12 hours Ago By Tony Tan
Victorian-based cooking expert Tony Tan has spent more than four decades cooking, eating, teaching and writing about the foods of Asia. Now he shares his lifetime of expertise and experience in Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class , a collection of more than 150 of his most popular and personal recipes from Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and beyond. From stir-fries to noodles, street foods to sweets, Tan’s recipes are known for their generosity, warmth and deliciousness.
“Among more contemporary flourishes there are also everyday dishes from across Asia,” he writes in the introduction. “Some are simple, requiring no more than a few ingredients and only a short time to prepare, while others are meant for occasions when you have a bit more time.” Here are three recipes to try at home.
Roti John This street food of minced beef or chicken with eggs slathered on French bread and fried is popular in Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. This simple and delicious sandwich made its debut back in the 1960s when there was a British naval base in Singapore. Apparently, while the soldiers were stationed in Singapore, they would stop at a stall selling bread and omelettes.
According to legend, as the stallholder saw all British soldiers as more or less the same, he would ask them this question: ‘Roti, John?’ Every British serviceman was referred to as John. Regardless of its origin, it really is a joy to eat. I’m surprised it hasn’t caught on in the West.
INGREDIENTS METHOD Serves 4 Garam masala Meaning hot spices, garam masala has many regional variations and every home has its family recipe. It is added towards the end of the cooking process. Packaged garam masala is a pale imitation of homemade blends.
Many recipes call for black cumin or shah zeera, aka royal cumin, which is often confused with nigella seeds. My recipe uses regular cumin to avoid this confusion. Some cooks dry-roast the spices separately before grinding them to a powder, but I don’t.
INGREDIENTS METHOD Mushroom dumplings with curry oil This is a dish I created some years ago when a vegetarian friend dropped by unexpectedly for dinner. In my panic, I chopped up some mushrooms, fried them with aromats, chilled the mix, then folded it into dumplings. Once I pulled them out of the water, I tossed them with some fragrant curry oil I’d made earlier and the rest is history.
The mushroom stuffing also works perfectly with a firm cheese such as a good cheddar, or firm beancurd, which you can add to the mix. INGREDIENTS Mushroom dumpling filling Curry oil METHOD Serves 6-8 Thai curry duck dumplings This dumpling came about by accident. I had leftover duck curry in the fridge one day and, because it was slightly gelatinous, I thought I could add extra gelatine to make the sauce thicker, then stuff it into dumplings.
I put teaspoonfuls of the curry into gow gee wrappers, then poached them. It was a hit with friends. Foie gras shavings are a marvellous topping for this dumpling.
INGREDIENTS Duck curry filling Curry sauce METHOD Makes 20 This is an edited extract from Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $59.99. Photography by Mark Roper.
Meet Tony Tan Join Tony Tan at the Sydney launch of his new cookbook, Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class , at Paski Vineria Popolare in Darlinghurst on Monday, October 28 for a four-course “Italy meets Asia” set menu inspired by Tan’s recipes from across south-east Asia. $100 per person (includes signed copy of Tan’s cookbook; excludes drinks), dinner bookings via OpenTable.
