Zaaffran, Darling Harbour

Last weekend some friends and I headed to Zaaffran in Darling Harbour Sydney for a wonderful Indian feast. I even skipped lunch to make room in my stomach for the occasion.. and skipping meals is not something I do very often because I tend to turn into a bit of a monster on an empty stomach!

Zaaffran is one of the first Indian restaurants I visited in Sydney and it is a beautifully located place to dine - the view over the twinkling harbour is undeniably pretty by night.

Let's get straight to the food though. We enjoyed the Vegetarian Banquet available for 4 or more persons at $41.90 per head. This included 2 starters, 5 mains and dessert of the chef's choice. Of course, you also get rice and basic naans.

Our starters for the evening included chaat - a plate of savoury snacks, typically served at cute roadside stalls in India.

Palak patta chana aur aloo ka chaat
Chaat of crispy english spinach leaf, potatoes and chickpeas with roasted cumin, chaat masala, mango powder, yoghurt, date-tamarind and mint toppings. What better way to enjoy spinach I say!

Aloo Makkai Tikki Chaat
Crisp potato and corn mini patties laced with yoghurt, date-tamarind and mint toppings.

Despite the menu description, out plates of chaat arrived with a wonderful beetroot dipping sauce - I just loved the Barbie like colour and it tasted as good as it looked!

And onto the main event for the evening - a fantastic spread of dishes...

Daal Tadkewali - yellow lentils cooked with green chilli, turmeric and curry leaf.
Subz Miloni - a selection of seasonal vegetables, chickpeas and potatoes in a fenugreek-flavoured, garlicky spinach sauce.
Torkari Kalwa - seasonal vegetables in a lemony coconut, onion, tomato and pumpkin sauce with 'qasoori methi'.
Baingan Ki Launj - eggplant in a sweet and tangy tomato, tamarind and jaggery sauce with fennel and nigella seeds.
Paneer Makhan Masala - indian cheese simmered in an onion-tomato masala with ginger, chilli and coriander.

And no feast would be complete without the naan.. oh glorious naan! The second naan pictured was an extra order requested by none other than me.. probably being a bit greedy, but the flavour combination was out of this world - mushroom with truffle oil. Yum!!!

No feast is complete without a little sweet to end the meal. We were served the chef's choice of 2 scoops of mango and rose ice cream. The dessert was ok, but a bit like an afterthought after the great savoury food we had enjoyed. I always think it's such as shame when restaurants are let down by their desserts... They are, after all, the last impression of the meal.

Unfortunately, there service was a little on the slow side despite the restaurant not being very busy for a Saturday night. Nonetheless, we left (rather, 'waddled') feeling very well fed indeed. It was lovely to walk alongside the harbour for a little to work a little before heading home to the satisfying slumber that ensues after a good feast! :P hehe

Zaaffran
Level 2, 345 Harbourside Shopping Centre
Darling Harbour, NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9211 8900
Website

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

Sometimes life gets in the way of cooking and blogging... By day I work full-time in education. By night and by weekends I squeeze in as much cooking and blogging as I can, but it can be difficult. When I can't blog as much as I'd like to, I get withdrawal symptoms.. I get the itch, the urge.. the need to create. Does anyone else experience this, or do I need professional help?!

This week I had planned to participate in my first Daring Bakers Challenge. For August, the challenge was Baked Alaska / Ice Cream Petit Fours... either way, there was going to be delicious butter pound cake and ice cream made from scratch. I got as far as making the ice cream, but after that the week got a bit stressful.

But nevermind, I'm so glad I made this delicious vanilla ice cream! I've tried many vanilla ice cream recipes in the past, but this one takes the cake (or cone, as it were). It's soft, creamy and perfectly balanced. Definitely a good classic ice cream to have on standby in the freezer.

There are no surprises that this gem of a recipe come from David Lebovitz.. here it is for you to try out for yourself! I hope you love it as much as I do :)

Vanilla Ice Cream
The Perfect Scoop (David Lebovitz)

1 cup full cream milk
pinch salt
3/4 c caster sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy (approx 35% fat) cream
few drops natural vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a pairing knife. Add the bean pod to the milk.

2. Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scarping the bottom with a heat resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, them remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I served the ice cream in these lovely mini waffle cones from The Essential Ingredient in Rozelle, Sydney. To give you an idea of the size of these itty-bitty cones, I've photographed them sitting in shot glasses. To scoop ice cream for mini cones, I use a melon baller heated in a cup of hot water.

*** Giveaways Reminder ***

Before I sign off for today, I wanted to remind you about the 2 giveaways I have running at the moment... Have you entered?!!!

The Bakers Delight Giveaway closes on September 8. You could win one of nine $5 Bakers Delight vouchers! For more details, click here.

My 100th post and 1st blog-birthday giveaway closes on September 15. You could win a great cupcake cookbook! Anyone can enter, so for more details, click here.


Ladybird x

Ga Ga over Agar Agar

As some of you may have gathered from reading my blog, I am vegetarian. A lacto-ovo vegetarian to be precise (this means I eat eggs and dairy products too). Why? I just choose not to, that's all... As a vegetarian I avoid gelatine because it's animal based. It is derived from the collagen inside animals' skin, bones and cartilage. I don't mean to gross anyone out, but I think it's important to know our food, right(?)

Unfortunately, this means there are a lot of foods that are out of reach for me... jelly lollies (like frogs and snakes) panna cotta, some cheesecakes, and pretty much anything with jelly. I know I could live without these sort of treats (my jeans would probably thank me for it)... but I do like a challenge, and it got me thinking about how to create these sorts of foods without gelatine.

Then, very recently, I heard about Agar Agar - a non-animal alternative to gelatine.. Could it be true?! So I started doing some online research, and here's what I found out...

What is it?
Agar agar is a seaweed based vegetarian/vegan substitute to gelatine. It comes from red seaweed, and is rich in iodine and trace minerals.

What does it look like?
Agar agar is available in the forms of bars, strings and powder. It is white in colour.

What does it taste/feel like?
Some say it is tasteless, while others say it is slightly sweet. There are flavoured varieties available, so obviously they will taste different altogether. From what I've read, it gives a texture a bit stiffer and bouncier than gelatine.

How do you use it?
Agar agar is said to have much stronger setting properties than gelatine. Unlike desserts using gelatine that need time to set in the fridge for several hours, agar agar can set at room temperature in as little as an hour. So it makes sense that agar agar is a popular setting agent in tropical climates of South East Asian countries.

• Powdered agar agar can be substituted for the same quantity of powdered gelatine in a recipe.
• For every teaspoon of agar agar powder, you should substitute a tablespoon of agar agar flakes.
• For a firm jelly you require approximately 2 teaspoons of powder or 2 tablespoons of flakes per 1 pint / 600ml of liquid.
• Generally, agar agar needs to be soaked for between 15-20 minutes before use, and then needs to simmer for a couple of minutes to dissolve.
• Depending on the acidity of the ingredients being used, more agar agar may be required. E.g. dishes including citrus fruits often need a bit more.

Where do you buy it?
Agar agar is available from health food stores and Asian grocery shops. It is inexpensive - I paid $1.60 for a 25 gram packet.

Want to know more?
Check out:
Vegcooking
The Food Coach
Wikipedia

My task
The most important part of all! In the coming days I'll be roadtesting Agar Agar as a gelatine substitute in a recipe, so stayed tuned...  Fingers crossed for a beautiful, jiggly dish without too much compromise on flavour or texture!


But before then, I'm keen to hear from you, my dear readers... Have you ever used/tried Agar Agar? If so, how was it?


Ladybird x