Chanterelle Mushrooms on Parsnip Puree

I have just received the first fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms of the season. Not that we have a season here in Maldives, nor do we have wild mushrooms, everything is flown in. But still, it is autumn in Europe so the mushroom season has started.

Today I show you more an Amuse, a teaser, than a full portion, but of course you can just make a full portion and serve it as a main course. I served it in Just Veg, our pure vegetarian restaurant.

I have mixed the mushrooms a little with White Shimeji mushrooms, they are very tender and soft in flavor, going well with the other ingredients.

Parsnip is of course one of my favorite vegetables, it is simply delicious. It is actually very close to carrots and Parsley, just the flavor of it is absolutely tremendous. I cook it this time as a puree, but one can easily roast it in the oven or use it like any other root vegetable.

So here is the recipe for 10 friends

Recipe
400 g (15 oz) Chanterelle Mushrooms
400 g (15 oz) Shimeji Mushrooms
75 g (3 oz) Shallots
75 g (3 oz) Butter
Salt
Pepper

500 g (1.1 lb) Parsnip
100 ml ( 3.5 oz) Cream
Salt
Pepper, white

Micro Herbs
Cepe Powder

Method
Peel the parsnip, put in a pot and add water till it is nearly covered. Salt slightly
simmer till nearly soft
Add cream, again till the parsnip is nearly covered
Simmer till parsnip is very soft
Blend in a Thermomix, till very fine
Put through a sieve, season if necessary

Clean the mushrooms nicely, wash them just before using them, never wash them too early
Heat the butter till slightly noisette
Add the finely cut shallots
Saute the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper

Plate the parsnip puree,than add the mushrooms
Garnish with micro herbs

Breakfast: Fried Egg Dosa with Potato Curry

Again I have taken a fabulous idea from Australian Gourmet Traveler and have implemented it here with us as an a la carte breakfast. The Fried Egg Dosa with Potato Curry. Dosa is a traditional Indian pan cake, completely gluten free which is great. The flour is actually made with rice and lentils which originally get soaked over night and then ground to a paste. Yogurt is added and then it get "fermented over night in the fridge.

Sounds like a lot of work? Yes you are right it is But luckily we live in a time of convenience products and you can buy a Dosa Premix in most good Indian Grocers. Then you just follow the instruction on the packet....hopefully there is an English translation....

The curry is a very simple curry and on top of that a dry curry, so there is no sauce. But it is delicious and fills your tummy.

I usually just fry the Dosa, do my eggs on the side, then top the finished Dosa with the eggs and potato curry, generously sprinkle with freshly grated Coconut and then put a lot of fresh Coriander on top and Voila, you got a great and different Breakfast.

Do I just eat it for Breakfast? No, for sure not. I can eat the Dosa anytime of the day, but that is just because I like it at any time of the day.

Recipe

250 g Dosa Mix
170 ml Water

1 kg Potatoes
50 g Ghee
100 g Shallots
25 g Garlic

20 g Chili, green
20 g Mustard Seeds
20 g Curry Leaves
20 g Masala mix

100 g Fresh Coconut, grind
30 g Coriander, fresh
3 ea Lime wedges

10 ea Eggs

Method
Peel and cut the potatoes in cubes
Put in sauce pan, cover with water and bring to the boil
Simmer till al dente
Pour off the water

Cut Shallots and garlic in fine slices
Heat ghee and saute shallots, garlic and chili till caramelized
Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and masala mix
Saute another 2 minutes
Add the potatoes and toss quickly

Fry the Dosa on a crepe pan
Fry the eggs separately

Put a Dosa on the plate, add egg and potato curry
Generously sprinkle with coconut and coriander
Serve with lime wedges

Asparagus and Shiitake Omelette

You are absolutely right, I am on a complete Breakfast trip, but then I have to admit, I love Breakfast (and Lunch, and Dinner, and all the nibbles between the meals). But at the moment I am totally into Breakfast.

This Breakfast is very much with an Asian touch, the sauce served is with black bean sauce, chicken stock and then the omelet is topped with pickled cucumbers and soy bean. I haven't added any chili as I am not too much into spiciness, but if you like, just add some red chilies, it will not just look great but taste great too.

The breakfast is very easy to do, the stock can be prepared in advance and to make it easier, you can just cook the shiitake mushrooms in the stock and then pour over the omelet.

The asparagus needs to be quickly blanched, but make sure it is still nice and crisp when serving. I like to use as well white asparagus, it is just different and really, really nice.

The cucumbers are marinated a la minute, basically do them at the beginning, then make a cup of coffee, then prepare the recipe. By the time you want to serve the omelet, the cucumbers will be marinated to perfection

Of course you can always take this recipe and use it for a light lunch or even dinner, it is easily prepared and I usually keep the stock in small bags in the freezer, so it is always available

Recipe

Omelette
20 ea Eggs
100 g Shiitake Mushrooms
50 ml Vegetable oil
150 g Asparagus green
150 g Asparagus white
100 g Bean Sprouts

Pickled Cucumber
250 g Cucumber
25 ml Sushi Vinegar
25 g Sugar, white

Black bean Sauce
50 ml Vegetable oil
50 g Ginger
10 g Red Chili
50 g Black Beans
25 ml Rice Wine
250 ml Chicken stock
25 ml Light Soy Sauce
25 g Sugar white

Method
Peel the cucumber and cut in thin long strips
Mix vinegar and sugar
Add cucumbers and marinate for 15 minutes

Cut ginger and chili in julienne
heat oil and toss ginger and chili quickly
Add blackbeans, stir for another minute
Add all th other ingredients and bring to the boil

Blanch the aspargus
Heat oil and toss sliced shiitake mushrooms
Add eggs and stir quickly to form and omelette
When half cooked add some asparagus in the middle
Finish the cooking gently
Roll the omelette
Plate the omelette in a deep plate
Pour some broth on it
Garnish with pickled cucumabers and bean sprouts

Brunch: Scallops, Chorizo and fried Eggs

Something different for Breakfast, Scallops and Chorizo, something that actually goes really well together. And yes it goes really well for breakfast or a brunch.

Is it my idea? No it is not so I can't take credit for this brilliant combination. I saw it in the Australian Gourmet Traveller, a magazine that I love since many years and have found a lot of inspiration, so here it is, the credit goes to Australian Gourmet Traveler.......thank you very much

This dish is part of the new Breakfast menu, and it is already one of the favorite dishes I am happy that it sells well. The breakfast is a lot busier than expected, I thought the guests would still prefer to go to the buffet where we have a huge choice of food, but no, our guests in the pool villas seem to enjoy the tranquility of having breakfast up at Sunset Restaurant

So without further ado, here is the recipe

Recipe
1 kg Sour Dough Bread
75 ml (3 oz) EV Olive Oil

20 ea Eggs
50 ml (2 oz) Oil
50 ml (2 oz) Butter

400 g (14 oz) Scallops
200 g (7 oz) Chorizo dried

100 g (3.5 oz) Coriander
Maldon Salt
Pepper black

Method
Cut the bread in 1.5 cm thick slices and toast on both sides in olive oil

Heat the oil and butter, fry 2 eggs at the time

Grill the scallops (2 per person)
Cut the Chorizo in 7 mm cubes and fry till crisp

Put the fried egg on the toast
Top with the grilled scallops and Chorizo

Generously garnish with fresh coriander
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and Maldon Salt

Serves 10 friends

Breakfast: Potato, Leek and Gruyere Tart with poached egg

Trust me, here in the Maldives we are absolutely rocking. We just opened our new Restaurant Outlet, Marrakesh, now just 2 weeks later we are starting a new a la carte Breakfast outlet. We decided that the guests of our Pool Suites should have something special, after all the Pool Suites cost nearly double of a normal suite. So we decided to have something like an Executive Lounge just for them.

Here one can have Breakfast in tranquility, sitting outside beside the pool, everything is possible. The best thing is, one does not have to go and choose the goods from the buffet, no, here the buffet comes to the table. Fruit, Cheese, smoked fishes and Pastries are served family style, then the hot breakfast is a la carte.

The first Breakfast is a delicious Potato, Leek and Gruyere Tart with a poached Egg and Garden Greens. Simply delicious and relatively easy to prepare.

The Gruyere Tart can actually be made in advance and can be frozen, then you just defrost the Tart and bake it up again.

Of course you can as well use this dish for a lunch or a brunch..... anything is possible. I always think of Asia where there is no continental Breakfast as we know it, yes there are breakfast dishes, but not like we have in the Western World

Anyway, let's not talk too much, here is the recipe and enjoy

Recipe

Dough
300 g Flour
135 g Butter
6 g Salt
120 ml Water

Filling
150 g Leeks
30 g Onions
10 g Garlic
150 g Potatoes
100 g Gruyere Cheese
120 ml Cream
120 ml Milk
3 ea Eggs
1 g Nutmeg
4 g Salt
2 g Pepper

Poached Egg
10 ea Eggs
1 l Water
50 ml Vinegar

Garden Greens
100 g Mesclun Lettuce
50 g Baby Carrots
50 g Green Asparagus
70 ml EV Olive Oil
30 ml Balsamic Vinegar

Method
Mix all ingredients for the dough quickly
Keep in the fridge at least 2 hours, best overnight
before using
Roll the dough 3 mm thick, cut round discs and put in Individual quiche forms, punch holes with a fork and freeze
Bake at 180 C straight from the freezer till half baked

Cut the leeks in small cubes
Cut the onions in brunoise
Chop the garlic finely
Peel the potatoes and boil till soft
Saute the vegetables in butter, add potatoes
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg

Beat egg, milk and cream till well mixed
Season withsalt and pepper

Put the vegetables in the quiches, pour Royale on top
Bake in the oven at 180 C till golden brown and baked

Bring the water and vinegar to a boil
Take the pan off the heat
Give the water a swirl and add one egg at the time
Poach to your desired cooking temperature

Plate the tart, put the poached egg on top
Cut the carrots and asparagus in fine slivers
Plate the salad next to the tart and drizzle with oil and vinegar

Recipe is for 10 friends

A taste of Morocco: Potatoes Maekouda

We have just opened a new restaurant in the hotel, called Marrakesh. and of course being a beautiful city in Morocco, we are serving Moroccan snacks and delicacies together with traditional tea and coffee and of course Shisha.

The restaurant is absolutely beautiful, being situated next to our Liquid Bar, one can relax on the carpets and sofas, the swimming pool in front, and then of course the waves splashing against the rock, really a relaxing place to be

When it comes to the food, we went as authentic as possible, our two Moroccan chefs really worked hard to get everything ready on time and after the food tasting, a first evening with all the senior management and a pre-opening cocktail party, we are starting today with being open to our hotel guests.

To make the dish of today is really, really easy. It is basically mashed potatoes flavored with some braised onions, then crumbed and deep fried. Like this you will get a deliciously light interior with the crispy and crunchy outer part

You can easily do that in advance and freeze, just do the crumbing a la minute, then fry immediately and serve 

Recipe
1 kg Potatoes
100 g Onions
10 g Salt
2 g Pepper, white, ground
3 ea Eggs
150 g Panko Crumbs
100 g Flour

Method
Peel the potatoes and boil in salt water till soft
Dry the potatoes in the oven a bit
Put them through a potato masher
Chop the onions finely and fry in olive oil without color, then mix with the potatoes and season
Form discs of about 50 g each
Beat the eggs
Put potatoes in flour, then eggs, then crumbs
Deep fry and serve immediately

Indian Cuisine: Masala Kulcha

Today we have another Indian Recipe of a dish we serve in our Vegetarian Restaurant, Masala Kulcha, the Indian breads which are baked in an oven, or Tandoor. To work on a Tandoor takes a lot of stamina, the heat is absolutely excruciating and then to "glue" the bread on the side of the Tandoor....is just really really burning hot. Trust me, I have put my hand and arm in a Tandoor and all my hairs on my fore arm where singed off.....

So I have my utmost respect for the chefs working on the Tandoor and what they do is absolutely delicious, but why would I give a recipe that requires a Tandoor? Because you can do it in your oven as well....maybe not as perfect, but try it, because you will see it does work.

It is just really important that to oven is very, very hot, I mean burning hot. The you put your baking tray in the oven, making sure it gets piping hot as well. The you take the dough, pull it a bit and then you slap it around with your hands, a bit like a Pizzaiolo does, just your dough is like a miniature Pizza Dough

Then you bast it quickly with some Ghee, which is simply clarified butter, add the chopped herbs and you bake it quickly. It might not be perfect, but I am sure you will get a good result.

When it comes to the topping of the breads, be creative, garlic goes well, plain is always delicious, or add ground pepper and spices!

Ingredients
Plain Flour- 500-600g
Oil- 3tbsp
Yogurt- 1 cup (lukewarm)
Sugar-1tsp
Yeast- 1 ½ tsp
Baking Powder- ½ tsp
Salt- To taste
Chopped onion
Chopped chilli
Chopped ginger
Onion seeds

Method 
Take the flour in a large bowl.
Add the yogurt, milk, sugar, baking powder, 1 tbsp oil and some salt to it.
Now add some water and the yeast to the same mixture.
Prepare a dough and leave it to rest for at least two hours.
Now take the dough and make small balls out of it.
Roll it out thinly and slap the dough between your hands a bit like a mini Pizza
Stuck all the chopped masala on top of small ball, with touch of oil
Cook in tandoor or in the hot oven and serve hot with applying salted ghee.

Vegan Cuisine: Punjabi Samosa

Yes we are going Vegan for a change, but in a way that it is amazingly tasty and anyone would enjoy it, not just Vegans.

OK, I have to admit that I usually use Ghee (clarified butter) and a little yogurt in the dough but it is easily left away and as tasty as if one uses Ghee. One can as well substitute with Soy Milk

There is a lot of Indian Vegan Cuisine, it is amazing to see the range of vegetarian and vegan dishes cooked in India. So we have brought some of it in our Restaurant called Just Veg.......as the name says, we do only serve vegetarian cuisine there and even in the kitchen, no meat of fish will be prepared.

Just Veg is the first and only Vegetarian Restaurant in Maldives and is part of the All-Inclusive Plan of Atmosphere Kanifushi, a relatively new hotel that is not even one year old. But the restaurant has already fetched honors in England when it was voted one of the top 10 restaurants in Maldives by Travelogy, a top Travel Agency in the UK, and something that we are very proud of.

Towards the end of the month we will get a Guest chef here, I am not telling you much yet, but yes he has a Michelin Star, he comes from Milano, Italy and the restaurant is Vegetarian.....not many of them have a Michelin star

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Carom Seeds
Warm Water as required
Salt to taste

For Stuffing:
500 gm Potatoes - Boiled, Peeled and Mashed
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Ginger Finely Chopped
2 tsp Green Chili Finely Chopped
1/2 cup Onion Finely Chopped
½ tbsp Red Chili Powder
2 tbsp Fried Cashew Nuts - Finely Chopped
1 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves
½ cup Green Peas, Boiled ½ tbsp
Dry Mango Powder
1 tbsp Oil

Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Method
Take a bowl. Add flour, salt, carom seeds, oil and mix well.
Knead a firm dough using warm water Heat oil in a pan.
Add cumin seeds when its splutter add ginger, green chili, onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes
Add red chili powder, garam masala, salt, dry mango powder, peas and mix well
Add mashed potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat
Add fresh coriander, fried cashew nuts and mix well. Keep aside
Take one lemon size dough and spread into a thin circle.
Cut it into half and make a cone of half circle with the help of water
Take a some portion of potato filling and place it in the middle of cone and close the cone with the help of water
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry samosa on medium heat.
Serve hot

Reef Fish on Zucchini, Red Capsicum Sauce

Just a quick light dish for lunch, I put the dish on the buffet but it goes perfectly well as a light lunch, it is filling, looking good on the plate and has no starch, so we can cut a bit on the carbs.

Reef fish for me is the obvious choice as I get it around 3 times a week fresh from the fishermen, often I get fresh Tuna as well, so fresh that we use it straight for Sashimi, what a dream. But we are not talking about Sashimi today, we are talking a nice Mediterranean dish.

By the way, did you know that all the fish in Maldives is caught by line? No nets are allowed for the fishing so the Eco Balance is still there, OK, not like 50 years ago, but at least it is not too over fished. Except the Lobster, unfortunately the consumption is too high and there is less and less lobster available, but it is really good to know that the fishermen are taking care of the environment with the way they are fishing

The Capsicum sauce is most probably the one part of the recipe that takes the longest to cook, but I usually make enough and then freeze it as it is so versatile and can be used in anything, I even make salad dressings with it. All you do is take the red peppers, cut the pips and the green out and simmer in water with a little salt till they are very soft.. By then the water has reduces to about half. Then I simply blend it, strain it through a fine mesh sieve and put it back in the pan. The I blend it up with some really good olive oil, season and finish

If I want to freeze the sauce, I just leave the olive oil away and freeze it pure, like that I can just take what I need and blend up with the oil.

The Zucchini are simply cut in slices, then I rub them in olive oil (really good olive oil), salt and coarse pepper. As for the salt, I like to use a coarse salt like the Maldon Sea Salt. The I make sure I have some fresh Thyme and a bit garlic, finely sliced.

I just quickly grill the Zucchini and keep them warm while I fry the fish in olive oil, or simply grill it.

The plating is great and honestly, it is not much work at all, but the dish will make your family happy or your guest say wow.......

Recipe for 10 friends

2 kg Reef Fish
800 g Zucchini
50 ml Olive oil
10 g Salt
5 g Pepper
5 Twigs Thyme

700 g Capsicum red
10 g Garlic
100 g Onions
6 g Salt
3 g Pepper
100 ml Olive oil

Method
Clean the capsicum, making sure no pips are left
Peel onion and garlic and cut in small pieces
Combine in a pot and add water till nearly covered
Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil
Simmer till very soft, blend and strain

Cut the zucchini in 1 cm thick slices
Season with olive oil salt, pepper and thyme
Fry on both sides till golden brown

Season the fish and pan fry or grill with olive oil 
Just before serving mix up the capsicum sauce with olive oil to give it a smooth consistency

The dish on the buffet

Beef Tartar with Salmon Roe

I always feel that Amuses or Amuse Bouche are such an important part of a meal. It is the business card from the kitchen, the little surprise that gets the guests going, the start of a great meal.

As the name says it already the Amuse Bouche is a bit like a teaser to the taste buts, the preview of things to come. I have eaten in some of the best restaurants in France where the kitchen would serve even an Amuse for the desserts, the pastry liking to show off as well.

The beef tartar is actually a very easy to make amuse. At the same time it is a dish I would only eat in a reputable restaurant as it has its dangers when eating raw meat. It really has to be super fresh and the hygienic conditions in the kitchen have to be top

I like to mix in some different flavors so this time I added some salmon roe and crème fraiche. All together it is a lovely experience of the meat flavors, the saltiness of the roe and the creaminess of the crème fraiche

Here is the recipe for 4 friends (starter portion)

320 g Beef fillet or any other lean and tender cut

50 g Onions

10 g Garlic

25 g Spring onions

10 g Mustard (Moutarde de Meaux)

Salt

Pepper

10 ml Olive oil

60 g Salmon Roe

40 g Crème Fraiche

Method

Cut the meat in very fine cubes, I prefer it like this as you have more texture to the dish.

Chop the onions and garlic very fine

Cut the spring onions

Mix the meat with all ingredients except the roe and crème fraiche

Season to taste

Plate the tartar in small rings

Garnish with roe and crème fraiche

Optionally garnish the tartar with a sweet potato chip and or a small salad

Sunday Brunch at the Peninsula in Makati

Sometimes you have to treat yourself to something very special, something like a Sunday Brunch at The Peninsula in Makati, Manila. There are of course many great places to have a Brunch, but we thought to start with the Peninsula.

The hotel is already impressive but what impressed me most was that when we drove into the garage, the security came immediately as our car was too high, they guided us in a special parking slot that we could after our Brunch drive out again the same way......which we did and they made sure nobody would drive down while we are on the "wrong" road......now that is service and friendliness, the Brunch already started really good.

We were a little early so had time to browse through hotel, shopping is not great and sort of done like an after thought.....but there is a small pastry shop with home baked goods, yummy that is for sure.

While browsing we walked into the most amazing cupcake trolley and they had these little lollipops....chocolate pralines on stick, just amazing

The buffet is huge, the choice is amazing. It actually spreads over 2 restaurants, one having the more traditional Asian and Filipino dishes and the other the more continental, international dishes

There are plenty of action station, the chefs are busy at work, but at the same time looking well after the guests. They still have time to explain the food and chat to the guests.

The Pizza Station is another highlight, there is not just the normal Pizza but a sweet one as well and it looked absolutely delicious

Eating Brunch is a long and slow affair. You don't go there to have a quick bite to eat, no; you want to take your time and sample a bit of everything. I started with some continental cold meats, Oysters and smoked Salmon, all was of top quality, the cold meat on the photo is Bresaula, one of my absolute favorites!!!! It comes from the Valtellina region and is air dried beef.

Then I went on to try the Sashimi. There is a swell Sushi, but for me the rice fills my tummy too fast, so I skipped the Sushi. Sashimi was delicious with really fresh Tuna and Salmon

Then a main course, roast Prime Rib was so juicy and tender and a little Pork Belly, nice and crispy.

Then a bit of Tempura, Calamari were tender and overall great and crispy

No meal is complete with some cheese. I love cheese but have to say that the cheese selection was a bit disappointing. Never mind, it was still nice and the Croissant was fantastic. I love a good Croissant with a bit Brie

And then of course the desserts. I do have a sweet tooth and must say that I could have gone wild and have a lot more, but after all the great food I already had, I think I would have popped

There was still a little space, so I did go for seconds.....with a lovely cup of coffee, the Berry Panna Cotta was super light and delicious

So overall it was amazing. If you go, take the Champagne Brunch package, then you can wash down the delicacies with Moet et Chandon, something that is hard to beat. 

Spaetzle, the German Dumpling

Yes we cook something German.....no not just German, we do it of course in Switzerland too and it can as well be found in Austria, but the name Spaetzle is from Germany, southern Germany.

The big difference between the German and the Swiss variety is mainly the shape. Everything else is the same. The main ingredients are Flour, Eggs, Milk, Nutmeg and a bit Salt and Pepper. OK, the batter of the German variety is slightly thinner as it has to be "scratched of a board into the boiling Salt Water whereas the Swiss version is a little thicker and more round. That is why we call it in Switzerland "Chnoepfli".

How to pronounce that funny word? Very simple, the Ch stands for clearing your throat, yes you heard right, the ch sounds like you are clearing your throat, the oe or ö is a bit pronounced like the u in burp..... so let me not go further into the pronunciation of this funny dumpling.....which actually mean "little button" in good old English because it is round like a button

The preparation is actually very simple, just mix all ingredients quickly together, don't add all the milk from the beginning as you don't want the batter too thin and then you have to beat it. Yes you heard right again, you have to beat the batter till your arms are sore and the batter has big bubbles. Sounds strange I know but you will see what I mean when you do it......if your arms are not too sore before the bubbles come.

It looks like this is quite a violent blog, burping, clearing throats, beating batter....but trust me it is all worth it. The Dumplings are delicious and you can make them in all sorts of variations. The recipe I give you today is actually one with Rocket in it. It gives a lovely flavor and looks really sexy.

So here is the Recipe

Recipe
500 g (1.1 lbs) Flour
40 g (2 oz) Butter
4 Each Eggs
200 ml (0.2 qrt) Milk
1 Punnet or 125 g (5 oz) Rocket fresh
5 g Salt
2 g Nutmeg

Method
Blend the eggs with the Rocket till the Rocket is nice and fine
Sieve the flour
Mix all ingredients except the butter with the flour
Beat the dough with your hand until the dough has blisters
The dough must be smooth and slightly runny
Scrape the batter off a cutting board in boiling salt water
As soon the the dumplings come to the top, skim them off and put in iced water
Strain the water off
Heat the butter till slightly noisette, add the Spaetzle
Fry without color and season to taste

Goes perfectly well with Goulash

 One can add Rocket, Spinach, Wild Mushroom flour or Tomato Paste to flavor the Spätzle

This recipe makes enough for 10 friends

Hungarian Goulash

After all the travelling I am cooking again, yes and there is a lot to come. I will cook a lot of basic and simple dishes like the one we talk about in this Blog. The Goulash.

It can be an absolutely beautiful dish if properly cooked. One part that is really important is the onions. One uses a lot of onions. They don't just give a beautiful flavor, but thicken the sauce nicely too. At the end we add potatoes and because they cook in the sauce they are taking up all the flavor.

The difference here compared to other stews is that the meat does not get browned, either do the onions. Everything is cooked without giving color but as you can see on the first photo, the color at the end is still great. I have not added any stock to it. With the slow cooking and adding the salt at the beginning, all the juices from the onions and meat will come out and then the meat is braising slowly in its own juices.

As a spice we add a little bay leaves and of course caraway seeds. They are really important because they give a wonderful new level to the dish, something that makes your Goulash different and at the same time more original. Just be careful that you don't add too much to the dish.

What I find amazing cooking here in Maldives is that I am constantly exposed to Indian and Sri-Lankan cooking. Especially in Indian cuisine one finds often the gravy which is based on onions and like with the Goulash onions, it thickens the dish apart from giving it a lot of flavors. So even these two cuisines are so different in many ways....there are some similarities.

So try it out, the recipe is really simple and try to buy a lower cut of the beef, something from the leg that needs long cooking. There the meat has much more flavor which will add to the dish. Just take your time with cooking, it really has to simmer very slowly and would actually work well if cooked in the oven

So here is the recipe which is enough for 10 friends, because like this you can freeze some if you have less over for dinner

Recipe

1.5 kg (2,5 lbs) Beef cubes

750 (1,5 lbs) g Onion

75 ml (3 oz) Oil

400 g (1 lbs) Red Peppers

400 g (1 lbs) Tomatoes

60 g (2 oz) Sweet Paprika powder

8 g (0.3 oz) Caraway seeds

2 ea Bay leaves

15 g (o,5 oz) Salt

Pepper

Method

Cut the beef in 30 g cubes

Cut the onions in a fine julienne

Sweat the onions in the hot oil

Add the beef cubes and sweat at low heat

Add all the spices, red peppers and tomatoes

Stir well then simmer with the lid for 1.5 hours or till the meat is starting to get tender

Add the potatoes which are cut in 1 cm cubes

Simmer till all is soft but the potatoes are still whole

Season to taste

Serve with homemade Spaetzle