The 2012 World’s of Flavor Conference, Part 4: Food Porn

The CIA World’s of Flavor was literally the best place to eat on planet Earth for those three days of the conference as premiere chefs from everywhere were cooking up a storm for the daily World marketplace, which is presented in the video. So I couldn’t leave you folks without some good ole food porn to get your stomach juices churning and your tongues suitably lubricated for that impending Thanksgiving feed! Enjoy!

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The 2012 World’s of Flavor Conference, Part 3: The Chefs

Chefs from across the Arc of Flavor–defined by the conference as the swathe of territory spanning Spain in the West and the Spice Islands of Indonesia in the East–shared their cultures and cuisines during various demo sessions and seminars, which varied in size from an audience of 20 to 500. For our small session on Sri Lankan cuisine, Chef Koluu made fish ambul thiyal (sour fish curry), hoppers, and the popular Sri Lankan condiment, pol (coconut) sambol. On the mainstage, we presented Sri Lankan biriyani, which was part of the “One-Pot Meals” seminar. This video presents a sample of some of the other chefs who cooked before the entire conference.

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The 2012 World’s of Flavor Conference, Part 1: Inside the CIA

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the picturesque Napa Valley for the CIA’s 15^th Annual World’s of Flavor Conference. No, I’m not a spy, and I’m not talking about that CIA, but rather The Culinary Institute of America, one of the country’s most well regarded cooking schools. Each year they assemble top chefs and culinary professionals from around the world at their beautiful campus in St. Helena, CA for a summit on food without parallel. This year’s theme was “Arc of Flavor: Re-imagining culinary exchange from the Mediterranean and Middle East to Asia.”

The teaching kitchens at CIA

It was no small honor to attend the conference, and to represent Sri Lankan food for the very first time here, joined by my esteemed colleague, Chef Koluu, who traveled all the way from Colombo for the event.  Koluu was extremely helpful when I went to Sri Lanka to research my cookbook, and I made sure he was featured when I returned to shoot No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. As one of Sri Lanka’s most well-known and respected chefs, his attendance at the conference was a must.

 

Chef Koluu outside CIA Greystone, St. Helena, CA

Having just barely escaped the east coast and the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, I arrived in the Bay Area at night, so it was not until morning that I got a good look at the CIA itself. Occupying the former hilltop mansion of The Christian Brothers’ winery and overlooking acres of quaint vineyards, the school’s substantial facilities cut quite an impressive sight. The third floor teaching kitchens alone occupy a space about half the size of a football field, filled with every modern convenience you can imagine. What a joy it must be going to school in such an environment, much less cooking there for three days. This massive kitchen is where all the action was happening as chefs from across the arc of flavor prepared countless dishes for the various seminars, demo sessions, lunch, and, of course, the formidable World Marketplace, probably the best food court going on planet earth.

It was encouraging and inspiring to see so many foreign chefs interacting with CIA staff and students, and introducing so many new ingredients and techniques. Koluu made his famous pork kalupol or “black” pork curry, fish ambul thiyal, and crab curry, along with other Sri Lankan specialties like hoppers, sambol, and coconut roti. Like the other chefs, we had a whole crew of students working with us–none of whom had ever even tried Sri Lankan food before. But they picked things up very quickly as they took care of most of the prep. For everyone involved, however, the opening day proved to be an exchange of cultures, ingredients, ideas, and good vibes.

 

 

baby back ribs

 

 

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Pan Asian: Chili Beef (Indonesia)

Chili beef

One of my favorite dishes from Indonesia, Beef Rendang, also, unfortunately, takes a long time to prepare, and in this heat, I can’t muster enough energy to spend that much time in front of the stove. So when I found this other Indonesian recipe for chili beef, I thought I’d definitely give it a try. It required relatively few ingredients and an even shorter cooking time. What also piqued my interest were a couple of new ingredients you don’t usually find at your local grocer’s. Kecap manis, which I’ve used before, is a sweet, thick soy sauce that resembles molasses and has the same consistency. Sambal oelek, on the other hand, is a tasty and spicy chili paste on par with Sriracha sauce (and kind of like a chunkier version) that I’ve always used as a condiment. In this particular recipe, both of these marvelous ingredients become part of the marinade that the thinly sliced pieces of beef soak up before being stir-fried in the wok. I think you could even marinate an old shoe in this combo and it would taste good.

kecap manis and sambal oelek

The Recipe

¼ cup kecap manis

2 ½ teaspoons sambal oelek

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 lb. beef fillet, partially frozen and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 tablespoons  chopped roasted peanuts

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1.)  Combine the kecap manis, sambal oelek, garlic, ground coriander, palm sugar, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Add the beef slices and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20  minutes.

2.)  Heat oil in wok. Add the meat in batches and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned.

3.)  Arrange the beef on a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves, and serve with steamed rice.

Serves 4

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Pan Asian: Sundanese Style Grilled Chicken (Bakakak Hayam) – Indonesia

Bakakak Hayam comes from the Sundanese people of West Java. Sundanese cuisine apparently ranks as one of the most popular regional cuisines in Indonesia, which was once known as the Spice Islands. There are some great flavors in this dish–including galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk–and I love the fact that it starts out like a curry, but is then eventually grilled.

As with many Asian recipes, you might be intimidated at first by unknown ingredients or simply by the long shopping list, but your efforts in the kitchen will be well-rewarded.

 The Recipe

1 fresh chicken, quartered

1 teaspoon tamarind pulp

2 tablespoons warm water

3 tablespoons oil

1 cup (250 ml) thick coconut milk

1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, bruised and cut into 3 pieces

 

Spice Paste:

 

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

3-4 red finger-length chilies

5 shallots, peeled

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1-inch piece galangal root, peeled and sliced

½-inch piece turmeric root, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon, dried shrimp paste, toasted

2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced

1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

 

1.)   Soak tamarind pulp in warm water for 5 minutes. Mash with fingers and strain to obtain juice. Place chicken in a bowl and rub the tamarind juice into the chicken. Set aside.

2.)   Prepare the spice paste by dry-frying the peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds in a small pan over low heat until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or blender until fine. Add the remaining Spice Paste ingredients and grind to a smooth paste, adding a little oil as necessary to keep the mixture moist.

3.)   Heat oil in a wok until hot and add Spice Paste. Stir-fry over low to medium heat until fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Add the thick coconut milk and lemon grass and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pierce the chicken all over with a fork and then add to the wok. Cook the chicken for about 15 minutes, turning from time to time until the sauce is absorbed and dries to a paste.

4.)   Remove chicken from wok, coat well with any remaining sauce, and grill under a broiler or BBQ until cooked through and golden brown on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.

 

Serves 4

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Pan Asian: Rendang Padang (Indonesia)

This fairly simple one-pot dish is named after Padang, the capital of the western Sumatran province from where it originates. “Padang food” also refers to a style of Indonesian cooking which is spicier than the normal fare.

The slow-cooking allows the meat to absorb all the rich flavors—of the coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal—also making this dish ideal for a crock pot or slow cooker. So you can throw everything in in the morning and come back home in the evening for a delightful dinner—served, of course, with rice.

One of the more popular choices at an Indonesian or Malaysian restaurant, Rendang Padang is now a dish you can make it at home (and so simply).

The Recipe

3 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

8 fresh hot cayenne or other red chilies, stemmed and chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1-inch piece fresh galangal, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layer remived, tender insides finely sliced

1/3 cup tamarind  paste, mixed with 1/3 cup warm water

1 Tsp. ground cumin

1 Tsp. ground coriander

1 Tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 Tsp. chili powder

1 (15 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk

2 Tsp. sugar

salt to taste

1.)   Put beef in a 4-quart slow cooker

2.)   In a food processor of blender, combine the chilies, onion, ginger, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, tamarind paste, 1 cup warm water, and spices. Process to a smooth puree and pour over beef. Stir in coconut milk and cook, covered, on the low setting for 5-6 hours, or until beef is very tender and the sauce is dark brown in color.

3.)   Ladle most of the sauce into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until slightly  thickened and reduced, about 30 minutes, then pour it back in the cooker. Cook uncovered on high setting for 30 minutes to an hour longer.

4.)   Stir in sugar and season with salt to taste.

Serve with rice

Serves 6-8

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