Pottery bowls, plates and chop sticks from Japanese Lifestyle Goods. Photo / Babiche Martens.
Today's selection of dishes takes you on a small tour of Asia - or down Dominion Rd, where you can find at least five versions of nasi goreng and three different chicken masalas within a 2km stretch.
The ingredients are easy to source at your supermarket and the recipes straightforward
to follow. In our home, at least once a week we will have an Asian-inspired dish. You will find most of these ingredients are already in your pantry - these are just different ways to combine them.
I love this duck recipe. If you haven't cooked duck before this is a great recipe to start with, it's so simple to execute. A little duck goes a long way and it is not too rich but light, tender and succulent. This dish also works with quail or thinly sliced venison.
You will find tamarind at the supermarket in a puree form or at Asian shops, often in raw form, which needs soaking in warm water and the seeds removed before using. Tamarind is slightly sour, so a teaspoon of brown sugar can be added. Be sure to taste before you serve to check you have the flavour just right.
I have pleasant memories of eating chicken masala in London's East End - some so hot the conversation would stop and turn to our perspiring foreheads! Fabulous for a mid-week meal, chicken masala is wonderfully warming and quick to put together. Turn it into a dinner party feature by adding naan, raita and extra vegetable dishes. Use only half a chilli if you are feeding children, or turn the heat up with a whole one if you can handle it.
