232 replies to this topic

[Chris Amirault]

I also had Bruce's fish sauce question, Nick. In addition, where do you get your SE Asian ingredients? Can you find coriander/cilantro with roots still on? They're great pounded into submission and added to sauces.

[Shelby]

Those oysters look fabulous. I, too, prefer them raw, but the fried ones look delicious!

The seafood is expensive, but I'd pay it to get freshness like that.

Ollie is adorable!

[heidih]

I have the same mortar and pestle and use the same fish sauce


I love the idea of using the fish skin crumbled in the salad. Did it maintain crispiness or just add a textural contrast?

[nickrey]

I think most of us in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying a good foodblog from down unda. I like the Fine Fish shop but I have to say, I don't like those prices. Are they typical or is it a high-end seafood boutique thing?

Hi Peter,
Yes it is a high end boutique and the prices reflect this. I'll definitely go back to the fish markets on Saturday and show you the more conventional retail prices.

[nickrey]

nickrey, I am looking forward to this week very much as I always enjoy seeing what you cook up. I did notice David Thompson’s Thai Food sitting prominently on your bookshelf, so I am glad that you led of with a fish salad, one of my favorite summer meals.

For someone who already has a fair selection of Thai cookbooks, would you recommend adding one by Martin Boetz? If so, any one in particular?

Do you prefer Viet Huong fish sauce? I liked it, but usually choose a less-salty brand for maximum fish sauce flavor without over-salting the dish.

I am jealous of your seafood quality, but not the prices. I have heard that Australia and / or New Zealand have particularly enlightened ocean fishing policies. Do you think that drives up the price, or is the price more a function of location?

Can't wait to see what's next.

Hi Bruce,

See the above comment about the prices.

Martin Boetz has two very successful Thai Restaurants, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. They are both call Longrain which, not suprisingly, is also the name of his book in Australia (Longrain Modern Thai Food). In the US version, it is called Modern Thai Food with a subtext referring to Longrain. David Thompson wrote the introduction. The reviews on Amazon speak for themselves.

The dish that I made came from a cooking class he did rather than from the book.

Edited by nickrey, 10 January 2011 - 12:33 PM.

[nickrey]

Do you prefer Viet Huong fish sauce? I liked it, but usually choose a less-salty brand for maximum fish sauce flavor without over-salting the dish.

I also had Bruce's fish sauce question, Nick. In addition, where do you get your SE Asian ingredients? Can you find coriander/cilantro with roots still on? They're great pounded into submission and added to sauces.

With regards to the fish sauce question, I tend to use Viet Huong as it is the preferred sauce for Vietnamese people here in Australia.

That having been said:



I do have options. Squid brand is one that a lot of the Thai cooks use here and the one on the right is one that was recommended to me in a cooking class I did in Thailand (which was 25 baht).

As to the salt question, and having done a number of Thai cooking courses, the whole point is balance. If you know your sauce is a bit more salty than others, add less in the initial stages. David Thompson and chefs he has trained taste their sauces continuously and tweak the taste so it is in balance. That sauce had lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, and chilli powder. I didn't measure them, instead using approximations to the ones that Martin gave and balancing by adding an ingredient that seemed under represented. If you can get this right, you're Thai dishes will kick up a few notches straight away.

Edited by nickrey, 10 January 2011 - 12:40 PM.

[nickrey]

Ollie is adorable!

Thanks Shelby, we like to think so.

[nickrey]

I have the same mortar and pestle and use the same fish sauce


I love the idea of using the fish skin crumbled in the salad. Did it maintain crispiness or just add a textural contrast?

Hi Heidi,
Yes it did. I actually took out the fish and removed the skin and it was not done to my liking so it went back in the deep fryer. It was crispy but was also skin-like; it's hard to describe. Anyway it had both crispness and textural contrast.

The other textural contrast was roasted rice that is fried in a pan until dry (not burnt, no oil). It is then ground in a mortar and pestle and added to the dressing.

[nickrey]

Just so you don't think I have the limited range of books shown in the previews, thought I'd show you my collection. We will be stepping outside Asia this week

[ambra]

I've been watching Masterchef Australia Season One which has made me want to take an Gastronomic vacation in Australia.

Glad to get another view besides the TV one, although it may cost me a couple of plane tickets!!

Edited by ambra, 10 January 2011 - 01:28 PM.

[rarerollingobject]

Hi Peter,
Yes it is a high end boutique and the prices reflect this. I'll definitely go back to the fish markets on Saturday and show you the more conventional retail prices.

Confirmed - I live in Sydney too, and every time I walk into Martin's I have a mild heart attack at the prices, though the fish IS beautiful.

For reference, I get most of my fish in Sydney's Chinatown and the prices are roughly half. Though mostly the turnover is in whole fish, rather than fillets, and the whole fish are sparklingly fresh. Still pretty expensive compared to Nth America though.

Nick - I see you have Movida Rustica. Is it a worthy purchase? I love Movida with a passion - planning a trip to Melbourne in Feb to get a fix of that and Cutler & Co/Cumulus Inc - but I'd been considering this book and am curious if you'd recommend it.

Edited by rarerollingobject, 10 January 2011 - 02:00 PM.

[ChrisTaylor]

If you haven't been to Melbourne in a while you might've missed the opening of MoVida Aqui. I'd rate it above the mothership.

[heidih]

Nick- forgot to ask what your deepfryer set up is? Just oil in a pot or dedicated fryer?

[ScottyBoy]

Been up at a farm the last few days, missing out of this wonderful stuff, awesome so far!

[nickrey]

I've been watching Masterchef Australia Season One which has made me want to take an Gastronomic vacation in Australia.

Glad to get another view besides the TV one, although it may cost me a couple of plane tickets!!

Make sure you ask for some tips on dining out when you come

[nickrey]

Hi Peter,
Yes it is a high end boutique and the prices reflect this. I'll definitely go back to the fish markets on Saturday and show you the more conventional retail prices.

Confirmed - I live in Sydney too, and every time I walk into Martin's I have a mild heart attack at the prices, though the fish IS beautiful.

For reference, I get most of my fish in Sydney's Chinatown and the prices are roughly half. Though mostly the turnover is in whole fish, rather than fillets, and the whole fish are sparklingly fresh. Still pretty expensive compared to Nth America though.

Nick - I see you have Movida Rustica. Is it a worthy purchase? I love Movida with a passion - planning a trip to Melbourne in Feb to get a fix of that and Cutler & Co/Cumulus Inc - but I'd been considering this book and am curious if you'd recommend it.

I've eaten at the original and twice at MoVida Aqui. The reason I bought the book was for the recipe for hand filleted Cantabrian anchovy on a crouton with smoked tomato sorbet. I'm totally addicted to this dish. In fact, I also bought and ice-cream maker to make the sorbet and intend smoking some tomatoes on Saturday when I cook my bacon. Could appear on the dinner menu that evening

[nickrey]

If you haven't been to Melbourne in a while you might've missed the opening of MoVida Aqui. I'd rate it above the mothership.

I've eaten at both. Aqui has a more open space and seems to have benefitted from this as well as a broader approach that the larger kitchen allows.

[nickrey]

Nick- forgot to ask what your deepfryer set up is? Just oil in a pot or dedicated fryer?

Hi Heidi, It's a dedicated deep fryer. I bought one that was stainless steel so when it is stipped down all the parts that come into contact with the oil (except the element) can go in the dishwasher. After use, I filter the oil through what looks like an oversized coffee filters.

[nickrey]

Been up at a farm the last few days, missing out of this wonderful stuff, awesome so far!

Thanks a lot, I value your opinion.

[nickrey]

Tonight's theme is Greek so I decided to make up some taramasalata with the tarama that I bought at the fish market on Sunday.

The ingredients are pretty simple. Old white bread soaked in milk, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, tarama.



I started off pounding it all in a mortar and pestle but gave up when it filled the mortar. So into the food processor it went. Adjusted lemon juice and olive oil to taste and that's it.

[nakji]

In the last picture of your bookshelf, I see a white book with "India" on the side. Is that the one by Pushpesh Pant? I've been eying that in Shanghai. Have you cooked much out of it?

The fish in Sydney is gorgeous; I'm so jealous. I remember all the seafood I ate when I was there several years ago, and I thought the quality of the everyday product available was the nicest I've eaten anywhere in the world - and I'm from Nova Scotia and have lived in Japan.

Where's that olive oil from?

[nickrey]

In the last picture of your bookshelf, I see a white book with "India" on the side. Is that the one by Pushpesh Pant? I've been eying that in Shanghai. Have you cooked much out of it?

The fish in Sydney is gorgeous; I'm so jealous. I remember all the seafood I ate when I was there several years ago, and I thought the quality of the everyday product available was the nicest I've eaten anywhere in the world - and I'm from Nova Scotia and have lived in Japan.

Where's that olive oil from?

Yes the book is the one by Pushpesh Pant. You'll note it is away from my other Indian books because it is a very recent purchase that I have not as yet put it in its proper place. As a consequence, I haven't cooked anything out of it yet but have full intentions of doing so.

The olive oil is one that I bought in a large container on a trip home to South Australia last year. With it's Mediterranean climate, it's perfect for growing olives and is one place where the Australian olive oil industry started many years ago. Because olive oil spoils, I decanted the oil into cleaned wine bottles and sealed them with a vacu-vin vacuum wine sealer. The label is hand written by me, the brand is Lucilla. I bought it at the Willunga markets, which are a foodies paradise in a small country town next to the McLaren Vale wine district.

Edited by nickrey, 11 January 2011 - 03:10 AM.

[nickrey]

Ok, on to dinner and then I'll resume my tour of food suppliers that I frequent.

For dinner tonight, I decided to do something a bit more traditional than much of what you've seen so far.

Because I'm working, I'll quite often want to throw something together. In this case, it was a marinated spatchcock with a Greek salad.

First the spatchcock (poussin).



I bought this from the local butcher, more on that in the next post.

Next, remove from plastic and use poultry shears to snip down on side of the backbone (see Shelby, you're not the only one who has graphic pictures).



Then cut down the other side and remove the backbone/neck. Ollie got this.



Flip the bird over and push down on the breastbone to flatten the bird.



Next put in your favourite marinade for a few hours.

I used lemon, olive oil, salt, finely chopped garlic, and Greek oregano.



The push skewers through the bird to make it rigid for cooking.



Normally I grill outside on our baby Weber charcoal grill but it was raining this evening so I did it on a Le Creuset grill pan. It works but I missed the smoky flavour.

It was served with a Greek Salad of cucumber, onion, olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes.

[nickrey]

A number of people have asked about non-supermarket type shopping here, such as in specialist butchers and greengrocers.

Today I went to the butcher to get the spatchock for dinner. Again, this is a fairly expensive local one, but you'll get the idea.

This store is owned by the Penny family, who also have one in Dee Why on the Northern Beaches.



I'll let the next pictures speak for themselves.







The meat is of excellent quality and they will take special orders (I get my veal bones from here to make veal demi-glace).

I won't make it across to one of my other favourite butcheries, AC Butchery in Surry Hills, this week but that is where I get my special orders of brisket and pig belly for my bacon.

I should note that there are three dedicated butcher's shops within 2-3 kilometers (less than a mile) from my house.

Edited by nickrey, 11 January 2011 - 03:53 AM.

[nickrey]

And here are some pictures of a few specialist local greengrocers.

[nickrey]

But even with all these nice specialty shops, we're actually blessed with a high-quality independently owned market at the end of our street.

Let me take you for a pictorial tour.


Part of the fruit and veg section.



Seafood that comes from Da Costi Seafoods, who have a big presence at the Sydney Fish Markets.




The cheese section



Smallgoods



Part of the meat section



The gourmet section, which is ideal for those last minute purchases of Ortiz anchovies and the like.



Australians also love their Asian food, so there is an Asian section.



We also have Asian specialist grocers nearby where you can buy things like fresh turmeric and coriander with the roots attached.

[nickrey]

I'd like to briefly interrupt the blog to express my condolences to those who have lost property and loved ones in the flood tragedy that is unfolding in South-East Queensland. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of trials.

[Peter the eater]

That's my kinda market.

I didn't realize spatchcock is also a noun. Can you elaborate on the meaning of a size 5 bird? I'm used to the fryer-broiler-roaster concept.

[nickrey]

That's my kinda market.

I didn't realize spatchcock is also a noun. Can you elaborate on the meaning of a size 5 bird? I'm used to the fryer-broiler-roaster concept.

It's quite simple. You multiply the size by 100 and it tells you how heavy the bird is in grams (5 = 500g, 11 = 1.1kg, etc).

And you're right, spatchcocking is what you do to it. Not sure why it crept into the bird's name. Conventionally here it would be called a "poussin."

[Shelby]

Ok, on to dinner and then I'll resume my tour of food suppliers that I frequent.

For dinner tonight, I decided to do something a bit more traditional than much of what you've seen so far.

Because I'm working, I'll quite often want to throw something together. In this case, it was a marinated spatchcock with a Greek salad.

First the spatchcock (poussin).



I bought this from the local butcher, more on that in the next post.

Next, remove from plastic and use poultry shears to snip down on side of the backbone (see Shelby, you're not the only one who has graphic pictures).



Then cut down the other side and remove the backbone/neck. Ollie got this.



Flip the bird over and push down on the breastbone to flatten the bird.



Next put in your favourite marinade for a few hours.

I used lemon, olive oil, salt, finely chopped garlic, and Greek oregano.



The push skewers through the bird to make it rigid for cooking.



Normally I grill outside on our baby Weber charcoal grill but it was raining this evening so I did it on a Le Creuset grill pan. It works but I missed the smoky flavour.

It was served with a Greek Salad of cucumber, onion, olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes.

That chicken looks SO good.

I've seen the flooding--MAJOR flooding that's happening over there. Is it really bad where you live? Are a lot of crops being washed away?