Feast Magazine by MagLab Cardiff

How halal is your meat? 3 exotic ingredients you should try

December 2012

Feast

Traditional family recipes

feast FEAST

The alternative festive feast

Contents Feast Team 2

Page 3 - Family Recipes

Passed down from generations to generations. Feast magazine brings you traditional family recipes from all around the world

Page 4-5 - Alternative Festive Dinner

While Christmas has hit Cardiff, there’s many other ways to get together and enjoy your festive feasts

Page 6 - Halal

A look at the growing trend of halal produce in Cardiff

Page 7 - Reviews

The Feast Team gives you their two cents and visit local international restaurants serving multicultural cuisines

Page 8 - Spice

Can you handle the heat? Discover exotic new spices that you’ve never heard of before

Ashley Quinlan

@AshProJourno

“For me, nothing beats an authentic Spanish paella, and memories of sitting by the sea on holiday in Catalonia”

Angela Hui

@Angela_Hui

“I adore Chinese street food in Hong Kong, the smells and sites are just out of this world. It’s like a second home.”

Lucy Trevallion

@ltrevallion

“Winter is the perfect season for spicy food, even the smell of it can transport you to somewhere warm and exotic.”

Katie Harris

@katieeliza_beth

“I love trying out new recipes from all over the world; it’s a fascinating way to experience different cultures.”

@Feast_Magazine

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Family Recipes

Egg fried tomatoes

hen Xu is from Gansu in the north of China. Currently living in Cardiff, she is a PhD student at the university. She speaks to Feast about one of her favourite Chinese dishes – egg fried tomatoes. “This dish is popular all over China; everyone knows about it,” she says. “I often prepare this dish because it’s very good for you – it’s a nutritious combination of protein and vegetables. It is simple and delicious and ideal to make after a long day in work.” Ingredients 4 tomatoes, halved 3 eggs Oil Salt Sugar Soy sauce 1 chili, finely chopped

Method 1. Heat some oil in a pan. 2. Lightly whisk the eggs together in a bowl. 3. Add the whisked egg to the pan and fry on a medium heat for a few minutes. When the eggs become solid, place them in a separate bowl. 4. Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the tomatoes for five minutes until they become mushy. 5. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, and add a pinch of sugar and a liberal splash of soy sauce. 6. Add the egg to the pan and fry with the tomato juice for two minutes. 7. Serve with rice.

“In the morning children go from door to door demanding the Lohri ‘loot’ in the form of money and eatables like Gajak. They also sing in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi avatar of Robin Hood who robbed the rich to help the poor. With the setting of the sun, huge bonfires are lit in the harvested fields and people gather around the rising flames, throwing puffed rice, popcorn and other munchies into the fire, shouting ‘Aadar aye dilather jaye’ (May honor come and poverty vanish!). This is a sort of prayer to the fire god, to bless the land with abundance and prosperity,” she explains. Ingredients 1 cup Sesame seeds Jaggery/ sugar syrup

Gajak

ajkanwal Tatla, is from Punjab in India. She tells us about this sweet sesame treat, served at the agricultural winter festival Lohri.

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Method 1. Toast sesame seeds in a large pan, stirring continuously. 2. Heat jaggery until the syrup is consistently thick. 3. Add roasted sesame and stir into an even paste. 4. Push flat in a shallow baking tray, let cool. 5. When cool and hardened cut into squares.

An alternative

Feast speaks to four individuals from different countries about their own culinary traditions in the festive season.

Chinese

jubilations

hinese people don’t usually eat the traditional festive meal of turkey with all the trimmings as they find it too stodgy and don’t always like the taste. Instead, they generally opt for something to warm themselves up. One popular traditional meal is called ‘Da Bin Lo’, which literally means ‘to hit the edge of the furnace’. It is more commonly known in English as ‘hot pot’. Jin Tian Hui from Guangzhou, South China,

who has lived in Llantrisant, South Wales, for more than 20 years, says: “The great thing about Da Bin Lo is that it’s a great big communal feast. Everyone cooks their own food and there’s a giant pot which is set in the centre of the table.” The foods typically served in a Chinese hot pot are all raw ingredients, from noodles to vegetables to seafood. Everyone sits around, putting the ingredients in the pot. As the food slowly

cooks, everyone chats; it is a very sociable occasion. “I much prefer eating this way, as it’s less stress on mothers, because they don’t have to slave away for hours,” says Jin Tian.

Spanish

celebrations

ocio is a 38-year-old mother of two from Seville in southern Spain. Currently residing in Cardiff, she speaks to Feast about a typical Spanish Christmas dinner in her family. “We start with tapas,” she says, listing a vast array of little dishes: prawns, crab, ham, chorizo, pate, la Mancha cheese, olives and bruschetta. “Everyone sits around the table and we pick at the food with our fingers. It’s really sociable”. For the main course, they eat roast turkey with gravy – but no vegetables. “By the time we start on the turkey,

we’re already too full,” Rocio laughs. “Everyone agrees that the first bit – the tapas – is the best bit”. A selection of desserts rounds up the meal. “Mantecado is one of my favourites,” says Rocio. “It’s a delicious, crumbly Spanish shortbread made of flour, sugar, milk and nuts”. In Spain, it is traditional to eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. It usu-

ally starts at 9pm and continues until about 2am the following morning. “It’s often the only time my family come together, so it’s a really special time,” says Rocio. “There’s always lots of talking and laughing. It’s impossible to eat everything – we carry on with the dishes the next day!” @Feast_Magazine

festive dinner Australian

revelries

Image by Paul Keller, Creative Commons

hristmas in Australia is a dream for some. Apart from being on the other side of the world, Australia celebrates Christmas in the height of summer. “Christmas day in Aus

we spent most of the day in the lounge with the air conditioning on full, outside was between 40 and 45 degrees,” says Kerri-Anne, now a resident in Cardiff. “It’s usually too hot to go out unless you happen to be near a beach!” It’s in stark contrast to the cold and invariably wet winters we have in the UK, but at least some things stay the same: “Before lunch we would munch on Allen’s Minties and Fantales, Twisties, melted Santa chocolates, candy canes from the tree, and fruit balls.” Kerri-Anne recalls how

lunch was cooked on the BBQ on her family’s patio, with beef steaks, kebabs, chicken wings and corn on the cob. The remainder of the meal would be a selection of salads like potato, cabbage, mixed bean, macaroni and Caesar salads. “Deserts are always served later in the afternoon and we had so many when I was little to choose from I have no idea where to begin. After, my brother and I would fall asleep in the living room while watching Christmas films, stuffed on the BBQ.”

Hannukah

festivities

“W

e celebrate Hanukkah, not Christmas,” says Ronnie, owner of the Falafel Café in Cardiff. Originally from Israel, Ronnie explains that Hanukkah celebrations start on the 25th day in the month of Kislev, which may occur at any time from late November to late

D e c e m b e r. The main event takes place on the night before the eightday celebrations begin. Ronnie says, “We play a spinning top guessing game, give the children presents, sing traditional songs, drink wine, and tell the story behind Hanukkah”. Hanukkah, meaning rededication, commemorates a miracle that the Jews believe happened over 2500 years ago. The story goes that when

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a small group of Jews, called Maccabees, recaptured Jerusalem their first task was to repair their temple. Amongst the ruins they found a small jug of olive oil, enough to light the candles for one day. But extraordinarily, the oil lasted eight days. Now, one candle on the eight-stemmed Hanukiah is lit each day of the celebration, symbolising God’s care through difficult times. But food is also central to this modern day remembrance celebration, “We eat a lot of eggy type things, some spicy with parsley and tomato and some mixed with sugar for the kids,” Ronnie describes.

Middle-eastern meat moves westwards

ardiff is nothing if not a mulitcultural city. The recent 2011 census provided statistics of an over 11,000-strong Muslim population in the city, and has caused an under-theradar arrival of halal meat standards to aberttoirs and butchers. In the UK, meat-eating habits have become more and more controlled over the past two decades. Those with longer memories will remember the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in the 1990s, and perhaps younger readers will recall instances of foot and mouth disease in the 2000s, all of which took a substantial toll on the animal farming industry. It is testament to the di-

ducts g rk by pro ghterin rk or po d prior to slau ically ’ o p o N a • d ‘uneth imals de • No an als slaughtere -products y im b n a d bloo • No od and ls • No blo ivorous anima rn a c o N y • rnal ears ds of pre out exte ’, • No bir animals with d ‘haram d re calle a • No lan ts n ie gred s and in rabic. ed food A Prohibit ‘forbidden’ in g in n a e m

versification and adaptability of the animal cultivation industry that a traditional butcher with 30 years experience has so readily adopted the halal methods of cultivation into his daily work, therby serving the Cardiff Muslim population. “Much of the halal principle regarding the care of animals is reminiscent of free-range produce that I’ve sold here for years. The standards are the same if not better, so why shouldn’t people readily accept aspects of it into their

“99% of the lamb is halal and around 98% of

s of Hala

le Princip

diets,” asks Brian Morgan. Halal is a religious concept that promotes the slaughtering of animals in the most painless and humane way possible. It is a belief that is centred around the caring for and rearing of the animal, much in the same way that free-range products do in the mainstream market. Afzal Kahn, owner of the Spice Route brand in Cardiff, has even been moved to claim that the chicken is too.” halal food is better in taste and quality, and might partly explain why all manner of restaurants are now including halal produce on their menus, alongside the now 11,000-plus Muslim population the market must cater for. Of course, for western tastes, the lack of pork on the menu is a limitation, and might put off those who enjoy the full spectrum of meat the UK market traditionally offers. However, it has not Cardiff Market butcher, put off ‘traditional’ butchers Brian Morgan, talks in Cardiff from integrating about the adoption of halal where appropriate into halal meat into everyday their daily businesses. @Feast_Magazine

Aegean Daquiri’s Tenkaichi Food: Service: Value:

Food: Service: Value:

ne can expect many things from food in Cardiff, and true authenticity is one of them. Tucked away on Whitchurch Road, is this extremely well turned out restaurant offering the best in Greek cuisine. The service, which some may find lengthy, was excellent and in keeping with true Mediterranean culture; dinner is more than a meal, it’s a social event The food too was of high quality, with the Stiphado a particular highlight. Add in true Mediterranean-style seasoning and it makes for a flavourful meal that lingers on the palette and weighs lightly on the wallet. Highly recommended.

ituated on Salisbury road in Cathays, Daiquiri’s is an independent Mexican restaurant that offers a varied menu and brilliant value for money. The atmosphere is vibrant: enormous Mexican hats, framed pictures and woven rugs jostle for space against the brightly coloured walls. The menu is stuffed with classic dishes (fajitas, enchiladas, burritos and tacos), as well as various paellas. The wait is very short and portions are enormous. The quality of the food is reasonable but somewhat lacking in the intense flavours one would expect from Mexican food. Recommended – but bear in mind that the mantra does seem to edge towards quantity over quality.

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Food: Service: Value:

ight on the busy main street of City Road in Roath lies a little Japanese sushi and noodle bar called Tenkaichi. The restaurant offers authentic Japanese cuisine from bento boxes to oodles of noodles all at a reasonable price. The service was average and a bit slow, but that is not enough to take anything away from the delicious food with lots of choice on the menu, and decent portions. The layout of the restaurant has a canteen/bench style seating which may not be to everyone’s tastes, and is often busy so may be a tad crowded at times, but it’s the Japanese way.

Try something new

Tumeric:

art of the ginger family, native to tropical South Asia. It was widely used in Medieval Europe as widely used as an alternative to the very expensive saffron spice. When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange powder commonly used in curries. Tumeric Pilau Cook 400g of basmati rice for 6 mins and drain. Heat 4tbsp of olive oil in a large wok and fry 1 tsp black mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add 2 sliced onions, then cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and golden. Stir in 1tsp turmeric and 2 deseeded red chilli’s, and cook for 1-2 mins more then serve.

Fenugreek:

Kalonji:

lternatively known as the seeds of the plant Nigella sativa or black cumin plant, the prophet Mohammad reportedly said that these seeds could cure anything but death itself. However, black cumin does in fact have remarkable health benefits, containing vitamin B1, B2, B3 and folic acid, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, and phosphorous amongst others.

Try Tea Brewed with Black Cumin Seeds, Place one tablespoon of seeds in a tea strainer. Pour boiling water over the seeds. Let steep for about ten minutes. @Feast_Magazine

argely produced in India, the plant has small round leaves, is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop, and is a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent. It is known as methi in Hindi, Urdu, and Nepali. Studies have shown that fenugreek is a potent stimulator of breast milk production and its use was associated with increases in milk production. Aloo Methi Boil 1 cup of potatoes and cut into small pieces. While they are boiling, sauté ½ tsp of cumin seeds, 1 inch minced ginger and 1 clove of minced garlic for 2 minutes and then add 1 cup of methi leaves and ½ tsp of red chilli powder and saute for 3 minutes. Add the cut up