The pungent and odiferous smell of belacan is what sparks memories of my mother's food – that's what Carol Selva Rajah's Heavenly Fragrance cookbook is all about.
Belacan is a paste created from fermented ground shrimp – good eating!
Rajah's provenance (born in Port Klang, Malaysia to Sri Lankan parents and raised by a Cantonese amah) blooms into flavourful recipes in her latest cookbook, which delves into aromatic Asian herbs, fruits, seasonings and spices that are the basis of delectable Asian dishes.
Rajah Focuses on Simple, Humble Tastes
As Rajah says in Heavenly Fragrance (Periplus Editions): "Simple, humble tastes and smells have the power to project us back to your childhood and remind us of a forgotten event or moment…"
The inspiration for this new publication seems to be her amah, who was able to recreate dishes from simple taste and smell memory.
The Australia-based writer, who began her food career almost 30 years ago teaching Malaysian cooking classes at the YWCA in Guelph, Ont. Canada, offers an array of spicy treats from her repertoire of Chinese,Singaporean, Malaysian, South Asian, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese dishes that are fairly authentic and quite easy to follow.
In this book, Rajah attempts to instruct the user in the most divine ways. As she says: "Good Asian cooks are trained to bring out the aromas of each individual spice or herb." To quote her amah: "Good smell, good to eat!"
The book is well-organized into four recipe sections and a back section listing a description of other ingredients including baby anchovies, channa dal, Asian shallots and betel leaves.
Herbs: Curry Leaves and Lemon Grass
"Cooking with Aromatic Asian Herbs" leads off the book with descriptions of Asian basil, curry leaves, ginger flower, lemongrass and pandanus Leaves. Followed by terrific recipes such as Sweet Potato Curry Puffs with Vietnamese Mint, Tropical Salad with Barbecued Pork, Chili Crabs with Ginger and Garlic Chives, Coconut and Green Mango Fish Parcels, Amah's Fragrant Sambal Shrimp and Padanus Coconut Cake with Palm Sugar Syrup
I can practically smell her chili crabrecipe, with its accompanying lip-smacking photo. The recipe has loads of garlic, ginger, chili paste, shrimp and bean paste – the kind of dish my mother could be caught frying up in her wok on a special day. Keep checking this site, her recipe will be up soon!
Next in the lineup comes Aromatic Asian Fruits such as mango, pineapple, pomelo, tamarind and starfruit. Recipes include Crunchy Ikan Bilis with Aromatic Sambal (baby anchovies that are deep-fried and a friend to many dishes), Amah's Chicken Curry, Salt and Pepper Squid with Lemon Mango Sauce, Baked Ginger Soy Fish with Sweet Tamarind Dip, and (close to my eating heart) Lacy Malay Coconut Pancakes.
Rajah doesn't forget to quench your thirst either with colourful libations such as Pineapple Gin Slings, Pandanus Lemonade, Green Mango and Saffron Lassi and Mint Vodka Collins.
Rajah's Fragrant Flaked Fish Salad with Spices and Coconut
Her third food chapter focuses on asian spices such as cinnamon and cassia, coriander seeds, fennel, galangal, saffron and turmeric. This category includes wonderfully fragrant dishes such as Flaked Fish Salad with Spices and Coconut, Saffron Rice with Cloves and Cashews, Sweet Blue Ginger Duck with Star Anise, Lamb Baked with Dates, Tomatoes and Cumin and Eggplant Sambal with Black Mustard and Cashews.
Throughout each chapter are also recipes for sweet pleasures: Lemongrass and Coconut Crème Caramel, Honeydew Sorbet with Passionfruit, Almond Cake, Mandarins in Apricot Sauce, Spiced Mangoes in Yogurt and Honey and Cardamom Cake with Rum and Passionfruit.
Lastly, Rajah touches upon seasonings. In her intro, the effusive Rajah talks up my memory-inducing belacan, bean pastes and rice wines. Seasonings including fermented soybean pastes, fish sauces, mirin, oyster and abalone sauces, sesame oil and soy sauces are part of the chapter.
Dishes to try include Fresh seafood salad with sesame lime dressing, Crab Soup with Lemongrass, Tamarindand Mint, Crisp Barbecued Pork Marinated in Sweet Soy, Parsnips and Carrots Sautéed with Rice Wine.
The book is packed with extras including basic recipes for sambal oelek, nonya spice paste, fish curry powder and cucumber mint raita.
Rajah is both a true cook and eater. She writes with joy and her many years of cooking, teaching, guesting on TV shows as well as conducting Asian food tours of the Cabramatta area of Sydney, Australia, will serve the users of her cookbooks well.
Finally, some lasting words from Heavenly Fragrance: "So enjoy aromas in food by breathing deeply and sitting down to eat, as you use all your senses for a complete experience."
