Author: the other food interpreter

Sambal Chicken

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This is a somehow strange combination but works very well. It gives  a hint of Indonesia wrapped in a tortilla, balancing something familiar with the intense sambal. You can substitute the chicken with pork or even mix them. For the sambal chicken 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves, cut in 2cm cubes 3 cups (300g) onions, diced 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more if needed 4 Tbsp smoked chilli sambal 1 cup port wine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve flour tortilla wraps fresh salad leaves greek yogurt Heat the olive oil in a large and deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer, in batches and cook until they are light brown on each side. As you finish each batch, transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan if needed. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, add the sambal and cook stirring for about 2 minutes. Add …

Smoked Chilli Sambal

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Sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian chilli based condiment. There are lots of variations, incorporating many different flavourings and spices. You can add sambal to boiled or fried potatoes, omelettes, fish, prawns, chicken or meat, you can also try it on crackers or in sandwiches. Τhere is actually no limit to the way you can use it, just follow your imagination! It is time consuming, but worth the effort. Cooled and stored in airtight jars, this sambal will keep in the refrigerator for several months. You can also freeze it in small batches. For the Smoked Chilli Sambal , based on the recipe of “The Modern Pantry” cookbook, by Anna Hansen, you will need: sunflower oil for deep-frying 250g red peppers, sliced 250g onions, sliced 250g cherry tomatoes 80g fresh ginger, cut into fine strips 80g garlic, sliced 25g dried prawns, ground in a grinder 1 tsp hot smoked paprika 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes 125g tamarind paste* 40ml fish sauce In a deep saucepan heat some oil to 180°C. Deep-fry the red peppers, onions and …

Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Thit Bo Luc Lac)

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The Ferry building is an iconic San Francisco landmark, featuring in movies set at least 300 years apart – from “The Maltese Falcon” in 1941 to “ Star Trek, Into Darkness” in 2259.  It is there where the “Slanted Door” is located – facing the amazing SF Bay  – and not in Little Saigon next to Chinatown of Polanski fame. Silicon Valley talents along more artistic crowds queue to taste the modern Vietnamese cuisine of chef Charles Phan. ‘Shaking beef’ (Thit bo luc lac) is one of his most popular dishes. It is traditional Vietnamese celebratory food adapted for western jaws. The tough beef cuts have been replaced by tender fillet mignons. “Luc lac” means shaking and refers to the tossing of the beef (thit bo) in the wok while cooking. It is simple to cook and very tasty. The recipe that follows is an adapted version from the eponymous “The Slanted Door, modern Vietnamese food” . Serves 4. 700g filet mignon, trimmed of fat and cut into 2cm cubes 5 Tbsp corn oil 1 …

Persian Broad Beans with Eggs – Baghali Ghatogh

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Broad beans (or fava beans) have a long relation with the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. They are being cultivated for 8000 years and have left their mark in epidemiology and politics as well – they were used as votes in Ancient Greece. A small percentage of the population in the area do not take broad beans well and this is somehow related to the resistance against endemic malaria. So consuming broad beans was not always without risk. Right now it is their season and our garden is full of them. So we decided to try out this dish, that an Iranian friend used to cook for us some years ago. We didn’t have the recipe, so we did some research and several trials. It is a quick and easy recipe, given that you’ve already podded and shelled your broad beans, because that takes time. A lot of time actually… To shell your podded beans, put them in a saucepan, cover them with water and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Then drain …

Strawberry Tart Forever

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Spring calls for strawberries. The fruit markets are full with delicious strawberries this time of the year and I try to make use of them in every possible way. I think that this basic strawberry tart recipe of Stelios Parliaros, will make you feel like a professional patissier. For the pastry 300g all purpose flour 200g very cold unsalted butter,cut into small cubes 100g icing sugar 1 egg For the filling 350g full fat milk 150g whipping cream 80g caster sugar 1 egg 3 egg yolks 40g cornstarch 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scrapped out 500g fresh strawberries For the glaze 1 Tbsp strawberry jam 1Tbsp boiling water For the sweet pastry, combine flour, butter and sugar in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Change to the hook attachment and add the egg. Continue mixing  until dough comes together to form a ball. Turn the mixture out onto a plastic wrap and shape into a disc. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll out …

Wild Rice Salad

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Healthy and delicious, this hearty salad is great to serve all year round. Makes a perfect light meal or side dish for anything grilled and it’s great on a buffet table. For the salad 2 cups wild rice, uncooked 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 4-5 spring onions, finely chopped 1 cup green peas, boiled in water for 3-4 minutes 1/2 cup black olives without pits, chopped 1/2 cup black raisins 1 cup parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped 1 cup dill, stalks and leaves finely chopped For the vinaigrette 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 tsp dijon mustard 1 tsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp chives, finely chopped Add rice and 7 cups of salted water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 45-50 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid and place the rice in a bowl. Pour half the vinaigrette over warm rice mixing thoroughly, then set aside to cool. Combine rice with all the other salad …

Strawberry Vodka Drink

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A recipe doesn’t have to be difficult to be a success. This vodka-strawberry drink, adapted from a recipe by Argiro Barbarigou, takes only 15 minutes to make and is always a hit with our guests. 500 g fresh strawberries 500 g caster sugar 700 ml vodka Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar and blend until you get a smooth mixture. Add the vodka and blend just a little to incorporate. Transfer the mixture to a bottle and refrigerate. This is not a liqueur, so you don’t need to wait a long time. Once cold, you can drink it! Always shake the bottle well, before serving. You can also freeze it, in which case it will become more sorbet-like.

The Analytics of Taramosalata

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Taramosalata ranks high as far as Greek dishes are concerned. If you google Taramosalata you get 47,300 results. It does better than moussaka  (30,600 results) or tzatziki (8,280 results), but not as high as greek salad (54,900 results). Drilling down on the varieties, you get 18,300 results for the taramosalata recipes using potatoes and 27,600 results for recipes using bread. The one  I’m going to present here is  intense using more tarama (carp roe) than bread. If it is too salty for your taste you can add more bread. Depending on the type of roe used, it’s colour can vary from light beige to pale pink. Try to avoid the bright pink coloured fish roe, as it is usually of lower quality and artificially dyed. 100 g white tarama (carp roe or cod roe) 90 g white sourdough bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed- 1 or 2 days old bread works better for this recipe 60 g lemon juice (approximately the juice of two lemons) 190-200 g extra virgin olive oil Place the …

Thai Cucumber and Prawn Salad

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This is a simple and intense salad, that tastes undoubtedly thai. First, make the dressing. The ingredients should be added to a mortar in the following order: pinch of salt 1 garlic clove, peeled 2 bird’s eye chillies or one regular red chilli pinch of white sugar 1,5 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon fish sauce It should taste sour, salty and hot. For the salad: 2 tablespoons dried prawns (shrimp) 1 small cucumber 3 red shallots sliced handful of mixed mint and coriander leaves Grind the dried prawns in an electric mini chopper or coffee grinder until very fine. Wash the cucumber, then cut in half lengthwise and slice finely . Combine cucumber, shallots, mint and coriander, then dress. Arrange on a plate and sprinkle over the dried prawns. Recipe from : ‘Thai food’ by David Thompson

Dried prawns

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We usually dry some prawns once in a while and keep them refrigerated. We use them in several SE Asian recipes, including the Thai Cucumber and Prawn Salad. 10 large uncooked prawns (shrimp) 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce pinch of white sugar Peel and devein prawns, then wash them. Mix salt, fish sauce or soy sauce and sugar; pour over prawns and leave to marinate overnight. Place prawns on a cake rack over a foil-lined tray (this makes for easier cleaning). Dry them  in a very low oven  for around 4 hours at 90°C with the door ajar – until dried but not brittle. Once dried, the prawns will keep for several weeks refrigerated. Recipe from : ‘Thai food’ by David Thompson