On a Nomadic Food Quest

Holy Cow

souksafari — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 23:33:00 GMT

Streets where cows run free and everything you eat contains that kick of chilli!

Calcutta’s busy tea vendors and chaotic traffic displays the real colours of India. Priority lies with the local eats; A paratha menu to excite even the less adventurous – mixed vegetable, meat, cheese and the easily chosen favourite, potato. Dolloped with a cube of butter and eaten along side a hot Masala tea topped with saffron. Found everywhere you go, made fresh and served in little pottery cups. A calcutta and neighboring Bengali signature never falls short – steamed fish marinated in ground mustard seeds with plenty of olive oil.

Take a walk along the Ganges, where you’ll witness a place of congregation; people in search for forgiveness of sin and purity by use of the rivers waters. Enjoy the hussle and bussle of Boi Para (Collegue Street), photo stops at Calcutta’s temples and colonial architecture or spend some time in one of the many churches. Mother Theresa’s house makes any travellers visit to Kolkata feel complete. Just a few doors down, roam inside to experience her wonderful legacy and meet the children who call the orphanage home.

Calcutta’s vibrance is found in it’s people; welcoming, jovial and often unpredictably funny. Exploration of such cities only open our eyes to both of lifes wonders and woes.

Rock La Casbah

souksafari — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 23:30:00 GMT

Evident Islamic influences, Arabic accents and colours of whites & blues defines this exotic location, nestled along the Mediterranean Coast of North Africa, lies Algiers. A place that provides all the things I love about travelling – unexplored territory; no tourists.

Quickly you gain a sense of community wandering the bustling souq’s of the Casbah - fresh fruit stalls, congregation of men drinking coffee and women with white lace masking all but their eyes, routinely navigating their way through the marketplace. Haggle for some fresh farawla (strawberries) or tamar (dates) and line up for the street snack of baked hommus in bread from the bakery; best eaten with plenty of spicy harissa, all washed down with a cup of homemade lemon drink.

A historically significant part of Algiers in its fight for Independence, the Casbah is the centre point. Underground Hammams and old palaces, famously Bastion 23, are buried througout, with a large population of people still living within its walls. Sounds from the Mosque echo through the run down labrynth of lane ways and steps that climb the hills behind the modern town. Whilst a very interesting place, one recommended only visiting with a local who knows the ways around the Casbah and its people.

From the centre of old town, head down along the Algiers Harbour past La Grande Poste d’Algier and Jamaa El Kebir (The Great Mosque), said to be the oldest in Algeria; both representing the white architecture of the region. Make your way up the windy road to the stunning Notre Dame de Afrique – like a palace sitting high above with sweeping views of the sea and neighborhoods below, this church is the highlight of Algiers and one even a local will say you cannot miss..The best way to explore such a unique, yet uncertain part of the world is with a driver who knows the safest places of the city and understands the local customs to avoid any disturbances.

Enjoy Algiers; its a special place to be and one for those who like to explore the road less traveled.

Photos: Passport & Plate - Uzbek Plov

souksafari — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:48:00 GMT

Ingredients 2 cups long grain parboiled rice 5 large carrots 2 large onions 400 gr cubed lamb 100 gr lamb fat Vegetable Stock 1 tsp peppercorns 2 tbsp coriander seeds 2 tbsp cumin seeds How to prepare this recipe If you have the time and the love, making your own stock is an easy way to add more personal flavour to your Plov. Use some potatoes, leek, garlic & onion and boil for approximately 45 minutes. Prepare chopped onion and grate the carrots. Grind your spices in a mortar and pestle to bring out a burst of scents and flavour. Cook the lamb fat on high heat to release all of the oils; adding the cubes of lamb until brown and set aside covered with foil to keep warm. Using the remaining meat fat, cook the onions for 5 minutes or until they turn translucent. Add your ground spices and cook them off for 1 minute before adding the grated carrot; leaving it until soft. Make sure to regularly taste the dish to ensure you're happy to move onto the next step of cooking your plov. Add the already browned lamb, including its juices to the vegetables; reducing the heat to medium. Add 2 cups of rice and enough of your hot stock to cover the meat and vegetables by at least an inch. Simmer 10-15mins, turning frequently. When the rice is just cooked or al dente, place the lid on to steam until all of the liquid is evaporated, again giving a stir often. You will hear the bottom sizzling as the rice starts to stick to the pan, this is when you know that all stock has been cooked into the Plov and ready to eat. Salt to taste. Plov is best served shared with friends and family - enjoy with yoghurt & dill, fresh tomato salad and bread. The story behind this recipe On a soulful train journey from Moscow to Tashkent, I eagerly arrived in the foreign pocket of Central Asia, Uzbekistan. Destined to stand in Registan Square, central to the town of Samarkand, I found myself in a food haven. Fresh, simple food cooked by real people, in what felt to be the most real place I've ever visited. Bekhrus, born and raised in the Uzbek mountains; quickly felt my love for his country's simplicities and wanted to share and cook with me his mothers' recipe for Plov; a rice dish he described as 'religious'. A simple meal, using village ingredients, he expressed the importance of each component to making Plov - from the quality of rice, the colour of the carrot, to the very unique flavour of using good lamb fat and a lot of it! Wandering the bazaar we carefully hand-picked, smelt and bargained for every ingredient for our dish. Preparations began in a rustic kitchen, using a large cast iron skillet over an open flame. Ready with our modest elements, Bekhrus told me of the story and the sounds of this slow and important process - the more you boil, the better the taste; the ways in which his mother taught him to specifically use the back of a ladle to carefully pat down the rice and let it cook. Much like a good risotto, the process of Plov requires you to be attentive, gentle and to cook with a little bit of love; this ensures the best possible dish. Recreating such a special recipe brings alive many memories and moments from that day in Samarkand where I learnt the methods of this significant dish close to the hearts of all Uzbeks. My Maltese heritage is of great importance to my life and the way I now appreciate a meal. Making pastizzi by hand in my Nuna's kitchen and spending time in my Dad's garden filled with eggplant & herbs, it's a unique cuisine with Italian influences. There is always more to learn and discover when it comes to cooking and for this, I want to learn it all.