Recipe: Thai Vegetarian Basil Fried Rice

Basil has probably got to be my favourite herb for cooking. The Thai variety, available at wet markets and known as daun selasih is smaller than Sweet Basil with delicate purple flowers. It has a sweetish, peppery taste. Here is a recipe for a popular Thai dish, Kao Pad Krapao, that has been modified for vegetarians.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice, preferably cooked day before
3-4 red shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilly, deseeded and chopped
50 g young asparagus, sliced on an angle into 1 inch pieces
50g French or long beans,  sliced on an angle into 1 inch pieces
100 g button mushrooms, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced thinly
100 g vegetarian ham or sausage, diced (substitute chicken or shrimp for non-vegetarian version)
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce (substitute fish sauce for non-vegetarian version)
1/2 tsp white pepper or to taste
Pinch sugar
1/4 cup Thai basil
Additional Thai basil and coriander sprigs to garnish

Heat wok till it just begins to smoke. Add oil, swirl to coat. Add shallots, garlic and chilly and stir fry briskly. Add vegetarian ham or sausage and fry for about 3 minutes until lightly golden. Throw in beans, mushrooms and capsicum. Sprinkle in some water and stir fry for another couple of minutes. Quickly add rice, soy sauce, pepper and sugar and toss well. Add basil and mix well. Garnish with additional basil leaves and coriander, if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Thai Red Curry with Pork and Pineapple

This is a beautiful dish, served inside a Pineapple "Boat" which you can make at home. It is mildly spicy (in fact not as spicy as Green Curry), sweet and sour. You can either use store-bought or homemade red curry paste. 

For the Thai Red Curry Paste:

13 small dried chilies, deseeded, soaked in water
3 tbsp chopped shallot
4 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped galangal
2 tbsp chopped lemon grass
2 tsp grated kaffir lime rind (or substitute fresh lime peel if not available)
1 tbsp chopped coriander root (or substitute fresh coriander stems)
20 white peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp ground roasted coriander seeds
1/2 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp sea salt

To make the curry paste, grind the ingredients up in a mortar and pestle. It freezes well and can keep for several months.

For the Pineapple Boat:
1 medium-ripe pineapple (you want to make sure the flesh is still firm)

Cut the pineapple in half, and chop the stems. Using a paring knife and spoon, scoop out the flesh, taking care to leave about 1/2-1 inch border around the edges so that the curry doesn't flow out. Cut flesh into bite-size chunks. Rinse the shell and pat dry. Reserve the other half of the pineapple for other purposes.

For the curry:
300 g pork from the shoulder, with a little fat, sliced thinly
A handful of young asparagus (substitute french or long beans), cut into 1 inch pieces
Flesh from half pineapple (see above)
1 tbsp oil
1 stalk lemon grass, smashed lightly to release flavour
5 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp red curry paste
200 ml pure coconut milk
200 ml water (About 3/4 cup)
3-4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
Sugar and salt to taste

To garnish:
A handful of Thai basil
Chopped coriander leaves

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add lemon grass, shallots and garlic and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Do not brown. Add red curry paste and fry until fragrant. Working in batches, add pork to the pan and fry until meat just changes colour. Pour in coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves followed by water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Lift cover, add asparagus and simmer for another 3-4 minutes or until tender but crisp. Stir in pineapple chunks and stir well. By this point the gravy should be fairly thick. Add fish sauce and lime juice. Add sugar and salt to taste. Serve inside the Pineapple Boat and garnish with basil and coriander leaves. Serve immediately with fragrant Jasmine rice.

Recipe: "Big Flame" Morning Glory

Sunset at the Amanpuri, Phuket

I love vacationing in Thailand - great food, gorgeous beaches, and fabulous people. I recently went on a ladies' retreat to the Amanpuri in Phuket, during which my girlfriend, S, and I spent virtually all of four days in horizontal position - sipping wine by the beach, reading novels, and chatting about life, love and relationships under the sala at night. One of my favourite dishes from Thailand is Pahk Boong Fai Daeng or Morning Glory in Flames. Morning glory is vegetable that grows in swampy areas in Southeast Asia, and it is also known as kangkong in Malay or water spinach. While in Singapore and Malaysia the vegetable is usually fried with sambal, the Thai version uses yellow bean sauce and is lighter and sweeter. Like a bunny rabbit, I ate this for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the holiday - so much so that the restaurant staff must have thought I was a little loony. 

Whenever I have this dish I'm reminded of the brief period in my life, after graduation, when I worked as a waitress at a Korean restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston. Although it was hard work (think 13-hour shifts, which tended to extend way into the wee hours of the morning on karaoke night), I enjoyed the experience thoroughly, especially learning about Korean cuisine and meeting the many colourful people that came through the restaurant’s doors. As with many restaurants in the US, the kitchen staff was wonderfully multicultural. The diversity aside, I quickly learnt that it could prove challenging in terms of communication. As not everyone spoke English, we relied on a host of fabricated hand gestures to communicate what we needed from each other. One of my best friends at the restaurant was Pedro who hailed from Mexico. He only knew one Malay word, Apa Khabar (how are you?) while my Spanish vocabulary was likewise limited to Gracias and Ola. Pedro, aside from being chief bus boy, was in charge of preparing the fuel for table-top cooking. After a few frustrating tries where neither of us understood what each other was saying, we developed an understanding that “Big Fire” meant a full set of coals, enough for a Korean barbeque of 6 while “Small Fire” referred to the gas-powered hot pot.

Me: Pedro!

Pedro: Ola!

Me: One big fire, Pedro

Pedro: Big fire? No small fire?

Me: Yes, Pedro, one big fire

In order to make this dish successfully, you will need a wok and very high heat.  The flames should literally lick the bottom and the sides of your wok. Everything comes together in under 5 minutes, making this dish an ideal vegetable side dish.

Ingredients:

500 g or 1 large bunch morning glory/kangkong/water spinach

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

4 shallots, sliced thinly

1 red chilly, finely sliced

1 green chilly, finely sliced

1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (tau cheong)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

A few drops fish sauce (optional)

1-2 tsp sugar to taste

A dash of pepper

2-3 tbsp water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Pluck leaves off the vegetables and cut stems into 2 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly in several changes of water to remove grit. Drain well.

In a small bowl, combine yellow bean sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce (if using), sugar and pepper. Add about 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well.

Heat wok over high heat and add oil. Swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallots and stir-fry briefly until lightly fragrant. Add the stems of the morning glory, followed by the chilly and leaves, and stir-fry for 1 minute or so, or until wilted slightly. Add the sauce and stir well to coat. Sprinkle in water if necessary and stir-fry until vegetables are just done. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Pork Vindaloo

Me and me mum and me dad and me gran and a bucket of Vindaloo

I was at a dinner party recently where we were arguing about the origins of Vindaloo. My two friends from India vehemently insisted that the dish is not in fact Indian at all; rather, it was brought by the Portuguese to Goa and other colonial outposts. (See wiki entry here) Certainly, it is served in most Indian restaurants these days and it's couched as a Goan curry. Interestingly, in Malaysia, Vindaloo is more frequently thought to be a Eurasian dish rather than an Indian dish. As a result, it is very popular in Malacca, where Malaysia's last Portuguese enclave exists. It is usually made with pork (although lamb and beef are used as well) and it is very spicy, slightly sour and garlicky. It pairs best with a bowl of hot, fluffy rice.

Ingredients:
500 g pork from the shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes

4 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 stalks curry leaves
1 cup water
1 large red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Spices (grind together in spice grinder or mortar and pestle):
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 teaspoons black peppercorn
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamoms

3 tbsps chilly powder (the redder the better)
1/4 cup white vinegar

To be blended together:
3 onions, sliced and fried
6 cloves garlic
1 2 inch ginger root

Clean pork and drain well. In a bowl, mix together ground spices, chilly powder, vinegar and the mixture of blended onions, garlic and ginger to make a paste.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. When hot, add paste and fry till oil rises to the surface, about 7-10 minutes. Add pork and fry well over high heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add curry leaves and water. Mix well.

Cover, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until pork is very tender. Lift lid and stir occasionally to prevent mixture from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan.

Remove lid, add red onion and salt. Simmer until the gravy thickens. Serve hot.

p.s. For all you England footie fans, check out the Fat Les song titled, "Vindaloo" on you tube, although shouldn't it be a pot of Vindaloo?

The Pick-Me-Up Package - Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

The "Package"

You know that you're maybe a little obsessed with cooking when the second thing (the first being the overwhelming desire to "mother" the person) that comes to your mind after you hear that someone is under the weather is, "Hmm...what can I cook to make him feel better?" Now, I'm no doctor, but I've always been a believer in the healing powers of a hot, steaming bowl of home-made soup. A couple of days ago I put together a thermos of chicken noodle soup, a recipe which I picked up from my days in the US, together with fresh fruit for B, who was down with a cold. Life is so fast-paced these days that most home cooks no longer have the time to make chicken stock from scratch, but the results are far superior and much more nutritious. I recommend this soup for tummy upsets, the cold/flu and generally, if you're looking for some old-fashioned goodness.

Simmering over low heat allows the flavours to develop 

Serves 2-3 as a main course

For the stock:
2 l. water
2 chicken carcass or a mix of chicken bones from the breast, drumsticks and thighs (Kampung chicken recommended because of the lower fat content)
About 500 g of chicken parts, skin removed and bones in tact (I used chicken thighs and breast)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1 large carrot, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
1 small turnip, cut into large chunks
1 large brown onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
10 black peppercorns
A pinch of sea salt

In a large stock pot, bring cold water, chicken parts and chicken bones to boil over medium heat. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, skimming off the scum and fat that rises to the surface. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour. Remove chicken thighs/breast with a pair of thongs, and set aside. Return pot to simmer, add herbs and vegetables as well as the peppercorns and salt for another 1 to 1 1/12 hours, checking occasionally and topping up with additional water if necessary. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones of the chicken parts and return the bones to the stock pot. Reserve meat and keep covered. Strain soup through a fine mesh sieve, pressing  all the liquid from the vegetables and chicken. Defat the broth if there is a thick layer of fat on the top.

For the soup:
2 tbsps butter
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 medium sized carrots, cut into half-discs
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
150 g button mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1/4 cup petit pois (optional)
1 cup baby spinach (optional)
2 coils of tagliatelle (or closest substitute to wide egg noodles)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

To garnish:
2 tbsps chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Fried shallots (optional)

In a clean, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat butter over medium-low heat.  When butter is melted, add onion and sweat gently for about 3-4 minutes until soft. Add carrots and celery and fry for another 5 minutes. Add  mushrooms and herbs and fry gently until mushrooms just release their liquid. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil. Add chicken meat and petit pois and simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes.

On a separate burner, bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt and cook tagliatelle according to package instructions, about 5 minutes. Strain well and refresh with cold, running water from the tap to stop the cooking process. Cut noodles into 2 inch ribbons with a pair of scissors.

When you are about ready to serve, stir in baby spinach and noodles. Garnish with parsley and fried shallots.

As Ma used to say: "Fried Chicken is Indian"

I love this video. It reminds me of the times I spent watching my grandmother and my mother whip up wonderful treats in the kitchen. I do believe I, too, once was told that the Chinese invented pizza. :)

Recipe: Seared Tuna Salad with Asian Dressing

It's been a while since I posted a recipe for a salad. This dish is the perfect supper - light, packed with loads of nutrition, and a nice balance of flavours.  In this dish I paired baby spinach leaves with rocket, mizuna and other mesclun greens, but feel free to mix it up according to your taste.The key to the success of this dish is the quality of the fish, so only attempt to make it if you can get a decent piece of tuna, preferably sustainably sourced.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbsps. of best quality soy sauce such as Kikkoman
1 tbsp lime juice
1 teaspoon grated young ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Chinese mustard
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (leaves only)
3 tbsp olive or canola oil
2-3 drops of dark sesame oil
Pepper, sugar and salt

In a dry skillet over low heat, toast sesame seeds until lightly brown. Remove from heat and cool. Add dressing ingredients and whisk until emulsified. Add a dash of pepper, a pinch or two of sugar and salt, to taste.

Salad:

4 tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick
Sea salt and pepper
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/3 cup sesame seeds
4 cups loosely packed mixed salad leaves (baby spinach and rocket recommended)
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 seedless navel orange, peeled, pith removed and cut into sections
1/2 cup fried crispy yee mein noodles
1/4 cup smoked almonds

Place tuna on clean chopping board. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Drizzle sesame oil lightly over tuna steaks. Place sesame seeds on a plate. Coat tuna with sesame seeds.

Heat a dry skillet over high heat. Sear tuna for about a minute or so on each side for rare, or 2-3 minutes for medium done. Remove from heat and let rest on chopping board while you prep the salad.

Toss salad leaves, cherry tomatoes and spring onions in large bowl with about 3-4 tbsps of the dressing. Divide salad among four plates. Slice tuna thinly and place on top of salad. Top with noodles, almonds and orange sections. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Baingan Bharta (North Indian Eggplant Curry)

Indian cuisine can certainly lay claim over having some of the best vegetarian dishes on earth, I swear. It's rather ironic that I only truly learned to appreciate Northern Indian food for the first time when I was in the US rather than in Asia as most of the Indian food we find in Southeast Asia hails from the South. Baingan Bharta (I've been told it translates from Hindhi as "Eggplant puree")  is one of my favourite dishes to have with naan. It is rich and hearty and stands up well as a dish on its own as well as paired with other meat or vegetable dishes.  

Serves 4-6 as part of a multicourse meal


Ingredients:
For the eggplant:
Olive oil to drizzle
2 slender, long eggplants


For the sauce:
2 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
1 hot green chilly, chopped
1 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small brown onion, chopped
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaf
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2  teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2  teaspoon cayenne or red chilly powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (A blend of Indian spices, available at most good supermarkets)
Chopped coriander to garnish
1 teaspoon sat adjust to taste and freshly cracked black pepper

Roasting the eggplant lends it a smoky flavour which is essential to getting this otherwise simple dish right.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place whole eggplant on a cookie tray and prick all over with a fork. Drizzle a lug of olive oil over eggplant and rub lightly into skin. Roast for about 35-45 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes until skin is wrinkled and lightly browned and eggplant is tender. In the meantime, blend tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chilly until pureed.  When eggplant is done, remove from heat and cool.

Cut stems and peel off skin from eggplant and cut into chunks. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, and stir around until they start to plump up. Add onion and curry leaves, and stir for about 5 minutes until onions are wilted. Add coriander, turmeric and cayenne/chilly powder, and fry for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add tomato mixture from blender, chopped capsicum and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add eggplant and garam masala and stir well. Add salt and black pepper to taste. If mixture is too dry, add about 1/4 cup of water. Simmer, covered, over low heat for another 10 minutes. By this point, the eggplant should be well incorporated into the sauce, and there should be very little liquid left. (If there is too much liquid, crank heat up to medium for about 5 minutes).

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Recipe: 1Malaysia Vegetable Curry

By golly, I think I've finally done it...I've created a true multicultural Malaysian curry. This is exciting stuff. After hours of internet as well as library research (albeit by library I mean my cookbook collection), I have managed to come up with a dish that incorporates essential elements of Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking. And best of all it tastes great too, and is flexible enough to incorporate what you may have in your kitchen. The true secret behind this dish is the principle that one cannot be dogmatic. This dish embodies the Malaysia boleh! (translation: Malaysia can!)  spirit, which means anything goes. This curry is not Malay, Chinese or Indian first, it is, quite frankly, simply Malaysian. If you want to be a purist or dogmatic, I hear Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa fame is hiring. Please also note that this dish does not subscribe to any particular faith or religion, neither does this author feel that it's the state's job to determine so. 

Moreover, I believe this curry is in line with the eight principles enshrined in the 1Malaysia concept:

1. Perseverance (As my grandmother used to say there is nothing like sourcing and grinding the spices by hand using a traditional mortar and pestle)
2. Acceptance (There are somethings in life, such as the fact that you cannot realistically cook a curry and expect your stove top to remain clean, that are a matter of fact)
3. Education (You can't truly appreciate the wonderful food that we have in Malaysia until you learn about  our nation's history. Read, read, read)
4. Integrity (If you're going to cheat, such as I have with by using store-bought coconut milk, admit it)
5. Meritocracy (May the best curry win)
6. Humility (My humble curry doesn't hold a candle to my grandmother's or my mother's, no question)
7. Loyalty (My humble curry is better than anything you would find in Singapore, hand's down)
8. Culture of Excellence (If you fail, try and try again. And then defect - I'm kidding).

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, separated into medium sized florets and washed

1/2 medium cabbage, leaves separated, cut into large pieces and washed

1 carrot, peeled, washed cut into chunks

1 purple long eggplant/brinjal, cut into 1 inch coins. Sprinkle salt over and leave in colander to remove bitter juices for 1/2 hour. Wash thoroughly and drain.

4-5 long beans, washed and cut into 2 inch lengths

2 tomatoes, washed and cut into wedges

3 green chillies, split and halved

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (optional)*

5-10 tofu puffs (cut into halves if large)

5-10 foo chok or fried beancurd sheets (available at wet markets)

1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly

Aromatics:

4 stalks curry leaves

2 stalks lemon grass, lightly smashed

3cm piece cinnamon stick 

1 star anise 

4 cloves 

2 cardamom pods

1-2 tsp of mixed Indian spices for vegetables (Optional: Available at local provision shops and includes urad dhall, halba, fennel, mustard seeds)

Ground spices (grind in mortar and pestle or spice grinder):

2 tbsp chilly paste 

4 tbsp favourite curry powder (Indian, Chinese, Malay or Nyonya, semua boleh)

6 shallots 

2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root, sliced thickly

1 cm piece galangal, sliced thickly**

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1 tsp belacan stock granules
4-5 pieces cashew nuts, cracked into small pieces

Seasoning:

1 cube vegetable or chicken bullion (optional)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar or to taste

2-3 cups water or light stock (I used vegetable)

1 packet coconut milk

2-3 pandan leaves, shredded and knotted (optional)

Juice from 1 limau purut**

3 tbsp cooking oil such as olive oil or canola

Garnishing:

Coriander leaves, chopped

Sliced red chilly

Method:

In a large wok or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add aromatics, stir fry gently for a few seconds, before adding sliced onions. Fry for another 5 minutes until onions are wilted. Add ground spices, stir-fry until aromatic and oil rises and separates. If the mixture starts to burn or stick to the bottom of the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk. 

Add water and half the coconut milk, bring to a boil, followed by vegetable or chicken bullion. Add pandan leaves and potatoes (if using), as well as carrot and green chilly. Cover pan and lower heat. Simmer for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are semi-tender. Add cabbage, brinjal/eggplant, cauliflower, and long beans and simmer for another 10 minutes until vegetables are cooked to your liking. Top up water if necessary. Add tofu squares and foo chok, as well as remaining coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered until gravy thickens. Adjust seasoning. Just before serving, squeeze lime juice over, stir well and dish up. Serve hot, garnished with sliced red chilly and coriander.


*Important note: Introduced by Dutch colonialism. Omit if considered inauthentic.
**Important note: Arguably of Thai origin

Recipe: Balinese-style Yellow Rice

I love going to Bali, if only to immerse oneself in the local culture, which, by and large, has been able to withstand the impact of international tourism. I wish I could say that this was the norm, rather than the exception in most other tourist hotspots. Certainly places like Kuta are sadly, by now, way too overcommercialised, but there are still certain parts of the island that are rustic, authentic and positively charming.

I picked this up during my last trip there. It's a subtly aromatic and rich rice dish which lends itself well paired with curries and other meat dishes such Ayam Masak Kicap. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups AAA grade long-grain jasmine rice

1/2 cup thick coconut creme 

1 chicken stock cube, mashed

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 cinnamon stick

4-5 shallots, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, smashed lightly

2 stalks lemon grass, smashed lightly

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp lime juice

2 cups water

1 small bunch screwpine (pandan) leaves, shredded and knotted

3-4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into large pieces

Crsip fried shallots, to garnish (optional)

Wash rice in a colander several times or until water runs clear. Set over a sink or bowl and drain well for about 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. When hot, add shallots, cinnamon stick, garlic and lemon grass and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1/2 coconut milk and dissolve chicken stock cube into the mixture, stirring well (Alternatively, heat in microwave for about 1 minute).  When shallots are wilted, add rice, turmeric and lime juice and stir well for about 5 minutes or until the rice is well coated and slightly puffed up. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir well until liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a rice cooker, add salt, and water. Place screwpine leaves on the top and scatter kaffir lime leaves around. Cook until liquid is completely absorbed. Stand for about 10 minutes. Lift lid up, and pour remaining coconut milk over the top. Cover for about 5 minutes, fluff up and stand another 5 minutes before serving, garnished with shallot crisps if desired.

Because Sheep Said So - Recipe: Rogan Josh

One red-hot Mutton concoction

The brother made a special request for Rogan Josh, which is a rich, mild curry dish hailing from the Kashmir region, and now popularised around the world. Interestingly, Wiki reports that one interpretation of the origins of the name of the dish is from the red colour from the chilly powder used, which is also taken to symbolise passion.

And to complement this post, I, sheepishly in Singapore, share with you the fine words of  Jonathan Swift:

Gently stir and blow the fire,
Lay the mutton down to roast,
Dress it quickly, I desire,
In the dripping put a toast,
That I hunger may remove --
Mutton is the meat I love.
On the dresser see it lie;
Oh, the charming white and red;
Finer meat ne'er met the eye,
On the sweetest grass it fed:
Let the jack go swiftly round,
Let me have it nice and brown'd.
On the table spread the cloth,
Let the knives be sharp and clean,
Pickles get and salad both,
Let them each be fresh and green.
With small beer, good ale and wine,
Oh ye gods! how I shall dine.

Har har.