Exotic Feasts

FaithTe, Okra (Daily Painting No. 360), 2010

These threerecipes come from Sri Owen’s Exotic Feasts, areally superb cookbook.  Ms. Owen is also the author of the magisterial IndonesianFood and Cookery and The RiceBook.

Playingpost-lunch hooky on a blindingly hot workday about 20 years ago, I rememberfinding this book on the shelf of a small, but excellent bookstore on ThirdStreet in Los Angeles. Both the bookstore and the book were real “finds”and Ispent the rest of the day sneaking gazes at the recipes (even while attendingmeetings) and planning a return visit.

Mostpeople I know passionately maintain that they can’t stand okra, their maincomplaint being the vegetable’s gluey, somewhat sticky texture.  For me,it was love at second sight and I’m sure I first truly enjoyed it in an Indianpreparation and moved on quickly from there to other cuisines, such as Cajun,African and Caribbean.  Pickled okra was my daughter Jane’s first (and fora long time only) green vegetable; deep-fried okra was her second.

Growingokra is easy and great fun.  It’s a beautiful plant, strongly sculpturaland delicately feathered with a dark, luminous green hue reminiscent ofartichokes.  It also has a lovely flower.

Inaddition to the braised okra, I’ve included a basic rice recipe, whichsupplements several previous rice posts, and a Pineapple Parfait, which is part of thisSri Owen Exotic Feast.  Rice has always been my favorite food.  However, I am forsaking it for several months in favor of a diet consisting of "a bowl of steam," as the old Woody Allen joke goes.

JimmieTrotter, Okra Flower Painting, 2009

 Spiced Braised Okra 

Okraor ladies’ fingers have a rather oily texture, which has prevented them frombecoming really popular in the West; but when people have eaten them once ortwice they usually like them.  They are not difficult to get, at least inlarge towns, because they are so important to Indian cooking.  Chooseyoung ones, which are smaller in size.  To prepare them simply trim off alittle bit of the bottom part, which is rather hard.

3tablespoons vegetable oil
4shallots, finely sliced
3cloves garlic, finely sliced
3large green chillies, seeded and sliced into thin rounds
1teaspoon ground coriander
½teaspoon ground cumin
3ripe tomatoes, skinned and seeded, then roughly chopped
750g (1 ½ lb) young okra, washed, then trimmed and patted dry
½teaspoon sugar
½teaspoon salt
2tablespoons chopped coriander leaves or flat-leaf parsley

Heatthe oil in a wok or frying pan, and fry the shallots, garlic and greenchillies, stirring them continuously, for 2 minutes.  Add the groundcoriander and cumin, stir again and add the chopped tomatoes and okra. Stir, then cover the wok or pan and simmer for 4 minutes.  Remove thecover, and then add the sugar and salt. Stir the okra again for oneminute.  Adjust the seasoning, and add the coriander leaves orparsley.  Stir for 30 seconds.

     If the okra are not to be served straight away, leave them to cool in thewok pan.  When cold, cover it and keep in a cool place.  Reheat inthe wok or pan, stirring them often, for 2-3 minutes, or until hot.

FaithTe, Bowl of Rice with Soy Sauce 2011

PlainCooked Rice

Maybethe quantity of rice specified here is a little too much; it is quite difficultfor me, as an oriental born in a rice eating society, to judge how much rice aEuropean will eat at a dinner party.  But with spicy curry anyone willneed a quite generous helping of rice.

875g (1 ½ lb) Thai fragrant, Basmati or Patna rice.
900ml (1 ½ pints) cold water

Washthe rice in a bowl with two changes of water, and drain well.  Thentransfer the rice into a thick-bottomed saucepan.  Add the water and bringto the boil.  Simmer the rice, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until allthe water has been absorbed.  Stir the rice once, then put on the coververy tightly.  Lower the heat and leave the rice to finish cooking foranother 10 minutes.  

Therice is now ready to serve.

Alternatively,after the first 10 minutes, the rice can be transferred into a steamer and thensteamed for 10 minutes.  Or you can transfer the rice into a bowl, coverit loosely with clingfilm or with a plate, and microwave it on full power for 5minutes.

JustinClayton, Pineapple Wedges, 2006

PineappleParfait

Servethe parfait like ice cream, accompanied by almond biscuits if you wish.


1medium-size ripe pineapple
600ml (1 pint) double cream
4egg whites
apinch of salt
200g (7 oz) caster sugar

Witha sharp knife cut away the plume and base of the pineapple.  Then removethe skin in strips, quite thickly so that the eyes are removed at the sametime.  Wash the whole pineapple under running cold water.  Then cutit in half lengthways, and carefully remove the core.  Cut each half into8-10 thin long wedges, then chop these into tiny piees.  Keep the choppedpineapple with the juice in a large glass bowl.

     With a hand-held electric beater, whisk the cream until thick but not toostiff, and keep it aside. Put the egg white in another bowl, add the pinch ofsalt and whisk it until stiff.  Then add half the sugar, while youcontinue whisking until the mixture stands in peaks.  Add the remainingsugar, whisk the egg whites for 30 seconds more.  Using a metal spoon,fold in the cream and add the chopped pineapple a little at a time, stirringgently.  Transfer the parfait into a plastic container, cover and freezeuntil required.

     Take the parfait out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving.

  

 SriOwen in London (home base)