Going Local with an Indian Affair

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Eating and cooking seasonally never quite crossed my mind. After all, I live in a one season – tropical climate. Till now, after I had made up my mind to cook something, the first decision I make immediately is about the place that would stock the ingredients readily. For a western-influenced meal of pasta, the supermarkets in Bangsar would be most suitable for pancetta, parmesan and anchovies. But if it was a meal of Thai tom yum or a favourite of mine, roast duck curry, the wet market is usually the preferred location.

I have been reading religiously Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course Cookbook since returning from Dublin. Irish food is experiencing a revival. With extensive farms, an amazing array of seafood and the trend to return to the roots of high quality produce, I could feel the Irish pride in their meats, cheeses and other local ingredients when peering into butchers and bakeries. Even in the cafes, such as Avoca Cafe which is on a constant buzz every day and every hour, the food is presented in simplicity to show off the best ingredients.

The first chapters of Darina’s book are inspiring. Emphasizing on fresh local ingredients, simple techniques to bring out the best of flavours, she really is teaching about respect for food. About what we cook in our kitchen, what we serve on the table and what we put into our mouths. At the beginning of every chapter, she will write about the farmers who raised the cows, who delivers the free-range ducks and who milled the flour.

And hence a realisation I attained with immense clarity. Those avocadoes, blueberries and roma tomatoes at the local supermarket will never taste like the ones I had abroad, when they are in season. Same goes for the frozen lamb leg or sirloin steak at the deli. The taste probably would have deteriorated as the fruits were harvested early then flown thousand of miles before hitting the supermarket shelves. So I began to develop a renewed and heightened appreciation for what is truly local. Wonderful herbs that grow at my backyard such as pandan, curry leaves, kaffir lime and bird’s eye chillies. They are the ones that I should celebrate most- instead of imported thyme, rockets and rosemary.

Armed with zest and excitement, I stood at the Indian store at my nearby wet market happily picking up cloves, cardamom, cummin seeds, fresh coriander, ginger and turmeric for an Indian affair. Thanks to Jas, for sharing her mom’s authentic Punjabi dish. Once mastered, she said, this recipe of chickpea tomato curry, I would know some secrets of Indian cooking. She was not lying as I managed to create my own masala of spices to make a yogurt fish curry with much satisfaction.

The lesson for me to learn is each time now before I cook, I will insist to buy the best local ingredients and exercise restraint if that shrink wrapped, slightly dried up fennel is the only offer at the shelves. I’ll just cook something else instead.