An Afghan Lunch at Masa

Today is the fifth anniversary of Tamarind and Thyme. What a great five years it’s been and thank you all for still reading! The past year has been particularly busy what with balancing work, fun and the blog: filming an online commercial, a belated birthday trip to Vienna, being shocked by prices in Zürich, seeing beautiful Innsbruck, a work trip to Toronto, a shellfish journey in West Sweden, a Christmas trip to Gothenburg, a holiday in Hong Kong, a work trip to Orlando, Barcelona at Easter, a date with a Swedish chef. And then there’s all the usual cooking and eating in London in between!

Anyway, onto the post at hand. A month or two ago, I dragged Blai up to the wilds of Harrow and Wealdstone (hooray for the overground!) to try an Afghan restaurant by the name of Masa. Its grubby location gave no hint of what lay inside – a big square room filled with lots of heavy wooden furniture. It wasn’t fancy but there was something rather imposing about it all. However strangely grand it may have seemed, it was empty that Sunday lunchtime but a few takeaway orders were filled while we were there. We grabbed a sunnier table by the window and proceeded to order.

A starter of Grill Aubergine (grilled aubergine, garlic, walnut, thick yoghurt) (£3.50) turned out to be a dip and was served with a freshly baked naan bread that would have come with our mains but got brought forward so we didn’t have to eat our starter with a spoon. The smoky aubergine was intensely garlicky, in a good way, and the chopped walnuts added a lovely textural contrast.

The naan was delicious and soft – do eat it while it’s hot though as it hardens unappetisingly as it cools.

For mains, we skipped the usual grilled meats (kebabs and the like) to try Afghan dishes that aren’t as easy to find in London. First there was Mantoo (steamed pasta filled with mince, onion and herbs, served with special sauce) (£6.95). These dumplings were lukewarm but extremely tasty with their meaty filling. The special sauce seemed to consist of yoghurt and a mild chilli oil with even more minced meat. We scooped up the extra special sauce with what bread we had leftover.

We also shared a Qabili Palow (rice, carrots, raisins with chunk of lamb meat, served with salad and naan) (£7.95).

The photo doesn’t seem to convey the size of this beast – it was a massive pile of spiced rice concealing a braised lamb shank. This was the star of our meal. The rice was absolutely gorgeous, cooked in lamb stock and studded with sweet plump raisins and carrot shreds. The lamb was plain and yet still tasty and not at all overly gamey as some lamb can be. On the side, we also had a salad and some of the best lentils I’d had in a long time; there would have been a naan too but they served that with our starter. Next time, I’d order another of that lentil dish all by itself. Try as we might, we were unable to finish such a generous portion.

Our total (with two soft drinks) came to about £25 and we carried home the leftover palow. Service was a bit distracted (by the Simpsons being on the large screen telly above our table) but fine. When we left, the most gigantic platter of food was brought over to a family of three next to us and I’m keen to find out what it was they had!

And if just the restaurant can’t get you up north to Harrow, you might be interested to know that Doki Limited, a shop specialising in Japanese tableware, is located about a 10 minute walk away from the restaurant. This shop was originally based in Oriental City before moving to Pacific Plaza and now, well, looks more permanently located here.

Masa
24-26 Headstone Drive
Wealdstone
Harrow HA3 5QH

 

Sayur Lodeh

Sayur lodeh – think of it as a curry and you’ll be disappointed with its gentle flavours; think of it as a thick stew of vegetables in spiced coconut milk and you’ve then got the idea of this comforting Indonesian dish. It’s also been embraced by the Peranakans and Malaysians but strangely, I cannot recall my mother ever cooking it at home. I suspect that the inclusion of so much coconut milk was worrying to her! I love the stuff.

Do not be fooled – this is not a vegetarian dish. Belacan (fermented shrimp paste) and dried shrimps play a big part in the flavouring and it’s imperative that they’re not left out. If you’re having it as a main meal, shrimp or prawns can also be added. I also feel like this shouldn’t be a catch all for any vegetable you might have in your fridge – I’ve used vegetables that work well together; I’m not convinced by the use of peppers, for example. And like most stews, it’ll be good the first day but great on subsequent days. Serve it with plenty of white rice to soak up all that gravy.

Sayur Lodeh
serves 3-43 as a main meal with white rice or 6-8 as a side dish.

For the spice paste (rempah)
15-20 small shallots (purple) or 3-5 large ones (brown), peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 thick slice ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 thumb sized piece galangal, peeled and coarsely chopped
20 little dried shrimp
5-10 dried large red chillies
1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tsp belacan powder
2 tsps turmeric powder

3 tbsps oil
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1/2 small cabbage, cut into chunks
2 Japanese aubergines, cut into chunks
1 large carrot, cut into batons
1 small onion, cut into slices
200g long beans or green beans or a mixture, cut into bite sized pieces
200g firm tofu, cubed/sliced
400ml coconut milk
salt and sugar to taste

First make your spice paste. Soak the dried shrimps and dried chillies in hot water for about 10-15 minutes. The chillies should be soft and the shrimps should have softened. Chop up the chillies (discarding the seeds) and then blend all the ingredients together, adding a bit of water if necessary. If you’re feeling nostalgic, pound them all together in a heavy duty mortar and pestle.

Heat a large pot/wok over medium-low heat and then add the oil to heat through. Add the spice paste and fry slowly until the oil separates again from the mixture. If there is quite a bit of water in the paste, this may not happen, in which case fry for at least 10 minutes.

Add the onion and carrot pieces and fry together for a few minutes. Add the aubergine, green beans, and cabbage and continue frying, stirring continuously. Pour in about 1-2 cups water and the coconut milk (this mixture should cover the vegetables – add more water if required). Toss in the lemongrass and bring the entire mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through – you want them soft but not mushy. Add water to thin the sayur lodeh if desired – I like mine quite thick.

Finally, add the firm tofu and when that has cooked through, add salt and sugar to taste. Stir well and serve with white rice.

 

Products from Skåne and a Recipe

Our adventures with Swedish food didn’t end with the last post – Anna very kindly sent us all home with products she had brought over from Skåne. They’re all things I probably should have brought back with me the first time I visited Sweden but y’know… the pepparkakor seemed more important at the time!

This loaf of brown rye bread has gone a long way – it keeps well in the fridge or freezer. It’s dense and has a slight sweetness that’s delicious paired with just about anything – I served some chickpea and spinach stew over a couple slices. Any leftovers of this brown bread are used to make the topping for the traditional Swedish apple crumble.

This is knäckebröd that we must find again! Studded with seeds, it’s hands-down the best crisp bread we’ve ever had and really changed our opinion on the stuff! If you ever see this brand, buy it!

The Abba brand is a classic and I’m upset that it’s no longer stocked by Ikea (they now stock their own brand of foods). This mustard herring was delicious on top of the brown bread.

Priest cheese was so named when milk was used to pay tithes to the church. The priests would make cheese of it – another story was that the cheese was directly used as payment. Whatever the story is, it’s a delicious cow’s milk cheese that goes well with plain pickled herring.

Speaking of pickled herring, this Ättika is the traditional vinegar used in its preparation. Ättika is available in both 12 and 24% strengths and our bottle of 24% comes with suggestions on its use – including for cleaning! It goes without saying that it’s probably best not to consume it neat. Peter taught us the 1-2-3 ratio to pickle our own herring at home: 1 part ättika, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts water.

Finally, a bag of Jätte Salt liquorice. I still haven’t opened this as I’ve been wary of salty liquorice after a not great experience with some Dutch stuff. Any and all encouragement is welcome!

And now, as promised, the recipe for Peter’s veal stew – thank you very much to him for sharing it! It was mentioned during dinner that lamb will also work with dill and I’d like to try the recipe below with it.

Veal Stew with Dill Sauce
by Peter J Skogström
serves 4.

500 g prime rib of veal, boneless
1 leek
1 carrot
2 parsnips
a small piece of celeriac
1 medium onion
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp allspice
5 stalks fresh dill
2 tsp salt per litre of water

Dill Sauce
500 ml water
2 tsp ‘ättiksprit’ Swedish vinegar (12%) – if not available, I think any white vinegar is substitutable
2 tsp sugar
5 stalks of dill, roughly chopped
400 ml stock from the first part of the recipe
1.5 tsp white flour
1 tbsp butter
100 ml cream
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of white pepper
100 ml of chopped dill

Cut the meat into small pieces. Place the cubed meat into a casserole dish, cover with boiling water and place over medium heat. Skim off the scum as required. Slice the leeks, carrots, parsnips and celery into equal sized pieces. Add to the boiling meat. Season with the dill stalks, allspice, bay leaf and salt. Lower the heat and leave to simmer until the meat is tender. Strain the stock and save for the sauce.

To make the sauce, bring the dill stalks, vinegar, sugar and water to a boil. Melt the butter in a pot, sprinkle over the white flour and stir in to make a roux. Add 200 ml of stock and whisk together until smooth. Pour in the rest of the stock and add the cream, stirring continuously. Add the sieved vinegar preparation and the chopped dill. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and a dash of vinegar if needed. Remove the dill stalks and bay leaf and then pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

 

A Swedish Blind Date from Skåne

A Swedish blind date? This interesting and certainly different proposition dropped into my email inbox a few weeks ago and I was certainly alarmed by the title. No, not the usual romantic date but a night with a Swedish chef – no, that really doesn’t sound right – wait a minute… a night with dinner cooked by a Swedish chef. That’s right – a Swedish blind date with a Swedish chef!

The chef would be a previous winner of Årets Kock, a prestigious Swedish chef of the year competition, and when I accepted their kind offer, an invitation card in the post stated that the Swedish region inspiring our meal would be Skåne, the southernmost province in Sweden, home to lots of quality meats, cheese, grains and vegetables.

The original offer was to have the chef come to my flat but with my flat being absolutely tiny, hosting both a chef and a small group of friends seemed impossible. VisitSweden pulled through and organised for a flat to be borrowed for the night. I rounded up Blai and three more friends and we went off to visit this traditional Swedish flat (overlooking the Thames) one recent Thursday evening.

Our chef from Skåne turned out to be Peter J Skogström, winner of Årets Kock 2006. He has two restaurants in Malmo, Mat och vin i Slottsparken and Restaurang P2, and also runs three office lunch canteens that aren’t open to the public. He’s a busy man!

Joining him in the flat were Anna Wittgren, our hostess from Malmö Turism, …

… and Peter’s assistant for the night, Jessica Beaumont, who is completing her BSc in Culinary Arts Management at the University of West London.

We had no idea what to expect of our meal and when first led to the living room, we sat there shyly. Anna and Peter made us most welcome with drinks (including Malmö Akvavit, the bottle featured a drawing of the amazing Öresund Bridge) and a trio of canapes. Gravadlax was paired with fennel and pate with Skåne mustard, each on thin rye knäckebröd. My favourite was the pickled herring with potato and Prästost (Priest cheese) and I snaffled the last extra one. From then on, the conversation just flowed.

When we enquired about the drinks and where they came from, it was revealed that everything we would eat and drink that night had been brought over from Sweden by both Peter and Anna. We looked at the drinks and looked at the food and marvelled at how much had to be carried and how they did it. Peter very modestly stated that it was all possible as the airline allowed 45kg in luggage weight. In addition, he and the other chefs involved in the Swedish Blind Date had prepared as much of the food as possible that afternoon at the Swedish embassy.

We moved into the kitchen with its dining table for dinner proper. The table was beautifully set and we settled in, able to watch Peter work at the counter and chat with him too.

He set slow cooked eggs (cooked earlier that day – 63 degrees for 110 minutes!) into bowls with roe, rye bread crumbs and micro-greens and poured in a creamy nettle soup tableside; the young nettles used in the soup had been foraged only the day before. Oh, what marvellous eggs these were, all soft and set like custard and the nettle soup was supremely creamy and comforting.

The main course was being prepared as we slurped our soups. A big pot of veal and vegetables and dill seemingly appeared out of nowhere and a creamy dill sauce was also being prepared to be poured on top. Big portions were plated up and brought to us.

The Stew of Veal in Dill Sauce had meat tender enough to eat with a spoon. And wow, I always thought of dill as a herb that would work with just fish and, uh, crisps but it really did work with the veal. It was fantastic – the slow cooked veal, the vegetables still crunchy and the creamy dill sauce over everything…I had seconds! I was emailed the recipe for this veal stew after the dinner and I’ll have that up on another post soon. On the side were some fabulous boiled Skåne potatoes with onions and lemon zest and I used them to mop up the sauce though they were also perfectly fantastic by themselves.

Dessert was simply outstanding – Vanilla Apple Crumble. The traditional Swedish apple crumble is made with leftover brown rye bread crumbs and of whose recollection caused both Anna and Peter to wince – apparently the crumbs become horrendously dry. Our crumble featured the famous apples from Skåne (though Peter admitted to purchasing two Aroma apples from Marks and Spencers to use as garnish (and surprise, surprise, they’re a Swedish cultivar)! It was the only thing we ate that wasn’t brought over from Sweden) and was a layered dessert that Peter has pre-assembled at the embassy. He had only to scoop on quenelles of sorbet and garnish each bowl with the fresh apple and crumble.

From the bottom, there was apple compote with cinnamon, vanilla custard, apple jelly, almond biscuit crumble, apple sorbet, julienned apple with mint. At the table, he sprinkled on more of the biscuit crumble. Silence descended on the table after the initial clink of spoon to glass – it was that good.

With dessert, we were served an Äppel Dramm, a Swedish spirit distilled from apples – apples all around. It was just a bit too strong for me!

After dessert, we retired to the living room, where candles were lit, to glasses of Spirit of Hven whisky, distilled in Skåne, and plenty of conversation. Trends in Swedish food, the day in the life of a Swedish chef, day jobs and hobbies, pizza and kebabs in Malmö… we touched on just about everything.

It truly was a fantastic night and one that I and my friends will always remember.

Thank you very much to Peter, Anna, Jessica and Beatrice (from VisitSweden and in the photo below on the left) for such a fabulous night. Thank you also to W Communications for the invitation.

All my photos from the night can be found in this Flickr photostream.

Do keep an eye out on Cook Sister, MsMarmitelover, and The London Foodie for their posts on their dinners, all held on the same night with different chefs and regions. Bellaphon has already posted on MsMarmitelover’s night.

 

Taiwan Village in Fulham

A few weeks back, I met Mr Noodles and Rahul to eat Taiwanese food at Rahul’s local – Taiwan Village in Fulham. I have no idea why two of London’s foremost Taiwanese restaurants are located in Fulham (the other being Formosa) but hey, as a west London girl, I can’t complain. The chef here at Taiwan Village used to cook at Hunan in Pimlico, well known for only serving up a tasting menu of sorts, and this might explain the existence of a Leave it to Us set menu for a fixed price. Of course, we went for that – we’d be fed…but we had no idea what was coming. We did have one choice though – to go with a more Chinese menu or a more western-Chinese menu. The former, of course.

Things started swiftly. A tangy pork broth with a soft meatball was served in a bamboo cup. It was a gorgeous broth that had a surprising slight acidity to it. We slurped it down and felt like we were in good hands, food-wise.

San choi bau, lettuce wraps with a filling of seafood with chopped vegetables, arrived next. Though the dishes came quite quickly, we never felt rushed.

Steamed meat dumplings had delicate skins and a tasty filling and made for a comforting mouthful.

A trio of delicious deep fried morsels then were placed on our table. Taiwanese fried chicken was beautifully crisp and dry and dusted with five spice – I could have hoovered the entire portion for all three of us. Crispy Tiger Prawns were served with salad cream which always weirds me out a bit but then I end up enjoying it.

The Deep Fried French Beans were nothing short of amazing. They had been lightly battered, fried and then tossed with fried chillies, garlic and spring onions; they were incredibly moreish.

We had a short break after these starters while our plates were cleared before a shredded quarter of a Crispy Aromatic Szechuan Duck was brought out. To my surprise, the excellent pancakes that came out with them were homemade and the hoisin sauce was also tastier than that usually found elsewhere. That said, though it was very good crispy duck, it was still the low point of our meal.

It was then time for the main courses and again, another surprise, these were served with Egg Fried Rice. Banish any thoughts of any egg fried rice you’ve had before – this was what all egg fried rices which they could be when they grow up. It was full of fluffy egg threads, seasoned perfectly and not at all greasy.

A Dry Tofu with Sliced Pork had been cooked with dried orange peel and was fragrant and full of different textures.

Ma Po Tofu and Mince in Hot Sauce was Rahul’s usual takeaway order and I could see why. It was spicy and fragrant from a light dusting of Sichuan peppercorns and the sauce was thick and meaty.

The Beef in Sha-Cha (spicy barbeque sauce) was delicious and made me question my lack of sha cha intake in the past.

The classic Taiwanese Three-Cup Chicken with Sweet Basil was good but needed more basil.

A dishful of clams also arrived in a thick, slightly acidic sauce (does acidity feature strongly in Taiwanese food?). Sadly, most of the clams were closed but the sauce was lovely on the rice.

A small portion of Hakka style Braised Pork Belly also arrived and was just as rich and delicious as it looked.

These were all placed in the middle of the table and we feasted. When our egg fried rice bowl was perilously close to being empty, they brought out a whole new freshly fried bowl full.

By this point, we were pretty full but I was still pretty gutted that the set menu didn’t include dessert. From the very short dessert menu, we ordered and split two of the Special set dessert – caramelised bananas and Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream and an Azuki pancake (a traditional red bean paste pancake).

Both desserts were outstanding. The chunks of banana were fried in batter and then coated with a thin crisp layer of caramel. The pancake was thin, filled with red bean paste, and topped with sugar, crushed peanuts and the biggest surprise that night – chopped coriander! And to all the doubters out there, it really worked. We asked the owner about this herbal addition and she only smiled and laughed that this was the chef’s innovation.

My part of the bill came to about £35 – that’s for the set menu, dessert and one grass jelly drink. Service was extremely friendly and jolly and we truly did feel very welcome and the restaurant was surprisingly smart with an impressively huge wood carving in the front. Thanks so much for introducing the place to us, Rahul! I hope to return soon to try the dishes from their Taiwanese Specialities part of the menu.

Taiwan Village
85 Lillie Road
Fulham
London SW6 1UD