tropical cuisine

Nasi Ulam

clare — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:07:17 +0000

Nasi Ulam, a Malay style rice salad, is the dish I created when Queensland Weekender visited Cooktown recently.

Nasi Ulam

I love the balance of the mild nuttiness of plump brown rice and the intense kaleidoscope of herbal flavours in this dish. It is fabulous served with grilled fish which is how we’ll be eating it [...]

Solar Eclipse 2012 movie & photos

clare — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 03:43:11 +0000

Utterly beautiful.

YouTube video

As the moon closed in the light was increasingly golden and pulsed across the gossamer threads of spiders webs on the grass.

Just as the sun was released from total eclipse there were the most striking pulses of light and energy.

The whole experience was deeply moving.

I hope you enjoy sharing these snapshots of one [...]

Kaffir Lime Chicken

clare — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 03:45:20 +0000

Kaffir Lime Chicken

1kg chicken thigh fillets 6 kaffir lime leaves 1 lemongrass stalk, white section finely chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped 1-2 chillies, finely chopped (optional) Pinch salt, or dash of fish sauce 2 teaspoons oil

Cut chicken thigh fillets into thin medallions (about ½ cm thick). Remove kaffir lime leaves from central vein, slice very finely then chop finely into [...]

Pasta Brazilian

clare — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 06:09:55 +0000

Brazilian Spinach

This hardy green is a must for a tropical food garden. I have written about it before here and here.

Brazilian spinach survives neglect quite well but will reward you if given partial shade, regular water, good soil and a fortnightly spray of diluted seaweed solution. When treated well it puts out large, rounded green [...]

Pan cooked fish with rice paddy herb sauce

clare — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:31:27 +0000

I’ve posted this originally here, when I cooked it with jobfish, a lesser known but great fish for matching with strong flavours. This recipe is also great with other oilier fish – so think mackerel or sea mullet as well.

If you don’t have access to rice paddy herb, I’d suggest using a mixture of fresh [...]

fragrant spiced pinto beans

clare — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:05:57 +0000

Ingredients

1 tablespoon rice bran oil

1 tsp fennel seeds, ground

1 tsp dried turmeric powder

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 1/4 tbsp finely chopped ginger (about 3-4cm knob)

2 bay leaves

1 dried chilli

1/8 – 1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 1/2 cups pinto (or borlotti) beans, quick or long soak

water as needed

2 x 400ml crushed tomato, added once soft

salt to taste (about 1/2 [...]

My pantry list

clare — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:09:01 +0000

This afternoon on ABC Far North we’re discussing my pantry list.

Download the PDF file Clares Pantry List A3.

It’s an interesting process doing such a list – a bit like packing my suitcase for a big trip, I’m left with the feeling I’ve left something essential out.

This is a staple stores list from my kitchen, which [...]

Flu fighters

clare — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:50:08 +0000

Here are two simple recipes to warm you and help your body stay clear of flu and colds.

The purple colours in purple-skinned sweet potato and white-skinned purple veined sweet potato, as well as other nutrients being discovered and researched in these powerhouse foods, are known antioxidants (substances that contribute to keeping our bodies healthy). Combined [...]

4:50pm Wednesdays on ABC Far North Radio

clare — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:37:56 +0000

For all of those who live in Far North QLD, I am now a weekly guest on drive time with Richard at 4.50pm every Wednesday, providing easy week night recipes. Tune in as you drive home and pick up some inspiration for the night’s meal!

Kindle version released!

clare — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:13:37 +0000

Today the Kindle version of tropical cuisine: cooking in clare’s kitchen hit the cyber-shelves on Amazon!

Here’s the link

Very soon the digital store will also open here at tropical cuisine, offering the EPUB and PDF versions for sale and download, with a special bundled offer for those who want both the visual book-replica richness of the [...]