Global Adventure

Photos: Passport & Plate - Massaman Curry

radharani — Thu, 5 Mar 2015 21:09:00 GMT

Red curry paste 3 Large dried whole red chillies, soaked in water for at least 1 hr & chopped. 1 1/2 tablespoons galangal 1/4 cup garlic cloves 3-4 tbsp sliced lemongrass 3/4 cup chopped shallots 1 tbsp fresh coriander root 1 tbsp Kaffir lime zest 1 tspn cumin powder 1 tspn White peppercorns 1 tspn shrimp paste For the Curry 1 pound chicken or beef, cut into cubes 1/2 cup just cooked potatoes, cut into cubes 3 tbsp Red curry paste 1/2 cup roasted peanuts 1/4 cup palm sugar 1 1/2 tspn tamarind paste 2 bay leaves 3 cardamom pods 3-4 tspn fish sauce 2 cups coconut milk (fresh if possible) To make the curry paste; In a large mortar and pestle, grind the cumin powder and peppercorns. Once finely ground, place in a separate bowl and leave for later. Grind together all remaining ingredients (except the shrimp paste) until it becomes a paste. Grind in the cumin peppercorn mix & shrimp paste. Note: a mortar and pestle is the traditional method for grinding curry paste, it is said that there is no other way to get all the flavour from the spices and herbs. It is however, not a crime if a food processor is used instead. Making a meal of it; 1. In a large saucepan or wok, heat 2 tbsp oil (sesame or coconut) on high heat and add the curry paste until aromatic. 2. Add meat and all other ingredients except the coconut milk. 3. When everything is coated in the curry paste and Palm sugar has melted, add coconut milk. 4. Simmer until meat and potatoes are well cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve with steamed rice. The story; The sound of hundreds of scooters and motorbikes honking for their right of way, seeps through the walls of our hotel room, it's enough to get us up from our deep slumber & out into the frantic city that is Bangkok. We leave the relative calm of our hotel and exit into a wall of muggy air and saliva inducing scents. Homemade shacks and stall tables cling to the side of the streets, smoke filling the air from the frying satay skewers, boiling fish balls and tofu sticks. Morning commuters take their pick of protein which is roughly chopped up with scissors, dropped into plastic bags and served with sweet chilli sauce. Some start the day with a bag of green mango and guava to dip into a mix of sugar and chilly. It's breakfast on the run for many here. We resist the temptations and head to what we've heard to be the best cooking school in the city. We begin the lesson at one of many food markets. The smell as we round the corner to the square is a potent mix of fresh & fermented fish, aromatic lemongrass and earthy coriander with the sweet tang of ripened fruit. We're told about the different chillies used and the importance of thai basel, galangal and kafir lime (amongst others) in thai cuisine. Purchases in hand, we're led down a small trampled walkway wedged between two orange stained concrete buildings, towards a wooden family home on stilts. We're greeted by a wonderful young man who is running around, placing small bowls of spices and herbs into the centre of a handwoven mat on the floor. That day, we squeezed freshly shredded coconut for milk & ground the perfect combination of herbs and spices to create our curry paste. We produced meals that rivalled anything we'd ever eaten. Cooking food the way it should be, without modern day shortcuts, reminded us of the importance of fresh ingredients and tradition equipment. I realised then, my love for traditional foods. I felt i'd discovered a secret that other people didn't realise existed.

A pimped out sandpit

radharani — Thu, 5 Mar 2015 08:46:00 GMT

Stifling heat, sandstorms, Sky high glistening towers and handmade buffalo mozzarella. As long as you don't get sand on your cheese, Dubai will take your breath away from the moment you arrive at the International airport.

Giant pillars and vast ceilings, waterfalls and men in white robes welcome you to this extravagant city, filled both with extreme wealth and hidden poverty.

Resting in a window sill of the world's tallest hotel is a reminder of just how lucky I am.

Outside my window, in the distance, Mansions line the stretch of land along the ocean front but are mostly consealed by large fort - like walls. Glimpses can be caught when driving past the sometimes opened gates, revealing giant manicured lawns and water features leading up to impressive palaces that contrast the smaller clay style buildings on the other side of the busy road. The Burj Khalifa casts a long slim shadow over part of the city, reflecting sun from its top 164th floor.

Lunch is a short stroll away so, in the mild March weather I brave the short walk. Palak Paneer, dal makhani, Chur Chur parantha (a layered wholemeal spiced bread similar to naan) and papad (papadom). Spices, herbs and butter are not lacking and the view of the Burj Khalifa makes it taste even better somehow. Moti Mahal in business bay is well worth a visit if you are on a budget or fancy yourself as a but of a curry muncher - like me.

Eataly, in the Dubai Mall, has some of the best mozzarella I've tasted and hummus lovers will find their niche in Wafi Gourmet. Here you can feast on light, creamy and perfectly sour chickpea sensation with a continuous flow of warm bread, while watching the half hourly water fountain display from 6pm.

Arabian adventures is a large tour company that will take you into the desert for an evening of dune bashing (driving erratically over the sand dunes with deflated tyres), sand eating (when it's windy, sand goes everywhere!) and feasting on Middle eastern delicacies. A touch camel riding is also in there but the best part for me was the star gazing. Lights are turned of - though no where near long enough, and thousands of stars became visible, twinkling and shining brighter and brighter. Shooting stars pass overhead many times and gasps from the crowd reiterate the sheer beauty of the night sky. For a more exclusive trip and real camel rides, http://platinum-heritage.com are the creme de la creme of desert safari providers.

Dubai is a city built by immigrants looking for better lives for their families. In the mornings, hundreds of rickety busses enter the city, they are filled with men in blue or grey overalls being taken to their current allocated work site. While I'm sure money is made somewhere..... these men work tirelessly throughout the year, building some of the most impressive buildings in the world. Window cleaners risk their lives to clean the tallest building on the planet and we (visitors) enjoy these luxuries with ease.

As magnificent as this city is, there are many many conspiracies and I can only thank my lucky stars that I live in the heavenly country of the long white cloud that is New Zealand.

Photos: Dubai

radharani — Tue, 3 Mar 2015 19:59:00 GMT

A giant sandpit

An Italian dream

radharani — Fri, 5 Jul 2013 09:55:00 GMT

Venice; We arrived by train. Having chugged through the beautiful scenic track from Basel in Switzerland, we felt slightly stressed when we arrived at the station and exited into a crowd of hundreds of tourists. It is July however, and we come to expect it. We manage to find our hotel (thank goodness we picked the one right next to the station) and crashed for the night in a cute little private room after feasting on my first meal of squid ink pasta and deep fried vegies.

Must does in Venice; eat gelato for breakfast - every day. Get lost - this is kind of a given and even if you don't want to, I promise. You WILL GET LOST. Maps are a waste of time and the best advise I can give is just walk and enjoy the beauty of where you are at every moment. It's like no other place on earth and the locals will help you when you need to get back. A trip to the glass blowing island of Murano and the island famed for it's lace, Burano are a must. Don't feed the pigeons - they attack.

Pisa; sit in the shade of the leaning tower and hope it doesn't fall on you if an earthquake happens to strike. Take the quintessential photo of 'holding up' the tower with your pinky.

Cinque Terre; Eat all the pesto you're able to shove into your drooling mouth. In all forms, from gnocchi or spaghetti coated in pesto to out of the jar. From pesto pizza, sandwiches and Arancini (they are meals here) you will not get enough of it. This is the area from which the green beauty comes from! Walk between the five towns but DO NOT walk up the steps to Corniglia with a heavy backpack. Lesson learned.

Florence; Save for accommodation - it's very expensive here! A beautiful city with the best gelato I've had. Ricotta, pear and white chocolate was dream worthy. Just keep your belongings safe.

Naples; keep your belongings even safer. A run-down city with the best pizza and mozzarella you'll find on this planet. We ate a whole pizza every day for lunch and dinner at Antonio's and Antonio's, overlooking the harbour and an old castle, jutted out into the gentle waves. Eat buffalo mozzarella, it's made just down the coast and can't be had much fresher - unless of course you visit the farms themselves.... A day trip to Pompeii is also a must.

Amalfi Coast and Capri; The Amalfi Coast is stunning. Capri is breathtaking. Pretend your a celebrity and window shop in the town itself or head up to Ana Capri for sensational views of the islands sheer cliffs, super yachts, small beaches and magnificent sun set. Make sure you visit the Blue Grotto. A magical cave formed by the ocean which glows florescent blue like you're on the avatar move set. Ask where the best swimming spot is and you'll end up diving off large rocks, into the ocean with the locals.

Rome; Pasta. Gnocchi in a triple cheese truffle sauce and baked until golden. Perfection. This and the colosseum of course. Rome was my favourite city to explore. At every turn, you're confronted with another familiar icon of the city. There's no escaping the history of Rome, you're walking amongst it and it will take your breath away.

Photos: An Italian dream

radharani — Fri, 5 Jul 2013 09:06:00 GMT

From Venice to the Amalfi coast