Passport

World Nomads and Plate

Travel
Recipes Cookbook
from around the world
: Country | 1
Contents

Africa pg 04 Japan: Sri Lanka:

Nikujaga / Japanese-Style The Perfect Pol Sambol –
Morocco: Beef and Potatoes Bowl 28 Two Ways 59
Fragrant Fish Tagine
Myanmar: Spicy Crab Curry  62
with Saffron & Olives 05
Holy-Snake-Approved
Roasted Eggplant Salad 31 Europe pg 65
The Americas pg 08

Philippines: France:
Ecuador:
Dinuguan / Filipino Pork Farmhouse Fig &
Cazuela De Verde Con
Blood Stew 34 Chèvre Tart with
Pescado / Fish & Green
Blackberry Balsamic  66
Plantain Cazuela 09
Yema Balls 37
Mexico: Italy:
Mole Negro / Oaxacan Singapore:
Paola’s Malfatti / Spinach
Chocolate-Chili Sauce 12 Bak Kwa / Chinese
and Ricotta Dumplings 69
Pork Jerky 40
Jamaica: Middle East: pg 72
Jamaican-Style Pork Thailand:
& Apple Patties 15 Steamed Turbot Iran:
with Som Tam 43 Fesenjoon /
United States of Pomegranate & Walnut
America: Dokmai / Crepe-Fried Chicken Stew  73
I Dolcetti Al Limone / Flowers 46
Meyer Lemon Vietnam Khoresht Bademjan with
Bundt Cake  18 Cá Cơm Kho Khô / Sticky Tahdig / Persian Eggplant
Clay Pot Whitebait  49 Stew with Beef 76
Asia pg 21
Asian Subcontinent pg 52 United Arab Emirates:
China: Shorbat Adas / Middle
Chairman Mao Pork 22 India: Eastern Red Lentil Soup 79
Indonesia: Surul Poli &
Sate Lilit Ayam / Chicken Badham Kheer 53
Winning recipes 
Satay with Base Gede 25 Tuscan Besan Laddu  56

2 | : Country
Passport & Plate: A Journey
Through Food
One of the amazing things about
food is its ability to transport us to
the far corners of the globe, to places
we’ve never heard of, and places
we’ve only ever dreamed of. Through
our Passport & Plate program, World
Nomads has been making those
dreams a reality.

In 2014, we sent Elena, Sofia, and Tri to Italy, one

of the great cultural cornerstones of our world.
In 2015, it was Lindsay, Mahsa, and Suresh’s turn
to head to Sri Lanka. That tiny island paradise
doesn’t receive nearly the attention it deserves.

We saw some amazing scholarship entries. The

recipes and stories say more about the World
Nomads community around the world than we
ever could.

What's in this recipe book?

For this cookbook, we collected twenty four
of our favorite recipes from the 2014 and
2015 Passport & Plate program. It’s a fantastic
collection. Our Nomads community brought
us dishes from Myanmar, France, Bangladesh,
and almost anywhere else you can think of. Best We hope this book inspires you. Whether it’s to
of all, each recipe is accompanied by gorgeous get into the kitchen, head down to the market,
photography and incredible stories from around or to take off and chase that food dream you’ve
the world. always had, World Nomads is behind you.

World Nomads Cook Book | 3

 Destination: Africa
The cradle of civilization, Africa’s amazing diversity has
influenced cooking the world over. None more so than the
rich flavors and simple methods of North African cuisine and
it’s signature dish –­ the tagine.

4 | : Country
Moroccan Flavors
By Lucille Yvette in Morocco

I knocked on the door to the cooking quarters of

our Essaouiran Riad to request some mint tea, and
was warmly greeted by Kassim who ushered me
inside. “Please, this is your home.”

Simmering away over the gas The flesh was meaty and depth, and the dish embodies
stove were two fish tagines subtle in flavor, perhaps the colors and textures of a
for Kassim and his boss. The swordfish, and was lively culture steeped in
oceanic, spicy scents emanating accompanied by roughly history and religion.
from the conical lids pervaded chopped potatoes, carrots,
the entire kitchen and flirted lemon, and an abundance of Kassim asked eagerly: “You
with my soul. coriander and spices. I asked like?” I explained this was the
Kassim what type of fish best tagine I had tried and
A small plate of sumptuous he had used and he replied: afterwards, wandered down
stew was cooling on the table “fish caught from my family”, to the harbor, passed the
and, within moments, Kassim pointing towards the coast. white-washed homes with blue
had a fork in my hand offering shutters, through the souks,
a taste of his dish with humble I realized from his discerning to the trawlers and dinghys
generosity. Overwhelmed reply that it didn’t matter huddled together where the
by the gesture and salivating what type of fish it was, but fish had arrived this morning.
at the prospect of trying a that it was fresh, local, and The people of Essaouira were
home-cooked version of this typical to this region. The clearly in tune with their sea and
quintessential Moroccan meal, ingredients are necessarily intent on enjoying its offerings.
I tucked in. cheap, but the flavors have
On a two-week food, cultural,
and religious exploration of
Morocco, this interaction had
a real impact on me – both
due to Kassim’s kindness in his
offering, but also the insight it
gave me into the food culture
of this region, which I felt a
particular connection to given
my upbringing in a small
coastal town and inherent
love of seafood.

Africa: Morocco | 5
 Fragrant Fish Tagine with Saffron & Olives

6 | Africa: Morocco
Fragrant Fish Tagine with
Saffron & Olives
Recipe: Lucille Yvette
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 45 mins | Preparation time: 30 mins

Ingredients
2 carrots, roughly chopped 8 small new or chat potatoes, Handful of small black olives
1 brown onion, finely chopped cut lengthways into quarters 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. preserved lemon, 4 medium-sized fillets of Salt and pepper
finely chopped firm white fish (Ocean Perch,
8 large cherry tomatoes, halved Mahi Mahi, Kingfish, Blue-Eye
750ml fish stock Trevalla), cut into large chunks
Chermoula:
½ large bunch coriander, 1 tsp. freshly-ground cumin 1 ½ tsp. sweet paprika
roughly chopped seeds (or ground cumin) 1 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 red finger chili, seeded 1 lemon (juice only)
1 tsp. ginger, finely chopped 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. saffron strands

To serve:
Fresh coriander leaves 1 green finger chili
1 red finger chili Bread or couscous

Method
1. Blend all the ingredients for the chermoula 7. Add the remaining chermoula and the fillets
in a food processor until smooth. of fish so they are submerged in the liquid,
and simmer for 6 minutes covered (or until
2. Heat oil in large heavy-based pan over
fish is just cooked and tender).
medium heat.
8. Season with salt and pepper and add olives.
3. Add onion and fry gently for 5 minutes.
9. To serve, spoon tagine into bowls and
4. Add carrots and fry for further 3 minutes.
garnish with fresh coriander and finely-sliced
5. Add 1/3 of the chermoula, the preserved red and green finger chilies. Serve with bread
lemon, the tomatoes, and the stock, bring or couscous.
to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Add the potatoes and simmer for a further

15 minutes, covering with lid of tagine.

Africa: Morocco | 7
 Destination:
The Americas
Corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate,
peppers, avocados, and pineapples – imagine trying to cook
(or eat) without all the foods that originated in The Americas.

8 | : Country
Cecilia´s Cazuela
By Santiago Rosero in Ecuador

It was 1983. It was night. I was

traveling with my parents around
Manabí, a province of Ecuador well
known for its magnificent beaches
and delicious seafood. The car had a
malfunction and we got stranded in
the middle of the road.

The damage was severe and we had nothing to My parents have tried the cazuela – a dish
do until the next day. As we settled in for the originally from the countryside in the coast of
night and began to drift off to sleep, someone Ecuador, but later became urban and popular
knocked the window next to my father. It was – several times before, but they swore that
a farmer in his 40s, with a flashlight in one Cecelia’s was unique.
hand and a machete in the other. He offered
my parents a place to stay at his home, and my They immediately knew that its taste was due
parents agreed. to cooking with firewood, and the fact that the
Zambranos had practically all the necessary
The house was about two hundred meters from ingredients in their backyard. My mother asked
the road, deep into the trees. The man lit the Cecilia for her recipe.
way with the flashlight and, with the machete,
cut branches impeding our way. At the house – a We slept quite well. The next morning, a
red walled house of a single space – was Cecilia, mechanic fixed the car and we were able to
Carlos Zambrano´s wife. We soon learned their continue our journey. I was five years old when
names and met their three children: Jonás, that happened. I vaguely remember certain
Aurelio, and Melisa. Cecilia stoked a little fire pit scenes, the dancing orange light of the fire, the
and Carlos showed us where we were going to deformed shadows of the children projected
sleep: a little corner where there was a rush mat against the reed walls. But my parents remember
and two blankets. that night perfectly. They often refer to it as "a
moment of infinite generosity," and since then,
We sat around the fire, and Cecilia put some they’ve adopted Cecilia´s cazuela de pescado
rough clay smoky pots in our hands. "What is this as the dish of the great welcome moments.
that smells so good?" asked my mother before Every time I return to Quito, or whenever I'm
even tasting the first spoonful. "It´s a cazuela de passing by, my parents receive me with a plato de
pescado" said Cecilia. “We made it today for cazuela. I learned to make it when I was 18.
Jonás' birthday.”

The Americas: Ecuador | 9

 Cazuela De Verde Con Pescado / Fish & Green Plantain Cazuela

10 | The Americas: Ecuador

Cazuela De Verde Con Pescado / Fish
& Green Plantain Cazuela
Recipe: Santiago Rosero
Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 50 mins

Ingredients
2 green plantains 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
200g dorada (or hake or tuna) 50g peanuts 1 tsp. oregano
1 medium red onion, chopped 3 tbsp. achiote Salt, pepper, and cumin
1 medium green pepper, diced (Annatto seed) oil
1 small tomato, chopped 1l fish stock

Method
1. Heat the achiote oil in a large pan over 4. Season the fish (salt, pepper, cumin) and
medium heat and sauté the chopped onion, sauté it slightly in another pan with the
tomato, green pepper, garlic, oregano other half of the refrito (2-3 minutes).
(refrito) and seasoning (salt, peper, cumin)
5. Preheat the oven (180˚C/ 350˚F). In a clay pot,
until soft and fragrant. Remove from heat
put the plantain mix, then the sautéed fish,
and let cook slightly.
and cover it with the peanut cream. Bake it
2. Peel the plantains, chop them roughly, and for 15-20 minutes or until golden and gratin.
blend them in a food processor with half of
6. Serve warm with lime slices and freshly
the fish stock. Add the mix to the half of the
chopped cilantro (can be eaten with
refrito, and mix until well-blended and mostly
white rice).
smooth. Add little by little the rest of the
stock to keep the whole mix thick but elastic.

3. Blend the peanuts with a little bit of water,

or half-water-half-milk to make a soft cream.
Season it and boil for 5 minutes.

The Americas: Ecuador | 11

Aztec Healing
By Rachel Glueck in Mexico

Last fall, I found myself wandering the streets of

Mexico’s culinary capital, blissfully entangled with
my fiancé, Noel – a native Aztec healer. It was there
in the chaotic, grimy marketplace of Oaxaca that I
had my first taste of mole negro.

In that moment, the essence of It was Vicky Hernandez – an Tlaloc, the Aztec lord of rain.
the Oaxacan spirit manifested Oaxacan native and my Once the sermon had finished
on my palate: rich, complex, instructor in Pre-Hispanic and we’d all paid our respects
brimming with history, and cooking – who taught me to the Virgin de Guadalupe
roiling with revelry. If there is to make mole negro. As (or Tonantzin to the Aztecs),
one spot in Mexico renown she walked me through the solemnity came to a screeching
for vibrant festivals that blend subtleties of creating an halt. The revelry began.
native and European heritage, authentic sauce, she infused
it’s Oaxaca. And, without the dish with the anecdotal Twelve-year-old boys ran back
a doubt, mole negro is the wisdom of her people. and forth serving beers to the
culinary icon of this World thirsty crowd, while a bottle
Heritage City. Vicky invited us to try her of mezcal was passed around.
mother’s mole at a celebration A monstrous vat of mole
There’s a celebration every day of Señor del Rayo in her village simmered at the back of the
on the streets of Oaxaca – of the following weekend. Noel house. The band struck up and
life, love, marriage, death, and explained that Señor del Rayo we swung our hips to salsa and
everything in-between. Mole was a Catholicized version cumbia alongside our hosts.
speaks to it all. of the native celebration of Young girls and diminutive,
straight-faced grandmothers
followed me in a limbo line,
along with all but the most
timid of villagers.

With mole in my belly and

mezcal whispering on my
lips, writhing to modern
rhythms for the sake of an
Aztec-cum-Christian deity,
I felt, for a moment, every bit
a Oaxaqueña.

12 | The Americas: Mexico

Mole Negro / Oaxacan Chocolate-Chili Sauce

The Americas: Mexico | 13

Mole Negro / Oaxacan
Chocolate-Chili Sauce
Recipe: Rachel Glueck
Serves: 10-12 | Cooking time: 2 hrs | Preparation time: 30 mins

Ingredients
6 dried chilhuacles chilies 3 slices of “pan de yema” (or 10 cloves
6 dried mulato chilies substitute thick slices of soft, ½ tbsp. of cinnamon
6 dried pasilla chilies white bread) 4 tbsp. of sesame seeds
3 dried chipotle meco chilies 1 tbsp. peanuts 10 Roma tomatoes
1 onion, sliced 1 tbsp. walnuts 5 tomatillos
1 head of garlic, peeled cloves 20 almonds 125g dark chocolate
separated 4 tbsp. of raisins 8 cups of chicken stock
5 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. of thyme 2 tbsp. sugar
1 plátano macho (large banana), 2 tbsp. of oregano Salt
peeled and sliced 10 whole black peppercorns

Method
1. Slice all the chilies and remove all seeds and in a food processor and set aside. Blend all
veins. Take care not to burn yourself with the the other ingredients that you put in the bowl
seeds. Wash and soak chilies in hot water for in a food processor to form a paste. Place this
10 minutes. paste in a large pot and fry for 15 minutes.

2. Fry chilies, onion, and garlic in a dry pan 6. Add the tomato puree, chocolate, 2 cups of
(no oil – this is called asado). chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and
1 tablespoon of salt and cook for 1 hour,
3. Fry each of the following ingredients
stirring constantly to prevent the sauce from
separately with a tablespoon of oil: plátano
sticking to the pot. You may need to add
macho (large banana), slices of bread,
more chicken stock. Add chocolate, sugar,
peanuts, almonds, and walnuts. Place all
and salt every 20 minutes as needed.
these ingredients in a bowl along with the
raisins, thyme, oregano, black peppercorns, 7. Traditionally, you cook this for 8 hours,
cloves, and cinnamon. however, unless you have a lot of helpers
and a lot of time, one hour will do just fine.
4. Fry the sesame seeds dry (asado) with salt (to
The result will be a large pot of incredible
prevent them from popping out of the pan)
flavor, sufficient to provide a sauce for 10 –
until brown. Add to the bowl of ingredients.
12 servings. Serve generously over chicken
5. Fry the tomatoes and tomatillos separately (breast, thighs, legs) or pork with rice.
for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and then purée ¡Buen provecho!

14 | The Americas: Mexico

Street Food Patties
By Carol Harris in Jamaica

For me, the street food of any country

tells a story, usually of the people,
the environment, and the climate to
which the food belongs. In the case of
Patties, Jamaica’s favorite street food,
the dish is also a link to my heritage
and a nod to nostalgia.

It’s believed that Patties came about after the Office staff, laborers, school children... we all
British colonized Jamaica, bringing with them would grab our food, packaged in small paper
their working men’s food of Cornish Pasties. bags, and find a spot in the shade to devour the
As slavery ended, Indian indentured slaves goods. I always struggled to decide which filling
arrived, introducing flavorful curry spices. The to choose: traditional beef, vegetable, chicken,
end result of these influences is the Jamaican fish, or goat. I worked my way through them all at
Pattie: golden, crisp pastry encasing a curried some point.
filling, enhanced with fiery Caribbean peppers
and local thyme. Some fantastic Patties are now available in the
UK, but nothing beats making your own and
As children, it was always a special treat when my eating them fresh from the oven. I’ve introduced
Jamaican Dad would bring Patties home after new options – Turkey, and Pork ‘n’ Apple – equally
visiting the local Caribbean club. They were a as good as the more traditional fillings. There is
fiery, exotic taste of sunshine and spice, livening always a list of family and friends waiting for the
up cold Lancashire evenings. We’d fight over the next batch to hit the table.
last crumbs. Little did I know at the time
that these processed patties, made in the UK,
did not live up to the freshly-baked version
in Jamaica.

I got to taste the real thing when I began working

on cruise ships and visited Jamaica’s Montego
Bay on a weekly basis. On the high street in town,
there is a bakery, and whatever time of day or
night, there is a queue of locals and tourists,
waiting to buy the freshly-baked treat.

The Americas: Jamaica | 15

 Jamaican-Style Pork & Apple Patties

16 | The Americas: Jamaica

Jamaican-Style Pork & Apple Patties
Recipe: Carol Harris
Serves: 12 | Cooking time: 50 mins | Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients
400g minced pork or turkey 1 scotch bonnet chili, deseeded Salt and black pepper
(or mix of both) and finely chopped 2 large bramley apples,
3 spring onions, chopped 4 tsp. Caribbean curry powder peeled, cored, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed Leaves from a small sprig of
2cm piece ginger, peeled fresh thyme
and grated

Caribbean Curry Powder: Pastry:

4 tbsp. whole coriander seeds 1 tbsp. allspice 250g butter
2 tbsp. whole cumin seeds (Pimento) berries 450g plain flour
2 tbsp. mustard seeds 3 tbsp. ground turmeric ½ tsp. turmeric
3 star anise Salt
1 tbsp. fenugreek seeds 3 eggs

Method
1. Fry the mince, spring onion, garlic, and ginger 5. Put on a parchment-lined baking tray or two,
until the meat is browned. Add the chili. Stir glaze with the final beaten egg and prick the
in the curry powder and thyme and cook for tops to let the steam escape. Bake for 30
2 minutes. Add approx. 100ml of water, and minutes until golden.
a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pan,
Curry Powder:
cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
1. Place all the ingredients for the Caribbean
2. Add the apple and cook for 5 minutes until curry powder, except the turmeric, into a dry
the apple is just tender. Set aside to cool. frying pan.
3. Blitz the butter, flour, turmeric, and a pinch of 2. Toast the spices over a medium heat for
salt to a course crumb. Mix in 2 of the eggs, about 5-6 minutes, or until they color slightly
and cold water if needed, until the dough and release their aroma. Allow the spices to
comes together. Wrap and chill whilst the cool and then grind them to a powder with a
filling cools. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F). pestle and mortar, or use a spice grinder.
4. Thinly roll out the pastry and cut out 12 3. Mix in the turmeric and store in an
circles. Spoon the filling on half of each disc. air-tight container.
Brush the edge with egg or milk and fold
pastry over the filling, pinching the edges.

The Americas: Jamaica | 17

Longing for My Lemon
Tree Back Home
By Elena Valeriote in USA
I had just returned to my apartment in
Los Angeles after spending Christmas
at home with my family in Northern
California. Upon opening my suitcase,
I found a note informing me that the
TSA had checked my bag. I laughed –
it must have looked very suspicious.

If only I could have seen the serious face of a Our culinary repertoire of lemon-inspired baked
federal employee as he opened my suitcase goods and savory dishes flourished, but nothing
filled with lemons. They weren’t just any ordinary was ever so perfect as our Meyer Lemon
citrus. They were Meyer lemons, but more than Bundt Cakes. After moving to attend college,
that, they were bright yellow, juicy capsules that thoughts of these cakes hovered like pale
tasted of home. yellow clouds in my mind. I found that store-
bought citrus lacks an authenticity of flavor,
In truth, “home” had not always been the and so I packed a bag full of lemons to take
house with the lemon tree. At the age of nine, to my apartment from home. An odd array of
when we moved from my childhood home, things have since filled my suitcase, and I’m sure
I was devastated – and I refused to like our stranger things will occupy it in the future.
new residence.
My longing for the familiarity of my mother’s cake
As I moped, my mom tried to point out the is now overcome with an insatiable wanderlust;
advantages of the new home to me. “There’s a I feel the emptiness of my suitcase and (though
lemon tree out back!” She had said. I didn’t yet I may pack a lemon for comfort) I am ready to fill
understand what that meant – not until she it anew.
brought in armfuls of the cheerful, little fruits
and began preheating the oven. In the kitchen
with the lemons, I stopped resenting my parents
for making us move.

Baking had always been something special that

my mother and I shared; the warmth of the oven,
our buttery fingers, the sweet aromas swirling
around us – no one could be unhappy in a kitchen.

18 | The Americas: USA

I Dolcetti Al Limone / Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

The Americas: USA | 19

I Dolcetti Al Limone / Meyer Lemon
Bundt Cake
Recipe: Elena Valeriote
Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 25 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins

Ingredients
Cake batter:
½ cup unsalted butter, room 2 tsp. baking powder Juice of 1 lemon
temperature, plus more for ½ tsp. salt (approx. 2 tbsp.)
Bundt pan ½ cup buttermilk 1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 large eggs
more for Bundt pan Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Glaze:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (350˚F). Butter and 3. Divide batter evenly in the pan.
flour a mini Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a
whisk the flour with the baking powder cake comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes).
and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the Cool 10 minutes in pan, then cool completely
buttermilk, vanilla, and zest and juice of on a rack.
1 lemon. Set aside.
4. Set rack over wax or parchment paper. In a
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar with 2
granulated sugar until light. Add eggs one tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. Pour
at a time, beating well after each addition. over cakes and let set for 30 minutes.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in
three batches, alternating with two additions
of buttermilk mixture.

20 | The Americas: USA

Destination: Asia
From the colder climes of China to the steamy tropics of
Thailand, Asian cuisine is as varied as the many peoples
who live here. Pork glazed with sweet and sticky sauces, or
vegetables – hardly fried – with mint, fish sauce, and noodles.
Asian cuisine is a journey of its own.

: Country | 21
The Umami of My Mind
Pete Dillon in China

I am not Chinese, have no Asian heritage, and my

ability to cook Asian food is not handed down.
I am a bog Irish Aussie lad who cooks for, and
with, love. But, I have perfected this dish. It’s not
groundbreaking, but I love it.

My partner and I have of the dish to show the chef. easy to cook what I know and
a favorite restaurant in He loved it. like, but the challenge of trying
Melbourne, and we will something, and making it my
be having our non-state- I love candied Chinese pork own, is fulfilling.
sanctioned wedding there because it reminds me of the
in December. Every time we many times my partner and I As we grow older, I want to
have eaten there, we order have eaten at this restaurant remember these times, and
this beautiful candied pork. together. We have seen in this candied pork will serve
– it’s sweet, mildly spicy, and a couple of new years with as a reminder of our younger
deliciously sticky. We think the friends and loved ones here, days dating and getting to
chef likes serving it for us as and cooking this dish reminds know each other – sort of like
much as we love to eat it. me of those times – of a photograph, but with taste –
friendship, fellowship, and love ‘the umami of my mind’.
One afternoon, I decided to shared around a table.
give it a go, and came up with I love that food can transport
what is now my own recipe. It I enjoy trying new things in the us to somewhere, to take us
has evolved and changed, and kitchen, and taking myself out to a place far away. Smells
recently I was proud enough of my comfort zone. It would be like star anise, cinnamon, and
chili remind me of times spent
in other lands. This recipe
does that. I don’t have an old
grandmother who inspired this
recipe or any great culinary
heritage that I can point to
in my past. But, I am creating
memories for the future that I
can pass on to others – my own
taste stories.

22 | Asia: China
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork

Asia: China | 23
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork
Recipe: Pete Dillon
Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 45 mins | Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients
600g (1⅓ pounds) pork spare 125ml (½ cup) Shaoxing wine 100g (⅕ cup) moist
ribs (boneless) 125ml (½ cup) sherry shredded coconut
2cm knob ginger, peeled 8 cloves garlic ½ red onion
and sliced 1 tsp. of salt Coriander
1 large red chili, cut lengthways 2 tsp. vegetable oil Mint
3 cinnamon quills 4 tbsp. caster sugar
2 star anise 4 tbsp. dark soy sauce

Method
1. Cut pork into 2 centimetre pieces. 7. Add the pork and soy sauce, and then cover
Cover with water. with the stock from the pork. Allow to simmer
for 20-30 minutes. Check seasoning.
2. Add 6 cloves garlic, smashed with skin on.
8. Remove the cinnamon, ginger, star anise,
3. Add the salt. Bring to the boil, and cook for
garlic cloves, and chili.
5 minutes.
9. Add the remaining sugar, turn heat to high
4. Drain (keep the liquid). Remove the garlic.
and allow to caramelize. The liquid will reduce
Set aside the pork.
until the sauce on the pork is thick and sweet.
5. In a heavy-based wok, heat oil and half the
10. Finely slice red onion and mint, then tear the
sugar, until the sugar starts to dissolve. Add
coriander, and make into a salad.
Shaoxing and sherry (this will get very hot –
be careful). 11. Roll the candied pork in the coconut. Serve
on the onion, mint, and coriander salad. Have
6. Add star anise, ginger, cinnamon, chili,
a side of steamed basmati rice and a glass of
2 peeled garlic cloves. Allow to simmer for
Riesling to enjoy.
a few minutes. You can add another chili,
depending on how hot you want it.

24 | Asia: China
Last Year, I Quit my Job to Chase
a Dream
Jessica Rigg in Indonesia
A dream that saw me falling to sleep with books
like Around the World in 80 Dishes on my pillow,
dreaming of eating in far, exotic places, and waking
with a grumbling appetite for adventurous eating.

When I was 18 years old, I faced I spent years scrawling my The day after being
the most difficult challenge of dreams in a notebook, lists discharged, I went to a local
my life: fighting cancer. Seven of destinations and culinary cooking class, which left me
years on, I’ve had invaluable experiences I would fulfill “one with a renewed sense of
friendships, unforgettable day”. But two years ago, a wake- confidence and excitement.
moments, and the pleasures up call changed everything.
that come with a comfortable This recipe is from that day. A
life. With my comfortable I was facing the threat of cancer day when I was reminded of
life came routine; routine is a once more, which meant the the conviction and courage
dangerous thing. It will give you risk of my “one day” list bearing that I needed to change, of
tunnel vision, it will hear you a new name: “I wish I had have“. the liberation of forgetting my
complain, condemn, and utter I wasn’t going to make the fears, and taking charge of my
the words “one day” a thousand same mistake twice. I promised life. It is the first recipe that I
times over. myself that if I came out of this learnt on my journey, the first
alive, I wouldn’t just be alive – I recipe I sent home to friends
would live. And I stuck to it. and family, and the recipe that
I will now remember as the
I quit my job, sold everything, beginning of my new life.
and bought a one-way ticket
to begin a gastronomic
journey. This is not a vacation,
not a gap year: this is life. I
began in Bali where I arrived
ready for a food frenzy. After
one week of hunting down
warungs, chasing street-carts,
and befriending local chefs,
I was hospitalized with a
parasite infection. Shaken, I
needed something to turn this
daunting experience around.

Asia: Indonesia | 25
 Sate Lilit Ayam / Chicken Satay with Base Gede

26 | Asia: Indonesia
Sate Lilit Ayam / Chicken Satay with
Base Gede
Recipe: Jessica Rigg
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Base Gede: 2 bay leaves Peanut Satay Sauce:
Large red chili, halved, seeded, 3 kaffir limes leaves 250g raw peanuts
and sliced 2 tsp. tamarind juice 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
20g shallots, sliced 3 tsp. palm sugar syrup 1-2 birds eye chilies, thinly sliced
100g garlic 25g kencur, finely chopped
150g galangal Chicken Sticks: 3 tbsp. palm sugar syrup
75g ginger, chopped fine 300g ground chicken mince 50ml coconut milk
50g kencur, finely chopped 200g grated coconut 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
175g turmeric, finely chopped ½ base gede (see recipe) 1 tsp. kaffir lime juice
75g candlenut 5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced 2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tsp. coriander seeds 2 tsp. palm sugar syrup 1 pinch sea salt
150ml coconut oil 1 tsp. tamarind juice 1 cup coconut oil
250ml water Lemon grass stalks 125ml water
1 tsp. black peppercorns Coconut oil to coat
2 sticks of lemongrass, halved

Method:
Base Gede:
1. Grind chili, shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, 2. Grill skewers over charcoal or bbq until
kencur, turmeric, candlenut, coriander seeds golden brown.
and peppercorns.
For Peanut Satay Sauce:
2. Add to a pan along with remaining
1. Heat coconut oil in a wok over medium heat.
ingredients except for palm sugar and
Add peanuts, garlic, chilies, and kencur,
tamarind juice, and simmer until golden.
stirring constantly until golden brown. Using
3. Add palm sugar syrup and tamarind juice. a slotted spoon, remove from oil.
Leave to cool. Once cooled, remove lemon
2. Using a mortar, pound ingredients to a paste.
grass, bay leaves, and kaffir limes leaves.
Heat coconut oil in a saucepan and add the
For Chicken Sticks: paste and water, stirring until smooth. Add
1. Combine chicken mince with all other kaffir lime leaves and stir until thick.
ingredients (except lemongrass and coconut
3. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes,
oil). Gently mould a tablespoon of mixture
stirring frequently. Stir through the kaffir lime
onto a lemongrass stalk or skewer. Coat in
juice and palm sugar syrup.
coconut oil.

Asia: Indonesia | 27
An Alien Finds Home
Ludie Minaya in Japan

Far from home, I am hungry, lonely,

and shoeless, sitting in a brightly-lit
room. The scent of simmering dashi
(Japanese stock) – mingled with
that of tatami mats – is in the air. I’m
thinking: “Here I go again. I’m plunging
in, trying to learn how to swim.”

It’s been years since I lived in Japan, and I am The ingredients are slowly braised in sake, mirin,
searching for remnants of my once less-than- and soy sauce. This intoxicating brew creates the
basic Japanese to make small talk with Tomo, sweet and savory masterpiece. When I lived in
the lovely, round-faced oba-chan (auntie) that Nagasaki, whenever I felt lost and alone, Nikujaga
greeted me with a radiant smile and hearty brought NYC a bit closer, and lessened the
“Irrashaimase!” (welcome) when I entered her sadness and longing to be home.
quaint teishoku (home-style Japanese
food) shop. When I look down at the bowl and see the
familiar fare, memories of my Abuela’s
I sit, quietly lost in my thoughts, as she shuffles (grandma’s) food come back to me. I think of the
furiously through her kitchen to prepare my set similar dishes she so lovingly prepared for her
meal. As a local Kanda girl, I am an alien fallen family. I think of the grandmothers, their hands
from the sky in this remote corner of the planet. taking simple ingredients and adding their magic
As I fight back tears, I hear her approaching and to dishes that comfort and reassure us that, no
think this could be the only thing that might cure matter where we find ourselves in life, everything
my existential malaise. She places the lacquered will be ok.
tray before me and I am relieved. I can feel the
fears, worries, and feeling of alienation slowly I spot Tomo’s face beaming with pride as I
dissipate. “The Universe is in balance once more,” carefully savor the heavenly dish. I wrestled up
I think to myself. This blissful feeling is brought enough of my rusty Japanese to let her know
on by a dish that is, literally and simply, meat and how much I love it. Few words are exchanged
potatoes. “Niku” means meat and “jaga,” from between us, but her nikujaga is saying everything
the word “jagaimo,” means potatoes. This is a that she would like to say to me. The narrative
popular “ofukuro no aji” meal, which translates flows fluidly and effortlessly from her dish. Her
into “mother’s taste.” bowl of “ofukuro no aji” has assured me all will be
just fine.

28 | Asia: Japan
Nikujaga / Japanese-Style Beef and Potatoes Bowl

Asia: Japan | 29
Nikujaga / Japanese-Style Beef and
Potatoes Bowl
Recipe: Ludie Minaya
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 45 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins

Ingredients
315g thinly-sliced beef (sliced 1-inch pieces (check in 4 tbsp. of mirin
into 1 ½ inch pieces) asian markets) 3 tbsp. of soy sauce
5 medium potatoes, peeled 1 ½ tbsp. of canola oil 100g of snap peas, trimmed
and quartered 2 cups of dashi or water + 2 and sliced in half on the
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled tsp. of powdered dashi (check diagonal
and cut into half moons in asian markets. If you can’t 2 sprigs of chives, finely
1 large onion, peeled and cut find dashi, substitute with low- chopped to garnish
into 6 wedges sodium beef stock.)
1 ball of ito konnyaku (devil’s 4 tbsp. of sugar
tongue in thread form, cut into 4 tbsp. of sake

Method
1. Peel and cut the potatoes and soak them in 6. Bring to a boil and skim the foam that
a bowl of water for 10 minutes. forms at the surface. Reduce the heat to
medium-low. Add sugar and sake. Simmer
2. Rinse the ito konnyaku in a pot and bring to
for 5 minutes. Add the mirin and soy sauce.
boil. Drain and set aside.
7. Cover the pot with a drop lid and reduce the
3. Prepare a pot of salted boiling water. Add
heat to low. Simmer until the vegetables are
snap peas and leave for 1 minute. Remove
tender and the liquid has reduced to about
from the pot and transfer to a bowl of chilled
half (about 25 minutes).
water. Drain and set aside.
8. Add the snap peas and let simmer for another
4. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the beef.
5 minutes.
When the beef has cooked through, add the
onions, potatoes, carrots, and ito konnyaku. 9. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Ladle in a
Stir the ingredients until they are coated bowl and garnish with chives. Serve with rice.
with oil. For authenticity, the rice would be served in a
separate bowl.
5. Add the dashi or water+ dashi powder and
increase the heat to high.

30 | Asia: Japan
A Burmese Python Laid on a Bed
Littered with Money
Andre Ferreira in Myanmar
After a hot morning in the summer heat riding bikes
through the back roads of rural Bago, Myanmar –
armed with only a hand-drawn map dotted with
scattered temples – we have finally found the
temple that brought us to Bago in the first place.

Legend tells of a holy snake that its mystical powers and, most were thrown straight into the
was once a wise monk, but now importantly, justifying our charcoal fire, peanuts crushed
grants wishes for money and investment. Sure enough, on a mortar, and onions sliced.
eats mice. Inside the temple, a good things came. She would eventually poke the
gigantic Burmese python laid coals, flip the eggplants, stir a
on a bed littered with money, Stomachs growling, we asked big pot, shove away chickens,
much like a scene from around for a place to eat and and smile at us.
Indiana Jones. were herded to a random house
with a table outside, a pair of Along with a pot of rice, a
Our offering was a crumbly $1 charcoal stoves, and a wrinkly- bowl of raw vegetables, and
bill that was turned down by faced lady. Looking at us, she a chicken neck curry, we were
money exchange places before. inquisitively opened her mouth served the most delicious and
We skeptically wished for “good and shoved an imaginary fork original dish we’ve eaten: a silky
things to come” as chances into it. mix of smoky eggplant with
were something good would crunchy peanuts, red onion
eventually come and that could After a few smiles and nods, slices, and toasted sesame
be attributed to her holiness the chopping and grinding seeds. We ate it all and would
the snake, thus reaffirming started. Two large eggplants have eaten more. This was
exactly what we asked the holy
snake for.

We later discovered the name

of the dish: khyan dhi pope
thote – a Myanmar salad
usually made in the northern
Shan state, where we headed
next, and took a cooking class
specifically to learn how to
make it. We’ve since cooked
it many times and became
devouts of Bago’s holy python.

Asia: Myanmar | 31
 Holy-Snake-Approved Roasted Eggplant Salad

32 | Asia: Myanmar
Holy-Snake-Approved Roasted
Eggplant Salad
Recipe: Andre Ferreira
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
2 large eggplants Wood charcoal (not briquettes
1 medium red onion and without igniting fluids)
250g (6oz) toasted peanuts
2 tbsp. of peanut oil
2 tbsp. of sesame seeds
Salt

Method
1. Using a large pair of tweezers, extract each 7. Once the eggplants are blackened on all
individual hornet from the nest. sides, remove them from the fire and let
them cool.
2. Set the charcoal on fire, let it burn, and then
spread the coals. 8. Set aside about one-third of the peanuts.
Coarsely grind the rest with a mortar, or
3. Place both eggplants directly on top of the
simply crunch them with the side of a knife.
hot coals.
9. Once cool, hold the eggplants by the stem
4. While they roast, peel and julienne the red
and manually peel off the burnt pieces.
onion as thin as humanly possible, and
Remove the stem.
set aside.
10. Combine the peeled eggplants, sliced onions,
5. Keep an eye on the eggplants, keep rotating
crushed peanuts, two spoons of peanut oil,
them once the bottom becomes burnt.
and a dash of salt.
6. Toast the sesame seeds on medium heat with
11. Mix until homogeneous, and decorate with
a sprinkle of sesame oil until they turn brown.
the whole peanuts and sesame seeds.
Remove from the heat and set aside.

Asia: Myanmar | 33
Lard is Definitely Not the
Strangest Ingredient in
this Recipe
Ashlyn Frassinelli in The Philippines

“Lard?!” That’s what the recipe says,

according to my transcription. Wil, my
boyfriend, doesn’t seem too pleased.
“Can we use anything else?
Oil? Butter?”

I tell him to call his grandmother. It was in her old, “Just like home,” he sighs, a glaze forming over
scrawled-in cookbook that we found this Filipino his eyes. Nailed it. A few days later, over bowls
recipe: dinuguan, also known as chocolate meat. I of leftovers, Wil tells me how impressed his
had sampled it at Filipino restaurants before and grandparents were that I managed to pull
loved its rich, comforting taste. Now, for the first the dish off. Apparently it’s uncommon for an
time, I was trying to make it from scratch. American to cook dinuguan at home. Maybe it’s
because of the blood.
I laugh a bit as Wil dials her number, because lard
is definitely not the strangest ingredient in this “When I told my granddad,” Wil says, “he said,
recipe. The cocoa color of the stew comes not ‘She cooks dinuguan? You have to marry her!’” I
from adding chocolate, but from a healthy splash laugh, blushing, and shove food in my mouth. I’m
of pig blood. The pig blood cooks and thickens, not sure this stew is worth a marriage proposal.
coating the tender slices of pork butt in a salty, But, as I stuff my face full of bloody pork meat, I
irresistible gravy. I still remember my first bowl of have to admit: it’s pretty damn good.
dinuguan, from a Filipino diner in Virginia. Once I
knew what was in the stew, I had to try it.

“Are you sure?” Wil kept asking, certain that I was

going to spit it out and waste my money. Luckily,
my sensibilities are a bit less delicate than he
expected. My bowl was spotless.

“She says butter is okay!” Wil tells me. I would

have used the lard, but I throw half a stick of
butter in the pot. An hour later, the kitchen is
fragrant with the stew’s porky scent. Wil is eager
for a bite, but I’m a perfectionist. The seasoning
has to be just right. Once I’m satisfied, I pop a
spoonful into his mouth.

34 | Asia: The Phillipines

Dinuguan / Filipino Pork Blood Stew

Asia: The Phillipines | 35

Dinuguan / Filipino Pork Blood Stew
Recipe: Ashlyn Frassinelli
Serves: 6-8 | Cooking time: 1 hr | Preparation time: 10 mins

Ingredients
500-600g (1-1.3lb) pork 2 tbsp. butter (or lard) Salt, to taste
shoulder, cubed 2 tbsp. cooking oil 2 long green peppers
250ml (1 cup) vinegar, mixed 1 onion, diced (or 1 jalapeño)
with 500ml (2 cups) water and 3 cloves garlic, pounded Cooked medium grain rice,
1 tbsp. salt 375ml (1 ½ cups) pork blood to serve
1 bay leaf 825ml (3 ½ cups) water

Method
1. Begin by slicing the pork butt into stew-sized 5. Slowly add the blood, little by little, to the
cubes. Put the vinegar, water, and salt mixture cooking meat, stirring as you add. The blood
in a large saucepan and dump in the cubed should begin to turn into a dark brownish
pork butt and the bay leaf. Turn the heat on color as it heats.
medium and allow the meat to boil until it’s
6. Keep stirring until all of the red color
cooked through.
changes – it should begin to look like
2. While the pork is cooking, dice the onion and melted chocolate.
pound and mince the garlic. When the pork
7. Next, add the water and stir everything
is nearly done, put another (large) pot on the
together. The blood-meat mixture will turn
stovetop and heat the butter and oil over
very watery, almost souplike. Turn the heat up
medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until
and let everything boil, uncovered, for about
soft and fragrant.
20-30 minutes. The dinuguan should become
3. Using a slotted spoon or a strainer, remove thick, like a gravy.
the pork and stir it into the onion and garlic.
8. Once the stew has thickened enough, give it
You can discard the vinegar and the bay leaf.
a taste. Add salt liberally and keep seasoning
Stir and cook the pork with the onion and
until it tastes just right. Once properly
garlic for about 5 minutes.
seasoned, it should taste very rich and
4. Prepare the pork blood. If there are any big very delicious.
solid chunks of it that can’t be broken up,
9. Serve the finished product with white rice
remove them and discard.
and with a long green pepper or some
jalepeño slices on top. Masarap.

36 | Asia: The Phillipines

An Element of Surprise and a Kick
in Every Bite
Joan Manalang in The Philippines
I am a Filipino who has been traveling to different
countries for more than 10 years, and has lived
abroad for 5 years. Through my journey, I’ve met a
lot of people from the flip side of the world who
always ask me: “What is Filipino cuisine?”.

It has been a big challenge It is arguably Spanish in origin, almonds, and pistachios. It
for me to answer that. Most and means “egg yolk” when transformed into a surprisingly
people know nothing about Google translated. It is a recipe truffle-like dessert, and
Filipino cuisine. every Filipino would learn from suddenly looked intimidating.
their mom or grandma. But,
Christmas 2012, I was invited being a passionate and creative My foreign friends were
by my foreign friends to spend cook, I love to re-create! I deceived, thinking it looked
the holiday in a cold town in decided to pull this traditional like truffles, but were very
Vietnam named Da Lat. Filipino sweet into delicate impressed by the interesting
The light bulb in my head gourmet balls. taste and texture it brings.
suddenly sparked, and I decided They really liked what I did.
to bring something for the Yema may be the meekest of “There’s an element of surprise
Christmas Eve dinner. This was all desserts invented in and a kick in every bite”, they
my chance to let them know humanity, but because of said. They may not get a full
about Filipino cuisine! its delicate characteristics, I picture of what filipino cuisine
decided to bring out its is, but I am pretty sure I gave
Filipinos have a sweet tooth in charm by infusing nuts and them a good teaser of what
general, and I am no exception. granules. I coated my yema they should look forward to
So, I decided to bring a dessert balls with my favorite matcha – in this cuisine that has been
called Yema. powder, chocolate powder, underrated globally.

Beyond the story of my dessert,

this also tells of my dream to
let the world take a look at
Filipino cuisine and somehow
be embraced by the people
I meet when I travel or while
living abroad.

Asia: The Phillipines | 37

 Yema Balls

38 | Asia: The Phillipines

Yema Balls
Recipe: Joan Manalang
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Yema balls Coating
2 cans condensed milk Cocoa powder
6 egg yolks, beaten Matcha power
50g (1.75oz) butter Pistachios, chopped
300g (10.5oz) mashed potatoes Almonds, chopped
Vanilla bean or syrup

Method
1. Heat the pan with butter and allow it to melt 5. When ready, set aside and let it cool down.
down. Add the two cans of condensed milk
6. Prepare four plates and put the coating
and constantly stir it for about 10 minutes.
on them.
2. Add the mashed potatoes into the mixture
7. Scoop a teaspoon of the yema and shape it
and continue stirring for about 10-15 minutes,
into a ball.
or until it fully mixes into the condensed milk.
8. Roll it on the plate where each coating
3. Make sure there are no lumps and the
is placed.
mixture is smooth. Add the beaten egg yolks
slowly as you stir the mixture for another 9. With each ball, you can use a different coating
15-20 minutes. that varies from chocolate powder, matcha
powder, pistachios, or almonds.
4. Add the vanilla syrup and stir for another
5-10 minutes, or until it thickens. 10. Serve as a dessert snack for the sweet tooth.

Asia: The Phillipines | 39

Simulate Bak Kwa for
Chinese New Year
Vanessa Ip in Singapore
Bak kwa, or "rougan" in Chinese, is
a pork jerky that has been grilled
to sticky-sweet perfection. It is
traditionally eaten as part of Chinese
New Year celebrations.
I, however, have never had bak kwa
from any of the popular stands in Asia.

Growing up in Toronto, the only "rougan" I'd At the potluck, the bak kwa was snapped up in
ever had were those made by my mother, who seconds, and many of the Singaporean exchange
perfected her own recipe based off of her students told me how nostalgic eating the
memory of the "rougan" she ate in Hong Kong. It bak kwa made them feel – it wasn't something
was a simple recipe that I often helped her with, they thought they'd be able to eat outside
and eventually memorized by heart. However, I of Singapore. For them, it was a dish strongly
never knew just what this unassuming snack food associated with family gatherings to celebrate
could signify until this year. Chinese New Year together, something they
would line up on the street to buy.
I was studying abroad in the Netherlands when
an exchange student from Singapore mentioned For me, "rougan" simply reminded me of my
that he wanted to caramelize bacon to simulate mother's cooking, but now, as bak kwa, it took
bak kwa for Chinese New Year. Having never on a whole new association. Now, whenever I eat
heard of bak kwa before, I asked what it was, and bak kwa, it makes me think of Chinese New Year
soon realized that he was describing the "rougan" in Singapore – a celebration in a place I've never
my mother made. visited, but one I somehow feel tied to.

When I offered to teach him how to make it, he

was blown away – he'd never heard of anyone
making bak kwa at home before! If I made bak
kwa, the Chinese New Year's potluck would be
complete. Intrigued, I set about teaching him my
mother's recipe, and when we finished, he swore
it was almost exactly the same as the bak kwa
they had back in Singapore.

40 | Asia: Singapore
Bak Kwa / Chinese Pork Jerky

Asia: Singapore | 41
Bak Kwa / Chinese Pork Jerky
Recipe: Vanessa Ip
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 18 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins

Ingredients
500g (1lb) minced pork (the ½ tsp. salt
fattier, the juicier your bak kwa) ½ tsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. soy sauce 3 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. oyster sauce ½ tsp. sesame oil
50ml (¼ cup) honey Red food coloring (optional –
60g (¼ cup) sugar I did not use it in mine)

Method
1. Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, 5. After 15 minutes, take the meat out and set
honey, sugar, salt, garlic powder, orange juice, the oven at 240°C (460°F).
and sesame oil. Add the minced pork and
6. Cut the meat into smaller pieces, roughly
stir until thoroughly incorporated. The meat
2x2” squares.
mixture should have a gluey consistency.
7. Put the pieces back in the oven for 2 minutes
2. Cover meat mixture, and refrigerate for
to char, remove the tray, flip the pieces, and
anywhere from an hour to overnight for
put them back in for 2 more minutes. The
maximum flavor (alternatively, you could skip
charring is what makes it authentic bak kwa –
this step and go straight to the next step).
just make sure you keep an eye on it because
3. Line a baking tray with tin foil and spread half it can burn quickly because of the high
the meat mixture on top, evening it out with sugar content!
a fork – you want to make it as thin as possible
8. Take the bak kwa out and enjoy! It will look
without any holes. (It should be roughly 0.5
sticky and have slightly charred bits. Bak
cm thick.) Lumps will make it cook unevenly.
kwa is best fresh, but can be stored in the
(You will need a second baking tray for the
refrigerator for 2 or 3 days – simply heat it in
second half of the meat mixture.)
the oven or in a pan before serving.
4. Heat your oven to 160°C (320°F) and put tray
in for 15 minutes.

42 | Asia: Singapore
Food Is the Vehicle I Use to Travel
Home Now and Again
Gemma Chilton in Thailand
It’s low tide on the River Torridge; boats lean over
on the exposed mudflats, rain has cleared, and
sunshine peeks through the clouds.

If I close my eyes, lift my face I’m at the farmers’ markets to In Australia, I often cooked
to the sun, and breathe in the meet Dan the Fisherman and fresh-caught fish as I have
briny air, I could almost be home pick up the catch of the day, in this recipe – in a bamboo
– 15,000km away on Australia’s turbot. It’s not a fish I grew up steamer bought at a local Thai
east coast. When I open them, I eating, but it’ll work with my supermarket, using Asian-
might find myself crouched by recipe, Dan assures me with a inspired ingredients. I’ve served
a running tap, scaling freshly whiskery grin. it with a newer discovery, green
– caught yellowfin bream, or papaya salad or som tam, from
a glistening red morwong – The seafood I ate growing up my honeymoon in Thailand
speared by my husband or was fresh and simple – pan last year. For those three
my brother in the ocean that fried whiting fillets, thinly weeks, I ate it whenever I
day. Waves crashing within sliced abalone, oysters flipped could – usually under a whirring
earshot, the hot sun on my bare open and eaten standing ceiling fan, sticky with sweat,
shoulders… I open my eyes and knee-deep in an estuary. Over and blissfully happy. Som tam is
greet the little English town I time, my own cooking took on fresh and spicy, and, like most
currently call home. influences from around the Thai food, it’s about finding
world and Sydney’s vibrant the perfect balance between
It’s not a bad alternative – it’s multiculturalism – particularly sweet, salty, and sour.
unfamiliar and exciting; from South East Asia, our
an adventure. exotic neighbor. This recipe represents things I
miss from home – the bounty
of the Pacific Ocean and Asia
at my doorstep – but it’s also a
reminder that food can be the
vehicle in which I travel back
every now and again, while
exploring all the rest of the
world has to offer.

Asia: Thailand | 43
 Steamed Turbot with Som Tam

44 | Asia: Thailand
Steamed Turbot with Som Tam
Recipe: Gemma Chilton
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) Handful of green beans 6-8 spring onions
1 large green papaya, shredded 1 large ripe tomato, pulp 1 lime, half juiced, half sliced
or julienned (1-2 green mangoes removed, sliced 2cm chunk of ginger
work as an alternative) 2 red chilies, finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes Fish 2 tbsp. peanut oil
2 red chilies, finely chopped 1 fresh whole firm white- 1 tsp. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced fleshed fish, gutted, scaled, 4 tbsp. oyster sauce
2cm chunk of ginger, minced finned, and cleaned 2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. fish sauce 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. palm sugar, grated ½ bunch of coriander, chopped

Method
Green Papaya Salad 4. Stuff the fish with the contents of the bowl,
1. Gather som tam ingredients (bar the beans all of the coriander, and a few spring onions.
and tomato) and pound with a pestle, or
5. Baste the fish with the rest of the mix, scatter
wooden spoon.
spring onions around it on the foil, and place
2. Blanch beans in lightly-salted water for 2 slices of lime on the fish.
minutes, then run under cold water. Slice
6. Place the bamboo steamer over a wok or
lengthways.
saucepan filled with 5cm of boiling water.
3. Add the beans and the sliced tomato to the Tightly fit the lid and reduce the heat.
papaya mix. Set aside. Cook until the flesh is white and flakes
easily (20 minutes).
Fish
1. Pat the fish with paper towel and rub 7. Before serving, heat the peanut oil in a small
with salt. saucepan until you see smoke, then pour the
sizzling oil over the fish skin to make it crispy.
2. Place the fish in a bamboo steamer, on a bed
of foil (to catch the juices!). If the fish is too 8. Put the fish and the salad in the middle of the
big, you can cut it in half. table along with fluffy steamed rice to soak
up the juices. Then, dig in!
3. Mix the garlic, chili, ginger, oyster sauce,
soy sauce, the juice of half the lime, and the
sesame oil in a bowl.

Asia: Thailand | 45
A Different Kind of Valentine
Asia Nichols in Thailand

The flower festival had the city coated in colors,

from the tangy orange of bougainvilleas to the
sugary blossoms of pink petunias. Chiang Mai,
Thailand is a place so known for its exotic flowers
that it is called the “Rose of the North”.

Every February, the air carries a vibrant dishes: spicy rose petal I never would’ve known I was
sweet aroma, marking the time salads, spring rolls stuffed with eating a flower. They taste like
of year when flowers are in full begonias and pansies, and warm chips. Some flowers even
bloom. But, if you follow your crepe-fried platters of roses, have health benefits, according
nose six kilometers north of hibiscus, banana flowers, and to Ms. Potiwat. (e.g. “Roses are
the city moat, you’ll come to an frangipanis. Close your eyes for good for the heart.”) Despite
organic garden where flora are a moment, as I had, to bask in the abundance of tropical
taken by the forkful. this olfactory world. flowers in Thailand, floral food
doesn’t lure all locals.
Saimok Kab Dokmai (“Flowers In the Western world, where I
and Mist” in Thai) is a cozy, rustic grew up, February is the time “Some still think it’s too crazy,”
restaurant that specializes in when lovers buy bouquets to said Ms. Potiwat.
floral cuisine. As folk music celebrate romance, to put on “They think flowers should
plays in the background, Ms. windowsills – never to eat. But be for decoration only – that
Potiwat, the restaurant owner, there I was, on the other side flowers are good for the eyes,
snips flowers from her private of the globe, stuffing a crispy not for the stomach.”
garden to serve venturesome frangipani in my mouth on a
patrons an assortment of dinner date with my husband. Also, she cautioned, some
flowers are toxic. Getting
farmers to stop using
pesticides has been an ongoing
movement, with Ms. Potiwat at
the forefront. Considering I just
washed down my last rose petal
with a butterfly pea flower
drink, I say it’s safe to pass on
this delicate dish to Mother.

46 | Asia: Thailand
Dokmai / Crepe-Fried Flowers

Asia: Thailand | 47
Dokmai / Crepe-Fried Flowers
Recipe: Asia Nichols
Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 15 mins | Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients
Tempura Batter Organic Flowers
1 cup flour Roses
1 tbsp. cornstarch Hibiscus
1 ½ cups water Banana flowers
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper Frangipanis
1/2 tsp. paprika
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Method
1. Heat one inch of oil in a large frying pan. In a 4. During the last minute, drizzle a few extra
medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients petals on top, and serve right away with
for tempura batter until smooth. Season with sweet and sour sauce (or your favorite
salt and pepper to taste, then set aside. sweet dipping sauce) and a side of ginger.

2. Snip stems from flowers, leaving just enough

* Platters may vary, depending on flowers
to grasp. Check to see if the oil is hot enough
available at the time of year. Make sure you
by splashing a few droplets of water into the
don't use flowers that bloom from chemical
pan. If oil crackles instantly, it’s good to go.
pesticides (e.g. a store-bought bouquet from
3. Gently dip flowers into tempura batter, then an unwanted admirer). Cooking the flowers
place directly in hot oil. Rotate flowers until will not make them safe to eat. You can find
evenly fried on each side – this should take fresh, pesticide-free flowers at local farmers
about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Place markets, organic gardens, or specialty
on platter lined with an oil catcher grocery stores.
(such as paper towel) and season with salt.

48 | Asia: Thailand
Just Don’t Eat the Chair
By Tri Phan in Vietnam

There was a time when I was a picky eater – contrary

to who I am today of course. No existing force in the
universe could ever make me truly enjoy that one
ingredient: FISH.

Yes, I used to hate fish! What cuisine. Fortunately, there was Sweetness, savory, and acidity
I hated most about it was whitebait: A “boneless”, fuss- harmonize beautifully in this
the way I had to remove the free fish! What could be better? “one-pot wonder”.
bones to get to the meat,
or risk suffering from a bad Well, that brings us to the day It got a huge “yes” from mom
case of choking. Sadly, fish my mom brought home tons of and dad, and my parents are
fillet is virtually unheard of whitebait from her trip to the the strictest critics. Enjoying the
in traditional Vietnamese Mekong Delta. dish together somehow makes
up for the family meals we
When she started to tell missed back in the hard days,
stories about her journey, I got when my parents were buried
lost in this fantastic world of deep in their work.
vast plains and mighty rivers.
Schools of fish swarm the rivers It’s been years since I was the
alongside other inhabitants; little kid who avoided fish at
humble bushes of herbs grow all cost. I realized now that it
wildly along the paddy fields, wasn’t the ingredient, but the
giving off an enticing aroma; feeling of abandonment that
rows of trees, filled with fruits, made me hate it as a child: fish
wave in the wind. was ever-present in meals that
involved the act of sharing.
That’s what sparked the idea
of this dish. Utilizing ingredients As time passed, happier
abundant in Southern Vietnam, memories and family-bonding
I came up with a recipe that times has helped me learn
had the ability to transport me to love fish. And such simple
to this countryside of wonder. dishes – made with love – has
Crunchy fish is coated with brought my family closer than
mom’s not-so-secret-anymore ever before.
savory caramel sauce (I asked
for her approval), which I
adapted and introduced
aromatic spices to.

Asia: Vietnam | 49
 Cá Cơm Kho Khô / Sticky Clay Pot Whitebait

50 | Asia: Vietnam
Cá Cơm Kho Khô / Sticky Clay
Pot Whitebait
Recipe: Tri Phan
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins | Preparation time: 10 mins

Ingredients
Whitebait 1 red (or to the desired amount To Serve
300g whitebait (if not available, of heat), lightly crushed with Ambarella (or green mango),
opt for any white, firm-flesh the blade of a knife (milder), or shredded
fish and cut into bite-sized chopped (spicier) Steamed rice, or plain congee
pieces) 1 tsp. oyster sauce Lettuce leaves
4 tbsp. plain flour 1 ½ tbsp. fish sauce (or to taste) Rau sống (mixture of different
1 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. cracked black pepper Vietnamese herbs such as Thai
¼ cup caster sugar A handful of fresh Vietnamese basil, mint, shiso, fishwort, etc.)
1 tsp. shallot, chopped mint leaves, roughly chopped
3 bird’s eye chilies: 2 green, Oil for deep-frying

Method
1. Rinse the whitebait well under cold running Turn off the heat and set aside.
water and pat dry with paper towels. Dust the
5. Heat the oil in the wok back up to 180ºC
fish liberally with flour and cornstarch, and
(350ºF). Add in the whitebait and fry until
shake off any excess.
crispy and golden. Meanwhile, heat the sauce
2. In a large wok, heat the oil to about 160ºC up to boiling point.
(350ºF). Drop the fish into the hot oil in small
6. Once the whitebait is ready, put them in the
batches and fry for about 3-4 minutes. It
clay pot with the sticky sauce. Immediately
should look dry, but still slightly soft, and not
turn off the heat and stir well until every
yet take on any color. Set aside, keeping the
single fish is well-coated with the amber,
oil in the wok.
glossy, sticky sauce. Add in half of the
3. Put the sugar into a clay pot (or a small Vietnamese mint leaves, and give it a good
saucepan that can accommodate all the toss. Cover with the lid and keep warm. 
whitebait) with 2 tablespoons of water to
7. To serve, sprinkle the remaining mint leaves
form wet sand. Melt the sugar over medium
on top. Serve with steamed rice or plain
heat until it turns dark brown. Immediately
congee, shredded ambarellas (or green
add in ¼ cup hot water and reduce the heat
mangoes), and “rau sống”. I, personally, like to
to low. Gently simmer until the sugar blends
eat this dish the way Koreans do, using lettuce
into the water and the mixture looks syrupy.
leaves to wrap everything and pop it in your
4. Add shallots, chili, oyster sauce, fish sauce, mouth in one bite.
and pepper to the syrup and stir well.

Asia: Vietnam | 51
Destination:
Asian Subcontinent
Spicy and fragrant, the curry is the signature dish of the
subcontinent. But, not all curries are the same. A fiery blast
or a subtle coconut cream – the choice is yours.
Our Family's Most
Prized Heirloom
Abi Ramanan in India
Ever since my cousin found me as a
baby immersed in a tub of ghee at
our grandmother's house in Tanjore,
having eaten my way through a
boulder of jaggery, I knew that I had a
very special spot for all things sweet.
This recipe is our family’s most prized heirloom, The swirling aromas of freshly-ground cardamom
passed down from my great-great-grandmother and saffron would linger for days, especially
and far beyond, with an almost sacred reverence. after occasions like Bogi Festival, where teams of
women would pound rice on one side, and wheat
Assembling the ingredients for surul poli on the other (in perfect rhythm) singing as they
and badham kheer is an adventure I’d looked worked into the evening. I would duck and dive
forward to from the moment I set off from between them, using the pestle of the “ural” as a
Heathrow back to Tamil Nadu, lost in daydreams microphone, while sneaking lumps of sugar into
of accompanying my grandmother to the local my pocket.
market in Kumbakonam, where the piles of
almonds would be taller than the men This recipe is steeped in childhood nostalgia, and
selling them. I can hear my grandmother explaining how the
poori balls should be roughly the size of a lime
We’d soak them overnight underneath the every time I make the dough. I could almost reach
“mitham”, a gateway to the stars in the out and touch her as she carefully ladles the milk
courtyard, and I’d sit on her giant “oonjal” over each one.
(wooden swing), on the “thinnai” (porch) and
blanch them while she plaited my hair (“no more I can now carry on with the rest of my days, safe
oil, ammama, please!”). in the knowledge that my ammamma’s surul poli
and badham kheer has been served at one of our
I’d beg to be allowed to the farmland at the back pop ups, and I know she would be proud to see
to milk the cows, and we’d slowly condense the all those empty plates, save for a few rose petals:
fresh milk over the outdoor stone stove, as the my personal touch.
giant banana tree leaves rustled above.

Asian Subcontinent: India | 53

 Surul Poli & Badham Kheer

54 | Asian Subcontinent: India

Surul Poli & Badham Kheer
Recipe: Abi Ramanan
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Surul Poli Badham Kheer
250g (1 cup) wheat flour Oil for frying 250g (1 cup) almonds
80ml (2.75oz) lukewarm water A few strands of saffron 125g (½ cup) sugar
1.5l (6 cups) full cream milk ½ tsp. of ground cardamom 500ml (2 cups) water
125g (½ cup) sugar Rose petals and edible string 750ml (3 cups) full cream milk
2 tbsp. ghee for decoration ½ tsp. freshly ground
A pinch of salt cardamom
A few strands of saffron
A pinch of grated nutmeg

Method
Surul Poli: Badam kheer:
1. Heat milk. Once it boils, reduce heat, and 1. Soak almonds for 6-8 hours or overnight.
keep stirring until the milk thickens. Gently squeeze the almonds and remove the
Add the sugar, saffron, and the freshly- skin. Blend the almonds, adding water, to
ground cardamom. Keep the milk hot on a form a fine and smooth paste.
very low flame.
2. Heat a heavy pan and add the almond paste.
2. Knead and prepare a soft dough by mixing Bring to boil and simmer on a low heat, while
flour, salt, ghee, and water. Cover and set stirring, until all the water evaporates.Add
aside for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. the sugar gradually until it dissolves. Add the
Divide the dough into small balls and roll out milk and bring to boil.
into even, round shapes – pooris.
3. Add the saffron, grated nutmeg, and
3. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pooris, one at cardamom powder.
a time, on medium heat until golden brown.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Remove and set aside on absorbent paper.
5. Cool the badham kheer and it is ready to be
4. Add pooris to the hot milk. After a few
served with the surul poli.
minutes, transfer pooris to a dish; add a ladle
of milk to each. Soak overnight. 6. Enjoy your delicately-flavored South Indian
sweet treat!
5. Before serving, gently roll the (very soft)
pooris into cylinders and onto the edible
string. Tie a bow. Warm up the leftover sweet
milk and drizzle over the pooris. Garnish with
rose petals.

Asian Subcontinent: India | 55

My Hosts Lived in an Incense-Filled,
400 Year-Old Stone Farmhouse
Lindsay Anderson in India
Six years ago, I found myself in a Hare Krishna
temple in Italy, plucking something off the top of
my dessert, and asking incredulously:
“Wait, is laddu INDIAN?”

My time as a WWOOFER – a hosts were also practicing (despite its name) into the
Willing Worker on an Organic Hare Krishnas. “Beloved Tuscan Treats”
Farm – led me to that moment. category in my mind. One
When I was 24, I volunteered The greatest influence this evening, we trekked up to
on a farm south of Florence, had on my life was when it the local Krishna temple
and spent my days herding came to food. My host mother for a festival. Amidst the
80 stubborn goats around prepared both Indian and colorful music and dancing,
the grape-covered hills. My Italian dishes, and one of my an enormous cake depicting
hosts lived in a 400-year-old favorite treats was laddu. She Krishna rescuing a town from
stone farmhouse, and when made it by cooking chickpea a flood was paraded out (I was
I climbed its stairs for the flour with butter and sugar thrilled to discover this religion
first time, the heady smell until it turned dark brown, formally involved cake). Later,
of incense filled my nose. then pressed it into a pan and after an Indian feast, the cake
Later, after my first meal of let it cool. Since chickpeas are was cut up for dessert.
vegetarian curry, I learned that common in Italian cooking, I
my born-and-raised Tuscan automatically placed laddu My plate included some of the
mythical town’s river, as well
as a chunk of laddu, which I
removed from the icing and
held up, confused.

Slowly, and to the Italians’

amusement, I came to the
realization that laddu is an
Indian sweet, not a Tuscan
one. Embarrassing? Yes. But all
that really mattered is that my
host mother shared her recipe
with me, and its taste will
forever be a reminder of that
patchouli-scented stone house
in the hills.

56 | Asian Subcontinent: India

"Tuscan" Besan Laddu / Indian Chickpea Flour Fudge

Asian Subcontinent: India | 57

"Tuscan" Besan Laddu / Indian
Chickpea Flour Fudge
Recipe: Lindsay Anderson
Serves: 16 | Cooking time: 35 mins | Preparation time: 10 mins

Ingredients
250ml (1 cup) unsalted butter ½ tsp. ground cardamom
or ghee ½ cup shelled salted pistachios,
500g (1lb) chickpea flour (also roughly chopped
called gram, besan, or 500g (1lb) powdered sugar
chana flour)

Method
1. Line a 9x9” pan with baking paper and 4. Once it’s golden brown, remove the pan from
set aside. the heat and let cool for several minutes.

2. In a stainless steel or nonstick 9” frying pan, 5. Stir in the cardamom, then the chopped
melt the butter or ghee over low heat. Add pistachios, and finally the powdered sugar.
the 2 cups of chickpea flour, and stir until Combine well, then press the mixture into
they’re well mixed. the parchment-lined pan.

3. For the next 15-25 minutes, let the mixture 6. Let it cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes,
simmer on low heat, stirring every few then in the fridge to harden up completely.
minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick to the
7. Once it’s cooled, cut the laddu into 16
bottom and burn. Keep this up until the
squares, or break it into chunks. Enjoy!
mixture turns a dark, golden brown color
and takes on a nutty fragrance.

58 | Asian Subcontinent: India

Served with a Steaming Hot
Plate of Rice, It Is My Ultimate
Comfort Food
Dinusha Jayatillake in Sri lanka

Having been born and raised in Sri Lanka, a country

abundant in all things green (think of lush, verdant
forests, tree-canopied footpaths, blue mountains,
endless paddy fields… I can go on for ever).

It took me a while to get used to known as Maldive fish) – cured grass growing in the middle of
the flat, sand-hued landscape fish traditionally produced in the road, and tall, fragrant pine
of Dubai, which I have been the Maldives and commonly trees growing thick on either
calling home for the past 8 used in Sri Lankan dishes. It side. Our picnic spot used to be
years. It wasn't just the absence is a must-have dish in any Sri next to a beautiful little stream.
of green things that I had to get Lankan meal (especially those We would take a dip in the icy
used to, I also had to let go of elaborate rice and curry cold water before tucking into
those elaborate rice and curry lunches I mentioned before!). parcels of rice, pol sambol,
lunches I used to tuck into every Served with a steaming hot and other gorgeous curries all
day, back home. plate of rice, it is my ultimate wrapped in banana leaves. The
comfort food. aroma of the banana leaf and
Whenever I think of Sri Lankan the rich curries, combined with
food, the first thing that comes This dish also brings back so the fresh mountain air and the
to my mind is pol sambol – a many memories, especially gurgle of the stream, was
coconut relish made with of picnics we used to have in just divine…
freshly-grated coconut, dried a place called Riverston in Sri
red chilies, red onions, salt, Lanka. It’s an isolated little Whenever I need to bring
lime juice, and umbalakada (also mountain range where you find back the flavors and smells of
home, or treat myself to that
occasional rice and curry lunch,
all I have to do is roll up my
sleeves, dust the cobwebs off
my grinding stone, and whip up
a delicious mound of fiery red
pol sambol!

Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka | 59

 The Perfect Pol Sambol – Two Ways

60 | Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka

The Perfect Pol Sambol – Two Ways
Recipe: Dinusha Jayatillake
Serves: 5 | Cooking time: 20 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins

Ingredients
1 freshly-grated coconut (substitute: desiccated 6 red button onions, or 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
coconut. Before using, sprinkle some water over 1 tbsp. Maldive fish
the coconut and microwave for a minute 1 tsp. salt
to moisten) Juice of 1 lime
5 whole, dried red chilies (substitute: red chili
flakes or 1 tsp. of red chili powder)

Method
1. Throw the chilies and salt into a mortar and 2. Add the grated coconut and give it a good
pestle (or grinding stone) and grind till it turns mix with the pestle till the paste is completely
into a fine paste (there should be no visible mixed in with the coconut. Once ingredients
chili seeds). are combined well, add lime juice.

2. Add the Maldive fish and mix in with 3. Add a generous squeeze of lime juice and
the paste. mix well. Serve immediately with rice, string
hoppers (stringy rice pancakes), hoppers
3. Add the onions and, using the pestle, crush
(fermented rice pancakes), or roti.
them into little chunks and combine with
the chili paste.
Sautéed Pol Sambol:
4. Add the grated coconut and give it a good 1. Heat around 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying
mix with the pestle till the paste is completely pan till very hot.
mixed in with the coconut.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds. When
5. Once the ingredients are combined well, add the seeds start to splutter, add around 2
lime juice or sauté as below. If you are using tablespoons of chopped red onion and
chili powder, add all the ingredients (except 5-6 curry leaves.
the lime juice) and give it a good mix.
3. Sauté till onions turn golden brown. Add the
To finish: follow one of 2 recipes below: coconut mixture and give it a good mix.

4. Sauté the sambol till the coconut turns

Basic Pol Sambol:
slightly dry (around 2-3 minutes) and serve.
1. Add the onions and, using the pestle, crush
This can be kept in an airtight container in
them into little chunks and combine with
the refrigerator for about a week.
the chili paste.

Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka | 61

Memories of Colombo
By Suresh Doss in Sri Lanka
This long-standing family recipe has many meanings
for me. As much as it is a super-delicious curry, it’s
also about life and journey. 

I was born in Colombo, Sri family feasts. I used to dream

Lanka. My parents – two of a solid granite mortar and
scholars and food lovers – took pestle that occupied a corner of
me around the world a few the kitchen space, commanded
times while I was still very daily by nana. It was used daily
young, but I spent most of the to do everything from grinding
first 13 years of my life on the spices to making dosa batter. 
pear-shaped island.
In 1990, after being frustrated mom cherished all the recipes
Some of the memories are still with the economic and political and cooking techniques she
very vivid: I remember riding situation in the country, my brought with her.
on the back of a motorbike parents decided to move
on hot summer nights, seeing to Canada. We were tired, This crab curry is a very special
streets filled with music and depressed, and we needed dish. My great grandmother
peanut vendors; Accompanying to feel safe. It was difficult came up with it based on her
my parents on walks along at first to adapt, and food memories of the seafood town
Galle Face, feeling the cold quickly became the conduit to of Chilaw and passed the recipe
ocean breeze against my face memories of life back home.  down to my mother. She would
and hearing its morning roar… cook it often, whenever we
I also spent a lot of time in the Through the family meal, we missed home. As a family, we
kitchen, watching my mother shared memories. We cried, would spend hours digging
and nana (grandma) prepare but we also laughed a lot. My through each crab leg for meat
and sharing stories.
Eventually, after years of
nagging, she finally shared the
recipe with me. 

My mom’s kitchen quickly

became a portal, whisking
me away from sub-zero
temperatures to a tropical place
I missed dearly, filled with sun
and crab curry. This is the dish I
cook when I miss Sri Lanka.

62 | Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka

Spicy Crab Curry

Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka | 63

Spicy Crab Curry
Recipe: Suresh Doss
Cooking time: 45 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins

Ingredients
Masala: Crab Curry: 10 curry leaves
1 tbsp. coriander seeds 2 boxes of blue (or brown) crabs 1/2 tsp. tumeric powder
1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds 2 medium-sized red onions 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. fenugreek 3 medium-sized tomatoes 1 lime
1 small stick cinnamon 5 cloves garlic 1 pack moringa leaves (also
5 red dried chilies 1 thumb peeled ginger known as drumstick leaves)
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder 4 green chilies 3 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves 1 stick cinnamon Salt to taste
1 tsp. white rice (raw) 4 cardamom pods 1 can coconut milk

Method
Masala:
1. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Except 3. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon.
for the rice, add all the masala ingredients to When the onions start to brown, add the
the pan. Swirl the pan a few times to get an garlic and ginger. Follow with two sprinkles
even coat of heat throughout. of salt. Toss in the tomatoes and curry leaves
and stir for a few minutes. 
2. When the mixture shows signs of browning,
add rice. Once the rice is in, cook for 2 4. Add the turmeric and chili powder. Let it cook
minutes while slowly swirling the pan. for 5 minutes while occasionally stirring. Add
the crabs to the mixture. Cover the pot and
3. Empty the pan into a bowl and let cool for a
let it cook for 5 minutes.
few minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk to thicken the curry. Stir
4. Use a grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind
the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, and then add the
the masala into a fine powder. Set aside.
moringa leaves. Cover the pot and let it cook.
Crab Curry : Every few minutes, open and toss the crabs,
1. Chop the onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes stir the pot. Repeat for 10 minutes.
into small pieces and set aside.
6. Shut off the heat and add the masala mixture
2. Set a large pot (20l) over medium heat. After into the pot. Using a big pair of tongs, toss the
a minute, pour the olive oil and follow with crabs until the masala is evenly coated.
cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Add the
7. Let it sit for a few minutes. Add the juice from
chopped red onions. 
a lime and toss again. Serve with cooked
basmati rice and enjoy.

64 | Asian Subcontinent: Sri Lanka

Destination: Europe
Synonymous with fine cuisine and intricate technique,
European food is brimming with flavors that will transport
you back to “the old country”. But, it’s also a basket of fresh
seasonal produce to enjoy simply.
The Little Provençal Kitchen
By Sofia Levin in France

“Fetch the fig jam from the attic, clear?” asks my

grandma at the farmhouse, a Napoleonic mas in
Salernes, Provence, that’s been in the family since
mom was 12. Steph – who is far too eclectic to
be labelled ‘Grandma’ – has made the same tart
every summer since 1974, her English enthusiasm
palatable in every bite.

With the Indian Ocean and beside the house nurtured by rosemary from the stone wall
17,000km usually separating us, a gurgling stream, their ripe at the property’s edge. Steph
we don’t treasure the tart for its odour permeating the rooms kneads the pastry, the wooden
freshly-picked produce, but for in the dry heat. During the table wobbling on cracked
the rare chance it affords three occupation, the Resistance hid carrelage tiles. As we cook in
generations to cook together. in the maquis at the bottom chaotic harmony, memories
of the farm, foraging for figs flow like the nearby stream:
The kitchen dates from the and blackberries. “The jam?” the time mom chased her
late 1700s: an irritably shallow Steph repeats. The attic teasing uncle around the basin
terrazzo sink, a fractured hasn’t been opened since she with a kitchen knife; the wild
fireplace strung with bundles stored September’s batch. boars that sent us sprinting
of dried herbs, and a clunky cast I warily climb the wooden into the house; the gypsy
iron stove kept alight during ladder, keeping an eye out for neighbor who joined us for
winter. Wild fig trees grow field mice, while mom plucks aperitifs, pet monkey perched
on his shoulder.

The tales continue at the table

outside, competing against a
cacophony of invisible crickets.
We polish off the crumbs with
our fingers, and Steph leans
back in her chair, repeating
a phrase that follows every
farmhouse feast: “I feel like
crying because it’s over.” With
only a few days left before our
flight back to Melbourne,
her familiar words are
particularly poignant.

66 | Europe: France
Farmhouse Fig & Chèvre Tart with Blackberry Balsamic

Europe: France | 67
Farmhouse Fig & Chèvre Tart with
Blackberry Balsamic
Recipe: Sofia Levin
Serves: 8 | Cooking time: 15 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
300g (1 ¼ cups) goat’s cheese Homemade Puff Pastry: Blackberry Balsamic:
4 tbsp. heavy cream 250g (2 cups) plain flour 1 punnet blackberries
3 sprigs rosemary 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter 125ml (½ cup) balsamic vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon 100ml (3oz) iced water 50ml (¼ cup) honey
Flour for dusting 1 tsp. fine salt 1 tsp. black peppercorns
Salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp. mustard seeds
60g (¼ cup) fig jam Wild Fig Jam: ½ chili, seeds removed
1 sheet puff pastry 1kg (2lb) figs 1 clove crushed garlic
Blackberry balsamic 1kg (2lb) sugar

Method
Farmhouse Tart:
1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Mix goat’s 2. Cling wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
cheese & cream in small bowl. Knead dough in one direction. Using a rolling
pin (or wine bottle for authenticity), roll until
2. Roll pastry into a rectangle. Cut in half to form
20cm by 50cm, keeping edges straight.
two rectangles. Cut a rectangle 3cm from
edge of each base. Moisten cut line. Fold & 3. Fold dough like a letter in an envelope: top
pinch to create raised edge. Blind bake for third to center & bottom third up over it. Turn
10 minutes. dough 90 degrees & roll to triple the length.
Fold again & chill for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from oven. Spread jam & goat's
cheese over base. Scatter 1/2 lemon zest, Wild Fig Jam:
pepper & rosemary. Bake for 10-15 minutes 1. Chop figs. Simmer in large pot until mushy.
until pastry is golden. Layer sliced fresh Stir in sugar. After 45 minutes, test jam by
figs over tart. Finish with remaining zest, placing a blob in the fridge. If it wrinkles when
rosemary & drizzle with blackberry balsamic. prodded, it’s ready.

Homemade Puff Pastry : Blackberry Balsamic:

1. Sift flour & salt in bowl. Add butter, gently 1. Place 1/4 blackberries aside, then combine
mixing until crumbs form. Make a well in all ingredients in pot. Simmer until it thickens,
center & add iced water. Mix until sticky stirring gently. Strain & add remaining berries.
dough ball forms.

68 | Europe: France
Plump Hands and a Warm Heart
and Kitchen
By Bianca Gignac in Italy
The first time I ate malfatti, I was nervous. Each bite I
took, eyes bounced in my direction. Each time I sank
my fork into the dumplings, those eyes followed
me. The eyes belonged to Paola, the mamma of my
Italian boyfriend. This was our first meeting.

I’d met her son on a starlit The hot dumplings melted in with me. We have a daughter
July evening in the harbor of a my mouth. They were boiled, now, and we make Paola’s
Cinque Terre village. Since our like gnocchi, so the mellow malfatti often.
meeting, we hadn’t left each flavors of warm dough and
other’s side – I even cancelled ricotta were the perfect vehicle Paola passed away suddenly last
my flight home for him. He for the pungent sage butter year, and I didn’t get a chance to
took that move as a particularly that doused them. The earthy say goodbye. If I travel to Italy
strong sign of summer love, and spinach gave an “al dente” with you, I’ll dedicate my week
brought me home to meet his substance to each bite. I didn’t to researching, documenting,
mother. He still lived with her; know it at the time, but that and sharing the regional, home-
she ironed his clothes, made his meal in Paola’s kitchen was the cooked food of working class
bed, and cooked his meals. And first of many. Italians that I first tasted in
they were the best of friends. Paola’s kitchen.
I married her son and lived
Paola made malfatti on our first in her home for a year. She I’ll dedicate my journey to
meeting. Before that night, I’d became a dear friend and my connecting with local people
never eaten a home-cooked favorite shoulder to cry on. – mammas like Paola, who,
meal in Italy (I was a tourist and I eventually moved back to with plump hands and warm
so I ate in restaurants). Canada and took her son hearts, feed anyone who comes
through their kitchens. These
families, through bad times and
good times, in poor times and
rich times, through sickness and
in health – preserve local food
traditions that I’m passionate
about sharing.

Europe: Italy | 69
 Paola’s Malfatti / Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings
Photo Credits: Giulia Scarpaleggia

70 | Europe: Italy
Paola’s Malfatti / Spinach and
Ricotta Dumplings
Recipe: Bianca Gignac
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Malfatti:
300g (9.5oz) spinach, 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs For the Sauce:
previously boiled and drained A pinch of salt 4 tbsp. butter
300g (9.5oz) fresh ricotta A pinch of pepper 10 fresh sage leaves
cheese, drain excess water A pinch of nutmeg
3 tbsp. parmesan cheese White flour (to coat
(plus extra for garnishing) the dumplings)
1 egg

Method
1. Boil the spinach, drain it, and press out the 4. Add the malfatti, 5 at a time, to a pot of
excess liquid. Saute the spinach in a pan with salted boiling water. Wait until they rise to the
some olive oil for a few minutes and let it surface, about 1-3 minutes, and remove them
cool. When it’s cool, chop it finely with a knife with a slotted spoon.
and drain off any remaining water.
5. To make the sauce, heat the butter and sage
2. Put the spinach in a bowl and add the ricotta leaves in a small saucepan until the butter
(equal parts ricotta and spinach is a good is melted. Drizzle the sage butter over the
rule). Add 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan malfatti and sprinkle liberally with
cheese and 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Parmesan cheese.
Season with a pinch of salt, pepper, and
6. Serve the dumplings on individual plates, sit
nutmeg. Beat one egg and add it into the
down, smile, and chat about the day with the
mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine all
ones you love. Buon appetito!
the ingredients.

3. Sprinkle your work surface generously with

flour. Form the mixture into walnut-sized
balls, and roll them lightly in flour. You want
the flour to coat the entire outside of each
dumpling, as this will protect them from
opening in the boiling water. Do this until
you’ve used all the mixture.

Europe: Italy | 71
Destination:
Middle East
With its promise of forbidden delights, is there a more exotic
cuisine than this to keep your tastes buds enthralled for
1,001 nights? Delicate flavors, spice, and oasis fruits combine
in a way that is meant to be shared with friends.
A Truly Special Land
By Mahsa Fratantoni in Iran

I’ve just landed at Tehran airport, at

8pm, on a warm September night.
I’m hot and sticky, and nervous about
meeting relatives for the first time.
The sweat dripping from my hairline
alerts passers that I’m a foreigner
who’s tied her hijab too tight.

I should’ve listened to mom when she was I can’t tell what’s in it, but fearing that any
teaching me how to wear a headscarf; instead, hesitation will be interpreted as just plain rude, I
I’d learnt how to tie a noose. quickly take my first bite. I taste a delicate balance
of sweet and sour flavors, and experience a
I look across at my brother with his free-flowing surprising texture across my tongue.
hair, and I curse at him under my breath, merely
for being a boy. I’m hungry and sleepy, and I start The woman tells me the dish – made up of
daydreaming about mom’s Persian cooking. I creamy chicken, slow-cooked in a broth of
wonder if Nan’s Persian food tastes the same. pomegranate molasses, and perfectly balanced
by the crunch of hidden walnut pieces – is
Later, when we arrive at my grandparents’ home, reserved only for the most special occasions.
I’m amazed to see the 30 meter Persian rug in
the hallway, lined with plates, spoons (the proper Suddenly, my senses awaken – the intense flavors
utensil for eating Persian rice), and hundreds don’t just merely satisfy, but sate my foodie
of Coca Cola drinks in mini glass bottles. Along appetite. In that moment, I realize I may not be
the middle, there are pots of Persian khoroshts home, but I’m somewhere truly special.
(stews), bowls of aromatic rice, and platters of
mouth-watering salads.

Suddenly, I feel overwhelmed. The rest of the

night becomes a blur of emphatic hugs and
kisses from oversized women and hairy-armed
men. I try reaching for familiar foods but before
I can say, “Which relative are you, again?” one of
the women pours fesenjoon stew onto my plate.

Middle East: Iran | 73

 Fesenjoon / Pomegranate & Walnut Chicken Stew

74 | Middle East: Iran

Fesenjoon / Pomegranate & Walnut
Chicken Stew
Recipe: Mahsa Fratantoni
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins | Preparation time: 45 mins

Ingredients
280g (1 ⅕ cup) walnuts 1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. olive oil ½ tsp. salt
1 medium brown onion, diced ½ tsp. pepper
2 chicken breasts, diced into small pieces 2 tsp. sugar
150ml (5oz) pomegranate molasses or syrup
(available from specialty stores; don’t use juice)

Method
1. Crush the walnuts using a meat mallet or 5. Pour 2 cups of water to the mixture and bring
pulse 1-2 times in a food processor. You to boil. Reduce heat to low, place lid, and cook
should end up with very tiny chunks, rather for 30 minutes.
than a fine meal.
6. Pour pomegranate syrup and sugar into
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large the stew, mix well and replace lid. Continue
saucepan, and add the chicken pieces. Cook cooking for another 25-30 minutes. The
on medium heat until golden brown. sauce should gradually thicken and turn a
dark brown. The ideal flavor is a perfect blend
3. Add onion to the saucepan and stir until it
of sweet and sour. If you find it’s too tangy,
softens. Reduce to low heat.
adjust the flavor with a little more sugar.
4. Add walnuts, cinnamon, salt, and pepper
7. Serve over Persian rice.
to the pan. Stir for 1-2 minutes.

Middle East: Iran | 75

My Eyes Are Opened To
Iranian Food
By Deborah Melo in Iran
What can be more exciting than a feast to praise
food? The biggest apartment I’ve ever seen, with a
dining table that would impress kings and queens,
the whole family, which in Persian means around 40
people... This was the scenario, and that is where my
story with this plate begins.
Almost four years ago, with only My first thought was: “let’s go And there was food: food
two Indian muslim dresses in for the food”, but that was the enough to serve a feast, as I
my backpack, I arrived in Tehran: biggest problem. We were in said. And it was good! So many
the hottest place I’ve ever been. Ramadan, the muslim month different plates: lots of fruits,
It was high summer; it was the of fasting. lamb, meat, soups, and rice. I
second day of Ramadan; and honestly never saw so many
I was a foreign girl arriving in After almost a month of ways to prepare rice. And then
a Shia country, and carrying fruit and bread (don’t get me there was khoresht bademjan.
50 pages of Farsi sentences wrong, it was just too hot to eat This eggplant stew was so
written by one of my professors anything else) I got the chance good, I had to eat it three times.
back in Brazil. to eat homemade, typical Of course, my friend and his
Iranian food. family had to mock me about
The language was an issue my fascination for it. At least I
for sure, and to explore the Breaking the fast on the last earned the right to ask for the
city by myself was a problem, Friday of Ramadan is very recipe, and that is the recipe
too. So many years of political special in Iran, and that was the I still try to replicate: Milad’s
reclusion made Iran a country day I meet Milad’s family (my mom's khoresht bademjan.
unprepared for tourism. first very Iranian friend).
Back home, I like to make it with
tahdig, the rice with potatoes,
just because it is the most
beautiful way to serve rice in
my opinion. But, this recipe
has a whole other story. What
happens is that those recipes
remind me so much of those
hot days in Tehran.

76 | Middle East: Iran

Khoresht Bademjan with Tahdig / Persian Eggplant Stew with Beef

Middle East: Iran | 77

Khoresht Bademjan with Tahdig /
Persian Eggplant Stew with Beef
Recipe: Deborah Melo
Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1.5 hr | Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients
Khoresh Bademjan:
400g of meat (beef or lamb), cubed 3 tbsp. of olive oil
4 medium-sized eggplants, peeled 2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes 3-4 cups of water
1 large onion, diced Salt and pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Tahdig:
3-4 medium-sized potatoes
2 tsp. of butter
1 cup of rice
2 cups of cold water
Salt to taste

Method
1. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Pour 4. Peel the potatoes and slice them about 1cm
the oil into a large saucepan over high heat, thick. In a non-stick pan, add the butter and
and chuck in the beef. Brown the meat well let it melt over low heat.
on all sides before removing to a plate for
5. Add the potatoes, in only one level, and fry
a moment.
both sides. Pour the rice and gently add the
2. Throw the onion and garlic into the same water with salt. Do not stir. Let it boil for
pan. Wait until the onion gets soft and add 20 minutes or until the rice has softened.Pour
the eggplant. 2 cups of water to the mixture and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, place lid, and cook
3. Cover the pan and set the heat to low. Cook
for 30 minutes.
for 30 minutes or until the water is reduced to
half. Then, grate in the tomatoes, cover, and 6. After turning off the heat, you can flip it over
let it cook for 15 minutes more, or until the a plate to show off the golden potatoes.
sauce is thick.

78 | Middle East: Iran

Family in a Bowl
By Kathleen Shaughnessy in UAE

As a Canadian expat living in Dubai

for the past seven years, it seems only
fitting that I would share a recipe that
reflects the charm of my home-away-
from-home. With this in mind, I am
offering my version of a dish that is
a staple of nearly every home in the
region: shorbat adas.

Prepared in kitchens across the Middle East for Fast forward one year to Petra, to a tiny cooking
hundreds of years, shorbat adas is a traditional school built into the side of a mountain on a
lentil soup that combines some of the most cold November evening. This was the first time I
humble ingredients – lentils, onions, stock, and cooked shorbat adas. In a cozy little room full of
spices – and transforms them not only into fruits, veggies, and a lot of delicious Jordanian
something memorable, but truly magical. wine, a crew of strangers had come together to
do one of the most comforting human activities
I call this dish “Family in a Bowl”, because this is – cook dinner.
the dish that inevitably makes an appearance at
all of my expat dinner parties. It unites everyone Although we cooked lots of delicious treats
together, regardless of who they are or where that evening, the one that always stands out
they are from. is the shorbat addas. A steaming pot of bright
yellow soup is how 12 strangers began their meal.
I first ate shorbat adas a few weeks after I moved Ladled into bowls and passed down the table, the
to Abu Dhabi in 2007, and it was love at first shorbat adas brought us together as a family that
bite. I have to admit, the complex flavors left me evening in Petra. It was comfort food at its best,
thinking it would be impossibly difficult to make and an experience I remember fondly whenever
for myself, and I decided it was best left to I eat this dish. Family in a bowl. As they say in
the experts. I satisfied my cravings by negotiating Arabic: “sahtein!“
invites to as many Abu Dhabi family dinners as I
could arrange, where shorbat adas was sure to
be served.

Middle East: UAE | 79

 Shorbat Adas / Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup

80 | Middle East: UAE

Shorbat Adas / Middle Eastern
Red Lentil Soup
Recipe: Kathleen Shaughnessy
Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 45 mins | Preparation time: 30 mins

Ingredients
Soup
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 350g (1¾ cups) split red lentils, Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 medium brown thoroughly rinsed ¼ cup chopped parsley
onion, chopped 2l (8 cups) chicken or Fresh lemon wedges
½ leek, thoroughly washed and vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste
sliced – white part only 1 tbsp. ground coriander
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 tbsp. ground cumin

Cauliflower Crumb
½ head fresh cauliflower Zest of ½ lemon ½ tsp. pepper
60ml (¼ cup) extra olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 tsp. sugar
1 small clove of garlic, minced ½ tsp. salt

Tahini Drizzle
50g (¼ cup) tahini 2 tbsp. water
Juice of 1 fresh lemon Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and 5. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add
leeks, stirring until softened. Add carrots, and garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
continue cooking until onions are translucent. Do not brown.
Add spices, and stir to coat.
6. Add cauliflower and lemon zest, and stir
2. Add lentils and stock, and bring to a boil. through. Cook over medium heat until golden
Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, stirring until brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
lentils have begun to disintegrate. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Mix the tahini with the lemon juice and 7. Remove soup from heat, and add lemon juice.
stir. Slowly add water and stir until a loose, Cool slightly, and puree until very smooth.
smooth paste forms. Add salt and pepper to
8. To assemble, ladle into bowls and drizzle with
taste. Set aside.
a spoonful of tahini mixture. Add 1 heaped
4. Using a box grater, shred cauliflower into a tablespoon of cauliflower crumble to center
bowl, until it resembles grains of rice. of bowl, and sprinkle parsley. Serve with
Set aside. lemon wedges.

Middle East: UAE | 81

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