A taste of the tropics

Madam Woo has brought the flavours of the orient closer to home. Now try them in your own kitchen. 

Josh Emett prepares to roll up his sleeves and get to work in the kitchen of Dunedin's latest restaurant, Madam Woo. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
Josh Emett prepares to roll up his sleeves and get to work in the kitchen of Dunedin's latest restaurant, Madam Woo. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
If you have ever spent Christmas in Malaysia or Singapore, you'll know those countries' Christmas decorations put all others to shame in terms of scale, the abundance of lights and cheerful sounds.

It seems surreal to be in the oppressive humid heat of the tropics but surrounded by red, white and gold decorations and great mounds of fake snow.

Now you don't need to brave the humidity and sweltering heat because Madame Woo brings the taste of Malay/Chinese street food to you. Originally in the Mall in Queenstown, Madam Woo has recently opened a restaurant in Lower Stuart St in Dunedin.

The menu is designed as street or hawker food, where you wander from food stall to food stall sampling a little of each along the way. You can pick your favourites and try one or two adventurous dishes too.

Here are two dishes for you to try at home over the holidays. The curry is the perfect foil for the summer catch (try it with mussels, clams or cod). Cooking the firm fish in the sauce turns it tender, soft and flakey, while the sauce is fresh, a taste of summer.

The satay screams barbecue cooking, but not over a fierce heat. The traditional approach is to cook with the stick balanced over slow embers, so the meat doesn't touch the grill, turning often.

It's worth noting that some of the ingredients are unlikely to be in the average Kiwi pantry, so a trip to an Asian supermarket or food store might be in order. Wander in and pick up some tamarind pulp, candlenut or galangal (they keep well). There are always fantastic bargains to be found.

Menikmati - enjoy!

Notes

• Tamarind comes in a firm dried block. It has a wonderful sweet yet sour flavour that is difficult to replicate. For this recipe take 100g of dried tamarind, pour over hot water and allow to soak. Squeeze and drain the liquid into the dish. Discard the solid matter, as the flavour is in the liquid.

Okra (also known as ‘‘ladies fingers’’) is a popular vegetable in warmer climes. You could substitute with green beans, courgette or any crunchy summer produce direct from the garden. Instead of cutting straight, cut on a 45 degree angle to give a more interesting diagonal/diamond shape to your vegetables. 



Assam pedas paste

Assam pedas paste. Photo: Lara Moss
Assam pedas paste. Photo: Lara Moss

 

Ingredients:

250g lemongrass (frozen)
25g dried chillies (seeded and soaked in hot water)
550g shallots
50g garlic
50g candlenuts
35g belacan (shrimp paste)
300g tamarind juice (seeded) (a tamarind to water ratio of 1:3)
10g sugar
66g salt
250ml oil
1kg can tomatoes, diced
1.2 litres water
40g fish sauce
1kg trevally fish fillets (cut into medium-sized pieces)
15 okra (cut diamond shape)
1 red onion (medium dice)
10g Vietnamese mint (garnish and folded in the curry)
sliced red chilli to garnish


Method

Cut the vegetables into small pieces, blend lemongrass, dried chilli, shallots, garlic and candlenuts to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a heavy-based pot until medium hot, add the belacan and saute until fragrant.

After that, add the paste and continue cooking until the paste is cooked, about one hour. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring the sauce to the boil, then simmer over a low heat until the fish is cooked.

Lastly, season with salt and garnish with Vietnamese mint and sliced red chilli.

 



 

Spiced lamb satay

Spiced lamb satay. Photo: Lara Moss
Spiced lamb satay. Photo: Lara Moss
At Madam Woo, satay is served with a peanut sauce for dipping and a refreshing, crunchy pickled cucumber.

Ingredients 

140g soft brown sugar
60g turmeric powder
20g ground fennel
20g ground cumin
10g ground coriander
600g shallots
45g garlic
50g lemongrass
40g galangal
100g canola oil
15g salt
500g lamb rump

Method

To make the marinade, cut the lemongrass, galangal and shallots into small pieces and place all the ingredients into a blender and blend into a smooth paste.

Small-dice the lamb rump and add the paste. Allow to marinate for one hour before threading on to bamboo skewers and cooking.


 

 

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