Curry Compendium by Gloria Sukamto

CUR路RY COM路PEN路DI路UM [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m] \ a taste into southeast asian culture \ The Curry Compendium is an informative guide for curry lovers around the world. The book contain information on different types of spices used in making curry around the Southeast Asian region. This specific region of Asia consume a lot of curry as one of their staple food. The Curry Compendium guides you through 11 different countries in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, what better way to learn about the different culture of this world then through its food.

CUR路RY COM路PEN路DI路UM [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m] \ a taste into southeast asian culture \

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

\ dedicated to the curry lovers \

Copyright © 2016 by Bill Shakespeare All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Phaidon Press Limited Regent’s Wharf All Saints Street London N1 9PA www.phaidon.com Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above. Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Big Distribution: Tel: (800) 800-8000; Fax: (800) 8008001 or visit www.phaidon.com. Printed in the United States of America Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data Shakespeare, William. Curry Compendium : A Taste Into Southeast Asian Culture / Bill Shakespeare ; with Ben Johnson. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-9000000-0-0 1. The main category of the book —Food —Other category. 2. Another subject category —From one perspective. 3. More categories —And their modifiers. I. Johnson, Ben. II. Title. HF0000.A0 A00 2010 299.000 00–dc22 2010999999 First Edition 14 13 12 11 10 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Table of Content [tey-buh l uhv, ov kon-tent] TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENT

08|09

FOREWORD PAGE

10|11

INTRODUCTION

12|13

NARRATIVES

14|15

CHAPTER PAGE

16|17

SOUTHEAST ASIA

18|19

SPICES

20|21

TASTE

22|23

INGREDIENTS

24|25

TECHNIQUES

26|27

CHAPTER PAGE

28|29

INTRODUCTION

30|31

RECIPE 01

32|33

RECIPE 02

36|37

RECIPE 03

38|39

CHAPTER PAGE

40|41

INTRODUCTION

42|43

RECIPE 01

44|45

RECIPE 02

48|49

RECIPE 03

50|51

RECIPE 04

52|53

CHAPTER PAGE

54|55

INTRODUCTION

56|57

RECIPE 01

58|59

RECIPE 02

62|63

RECIPE 03

64|65

RECIPE 04

CHAPTER 01

CHAPTER 02

CHAPTER 03

INDEX

66|67

COLOPHON

68|69

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Foreword [fawr-wurd, -werd, fohr-] “Cooking is not difficult. Everyone has taste, even if they don't realize it. Even if you're not a great chef, there's nothing to stop you understanding the difference between what tastes good and what doesn't.”

Ten years in professional kitchens led me into a side activity that came naturally for me: I began to teach the craft and art of cooking. At first it was in local cooking schools, cooking side by side with home cooks. I was sous chef at a Los Angeles neighborhood (Manhattan Beach) restaurant, working mornings and afternoons. I was approached by educators who wanted to tap my experience as a chef to train some cooks. I soon discovered that when you teach, you learn even more than the students. I began to formally document what I was experiencing on my culinary adventures to Asia. Over the next ten years, I spent time studying and traveling to other parts of Asia. Teaching in Korea, being a guest chef in Japan, wandering the rice paddies of Indonesia, and traversing the spice trails of India—these experiences all helped put these cuisines into context. The comfort I found in teaching gave me the confidence I needed to talk my way into small kitchens in the back alleys of Malaysia and to convince food vendors in Thailand to share their secrets. I decided to take the leap into education full time. I devoted the next few years to developing the curriculum at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. The accrediting process I went through there taught me how to analyze a subject to discover its intricacies. Then the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) brought me on to teach fundamental cooking skills. I wanted to teach the Asian cuisines I’d come to love. I immersed myself even further in the world of Asian cookery. I studied everything I could get my hands on, reading, cooking, and traveling there any chance I got. I was fortunate to lead the team of faculty redeveloping the Cuisines

of Asia course at the CIA, an intensive part of the curriculum covering Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Indian cuisines. To hone my skills in Vietnamese cookery, the CIA sent me to Vietnam. Vietnam was like stepping back in time. Women walked the bustling streets of Saigon with yokes across their backs, dangling burning embers of coal to keep cauldrons of soup simmering. Nothing could prepare me for the time warp of that country. Although I was on a tour with twenty-five other people, I was part of the crew running the trip, so I had a chance to interact closely with the Vietnamese people. We traveled from the southern capital of Saigon to the northernmost areas of Sapa and Bac Ha.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Introduction [in-truh-duhk-shuh n]

“Cookery, or the art of preparing good and wholesome food, and of preserving all sorts of alimentary substances in a state fit for human sustenance, or rendering that agreeable to the taste which is essential to the support of life, and of pleasing the palate without injury to the system is, strictly speaking, a branch of chemistry; but, important as it is both to our enjoyments and our health, it is also one of the latest cultivated branches of the science.”

There’s an Asian idiomatic expression: “Same, same... but different.” It essentially means that what appears to be similar on the surface, turns out to have subtle but profound differences once you look a little deeper. That applies to the book you are holding right now! It works like a cookbook, but it’s much more. It also takes you inside the life and mind of the people of Asia. Yes, there are recipes (more than 100 actually) and lots of photos (more than 700, all of which I snapped myself). Hundreds were captured as I traveled around Southeast Asia, a few are from around the United States, and hundreds of others were taken in my kitchen studio in Los Angeles. My goal is to give you not just a taste, but a look, smell, and feel for these four countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. A true snapshot. Just as with any picture, although it may be an accurate representation, it is not an all-encompassing image. This subject is too big to cram into a library, let alone one book. There are other books that delve deeper into each region (pg. 364), and you should keep an eye out for my next volumes on each country. I share stories of real people, present recipes for authentic flavors, and provide you with the keys to unlock the mysteries of the ingredients of Asia. If you meander through these colorful pages, read some of the stories, and cook some recipes in each country’s chapter, you will gain an understanding of what the true Southeast Asian flavors are. The geography, history, ethnic diversity, and culinary etiquette all converge into authentic recipes that represent culture on a plate. I have been working on this book for decades and thought of publishing it many years ago. But the reality is that no

publishing company was willing to create such an intricate book. Frankly, the cost of including all the photos I felt were needed was reason enough to send their financial teams into a tizzy. I wanted to create a book on my terms, similar to the way a chef opens his own restaurant to express his culinary vision—I wanted to serve you recipes and cultures I live, breathe, and love to cook. Similarly to how my colleagues open their first restaurants, I wanted to have the final say of what was included and how it was conveyed. Since my lifelong mission to share the cuisine and culture of my second home had not diminished, I simply had to start my own publishing company, and hence Mortar & Press was born. My objective is to take you on a cooking adventure through the vibrant foods of a culinary paradise. I have chosen to focus on only four countries for this book. Yes, there are others countries in Southeast Asia with amazing food, interesting people, and fascinating histories, but these four are where I live when not in the USA. These are the people whom I know abroad. And these four countries’ similarities and differences can be illustrated within the context of cuisine and culture.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Southeast Asia

[south-eest ey-zhuh, ey-shuh]

03 04 05 06 07

08 09

10 11

Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia, roughly be described as geographically situated east of the Indian subcontinent, south of China and north of Australia, between the Indian Ocean (in west) and the Pacific Ocean (in east). ¶ It consists of two distinctive different geographic regions, one is mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina, on the Indochinese peninsula; it comprises the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam and West Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), the other is the Malay Archipelago, or Maritime Southeast Asia, which comprises the countries of: Brunei (on the island of Borneo), East Malaysia (with the Malayan states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern part of Borneo), all the islands of Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Timor-Leste (East Timor). ¶ Southeast Asia together with the Indian subcontinent and lowland southern China forms the Indomalaya ecozone, one of the eight great ecozones that cover the Earth’s land surface. ¶ Southeast Asia consists of eleven countries that reach from eastern India to China, and is generally divided into “mainland” and “island” zones. The mainland (Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam) is actually an extension of the Asian continent. Muslims can be found in all mainland countries, but the most significant populations are in southern Thailand and western Burma (Arakan). The Cham people of central Vietnam and Cambodia are also Muslim. ¶ Island or maritime Southeast Asia includes Malaysia, Singapore,

Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, and the new nation of East Timor (formerly part of Indonesia). Islam is the state religion in Malaysia and Brunei. Although 85 percent of Indonesia’s population of over 234,000,000 are Muslims, a larger number than any other country in the world, Islam is not the official state religion. Muslims are a minority in Singapore and the southern Philippines. ¶ Virtually all of Southeast Asia lies between the tropics, and so there are similarities in climate as well as plant and animal life throughout the region. Temperatures are generally warm, although it is cooler in highland areas. Many sea and jungle products are unique to the region, and were therefore much desired by international traders in early times. For example, several small islands in eastern Indonesia were once the world’s only source of cloves, nutmeg, and mace. The entire region is affected by the monsoon winds, which blow regularly from the northwest and then reverse to blow from the southeast. These wind systems bring fairly predictable rainy seasons, and before steamships were invented, these wind systems also enabled traders from outside the region to arrive and leave at regular intervals. Because of this reliable wind pattern, Southeast Asia became a meeting place for trade between India and China, the two great markets of early Asia.

01 ► Myanmar 02 ► Thailand 03 ► Laos 04 ► Cambodia 05 ► Vietnam 06 ► Philippines 07 ► Brunei 08 ► Malaysia 09 ► Singapore 10 ► Indonesia 11 ► East Timor

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

History /Of Curry/ [his-tuh-ree]

The history of curry goes back a long way. In fact, there is evidence of it being used in 1700 BC Mesopotamia. While use of curry probably originated in India, it was used in England as early as the 1300’s and probably even earlier. Mention of its use can be found in the first book written on English cooking, written during the time of Richard II (late 1300s). ¶ Curry is used in the cuisine of almost every country and can be incorporated into a dish or even a drink. The word comes from “Kari” which is from the Tamil language and was later anglicized into “curry”1. Curry powder itself is not a single spice but a blend of different spices and can be mild or hot. This golden colored spice is one of the oldest spice mixes and is most often associated with Indian cuisine. ¶ Interestingly enough, the word curry has a different meaning on the West-

ern world then in India. In India, curry refers to a gravy or stew dish. Typically these dishes contain the Indian spice mix garam masala along with ginger, chili, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and sometimes onion and garlic, but it can be made up of many things. In India different curry ingredients are regional. In the West, when we think of curry, we think of curry powder or dishes seasoned with it. ¶ While you might not think that the English would like curry, it’s spread to England is attributed to the British Raj whose personnel acquired a taste for the spicy foods when stationed there. These dishes and recipes were brought back home and the British made them to suit their own tastes. ¶ While we mostly associate curry with hot and spicy peppers, the original Indian curry did not have any peppers in it since chili peppers or red peppers were not native to India. It wasn’t until Christopher Columbus brought chili seeds back from the new world and they were traded to India did they make their way into Indian cooking to become part of the spicy curries we know and love today. ¶ Because of the long history of curry and its adaptation into so many different cuisines, curry itself can have many different tastes and colors. Although we usually associate the golden yellow color (from the tumeric) and pungent spice with the term curry, it can be mild or firey hot and come in a variety of colors. But no matter what spices you mix in your curry - it’s guaranteed to always be exotic and tasty!

Good painting is like good cooking; it can be tasted, but not explained.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Health Benefit /Of Curry/ [helth ben-uh-fit]

While curry might be great for tantalizing your taste buds, did you know that there are also many health benefits to this zesty mix of spices? ¶ While curry, or curry powder is actually a mixture of any number of spices, one main spice in most curry powders is turmeric. This is the spice that gives curry it’s yellow color and is also responsible, at least in part, for some of the health benefits of curried dishes. ¶ Among the

health benefits of curry is that of reducing inflammation of the joints. In fact, recent research shows that turmeric helped to prevent the swelling of joints in rats that had arthritis. And it’s not only arthritis that it may be helpful for. Other studies suggest that this powerful spice may also help protect us against cancer, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s disease. ¶ But these health benefits are no surprise to those trained in Ayurvedic medicine where turmeric has been used for treating inflammatory disease for centuries. ¶ Even one of the worlds most renowned cancer centers, MD Anderson Center in Texas, thinks that curry may help protect us against cancer. Here, animal studies have shown that curcumin, another common ingredient in curry, seems to turn off genes that can trigger the onset and spread of breast cancer. In a human study, curcumin shows some promise, in a handful of patients, in stabilizing pancreatic cancer. ¶ There have been several studies done in the relation of curry and the prevention of Alzheimers. One test tube study showed that curcumin may help clear the brain of protein deposits thought to cause Alzheimer’s. Another study of older men in Singapore found that those who ate a lot of curry performed better in memory tests. ¶ While more wide range clinical trails need to be done in order to prove any of the health benefits of curry, that’s no excuse not to eat a tasty dish of it a couple of times a week. Although you may need to acquire a taste for it, once you do you may find yourself reaching for the curry powder more and more often! ¶ Since curry is a combination of many spices, there are dozens of health benefits that might be had by eating this tasty dish.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Cardamon [kahr-duh-muh m]

Cinnamon [sin-uh-muh n]

Cardamom is one of the world’s very ancient spices. It is native to the East originating in the forests of the western ghats in southern India, where it grows wild. Today it also grows in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indo China and Tanzania. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner; the Greeks and Romans used it as a perfume. Vikings came upon cardamom about one thousand years ago, in Constantinople, and introduced it into Scandinavia, where it remains popular to this day. ¶ Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. It is often adulterated and there are many inferior substitutes from cardamom-related plants, such as Siam cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged Java cardamom, and bastard cardamom. However, it is only Elettaria cardamomum which is the true cardamom. Indian cardamom is known in two main varieties: Malabar cardamom and Mysore cardamom. ¶ The Mysore variety contains higher levels of cineol and limonene and hence is more aromatic Cardamom comes from the seeds of a ginger-like plant. The small, brownblack sticky seeds are contained in a pod in three double rows with about six seeds in each row. The pods are between 5-20 mm (1/4”-3/4”) long, the larger variety known as ‘black’, being brown and the smaller being green. ¶ White-bleached pods are also available. The pods are roughly triangular in cross section and oval or oblate. Their dried surface is rough and furrowed, the large ‘blacks’ having deep wrinkles. The texture of the pod is that of tough paper. Pods are available whole or split and the seeds are sold loose or ground. It is best to buy the whole pods as ground cardamom quickly loses flavour.

Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. A native of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) the best cinnamon grows along the coastal strip near Colombo. In ancient Egypt cinnamon was used medicinally and as a flavouring for beverages, It was also used in embalming, where body cavities were filled with spiced preservatives. In the ancient world cinnamon was more precious than gold. ¶ This is not too surprising though, as in Egypt the abundance of gold made it a fairly common ornamental metal. Nero, emperor of Rome in the first century AD, burned a years supply of cinnamon on his wife’s funeral pyre — an extravagant gesture meant to signify the depth of his loss. ¶ Cinnamon was known in medieval Europe, where it was a staple ingredient, along with ginger, in many recipes. Since most meals were prepared in a single cauldron, casseroles containing both meat and fruit were common and cinnamon helped bridge the flavours. When crusaders brought home sugar, it too was added to the pot. Mince pie is a typical combination of this period which still survives. The demand for cinnamon was enough to launch a number of explorers’ enterprises. ¶ The Portuguese invaded Sri Lanka immediately after reaching India in 1536. The Sinhalese King paid the Portuguese tributes of 110,000 kilograms of cinnamon annually. The Dutch captured Sri Lanka in 1636 and established a system of cultivation that exists to this day. In its wild state, trees grow high on stout trunks. Under cultivation, the shoots are continually cropped almost to ground level, resulting in a low bush, dense with thin leafy branches. From these, come the finest quills.

cardamom

Spices /To Make Curry/ [spahys]

clove

The word ‘clove’ is from the Latin word for ‘nail’ – clavus. Cloves are native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is cultivated in Brazil, the West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar and Pemba. The Chinese wrote of cloves as early as 400 BC. and there is a record from 200 BC of courtiers keeping cloves in their mouths to avoid offending the emperor while addressing him. Arab traders delivered cloves to the Romans. clovesCloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a tropical tree. When fresh, they are pink, dried, they turn to a rust-brown colour. Measuring 12-16 mm (1/2”-5/8”) long, they resemble small nails, with a tapered stem. The large end of the clove is the four-pointed flower bud. Bouquet: Warm, pungent and aromatic. ¶ Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when ground, so only a few need be used. Whole cloves are often used to “stud” hams and pork, pushing the tapered end into the meat like a nail. A studded onion is frequently used to impart an elusive character to courts-bouillons, stocks and soups. Cloves are often used to enhance the flavour of game, especially venison, wild boar and hare. They are used in a number of spice mixtures including ras el hanout, curry powders, mulling spices and pickling spices. Cloves also figure in the flavour of Worcestershire sauce. They enjoy much popularity in North Africa and the Middle East where they are generally used for meat dishes, though rice is often aromatized with a few cloves.

cinnamon

Clove [klohv]

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Spices /To Make Curry/ [spahys] Coriander [kawr-ee-an-der, kohr-] Coriander is probably native to the Middle East and southern Europe, but has also been known in Asia and the Orient for millennia. It is found wild in Egypt and the Sudan, and sometimes in English fields. It is referred to in the Bible in the books of Exodus and Numbers, where the colour of ‘manna’ is compared to coriander. The seed is now produced in Russia, India, South America, North Africa — especially Morocco – and in Holland. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans, who used it in cookery and medicine, and was widely used in English cookery until the Renaissance, when the new exotic spices appeared. Among ancient doctors, coriander was known to Hippocratic, and to Pliny who called it coriandrum for its ‘buggy’ smell, coris being a bug; or perhaps because the young seed resembles Cimex lectularius, the European bed-bug. cilantroCoriander is the seed of a small plant. ¶ The seeds are almost spherical, one end being slightly pointed, the other slightly flattened. There are many longitudinal ridges. The length of the seed is 3 – 5 mm (1/8” – 3/16”) and the colour, when dried, is usually brown, but may be green or off white. The seed is generally sold dried and in this state is apt to split into halves to reveal two partially hollow hemispheres and occasionally some internal powdery matter. Coriander is available both whole and ground. The fresh leaves of the plant are called cilantro and are used as an herb.

Cumin [kuhm-uh n, koo m-] Cumin is native to the Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries, especially India, North Africa, China and the Americas. The spice is especially associated with Morocco, where it is often the fragrance of the abundant street cookery of the medinas. ¶ Cumin was known to the Egyptians five millennia ago; the seeds have been found in the Old Kingdon Pyramids. The Romans and the Greeks used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion. ¶ In Indian recipes, cumin is frequently confused with caraway, which it resembles in appearance though not in taste, cumin being far more powerful. This is due to a misunderstanding of the Indian word jeera. The term usually means cumin, but can occasionally mean caraway, so in doubtful cases, cumin is generally to be understood. ¶ The use of the terms ‘black cumin’ for nigella, and ‘sweet cumin’ for aniseed or fennel, further confounds this confusion. As a general rule interpret jeera or zeera (jira, zira) as cumin and kalonji as nigella. When the seeds themselves are in doubt, cumin is easily distinguished from the other Umbelliferae by its flavour, and its shape and colour is quite different from nigella. Classically, cumin symbolised greed; thus the avaricious Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, came to be known privately as ‘Cuminus’

Mustard [muhs-terd] It was the condiment, not the plant, that was originally called mustard. The condiment got its name because it was made by grinding the seeds of what was once called the senvy plant into a paste and mixing it with must (an unfermented wine). Mustard is one of the oldest spices and one of the most widely used. The Chinese were using it thousands of years ago and the ancient Greeks considered it an everyday spice. The first medical mention of it is in the Hip pocratic writings, where it was used for general muscular relief. The Romans used it as a condiment and pickling spice. King Louis XI would travel with his own royal mustard pot, in case his hosts didn’t serve it. Today, world consumption of mustard tops 400 million pounds.

coriander

cumin

mustard

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Spices /To Make Curry/ [spahys] Ginger [jin-jer] Ginger is native to India and China. It takes its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers. ¶ It has been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is mentioned in the writings of Confucius. It is also named in the Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was one of the earliest spice known in Western Europe, used since the ninth century. ¶ It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper. A common article of medieval and Renaissance trade, it was one of the spices used against the plague. ¶ In English pubs and taverns in the nineteenth century, barkeepers put out small containers of ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer. In order to ’gee up’ a lazy horse, it is the time honoured practice of Sussex farmers to apply a pinch of ginger to the animal’s backside.

Pepper [pep-er] The history of the spice trade is, above all, the history of pepper, the ‘King of Spices’. It has been moving westward from India for 4,000 years. It has been used in trading as an exchange medium like money and, at times, has been valued so highly that a single peppercorn dropped on the floor would be hunted like a lost pearl. ¶ In classical times ‘tributes’ were paid with the spice, and both Attila the Hun and Alaric I the Visigoth demanded it as a substantial part of Rome’s ransom. Since the Middle Ages, pepper was the core of the European spice trade, with Genoa and Venice dominating the market. The Italian monopoly of overland trade routes was the major determining factor in driving the search for an eastern sea route.

Turmeric [tur-mer-ik] Turmeric is an ancient spice, a native of South East Asia, used from antiquity as dye and a condiment. It is cultivated primarily in Bengal, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Java. Peru. Australia and the West Indies. It is still used in rituals of the Hindu religion, and as a dye for holy robes, being natural, unsynthesized and cheap. ¶ Turmeric is in fact one of the cheapest spices. Although as a dye it is used similarly to saffron, the culinary uses of the two spices should not be confused and should never replace saffron in food dishes. Its use dates back nearly 4000 years, to the Vedic culture in India where it was used as a culinary spice and had some religious significance. The name derives from the Latin terra merita “meritorious earth” referring to the colour of ground turmeric which resembles a mineral pigment. In many languages turmeric is simply named as “yellow root”.

ginger

pepper

turmeric

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Equipment /To Make Curry/ [ih-kwip-muh nt] Cutting Board [kuht-ing bawrd] Hardwood cutting boards and plastic cutting boards are both great. If you get plastic, make sure it’s made of polypropylene, which is nonporous and therefore will resist dirt and bacteria growth. It’s also dishwasher safe, an added plus. Hardwood is also a great option. Keep it away from heat and sanitize them every month or two by washing it in a solution of 2 cups water mixed with a 1/2 teaspoon of bleach. Rinse well, then let it air dry. ¶ Designate one cutting board for non-veg items such as poultry, meat and fish and a separate cutting board for vegetables and fruits. This will ensure you do not have cross contamination of food-borne bacteria. If all your cutting boards look alike, just label the sides with a permanent marker.

Knife [nahyf] With all the chopping of onions and garlic and prepping of vegetables, every cook, Indian or otherwise, should have a nice sharp knife in their kitchen. Surprisingly, a lot of us don’t. For a long time all I had was my cheap seven dollar, six inch chef’s knife which had long ago lost it’s edge. I kept thinking I’ll get myself a nice high quality knife and it will make me a much better cook. Then I realized I could take my seven dollar knife and get it professionally sharpened for seven more dollars. I now have a wonderfully sharp knife for less than fifteen dollars. ¶ A great all purpose knife is a chef’s knife. They come in various lengths of 6-inches, 8-inches, 10 and even 12-inches. The length you need depends on what is most comfortable for you. Even the most expensive knife is worth nothing if it doesn’t feel comfortable in your hand. Think about how you use your knife. If you cut lots of longer, thicker items, a longer blade might be useful to you so you don’t have to saw back and forth. I cut mostly onions, garlic and small bunches of herbs so a six-inch knife works great for me. I also have smaller hands, so wielding a larger knife feels awkward. I spent a day in the kitchen with my uncle, an avid cook who has a kitchen full of gadgets and a drawer full of knifes. He told me he has both a sixinch and an eight-inch chef’s knife. However, he hardly ever uses the 8-inch because his favorite cutting board is quite small. These are the practical things to consider when buying a knife.

Pressure Cooker [presh-er koo k-er] Pressure cookers also come in different locking styles, one where the top fits inside the pot and latches on to the handle, the other where the top fits on the outside of the pot and twists on securely. Both versions can be either a whistle release or a steady stream pressure cooker. ¶ The version you see above is the style where the top fits inside the pot. These are the typical style used in Indian home kitchens and can be purchased at an Indian grocery store. The one version below we got here in the US and it is the steady stream version. The top of this model fits on the outside of the pot. The pressue releases in a steady stream of steam.

Saucepan [saws-pan] This is the pan you will use for making tadka. Tadka an Indian cooking technique of heating up spices and aromatics such as onions and garlic to make a delicious concentration of flavor which is then added to a dish. Tadka is a great tool for refreshing leftovers. Hubby claims that leftovers are his favorite because the tadka adds more flavor than when it was first made. A small rounded pan, such as a small saucier pan is best for faster cooking.

Sauté Pan [soh-tey pan]

Spice Grinder [spahys grahyn-der]

A sauté pan looks very similar to a frying pan except the sides of the sauté pan are completely straight, whereas the sides of a frying pan are curved. I prefer a sauté pan because the straight sides keep food from flying out of the pan when stirring and it’s much easy to flip and toss the food around when the sides of the pan are straight. ¶ It’s handy to have both a nonstick pan and an aluminum pan. Nonstick pans are great for quicker cleanup and allow you to stir less frequently. For dishes which don’t use browning and also need longer cooking times (especially dishes which need you to cover the pan and cook for longer periods of time, nonstick is a good choice. ¶ However, if you need to brown onions or garlic, an aluminum pan will do it in half the time. So for making a dish that involves browning onions and garlic in stages, use aluminum. Wouldn’t recommend stainless steel cookware because food seem to stick to it easier. Stainless steel and aluminum look almost identical so be sure to look at what the pan is made of before you buy.

This is a must have in an Indian kitchen, especially if you know you are going to be trying a lot of Indian recipes. It’s so easy to quickly grind whole spices before adding them to a dish. Store bought pre-ground spices can never have the flavor of freshly ground spices. ¶ Using a simple coffee grinder works best. You get a very fine powder in about ten seconds. I recommend using a seperate coffee grinder for your spices. Don’t use the same one you use for your coffee. The flavors do not blend well.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

{01} \ Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar \

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[01]

Khmer [kmair, kuh-mair]

Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {Somlar Kari Saek Mouan} 15 min

preparation

30 min

medium complexity

serving

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 chicken marylands cut into chunky pieces with bones

1 In a large heated pot, add oil and kroeung paste. Stir for 1 min on medium temperature. 2 Add chicken and half the coconut. Cook for 2 mins. 3 Add potatoes, beans, aubergine and onion. Stir well. 4 Add water, remaining coconut and season with fish sauce, salt and sugar. Stir to combine and let it simmer for 20 mins on low temperature.

3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp red kreoung paste 1 tsp shrimp paste 3 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp palm sugar 1 tsp salt 1 cup coconut milk/cream 3 cups water 2 brown onions cut into quarters 4 snake beans cut into 2 inch pieces 1 small aubergine cut lengthwise into 2 inch pieces 1 sweet potato 1 white potato

01 --> Breads are good to accompany the curry. Dip bread into curry and let it absorb all the flavor. 02 --> Fresh basil leaves and chopped peppers are good as garnish and bring in some freshness to the dish.

Some of the ingredients that are central to Khmer cooking are lemongrass, wild lime/kaffir lime, pepper, shallots, coconut, galangal, thai red chillies etc…. Like I mentioned before, all of these are central to many other Asian cuisines also but it is the way these ingredients are bought together that makes the cuisine of Cambodia unique. ¶ The Chicken Samlá curry is basically a soupy kind of curry and one that is found quite commonly in Cambodia. It is either served as a soup or as a stew poured over rice. The thick, soupy coconut milk broth is what makes a Samlá stand out. It strongly reminds you of the Thai yellow curry but the flavours are different. ¶ Lemongrass is the key ingredient in this curry and the primary flavour and aroma that greets you. I have made a few modifications to the recipe in terms of ingredients and measurements to suit my preferences which I think is important to make any dish a pleasurable experience for you. Instead of dry Thai chillies, I have used fresh ones and also more than what the traditional recipe calls for. It does not make the dish hot or spicy but adds more depth and flavour to match the sweet richness of the coconut milk. ¶ Shrimp paste is another key ingredient of this dish and I know your whole neighbourhood will smell it too. You could omit it but then you won’t be getting the real deal.

cooking

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[02]

Thai [tahy]

Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {แกงไก่ไทย} Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 shallots

1 Peel shallots or onion and cut in half from top to root. Lay the cut sides flat on a board and thinly slice. Very finely slice the lemongrass, starting at the thinner end, stopping towards the base when it gets tough. 2 Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan for a couple of minutes until the oil separates (it looks more liquid at this point). Add the shallots or onion. Fry for 3-5 mins, until soft and translucent. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 min, stirring all the time. 3 Add chicken pieces and stir until they are coated. 4 While the chicken is cooking, strip the leaves from the coriander stalks, gather into a pile and chop very roughly. Taste the curry and add a little more curry paste and salt if you think it needs it. Serve with Thai jasmine or basmati rice.

1 small onion 1 stalk lemongrass 1 tbsp vegetable oil 3-4 tsp red Thai curry paste 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 4 freeze-dried kaffir lime leaves 400ml can coconut milk 20g pack fresh coriander

01 --> Adding some root vegetables will help tone down the strong curry flavor. 02 --> Thinly chopped up scallion can be used as garnish.

15 min preparation

20 min cooking

easy

complexity

serving

Thai curry refers to dishes in Thai cuisine that are made with various types of curry paste; the term can also refer to the pastes themselves. A Thai curry dish is made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs. Curries in Thailand mainly differ from the curries in Indian cuisine in their use of fresh ingredients such as herbs and aromatic leaves over a mix of spices. ¶ Thai people refer to dishes that are known as “Thai curries” in the Western world as “kaeng”. The first Thai dictionary from 1873 CE (2416 in the Thai Buddhist calendar) defines kaeng as a watery dish to be eaten with rice and utilizing shrimp paste, onions or shallots, chillies, and garlic as essential ingredients. Coconut milk is not included in this definition and many Thai curries, such as kaeng som and kaeng pa, do not feature it. Curries in Lanna (northern Thai) cuisine, with only a few exceptions, do not use coconut milk due to coconut palms not growing well, if at all, in the climate of the Thai highlands. The spiciness of Thai curries depends on the amount and kind of chilli used in the making of the paste. Even within one type of curry the spiciness can differ widely. ¶ The word “curry” figures in the Thai language as “kari”, and refers to dishes using either an Indian-style curry powder, known as phong kari in Thailand, or to the dish called kaeng kari, an Indian-influenced curry that is made with spices that are common to Indian dishes but less often used in these proportions in Thai cuisine. Kung phat phong kari (prawns fried with egg and curry powder) is an example of a dish using the Indian style curry powder.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

01 --> Dried Ginger 02 --> Shredded Coconut 03 --> Nutmeg 04 --> Chili Powder 05 --> Cardamom

Ground Coriander ← 06 Black Pepper ← 07 Star Anise ← 08 Chili Flakes ← 09 Chopped Parsley ← 10

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[03]

Burmese [ber-meez, -mees]

Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee]

{Gaeng Gai Bama} 20 min preparation

30 min cooking

medium complexity

serving

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over low heat, and stir fry the shallots until browned and tender. Drain, reserving the oil, and set aside. 2 Place the chicken in the skillet with the reserved oil, and stir in the curry paste and curry powder to evenly coat. Pour in enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. 3 Stir the coconut milk, tomato puree, fish sauce, palm sugar, and 1/2 the tomato wedges into the skillet. Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Mix in the remaining tomatoes, and continue cooking until tender. Top with cilantro and the fried shallots to serve.

8 shallots, thinly sliced 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken meat 2 tablespoons red curry paste 1 tablespoon curry powder 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup pureed tomato 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon palm sugar 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

01 --> Adding some greens into the curry add in texture and color to the curry. 02 --> Root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots are common to add into curry.

Burmese curry does not use spices, just a paste made of onions, garlic and ginger, cooked until fragrant and then reddened with cayenne and paprika or annato. For chicken curry, you add cinnamon sticks when cooking. For fish curry, you can add tomatoes and lightly crushed lemon grass stalks.¶ Burmese cuisine includes dishes from various regions of Burma (now officially known as Myanmar). The diversity of Myanmar’s cuisine has also been contributed to by the myriad local ethnic minorities. The Bamars are the most dominant group, but other groups including the Chin people also have distinct cuisines. ¶ Burmese cuisine is characterised by extensive use of fish products like fish sauce and ngapi (fermented seafood). Owing to the geographic location of Myanmar, Burmese cuisine has been influenced by Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine and Thai cuisine. ¶ Traditionally, Burmese eat their meals from dishes on a low table, while sitting on a bamboo mat.[1] Dishes are served simultaneously.[1] A typical meal includes steamed rice as the main dish and accompanying dishes called hin, including a curried freshwater fish or dried/salted fish dish, a curried meat or poultry dish instead, a light soup called hin gyo called chinyay hin if sour, and fresh or boiled vegetables to go with a salty dish, almost invariably a curried sauce of pickled fish (ngapi yayjo) in Lower Burma. Fritters such as gourd or onions in batter as well as fish or dried tofu crackers are extra. ¶ Out of respect, the eldest diners are always served first before the rest join in; even when the elders are absent, the first morsel of rice from the pot is scooped and put aside as an act of respect to one’s parents, a custom known as u cha.

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{02} \ Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines \

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[04]

Laotian [ley-oh-shuh n, lou-shuh n] Curry Soup [kur-ee, kuhr-ee soop] {Kao Pboon}

10 min preparation

45 min cooking

Methods [meth-uh ds]

8 cups water

1 Fill a large stockpot with water and add chicken, galangal, ginger, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. 2 Cook rice sticks according to package instructions and drain. 3 When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Shred meat with a fork. Set aside. 4 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; add shallots, garlic, and curry paste and saute until fragrant. 5 Stir in coconut milk, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 minutes. 6 Remove galangal and ginger pieces from broth and discard. Add curry coconut mixture to broth along with shredded chicken, fish sauce, and sugar (adjusting to your tastes). 7 Serve additions noted in description on a platter, along with extra fish sauce. Layer noodles in bowls, ladle broth over noodles (along with chicken) and pass platter of garnishes for toppings.

4 chicken thighs, skin removed 1 inch fresh galangal root, cut into thirds 1 inch fresh gingerroot, cut into thirds 1 tablespoon salt fresh ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 shallot, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons red curry paste 1 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 1 (14 ounce) packages rice vermicelli

01 --> Coriander can be use as garnishes. 02 --> Any type of meat can go well with curry, changing this chicken to turkey meatball makes it a healthier choice.

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Laos is a beautiful country in South East Asia, wedged between Thailand and Vietnam. It is home to beautiful landscapes and equally beautiful food. Not least of their national dishes are their curries. This recipe has basically two parts, Curry Paste and a Laotian Prawn Curry. These parts can be done independently, to save time in the kitchen. ¶ The first step is going to be to create a Laotian Curry Paste, which can be kept for 3-5 days and is a great gift to share with friends. If in a hurry you can substitute a Thai Green Curry Paste however in my opinion nothing tastes better than a Curry made with fresh Curry Paste. At the bottom of this page is a link to a wonderful Laotian Prawn Curry Recipe using this beautiful Curry Paste. Lao cuisine is the cuisine of Laos, which is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines. ¶ The staple food of the Lao is steamed sticky rice, which is eaten by hand. In fact, the Lao eat more sticky rice than any other people in the world.[1] Sticky rice is considered the essence of what it means to be Lao. Often the Lao will refer to themselves as “luk khao niaow”, which can be translated as “children or descendants of sticky rice”. Galangal, lemongrass, and padaek (fermented fish sauce) are important ingredients. ¶ The most famous Lao dish is larb, a spicy mixture of marinated meat or fish that is sometimes raw (prepared like ceviche) with a variable combination of herbs, greens, and spices. Another Lao invention is a spicy green papaya salad dish known as tam mak hoong, more famously known to the West as som tam. ¶ Lao cuisine has many regional variations, corresponding in part to the fresh foods local to each region. A French legacy is still evident in the capital city, Vientiane, where baguettes are sold on the street and French restaurants are common and popular, which were first introduced when Laos was a part of French Indochina.

medium complexity

4-6

serving

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[05]

Vietnamese [vee-et-nah-meez, -mees] Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {Cà Ri Gà} 15 min preparation

40 min cooking

medium complexity

serving

01 --> Having coriander as garnishes for curry is very common. 02 --> Chopped up fresh green chilli will add a kick of spice to the curry.

Cà Ri Gà is the Vietnamese version of a chicken curry stew and I LOVE IT. It’s hearty, incredibly aromatic and the flavors get better over time. The rich Cà Ri Gà can be served with jasmine rice or over rice noodles. However my preferred carb accompaniment is with crusty, toasted baguette so that you can dunk pieces in the sauce and gobble it on up. ¶ Cà Ri Gà as the Vietnamese approach to fusion as a lot of components pull from various cultures. The curry spices itself are from South India – the Vietnamese call it. I like to use a Madras curry blend–a paste in fact but Madras curry powder will also do the trick. As for the coconut milk and kaffir limes – I think of those as classic Thai flavors. And of course the baguette comes from the very heavy French influence in Viet Nam. ¶ Cà Ri Gà is not difficult to make but like so many other memorable dishes, it does take some

time to layer flavors. And trust me, it’s completely worth the few extra steps. ¶ Start off by taking a chicken (it is chicken curry after all) and break it down into 8 pieces. Of course you can use whatever cuts you prefer but I would suggest leaving the skin on and bone-in for more flavor. Mo’ flavor, mo’ better! Slather the chicken in some of the curry paste and other aromatics – allow it marinate for several hours.

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 lb chicken

1 Cut chicken into large 2-3” chunks if using large pieces. Add salt, onion powder & curry powder to chicken. Marinate for 2-4 hours. 2 After marinating, brown chicken on all sides in small batches in a pot, skin side down first. Add oil if you’re using skinless. 3 Add some oil to the pot on low heat and sweat onion until soft, then add garlic until lightly brown. 4 Return chicken to the pot with lemongrass, bay leaves, and sugar. 5 Add 50% water and 50% chicken broth to the pot until all ingredients are fully submerged. 6 After 5 minutes of low boil, taste the broth and adjust with salt, sugar, and curry powder to taste if needed. 7 Add potatoes and carrots, and more water and chicken broth to cover (50/50 ratio). 8 Add coconut milk until it hits a boil, then turn off the heat.

1½ lb potatoes ½ lb carrots 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped 4 gloves garlic, finely chopped 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 5” pieces 3 bay leaves ½ cup coconut milk oil for frying 2 tsp sugar 2-3 cups chicken broth 2-3 cups water

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[06]

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

¹/8 cup cashews

1 Add all ingredients to a small food processor. Process till almost smooth. 2 There’ll be some small pieces but don’t worry, you’ll cook everything soft when you use it to make a curry or whatever you’re making. You just need a little oil and a hot pan. 3 You can add in some coconut milk to make it richer, thin out with water if you need to. 4 Add veggies and if you wish meat or fish and you have a flavorful dish!

1 onion 3 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon anchovy paste 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemongrass 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

01 --> Coriander leaves add more color to this yellow paste based curry. 02 --> Cherry tomatoes can be added to add more of a tart flavor.

Brunei [broo-nahy, -ney]

Curry Spice Mix [kur-ee, kuhr-ee spahys miks] {Rempah} 15 min preparation

30 min cooking

medium

Rempah, a common curry blend in Brunei, will infuse your meal with the most haunting flavors of garlic, ginger, lemongrass, spicy chili powder and golden turmeric. The entire kitchen smells like paradise when you cook with Rempah. You can eat Rempah in any curry – vegetarian, chicken, fish, meat. The original recipe calls for anchovy paste, giving it that nice salty flavor. I have subbed miso paste, which also has a nice salty flavor. ¶ Bruneian cuisine is the cuisine of Brunei. It is similar to, and heavily influenced by the cuisine of neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with additional influences from India, China, Thailand, and Japan. As is common in the region, fish and rice are staple foods, though beef is expensive and thus less common. Due to the predominance of the Islamic religion, the food is halal and pork is avoided. Alcohol is banned in Brunei. In rural areas, game animals such as wild birds, sambar deer, and barking deer are hunted. ¶ Dishes from Brunei are often spicy, and are commonly eaten with either rice or noodles. Beef rendang, nasi lemak and puteri nanas, are popular foods in Brunei. Among the few dishes peculiar to Brunei is ambuyat, a sticky ball of flavourless sago starch, which is wrapped around a bamboo fork and dipped into a sour fruit sauce.

complexity

serving

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[07]

Filipino [fil-uh-pee-noh]

Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {Ginataang Manok} 12 min preparation

45 min cooking

medium complexity

serving

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 lbs chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 Heat the cooking pot and pour-in the cooking oil. 2 Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger. 3 Add the chicken and cook until the color of the outer part turns light brown. 4 Pour-in the coconut milk while stirring and bring to a boil. 5 Sprinkle some paprika then simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the coconut milk becomes thick. 6 Add the long green chili and Thai chili then simmer for 5 minutes. 7 Add the green papaya then simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. 8 Put-in the spinach, salt, and pepper then simmer for 3 minutes. 9 Turn-off the heat then transfer the cooked chicken to a serving plate. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

2 cups coconut milk ½ bunch spinach 2 tbsp garlic, minced 1 large onion, sliced 2 tbsp ginger, julienned 8 ounces green papaya, wedged ½ tsp paprika (optional) 1 piece long green chili (optional) 4 pieces Thai chili (or siling labuyo if available), chopped (optional) 2 tbsp cooking oil Salt and pepper to taste

01 --> Curry is best enjoyed with white rice. 02 --> Bay leaves is one of then fundemental aromatics for making this curry.

Ginataang Manok is translated as chicken stewed in coconut milk. This is a simple Filipino dish wherein chicken is sautéed in garlic, onion, and ginger then stewed in coconut milk. It is also one of my favorite simple ginataan recipes. ¶ A more traditional approach requires native hen (usually grown in the backyard). It is much tastier compared to broiler chickens and adds more flavor to the dish. As many might have noticed, coconut milk plays a huge part in Filipino cuisine — like in this Ginataang Manok recipe, for example. Different Filipino recipes require the use of coconut milk and coconut juice. I think that this is a good thing because we are making the most out of what is abundant to us but let’s keep in mind that there are some people that still need to develop their taste buds for these types of dishes. ¶ Ginataan, alternatively spelled guinataan, is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with gatâ (coconut milk).[1] Literally translated, ginataan means “done with coconut milk”. Due to the general nature of the term, it can refer to a number of different dishes, each called ginataan, but distinct from one another. ¶ Ginataan usually refers to viands, which are eaten with rice during the major meals of the day. It normally follows the form “ginataan na/ginataang + (whatever it is cooked with)”. For example, ginataang hipon refers to shrimp cooked in coconut milk, ginataang gulay to an assortment of vegetables cooked in coconut milk, ginataang alimango is mud crabs cooked in coconut milk, while ginataang manok is chickens cooked in coconut milk. Coconut milk can also be added to existing dishes, as in ginataang adobo (known more commonly in Tagalog as adobo sa gatâ). ¶ There are other dishes that are known by their own unique names, such as Bicol Express, laing and variants of pinakbet, which nonetheless fall under the ginataan category because they use coconut milk as one of the main ingredients.

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

{03} \ Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor \

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[08]

Malaysian [muh-ley-zhuh n, -shuh n]

Being at the crossroads of ancient trade routes has left a mark on the Malaysian cuisine. While the curry may have initially found its way to Malaysian shores via the Indian population, it has since become a staple among the Malays and Chinese too. Malaysian curries differ from state to state, even within similar ethnic groupings, as they are influenced by many factors, be it cultural, religious, agricultural or economical. Âś Malaysian curries typically use curry powders rich in turmeric, coconut milk, shallots, ginger, belacan (shrimp paste), chili peppers, and garlic. Tamarind is also often used. Rendang is another form of curry consumed in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines; although it is drier and contains mostly meat and more coconut milk than a conventional Malaysian curry. Rendang is popular among Indonesians, Singaporeans and Malaysians. All sorts of things are curried in Malaysia, including mutton, chicken, cuttlefish, fish, aubergines, eggs, and vegetables.The vegetarians in Malaysia would make vegetarian curries with vegetables or tofu based products.

Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {Kari Ayam Malaysia} 15 min preparation

30 min cooking

medium

complexity

serving

01 --> Potatoes are great with this curry, they are cheap and make the curry more filling. 02 --> Roti prata can accompany this curry and help tone down all the spices.

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 tablespoons oil

1 Add the oil to a big pot and heat it up until hot. Add the onions and stir-fry until aromatic before adding the curry powder. 2 Do a few quick stirs until you smell the aroma, then add the chicken, stir to combine well, for about 1 minute. 3 Add the water into the pot and bring it to boil. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes, potatoes and eggs. 4 Cover the pot and let simmer for about 30-45 minutes, or until chicken becomes tender. 5 Add the coconut milk and salt to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

1/2 onion, diced 1 oz (25 g) curry powder for meat 1 1/2 lbs chicken, chopped into pieces 3 cups water 1 big tomato, cut into wedges, optional 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges 4 hard-boiled eggs, optional 1/2 cup coconut milk (or 3/4 cup milk) Salt to taste

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[09]

Singapore [sing-guh-pawr, -pohr, sing-uh-]

Chicken Curry Mee [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee mee] {Singapore Chicken Laksa} 15 min preparation

cooking

medium complexity

serving

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

3 tablespoons oil

 In a stockpot, add the oil and sauté the instant curry paste until aromatic. 2 Add the chicken broth, water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, tofu puffs and bring the stock to boil. 3 Lower the heat to simmer. Add the coconut milk and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock on simmer. 4 Rinse the yellow noodles, drained and set aside. Soak the dry vermicelli with some warm water until soft, drained and set aside. 5 To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, bring to boil some yellow noodles, vermicelli, and a handful of bean sprouts. Drain the noodles and transfer to a serving bowl. 6 Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp, a few pieces of fish cake, and 1-2 egg quarters. 7 Using a ladle, pour the laksa broth and a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles.

1/2 pack (120g) Malaysian instant curry paste 2 cups chicken stock (1 can) 2 cups water 2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, pounded) 5 kaffir lime leaves (optional) 10 tofu puffs, cut into pieces 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup coconut milk Salt to taste Yellow noodles or Vermicelli 10 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered Fish cakes, cut into pieces

01 --> These chopped up red chili add in more spiciness in the curry. 02 --> Fried shallots give this soupy curry that extra crunch texture.

Singapore curry combines authentic Indian flavors with the aroma of Chinese cuisine: anise, ginger, Sichuan pepper and cassia. Singapore curry is commonly added to beef with rice noodles but can also be used in dim sum, in Chinese dumplings or simply to season rice. Also great for classic simmered curries. Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup in the Peranakan cuisine, which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. ¶ Laksa consists of rice noodles or rice vermicelli with chicken, prawn or fish, served in spicy soup; either based on rich and spicy curry coconut milk, or based on sour asam (tamarind or gelugur). It can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Southern Thailand. Curry laksa (in many places referred to simply as "laksa") is a coconut-based curry soup. ¶ The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include bean curd puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Some vendors may sell chicken laksa. Laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste and garnished with Vietnamese coriander, or laksa leaf, which is known in Malay as daun kesum. ¶ This is usually known as curry mee in Penang rather than curry laksa, due to the different kind of noodles used (yellow mee or bee hoon, as opposed to the thick white laksa noodles). Curry mee in Penang uses congealed pork blood, a delicacy to the Malaysian Chinese community.

30 min

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[10]

Indonesian [in-duh-nee-zhuh n, -shuh n] Chicken Curry [chik-uh n kur-ee, kuhr-ee] {Opor Ayam Indonesia} 01

15 min 02

01 --> Other than coriander, parsley can be a subtitute for garnishes. 02 --> Lemongrass stalk makes up that distinct curry flavor.

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2 teaspoons ground coriander

 Place the spices, chilies, cashews garlic, shallot, and ginger in a food processor and grind into a paste. 2 Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet or work over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon sticks, lemongrass stalks, and lime leaves. Let cook one minute. Add the ground paste and use a wooden spoon to break it up and mash into the oil. Let cook two minutes. 3 Add chicken pieces and cook two to three minutes per side, until browned. 4 Stir in half of the coconut milk and all of the chicken broth. Cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 5 Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and the fish sauce. Serve hot with lots of rice.

1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 2 fresh green Thai chiles, stems and seeds removed 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large shallot, peeled 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 3 Tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil 3 small stalks lemongrass 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 (14.5 ounce) can coconut milk, divided 1 cup chicken broth

preparation

In Indonesia curry is called kari or kare. The most common type of kari consumed in Indonesia is kari ayam (chicken curry) and kari kambing (goat meat curry). In Aceh and North Sumatra roti cane is often eaten with kari kambing. Other dishes such as gulai and opor are dishes based on curry. They are often highly localised and reflect the meat and vegetables available. They can therefore employ a variety of meats (chicken, beef, water buffalo and goat as in the flavoursome gulai kambing), seafood (such as prawn, crab, mussel, clam, and squid), fish (tuna, mackerel, carp, pangasius, catfish), or vegetables (young jackfruit, common beans, cassava leaf) dishes in a spiced sauce. ¶ They use local ingredients such as chili peppers, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, Indonesian bay leaves (salam leaf), candlenuts, turmeric, turmeric leaves, asam gelugur and asam kandis (sour mangosteens similar to tamarind), shrimp paste (terasi), cumin, coriander seed and coconut milk. In Aceh, curries use daun salam koja or daun kari (Murraya koenigii) translated as "curry leaves". One popular dish, rendang from West Sumatran cuisine, is often describes as caramelised beef dry curry. ¶ In Indonesia, rendang is usually not considered to be curry since it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for Indonesian curries. Authentic rendang uses water buffalo meat slow-cooked in thick coconut milk for a number of hours to tenderise, caramelise, and flavour the meat. Opor Ayam is another variation of curry, which tastes very similar to that of gulai. Opor is usually whitish in colour and uses neither cinnamon or turmeric, while gulai may contain either or both. Opor is also often part of a family meal around Lebaran, while gulai can be commonly found in Padang restaurants.

30 min cooking

medium complexity

serving

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

[11]

East Timor [eest tee-mawr, tee-mawr]

Fish Curry Sauce [fish kur-ee, kuhr-ee saws] {Ikan Pepes Timor Leste} 15 min preparation

Methods [meth-uh ds]

2lb whole fresh Red Snapper or similar fish

 Score the fish several times and marinate it with salt and lime rubbed into the surface. 2 Grind all of the curry ingredients in a processor till they are smooth (about 2 minutes). 3 Rinse the banana leaves and place about 1/3 of the curry in the bottom of the sheet of banana leaf. 4 Rub about 1/3 of the curry into the belly of the fish. 5 Ladle the remaining 1/3 of the curry over the fish and seal up the “packet”. 6 Use soaked string as necessary to seal the packet. 7 Steam for 20 minutes in a bamboo steamer. 8 Grill for an additional 6 minutes. 9 Unwrap the packet and serve over rice with chopped basil.

Banana leaves For Curry paste 1 Tablespoon tamarind pulp, soaked 5 minutes. 2 Tablespoons warm water 6-10 large chili’s, chopped 1 stem lemongrass, thinly sliced 5 candlenuts 1 small, ripe tomato ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon dried shrimp paste 1 Tablespoon finely chopped palm sugar ½ cup loosely packed basil leaves

01 --> Cooking the chili inside with the fish made sure that the spicy notes translate to every inch of the fish. 02 --> Banana leaves are commonly used to wrap and cook food.

Ingredients [in-gree-dee-uh nts]

The food of East Timor is similar to the cuisine of Indonesia and contains local produce such as fish and rice with spiced curries, lemongrass, ginger, chilies etc. The national dish is Ikan Pepes. Ikan means fish and Pepes refers to the method of steaming in banana leaves then cooking over a grill. This dish gets a 3 for difficulty. The ingredients are exotic and include some hard to find items like candlenuts. ¶ Timor Leste was a territory of Portugal from the late 1700’s although exploration of the area by the Portuguese can be traced back to the 1500’s. ¶ In 1975 Timor Leste was effectively abandoned by the Portuguese and declared independence from Portugal. Nine days later they were invaded by Indonesian forces and a battle began that would last 25 years and would claim 102,800 lives. I try to be specific in the numbers of people killed in conflicts rather than estimate as I think it pays more respect to the victims. ¶ The killings and the starvings or disease related deaths fell on the hands of the Indonesian invaders and the Fanitil Guerilla forces eventually earned a victory when Indonesian forces withdrew in 1999. Afterward a referendum was held to determine the future for the nation. 78% voted for independence from Indonesia. Violent clashes with Pro-Indonesian elements resulted and the transition took nearly three years with the guidance of the United Nations.

30 min cooking

medium complexity

serving

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Index [in-deks] a

able, 9 about, 9 above, 2 abroad, 5 abundant, 10 accrediting, 4 accurate, 5 activity, 4 actually, 5-6, 8 added, 9 address, 2 adventure, 5 affected, 6 africa, 9-10 afternoon, 4

back, 4, 7 beach, 4 benefit, 8 bible, 10 big, 2 black, 9-10 bleached, 9 blend, 7 blow, 6 boar, 9 body, 9 book, 2, 5, 7 boost, 8 born, 5

cardamon, 9 case, 2, 10 casseroles, 9 category, 2 cauldron, 9 century, 9 ceylon, 9 chance, 4 chef, 4-5 chemistry, 4-5 chewed, 9 chili, 7 china, 6, 9-10 chinese, 4, 9-10 clove, 9 comfort, 4 common, 8-9 company, 5 compared, 10 context, 4-5 continent, 6 continually, 9

each, 8 early, 6-7, 9 easily, 9-10 east, 6, 9-10 eastern, 6 eat, 8 eco, 6 educators, 4 egypt, 9-10 egyptians, 9-10 eight, 6 emperor, 10 emperor, 9 england, 7 english, 7, 10 enhance, 9 enjoy, 9 enjoyments, 4-5 enough, 5, 7, 9 environment, 6 er, 5

few, 4-5, 9 fields, 10 figure, 9 filled, 9 final, 5 finest, 9 firey, 7 fit, 4-5, 8 five, 4, 10 flat, 10 flavors, 5 flower, 9 forests, 9

genes, 8 geographic, 6 geographically, 6 ginger, 7, 9 goal, 5 gold, 9 golden, 7 good, 4-5 gravy, 7 greed, 10 greeks, 9-10 green, 9 grinding, 10 ground, 9-10 grow, 9 guatemala, 9 guest, 4

hams, 9 handful, 8 hands, 4 hare, 9 health, 8 heart, 8 help, 8 hemispheres, 10 herb, 10 high, 9 histories, 5 history, 2, 7 history, 5, 7 holland, 10 home, 4-5, 7, 9

india, 4, 6-7, 9-10 indies, 9 indo, 9 indochina, 6 indochinese, 6 indomalaya, 6 indonesia, 4, 6, 9 indonesian, 4 information, 2 ingredient, 8-9 injury, 4-5 inner, 9 inside, 5

japan, 4 japanese, 4 java, 9 joints, 8 jungle, 6 just, 5

kilograms, 9 king, 9-10 kingdon, 10 kitchen, 5 korea, 4

lanka, 9 laos, 6 latin, 9 leaves, 10 levant, 10 level, 9

native, 7, 9-10 neighborhood, 4 nepal, 9 nero, 9 north, 9-10 nutmeg, 6

madagascar, 9 mainland, 6 make, 9-10 malabar, 9 malayan, 6 malaysia, 5-6 malaysian, 4 manhattan, 4 maritime, 6 markets, 6 masala, 7

pacific, 6 paddies, 4 paradise, 5 paste, 10 patients, 8 pattern, 6 peninsula, 6 peppers, 7

saffron, 9 saigon, 4 sarawak, 6 sauce, 9 seasoned, 7 seasons, 6 secrets, 4 section, 9 seed, 10

table, 3 talk, 4 tamil, 7 taste, 1, 4-5, 7-8, 10 teach, 4

unfermented, 10 unique, 6 unlock, 5 usa, 5

varieties, 9 variety, 7, 9 vendors, 4 venison, 9 vibrant, 5 vietnam, 4-6 vietnamese, 4 vikings, 9

wanted, 4-5 west, 6-7, 9 western, 7 white, 9

years, 4-5, 9-10 yellow, 7-8 yokes, 4 young, 10

C U R RY C OM P E N DIU M | A TASTE INTO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CULTU R E [Kur-ee Kuh m-pen-dee-uh m]

Colophon [kol-uh-fon, -fuh n] typeface The text is set in Calluna and Calluna Sans designed by Jos Buivenga and issued in digital form by Exljbris, in 2009

software Adobe Creative Cloud, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop Panic,inc.

equipment Macbook Pro laptop 15-inch: 2.7 GHz Epson Stylus Photo R3000

paper Moab Entrada Rag Fine Art, Natural Matte

publisher Phaidon Press, London, England, (Fictitious book not actually published by Phaidon Press)

designer Gloria Sukamto

about the project This is a student project only. No part of this book or any other part of the project was produced for commercial use.

Cook delicious and healthy dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and all across the region with this easy-to-follow Southeast Asian cookbook. Few Westerners know the sensational tastes and techniques of Southeast Asian cuisine as well as Wendy Hutton. In Southeast Asia s Best Recipes, Hutton takes readers on a culinary tour of the region s most popular and best-known dishes. Hutton has spent more than four decades traveling and eating her way through Asia, collecting the best recipes from simple country homes to elegant restaurant kitchens. In her signature, expert prose, Hutton explores the glorious splendor of Southeast Asia s rich and varied cuisine, from Singapore s fascinating cosmopolitan offerings to Thailand s sinfully spicy dishes to Vietnam s refreshingly healthful recipes. Featuring a foreword by acclaimed food writer Charmaine Solomon and tantalizing photographs by award-winning food and lifestyle photographer Masano Kawana, this essential Asian cookbook shows readers how to prepare dozens of mouthwatering dishes. Authentic Southeast Asian recipes include: Extraordinary Beef Satay Thai Rice Soup with Pork Vietnamese Mixed Coconut Rice Lemongrass Beef with Peanuts Green Curry Chicken Famous Singapore Chili Crab Spicy Sambal Eggplant Southeast Asian cuisine is more popular than ever, and with Wendy Hutton as your guide, you can learn how to whip up a festival of flavors in your very own kitchen!

Phaidon Press Limited Regent's Wharf All Saints Street London N1 9PA

USD $79.90 CAD $105.90