Janet DeNeefe | To Stir with Love
Janet DeNeefe | To Stir with Love
Garlic and kencur paste (Suna-cekoh)
Suna-cekoh consists of four main ingredients – garlic and kencur are the primary components, combined with turmeric and candlenuts. You can also add a pinch of Base Wangen (page 9) if you love peppery flavours. The intense, vibrant yellow paste has the most alluring, unusual fragrance. A small amount works wonders in peanut sauce and adds an element of luxury to vegetables, soy products and meat, especially chicken. Simmered with coconut milk and extra aromatics, it forms a divine glossy sauce to make you purr. At Casa Luna, we make the paste every morning and add it to many dishes on the menu to add extra flavour and a distinct aroma.… Read More
Base genep is a multi-layered spice paste that appears in many Balinese dishes, from elaborate ceremonial foods to everyday fare. It contains all the spices that are precious to the Balinese, and virtually every ingredient is armed with healing properties.
I admit, the list is a bit daunting, but put on some groovy music, pour yourself a glass of wine and plough forth with a smile on your face. You’ll see the paste is not difficult to make – on the contrary, it is even therapeutic and uplifting (cooking is as much about feeding the soul as it is about filling the tummy).
Grind the candlenuts, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves and sesame seeds to a powder in a large mortar.… Read More
This is based on a Sri Lankan milk rice that I tasted in Galle a few years ago. It is not unlike Nasi Uduk (page 78) except for the obvious difference of the grain and the fact that it is set to cool in a dish and served cut into diamonds. Red rice is wonderfully nutty and chewy and the addition of coconut milk adds a lovely creamy touch. Like brown rice, red rice is brimming with goodness and is perfect to serve to your vegetarian friends. This is especially delicious with soupy stews and creamy curries.
2 cups red rice, soaked for 30 minutes
2 pandan leaves, tied together in a loose knot
3 salam leaves
400 ml coconut milk, plus 3 tablespoons extra sea salt
Strain the rice and put it into a large heavy-based saucepan with the pandan and salam leaves.
