Читать книгу Heavenly Fragrance - Carol Selva Selva Rajah - Страница 5

TAPPING INTO

DELICIOUS MEMORIES

I have been fortunate enough to have eaten Carol’s food many times, sometimes with Carol sitting next to me telling me the most marvelous tales of her family, her Amah and her childhood in Malaysia. I sat mesmerized as she wound her stories around her food—until I was not sure which was the more alluring. But I was always left wanting more, and I was not alone in this as I know many who have been held in the same thrall of her charm and her cooking.

“We cooked for pleasure,” she told me. “We forgot which community we belonged to and we cooked to feed and to please our friends—whether they were Malays, Chinese, Tamils, or later Australians.” And such hospitable charm fills this book.

Heavenly Fragrance is an account of these stories and their dishes—a dance through her childhood, tapping into delicious memories with the steady, rhythmic clunk of the granite pestle pounding the spices and filling our senses with the pungent aromas that still hold such a powerful sway over her and her cooking. The garden of her youth was filled with lemongrass, galangal, roseapples and durians. Her Amah’s Chicken Curry skips straight out of her rich, happy past. I can imagine it served with Fragrant Pandanus Coconut Rice (nasi lemak), or on special occasions with Roti Jala, the lacy pancakes of Malaysia. Flaked Fish Salad with Spices and Coconut was a dish which her husband, Selva, insisted on preparing himself to ensure the proper seasoning, while her “lethal weapon” of Babi Tayu (Tau Yew Bak)—Sweet Soy Pork with Mushrooms and Star Anise—packs an Amah’s love!

This book is not just based in the vivid but somewhat distant past. It is a collection of the author’s memories throughout her life—and it contains many recipes that are not just Asian. They are her own authentic recipes reflecting her life’s journey. Carol’s Leek and Potato Vichyssoise with Lemongrass captures the change in food that occurred around the time she arrived in Australia, when cooks began to dabble with spices to color their otherwise dull cuisine. Carol’s version adds lemongrass and she even suggests a dash of chili pepper too! Her Barbecued Beef Steaks with Sweet Onion Jam tells of her experiences in Australia with her family. Settled and firmly planted now in Sydney, I can see her—and hear her—preparing a spicy Shrimp with Tropical Coconut Laksa Gravy and a Mint Vodka Collins with Watermelon Fingers with Lyndey Milan making a screamingly good tipple in the background.

Heavenly Fragrance evokes more than just memories—it excites the imagination and fills the senses with the possibilities of pungent fragrances and tastes that create new memories. It articulates the past and present of a talented cook in the very best way—with wonderfully delicious recipes!

David Thompson Winner of the James Beard Award and IACP Finalist for Thai Food