A TASTE OF THE ORIENT

By Christine Bowes
Food Editor
(October, 2011)

This excellent Thai recipe exclusive to readers of The Khronicles Online is from Sayan Sornchan, the top chef at the popular Pan Asia Chinese-Thai Restaurant in Kokkini Hani (see  story in OPINION/FEATURES section). Also, try your hand at the accompanying sculpted vegetables, which do add that certain something to the dish and are not as difficult as you may think…just use your imagination. This recipe for Thai chicken with red curry sauce is called Pat Kai, and is one of Sayan’s signature dishes.

 For four people you will need:

Sunflower oil
1 chicken breast, 500gr
2 green peppers chopped into cubes
1 red pepper chopped into cubes
1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
100gr. bamboo shoots
100gr. mushrooms
1 glass hot chicken stock, homemade or a stock cube
A little salt and pepper
4 tbspn coconut milk
1 tsp red curry paste
2 tbspn sunflower oil
2 tsp corn flour

1. Cut the chicken into very small strips and sauté in some sunflower oil for five minutes in wok or large sauté pan.

2. Remove most of the sunflower oil, leaving only 2 tablespoons. Add the onion and garlic and after a minute the rest of the vegetables. Stir and mix well.

3. Add the hot chicken stock, salt and pepper and the curry paste which has been dissolved in the 2 tablespoons of hot sunflower oil.

4. Add the coconut milk and stir all the ingredients together. Thicken the sauce with corn flour dissolved in water.

Serve with some boiled or fried rice, get out the chopsticks and enjoy.

MOUSTALEVRIA
A jell-o like grape custard
(September, 2011)

By Anna Tsihli-Lempidaki

INGREDIENTS

4 cups unfermented boiled grape juice (mousto)
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely crushed almonds and walnuts
Some cinnamon
Toasted sesame seeds
A cup of white ashes tied in a cloth (from your bbq)

PREPARATION

While boiling the mousto in a saucepan add the cloth with ash and let them boil together. While it’s boiling keep taking off all the frothy scum until it’s absolutely clean. Then, take it off the heat, throw away cloth with ash and let the mousto cool down completely.

When it settles you will need 1 cup flour for every 4 cups of mousto. Leave half of the mousto to heat up while dissolving the flour in the cold half, stirring well to avoid clotting. Then, mix together hot and cold musto, the nuts and cinnamon, stir well, boil until it thickens, then pour into small bowls.

Sprinkle with cinnamon, chopped nuts and toasted sesame seeds.

GRAPE SPOON SWEET (PRESERVES)
(September, 2011)

By Kalliopi Lempidaki

INGREDIENTS

1 kilo grapes, washed and without stems
½ kilo sugar
1 cup water
A couple of pelargonium rose flowers/leaves
5-6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick

PREPARATION

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan to boil on a low fire. As soon as it boils remove all foamy scum. Cook it on the fire until it picks up some colour and the syrup thickens. Afterwards remove flowers/leaves and store preserve in jars.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

By Christine Bowes

As a change from the traditional roasted leg of lamb, so popular here in Crete, I thought I'd try this recipe from Kashmir in northern India, which I discovered during a recent fantastic visit to that wonderful land of beauty and spices. Kashmir is renowned for its lamb and, as with this recipe, the meat is marinated in many of the country's varied spices making for a succulent and highly flavoured main course.

This recipe is for a raan of lamb and will serve around eight people.

2.25 kg leg of lamb
2 tbsp fresh root ginger, finely grated
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cloves
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
225g natural yogurt
2 tbsp whole blanched almonds
2 tbsp shelled pistachio nuts
½ tsp saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp honey
Salt to taste

1. Using a sharp knife make several deep cuts in the lamb

2. Mix together the ginger, garlic, ground spices, lemon juice and oil and rub the mixture over the lamb, pushing it into the cuts.

3. Put the yogurt, almonds, pistachios, saffron and liquid into a blender and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture over the lamb.

4. Drizzle the honey over it and sprinkle with salt. Cover with foil and leave in the refrigerator to marinate at least overnight but for 2 days if possible.

5. Heat the oven to 170º C and place the lamb in a covered roasting tin or cover with foil and cook for 2 hours but check after 1½ hours and if it is nearly cooked take the cover off and cook uncovered to crisp up the outside.

6. When cooked place in the middle of the table garnished with some onion rings and coriander and serve with pulao rice.

7. You can make a sauce with the juices from the lamb by placing the cooking pan on the heat and stir to get all the meaty bits off the bottom of the pan and thicken if required. Pour into a jug and serve with the lamb.

8. Give all the guests a sharp knife each and let them help themselves to the meat and I guarantee there will only be the bone left for the dog.

Enjoy

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