Searching for Kombu Seaweed/Kelp

I’ve been trying to buy kombu seaweed for making dashi and other delights for about a month, but with no luck.  Today, I tried my favourite Asian grocer – the famous Tai Kee at Haymarket – and was told that it has been removed from sale due to the Fukushima disaster.  Apparently the radiation was being detected in the kelp and therefore harvesting and export have ceased.

I think that possibly it’s also produced for the Japanese market somewhere in Indonesia but my inquiries have not turned anything up so far.

This is, of course, a small disaster in itself.  I have been assured that wakame, nori and other seaweed products have not been affected (most come in via Korea these days) but it’s still disturbing.  If anyone has more information or can point me to an alternative source, I’d really appreciate it.

Surviving Costco (Auburn Edition)

There’s been a lot of hype in the news about Costco opening a megastore at Auburn (that’s New South Wales, Australia for all you international types).  Yours truly decided to see what the fuss was about and trundled off to the store today for a good look around.  It took me ages to get in but I amused myself by looking at the trolleys full of groceries that were streaming past me – Veuve Clicot champage with a large box of sliced ham and a 24 pack of toilet paper, a bar stool, floor mats, several boxes of pastries and what seemed to be a 5 litre bucket of either mayonnaise or yoghurt – the mind boggles!

Anyway, here are my best suggestions to surviving and making the most of your Costco experience – peoplewatching notwithstanding.

The first question most people seem to ask is “What’s it like?”.  In short, it’s like the ungodly offspring of Aldi and BigW mixed with a pinch of IKEA  and Bunnings, and no-where near enough parking.  There’s a good range of new and familiar brands across every department I can think of and not everything is packed in super-large bulk packaging, although you can certainly load up pallets of stuff if you like (choose the special orange trolleys rather than the standard double-wide ones).  It’s a little disorganised, but this is mostly down to two things – firstly this is still all very new and the staff are trying to work out wrinkles in the system, and secondly, people haven’t quite figured out how it’s supposed to work and spend a lot of time milling about.

The next question seems to be “How does it work – what’s shopping like?”  Here are a few points that will help give you an idea.

1)  It’s busy.  Really really busy.  Allow plenty of time for waiting, queuing and generally standing about.  If you’re lucky enough to find parking, grab a trolley and go up the ramp.  There’s a queue on the left for people who need to apply and pay for their membership card.  Do the smart thing and register online, print out the receipt, sweep past the line with your trolley and go right in.  You can get your card later and I was told that the receipt was all you needed to start shopping.  If you queue for your membership card, expect to wait an hour or so.  If the parking situation is too ridiculous (and it IS), park over the road at the Homemaker center (free parking, generally never too full) and be prepared to shlep your stuff back.

2)  Be careful with your prices.  Sure, there’s all manner of bright shiny things tempting you to load them into the humongous trolleys, but not everything is an amazing bargain.  If you know how much you normally pay for stuff, you’ll be able to shop wisely.  Meat, for example, has some bargains scattered through it.  Twin packs of Lilydale free-range whole chooks were at $5.69/kilo, which is slightly cheaper than the usual $6-7 at Woolies.  Whole sirloin was $15.99/kg which is a great price, if you’re able to deal with that much meat (they seemed to be about the 3-4 kilo range each).  There were whole pork bellies (and portions) priced at $8.99/kg which isn’t too bad.  I noticed, though, that the use-by date on the meat is only a couple of days.  Now, I didn’t note if this was a “Sell by” or “Use by” but I’m fairly sure it was a use-by date and there were only two or three days on a lot of stuff, so check carefully and plan accordingly.

3) Wear closed-toe shoes.  Seriously, folks, there are a lot of people there who can’t control their trolleys, don’t look where they’re going and simply don’t care if they run over your feet.  There’s no dress code but it IS a warehouse with pallets all over the place, so be warned.  For this reason, you might want to leave the kids at home.  I can see where little Davey or Fatima could easily get squashed under a bucket of mayonnaise or a generator.

4)  There are a lot of unfamiliar brands, especially in the food section, but there are also plenty of samples!  Employ your sharpest elbows to get said samples.  And if all else fails, try something – even the most expensive stuff isn’t actually that expensive so failure won’t be catastrophic.  And if you dont’ want to shop hungry, there’s also a tuck-shop/cafe thing right outside the main entrance with plenty of tables and chairs.  Popular foods were the hot dogs (giant dispensers of tomato sauce, mustard and raw onion are to the right) and 18″ pizza’s (roughly $3/slice or $15 for the whole), as well as the mixed berry sundaes/frozen yoghurts.

5)  It’s pretty much busy all the time, although someone did tell me that late in the evening (from about 6pm onwards) it quietens down.  I went at midday and it was packed and I’ve driven past in the early afternoon and it seemed similarly congested.  If there is an optimal time, please let me know!!

So, was it worth it?  Yes and no.  If you generally do one large shopping trip for basics, then yes – you can load up on the usual things.  If you want certain items only, it is going to depend on your tolerance for crowds and queues.  I went as much for the experience as for the bargains and I certainly got that – people-watching is a favourite pastime and I had plenty to look at (peoples trolleys can certainly be interesting!).  Go for a gawk and if you feel that it’s not going to work for you, you can turn in your membership card at any point and have your $60 refunded in full.

 

NOTE:  I’m still suffering from the dreaded lurgy, so if there’s a mistake in the above, please let me know so I can fix it!

Agedashi Tofu

I think I’m going through a stage.

I can’t tell you quite what set it off – head trauma, alien abduction, or suchlike things.  All joking aside, it might be the 40th birthday looming in the not-as-distant-as-I’d-like future.   But…I’m starting to really, REALLY like tofu.

If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I’d have told you that it was tasteless, squidgy stuff that made me think of erasers and cardboard.  It was what vegetarians and vegans ate to make up for the lack of anything chewy and meaty in their diets.  It was what health nuts ate, or people stricken with some horrible health problem that forced them to give up all the good things in life and subsist on slop.

Oh, tofu.  I’ve done you wrong.  And I’m sorry for all the mean things I’ve said.

That said, it does help when it’s good food prepared by skilled cooks.  It especially helps when it’s a superior product.  BUT (and like my own, it’s a huge “but”) it has to be a very good recipe indeed when it can be made with indifferent ingredients by someone who can cook but isn’t bothering to care that evening, and the food still comes out the other side tasting brilliant.

Can I suggest that you try Agedashi Tofu?

 

Agedashi Tofu

 

There are a lot of recipes out there.  Tons.  An authentic top-notch recipe will have you make dashi (which is a sort of broth) from scratch.  It’s a bit of work, but not that much.  However you can also buy dashi powder which makes it no work at all.  Sure, it’s not authentic and it doesn’t taste quite as good, but most people aren’t going to notice the difference and you won’t be struck down by ninjas if you use it.  The one big problem with my recipe is that it’s not really a recipe.  I don’t have quantities because I mostly tasted and made it up as I went along.  Sorry!  Google really is your friend in this instance.

However, if you want to take the risk of wandering into uncharted territory with me, it sort of goes like this.

Buy a pack of medium-firm tofu.  Drain the tofu on paper towel and cut into large cubes.  Mine were about 2cms across.  Make up a small bowl of dashi by any means you like.  Add a splash of soy sauce and a splash of mirin.  No one flavour should predominate and you should have a slightly sweet, salty broth.  Put this aside and heat some oil.

While the oil is heating, carefully toss the tofu in flour.  I’ve used plain flour and corn flour – plain goes a good golden colour and corn makes for a very crispy coating.  It’s traditional to use potato starch but I didn’t have any and couldn’t be bothered (which has started to be a theme around here).  Fry the tofu in batches until golden.  You can shallow-fry or deep-fry – it doesn’t matter which.  When golden and crispy, drain the tofu and put a couple of cubes in each dish.  Spoon broth over the tofu, garnish with spring onion and bonito flakes.  I add a slice of lemon (not traditional) because I like the tang, but I’ve also used wasabi oil (with caution – that stuff really does a number on your sinuses!).  Use both!  Knock yourself out!

Slurp to your hearts content.

Insalata di Caprese – Summertime deliciousness

The heat and burn of the sun is working its magic on the garden.  To pick tomatoes is to wade into a forest big enough to hide a grown man (albeit a bent-over man), redolent with the stink of tomato foliage and the tang of basil where an unwary footstep has gone awry.  To the cat, its a jungle and she is a tiger – stalking between the mighty trunks in search of prey or just curling up in a quiet corner for a snooze with just a glint here and there of green eyes watching from beneath lowered lids.

It has escaped us, this garden.  The husband is picking nearly a kilo of tomatoes a day and only the cherry tomatoes are ripe at the moment.  Halfway through Summer and we are already deep into a glut and giving away baskets to friends and family, the neighbours and their families, and so forth.

So, what to do when you can’t give them away?  Well, I’ve been making fresh salsas and boiling batches of plain tomato sugo (so good for pasta).  There have been a lot of salads.  The best of them, I’ve discovered, is the one that uses the most amount of tomatoes.

Insalata di Caprese.  Salad in the style of Capri.

I’ve no idea if this salad actually originated on or even near the island of Capri.  Probably not at all, given the usual penchant for impromptu invention that recipes seem to develop.  However, I am deeply grateful that someone came up with it because it has turned into a favourite of mine and it has become for me a true taste of Summer that I shall cherish, particularly through the colder months where there is no jungle of rampaging tomatoes to store sunshine for me.

The recipe, if you can call it that, is simplicity itself.  Slice up good tomatoes.  Add slices or torn pieces of tender mozzarella, preferably in the form of bocconcini.  (These days I can find bambino bocconcini that are the same size as the cherry tomatoes and they look so sweet together – like someone has lost a string of pearls into the mix!)  Add torn up or chiffonaded basil, salt, pepper, good olive oil and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar.  I’m partial to balsamic, so I add several generous swirls of the deliciously sweet, tangy syrup, which is why my bocconcini look so muddy and dark.  I don’t care what they look like – they’re delicious!  Mix and devour.

Do not skimp on either the balsamic vinegar or the oil.  Not only will the flavours not be as bright and as tasty, but you really are doing a great disservice to your other ingredients.  Celebrate your salad!  Treat it with respect and it will bring light and deliciousness into your life and, when the weather is cold and miserable, you will have something to look forward to.

Curry delight

Hey there!

Just got back in from some of the nicest lot of curry I’ve had in…well…a very long time indeed.  A new place opened up in the main street of Granville at the beginning of the year and I’ve been meaning to go there and try them out, but slackness prevailed and nothing came of it.  Tonight we finally got around to having a meal there, and what a meal!

It’s called Punjabi Tadka (contact details at the bottom of the post) and their menu is both extensive and mouthwatering.  We only had a few dishes (only the two of us tonight) so I can’t speak for the rest of the menu but what we had was outstanding.  I ordered Prawn Malabari ($16.90)which is listed as “Delicate prawn curry cook [sic] with capsicum, onions and aromatic spices,” and The Husband ordered Punjabi Tadka Special Goat Masala ($15.90)which is listed as “Succulent pieces of goat sauteed with onion pepper and fresh herbs”.  We also had some plain rice ($2 a serve and some of the fluffiest long-grain rice I’ve ever come across!), a Kashmiri Naan each ($4 each) listed as a multi layer naan stuffed with dry fruits and desiccated coconut, and we also got a basket of papadum and a little cucumber raita (which was on the house).

The Prawn Malabari had plenty of prawns (tails on) in an exceptionally creamy sauce that was smooth and rich and managed to be mild even with a lively zing from the spices.  The prawns were perfectly cooked and the sauce (usually left behind) was so good that I mopped up every drop and licked the spoon.  I know!  My manners leave much to be desired but I don’t care anymore.

The Goat Masala was still a little chewy but not unbearably so – certainly tender as far as goat is concerned.  It was spicier and the sauce was rich and dark without any cream at all, the spices added with a deft hand.  The pieces of goat were on the bone but soft enough to suck off without too much effort.  The sauce was tomato based and quite delicious.

The Kashmiri naan were awesome.  I mean, what’s not to like about naan fresh out of the tandoor?  They were quite sweet (I was reminded slightly of an Iced Vovo) from the dried fruit and coconut but also a little salty, presumably from the ghee brushed on them.  Pillowy and tender, they were some of the best naan I’ve had. Frankly, I could’ve sat down with a basket of those and been quite content.

The freebie papadums are also worth a mention – these were made with a sprinkle of toasted fennel (could be wrong about that) seeds and were so crispy that they dissolved on the tongue like the finest wafers and there was not a trace of oil about them.

Ambiance-wise, the place also doubles as a function centre, so there’s plenty of tables and plenty of room between the tables.  I hate hate HATE places that crowd you together like sardines, so the vast amount of space was a definite plus for me, although some might find it a little off-putting.  There’s a little light Bollywood music in the background on a loop with some video to go with it, which was quite soothing and pleasant, but I think they also do karaoke and there was a small area at the back where you could probably fit a small band or dance floor.  I suspect that if you put a couple of families in there, the noise level will climb significantly as there is little on the walls and nothing on the gleaming white tile floor to absorb it.

Service was very attentive, possibly because although they were doing a roaring trade in takeaway, there was exactly one other table of two besides us in the entire place.  The staff are friendly and helpful and greeted us with a namaste.  The food was brought out as if being presented to a king, and I have no complaints about it at all.  It’s nice to feel special from time to time.

They have a nice selection of sweets at the front counter but we were both too stuffed to take more than a cursory glance.  I can recall that they had a selection of gulab jamun and burfi in a variety of flavours but that’s all I can remember, I’m afraid.  I’ll have to get some to takeaway next time – I’m rather fond of Indian sweeties.

Anywho, if you’re in the area and would like a good feed at reasonable prices, I thoroughly recommend the place and we shall certainly go back to sample more curry delight.

 

Pujabi Tadka

103-105 South St, Granville, NSW, 2142

Ph: (02) 9760-0500

Fax: (02) 9760-0522

Free home delivery for orders over $25.

I Ain’tn’t Dead Yet…

Ta da!!!

Yes folks, I’m still alive and breathing, and feeling terrible guilt for abandoning this poor blog to its own devices for the last NINE months.  What the hell was I doing?

Well, working, for one.  That’s how life goes when the economy is in the crapper – the going gets tough and the tough go out and get casual work that starts off as a few hours a week and rapidly becomes a full-time, no-holidays affair that’s hard to turn down because the money is sooo good.  Except that the money isn’t really that great but it sure does pay the bills on time.  *sigh*

Have I been cooking anything delicious?  Yes, of course.  The problem was that I was usually too tired, too hungry, or too busy to sit it down and take any photo’s of it.

Doing any other interesting things?  Yes, I went out to Rookwood one precious weekend and took some photos;

Empty mausoleum at Rookwood

I found a section with a lot of old (and very posh) mausoleums.  Some were in excellent repair and were clearly still in periodic use.  But others were in a terrible state.  The doors had rusted off and the contents had been sensibly removed.

Open Mausoleum

It was so bad in some areas that it was like walking through just after Night of the Living Dead – not a single undisturbed grave anywhere in sight.  However, repairs are in progress.  Instead of putting in new doors, some have just been bricked shut.

He's not getting out again.

Did I peek into the open tombs?  Of course I did.  What do you take me for??  And don’t give me any of that “Oh, I’d NEVER do that!” because both you and I know that you’d SO do the same thing.

But as always, I try to tread lightly, treat all with respect and take nothing away but photo’s and memories.

Light & Life

And it’s SPRING!  Terrible as it sounds, this photo reminded me that I really need to get back into the garden.

Roast Chicken with Prosciutto and Lemon

I had the fancy for roast chicken today.  My dear brother-in-law sent me a link to a friends website showing roast chicken and pancetta, and I decided that was exactly the thing I wanted for dinner.

Roast Chicken with Proscuitto and Lemon

I think it’s impossible to go wrong with a roast chook although – Lord knows – some people seem to manage it.  (You know who you are!!!)

The recipe, such as it is, goes like this…

Take one free-range chicken, wash and pat dry, season with salt, pepper and a little rub of garlic (although leave out the salt if you’re using prosciutto – it’s salty enough).  Stuff with a half-lemon and a bunch of herbs.  Truss tightly.  Wrap in a half-dozen slices of prosciutto (or pancetta, if you like) and try and get the meat evenly spread over the breasts and legs.  Spritz with olive oil and put into a medium-hot oven (about 180C) for an hour per kilo of bird.  I laid mine on a bed of sliced lemon and put in a half-cup of water to stop the juices burning.  Baste and turn every half-hour or so that it cooks evenly.  It’s done when you prick it with a skewer in the thigh and the juices run clear.

I served it with a light green salad and a bottle of smooth merlot (yes, it’s a white meat but the flavourings are robust enough to need a red wine).  As you can see, the lemons have caramelized slightly and given up their flavours.  I thickened the pan juices slightly and used that as gravy.

Delicious!

The best thing about a roast chook are the leftovers.  There’ll be enough for two lunches tomorrow and I’ll use the bones for stock – free-range birds just have so much more flavour!!