It’s official, I’ve hit 22 classes! Well, you realize I did the other 21 classes when I was in Singapore last, but now I’m back for more! My first back was The “Other” Mediterranean class at Coriander Leaf. It was great to see Samia and her team; I was also joined by some good friends!
This is the “Other” Mediterranean because Samia wanted to explore her new passion: cooking from Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and so on… It’s amazing how these countries produce such rich cuisines – the depth of flavor and spice is enchanting.
Harira – Chickpea & Lentil Soup
Roasted Tomato, Pomegranate & Turkish Cheese Salad
Bamia di Baradoura – Roasted Okra with Shallots in a Tomato Sauce
Shrimp Pilaf with Kebsa Spices
Tzatziki – Yoghurt Cucumber Relish
Green Herb Salad with Almonds
Umm Ali (Om Ali) – Baked Bread & Milk Pudding with Burnt Cream
Needless to say, it was a great afternoon.
To start, Samia and her team worked on getting few dishes started and that meant roasting the tomatoes and okra. I’ve never really had okra; it’s an interesting veggie and Samia warned of “sliminess” if not prepared correctly. My only experience with it has been fried – that’s how they love it in the South!
The aromas in the kitchen really kicked in when the whole shallots and garlic cloves were being sautéed in the fry pan – big yum!! This was for the Roasted Okra in Tomato Sauce.
The dish I liked most was the Harira – a chickpea, lentil, chicken, spinach soup (more like a stew). I’ve made it already for Paul and we have some in the freezer. As I noted in my previous posting, it’s a nice heart-healthy dish! We’re probably going to have it for dinner, tonight!
The next dish was utterly (joke) fantastic! The Turkish Cheese really took this dish to a higher level and the pomegranate and roasted tomato was just what the dish needed – complementary textures. See below; it’s a really beautiful dish.
The Dried Limes (Loomi’s) were one of the most interesting ingredients I’ve seen so far. It was a bit precarious for awhile as Samia pierced the hard shell with a fork. She cut one open so that we could see the inside – quite a bit of structure still inside. You use them for the fragrance more than the flavor, so it seems to me that they are analogous to Bay Leaves in stew. Luckily, I found a pack at Jones the other snatched it up – “Y” picked one up too!
The Shrimp Pilaf was rich with flavor and the Dried Limes really added a nice fragrance. You only sear the shrimp to get a nice coloring and then wait to cook them right before serving. Another important aspect to the dish is the Kebsa Spice Mix – it’s a wonderful mixture of Coriander, Cumin, Saffron, etc. Is your mouth watering yet?!
New Technology! See below
The Green Herb Salad was quite sharp, but I think that’s because of the Arugula – I’m not big fan of Arugula or Parsley. I think I may try it with Spinach, but that won’t be true to the cuisine. The Almonds were wonderful – as you can see below it’s because they are pan fried in butter! Yum!
To finish off the menu, we had a version of bread pudding that puts ALL of other bread puddings to shame. Wow!! How can you go wrong with puff pastry, milk, whipped cream, pistachios, I could go on but I have to keep some mystery!!
Overwhelmingly, this was a great way to start back in Singapore. Good food, good friends & a fantastic Chef! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
As a side note, the girls and I headed out to the Rooftop Bar after the class and enjoyed some drinks with the lights of the city.
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