Cooking with "Cradle of Flavor"

[v. gautam]

Dear Afauthentic,

Will add a very ignorant 2cents, just because am from India where the pressure cooker is a national obssession. [ I was stunned to discover people have invented ways to cook multiple chapatis all over the walls of an uncovered PC, as well as very specific PC biryanis in several styles!!]

With respect to the rendang, all of what Bruce & Dejah says is VERY true, except if you are using older buffalo or gaur or the types of elderly beef you might find in Asia. Rendang is the logical use of older farm animals, and a mix of bony cuts may be used, including ears etc. that release a great deal flavor and collagen into the dish, unlike the joints that are likely to be chosen here, where a terror of bone, fat and gristle generally prevails.

Additionally, people are loathe to waste even a fraction of the coconut flavor, an expensive iten these days, even after extracting 2 milks from the gratings. So they are prepared to put economics ahead of time and effort. In that case, which makes less sense in North America, the bony cuts and the coconut leftover gratings, a small amount of tamarind, a few aromatics can enjoy a par-cooking in the pressure cooker in scant liquid.

The meat in then entered into the coconut cooking liquid, plus the strained soured stock and you proceed from there uncovered. There is less time involved to reduce the coconut to oil, while the meat is reduced to the rquiste tender yet chewy-tough consistency. The importance of this is when fresh herbs are used, as per some of the other islands, so that their flavors do not entirely disappear with excessive cooking. Where the Malaysians use kerisik with a free hand, this strong flavor drowns out many other more subtle ones, making coconut + coconut the dominant note, and any refined techniques are quite redundant!!!!

Re: curry, again, the parboiling in a PC with aromatics like onion/shallots, duan salam or Indian cassia leaf, garlic, etc. for goat or mature fowl may be quite useful. It allows for the emplyment of a mix of cuts, ears, esophagus, neck, tail, etc. These are then fished out and added to a bumbu and fried or roasted in the masala; and the strained HOT stock should be added in very small increments to liquefy the bumbu/meat mess and create a gravy very gradually under cover, over several increments spread over time. Add, mix, cover, lt equlibriate; repeat. Bring it up to full strength adding souring along the way. Then, finally, add any thick coconut cream, if using; do not let boil.

With the PC doing part of the tenderizing, the spicing remains "fresher", i.e. had they to cook for the time required to tenderize the meat in situ, the whole mess would take on less fresh, more boiled-away, steamed/tired tone.

[afauthentic]

Caramelized tempeh with chiles withAcar Kuning (pickles in tumeric) & basmati brown rice & tea.

They're my breakfast today.

[afauthentic]

Caramelized Tempeh with Chiles or Tempe Kering.

I didn't make the sauce for approx 10 mins to get it reduced,

thus the sauce is too much.

[afauthentic]

Cucumber and Carrot Pickle in Tumeric or Acar Kuning.

I didn't have cucumbers when I made this, so I substituted them with daikon (!!!)

I also happened to have only shredded carrots at hand, so I used them, instead of cutting up carrots from scratch.

The daikon turned up to be a bit too bitter for my taste,

so I doubled the amount of sugar (!!!)

Anyway, it turned out great and both me & hubby liked this Acar Kuning.

We made char kuay teow, too. (Stir-fried wide flat rice noodles).

It was yummy, but didn't get to take pics.

I look forward to seeing more of other's creations & pictures of your dishes from this great book.

The new year is coming soon, thus a great time to start a project like increasing our cooking skills for yr 2009.

How about creating one new dish (from the book) each weekend?

[afauthentic]

Gado Gado! So much fun to say. Just as much fun to eat.

my peanut sauce came in a little too far on the crunchy side of the eternal creamy v. crunchy debate.

←

I made Gado gado/ pot pouri today. Like Robin's, my peanut sauce came out not as smooth as I had wanted it to be. I don't like this dish very much. Also, gado gado took a long 1 full hour for me to make (blanching the veggies, cutting them up, making the peanut sauce, etc). An Indonesian restaurant here sells it for like $8. So next time if I want gado gado I'll just buy from the restaurant and saves me a full hour.

[afauthentic]

I found it! Pictures below for reference purposes. It is one of the brands Mr. Oseland recommends (Kwong Hung Seng Sauce), and I found it at Viet Wah, in the 2nd to last aisle (the one that if you look down the aisle, you see Meat in Neon on the wall). It (and another brand of sweet soybean paste) were on the left side of the aisle (if you are facing the meat sign) and in the first half of the aisle. Viet Wah is on Jackson, on the north side of the street, a few blocks east of I-5 in the ID (Seattle).

With an apple, to demonstrate the size of the bottle:

Thanks, Robin for posting the pic of the sweet soybean paste. I use the Kokita brand right now for my Kangkung Belacan , till I get that one brand like the one on your picture.

[afauthentic]

Stir-fried Water Spinach, Nyonya Style. This dish is headed to the top of the charts as one of my favs. It's spicy, sweet and salty, a common flavor combination in snack foods, but this is a vegetable. No guilt!

Nice Pic! I made Kangkung belacan a few days ago.

I only used the leaves.

I don't like the stems.

James the author was right.

It was cooked after stir-frying it for 3 to 7 mins.

He suggested to serve Kangkung belacan spread out on a wide plate, so that it didn't get mushy.

I didn't.

I served it right from the wok to the dining table.

So it did get mushy.

Darn!

Lessons learnt!

[afauthentic]

Gado Gado! So much fun to say. Just as much fun to eat.

my peanut sauce came in a little too far on the crunchy side of the eternal creamy v. crunchy debate.

←

I made Gado gado/ pot pouri today. Like Robin's, my peanut sauce came out not as smooth as I had wanted it to be. I don't like this dish very much. Also, gado gado took a long 1 full hour for me to make (blanching the veggies, cutting them up, making the peanut sauce, etc). An Indonesian restaurant here sells it for like $8. So next time if I want gado gado I'll just buy from the restaurant and saves me a full hour.

←

Still on Gado Gado :

I have leftover Gado gado peanut sauce from yesterday,

so I fried some firm tofu,

boiled some rice noodles,

fried some shrimp chips and made Javanese Ketoprak,

which I like better than gado-gado .

Here's the gado gado peanut sauce:

Here's tofu, cut as per dimensions from James Oseland, before fried in oil.

Here's boiled rice noodles. I ran cold water onto it to let it stop cooking after it's done,

but we ended up eating cold noodles. Ha!

Here are crunchy shrimp chips on a plate,

together with the rest of the ingredients for the Ketoprak,

to make use of the leftover gado gado peanut sauce.

The recipe for ketoprak calls for mung beansprouts,

but since I didn't have any at hand, I omitted it.

To eat this dish, just mix all these ingredients together in a plate,

and eat. Yum!

Even after making this Ketoprak, I still have leftover peanut sauce!

Wow! So much peanut sauce!

So I plan to make something that uses peanut sauce as the dish companion:

I'm thinking of otak otak .

[afauthentic]

It took about two hours, start to finish, which included all of the other dishes and prepping the grill.

Thanks for the time estimate, and good luck finding candlenuts.

I would also think that there'd be no reason not to braise the thighs the day before and grill day of eating.

Good point!

I found two more Cradle of Flavor dishes from the archives. I encourage everyone to make any of the rendangs in the book – they take a while but are so worth it.

Potato rendang in progress:

Potato rendang leftovers:

Indonesian beef rendang in progress:

Lousy picture of the only bite of beef rendang that survived a dinner party:

←

Today I made Potato Rendang, too. It is delicious! Fiery hot! As you see in the picture below, mine is yellowish in color, whereas Sapidus' potato rendang is reddish in color.

I think it's because Sapidus used more red chiles than I did?

I didn't have red holland chiles,

so I only used red thai chiles, though 15 of them. Fifteen!

No wonder the dish is sooooooo hot & spicy!

[Pan]

afauthentic, your food looks really good! The kangkung belacan looks just right, and your acar looks right, too. I really don't expect acar to be sweet, but maybe that's because I spent most of my time on the East Coast of Malaysia, or perhaps I was just more sensitive to sourness when I was 10-12 years old. Anyway, when I get "achat" (the usually spelling here, for some reason) in New York Malaysian restaurants, it's pretty sweet. I wouldn't worry about there being too much sauce with the Indonesian tempeh dish, as long as the sauce is tasty. For the ketoprak, do use sprouts when you have a chance. They really make a difference. I'm not sure why your potato rendang is so bright-colored. How long did you cook it?

[RichardGustave]

I'm a new registrant. There seems no better place to start than with a thread that introduced me to one of my favorite cookbooks. This was also the cookbook that made me consider getting more serious about home cooking. As others have mentioned, making the flavoring pastes and watching dishes (90% were unknown to me prior to purchasing the book) develop is an addictive experience. That being said, in the 8 months or so that I've owned the book, I've only made a few of the recipes- but they have all become staples (or at least things I would repeat if time permitted).

Here are a few pictures-

Sambal Bajak prior to transformation

Served with shrimp over the lemongrass/coconut milk rice

Nyonya Curry Shrimp

Last, but certainly not least, various stages of the beef rendang. Although I have only made it once so far, it is high in the running for "favorite thing I've cooked"!

[afauthentic]

Beef Rendang was what I made last nite for my friend's birthday party.

The recipe said it would take 2 to 3 hours.

It was NOT tender yet after 3 hours, though most of the liquid has evaporated.

So I cooked it 2 hours more!

It takes the longest time to cook!

But it ends up with the color of coffee beans.

I also made Acehese Goat Curry. I used lamb shanks, instead of goat.

I used the maximum number of chiles.

It turned up very very hot&spicy!

Too hot for some guests.

So next time I'll not maximize the chiles.

This dish is great with rice.

I made braised cabbage with dried shrimp. Excellent aroma!

and this is stir-fried veggies with garlic & chiles. I used only 1 type of veggies, i.e. yu choy sum.

And no chiles, coz the Acehese lamb curry (the other side dish) was hot & spicy enough.

I made nyonya braised duck soup with salted mustard greens, using chicken instead of duck. Turned out delicious. But couldn't find the asam gelugor at 99 Ranch in Seattle. Does anyone living in Seattle know where to buy the asam gelugor? I'd appreciate some info. Thanks.

[Pan]

Your rendang looks great! You've found the secret to rendang, which is to slow-cook it for a LONG time.

I wonder if there's a Thai store in Vancouver that sells asam gelugor. It's the Malaysian kind of "tamarind," which is not a bean but a fruit that grows on a tree. Does anyone know the Thai word for it? This is the most relevant result I found in a Google search for "asam gelugor thai":

http://www.bigcookings.com/asam-gelugor.html

[johung]

Hi all, I already have a number of popular cookbooks on these countries' cuisines and produced straight from Singapore or Malaysia. Is Oseland's book going to fill in any gaps of knowledge or probably just covering the same ground?

[djyee100]

Hi all, I already have a number of popular cookbooks on these countries' cuisines and produced straight from Singapore or Malaysia.  Is Oseland's book going to fill in any gaps of knowledge or probably just covering the same ground?

←

If you go to Post #340 on this thread, the post lists all the recipes in the book, and you can judge if anything sounds new or different to you.

All the recipes in the book have been cooked on this thread, with comments and photos, so you can check any recipe also.

[johung]

Hi all, I already have a number of popular cookbooks on these countries' cuisines and produced straight from Singapore or Malaysia.  Is Oseland's book going to fill in any gaps of knowledge or probably just covering the same ground?

←

If you go to Post #340 on this thread, the post lists all the recipes in the book, and you can judge if anything sounds new or different to you.

All the recipes in the book have been cooked on this thread, with comments and photos, so you can check any recipe also.

←

Thanks for the reminder, my apologies that I didn't go through the whole thread in the first place.

After glancing through the recipe list, I don't think there is any recipe that is missing from the books I already own. Still, I think Oseland's book is good one with the contexts and introducing the cuisine to American audience.

Edited February 6, 2009 by johung (log)

[Gary Otter]

Your rendang looks great! You've found the secret to rendang, which is to slow-cook it for a LONG time.

I wonder if there's a Thai store in Vancouver that sells asam gelugor. It's the Malaysian kind of "tamarind," which is not a bean but a fruit that grows on a tree. Does anyone know the Thai word for it? This is the most relevant result I found in a Google search for "asam gelugor thai":

http://www.bigcookings.com/asam-gelugor.html

←

Hi Pan,

Here are a few names I found on the net, I don't know how accurate they are.

I hope these are of use.

Asam gelugor - Garcinia atroviridis

Som Khaek,Som-kaeg, sommawon, A Sa Ka Lu Ko (Malay), Cha Muang, Cha Muang Chang, Ma Kham Khaek

Cheers Gary

[v. gautam]

Hi Johung,

You mention Singapore & Malaysia as the origins of your cookbooks. Oseland uses recipes specific to certain individuals or micro-locales in the MALESIAN region, where the similar names can signify vastly different spice combinations from island to island or locale to locale. Take RENDANG for example. Oseland uses a specific Sumatran woman's version as his entry into the world of rendang. That preparation has fierce partisans of style and taste [that differ markedly from Oseland's version] elsewhere within Indonesia and the entire MALESIAN region!

(You will be familiar with what I am repeating below, but it is relevant here, I think..)

In Malaysia, rendang means quite another flavor profile with considerable amounts of kerisik (sauteed/browned grated coconut) incorporated into the paste, and added later as a garnish. For some Malaysians/Singaporeans, kerisik is inseparable from the rendang experience, but is never (?) found in most Indonesian rendangs. Singapore, with its Nyonya cuisine, likewise has preparations that possess names, ingredients and cooking styles SIMILAR to the MALESIAN REGIONAL CUISINES but are NOT EQUIVALENT to Oseland's recipes [which again do not exhaust, nor claim to, Indonesia's 100s of island and local cuisines].

While your cookbooks are undoubtedly authentic & excellent, I think you may be missing a few new things if you believe that Oseland's book quite duplicates their contents. You may INDEED discover eventually that it DOES. OTOH, there is no guarantee that it will. I am just nitpicking here on the logic, so please pardon me. Not that I am a fan of Oseland [quite the contrary!!], or trying to sell his book!

[johung]

Hi Johung,

You mention Singapore & Malaysia as the origins of your cookbooks. Oseland uses recipes specific to certain individuals or micro-locales in the MALESIAN region, where the similar names can signify vastly different spice combinations from island to island or locale to locale. Take RENDANG for example. Oseland uses a specific Sumatran woman's version as his entry into the world of rendang. That preparation has fierce partisans of style and taste [that differ markedly from Oseland's version] elsewhere within Indonesia and the entire MALESIAN region!

(You will be familiar with what I am repeating below, but it is relevant  here, I think..)

In Malaysia, rendang means quite another flavor profile with considerable amounts of kerisik (sauteed/browned grated coconut) incorporated into the paste, and added later as a garnish. For some Malaysians/Singaporeans, kerisik is inseparable from the  rendang experience, but is never (?) found in most Indonesian rendangs. Singapore, with its Nyonya cuisine, likewise has preparations  that possess names, ingredients and cooking styles SIMILAR to the MALESIAN REGIONAL CUISINES but are NOT EQUIVALENT to Oseland's recipes [which again do not exhaust, nor claim to, Indonesia's 100s of island and local cuisines].

While your cookbooks are undoubtedly authentic  & excellent, I think you may be missing a few new things if you believe that Oseland's book quite duplicates their contents. You may INDEED discover eventually that it DOES. OTOH, there is no guarantee that it will. I am just nitpicking here on the logic, so please pardon me. Not that I am a fan of Oseland [quite the contrary!!], or trying to sell his book!

←

Hi v. gautham,

No offence taken . I have no doubt Oseland's work is a very fine book on its own, but I already own Sri Owen's and Yasa Boga's books on Indonesian cuisine (there are two books on Indonesian cuisine, one focusing on main dishes, soups, salads, and noodle and rice, and the other on snacks sweet or savoury, written by 4 Indonesian ladies active in local [indonesian] publishing circles, and they call the grouping Yasa Boga. The two titles are published by Singapore's Marshall Cavendish Ltd) that have the truly Sumatran preparation of rendang and Javanese interpretations, and I do have Christopher and Terry Tan's Shiok, and Mrs Leong Yee Soo's series on Singaporean cuisine and Mrs Lee Chin Koon's Mrs Lee's cookbook that have the Singaporean/Nonyan preparation, and am receiving Betty Saw's book which should be the Malay version.

Oseland's book will probably offer not much new materials for my case. I have no doubt he will have many good tales and kitchen tips, but to me it doesn't justify spending US$35 for me, unfortunately.

[thelawnet]

Hi Johung,

You mention Singapore & Malaysia as the origins of your cookbooks. Oseland uses recipes specific to certain individuals or micro-locales in the MALESIAN region, where the similar names can signify vastly different spice combinations from island to island or locale to locale. Take RENDANG for example. Oseland uses a specific Sumatran woman's version as his entry into the world of rendang. That preparation has fierce partisans of style and taste [that differ markedly from Oseland's version] elsewhere within Indonesia and the entire MALESIAN region!

(You will be familiar with what I am repeating below, but it is relevant  here, I think..)

In Malaysia, rendang means quite another flavor profile with considerable amounts of kerisik (sauteed/browned grated coconut) incorporated into the paste, and added later as a garnish. For some Malaysians/Singaporeans, kerisik is inseparable from the  rendang experience, but is never (?) found in most Indonesian rendangs. Singapore, with its Nyonya cuisine, likewise has preparations  that possess names, ingredients and cooking styles SIMILAR to the MALESIAN REGIONAL CUISINES but are NOT EQUIVALENT to Oseland's recipes [which again do not exhaust, nor claim to, Indonesia's 100s of island and local cuisines].

While your cookbooks are undoubtedly authentic  & excellent, I think you may be missing a few new things if you believe that Oseland's book quite duplicates their contents. You may INDEED discover eventually that it DOES. OTOH, there is no guarantee that it will. I am just nitpicking here on the logic, so please pardon me. Not that I am a fan of Oseland [quite the contrary!!], or trying to sell his book!

←

Hi v. gautham,

No offence taken . I have no doubt Oseland's work is a very fine book on its own, but I already own Sri Owen's and Yasa Boga's books on Indonesian cuisine (there are two books on Indonesian cuisine, one focusing on main dishes, soups, salads, and noodle and rice, and the other on snacks sweet or savoury, written by 4 Indonesian ladies active in local [indonesian] publishing circles, and they call the grouping Yasa Boga. The two titles are published by Singapore's Marshall Cavendish Ltd) that have the truly Sumatran preparation of rendang and Javanese interpretations, and I do have Christopher and Terry Tan's Shiok, and Mrs Leong Yee Soo's series on Singaporean cuisine and Mrs Lee Chin Koon's Mrs Lee's cookbook that have the Singaporean/Nonyan preparation, and am receiving Betty Saw's book which should be the Malay version.

Oseland's book will probably offer not much new materials for my case. I have no doubt he will have many good tales and kitchen tips, but to me it doesn't justify spending US$35 for me, unfortunately.

←

I have two of Sri Owen's books as well as a dozen or so locally published ones. Oseland's book is much the best. Owen's recipes lack spicing, Oseland's are much tastier.

[skipper10]

On Tuesday we had Indonesian meal from Cradle of Flavor prepared by James Oseland and what he called a "Salvadoran brigade." Although I've spent a big chunk of my life in Asia I've never had Indonesian meal before, and had it not been for Chris Amirault's response to my recent post, probably, would have never have had one. Thank you Chris, and, thanks for your help with picture posting.

The food was amazingly good and so different from anything I've ever tasted before. The aromas were so unfamiliar and so intoxicating. I don't have enough words to describe the interplay of different unfamiliar tastes, the complexities they create and how unexpectedly a tad of something rounds up the entire sensation.

This was one meal that I would have eaten and not asked for wine, but, this was a "Wine" dinner. JO diplomatically refused to discuss the wine part, he was very funny and after the "rice crisis," that apparently was taking place in the kitchen was resolved, easy going throughout the evening.

Because there was some issue with rice he made all of us "pray" for rice while we were drinking Singapoure Slings and Mai Tais and eating appetizers. The appetizers were good, but the dip sauces were incredible, each one was more interesting than the other:

The Shrimp was fresh water from Florida.

The first course - Crispy Hicama and Pineapple Salad, Rojak (p.159) blew my socks off. I could have eaten the whole bowl. Not a drop of oil in the dressing that was very stingily drizzled over the fruit and vegetables, but it was so good. Dry shrimp paste was another revelation. I can still taste it. (Salad was served with Rose de Syrahh, "Syrose". Guffens Aux Tourettes, France, 2008)

JO said that the Spice Braised Tuna, (Ikan Bumbu Rujak, p242) is a breakfast dish in Spice Islands. In the book he warns "not to overcook tuna," mine, unfortunately, was seriously overcooked. I suppose his brigade did not read his book but braised tomatoes in that sauce were divine. Tuna was served with wine from Argentina;Torrontes Reserva, Nieto, Mendoza, 2008

Javanese Chicken Curry with Sauteed Bok Choi ( Opor Ayam p.275 & Acar Timun p. 132) Chicken did not look very appetizing, but it was sooo good with pickled eggplant. Again, the sauce and spices made the dish. (We were served Cotes-Du Rhone Blanc with this)

Chicken was followed by Sambal Undang p 262, Stir Fried (perfectly I should say) Sweet Water Shrimp with rice and Italian red wine Aglianico, Mastroberrardino, Campania.

Last main course was Beef Rendang with Javanese Cucumber & (Really good) Carrot pickles Rendang Daging Sapi, p304v& Nasi Kuning, p178 with Auastralian Shiraz-Viognier

and my plate is clean because since tuna, I was putting most of my food into a doggie bag.

Yes, there was a dessert, but I have no idea of its origin, it tasted like a ginger bread / cake. It was not on the menu and I was too full to ask.

My head is now buried in Cradle of Flavor. Where to start? Must get dried shrimp paste! James Oseland gave all of us Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves urging us to incorporate them into our cooking. We also got copies of (May) Saveur, and he said that the next SAVEUR issue is all about Texas.

James Oseland with our designated driver.

[Pan]

James Oseland was wearing batik Jawa like a shirt I like to wear. The motif on it is a common classic motif in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Thanks for all the photos! Indonesian cuisine is one kind that I really don't think of having with wine. Most Indonesians are Muslims, and among Christians and Hindus, beer is drunk much more than wine (and after all, grapes don't grow so well in equatorial climates).

By the way, the Opor Ayam does look very good to me, but where's the Acar Timun (pickled cucumber)? Are you sure you were served pickled eggplant?

[skipper10]

...but where's the Acar Timun (pickled cucumber)? Are you sure you were served pickled eggplant?

←

You may be on to something, I will have to check my notes and the menu, but I think I did have a tiny bit of pickled eggplant. My only disappointment, if I can call it that, was that all those amazing pickles and other veggies were served very sparingly, while chef was very generous with protein; look at all those appetizers, chicken, beef and tuna. Is this how Indonesians eat?

Unfortunately I have to run, (picking up friends from Dulles in VA and then on to a Swiss feast for lunch in MD) so I can't think about Flavors until much later today. Meanwhile, I would really appreciate some info about Indonesian rice. James Oseland was so concerned about his, and at one point he said that if our prayers don't work we would have to eat rice from (Chinese?) carry out. Salvadorans eat a lot of rice, granted there were language issues, but why would they screw up rice?

What kind of rice do Indonesians normally eat? Does it in any way resemble Uncle Ben's? Thanks.

[Pan]

Yes, those appetizers look typical to me. Two of them are chicken and beef sate (aka satay), though seemingly not served with the usual peanut sauce.

Uncle Ben's? Perish the thought! I have to say, though, that I didn't think much about what kind of rice I was eating when I visited Indonesia. Thai rice is popular in Malaysia, and I thought I remembered it being medium-grain, but a Google search seems to indicate it's actually long-grain. Glutinous/sticky rice is also used a fair amount, to excellent effect. There are also more unusual rices - black rice and red rice.

My feeling is that any kind of good white rice would be acceptable as a vehicle for Indonesian food that calls for white rice. At any rate, I wouldn't think that a difference in white rice variety would come close to ruining the taste or texture. That said, I've found that good basmati rice does notably improve the experience, by comparison with inexpensive short-grain American rice. It has a nice nuttiness and stands up to sauce better.

[nakji]

I've been to Malaysia twice this year and bought "Cradle of Flavor" to help recreate some of the really excellent food I had while there. Very happy memories of some of the food courts in KL with pan after pan of vegetable dishes, curries, salads, and rice. I don't have regular access to a lot of the ingredients like kaffir lime leaves, galangal, etc. in this book, but there are a few recipes that will survive minor substitutions intact.

Two of which I made this evening to hold in the fridge for Monday's dinner - I love a curry the second day.

Green beans with Coconut Milk, p. 216: This is the second time I've made this dish. The combination of green beans and tomato is a classic, and the subtle seasoning - just the shallots, garlic and chili without the galangal and leaves - doesn't compete if you serve it with a curry.

Asiah's Eggplant Curry, p. 229 : I'm not happy if a day goes by and I don't get a bit of eggplant. This is one of the nicest preparations I've tried it in lately, although I think I went overboard on the tamarind this go round of making it - Oseland calls for a tablespoon of the thick kind of tamarind pulp thinned in 4 tablespoons of hot water, but I have the liquidy kind. I split the difference and put in three tablespoons of what I had, thinking I could always add more - but the three tablespoons seemed to make it more tart than I recall when I tried this dish earlier in the year. Note to self: always start real low. It's still quite enjoyable, though, and I look forward to heating these up tomorrow night.