Try saying that ten times while eating a malty muffin.
I love malted milk, especially on a cold evening when its too late to eat and too early to go to bed feeling hungry. When this happens I often make myself a tall glass of malted milk with extra malt powder sprinkled on top for added crunch. The milk is cold or hot depending on the season.

For me, the flavour and aroma of malted milk is comforting and brings back memories of being a little kiddie when the only hot beverage my sister and I were allowed to have was either Milo or Horlicks. My sister was a Milo fan, and I preferred Horlicks, although we would also have milo eating competitions when the opportunity arose (read: Mum was out of house).

Recently I’ve been wanting to have very simple flavours in my food. Nothing overly spicey or rich. Polenta, yoghurt, rice pudding; even baby cereal which is essentially made of rice flour and maize. Of course a girl can’t live on polenta alone, especially when you have friends coming over for brunch and you also want something which resembles cake, but without the fuss. So I decided that baking a batch of muffins would be a good compromise for this situation, especially one which had a solo ingredient; no raspberries, no rhubarb, no quince, no cacao nibs - just malt powder.

Malt Milk Muffins
(Makes 12 large muffins)

• 1 1/2 cups of self raising flour (sifted)
• 3/4 cup of malt powder (Horlicks)
• 1/2 cup of firmly packed light brown sugar
• 125 grams (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter (very soft)
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• extra malt powder for sprinkles

Preheat oven to 190C and line a muffin tray with paper liners. Make sure the butter is very soft. If it is hard, you can microwave, however do not completely melt.

Combine flour, malt powder and sugar well. Add butter and rub until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add milk until you have a thick muffin batter.

Fill paper lined muffin tray with batter. Each muffin should be filled only 3/4 full. Sprinkle with extra malt (for added crunch) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Muffins are ready when they spring back and are golden. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

[If you like stories about such things as nut honey and pomegranate molasses read on. If not scroll down for a short slide show, and click on the image to reveal a short description]

Is it possible to spend a morning shopping with a handful of foodies and return home with two bags filled with many many good things, only to write a list of items you didn’t buy, but hope to on your next return?

After a mini gastronomic tour of Auburn, Sydney’s little Turkey I returned home thinking about the many items I left behind. You see, I have one simple rule for these foodie excursions; bring as many shopping bags that you are willing to carry. I knew I’d be faced with big decisions on Saturday; there would be boxes of turkish delight, bottles of jams and nut honey, fresh turkish bread, dondurma, nuts, legumes, sweets to consider. Those jars multiply quickly when you are faced with such options as quince or red currant. And if you are swayed with neat bags of legumes and grains then it is easy to see that a few bags could easily weigh a girl down. So I folded up two black canvas bags with every intention of filling it up with some goodies. An easy amount to carry when I also knew that the day was going to end with dondurma.

I met up with Bowb, Helen, Sarah and Sue at a sweet shop. We walked along Auburn Road; stopping intermittently for za’attar on fresh bread, bánh mì, and a look-see here and there. But we had plans for turkish delight and I had told the girls about Arzum Market which I had been to only a couple of times.

To get from Auburn Road we crossed a few streets and went over a bridge to Station Street for sweet things. RT Delight used to have one store front with a neon light which beamed the words Authentic Turkish Delight at all hours of the day. The neon sign is still there, but the business which started in 1974 has expanded considerably. It now includes a swish front shop with glass cabinets filled with truffles, creme chocolates and many forms of turkish delight. I came away with two chocolate truffles and a box of hazelnut and coconut turkish delight which is being savoured very slowly with black tea as I write this. The truffles were good and the turkish delight which comes wrapped in plastic and boxed was just alright. If you do want fabulous turkish delight and happen to be in the area; may I suggest Byblos Pastry in Lidcombe. Their turkish delight comes in big cubes (you may be tempted to use it as a small paper weight) and studded with pistachio pieces.

Next we ventured down Rawson Road where two girls dressed in faux fur hooded coats were eating ice cream from the new parlour on the corner. One was balancing a full shopping trolley and eating her ice cream at the same time. I admired her tenacity and dedication to her cone and shopping. I looked at my folded black canvas bags with mild shame secretly wishing I lived in a city where shopping carts are the norm and not just for nana’s.

Arzum Market is amazing and by far one of my new favourite places to shop. You may feel slightly overwhelmed when you enter as there are many many good things on show. As I walked in with Bowb I was swayed this way and that with a spread of noveltly treats. Such things called puffs, browni, kolumbo, bananko. See it is easy to be swayed just by the names! I eventually left all these behind, determined not to give into sugar just yet. I ventured to the far end of the shop where bags of legumes and spices can be found. I was tempted to buy so many jams, but I have flashes of the overpopulated shelves at home so I only picked one jam and one honey. Eventually I came away with the following:

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As I walked up the path to my building on Friday I saw a courier van parked by the front entrance, and up the three flights of stairs The Boy was signing for a parcel. “It’s for you” he said from abive. A delivery for a girl is always a nice thing, and it was a lovely suprise for a week which has been full of long hours and late nights.

Nia had kindly packaged up a trio of altoids flavours; ginger, peppermint and cinnamon, two aprons from Anthropologie which I’ve fondly named flora and fauna respectively and a newspaper cut out from the Sunday Styles from a few months ago which had a mugshot of yours truly.

I have already popped open the cinnamon altoids, which are delicious. I took Nia’s advice and popped two in a cup of strong black tea and had myself a curiously minty spiced beverage. Yum! Later today I want to put the ginger altoids to use; perhaps in a baked treat of some sort.

Thank you Nia for giving me a fabulous start to the weekend!

It was a grey autumn day last Saturday when I stepped out to meet a friend for a breakfast of yum cha. Breakfast turned out to be brunch by the time the trains decided to turn up, but ride over the bridge was well worth the plethora of dumplings at Kam Fook.

The day reminded me of my time in New York; the last leg of my trip in 2004 with dark grey skies and chilly autumn day threatened our intentions of an excursion outdoors. After a big bowl of home made congee and we decided to walk off a nattering hangover when we came across Beard Papa’s while turning the corner at Astor Place. We needed warmth; and there was something about the bearded old man with a smoking pipe which enticed us into the store. Awaiting us inside was a whole store devoted to custard cream puffs; and so the grey clouds were left behind in place of golden ones. Almost two years later, I still remember the first bite of the vanilla cream puff; crisp choux pastry and a creamy, not too sweet custard centre. It was so tasty, that we returned later in the day with more friends in tow, to procure some treats for afternoon tea. Back at home were were able to get an antiquated espresso machine hot enough for three shots of coffee. Good times.

On Saturday I had every intention to re-visit that lingering memory of a crumbly pastry and creamy custard centre, to be devoured in a heart beat or savoured ever so politely; depending on my mood. The maze that is Chatswood makes it a difficult find; but thanks to Helen’s directions I only have my post yum cha coma to blame. The kiosk front is bright with spot lights and the logo of the famous pipe smoking grandpa, with friendly smirk brings back those fond memories. Luckily there isn’t a line, and the enthusiastic counter girl is welcoming and soon chirps; “How many would you like; 1 for $2.50 or 6 $12.00?” I sheepishly reply that two chocolate and four vanilla is what I’d like; and as she taps away at the register she tells her right hand man the flavour combinations for the next box of cream puffs. The righ hand man uses a contraption to pump the already baked choux puffs with vanilla or chocolate custard, and a second counter hand sprinkles icing sugar or cocoa on the puffs and packs the delicate puffs into their boxes. The vanilla is by far my favourite because of its subtle sweetness. And the chocolate suprises me; as I was expecting a faux flavour; instead it is rich enough not be over powering. I wonder if one could request a custom puff; of both chocolate and vanilla?

Beard Papa’s people are all dressed in pristine white uniforms and yellow neck tie. I quite like their pastry chef hats; thinking one in red would go so well with my polka dot apron at home. But the item I spy enviously are the industrial sized ovens, baking trays full of choux pastry. Just imagine the possibilities! The whole process is faultless, even though one of my chocolate cream puffs has turned into a vanilla while sitting in the blue and yellow stripped box. Not to mind though; the vanilla is the preferred choice for my dinner guests later in the evening, while we try to warm ourselves with a brew of coffee watching a slideshow of New York in 2004.

Beard Papa’s Sweets
K353a Chatswood Westfield
1 Anderson Street, Chatswood, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9412 2214

As a child I would grimace and make a fuss at the sight of fish curry on the menu, which I am sure frustrated my Mother beyond belief after she spent an afternoon cooking for her family. It wasn’t that I didn’t like fish because I I quite enjoyed grilled or fried fish. You see, the type fish used for curry would slow the enjoyment of my meal as I’d spend time ‘fishing’ about for those small sharp bones, invisible to the naked eye, especially a naked and hungry eye. The prospect of a bone finding itself as part a mouthful of rice and curry brought fear to my little foodie loving heart. So much so that up until the age of twelve, my Mother would de-bone the fish after it had been cooked into a Sri Lankan style curry. This kind act would entice my Sister and I into trying the curry, which we would enjoy with gusto once there was no longer a threat of a bone lodging in our throats.

If you’ve ever been unlucky to have this happen; then you know the feeling of both fear and frustration. It starts with a little tickle in your throat and then a sharp prick, which can bring an otherwise tasty meal to a grinding halt. To this day I am still slightly fearful of a repeat occurance back when I was four years old and living in Sri Lanka when a rogue fishbone, so microscopic lodged itself in my wee throat. I remember the scratching of my throat with proceeded with a coughing fit. My poor Mother’s frantic efforts to have me drink big gulps of water and eat plain rice only coerced the bone to settle in a nook of my throat. I remember sitting very still at the family dining table after a rather dramatic lunch; ,not moving to talking for a while, only waiting for the tiny spike to move and make the rest of its journey to my stomach. Eventually it did, and after some time I too overcame my fear of fish bones.

In Sri Lankan cuisine; there are various ways to make fish curry; using different species of fish. There are dry curries such as Ambul Thiyal which uses the segments of a fruit called goraka* or tamarind pulp as a substitute. The goraka or tamarind creates a sour flavouring which when cooked with vinegar, chilli, garlic and cinnamon creates a tangy and dry curry almost dark chocolate in colour. Another type of curry is a ‘wet’ curry, which still uses some tamarind along with coconut milk to bring about the gravy. Many recipes for Sri Lankan fish curry will call for large fish steaks with the main bone intact. According to my Mother the bones add flavour and provide support to cut of fish while it boils and simmers away in the spicey liquid. I tend to use leather jacket (boney, yet tasty) or spanish mackerel (easily visible bones, fleshy and tasty) for curries, cut into serving size portions.

The fish curry I cooked up over the weekend is somewhat similar to ones I grew up eating and eventually enjoying once I overcame by phobia for fish bones. The recipe is from a cookbook called Hot Food which is part of a series of A5 sized books on various cooking themes. The small difference from Sri Lankan recipes is that all the aromatics and spices are combined into a marinade of sorts and is left to mingle for thirty minutes. To be honest I couldn’t really tell the difference; although it seemed to intensify the tamarind abit more during the frying component. I did adapt the recipe for a more healthy version, reducing the amount of oil (original recipe called for the fish to marinate in a oil mixture), limiting the frying in a small amount of oil, and also swapping coconut cream for natural yoghurt; which probably changes the title from Bombay Style Fish Curry to Previously Known as Bombay Style Fish Curry. The changes still made for a nicely flavoured and creamy fish dish, which I hope you’ll try.

Fish Curry with Yoghurt
Adapted from Hot Food
Serves 4

3 medium fish steaks of Spanish Mackerel, cut into quarters
4 fresh red chilli (finely sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 small knob of ginger (crushed)
1/2 teaspoon of ground tumeric
1/2 teassponn of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of chiili powder
1 tablespoon of tamarind puree
salt to taste
vegetable oil for frying
5 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
3 tablespoon of torn coriander leaves

Combine the fresh chilli, garlic, ginger, spices, tamarind and salt and 125ml of water and in a large bowl. Add quartered fish portions and spoon the mixture over the fish. Turn the fish over, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a large frypan and enough oil to coat the surface of the pan. You may add more oil if you wish, however I found coating the surface to be healthier option. Fry the fish in batches for 1 minute on each side. Once all of the fish is cooked, reduce the head and return all portion to the pan. Add remaining spice mixture and cook for 8 - 12minutes. Once again move fish to a serving dish. Return to the fry pan, turning heat off. Add yoghurt to the curry gravy and stir through, then pour over fish. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with boil basmati rice and dahl. Enjoy!

* also known as Malabar Tamaring. I use tamarind in place of goraka as it is easily accessible in spice shops in Sydney.