Traditional Indian - Posh Spice's Kadhi recipe

Kadhi (serves 4)

Kadhi is a traditional North Indian dish. It is a spicy yoghurt-based soup which contains chickpea-flour and is eaten with rice. Traditionally eaten on Sundays, the  leftover homemade yoghurt for the week is used to make Kadhi for lunch with the family.

Ingredients

50 grams Chickpea flour

Pinch Mustard seeds

½ teaspoon Cumin seeds

2 whole dry red chilli

Pinch of asafoetida

4 curry leaves

1 teaspoon refined oil

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon Turmeric

250 grams Yoghurt

Method

1.     Heat oil in pan

2.     Add mustard seeds & cumin seeds – allow to crackle

3.     Add whole dry red chilli, asafoetida, and curry leaves

4.     Simultaneously, beat the yoghurt with salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, chickpea flour and yoghurt and ½ litre of water

5.     Whisk thoroughly & pour over the hot tempering

6.     Bring to boil, stirring all the time (3-4 mins)

7.     Simmer for 25-30 mins till the raw flavour of the chickpea flour is removed

8.     Finish with a pinch of sugar to compensate the extra sourness the yoghurt might have

9.     Pour into bowl

10.  Served with chopped coriander

11.  Best served with boiled rice 

Award Nominations flow for Doltone House

Doltone House has just been announced as a finalist for the 2009 City of Sydney Business Awards, as well as achieving finalist status for two award categories in the 2009 Metropolitan Awards for Excellence. The City of Sydney Business Awards recognise strong, successful and innovative businesses from within the Sydney region. The Metropolitan Awards similarly acknowledge business excellence, but in the field of restaurants and catering. Doltone House’s two nominations for these awards in the categories ‘Wedding Caterer in a Function Centre’ and ‘Function Centre Caterer’ are testament to the Doltone Group’s commitment to delivering an exemplary standard of cuisine.

Doltone House Group director, Anna Cesarano, comments: “We are honoured to have been made a finalist for these awards. At Doltone House we genuinely ooze passion and strive for excellence in everything we do – it is thrilling to be recognized for this.”

The winners for the City of Sydney Business Awards will be announced on the 1^st of September, while the Metropolitan Awards for Excellence presentation dinner takes place on the 28^th of September. 

Goodbye Gluttony

As even a cursory glance over the Wasamedia blog entries will betray, the staff here are hopelessly and shamelessly fixated will all things food. From Amy, who harbours a frightful captivation with chocolate, to Caroline, who derives rapture from the mere scent of cheese, to me, with my vociferous obsession for all things saccharine, little time slips us by without a mention, or a munching, of the aforementioned indulgences.  

It is only now, with the whisper of warmer weather in the air and with it, the promise of rising hemlines, that we come to realize we are not immune to the effects of our excesses. And so, somewhat reluctantly, we have entitled August a month of 'Wasamedia Wellbeing’. Mandatory components of this month include exercising three times a week, cutting back on alcohol, and most importantly, limiting our grazing on gluttonous goodies – the most consistent culprits being lollies, cheese, chocolate and, my personal kryptonite - gelato. 

On learning that gelato consumption was to be moderated as part of this time of temperance, my mood dropped (along with my insulin levels) - my monthly outlook seemed bleak in the face of having to control my gelatinous cravings. As I pondered how I could prevent my icy obsession from toppling me off my healthful high horse, I was struck with the delicious realization that, alas, it was only the 28^th of July! Wasamedia wellbeing month begins in August! Off to Messina for a gelato…

www.gelatomessina.com.au

Cheese Pilgrimage South

As a devout worshipper of all things cheese, I knew that it would have been sacrilege not to visit the Richmond Hill Café and Larder during my jaunt south of the border over the weekend.

Will Studd’s famous fromagerie was absolutely pumping on Saturday afternoon - with everyone from blue-rinsed grannies to leather boot-clad glamours hankering for a tasting of whatever treat was going.  Wedging myself into a corner of the cool-room, I took a few seconds to absorb the creamy, pungent (somewhat mouldy) aroma that is almost as good as the dairy hit itself.   

And then the raptures began: hunks of cheese from everywhere from the foothills of Geneva to the New South Wales high country were thrust upon me.   I devoured the lot and would have probably swooned all over the kindly fromagier (speaking of hunks…)  in a very ungodly fashion,  had it not been for the blue-rinsed queue behind me.

Twenty glorious minutes later I was staggering down Bridge Road under the weight of the much-acclaimed La Luna Holy Goat and a chunk of (real!) Morbier the size of my head.

Thank you Formaggi Ocello for giving me something to come back to.

Cheese club membership wish list... (5 months til Christmas!)

Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder: http://www.rhcl.com.au/index.php/cheese_club_view

Bruny Island Cheese Co: http://www.brunyislandcheese.com.au/cheeseclub.php

Ashgrove Farm Cheese (don't have a Club but I'd be happy just to live there for the Wasabi Cheese): http://www.ashgrovecheese.com.au/index.html

The Spice of Life

Looking around the sexy, intimate atmosphere of ‘Spice I am’ in Darlinghurst, no one would ever guess this was in fact the home of my napkin eating shame.

But I am getting ahead of myself, let us start at the beginning.

My love for spicy food was first ignited after spending time in Thailand, endless thick aired days dedicated to sampling the exotic, authentic flavours of my favoured cuisine. In fact, I had some to fancy myself as somewhat of a spice-eating connoisseur. So when I heard of Spice I am, a local restaurant famed for their fiery flavours and diverse thai cuisine, I was first on board to test it out. 

While the menu at Spice I am is positively heaving with tempting options, I was blinded to all as my spice radar locked onto “GAENG PA GAI” and the small text which hovered, like a challenge, beside it: “VERY HOT”.  Ignoring the waiters apparent bemusement to my assurances that yes, I did indeed want the dish served extremely hot, and no, I did not require any rice – a decision I would come to heatedly regret. 

Eyeing up the curry as it arrived, lush with whole chili’s, my confidence remained intact.  But then, the first spoonful – that first mouth popping, sensational spoonful - saw heat spread like lava to envelope my mouth. Taken aback, I nonetheless continued, refusing to let the rising tingle on my tongue deter me from spicy satisfaction.  It was not until half way through the dish my façade began to crumble. Unable to hide the creeping blush tinting my cheeks, the rain of sweat glistening my brow, I had to ask the waiter to bring me some rice – and quickly. As I gulped down the last of the water in search of cooling relief, my mouth instead responded in anger, the initially piquant burning sensation of the curry now flaring to an all encompassing oral fury! Red rage, pulsating, burning, burning!! Gasping for air, my clammy hands grabbed desperately, shamefully, at the nearest source of liberation – a napkin. Stuffing my mouth full with its soothing, papery goodness, I looked up to see my red faced dining companion, red faced I suspect, not from the heat of his dish, but rather my indiscrete and reprehensible behaviour. My advice for future patrons is ask for 'mild'!

Turkish Delight

Living and working in the heart of Darlinghurst, I'm definitely not lacking a choice in restaurants. Thai, Japanese, Indian, Chinese - it's all a stone-throw away. So for the last few weeks, I've been on a continuous quest for something new, something different. Trecking out to Balmain, I think I've finally found it at Efendy. I've never had Turkish cuisine before, apart from the occasional late-night, street-side kebab. And man, have I been missing out...

Efendy hosts a sophisticated a la carte restaurant downstairs, but we headed upstairs for their more casual meze bar experience. We settled down on the comfortable lounges in the back and after ordering some cocktails, decided on a range of small mezes to share. I'm not normally a fan of vegetarian dishes, but made an exception on this occasion - a decision I definitely didn't regret. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and was bursting with flavour, meat or not. The service was knowledgable and accomodating. We asked our waiter about her personal favourites, and her recommendations were some of the night's real stand-outs.

If you're looking for an authentic (but affordable) Turkish experience, Efendy Meze Bar in Balmain is the place to go!

Create your own Mexican showdown

It's a cold Monday evening, you've just come home from a long day at work and are in desparate need of some warm comfort food. Of course, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. The week has only just begun and the weekend couldn't seem further away: the Monday Blues are setting in.

Sound familiar? This is my usual Monday-evening predicament. But don't despair: I've found a solution! Home-made faijitas. Quick, simple and incredibly tasty. Added bonus: easy to eat on the lounge while watching the telly.


What you need:

* 4 chicken thighs, sliced in strips
* 6 flour tortillas
* 1 large onion, sliced in strips
* 1 small green capsicum, sliced in strips
* 1 small red capsicum, sliced in strips
* 8 medium sized mushrooms, sliced
* 1 tablespoon of butter

Marinade:

* 1 tablespoon of olive oil
* 1 tablespoon of lime juice
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon chicken salt

What you do:

1) In a bowl, mix together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili flakes, pepper, salt and chicken salt.

2) Add chicken strips to bowl and coat in marinade.

3) Prepare tortillas as directed on packet.

4) Heat butter over medium-high stove, add onions, capsicum and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly until soft. Set aside.

5) Add marinated chicken to pan, cook for 3 - 4 minutes until brown.

6) Return vegetables to pan. Cook for one minute, stirring regularly.

To serve:

Spoon chicken and vegetable mixture down centre of tortilla. Add desired toppings (sour cream, sweet chilli, salsa, shredded cheese). Fold tortilla and indulge!



If you are feeling lazy, our pick for the best Mexican in Sydney is Tomatillo Mexican Grill in The Cross. Bill and the crew will ply you with their range of quirky tortillas and fantastic Mexican food.

Tomatillo
40b Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross
9326 0900
www.tomatillo.com.au

Nachos $9.90
Burrito $9.90
Quesadilla $9
Margarita $8.50
Mexican beer $7
Domestic beer $5