Pereira - Kumars Family Cookbook

First published in 2013

Copyright text and illustrations Kumar Pereira 2013

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Allen & Unwin
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83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
Email:
Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from
the National Library of Australia
www.trove.nla.gov.au

ISBN: 9781743433836 (ebook).

Design by Hugh Ford Design
Illustrations and creative inspiration by Kumar Pereira
Index by Puddingburn

For Robert & James

Contents

Introduction

I ve compiled this collection of recipes as a special reminder of the food that my sons Robert and James grew up with. This is their food heritage: the food theyve always loved and still do. And I hope readers enjoy the stories of the people, experiences and incidents in my life.

Thank you boys for starting me off on this journey by asking me to write down some favourite family recipes that they could cook themselves when we parents went away on a trip in 2009. What then started off as a collection of helpful cooking notes and tips has developed into this book, which I have found extremely challenging yet highly enjoyable to work on. Its a scrapbook of things I have cooked over the years: meals my sons had as toddlers, teenagers and now as adults, as well as the food I grew up with and the food influences that have come from the countries I have lived in. It has been a pleasure for me to see how my sons have come to appreciate and love all types of food. I remember the fussy eaters they were as toddlers and the tricks we tried to get them interested in food: an early success was the tropical platter that I would prepare for lunch on the back terrace. Id cut up and arrange an assortment of fruit, cheese, cold meats and nuts, and their eyes would light up with delight at seeing the kaleidoscopic patterns Id created on their plates before they would slowly begin to demolish them.

Ive included the French toast they loved to have after their swimming lessons, my stuffed bread that was such a favourite with all their school friends and the Sunday roast chicken I havent been able to include everything but recipes can be added.

Now it gives me even greater delight to see both boys in the kitchen and cooking delicious meals and desserts, even if it is often to impress girlfriends! I hope their culinary journeys will continue, that they will have even more wonderful adventures than I have had, and that their love for food and entertaining grows even more over the years.

My Adventures with Food

I started cooking when I was about six years old growing up in Colombo, Sri Lankafirst with packaged Swiss Roll mix where all you had to do was add eggs and milk, and then on to bread and butter pudding which I mastered and would often do for dessert. I progressed to crme caramel and then on to simple cakes. I used to help Mama with her fancy birthday cakes and, as all kids do, loved licking the bowl of leftover butter icing.

I began to cook more adventurous meals when I was a design student in London in the late 1960s. My parents came over on an extended holiday and rented a flat. During this time Mama showed me how to do one-pot meals in an electric rice cooker, as well as curries, stews, soups, casseroles and desserts. I was now able to entertain in my small room. During the time my parents were in England, Papa decided to take us all on a tour of Europe in a mini-bus with a driver. We travelled through Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. This opened up my eyes and taste buds to even more varied cuisines.

Working in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s was foodie heaven. I loved the freshness of the food and the methods of cookingsteaming, searing, braising, stir-frying and poaching. I lived in various apartments and was able to entertain more and really enjoyed this. The highlight of my eighteen years in Hong Kong was meeting and marrying English Sally. Although we came from very different countries, we are soul-mates and share so much in common. Sally got me into roasting and grinding spices for curries instead of buying readymade or pre-packed powders. Back to my roots! We loved going to the local markets after work to buy whatever was fresh and seasonal and cooking together. Hong Kong also gave us the opportunity to travel through Asia and widen our Asian palates. Being an art director for airline magazines helped so much with travel and food experiences.

In 1988, just after our first son was born, we decided to move to Sydneyneutral ground, as we both felt the desire to live away from the countries of our birth. Now with our younger son born in Australia, each of the four of us were born in different countries.

Australian cuisine reflects the effects of globalisation and the influences of the many migrants and their culturesI feel very much at home here and my food reflects the influences of the countries I lived and live in. I particularly love the quality of the produce here and am now more into growing my own and using what is seasonal. I am often asked if I have a style or cuisine I prefer, and people expect me to cook curries and spicy foodand I do, but not exclusively. In over fifty years of cooking for pleasure I have continually added to my repertoire and like experimenting and creating. I love doing my personal take on traditional food.

Now food has become my world and given me a new life and new confidence.

Being on MasterChef was an eye openerI am not a chef but a passionate home cook. I am now becoming even more adventurous. Being on the show taught me so much, both in technique and method. Meeting world famous chefs and seeing and experiencing their food has helped push me even further. Now food has become my world and given me a new life and new confidence. Recently on MasterChef All Stars , I prepared a dish using dry icea crab and sea urchin salad with asparagus ice creamthis is something I never would have dreamed of doing two years ago!