Architecture and Happiness

The unusually warm weather has been keeping me outdoors, so this recipe took a while to publish. Last week, I took a short walk to revisit some of Wellington City's oldest structures, from the Town Hall down to Cuba Street, and I'm sharing some of the photos I took here. That short walk was inspired by Alain de Botton's The Architecture of Happiness, where he expounds on why the quality of our surroundings can make us happy, or miserable.

Some of the buildings were truly worthy of admiration, but some made me think the architect took the mixed Edwardian style of that era just a bit too far! Like the mullioned windows of The Kennedy Buildings below. The different sizes, numbers, and shapes on each floor make me want to tear it down and start over.

On the other hand, I love the symmetry, columns, and ornate decorations on the BNZ building and look forward to that day in 2018 when Burger King's lease expires.

This unusually warm weather - unusual for Wellington, that is - calls for grilled dishes that you can easily slap on to a barbecue. When I'm in a hurry, I stick to salt and pepper and just embellish with chutneys and sauces on the side. This lamb dish can still be ready within half an hour and is full of flavour that you won't need anything but the simplest of salads to accompany it.

Ingredients
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 grams mint leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
cracked pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon olive oil
750 g butterflied leg lamb

Greek yoghurt and parsley

Method

1. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds on a hot pan until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
2. Place the toasted seeds on a mortar and pestle, add the mint leaves, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Pound all these into a rough paste.
3. Rub the spice paste on the butterflied leg of lamb, cover, and leave the lamb to marinate for at least an hour at room temperature. Marinating overnight inside the refrigerator is best, but the lamb must be brought back to room temperature before cooking.
4. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cover a shallow roasting pan with aluminium foil and place the lamb on the foil, cut side up.
5. Roast the lamb for around 45 minutes, or until an instant read meat thermometer registers 60 degrees C for medium rare, or 65 degrees C for medium. 
6. Allow at least 20 minutes resting before carving and serve with some Greek yoghurt and flat leaf parsley on the side.

Recipe Notes

When I first read up on how long the roasting time should be, I got quite confused with the myriad of methods available. Luckily, I found this article from the Reluctant Gourmet. I decided for a lower, constant temperature to let the flavours slowly develop but it really is a matter of preference (or time constraint). Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf

Today is the Day After Yoga Flash Mob, and I'm really feeling the after effects of the 90-minute class under the hot midday sun.  In a good way, of course! Still, it was nice to take things easy today and have one of those do nothing Sundays where you can read magazines at your leisure. Today's read was the latest issue of Cuisine Magazine, full of light, fresh salads and marinated meats that you can just slap on the barbecue. I certainly took my time looking at the photos while putting together this week's meal plan.

The first dish that I'm sharing today is a vegetarian rice pilaf, full of aromatic flavors from the Middle East. You can make a really simple version and add almonds and pine nuts to make it more festive.

There are many recipes for rice pilaf on the web, and some are really entertaining to read. The possible combinations of aromatics, herbs and dried fruit and nut are endless. I usually make a cumin+cardamom+cinnamon+coriander pilaf to go with curries, but today I decided to create this Middle Eastern-inspired version to complement a roast lamb dish.

For me, the most important thing is the quality of the rice you use. I always use the best quality basmati rice I could get hold of, washing it several times until the water runs clear to get the starches out. Just make sure that the water is drained out before cooking. That's the secret to light, fluffy rice pilaf.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
400 g basmati rice (2 cups)
1/2 cup currants, sultanas, or dried almonds. Or any combination of these three.
750 ml water or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
a handful of curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup  toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts (optional)

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and stir-fry until soft and caramelised, but not browned.
2. Add turmeric and cumin and continue stir-frying until fragrant. This should take around 30 seconds. Make sure you carefully watch the spices so they don't get burned!
3. Stir in the basmati rice, making sure that the grains are coated with the oil and spices. 
4. Add water, dried fruits, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to make sure that all of the rice is covered by the water. Cover the pot tightly and bring to a boil.
5. Lower the heat and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, around 18 minutes. 
6. Turn of the heat and let the rice sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaf, fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in parsley, and the toasted almonds or pine nuts, if using.

From Garden to Table: A New Dining Experience

I just came back from a trip to Auckland where I went to a couple of eateries owned by the Hip Group: Ortolana in the Britomart Precint and Rosie Cafe in  Parnell. What's so special about the Hip Group is their garden-to-table philosophy, outstanding design, and quality of food and service. They have quietly but completely transformed Auckland's dining scene since they opened their first venture in 2004.

So today, on my first day back, I was inspired to work on revamping my old web site and design a few recipes that follows the same light, seasonal, fresh from the garden style. I've also focused more on achieving balance and harmony of flavours, where no single flavour dominates the dish. While this has always been at the back of my mind, I realised that I've never consciously make extra effort to achieve this in my previous creations.

Deciding on what to cook first wasn't easy after I got a bit carried away on my short trip to the fresh market. I always have a meal plan and shopping list before I leave the house, but leave room for improvisation depending on what's available. So ended up with a few extras of the green variety: watercress, baby pak choi or mei quin choi...plus some corn tortillas and a kilo of beef schnitzels. I'm sure I'll think of what to do with them later in the week.

Meanwhile, it was the warm, very much summery weather that made me settle on cauliflower fritters inspired by South Asian flavours for today's dish.

 Ingredients

For the dip:
36g coriander leaves (around 6 plants), finely chopped
3 g mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

For the fritters:
686 g cauliflower (1 head)
1 tsp toasted whole cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
85 g chickpea flour
1 spring onion, chopped
3 small eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup rice bran oil

Method

For the dip

1. Place yogurt in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Pound the coriander and mint leaves in a mortar and pestle with 2 tablespoons of yogurt. 
3. Add the chili flakes and salt and pound again.
4. Tip the mixture into the bowl with the yogurt and stir until you've reached the mixture is fully incorporated.
5. Taste and add lemon juice if required. I didn't need any because the yoghurt I used was already sour.
6. Chill in the fridge while making the fritters. 

For the fritters

1. Coarsely chop the cauliflower and place in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Add toasted cumin, turmeric powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined.
3. Add chickpea flour and stir to coat the cauliflower evenly.
4. Stir in the spring onion and egg.
5. Heat around an inch of oil in a cast iron frying pan over medium to low heat.
6. Add around 1/4 cup of the mixture, flattening with the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Fry until crisp and brown, around 3 - 5 minutes per side. 
7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain the oil.

Serve fritters while warm with the coriander and mint dip. I hope you enjoy making this dish as much as I did. Wishing you the best for 2015!