taj Group and Sheraton Hotels in India and then at Tabla in Canary Wharf before launching The Painted Heron in Chelsea. It’s a fine-dining concept befitting the area, and it’s buzzing even on cold, wet, mid-week evenings.

The wine menu as well as the food is surprisingly reasonable. The portions are substantial and the presentation enticing. It’s the attention to detail that elevates The Painted Heron above many other Indian restaurants. We were teased with the best papadoms I have ever crunched and the home-made pickles alongside indicate the quality to come. Enjoy these while you consider your starter and main course and a wine to suit. I sipped a Prosecco which was priced at only £6.50 – economic but delightful fizz; The Painted Heron has an extensive and thoughtful wine list covering every style.

My guest chose Indian Ocean black tiger prawns, tandoor roasted with samphire as his starter. The mini-lobster-sized crustacea were moist and flavourful, and the masterful addition of that rarely offered samphire showed this chef’s innovation.

I ordered Duck Tikka which was large cubes of tender duck, blush pink at the centre. It would seem a simple dish to make but it’s necessary to have a skilled hand at the tandoor to present meat that remains juicy and flavoursome.

Bird Stew of Duck, Quail and Pigeon with Coconut and South Indian Spices was my co-diner’s main course. Stew doesn’t adequately describe this rather classy preparation. The broth-like sauce bathed the meats that retained their individual and distinct tastes.

South Indian Hot Pepper Chicken Curry sounded tempting and it didn’t disappoint. Once again the meat was perfectly cooked and moist. The name suggested that this might be a spicy-hot dish but it was simply well spiced and none of the ingredients were overshadowed by macho laddish heat. A balanced and delicious curry.
 
Vegetarians are not forgotten at The Painted Heron. Ayurvedic Vegetarian Thali is a platter of various vegetable curries cooked in accordance with traditional ayurvedic principles of food for both the body and soul. I look forward to trying that in future.

Chocolate Mousse sandwiched in Almond and Hazelnut Cake, served with Caramel Ice Cream was honestly a dessert to share. It was attractive and not over-sweet. The mousse held its integrity and didn’t ooze when the sandwiches were cut; and anything with caramel has my culinary vote.

The Painted Heron has been around for a decade and I would say the next 10 years of success are assured. They do it right here - simply and with imagination. A confident chef with a restaurant to match.

The Painted Heron
112 Cheyne Walk
Chelsea, London SW10 0DJ

Phone: 020 7351 5232

Opening Times
Every day from 11am - 5pm & 6pm -11pm

Visit The Painted Heron here

Reza’s Indian Spice – Eastern recipes for Western cooks

La Porte des Indes Masterclass and Wine Pairing

It’s a stunning restaurant but it’s much more than the sum of its palms and antiques; there is, after all, the food. La Porte des Indes truly is a door to India. It’s celebrated for good reason: its anonymous exterior hides an exotic oasis just around the corner from Marble Arch Underground station. Its beauty is almost distracting, so my advice is to come a little early in order to relax and sip your cocktail and admire this icon of Subcontinental charm.

This series of Indian food-and-wine pairing masterclasses is unique. They are conducted by award-winning Chef Mehernosh Mody (Ethnic Chef of the Year for 2012 – The Craft Guild of Chefs). Yes, he is rightly recognised as one of the best Indian chefs in the UK, perhaps the world, but don’t expect a dry, academic and over-worthy display of this man’s talents. He is charming, funny and enjoys playful interaction with his guests.

Chef Mehernosh and wine expert Jacqueline Kay of Berkmann Wine Cellars have joined together for these once-monthly food and wine pairing masterclasses. It’s a myth to think that the only thing to drink with Indian food is a bucketful of lager. Many people just have a glass of water with their meal but neither of the above actually enhances food. A well-chosen wine helps to elevate the flavours of the spices and other ingredients, and the advice that Jacqueline gives will translate to other cuisines.

Executive Director Sherin Alexander will show you around the restaurant kitchen. Even those who have attended masterclasses at other restaurants will find an Indian kitchen a little different. The tandoors stand in a sweltering rank, the garnish station offers exotic carved centerpieces and there is a granite spice grinder that would do Stonehenge proud. You will meet some of the chefs and see naan bread baked before your very eyes. Straight from the tandoor, it doesn’t come fresher than this.

Sherin will leave you in the main restaurant with Chef Mehernosh. This is a cookery demonstration but you can leave your seat and have a closer look into the cooking pot, and you might be invited to stir the contents for a while. The chef will tell you about the spices used and how they are best prepared; why you need to roast them beforehand; he will also tell you about the history of the food. You’ll be able to watch as several dishes are prepared and you will taste the fruits of the aforementioned labours with a glass of wine. Jacqueline will give you guidance about which bottle of wine works best with which spices.

Asian restaurant review: Potli Hammersmith – New Menu

Potli is a little over a year old and it has already earned a mention in the Michelin Guide so you might be expecting something over-priced and glitzy. But this restaurant is the sort you would want as your local, your regular haunt for truly delicious food and a pleasant evening with friends, and at a reasonable price.

This little gem is the brainchild of two friends with impeccable culinary credentials. Jay Ghosh, head chef, and front of house manager Uttam Tripathy are joint managing directors and are justly proud of their considerable achievements.

Jay studied with one of the most celebrated groups in India, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, and moved to the UK in 2002.  Uttam graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology and joined the Radisson Group. They have had the best training, but nothing beats making your own mark and the ex-Tandoori Nights restaurant has provided these two young men with their venue.

here) but made a return visit to try the new menu. On that first occasion the ground floor of the restaurant had gradually filled over the evening and we had a look at the as yet unfinished basement dining area. This second visit showed how times have changed. We were confronted by a large group of expectant diners sipping some signature cocktails as we arrived. Seems that Potli is becoming a destination bar as well as restaurant in Hammersmith.

That main restaurant was full and buzzing so we were shown to our basement table. It’s now all finished and furnished, and would be my space of choice for private dining. It has an air of sophistication with a window onto the kitchen. Atul Kotchhar once told me that a restaurateur should never be ashamed of showing his toilets or his kitchen, and that window does rather give a sense of being totally immersed in the theatre of food preparation.

No, not everything has changed on the menu but it makes good business sense to present new dishes from time to time, to gauge what works for that increasing band of loyal regulars. We took the opportunity to try a few of the new items:

Samosa Chaat - homemade samosa flavoured with ajwain (carom seeds), served with onions, tomatoes, chutney, and yoghurt - is a new house speciality and this evening it was studded with pomegranate seeds for colour and juicy sweetness. A delightful light nibble while considering the rest of the well-balanced menu – plenty of choice here for non-meat eaters and even vegetarians:

Shammi Kebab was made from Kentish lamb and flavoured with cinnamon and mace. This style of kebab is just as much about texture as taste. ‘Melt in the mouth’ and ‘soft as butter’ are a couple of overworked phrases but sometimes they honestly are accurate descriptions. These patties were fragrant and delicate.

Sarsho and Ajwaini Salmon tikka is a must-try and I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a salmon dish so much. Chef Jay displays a deft hand at the tandoor. Premium Scottish salmon steak is marinated in piquant mustard and carom seeds, and finished in the charcoal tandoor, which imparts a remarkable flamed flavour. Another tapestry of tenderness.

Hanggang sa Muli – Homecoming stories from the Filipino soul

Filipino and English are the official languages of the Philippines. Filipino is a de facto version of Tagalog, spoken mainly in Manila and other urban areas where the phrase Hanggang sa Muli might be heard.

In English “Until we meet again” is a collection of essays, poems and stories from the Filipino diaspora, which is a considerable one. The Philippines has a population of more than 92 million with an additional 11 million or so Filipinos living overseas. That could constitute a lot of homecomings.

Hanggang sa Muli sensitively considers the reflections of Filipinos who live away from their motherland. They yearn for the taste of home, the smell of home, the sound of home, and they wonder where is home? Am I the same person here as when I am at home?

We all move house from time to time and we are reminded that moving is right up there with such adventures as divorce and death. We arrive at an unfamiliar building, try to remember where we put the cat, and feel ourselves very savvy when we find the airing cupboard. But our neighbours still look like us and speak like us, and Tesco’s is just where you would expect it to be. Yes, we have been very brave.

Hanggang sa Muli reminds us of the anxieties and practicalities of cross-cultural moving. Filipinos have faced racism and hardships as do any migrant group, but those featured in this book are eloquent and imaginative in their discourse. We eavesdrop on conversations and memories of first impressions and unromantic reality. The writers have Filipino accents but their words are those of so many transplanted souls.

Homesickness Bequeathed (Tricia J. Capistrano) offers us the concerns of those who have children. Should one stay in one’s adoptive home and rarely return, to avoid confusing the children, or should one return often in order to acquaint the kids with their cultural roots? The author points out that the latter choice offers its own hazards, with the possibility of second-generation Filipinos being just as likely to say “I wish I was home” in either country. Could two homes become “never home”?

Hanggang sa Muli – Homecoming stories from the Filipino soul is a book by Filipinos and it will have instant appeal for all scattered Filipinos; but look beyond that exotic title and we find a book for so many of us. Well-written and poignant anecdotes, observations on mankind in general and thought-provoking scenarios that encourage “what if that was me?” pondering.

In The Laughter of my Father (Carlos Bulosan) a father gives his son these moving parting words: “Remember in America that I am your father. Don’t forget I touched you at birth.”

Hanggang sa Muli – Homecoming stories from the Filipino soul
Available at Tahanan Books. Visit here

Asian cookbook review: Tasting India

I enjoy almost every book that crosses my desk (now a uni-leg computer stand from a Swedish lifestyle emporium). Some are simple but informative volumes, others are attractive and what I would describe as gift quality. Taste India is in the second category but has raised the bar on that little phrase. It truly is a gift in every regard.

It’s just as much a travelogue as a cookbook. The recipes here are as inspiring as they are useful. All the recipes work marvellously, but you wouldn’t want to be taking this gold-silk-embossed stunner anywhere near a kitchen full of anything that resembles ghee, tomato, turmeric (that might be OK as it’s a matching colour) or anything described as gravy. No, keep this book safe, read from cover to cover and scan some of those delicious recipes for use later. You will want to make them.

The book is divided by region and it takes you on a journey around the subcontinent. The photography is sumptuous and even if you are a stranger to the inside of the aforementioned kitchen you will find this book worthy of gracing your coffee table. There are views of elegant buildings, majestic landscapes, but the population of India is the undisputed star here.

Tasting India temps with the prospect of gentle adventure and food. One of the first 2-page images is of The India Coffee House in Kolkata. It offers so many instantly recognisable elements: naturally aged walls, slow moving ceiling fans, turbanned waiters and tables full of casual diners. This is the real and authentic India and it’s not polished for the tourist. The pictures draw you into a culinary adventure. One wants to sample the street food and to sip from the terracotta disposable cups.

There are a good number of simple and traditional recipes to go along with each chapter. At first glance the ingredient lists might look a bit daunting, but you will find a collection of half a dozen spices will enable you to make most of the dishes. They will all be available in your local Asian supermarket or even online. If you don’t often make Indian food then buy whole spices and grind them yourself in small quantities. Tasting India also offers a creditable number of desserts and sweets, which are more often than not overlooked in other cookbooks.

Tasting India is indeed a gift, even if only to oneself, but consider giving this to a friend before he or she goes off on that amazing trip. It will give inspiration to the traveller – places to visit, unique aspects of daily life, colour and tempo. Then there is the food to try: freshly brewed chai, fragrant kebabs, syrupy sweets. The author, Christine Manfield, has evidently done her homework and has thoughtfully included a directory at the back of the book which includes places to stay like The Manor Hotel in Delhi, and places to eat such as Indigo in Mumbai. Shopping is an absorbing pastime and there are plenty of suggestions of spots to splash the cash, from tea centres to silk boutiques. A list of local travel agents would have been handy as you will be booking that flight as soon as that ornate back cover closes.

This is a must-have for any collector of books on India, any lover of India and any serious cookbook collector. Christine Manfield must be a very proud author, and photographer Anson Smart must surely consider this as his masterwork. Beautiful.

Asian cookbook review: Tasting India
Author: Christine Manfield
Published by: Conran Octopus
Price £40.00
ISBN-10: 184091601X
ISBN-13: 978-1840916010

Asian restaurant review: Dumplings' Legend

Alvin Leung – Bo Innovation Hong Kong, and Bo London

Bo London will be the next venture headed by “demon chef” Alvin Leung. He could just as easily be described as “the Man in Black” due to his habitual costume, although not his personality. He is an easy chap to like, with a dry sense of humour and engaging manner. He was in the UK to visit the site of his new restaurant, so I asked how much time he will be able to spend in Hong Kong at Bo Innovation when Bo London opens in September. How will he divide his time?

“I’m going to spend as much time as I need until I think the restaurant is ready. It’s like nurturing a child: you leave the restaurant when you feel that it’s working and sustainable by itself, operating smoothly alone. When that happens I’ll return to Hong Kong but I’ll come back regularly to monitor it.”

Why was Alvin Leung so keen to open a restaurant in London rather than, say, Singapore or Paris? “I was born in London and I have an affection for the city so I will come back, it’s not like I’ll just open a new restaurant and not return! If London proves successful I do have ambitions to open more – but London first: it’s special to me and I come here regularly.

“I left London when I was an infant. My father had been to university here and I came back twenty years later to go to university myself, and my daughter was born and went to school here. I’ve spent as much time as I could in London. This is not just a ‘second home’ to me, it is almost a ‘home’. My dream was always to open in London: even when I started in Hong Kong London was my goal, it was always in my mind. If you open a restaurant like Bo Innovation – very innovative, very new Chinese – you want to do it in a place where there’s an audience. Would you open it in Yorkshire, in Manchester? I don’t think so, because what I do is not going to be easily accepted there, it probably wouldn’t have an audience. You open a Broadway show in London and people will come, and I think I will have an audience here.”
 
Did family play a part in his interest in food? Does he come from a family of food lovers? “My mother cannot cook, and that’s well documented! In a Chinese family, if your mother can cook then why learn – we are lazy people!” he laughs. “So we had to learn how to do that for ourselves, we were getting sick of instant noodles every day – and believe me, instant noodles in the early 1970s were not even close to what’s being eaten now – think ‘wax’! I was brought up in Canada, so we had a relatively large kitchen where it was easy for a child to learn to cook. I started to cook around age 11 or 12, and I enjoyed it. I enjoy eating, too – you have to enjoy eating to be able to cook. I’m the oldest of four brothers, and my father and I prepared food for everyone in big batches – well, you can’t cook something like a turkey just for one. My father used to love turkey, and he cooked one not just for Thanksgiving but every month, and when the stocks in the freezer ran down and we didn’t have any left for sandwiches he would cook another one. There’s so much you can do with turkey – sandwiches, fried rice, the bones are good for congee – and it was cheap. My father never taught me how to cook: I’m a guy, in those days you asked your father how to build a dog-house, you didn’t ask him how to cook, or he’d put you through military school! And my mother’s instruction consisted of telling me to read the back of the box!”

But despite Alvin’s love of food he didn’t choose a career in food right away. “I was an acoustics engineer, and I only started to cook professionally about seven years ago. I think having an engineering and a business background – everything except one in cooking – helped my restaurant survive. When I went to university here I worked as a waiter at my friend’s restaurant, but that was only for about three months. I have never worked under anybody, and I don’t think I ever would. For me having my own restaurant was the logical way to get started: if you haven’t learned to do things classically, then just do things that are a little bit away from the norm, so people won’t realise your mistakes!” Still more of that infectious Leung chuckle. “When you cook something classic there are benchmarks, something to which you can be compared; when you do something ‘bang – just like that’ those comparisons don’t exist. People can’t say you’re good, you’re bad. I tell people, ‘I’m the best, I’m the worst at whatever I do, because I’m the only one!’

“Being the black sheep of the family, the rebellious sort, I wanted to do something that was unique. If you can do something that nobody else is doing, you don’t have competitors. But your craft has to be accepted if you are going to succeed. I’m not going to try to educate everybody – that’s the job of the journalists. I think it was a smart move, even if it happened to be a fluke, to do something where there are no rules. In these seven years I think I’ve learned a lot, and it’s easier to learn from the top. You learn a lot more when you’re at the top than when you’re at the bottom – where you’re washing dishes and you just learn how to get grease off a knife, how not to

Asian restaurant review: Blue Elephant – Imperial Wharf for Dinner

Until a short time ago I confess that I had no idea where Imperial Wharf could possibly be, but I had the notion that it was a long way from anywhere convenient. In fact it’s London’s undiscovered playground with outstanding transport connections. It’s just one stop on the train from West Brompton (served also by the Wimbledon branch of the District Line) or one stop by rail from Clapham Junction. There is a bus (391) that will transport prospective diners from Hammersmith and Richmond and another (C3) from Earls Court.

I can’t think of many better views to enjoy over a summer night’s dinner. Blue Elephant basks in the warmth of a setting sun and diners watch the dusk fall over the River Thames. The quality of light changes inside the restaurant as well. The striking dragon bar is transformed into a shimmering swathe of richly tooled gold. The dark polished wood of windows and doors reflect the low lights. Outside has become a sophisticated night-time cityscape.

The bar at Blue Elephant is a destination in its own right and is perhaps one of the most magnificent I have ever seen. The barmen are particularly skilled, it seems, in making those exotic cocktails that waft one away to swaying palms. Granted, that’s a romantic notion but the cocktails here are some of the most beautiful and potent around, and a couple will undoubtedly have you wafting somewhere, even if it’s only home on a late bus.

Raspberry Bellini (Champagne, raspberry, Crème de Framboise) was our host’s choice of cocktail and she, a lady of discerning taste, pronounced herself addicted to the version here. My guest chose the fruity yet deceptively powerful Pomelo Martini (vodka, pomelo grapefruit, Limoncello, Cointreau). My preferred cocktail has long been Lychee Martini and they offer one at Blue Elephant, but I wanted something unique that spoke of this very individual bar. Tom Yam Mary (vodka, red chilli, tomato juice) was piquant, potent and perfectly spiced with far more vodka than some similar cocktails I have tried recently. This should be a signature tipple. If you don’t find anything on the cocktail menu that takes your fancy then ask the barman to mix another classic, or perhaps even your own recipe.

Blue Elephant offers a selection of menus that will give you a vibrant culinary overview of past, present and future Thai cuisine. Mrs. Nooror Somany Steppe is one of the founders of the Blue Elephant Group which also includes the iconic La Porte des Indes. She has been responsible for introducing the world to her authentic Thai food but she has also enjoyed presenting innovation and her perspective on evolved Thai food. Even the most enthusiastic Thai restaurant-goer will find new and exciting dishes at Blue Elephant, but traditionalists will feel equally at home.

We chose the Memories of Siam Tasting Menu

Asian restaurant review: Blue Elephant – Imperial Wharf, London

Asian restaurant review: La Porte des Indes for Sunday Jazz Brunch

Singapore – A moving story

The Singapore Flyer

The quintessential ‘overview’ must surely be that afforded by the Singapore Flyer. This is the wheel that dominates the Singapore horizon, higher than the London version and in fact the world’s largest observation wheel. This month (April 2012) the Flyer will celebrate its 4th year.

Singapore Flyer stands 165m from the ground at its highest point and gives stunning views of Marina Bay, the city of Singapore and even across to Malaysia and Indonesia. The cargo ships offshore will remind you that despite its exotic charm Singapore has one of the world's busiest ports in terms of total shipping tonnage and it’s the world's busiest container port.

Strategically located at the new developments of Marina Bay, the Flyer has 28 air-conditioned capsules from which your view will slowly change – historical and cultural buildings and neighbourhoods like Chinatown, Little India, the financial district and now Marina Bay Sands. That’s the beautiful and impressive 3-towered structure with a boat-like platform straddling those skyscrapers. High-flyers on this wheel can indulge in a flute of Moët & Chandon Champagne, a glass of Singapore Flyer Signature Cocktail or a version of the Singapore Sling. Those who are celebrating and who want an exclusive experience while enjoying those views can take advantage of the world’s first full-butler Sky Dining on board the Singapore Flyer.

The Singapore Flyer extravaganza doesn’t end with your landing. Back at ground level there is a lush tropical rainforest as the centre-piece of a three-storey shopping mall. There is a waterfront dining promenade and a street-food option for those who want a retro eating adventure. It’s called The Singapore Food Trail and presents a selection of old-fashioned food carts (you will remember them from the Singapore of the 1960s if you’re of a certain age, like me) which will give you the chance to try so much that is typically local and delicious. Try Nasi Lamak from one of the carts – rice, chicken, spicy sauce, dried anchovies and a fried egg.

Singapore Flyer opening hours:
Daily flights: 8:30am – 10:30pm - last admission: 10:15pm
Ticket sales: 8:00am – 10:00pm

Visit the Singapore Flyer here 

Singapore F1 – the Ultimate Drive

Singapore Flyer is the only observation wheel to be part of a Formula One Grand Prix race circuit.  It is a rotating grandstand at the F1 night race in Singapore.

The Singapore Grand Prix is a celebrated motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is held at the foot of the Singapore Flyer in the Marina Bay area of Singapore. The event was resurrected in 2008 and was the championship’s first night race; it was won by Renault F1 team with Spaniard Fernando Alonso driving.

It would be a horrible tease to show you the circuit from your vantage point of the Flyer and then not invite you to take a closer look – a very close look. The ‘Ultimate Drive’ is a 15-minute or half-hour experience that will take you around most of the track used by those famous F1 racers.

‘Ultimate Tour’ is an extended option that will allow you to get your eye in on the F1 circuit before taking to the local freeway for around an hour of performance driving. This extended route will give you plenty of opportunity to discover the power of a Lamborghini or a Ferrari. If you are a couple then you can have one car apiece and swap your Supercars halfway through the tour and experience the pleasure of each of these celebrated vehicles.

Visit Ultimate Drive here
Visit the Singapore Grand Prix here

The Endearing Trishaw Uncle

There are still a few of us around – that dying breed of folk who don’t drive. I can appreciate a Supercar for its superb lines and gleaming paint finish even though I couldn’t turn a wheel myself. I won’t be driving when I visit Trishaw Uncle, either.

There are truly quite a lot of Uncles and that might encourage the untutored to come to the conclusion that everyone in Singapore must be related! The term Uncle or Aunty is used by younger people to show respect. In this case the Uncles are the trishaw riders on the streets of Singapore.

It’s a quaint mode of transport that was a necessity before the era of the combustion engine. Originally the vehicle would have been a 2-wheel affair and pulled by a wiry gentleman. Eventually a bike was tacked on the side and the contraption was driven by that same surprisingly powerful style of men, mostly labourers who formed the historic work pool of Singapore. Trishaw Uncle is a term of respect for the riders, and it’s the name of the company that employs them.

Trishaw Uncle is introducing a new fleet of 100 battery-assisted trishaws. It’s tough work and some of the Uncles left youth behind a while back, but they are just the sort of characters to enhance your ride, with faces that one would want to sketch. A bit of electric assistance must be welcome.

Take one of the Trishaw excursions on offer. There is even a taped commentary which is piped to your

Henderson Waves

So you are visiting Singapore for a few days and you have, it seems, spent much of your time sitting. The landscape has moved before your eyes with little energy used by the viewer. You need an outing that will make you feel healthy and noble and which will show you another face of Singapore: Henderson Waves. It’s not a water park with indoor surfing and slides, although this structure does indeed have waves.

Henderson Waves was commissioned by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore following an international competition. The commission was awarded to IJP Corporation and RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers in 2004, with concept and scheme design engineering by Adams Kara Taylor Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers. They have been worthy of the task and brave in their vision. It’s organic, contemporary and appropriate for its use and the environment. Henderson Waves constitutes the highest point of The Southern Ridges, which is a 9km trail connecting parks along the hills of Singapore.

At 36 metres above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is an unforgettable landmark. It is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore and was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill. It has a unique ‘wave’ form constructed of seven curved steel beams that create a unique walkway.

Slats of yellow balau wood form the surface of the walkway. This wood comes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. It is a tropical hardwood very much like teak, and often used for garden furniture. It isn’t yellow in colour but a soft natural grey. The timbers undulate and wrap over to create shade for sun-kissed walkers.

This footbridge is 284 metres long and was built at a cost of S$25.5 million and it’s the largest project of its kind in Southeast Asia. Its curves mimic the undulations of the landscape and offer not only a casual arena for gentle exercise but also a platform from which to admire the city, and a tranquil (mostly) refuge from the activity of modern life. Stroll through tree tops and listen to the birds.

Find a DIY Guide to park walks here

Asian cookbook review: The Food and Cooking of India

It’s quite honestly a stunner. The Food and Cooking of India by Mridula Baljekar is an engaging almanac of Indian cooking with elements of travelogue. Even those who have yet to discover the inside of a kitchen will be tempted to invest in a spice box, or at least a plane ticket to the subcontinent.

I am surprised that Mridula Baljekar is not still gracing our TV screens. She had a successful series which won her fame, for her food as well as her calm and charming delivery. Her manner suggested to the anxious viewer that, yes, they too could cook authentic Indian food without exotic kitchen equipment and a degree in Asian culinary arts. All would be well. It’s only dinner, after all.

In real life Mridula is exactly that same person. She insists that she is a cook rather than a chef, although she is a sought-after restaurant consultant both in the UK and overseas. She has a sense of what the European domestic god/goddess needs to give them confidence and a real insight into Indian food.

The Food and Cooking of India is published by Lorenz Books, an imprint of Anness Publishing. They present some of the very best cookbooks for those who actually want to, well, cook. All recipe books are not created equal. There are those which have a few pictures of restaurant kitchens with ghostly, blurred shots of fast-moving chefs in the background and some lovely snaps of their favourite beetroot grower, and if you are lucky an ‘ooh, aah’ image of a baby piggy called Hamlet who is soon to have his name changed to ‘Lunch’; but Lorenz give us books stuffed with pictures not only of finished dishes but a slew of step-by-step photographs to keep the novice cook on track.

This volume offers a collection of 150 recipes from across India with more than 850 pertinent photographs. It’s a beautiful yet practical book that will serve you just as well in the kitchen as it does on the coffee table. It’s a book that entices with its vibrant food and descriptive text. The recipes are simple to follow and we all have access to the ingredients these days. There is a glossary of fresh groceries, along with a directory of authentic Indian kitchen paraphernalia, none of which is essential, and an overview of Indian spices, all of which are essential - only half a dozen or so, but armed with these you will be able to attempt and indeed master every recipe.

Mridula Baljekar has penned 20 or so books and has won numerous awards so it’s obvious that the lady can write a bit. Thousands of recipes have earned her a reputation as an author but the food she makes has earned her a reputation as a lady who truly can cook. She demonstrates across the globe, and her books are paper versions of her masterclasses. Here she offers classics and family favourites that you will likely not find in your local Indian restaurant. There are dishes for economic family meals as well as celebrations and each one will take the reader one step nearer to becoming a confident and well-informed home chef.

The first pick of the book is the recipe for Chicken Biryani. This is a dish that’s oft abused but I can tell you from firsthand experience that Mridula presents a very fine Biryani that is surprisingly easy to prepare and is fragrant and memorable. It works as a regular week-day dinner or as an impressive centrepiece for friends on a Saturday night.

As yet there is no tax on eggs so they can still constitute a delicious and good-value family meal. Egg Do-piaza is well-flavoured, with onions in the sauce and as a crunchy garnish, but it’s the battered and deep-fried egg halves that are the stars. Mridula even offers a tip on keeping the egg yolks in the centre of the boiled eggs!

Spicy Stuffed Bananas – kela na sambhariya – is easy to prepare and it’s probable that you will have some bananas lingering in the fruit bowl. The filling is a mix of gram flour (chickpea flour) and some spices. The flour is toasted so it takes on a rich nutty flavour. A unique vegetarian dish that’s striking to look at and different from a traditional vegetable curry.

The Food and Cooking of India offers something for every taste and every pocket. There are creamy and rich royal dishes as well as simple breads. There is a good selection of desserts as well as recipes to delight vegetarians and fish lovers. It’s a gift-quality book and for less than £15 – a bargain.

The Food and Cooking of India
Author: Mridula Baljekar
Published by: Lorenz Books
Price: £14.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7548-2377-3
ISBN-10: 0-7548-2377-6

Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen – Terminal 5 Hilton

Asian cookbook review: Cooking with Olive Oil

An acquaintance gave me this book, Cooking with Olive Oil. I was rather surprised. No, in truth I was shocked.

The title ‘Cooking with Olive Oil’ explains just what this book is about. Europeans, and especially those fortunate enough to live an olive-pit’s throw from the Mediterranean have used this “green gold” for millennia. It has been widely promoted as a healthy food, natural and delicious. Yes, olive oil and I have been on nodding terms for several decades.

So, OK, it was not the olive oil that stunned me but rather my acquaintance. Sanjeev Kapoor is perhaps the most celebrated and recognised face in India. He can hardly walk a few yards even in England without being recognised, his hand pumped, a snap for the album taken, and even his feet touched by those who admire the most-viewed chef on the planet. Sanjeev Kapoor has penned a book on, obviously, cooking with olive oil, but this is Indian food cooked with olive oil and that is tantamount to a revolution!

So many people in the UK complain that Indian food in restaurants is too heavy and oily. That has changed over the last years, and now we have many fine Indian restaurants which replicate traditional home cooking and authentic fare. Those gloopy and oil-drenched “curries” are still with us but they are fewer these days. The best Indian food is often found in homes and the insertion of olive oil into the kitchen larder adds to the appeal of this great and classic cuisine.

So is this still “classic” Indian food? Well, yes indeed. A cuisine must live and evolve. We think of Indian dishes as being chilli-hot with good use being made of potatoes and tomatoes. But those ingredients are not indigenous to the Subcontinent – they arrived with the discovery of the New World. Amazing food should never be limited by anything other than good taste and imagination. Olive oil is a natural and healthful addition to the regular battery of Indian ingredients.

Part of the inspiration for this book came from Sanjeev's own home cook, a lady of fairly advanced years who used some bottles of olive oil just because they were there. Her endorsement must be taken seriously as she is, after all, the chef to a chef. The family had been unaware that they had been enjoying olive oil in place of the regular choice for a while. I guess that was the most convincing of blind tastings.

This book is full of tempting Indian dishes that have been adapted take advantage of the positive qualities of olive oil. Several recipes also include the olives themselves, to offer an intriguing and unique fusion. Carrot, Raisin and Black Olive Salad is reminiscent of those North African side dishes found along the southern coast of the Mediterranean. Corn Bhel with Tomato and Olives has its origins in the snack culture of India.

My pick of the book is Punjabi Kadhi. These are spicy and aromatic pakoras dressed with a yoghurt-based sauce. The dumplings are deep-fried in olive oil but, cooked at the right temperature, these will absorb hardly any oil, making this a delicious and guilt-free meal. That’s dinner this evening, chez nous.

Cooking with Olive Oil by Sanjeev Kapoor will appeal to all of us, and particularly to those who have health or weight issues. A simple replacement of olive oil for your habitual medium is a 21st century departure, but it’s a healthy choice rather than a trendy fad. No flavour is diminished and the olive oil will not be noticed, even by the purists, in those hearty and flavourful dishes.

Cooking with Olive Oil
Author: Sanjeev Kapoor
Published by: Popular Prakashan Ltd
ISBN 978-81-7991-497-7

Asian cookbook review:
Sanjeev Kapoor - Master of the Art of Indian Cooking

London Asian restaurant review:

Café Spice Namasté Khaadras Club Night

In the seventh century, Arab armies conquered Persia (now Iran). Some Zoroastrians were converted to Islam whilst others fled to India. They settled in the western part of the country where the community already had trading contacts, and they established settlements to the north of Mumbai. Their descendants founded the community which later took the name Parsi (Parsee),
 
They were not universally welcomed in India. Jadi Rana, the king of Gujurat, is said to have pleaded “My country is overflowing already so how would we find room for you as well?” The leader of the Parsi community asked for a bowl of milk filled to the brim and also a spoonful of sugar. He then carefully stirred the sugar into to the bowl without spilling a drop of milk. “We are like sugar. We will only sweeten your land.” explained the Parsi.

Parsis have enjoyed great success in India but we in London also have a celebrated Parsi who has come to sweeten London with his notable and delicious food, and he even offers his guests the chance to try some traditional Parsi fare. Celebrated chef Cyrus Todiwala invites one and all to The Khaadras Club Night!

This ‘Greedy Gourmand’s Club’ was established after Parsi friends begged Cyrus and his wife and partner, Pervin, for some dishes from their own community. It was to be a meeting of friends with a focus on food. It has become such a popular event that Café Spice Namasté has made these feasts available at intervals throughout the year. The event is always eagerly awaited by Parsis but equally by lovers of fine food, and as this is a true Parsi event one can be sure that the helpings will be generous. It is indeed well-named the Greedy Gourmand’s Club.

The food on these evenings is authentic and presented to an audience comprised of many who know exactly what they want, and how it should be cooked and presented. I am no expert on this little-known cuisine but I can attest to the fact that the food was mouth-watering, served with many smiles and much good humour, and there was plenty of it – food and humour, that is. This wasn’t just an evening at any old restaurant. This was a Todiwala celebration and had the air of a family party. Cyrus and Pervin are famed for knowing their regulars by name, and that warmth is magnified on these special evenings when all of us were welcomed as friends.

Asian cookbook review:
Food from Northern Laos – The Boat Landing Cookbook

I am driven to describe some cookbooks as recipes with a bit of travel. Other volumes I have reviewed as travel adventures with some cooking on the side. Food from Northern Laos – The Boat Landing Cookbook is as much a travelogue as an encyclopaedia of every culinary tradition of Northern Laos.

Note that I suggest that there is more than one cuisine in Northern Laos. In fact there are several distinct cultures that call this region home. Some of these groups have lived there for many hundreds of years whilst others have moved in more recently from the neighbouring countries, and naturally they have brought with them their style of cooking and their love of diverse foods.

The Boat Landing in question is a guest house and restaurant which introduces travellers to the food of this corner of Laos. These dishes represent the regular fare of the local population. They have been carefully chosen to appeal to the Western palate but are authentic and un-adapted.

Now, it’s true that there are some recipes here that will be a bit challenging if one does not either live in the tropics or have access to a good Asian supermarket. But there is much here that can be made with the spices that you will likely have lingering at the back of your larder. There are even dishes that are familiar to lovers of south-east Asian food. Pho originated in Vietnam but now this soup has become a Laotian favourite.

The book starts by tempting the reader to visit this charming and culturally rich corner of our shrinking planet. Each of the resident communities is presented in prose and pictures. It’s a small world that’s fast changing – this book is as much about archiving the lives and values of the population of Northern Laos as it is about preserving its culinary heritage. A couple of hours in the company of this book will have even those who are strangers to the inside of a kitchen booking a flight to Laos.

Food from Northern Laos – The Boat Landing Cookbook is a must for any passionate cook who might be considering a trip to south-east Asia. Many of us are enthusiastic home chefs who are comfortable preparing Indian curries, Japanese domburis, Chinese dim sum and Thai soups, but this book introduces so many unfamiliar ingredients and combinations. Yes, it’s true that some dishes have been influenced by other cuisines, but Laos has indeed cultivated its own culinary identity.

Food from Northern Laos – The Boat Landing Cookbook is well written, and illustrated by some of the finest photography of that region that one will ever find. A credit to both the author, Dorothy Culloty, and the photographer, Kees Sprengers.

Asian cookbook review: Food from Northern Laos – The Boat Landing Cookbook
Author: Dorothy Culloty; photographer: Kees Sprengers
Published by: Galangal Press
ISBN 978-0-473-17236-7

Asian cookbook review: Vegetarian Cooking of India

Mridula Baljekar presents us with another superb example of her skill as a food writer. Vegetarian Cooking of India is the latest in a string of books which exemplify the reasons why she is held in such high regard by home cooks, those with a passion for Indian food, and collectors of beautiful recipe books.

Vegetarian Cooking of India is a large format volume from Aquamarine. This publisher offers some of the most thoughtful and practical cookbooks around. They have found a path that strikes a balance between a food manual and a food annual. Mridula puts recipes in cultural and geographic context and there is a very appealing element of food travelogue. This is not only a vegetarian cookbook but also a culinary reflection of regional diversity.

One can always expect something striking from Mridula, and this latest work will not disappoint those who have enjoyed her previous recipe collections. She does not assume that her reader has any particular kitchen prowess. She starts with an overview of ingredients, equipment and techniques. Each recipe includes a few words to give confidence to the novice and to inspire the more practised.

There are 80 classic recipes here, but classic does not mean that they are facsimiles of those already contained within the covers of your other favourite Indian cookbooks. The dishes here are authentic and there is something for every taste: Sweet Pineapple Salad flecked with black mustard seeds from South India to Potatoes in Chilli-Tamarind Sauce from West India.

Vegetarian Cooking of India represents the style of food that is eaten in homes all over the Subcontinent and indeed in expatriate homes worldwide. The dishes are lighter and fresher-tasting than those you find in all but the best Indian restaurants. The recipes here contain more aromatic spices than searingly hot ones. It’s about flavour rather than fire.

Channa Madra – chickpeas in a spice-laced yogurt sauce – is North Indian. This is a substantial dish which will be appreciated even by those who would normally crave meat at every meal. The use of lentils and beans in these recipes might persuade many carnivores down the semi-vegetarian route.

Sanar Kofta – cheese balls from North East India – are made with Paneer which can be found in most large supermarkets. It’s a mild cheese which absorbs flavours and is used extensively in Indian kitchens. These balls are covered in a piquant sauce and served with rice for a main meal. I would think that they could equally work as a vegetarian and more tempting version of the ubiquitous cocktail sausage, which was passé by the end of the 60s yet endures in some quarters.

Dimer Dalna – egg, potato and green pea curry from East India – is economic and a must-try dish. It is delicately infused with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Mridula serves this with Indian bread for which she includes several recipes. Comfort food at its warming finest.

Good Indian desserts are more often found in Indian homes than Indian restaurants. Mridula has some tempting traditional suggestions, and Shrikand – saffron-scented strained yogurt – is one of my favourites. It has to be made at least 2 hours in advance so it’s ideal for the end of an exotic meal or to finish a light summer lunch.

It’s no surprise to find a chutney recipe in a Mridula Baljekar cookbook: she produces her own brand of seasonal chutneys that are delightfully flavourful and different. If you can’t find her jars in your supermarket then you can at least enjoy her Tomato Achar – roasted tomato chutney – made by your own fair hands.

Vegetarian Cooking of India is a book that will encourage you into the kitchen. The recipes are simple to execute but are exciting enough to be appreciated by those who already have lots of Indian dishes in their repertoire. Nothing to drive a debutant into panic but plenty to inspire.

Visit Mridula Baljekar here

Asian Cookbook review: Vegetarian Cooking of India
Author: Mridula Baljekar
Published by: Aquamarine
Price: £17.99

Dal and Kadhi

Sanjeev Kapoor is the Indian chef with the golden touch. His acclaimed TV series, Khana Khazana, has enjoyed a 15-year run, has won the Indian Television Academy “Best Cookery Show” and the “Indian Telly” awards year after year, such is the popularity of this man.

Dal and Kadhi presents regional comfort food at its best and the book is as delightful as the food. Each recipe is accompanied by a photograph by Bharat Bhirangi who has a talent for showing these dishes in a mouth-watering fashion. You’ll be planning your next meal before you leave the bookshop.

What could be better than a flavourful dal or kadhi to eat with rice or roti? Your meal might be humble or you could add a dal to an array of other dishes to make a sumptuous and satisfying spread. They range in texture from the rich and substantial to the light and refreshing to suit the season or the occasion. These are the dishes that people miss when they leave home and crave when they are in far-off countries.

This book offers 45 recipes that you will want to add to your culinary repertoire no matter what your home region. They are a broad-based selection of recipes so there is sure to be something to please every palate. Dal Makhni is perhaps the most celebrated both in India and overseas where it has become a restaurant speciality, although seldom cooked in an authentic style. Maharashtrian Kadhi is a traditional dish and represents India’s culinary diversity in a most delicious way.

All these dals and kadhis are tempting but as with life in general there are firsts among equals and I have picked a few that are particularly tempting. Rajasthani Baati ki Dal is made with split green gram (dhuli moong dal) and Bengal gram (chana dal) and the resulting dal is served with traditional baked balls of dough.

Bhindi ni Kadhi is bound to be on my list as I love ladies’ fingers (bhinda/ bhindi). This is a soupy combination of yogurt and gram flour (besan) flavoured with spices. The vegetables remain a little crisp giving the kadhi an interesting texture.

Dal Hari Bhari contains spinach and fenugreek leaves, onions and spices, and Sanjeev uses it to tempt those who would not normally enjoy green vegetables. This would be an easy meal when served just with rice.

Dal and Kadhi is an Aladdin’s cave of ideas for quick, tasty and healthy dishes. One expects lovely books from Sanjeev Kapoor and this is another in that collection that never disappoints. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy good food. This book will show you the way in fine flavourful fashion.

The Blue Elephant Cookbook

This must surely be the most celebrated of Thai restaurant empires. It would be diminishing the class and the quality of the group to describe them as a chain. This is far from the KF Mac Hut of the Thai food world – think sumptuous and exotic and thoroughly impressive.

The Blue Elephant has a fine reputation wherever you might find it. and the cookbook now allows its followers to replicate its dishes in their home kitchens. Those who have never had the pleasure of visiting a Blue Elephant will soon appreciate the attraction.

Thai food in general has gained worldwide popularity over the past decade. More of us have the opportunity to travel to Thailand and also to visit Thai restaurants in our home countries, and we want to try those dishes for ourselves. The Blue Elephant Cookbook will offer you a marvelous array of recipes that represent the very essence of Thai food with all its vibrant flavours.

Blue Elephant recipes are authentic, attractive and tempting. They are not over-taxing for the competent home cook, and the ingredients are all availiable either from your favourite supermarket’s Asian food aisle, from a specialist Thai food store or by mail order via the internet. You’ll not only learn how to make soups, starters, salads, main dishes and desserts but also curry pastes and sauces.

Thai Fish Cakes will be instantly recognised by travellers returning from sun-kissed Thai resorts. They are delicately soft with a crunch supplied by a garnish of peanuts and refreshing lettuce. Serve this with Cucumber Sauce (recipe in this book) and you have a delicious snack or light lunch, or combine with other dishes as part of a Thai buffet.

Stir-Fried Seafood with Garlic and Peppercorns (Seafood Krathiam Prik Thai) is elegant and flavourful and would be an ideal “special” meal. OK, the prawns, scallops and crab are not cheap but this recipe makes the best of that seafood, and the finished result is stunning. The base is Blue Elephant Special Sauce which you can easily make and freeze for future use.

Tuk’s Duck Salad (Laab Ped) is a dish devised by the aforementioned Tuk who is a chef at the Blue Elephant in London. The duck is grilled and flavoured with a spice paste and garnished with fried shallots, chillies, fresh coriander and salad. A simple dish to prepare but it has great impact.

The Blue Elephant Cookbook is a jewel of a volume and definitely among my favourite Thai cookbooks. It will be snapped up by lovers of classic Thai food as well as those who are regular diners at The Blue Elephant restaurants. A lovely book.

Royal Hyderabadi Cooking

This is a collaboration between two of India’s finest sons of the culinary arts. If you have not heard of Sanjeev Kapoor (

Low Calorie Vegetarian Cookbook

You should expect something special when you are presented with a Sanjeev Kapoor cookbook. Low Calorie Vegetarian really is something a bit different and this could start an exotic diet trend.

Sanjeev is probably the most celebrated of Indian chefs, presenting Khana Khazana on India’s Zee TV. It’s been airing since 1993 and its 600th episode is now just a memory. He has won several awards such as the Best Executive Chef of India Award and the Mercury Gold Award at Geneva, which has earned this man international as well as home-grown respect.

Low Calorie Vegetarian Cookbook is just one of many cookbooks from this charming, handsome and charismatic man. Each book is welcomed by an adoring audience who have been impressed by the author’s skill on the small screen. It’s said that Sanjeev never repeats a recipe and will not need to for several decades; such is his volume of work.

Low calorie carnivorous and low calorie vegetarian recipes have often seemed to fall into one of two categories: boring or boring with vegetables. But Sanjeev’s book will strike the right chord with many readers who want a low calorie diet that offers food with taste and texture. If you don’t enjoy the food that does you good then you will fall back into the same old unhealthy eating habits which got you into your chubby mess to start with.

Low Calorie Vegetarian Cookbook is about flavour, and Sanjeev has a collection of recipes that will tempt even those with no health or weight issues. This is good food with intriguing combinations of spices and fresh ingredients. There are Nutrition Information charts with each recipe to enable the home cook to make the best choices to achieve a balanced diet.

The recipes are broad-based and you don’t have to be a lover of traditional Indian food to appreciate the dishes. Sanjeev has French onion soup but his version raises the bar with French Onion and Garlic Soup. Spicy Pineapple Boat is light and refreshing but with a little kick from green chillies. For those who want a cool and summery salad then Minted Mushrooms should fit the bill. This is a dish of mushrooms, tomato, cucumber, mint leaves and a dressing of low fat yogurt, and the addition of lemon juice provides a tang.

However delicious the European-inspired dishes might be, most of us will be looking for that unmistakable taste of the subcontinent and it’s here in glorious profusion. Spinach and Cabbage Parantha is a flatbread with aromatic cardamom and spicy red chilli powder to complement the vegetables incorporated into the dough.

Desserts are not forgotten. Kesari Phirni is a lovely dessert of Pistachio nuts perfumed with saffron and cardamom. The sweetness comes from a sugar substitute such as Equal or Splenda so you can indulge with no guilt.

Do I have a favourite recipe? Well, you know I do and its Mushroom Dum Biryani. This is a rice dish made with the traditional method but have no fear, it’s not difficult and the results will impress both Western and Asian friends. I’ll make this dish often, not because I have a low calorie diet (although perhaps I should) but because it’s delicious and simple.

A Western cook will have no problem finding the spices in local supermarkets or from one of the many online Asian stores. The cooking techniques are not taxing and you don’t have to take a trip to Mumbai to kit out your new Asian kitchen. This is a fascinating book with recipes that will encourage you to make, eat and enjoy flavourful and healthful meals.

Low Calorie Vegetarian Cookbook is the first of Sanjeev Kapoor's books that I have had the pleasure to review, and there are more to follow. This volume is bound to be a success with readers from every continent.

The Asian Grill

Yes, it’s a BBQ book but one with a difference. This will capture the imagination of those who long for something more exotic. There are those fire-extinguisher-wielding, burnt-offering-offering culinary pyromaniacs who think that charcoal adds flavour. No, my little Webber warrior, my Hibachi hero! The charcoal is the fuel and not the food; add flavour by thoughtful use of marinades and condiments.

Corinne Trang is an international chef and food authority. Her heritage is Asian and European, and she is one of the few who are truly at home with both genres; but more importantly she loves food. Might sound a strange and rather obvious statement but there are many chefs and food-industry gurus who are just doing a job, but Corinne is a chef, a food professional, and a foodie with all the passionate enthusiasm that word implies.

I am not a lover of Fusion food as it is so often a compromise. Some chefs have built reputations on marrying ingredients which should never even have been introduced. Corinne’s food is easily described as good food with Asian flavour. There is nothing here that will bring the cry of horror, nothing that jars, but plenty that looks good on paper and even better on a plate.

The Asian Grill will gently lead you away (you can return from time to time) from ketchup, mustard and liquid smoke and will playfully nudge you in the direction of soy sauce, sesame oil and mirin. All the ingredients are available in a supermarket near you or via mail order. The cooking techniques don’t require a training course and you probably already have the equipment, so you are ready to dazzle.

Back-yard grilling isn’t famed for having a sophisticated meal as its end-product. It’s more often burgers like hockey pucks and flavourless chicken. It’s rarely the food that is the centre of attention but rather the grilling process that encourages conviviality. We marvel at the “skill” of (mostly) men who only don an apron when the smell of lighter fuel is in the air. Grilling is simple and was the first cooking method. Cavemen didn’t say “I’ll rustle up a nice soufflé for lunch” or “How about a delicately toasted English muffin with passion-fruit jelly?” No, dear reader, it would likely be “Pass me the pinny, Unk, I’m grilling tonight.”

Corinne has a flair for flavour, not only for the dishes that are grilled, but for all the associated breads, rices, noodles, and even sweets and drinks. There is everything you will need in this one vibrant and attractive volume. You will be able to compose meals around the grill that will be elegant but still fun both to cook and to eat.

I love lamb and The Asian Grill has a recipe that is a joy. Lamb Marinated in Yellow Spice Paste is flavoured with a pungent mix which elevates these kebabs into something mouthwatering. Corinne suggests serving these with Scallion Flat Bread from this same book. Pork Patties could be an alternative filling for that bread, and this recipe has a distinct Vietnamese flavour with fish sauce and lemon grass. BBQ Pork is Corinne’s version of the Cantonese classic, Char Siu, often seen hanging in windows in Chinatowns the world over. This will always be a crowd-pleaser.

Perhaps my favourite recipe is that for Spicy Sweet Soy Sauce Marinated Chicken. It couldn’t be easier to prepare but the resulting bird is a long way from the usual lack-lustre poultry of by-gone BBQs ...or I might choose Spicy Squid Salad ...but Asian Clambake is impressive ...although...

The Asian Grill is a book stuffed with tempting and flavourful food. You don’t need to know anything about cooking Asian food, and even a novice griller should be confident of a lot of compliments; everything you need to know is here. Corinne Trang has once again produced a book that will soon be stained through much use, and that’s a fine accolade for any cookbook.

Noodles Every Day

To the untutored this might seem an uninspiring proposition, but it’s perfectly possible to eat noodles every day and perhaps even several times a day without feeling as though it’s an endurance test.

Corinne Trang is a US based author, radio and TV broadcaster on the subject of Asian food. She is a well respected authority on foods from China and Southeast Asia and has been described as the “Julia Child of Asian Cuisine” by the Washington Post and me. Corinne has penned numerous books and has won a raft of awards - her very first won Best Asian Cuisine Book in the World at the World Cookbook Fair. Not too shabby!

Corinne has a passion for food and not just Asian food (a casual conversation with this lady about anything from bread to breakfast will have you drooling). Her background, a combination of French and Chinese, equips her very well to take her place in the culinary arena of both East and West.

Noodles Every Day is an attractive volume with marvellous photographs by Maura McEvoy. It’s more than a cookbook – this is an encyclopaedia of all things noodley. Every possible variety of noodle is considered and a wealth of recipes is offered. This is the original fast food and it’s both healthy and sustaining which is more than can be said for most of the popular western alternatives.

Every noodle type has its recipes but you can mix and match to suit your own taste. The five noodle categories are Wheat, Egg, Buckwheat, Rice and Cellophane but there is an additional chapter which covers Buns, Dumplings, and Spring Rolls. Although these are not noodles they do fall under the “snack” umbrella as do some of the noodle dishes.

Corinne introduces you to stock making and some typical Asian condiments, as well as basic ingredients. You will have all you need to be ever ready, with the addition of a few fresh items, for a quick but impressive meal... and fast!

Wheat Noodles with Spicy Ground Pork is a Szechuan classic. Dishes from this region are prized for their robust flavours and this one is no exception although the stir-fried Napa cabbage (Chinese Leaves) adds sweetness. Stir-fried Egg Noodles with Beef and Broccoli is another meat and vegetable recipe and a worldwide restaurant favourite but it’s easy to make at home. It’s flavourful, rich and comforting.

One of the most striking recipes in Noodles Every Day is that for Egg Noodle Soup with Five-spice Duck. This would make a smart dinner party dish with its succulent, aromatic meat and the soup served on the side. For sheer luxury though, Crab-flavoured Noodles with Velvety Crab Sauce and Green Peas takes some beating. It’s a simple recipe but has a cheffy quality about it. The crab-flavoured noodles can be found in larger Chinese food stores but if you can’t get hold of them you can substitute regular thin egg noodles.

Noodles Every Day is an instructive and inspiring book. It’s thoughtfully written with the western cook in mind but Corinne Trang is never pedestrian in her choice of recipes. This isn’t just another Asian cookbook but rather a vehicle which will help you to appreciate all the subtle flavours and textures that Asian food has to offer. Noodles Every Day will surely be another award winner.