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HERBIE'S SPICE DISCOVERY TOUR  Spice Discovery Tour to India Proposed Dates 10th January - 24th January 2009 HOMES OF THE WORLD’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF CULINARY SPICES  Read all the details of our 2009 tour here : 2009 Tour Comments from previous tour members:
Herbie's Spice Discovery Tour to southern India from 22nd January to 6th February 2001 was a great success and we thought it would only be fair to share a selection of some the highlights we all enjoyed on the tour. Recipes mentioned may be accessed by clicking on the link shown, you may also wish to click on an image for a larger view.
Photos
Like all good things, the tour came to an end and concluded with our group of smiling faces saying farewell in the foyer of the Taj Connemara hotel before heading off home. Pictured from left to right are: Ian (aka Herbie), Herbie's better half - Liz, Warren, Leonie, Amy, Belinda, Rachael, Jean, Gillian, Rolf, our fantastic guide (in our opinion the best in India) Johnson and our tour manager Manoj (who looked after us brilliantly, making sure all our transport, accommodation and connections went off without a hitch).
Should you be interested in joining us on a Spice Discovery Tour, please e-mail your expression of interest.
One of the more delightful aspects of the Spice Tour was not only enjoying the delicious Indian meals while travelling, but also collecting the recipes so we could make them when we arrived back home. Here is a selection of our favourite dishes which our intrepid group managed to connive, wheedle and beg from our various hosts. (Pearl Spot Fish buries its head in the sand and can be caught by the tail.) 2 onions, chopped 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon brown mustard seed 20 fresh curry leaves 2 teaspoons julienne strips fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed 2 teaspoons turmeric powder 4 pieces kokum soaked in ½ cup warm water 2 Tablespoons coconut oil - up to ½ cup salt to taste (2 teaspoons) 6 fillets Pearl Spot fish (or similar) Heat coconut oil and fry onions until brown. Add mustard, curry leaves, ginger and garlic and fry a little. Add spices, kokum water, tomatoes and simmer on low heat until reduced - about 30 minutes. NB Mustard seeds and spices may be fried separately and then added. Fry fillets of fish, drain and serve with masala gravy. (Serves 2-4) - collected by Rolf 4 pieces fish 8 small onions 4 green chillies 4 cloves garlic ½ teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon chilli powder ½ teaspoon brown mustard seed 4 pieces kokum ½ teaspoon fenugreek ½ fresh coconut, grated ½ teaspoon aniseed 2 curry leaves 2 teaspoons oil salt to taste Cut the fish into small pieces. Slice the onion and green chillies. Grind the coconut to a smooth paste with aniseed and garlic. Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add the fenugreek, onion and green chillies. Fry til onion is lightly brown. Add kokum and one cup water. Boil for a few minutes. Add the fish and salt, cook til the fish is done. Mix ground coconut with 1 cup water and add to the curry . Add curry leaves. Simmer and remove from the fire. Serve on hot rice. (Serves 2) 16 medium prawns 100g onions sliced 20g sliced green chilli 20g julienned fresh ginger 2 sprigs curry leaves (20-30 leaves) 2 cloves garlic in julienne strips 2 tomatoes, diced 200ml thick coconut milk ½ teaspoon turmeric powder salt to taste 50ml coconut oil Marinate the cleaned prawns in turmeric powder and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes. Heat coconut oil, add sliced onions, ginger, garlic, green chilli, tomatoes and curry leaves, and saute for 2 minutes. Add turmeric and saute for a further 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, stirring constantly. Add the prawns and simmer until cooked. Check seasoning, and garnish with fried curry leaves. Serve with Idiappam or Appam. Collected by Belinda 500 grams shelled and chopped green prawns 10 grams dried chilli flakes 20 grams chopped shallots ½ teaspoon chilli powder 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 100 grams sliced onions 10 grams sliced green chilli 15 grams julienne ginger 5 grams fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 250 grams tomatoes, sliced 20 curry leaves plus extra for garnish Crush half the chilli flakes, 6 curry leaves and shallots and mix with chopped prawns. Add salt and chilli powder, then form into balls or round flat shapes and fry. Heat oil, add fenugreek, mustard seeds and the remaining chilli flakes and cook until seeds pop. Saute chopped garlic, green chilli, ginger and onions. When lightly brown add sliced tomatoes, curry leaves and salt to taste. Cook until tomatoes have softened, and serve the masala over the prawn cakes. Garnish with fried curry leaves. As demonstrated in private home in Cochin 500g mixed vegetables (brinjal, pumpkin, cucumber, string beans, eggplant, yam, potato, drumstick, snake gourd etc as available) cut into long thick slices ¼ cup onions sliced into big pieces 4 green chillies, split lengthwise 6-10 curry leaves ½ teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds 3 cloves garlic 2 cups fresh coconut grated (or 2 cup desiccated coconut soaked in water for 5 minutes then squeezed to remove water) ½ cup plain yoghurt 1 Tablespoon coconut oil Place the vegetables, onions, chillies and curry leaves in a saucepan with ½ cup water and the turmeric and salt. Steam gently over low heat until vegetables are almost cooked. Puree the cumin, garlic and coconut in a blender to a rough paste, then add yoghurt. Add the coconut paste to the vegetables and continue to cook until done. Add the coconut oil before serving for flavour. As demonstrated in a private home in Cochin 2 cups coconut, finely shredded 1 cup fresh grated coconut 1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon salt 4 Tablespoons coconut oil 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds 20-30 fresh curry leaves Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan and add the cabbage, coconut, salt, chilli and coconut. Stir-fry for 5-10 minutes over medium heat - it's not necessary to stir all the time. When the cabbage is cooked, heat the remaining oil in a small pan. When it's hot, add the mustard and curry leaves and fry quickly, then add to the vegetables and serve. As demonstrated in a private home in Cochin 2 cups okra, sliced diagonally into slivers 1 large onion, sliced 1-2 long green chillies, sliced into slivers 2 Tablespoons coconut oil 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds ½ teaspoon turmeric 15-20 curry leaves Heat the oil and fry mustard seeds, turmeric and curry leaves. After one minute, add okra, onions and chillies and cook. As demonstrated in a private home in Cochin 1 ltr buttermilk 500ml coconut milk 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 fresh green chilli 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped 2 Tablespoons coconut oil 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds 15 curry leaves 3 whole dried red chillies Combine the buttermilk and coconut milk in a saucepan with the cumin, turmeric, green chilli and garlic. Bring to a gentle simmer. In a small pan, heat the coconut oil and when hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek, curry leaves and chillies. Fry quickly until seeds pop, then add to curd curry. Serve poured over rice like rasam. From Taj Connemara, Madras 800g fish fillets or cutlets 40ml lemon juice 2 teaspoons ginger/garlic paste 3 teaspoons turmeric 350ml oil Spice Mixture: 2 Tablespoons chilli powder 150g rice flour 40g besan flour (gram flour) salt to taste Marinate the fish in lemon, ginger/garlic paste, turmeric and salt. Stand for 30 minutes. Mix all the flour together with chilli powder and salt. Dust the fish, and shallow fry on a griddle. Serve with fried curry leaves. From Taj Connemara, Madras Chicken Supreme in black pepper typically cooked in Chettinad style 800g chicken breast, cubed 200g onion, chopped 150g tomato, chopped 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 4 teaspoons mild chilli powder 2 teaspoons turmeric 6 teaspoons coriander seed ground 8 teaspoons ground black pepper 3 teaspoons garam masala 60ml oil 3 teaspoons ginger/garlic paste chopped coriander leaves to garnish Heat oil in a cast iron wok (kadai), add the fennel and cumin, and fry until they crackle. Add chopped onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger/garlic paste and cook till the raw flavour has gone. Add turmeric, chilli, coriander and pepper and cook. For 30 seconds, then stir in chicken and cook until done. Add the garam masala and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves. |
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