|
Paul Silva
Hello Recipe Club,
I would like to welcome back my friend and Chef2Chef.net
Ambassador, Chef Paul Silva as our host this week. Enjoy!
Fruit and Spice and Everything Nice - Some Asian Favourites
As some of you may know, I have a love affair with South
East Asian food - the colours, the flavours, the aromas are
enough to send me on the first plane into India, Thailand,
Indonesia or China. But since I don't have the cash on me, I
think I will take the trip through food - and I will take
you guys along with me (hope you don't mind!)
This week I have recipes that celebrate one aspect of
cooking that excites me - using fruit and spice together in
both savoury and sweet ways. Hey, we all know pork chops and
applesauce work beautifully - so why not chicken and
pineapple (a common sight in Vietnamese cooking) or lobster
and lychee?
I also love to combine Asian flavours into European cuisine
- hence, the 5-spice coconut meringue is born. I have also
included classics like Satays and Gulab Jaman (an Indian
sweet that is basically a beignet that is soaked in syrup -
you'll love them!)
Don't let the ingredients list throw you off on some of
these recipes. When enjoying foods from that part of the
world, you need to load up on spices. Remember, buy spices
in small amounts, and keep them in an airtight, dry and dark
place. They will last longer and will serve you better.
Freshness is everything.
Enjoy!
Paul Silva
Today I would like to start with the wonderful and popular
satays - ribboned meat threaded on skewers, marinated and
grilled. They are the epitome of street food. Don't feel
restricted to beef in this recipe. Chicken and pork also
work wonderfully. Just remember not to keep the satays in
the marinade too long, or the meat will start to get mushy!
The dipping sauce used macadamia nuts, but you can easily
substitute cashews or peanuts. The nuts give the sauce
texture - a natural thickener.
The coconut marinade can also be used for fish fillets
before dredging and frying, or even for whole chicken
breasts. |
