Trading a Bit of the World in for the East

A great "marriage" between fiery spider and the green  

I remember our wedding dinner at The Flutes at the Fort as magical: the Australian cuisine infused with South-East Asian ingredients spoke so much of our own marriage. And I was especially impressed by what it offered for dessert – crème brulee with chempadek ice-cream. The subtle flavour of this potent crunchy Malaysian fruit complimented an already exceptionally yummy trusted brulee without over-powering it – transforming its velvety smooth texture into a divine sensation: I swear I heard angelic singing above the wedding bells.

So transcending was the experience, I was truly inspired to let that magical “marriage” morph into the holy grail in my kitchen.

Instantaneously, Shitake became the mushroom of choice over brown ones and button varieties. And even the lovely flavour and texture of Porcinis can’t hold a candle to the woody pungency and slippery satin flesh of fresh Shitakes. With the Asian mushroom, the meaty goodness of an Australian steak rises beyond its occasion and a refreshingly light Greek vegetarian mossaka gets even refreshingly lighter.

And who says chickpeas are absolutely necessary in a Moroccan fish stew? They do little more than add a contrasting crunch to the stewed fish. Use roasted chestnuts instead. Their concentrated creamy nuttiness layers an added tantalizing dimension onto your taste buds. And even the little ones from China pack a double-whammy crunch.

Little wonder then that this simple hat trick is just that – simple. Pick a recipe from the big wide world, trade one ingredient in for an Asian variety and a dish that’s time-tested as wonderfully nice becomes a match made in the heavens.