Culinary Causarie - December 2011
TASTEFUL REMARKS
Umami
Recently, the word ‘umami’ has crept into the vocabulary of some of the more sophisticated restaurant critics and TV chefs. It has no translation and is a Japanese word used to name a fifth taste to join sweet, salty, bitter and sour as the four basic taste areas. Umami was identified in 1908 by Prof Kakunae Ikeda in Tokyo and is recognised as a savoury, brothy taste
It is worth noting however that five thousand years ago, in the ancient Hindu text the Atharva Veda, six types of taste were identified in the Ayurveda section namely sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.
According to Ayurveda all six tastes must be present to experience the optimum flavour in foods
Perhaps umami best describes the Vedic taste ‘pungent.’
But I do agree with the food chaterati that when you have nothing new to say, just chuck in a piece of esoterica and you will be regarded as knowledgeable and profound.
CREDIT CRUNCH MUNCH
It is becoming increasingly difficult to fit expensive restaurant meals into the household budget – and yet family morale needs the occasional boost of a change from the domestic culinary repertoire.
The solution is of course the takeaway. Treat the takeaway as if it were a special meal. Lay the table nicely, light a candle, open a bottle of wine and decant the food into serving dishes. Et voila your credit crunch munch is as good as the real thing - without the alarming piece of paper at the end.
Don’t plump for your usual choice. Instead try something new like the Japanese takeaway described here. Or go for the finest available in your favourite cuisine like Rose Indienne for a superior curry
A word of caution: Council awards do not promise good food—just clean food, so don’t base your choice solely on these awards
GOURMET TAKEAWAYS
WASABI ---Try something different.
If you are not familiar with Japanese food try this order for two—you will definitely enjoy it. Japanese food is not as greasy as Chinese food and has a more subtle mix of flavours.
Item 1 Assorted Tempura. This is a crunchy and tasty starter of batter fried prawns and vegetables with a dipping sauce
Item 2 Salmon Teriyaki Share this marinated fresh salmon starter cooked in Teriyaki sauce
Item 3 Tori Katsu Don. This main course is a Wiener Schnitzel style crisp chicken breast on a bed of flavoured rice, egg and vegetables served with a miso soup broth
Item 4 Seafood Yaki Soba Udon. A main course of mussels, scallops squid and other seafood with thick udon noodles
This substantial meal for two costs around £22.00 --- a perfect credit crunch munch
There are some interesting sweets and Wasabi is fully licensed
ROSE INDIENNE---Try something superior
For a superlative Indian takeaway Rose Indienne is definitely recommended. Try this order for two to get the best from their authentic Indian chef. All their dishes are beautifully cooked—none of those vile greasy messes we have got used to
Starters: Chicken Pakora; Reshmi Kebab
Main Courses: Machi (Fish) Masala ;Lamb Bhuna; Pulao Rice
Side Dish: Bombay Aloo
You’d better be hungry because this is quite a lot of food and costs around £26.00
SWEET SERENDIPITY
It was great good luck to have stumbled onto two unusual sweets just before Christmas. The luscious French macarons featured on the cover of TheBAY magazine last month were greeted with squeals of ecstasy by my two Gower guinea pigs Beti Williams and the unfazeable Ann Jones. Not much more was said except for a quick scramble for the confectioner’s contact details. The macarons are available in flavours ranging from raspberry and pistachio to chocolate and caramel—all with a rich almond taste and a gorgeous gooey crunchy texture
The macarons are presented in elegant gift-wrapped boxes of 9 or a dozen and make unusually delicious gifts.
Macarons can be ordered from Tatiana at Marmalade on 01792 678678
The guinea pigs were also impressed by a novel and very delectable frangipane mince pie made by that genius Neath patisserie, La Crème. The luscious almond frangipane softens the rather harsh mince to create a sophisticated flavour.
These confections cannot be mistaken for the horrors of supermarket mince pies—they are not only superior in taste and texture but are also beautifully gift-wrapped.
Frangipane mince pies can be ordered from Sian at la Crème on 01639 813166
OOOOOPS….. Armchair Cooking Corrigendum
Sorry, readers. In last month’s Culinary Causerie, I mistakenly ascribed Gino D’Acampo’s ‘No Taste like Home’ to BBC1 when it was in fact on ITV1. Also, apologies to the programme People’s Cookbook for calling them People’s Kitchen
Even Homer nods you know……..!