Food, I have come to know, is a universal language. Take my friend, Leonard, and me. We were born six days apart in the same year, in the same country, but we come from vastly different backgrounds: Me from the ‘Afrikaanse Vrystaat vlaktes’; he from Durban and of Indian descent. Somewhere in between, our paths crossed. Since then, we have cried and laughed and drank for hours in the kitchen, chopping away on chillies, garlic and ginger, and making masalas. In sharing our passion for food, we have cemented a friendship full of so many wonderful ingredients.
{This recipe was inspired by an ingredient list I received from Pick n Pay for their freshlyblogged challenge #9 competition}
Leonard has shown me all the tricks when it comes to Indian cooking. So for my fine dining dish, I wanted to pay tribute to my Gandhi, my life teacher and my friend. I want to take out the finest white linen and the finest silver and serve this Indian-flavoured salmon atop a lentil dhal. On the side, a crunchy raw beetroot and cumin salad sitting on a layer of fennel cucumber ribbons. The deconstructed milk tart, spiced with star anise, is a bit of my heritage. Both dishes brought together by the bond of friendship and spices.
So I would like to raise a glass to food journeys and friendships… And to Len: My guide and mentor on my very own passage to India.
- Indian flavoured salmon
- 1tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic, grated
- ½ tsp ginger, grated
- ½ tsp masala, medium
- 200g Sea Harvest Lightly Smoked Salmon trout, defrosted and cut into 3cm x3cm blocks
- Lentil dhal
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp masala, medium
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- 3 tbsp water
- 1tsp red wine vinegar
- 150g cooked lentils
- 1tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- Salt
- Beetroot + cumin salad
- 1 cup raw beetroot, grated
- Large pinch of cumin seeds
- Small handful of falvourburst micro herbs
- Salad dressing
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper, milled
- ½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
- Cucumber ribbons
- 50g cucumber, cut lengthwise into ribbons using a potato peeler
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh fennel leaves, chopped
- Salt
- Indian flavoured salmon - Mix the oil and spices together. Rub into the fish.
- Heat a pan until it is smoking hot.
- Add the fish – skin-side down to the pan. Fry for 2 minutes. Add a drop of water to the pan and put a lid on for another minute.
- Take out of the pan and take the skin off the fish.
- Put the skin back into the pan and crisp up.
- Lentil dhal - Fry the oil and spices for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the cream cheese, water and vinegar. Cook through lightly.
- Take two tablespoons of the sauce out – we are going to use this when we assemble the dish.
- Then add the lentils to the pan and heat through.
- Taste for seasoning and add the coriander.
- Beetroot + cumin salad - Salad dressing – mix all the ingredients well together.
- Pour over the beetroot, cumin and flavourburst micro herbs and mix well.
- Cucumber ribbons - Add the olive oil to a pan and on medium heat warm the ribbons and fennel for about 3 minutes. Season with salt, remove from the heat.
- Cut the cucumber ribbons into 4 cm pieces and set aside.
- To assemble - Add the lentils in a small block mould. Stack with the fish, top it with a bit of sauce, some salmon skin and fresh herbs.
- On the side, place the cucumber ribbons on the plate and add the beetroot salad.
- Cinnamon twirls
- 12 strips puff pastry, cut into 1cm x 8cm lengths
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Milk tart cups
- 1 cup of full-cream milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 star anise
- Large pinch of salt
- 1 large egg, separated
- 1 ½ tbsp maizena powder mixed with 1 tbsp of the allotted milk
- ½ tbsp butter (do not use margarine)
- Cinnamon sugar mixture (left over from the twirls)
- Cinnamon twirls - Brush the pastry strips with the egg wash.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle this over the pastry. Don’t use all the sugar as we are going to use it to top the custard as well.
- Twist each pastry strip into a straw-like twirl.
- Place on baking tray and bake for approximately 11-12 minutes – until cooked and golden brown.
- Milk tart cups - Mix the milk, sugar, star anise and salt in pot and bring to boil.
- In the meanwhile beat the egg yolks and then slowly add the Maizena. Mix well.
- Pour this mixture very slowly in the milk mix – I use a hand egg-beater to mix it in – to avoid lumps
- Cook for 5 minutes till cooked.
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks start to form then slowly fold this into the custard.
- Always taste again for seasoning.
- Pour into cups, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with the cinnamon twirl on the side