A Heavenly Asian Cookbook

“If food doesn’t smell good, it doesn’t  taste good,” said Carol Selva Rajah. That’s what she learned from the Chinese amah who cared for her as a child. And that’s why her 10th and latest book is called “Heavenly Fragrance” (Periplus Editions; $39.95).

Rajah grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, where richly flavored food is commonplace. Her parents were Sri Lankan and Malaysian, introducing her early to these fascinating cuisines.

“People cooked with aromas. They stir-fried very slowly so they teased the aromas out,” she said during an appetizer party and book-signing at Tanzore in Los Angeles. Rajah, who now lives in Sydney, Australia, brought some seasonings with her, then borrowed others from the Indian spices on hand at Tanzore.

Her large, handsomely illustrated book is a wonderful guide to fresh and dried Asian ingredients. Although I use such things regularly, I found much to learn, and I would recommend the book to anyone interested in Asian cooking. especially that of Southeast Asia.

Gathering the ingredients may require trips to ethnic shops, but the effort will be worth it. There is plenty of inspiration in such recipes as tuna salad with green mango and papaya, Cambodian pineapple fish soup, plum sauce chicken wings baked in a flash and lemongrass and coconut creme caramel.

Cooking in Tanzore’s kitchen, Rajah produced a fragrant sampling of the book. The dish that especially intrigued me was an intricately-spiced eggplant sambal. Although the recipe seemed to require a lot of work—dry roasting and grinding two sets of spices—I tried it anyway. The procedure was straightforward and easy, rewarding me with clouds of exotic perfume.

In the book, Rajah suggests serving the sambal with baked ham, moussaka and crisp lettuce or with steamed or fried fish. But at Tanzore, she presented it as an appetizer, spooned on top of plain yogurt in a small glass. And that is the way I like it.

It's best to make the sambal the day before serving. This allows the seasonings to blend, and the flavor will be heavenly, to borrow a word from Rajah’s book.

EGGPLANT SAMBAL WITH BLACK MUSTARD AND CASHEWS
From “Heavenly Fragrance” by Carol Selva Rajah (Periplus)

Fish curry powder (see recipe below)
1 ½ pounds slender Asian eggplants
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons grated fresh turmeric root or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup light olive oil, for frying
¼ cup raw cashews, dry-roasted

Spice Paste:

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, dry-roasted
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, dry-roasted
2 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only
2 inches gingerroot, peeled and sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 onions, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fish curry powder
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
½ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar

First prepare the fish curry powder and set aside.

Cut the eggplants into 1-inch-thick slices. Combine the salt and turmeric in a small bowl and mix well. Brush the eggplant slices with the mixture and set aside for 10 minutes, then press between paper towels to dry them.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and in small batches, fry the eggplant slices over medium heat until light brown and tender. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels. Roast the cashews and set aside.

To prepare the spice paste, grind the cumin and fennel seeds in a spice grinder until fine. Discard the outer layers of the lemongrass and slice the inner part. Combine the roasted spices, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and onions and grind to a smooth paste in a mortar or food processor.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet, add the ground paste and sauté over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fish curry powder and sauté 1 minute longer.

Move the spice mixture to the sides of the pan, increase the heat to high and add the mustard seeds. Cook until they begin to pop, then combine them with the spice mixture and mix well. Stir in the ground red pepper, vinegar and sugar.

Add the cashews and fried eggplant slices and toss until the eggplant is coated well with the sauce, taking care not to tear the pieces. Adjust the seasonings and remove from heat. Serve hot or cold.

Makes 6 servings.

Fish Curry Powder:

3 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 dried finger-length red chiles, stems discarded, broken into pieces

In a small skillet, separately dry roast the coriander, fennel, fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds and the chiles until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes each. Let them cool and then grind all the spices to a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Store in a sealed jar, refrigerated or frozen.

Makes ½ cup.