Do you sometimes find it’s one of the most innocuous dishes served at a restaurant that lingers in your memory? That’s how it’s always been for me and the fabulous grilled onions in a pomegranate molasses dressing that many Turkish restaurants serve. This recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories and Recipes ... Read more »
If you’re anything like me you get a little bored of regular sausages and burgers on the barbeque. Don’t get me wrong, I love both items but I always yearn for something a bit more interesting and with punchier flavours. This simple grilled chicken thighs recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories ... Read more »
It’s rare I go to a Turkish restaurant without ordering either a lamb beyti or adana kofte, two different minced lamb kebabs that are full of flavour. With this recipe from Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik’s cookbook Mangal II: Stories and Recipes you’ll be able to recreate a classic lamb beyti kebab that is just like ... Read more »
Some cookbooks are all about the recipes. Others have a strong focus on a country or region’s culture, history and traditions as they relate to cuisine. And this one (Mangal II: Stories and Recipes by Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik) is all about a story—the story of a restaurant, the story of a family, the story ... Read more »
Coto (also spelled Soto) is a category an Indonesian soups that are stew-like in nature, and usually feature meat, broth and vegetables. This Makassar Coto, hailing from Sulawesi, combines slow-cooked beef cheeks with herbs, spices and peanuts to create a rich, thick stew that is beautifully tender, delicious and filling. The recipe is from The ... Read more »
This Indonesian Spiced Beef Stew reminds me of a classic British beef and vegetable stew but in this case there are warming spices, herbs and other additional ingredients that provide an unmistakeably South East Asian flavour profile. Taken from Petty Pandean-Elliott’s The Indonesian Table, traditionally semur daging has a thinner sauce. Pandean-Elliott has added flour ... Read more »
This quick and delicious chicken curry with pineapple hails from South Sumatra in Indonesia, and is one of the many delicious recipes to be found in Petty Pandean-Elliott’s The Indonesian Table. It’s a mild and soupy curry with delicate flavours and a fragrant aroma. Read my in-depth review of The Indonesian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott. ... Read more »
I’m a big fan of Phaidon Press’ country-specific cookbooks. Their spring release, The Indonesian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott is a colourful book sharing 150 recipes from across Indonesia, alongside personal recollections from her childhood and the culinary journeys she has undertaken since. As I explained in my review of Lara Lee’s Coconut & Sambal, Indonesia is ... Read more »
There are a few heavyweights in Scandi food whose restaurants pop up in conversation with restless frequency, breathless descriptions of experience and a powerful sense of place bubbling on the lips of critics and food-lovers. Noma, Ekstedt, Fäviken, Frantzén, Maaemo, Geranium. Names like Rene Redzepi and the author of this book, Magnus Nilsson, evoke a ... Read more »
The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig brings together the food of the Jewish diaspora, featuring more than 400 recipes from around the world. Simple meals sit side by side with celebratory feast dishes, showcasing Jewish food at its best. First Impressions My first impressions on opening this book were mixed. It’s a substantial book, with ... Read more »