AJ's Food Roots: Southeast Asian and Sri Lankan Flavours
AJ’s father is from Penang, of British and Spanish blood with a touch of Burmese; his mother is of German and Dutch heritage from Sri Lanka. Theirs was a family that cooked, explored favours and created recipes together.
To this potent mix, AJ constantly added to his culinary palatte as he travelled throughout Asia for work and play. In 1996, he reached an epiphany in the Spice Market of Cochin when he fully appreciated that the core flavours of all the food of his childhood and youth, indeed the spectrum of Southeast Asian and Sri Lankan cuisines, would be impossible without the herbs and spices traded from the 14th century.
From then, he has adapted, explored and created numerous dishes, focusing on the subtle and complex tastes derived from flavouring ingredients of the region. His food is redolent, familar yet new and exciting. This is why he is in demand as a chef-for-hire, and his mother readily admits that AJ’s cuisine has reached “a higher level”.
Now, the recipes of AJ’s signature dishes and more, once shared with discerning diners scribbled on paper, is presented here clearly and exactly so that all home cooks can prepare and share the exciting and memorable food from AJ’s own kitchen.
Size: 180 x 270 mm
Extent: 248 pages
Binding: Casebound
Weight: 985 g
ISBN: 978-981-4189-58-3
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Reviews
I wanted a taste of AJ’s food from his fascinating recipes. I am enthralled by the gritty realness of his culinary experiences and interpretations which are not only confine d to the kitchen but start off at source – in the markets, farms and in the sea. It is a pleasure to come across another cook who displays a similar obsessiveness for correctness and authenticity.
– Violet Oon