Spice Health Heroes book review

Growing up, as I did with parents originally from India, spice was a constant presence in my childhood. Spices made it into every dish, imparting warmth, flavour and comfort. It has never left me as a constant influence to cooking in or eating out. When I was sent a copy of Natasha MacAller’s second cookbook, Spice Health Heroes to test out and review, I was immediately curious to see how a guide to spices, their health benefits with recipes would work as a concept. 

Ayurvedic medicine in India is thousands of years old. Developed over many generations, based on folk wisdom and experimentation, slowly, some elements of this ancient body of knowledge are being subjected to scientific testing, and objective proof. I was astonished to read in the foreword by Dr Eleni Tsiompanou, that spices have recently been proven to have anti-depressant effects. Perfect for those of us beginning to feel the Winter blues after the clocks went back!

The book is divided up into sections depending on the broad type of spice used; immune boosting spices, cleansing spices, energy spices, warming spices, restorative spices and calming spices. The recipes themselves are hugely varied, ranging from snacks, canapes, informal meals, smoothies, salads, curries, stews, soups, puddings, pickles, chutneys, cakes, bakes and grills. The recipes come from Natasha along with an amazing roll call of culinary experts; April Bloomfield, Jose Andres, Cyrus Todiwala, Peter Gordon, Ann-Sophie Pic, Raghavan Iyer, Judy Joo and Francois Kwaku-Dongo, among others. 

I made the Tonga chilli-lime chicken with mustard, ginger, garlic and cardamom, part of the “warming spice” section. A dish which can be doubled or tripled for a party or gathering, this marinaded chicken bake was based on the ingredients which can be found at a Tongan vanilla plantation Natasha visited. 

The first steps were, to me, unusual. I’ve cooked with cardamom before, but never had to shell the green pods to collect the little black seeds. As you can see, it took quite a few pods to get half a teaspoon of the precious little seeds!

The seeds were then combined with whole coriander seeds and toasted in a dry pan, which in turn were bashed in a mortar and pestle with some garlic and ginger. This would be the starting point of the marinade. 

Another unusual ingredient required preparation; pulped, juiced passion fruits.

Rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, vegetable oil (I used cold pressed extra virgin British rapeseed oil), coriander, lime juice, onion, chillis, brown sugar, nutmeg and salt were all prepared and measured out, ready to go into the food processor to make the marinade.

The aromatic and fresh marinade was a beautiful mild green.

Time for the chicken to go in, ready for 2 hours of marinading in the fridge. Obviously, I used a non-metallic bowl (which happened to have a handy lid). 

Never marinade meat in anything acidic or citrus in a metallic container, or you will ruin the dish completely (everything will react). Before putting the chicken in the oven, you need to reserve the marinade, so I had to remember not to chuck all my hard work in the bin!

The chicken was baked at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes, and was browned all over. I left it to rest for 10 minutes, whilst reducing the marinade in a pan to make a sauce. (Obviously, it had to be heated until piping hot, or food poisoning would be inevitable. Marinades can only be heated up as sauces if they are heated up beyond 60-70 deg C all through.)

The finished dish had a touch of heat, with warming spice flavours from the coriander and cardamom which was gentle and never overpowering. The freshness of the lime and passion fruit made this feel like a little bit of sunshine on a plate. Having the sauce to drizzle over the chicken made a pleasant, fruity accompaniment, which I realise now could have been served as a dipping sauce (particularly if I make this again for a group of people).

The recipes sometimes have a list of ingredients which appears intimidating. Thankfully, the preparation and cooking techniques are those most home cooks can manage and do not require much in the way of specialist equipment. When needed, the ingredients are split up to show which part of the dish they are used for (eg marinades, dressings, sauces etc). The instructions are clear, easy to follow and step by step. Care has been taken that the instructions are accurate.

Natasha MacAller is enjoying a second career as a cookbook author, restaurant consultant and cooking teacher. Formerly a ballerina for the prestigious Joffrey Ballet and the Boston Ballet, Natasha now styles herself as “the Dancing Chef”. Her recipes, whilst aimed at food lovers and home cooking enthusiasts, they offer inspiration for those simply looking to pep up their everyday dinners and may have got into a cooking rut.

A guide on the history of the use of spice, advice on storage as well as a range of basic spice blends begin the book to get you feeling confident and ready to change your cooking habits. Each individual spice is described, with a clear account of their health benefits and use. This book is much more than just a cookbook. It is a helpful, informative and fascinating food reference book. One to keep on the kitchen cookbook rack or coffee table, to dip in and out of, rather than to put away.

Spice Health Heroes is published by Jacqui Small Books. It should be available at most large book shops and online.

Snigdha would like to thank Jacqui Small Books, who sent me a copy of the book to test and review. Snigdha has not received any form of incentive, financial or otherwise for the posting of this review.

Nikkei by Luiz Hara, cookbook review

Nikkei food is the fascinating collision and subsequent co-evolution of Japanese and South American cooking traditions. Geographically, you could hardly get two food cultures which are further apart. But Japanese people moved to Peru and Brazil and over the years, a mingling of these very different cuisines occurred, combining cooking techniques and incorporating varied and surprising ingredients into the mix.

Luiz Hara has long written the very enjoyable and informative blog “The London Foodie”. He’s that rare beast; a former Square Mile city financial whizz kid who chucked it all in for his passion for food. Luiz has ever since devoted his attention to the London food scene, writing atmospheric reviews which are the next best thing to dining in the restaurant itself, writing recipes and hosting a successful supperclub. Luiz’s parents are Japanese and Italian, so this is hardly surprising; he has inherited the culinary heritage of two of the world’s greatest cuisines.  

Luiz lived in Brazil up to the age of 19, so was immersed in the Nikkei tradition from his earliest days. A qualified Cordon Bleu chef, Luiz knows cooking inside out. I was therefore keen to see his highly original and ground breaking book on Nikkei cooking and to give a couple of the recipes a try. 

First was “A Nikkei buta no shoga yaki salad”; Pan fried pork belly and ginger with green leaves and avocado salad in a wasabi vinaigrette. The dish is a variation on a popular Japanese Summertime meal, envisaged as an all in one meal, balanced, zingy, intense and refreshing. 

I cut the pork belly into chunks, it was marinaded for 15 minutes at room temperature in soy, mirin, ginger and freshly ground black pepper; very typically Japanese ingredients. The wasabi vinaigrette consisted of soy, rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, wasabi, sunflower oil and sesame oil to achieve a little hit of heat with saltiness, tartness, sweetness and ginger flavours seeping in. 

I made the salad with rocket, sugar snaps, coriander, spring onions and prepared avocado covered in lemon juice to prevent it browning. I confess I left the iceberg lettuce out, because the meal was only for two, and I didn’t want to have over half a lettuce left over. I used more rocket to make up for the lack of iceberg. Apologies for not making the recipe as written, but for me, the overall result did not suffer for the slight deviation.

The onions and garlic were fried before cooking the pork with its marinade. 

I wonder if I should not have used all of the marinade, because it didn’t come out looking caramelised and glossy like it does in the picture. 

I confess that the dish does not look as it does in the book. Perhaps if I had reserved some of the marinade (in case I needed it later) and cooked in either on my griddle pan or under the grill, it would have been more attractive.  But the taste! A spicy, fresh, flavourful dish which was simple and achievable on a weekday night, I was not disappointed with the end result! I will be revisiting this dish! A particular advantage being that it can be rustled up from ingredients bought on the way home from work with ease. A weeknight winner!

The other dish I tried was “Aubergine, pork and rice noodle salad with a zingy soy, chilli and ginger dressing”. 

The pork is a pork mince “soboro”, where the meat has been cooked slowly in a combination of ginger, sugar, sake, mirin, sesame oil and soy sauce. This means the mince is tender, infused in aromatics and teeming with a balance of sweet, salty and umami flavours. 

The noodles are cooked simply and then drained in anticipation of the assembly of the rest of the dish. 

The deep fried aubergine sounds incredibly decadent, but it is fried whole. Once cooked, rested and peeled, it is not oily at all, meaning you have soft, yielding aubergine which is sweet and delicious. 

The dressing of chilli, ginger, soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar and Asian chicken stock is a balanced set of flavours which brings the dish together expertly. 

Easy to make, yet highly individual and satisfying, this was a fantastic supper dish. One we will be coming back to again and again. 

This cook book has been put together with a great deal of love and care. The instructions are carefully explained with accuracy. The amounts of the ingredients expressed with clarity and avoiding all confusion. I dislike cook books where the descriptions and definitions are vague. Don’t ask me to estimate a “handful” or a “drizzling”. I bought your book because I want your help! Here, you do not have to worry; the instructions are very precise and helpful.

I particularly like the fact that there are recipes which can be achieved by beginner cooks and more challenging recipes for the more experienced and confident home cook. Often cook books try to appeal to extremes; catering only for the rookie or the master. On a weekday night, even the most accomplished and skilful home cook wants to make something easy but delicious. 

You will note I did not use the F word in my first paragraph of this review… "fusion". The “Nikkei” are the Japanese people who moved away to live elsewhere (from the Japanese word “nikkijin”, as Luiz Hara notes in his introduction to the book).  Luiz himself explains the reason he is reluctant to have Nikkei food seen as are mere part of “fusion” cooking: “For many food purists, fusion is anathema; and particularly in relation to Japanese cuisine…For me, Japanese cooking is among my favourites, and it would be upsetting for me if people suggested it was being manipulated without much thought. Nikkei cuisine is a byproduct of migration and adaptation, created over 100 year ago in South America. It was a cuisine created out of necessity; it is part of my family history and that of millions like me  and so, unlike food fads, it is here to stay.” The fusion trend of the 1990s didn’t have tradition or history behind it, and was often ill considered and trying too hard to put together disparate cooking traditions. Forget any fusion you’ve had before. This is the real deal. 

Please note that some of the ingredients  you will need for dishes in this book are not standard supermarket fare (they are explained at the back of the book if you are curious). You will either need to look in a Japanese supermarket, online or, you can trust Luiz’s selection of suppliers as listed in the book. Planning ahead may be necessary, but for inventive food with such freshness and vigour, it is well worth it. 

I know I am going to have fun with this cook book, making dishes repeatedly and experimenting with other recipes for the fun of it. Luiz Hara has put together a book which he has written with great care and accuracy, with inspiring pictures, helpful information about cooking techniques, ingredients and suppliers which surpasses the standard of most cook books available generally. This book is a keeper, when many cook books are a temporary fad, finding their way to the charity shop within months after purchase. 

“Nikkei Cuisine; Japanese Food the South American Way” by Luiz Hara is now available from Jacqui Small Publishers. 

Snigdha was sent a copy of Nikkei Cuisine by Luiz Hara by the publishers to review. However, her recommendation is a genuine one, for which she has received no incentive, financial or otherwise. 

Amy Riolo - Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook - Review

Amy Riolo will be better known to readers in the USA than in the UK, because of her many appearances on Fox TV, CBS TV and The Travel Channel. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is her fifth published title. Educated at Cornell University, Riolo is a restaurant consultant with a passion for food and cooking. She speaks many languages and has immersed herself in the food and culture around the Med by living and working in Italy and the Med’s other surrounding countries. In fact, one of her books centres on the cooking of Egypt and the Nile. Food stylist, food writer, tutor, guest speaker for noted organisations like Les Dames d’Escoffier and The Smithsonian Institution, she is much more than your average “celebrity chef”.

I was eager to see how her Mediterranean Diet Cookbook would measure up. Some diet cook books are preachy, overly keen to convert you to a “philosophy”. Others feature bland recipes which lead you to call out for a cheeky take away. Then there are the diet cookbooks so extreme in their bid to feature healthy recipes, you head for the fridge, still hungry, ready to eat anything that may be left there…..

Riolo does have a philosophy, but she describes it with a lightness of touch. Her main point is that what you eat can have an enormous effect on your mood and your health. As a result, one’s overall sense of well being (physically, mentally, spiritually) can begin with food. She is realistic about most people’s relationship with food; that we tend to love what isn’t good for us. So she does not chide us for our preferences. She simply suggests a balance where we strive to eat healthily as often as possible, saving the “bad stuff” for an occasional treat.

Riolo notes three key factors which differentiate the societies of the Mediterranean. Firstly, she says “food is treated like medicine”. Secondly, “moderation is key”. Finally, “an active physical and social lifestyle is mandatory”. In relation to that third factor, Amy suggests meals are eaten as a family, at the dinner table with no distractions.

Although Riolo suggests that seafood and poultry should be eaten more frequently than meat, the three recipes I tried from the book were all meat based. My husband, Him Indoors, is a confirmed meat lover, and if the meals were intended to be eaten at the table, then his tastes needed to be catered for! However, I will be exploring the other recipes in the book in due course.

The Libyan lamb couscous from page 34 of the book was the first dish I tested from the book. The lamb was stewed  in tomatoes with chick peas, and chunky carrots and courgettes. 

The turmeric and cayenne brought spice and colour to the dish. Because the carrots and courgettes were left in large cubes, they did not soften too much in the cooking time, retaining much of their nutrients. 

The chick peas provided texture to the dish and much needed fibre as most of us do not get enough in our diet. The tomato base was rich in vitamins and nutrients, such as lycopene. The recipe was uncomplicated, involving simple cooking techniques, although is rather time consuming. A dish for weekends rather than weeknight cooking. 

The indulgent couscous gives a luxurious touch. This dish was a definite hit; the lamb came out tender and aromatic, and the overall flavours melded together well. I will be making this one again, for sure.

Next I tried the Greek cinnamon scented lamb meatballs from page 170 of the book.  The accents of cumin and cinnamon gave them delicate flavour, lifting them from being bland workaday meatballs. These tapered Greek style meatballs are called “keftedes” and were cooked by grilling, rather than frying, keeping the fat content down. 

They were browned all over before being cooked in tomato sauce. I found the sauce, flavoured with cinnamon and garlic, was very easy to make. 

The Keftedes of minced lamb was a simple and achieveable recipe, well within the capabilities of the novice cook. We enjoyed this recipe, and believe that if you made extra for a second meal, it would taste even better the next day.

Corsican garlic laced beef (as found on page 169 of the book) is a one plate wonder of pasta and beef, although lamb or goat meat could be substituted (which would lower the fat content of the dish overall). 

This dish does not look as good in my photos as it tasted. Although garlic is used generously as an ingredient, it does not overpower. The dish has influences of both France and Italy, as you would expect from a Corsican dish. The use of fresh tomatoes rather than passata or tinned keeps the flavour light and summery. 

Served with a spelt Maccheroni, this dish was healthy, simple to cook but big on flavour. I loved this dish.

I get the feeling from this cookbook that a lot of time and care has been taken over the recipes and its creation overall. I say this because of the small details. The ingredients list is set out clearly and cleanly. I particularly like that amounts are precisely defined. Where they need to be divided and used twice, that is stated. There are indications on preparation of the ingredients, especially the sizes the vegetables should be cut to. These simple details mean that the cooking times work. There is nothing worse than not knowing how large to cube your potato pieces and then having to greatly increase the cooking time as they are still rock hard! 

I also approve of the indications on seasoning. Recipes too often suggest adding seasoning, with no assistance on the amount. Similarly, the instructions are precise and well expressed. 

Riolo’s exceptional attention to detail is something all cook book authors should aspire to achieve. There once was a cookery title I found where an ingredient was mentioned in the title of the recipe, but after that, never again; not in the ingredients or the method. The name has been withheld to protect the truly guilty party who did not proof read their recipes properly! Although an extreme example, such errors can creep into cookbooks which are rushed through the publication process.

What strikes me about this book is that if you exclusively cooked from it, you would not feel like you are on a diet at all. The word “diet” could be omitted from the title, and you’d have a perfectly wonderful and varied collection of recipes from the Med. It doesn’t feel like denial, grumbling hunger gnawing away at you in the background. Him Indoors can’t abide by “low fat” cookery and loves big flavours, and enjoyed all of the recipes we tried. There are a hundred recipes in all in the book, and I will enjoy trying out other recipes in the weeks and months to come.

Snigdha was sent a copy of The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook to review. She has received no payment or incentive for posting this review.