grahame

A brief comment on the "Get the biggest one you can" - with all rice cookers there is a minimum amount of rice that you can cook - this tends to be larger for the non-computerised ones. My uncle followed this theory exactly when my Mum asked him to pick one up in Singapore on his way back to Australia. Problem was, the minimum amount you could cook was still too much for our family of five... Still, it did come in very useful for all the local school fetes :) Granted, this was pre-computerised days, and it was a pretty big one, but something you may want to think about anyway...

If you're looking for books from Australia, Dymocks bookstore here appear to do international delivery. Their website: http://www.dymocks.com.au Yum is available, as is Sydney Food, and Tetsuya's and Stephanie Alexander's books. Of course the added advantage for those from the USA is the exchange rate, which is pretty pitiful from our perspective at the moment...

Cultural impacts aside, I think another thing that has an influence on Australian cuisine is the quality and variety of fresh produce that is available near year-round. This includes a lot of the asian ingredients - wasabi and wakame are grown in Tasmania, for example. Of course, Tim Tams are a big favourite of mine as well - especially the double coat ones...

At the moment, without a doubt Bottarga with Martelli Spaghettini. Bottarga is dried tuna roe, and has a rich flavour that's hard to describe. You only need a few shavings of it - a little goes a long way (which is lucky given the price!). We've found its not commonly available here in Melbourne (Australia), However Sud restaurant serves it, and you can get it from the importer, Enoteca Sileno in Carlton. Anyway, dead simple - cook the spaghettini (or other thin pasta of your choice). Throw the pasta in a strainer, put the pot back on the heat, throw in some olive oil, add some garlic and the bottarga, throw the pasta back in and mix briefly. Throw into bowls with a little reggiano and enjoy! I also have a soft spot for Puttanesca sauce, especially in the colder months.

You can certainly get crocodile here in Australia, though I must say its not exactly a common local thing - more something for the tourists :) - as with most other Australian native animals, though I'm yet to see Koala anywhere... I've seen crocodile served ranging from teriyaki style to crocodile pies - seems you can get just about anything in a pie here. I tried a pie once, and to be honest I wasn't all that taken with it. I'll have a go at most things, and there isn't much I don't like, but I didn't really like the taste nor the texture of the crocodile meat. Having never tried gator, I don't know how similar they are.

It seems the age has re-adjusted their rating scale this year, claiming to "lift the bar"; something about "guarding against complacency; about pushing for ever-higher standards". ummm, ok :) So I guess even though some seem to have lost a hat, they haven't actually dropped in standard. see http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/2001/08...FX4Q9BRLQC.html I don't see Gilbert Lau (from the Flower Drum) making quite the fuss that Neil Perry did when Rockpool lost a hat :) - which makes me wonder whether the Sydney Morning Herald will take a similar approach to ratings... Surprises for me - Koko with 2 hats and best Japanese restuarant. Admittedly it been a while since I have eaten there, and the location and decor is incredible, but the food didn't really strike me as that good. Reading the reviews on places like Hanabishi and Kenzan makes me think the reviewers have a different taste in Japanese food to me. I was happy to see that Red Emperor now has two hats - we eat there quite regularly and they have improved over the last few years. It also seems they have categorized the interstate restaurants now - I was surprised (and sad) to see that my favorite Japanese restuarant Orizuru is no longer listed in the Tasmania listings, possibly as a result of this. Cumquat on Criterion was listed, but has recently changed hands, and I don't think its anywhere near as good as it was prior to this. I was also sad to see that the Yarra Valley Pasta shop wasn't even included.

Hmm, some good ideas - I think I'll have a play this weekend. As far as how thin - I roll mine all the way to the thinnest setting. I have an Imperial machine (or something like that), and this seems just right - strong enough, but the edges just cook. I generally make a big batch, cook enough to eat straight away, and put the rest straight into containers in the freezer. Its a great feeling to come home and remember you have a few constainers of fresh ravioli int he freezer! Has anyone tried making flavoured (for want of a better word) pasta - i.e. using other ingredients in the pasta dough itself? I've always meant to try some, but never got around to it. I've also read somewhere about including fresh basil leaves sandwiched in the pasta dough when you roll it out.

I'm interested in peoples thoughts and experiences with home made pasta. For me its one of the simple delights in the kitchen. Something about getting your hands into flour and eggs on a counter top (freaks out my wife's neat-freak cousin :) ) and rolling out big sheets of pasta. I've only tried plain pasta (flour and eggs) and I always seem to end up making ravioli, typically with whatever is at hand - some combination of things like olives, spinach, fetta (some great stuff from the yarra valley here in Australia), porcini mushrooms, anchovies, capers... all pretty standard stuff, but no less pleasing! I always seem to get carried away with the sizes too - once they're cooked they end up pretty big... Anyone with favorites or inspired combinations?

Its a bit like ''which is your favourite child?" :) When its in season though, I think sea urchin roe is hard to beat. My favorite is a hand roll with sea urchin roe, sliced squid or cuttlefish and salmon roe. Very rich but oh so decadent!

Chargrilled stingray & a cold lime drink over crushed ice @ 4am, somewhere in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Deliciously hot, sour & salty.

Interesting. I've only seen these made with rice paper wrappers, made from rice flour. I'd imagine these are probably a little more hardy (and larger) than than the wheat flour ones - all the better to fit more in :) I haven't tried basil - we use a mixture of regular mint, Vietnamese mint and shiso leaves. we tend to be a bit lazier making them as well - just throw all the ingredients on the table and let them as you make them! With 2 people it takes about as long to soak a wrapper as it does to make and eat a roll...