Indian Food Review 2 - Butter Chicken

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Main meal  

Name: Butter Chicken  

Where to get it: Urban tadka

Now what is Indian food without the quintessential and world famous ‘Butter Chicken’? If you have not tried this creamy, mouth watering and absolutely vivacious meal yet trust me you are missing out.

Butter chicken one of North India’s most loved and appreciated dishes, a result of it’s popularity worldwide. I can safely say every Indian restaurant has it on their menu, however that definitely does not imply they are all a bang for their buck.

The butter chicken I encountered a while back is my ever so favorite, and in fact a treasure from my searches of many years. This Main works tremendously well when paired up with it’s complimenting friends: garlic naan and basmati rice. However, unlike most mains it does need to be eaten alone, however I can almost guarantee it is the star component on any table.

Go Check it out as soon as you run home this evening and I promise you, especially those mild curry prefer-ers you will THANK me! 

Urban Tadka: Terrey Hills

 http://www.urbantadka.com.au/#home

- Malika

Filipino Food Review 2 - Crispy Pata

Cuisine: Filipino

Category: Party food/ Staple dish

Name: Crispy Pata (which translates into English as "crispy pork hock")

Where to get it: Any Filipino restaurant - although beware, many Filipino restaurants will sell them extremely overpriced while compromising on the quality. There are not a lot of stand out crispy patas in Sydney, for i've found better in Manila, however the closest one to authentic, that i've tried, which also has a reasonable price, is from Cucina de Manila, in Rooty Hill, Sydney. 

Crispy Pata is a filipino favourite when it comes to staple dishes. It consists of a pork hock which has been deep fried and served with a vinegar and soy sauce dip. Simple as it may sound, it is often a speciality in many filipino restaurants. Frequently eaten at parties and on special occassions, crispy pata is often served with rice. The crunchy skin adds a layer of texture to the dish, and the sound of crunch is sure to make anyone come back for more.

Crispy pata can be served either fully on the bone (as seen in the above picture) or already cut up into bite sized pieces (as seen in the first picture). Either way, the most exciting part about the dish is eating it. The crispy pata i tried was not only crunchy on the outside, but the meat inside was also tender and melting in the mouth. Also, for $18, i think it's well worth the price. 

This mouthwatering, traditional Filipino dish pleases the palate, warms the tummy and conquers the heart. Its simplicity is what makes it a celebrated treat. This dish is a must try for pork lovers or for anyone who is willing to take a bite!

Top picture was taken by me, bottom picture is retrieved from http://cdnimages.abs-cbnnews.com/azure/051514_PORK%201.JPG. 

- Raissa

Pacific Island Food Review

Chencheni Dinner meal
From Solomon Islands

For islanders, one can only explain how our local dishes are prepared and remembered as a taste of food from the Islands. 

Take this as a local vegetarian cuisine. It is wrapped in banana leaves and baked with the heat of hot stones that act like an outdoor oven. Chencheni is a simply prepared using sliced leaves of slippery cabbage layered with crushed canarium nuts (known to the locals as galip nuts) mixed with water to keep the mixture together. Once baked, the banana leaves are removed leaving the layered cabbage with nut intact and ready to be sliced in pieces. the rich flavour of the nut mixed with the soft cabbage and the slight taste of banana leaves can be tasted. An imitation of this can be done using the spinach leaves and maybe mixed nuts then baked in the oven. Well given that, it is served with sweet potatoes or cassava and the local coral trout but having it with other food is quite okay too.

For those that aren’t keen on vegetarian food, it may not be appealing to have a taste but a try at a healthy meal will never do harm.

Pictures: Courtesy of G.Galo

-Melanie

Chinese Food Review 1: Bakkwa

Cuisine: Chinese

Category: Delicacy

Name: Bakkwa 

Where to get it: Around Sydney it can be quite hard to spot, though usually found in some asian groceries and restaurants especially around January-February.

Bakkwa is a Chinese Delicacy consisting of a salty-sweet dried meat similar to jerky. They are extremely popular among the asian community especially around Chinese new year which occurs during the month of February. It is made with either beef, chicken or pork along with spices, sugar, salt and soy sauce. Other additional ingredients to alter the delicacy include fish sauce, rice wine, honey, vegetable oil and sesame oil. 

The process of making the Bakkwa starts out with mixing all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl into an oily mince-line form, the mix is then left to marinate overnight and then flattened on square baking paper to a thickness around 3-5mm. These squares are then dried out in an oven, cut out into smaller square sheets and then properly cooked/darkened/caramelised on a charcoal BBQ.

When it comes to eating the Bakkwa, the appearance can vary depending on the ratios of each ingredient as well as the specific cooking methods used, although generally they are a deep maroon type red i suppose with a glossy surface usually with mildly caramelised edges or spots.

The flavour of the meat is salty similar to jerky but much sweeter and smokier in flavour due to the rich sugar content and charcoal BBQ. It's texture is soft and sticky but crunchier around the edges due to caramelisation of the sugar. 

All in all i found eating Bakkwa to be a delicious experience with it's stimulating flavours, appearance, smell and texture.

Although personally i don't know if the delicacy will cater to everyone's taste (sorry vegetarians), it's definitely one of those 'must try before you die' foods.

Picture were taken at home on my iPhone :)

- Lucas

Indian Food Review - Pani Puri

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Street Food

Name: Pani Puri

Where to get it: Indian street food Restaurants

If you’re looking to try something beyond the traditional Indian menu, You’ve come to the write blog. I’m a street food enthusiast and decided my first post should trophy those ideas, as a result I present to you; the love of my life, the baby to my food and the taste to my tongue. Gol Gappe ( also known as Pani Puri). 

Pani Puri, is a combination of salty, sweet, tangy & sour elements to personify and intensify the vivacity in your taste buds as the different spices & textures crunch, simmer and dance away on your palette.

I understand, for those who haven’t tried these before it is fairly difficult to imagine. So let me help, essentially Pani Puri is a crunchy, pastry like cup filed with potatoes, chickpeas and sprinkling of spices. The mini Cup is then embellished with a drizzle of tamarind sauce for the sweet/tangy affect, this is then followed by a flooding of a spicy, sour mint water that rockets the flavors to a level I am sure no one can articulate.

This is a snack food I attempt to make on a homely basis in order to satisfy my cravings- unfortunately the true taste of India is only personified in the streets of India itself, but you can find yourself coming close in mirroring Indian vendors around Sydney. However, my advice: get your hands on these gushers as of immediate and you will find yourself in love.

To try it out, here are a few restaurants close by:

-       Taj, Harris Park

-       Billu’s Eatery, Harris Park

-       Abhi’s Indian, Concord

Watch this quick video from Buzz Feed, Americans eat Pani Puri for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHmAVIZ--44

- Malika