Jessie's Curry Kitchen and Cafe - Inglewood

So we’ve officially moved to Maylands and if you can imagine the excitement of moving to a new location, you can only imagine the excitement I have to be in short distance from the food-wonderland of Beaufort street in Mt Lawley and all the cafes and restaurants now on offer!

The very first night in our new unit, we decided to try a little place I have heard so much about!

Jessie’s Curry Kitchen and Café is located at 869 Beaufort Street in Inglewood and specialises in Indian and Malaysian cuisine.

If you have read the reviews, or are lucky enough to speak to a customer who has stumbled across this gold-mine, then you will understand why were so excited to try Jessie’s!

You would almost walk past Jessie’s without noticing the cosy café, with just over 20 seats inside. There has been minimal time spent on the décor of the restaurant and the place, if you didn’t know any better, looks a little dodgy from a passing-by point of view.

For those that have discovered Jessie’s, they have most likely become a weekly customer, because the food here is divine!

Not only were we greeted with a warm smile and welcome, we were passed a menu and any questions I had were kindly answered to with the utmost politeness.

The food ranges from entrée’s such as curry puffs to Dosai’s (curry wrapped in roti bread), to noodle and rice dishes and curry set meals.

Nothing over $20, and most meals being around $10.

We ordered the large prawn curry (which we were advised was made fresh on the spot) for $17.50.

plus a takeaway large rice $3.00.

We also ordered the “fish curry set meal” with a fish curry, two vegetables, dahl, a pappadum and rice for $10!

Yes you have read correctly!

We had a fish curry, two vegetable curries (the vegetable curries of the night were an eggplant curry and potato curry), dahl, rice and a pappadum for only $10!

The prawn curry had 19 freshly cooked prawns (yes I counted), and was in a spicy tomato, onion curry sauce. AMAZING value!

This photo is of the fishy curry over rice with a pappadum:

The fish meal was all put into one takeaway container, which would be my only negative…I guess if you ordered this to eat it, it would come nicely arranged on the plate around the rice…however as we ordered takeaway, this was all mooshed into the one takeaway container.

The flavours were delightful mind you. However, before I could blink, a lot of the sauce was soaked up by the rice and I could no longer dig for that sweet spicy dahl curry or pick out those beautiful eggplant pieces in the vegetable curry.

I think next time I would just order the eggplant curry by itself or the dahl. Such beautiful flavours!

Our order came to just over $30 and we were more than satisfied with the amount and quality of food we received.

I mentioned to the guy who served us that we had just moved in down the road, and before we had even tried the food I told him to remember us as we would become regulars!

This was how confident I was that the food would be amazing!

The restaurant was filled with happy customers who were all tucking into gorgeous smelling meals! I felt this little community inside the tiny café that made me feel like we all had a common understanding that we had discovered a hidden gem of a café!

Jessie’s Curry Kitchen and Cafe is run by Jessie herself, her husband, and who I could only assume was their son, who served us. All so friendly and polite, I would have no doubts in returning here in the future…every week.

As they had run out of takeaway menu’s which I was ever so eager to place on our fridge at home, I grabbed a business card.

Upon returning home with our generous packages of curries, I placed the business card up on our new fridge, with the number to order takeaway clearly in sight.

Jessie’s has become our local.

Highs: The curries, prices and gorgeous service!

Lows: The ambience of the cafe is curry-house chic, If you're happy to rock on in with your BYO and enjoy your night, then what more could you want?

Overall: such friendly service, amazing value and flavours!

Will I return? Ever week if I allow myself.

Raw Food Kitchen - Fremantle Markets

A rainy Sunday brought me to the Fremantle Markets for a sneaky taster of what fresh produce Freo has to offer.

We were meeting friends later in the afternoon for a few drinks on a Sunday Sesh but I wanted to walk through the Freo markets and see what goodies I could find!

Normally I would not go past Michelle’s Crepe’s – where you can order any sweet or savoury crepe your heart desires or chose one from the menu board. I usually get a crepe filled with too many ingredients to list so that the crepe is bursting with filling and fills me right up!

Today I wanted to try something different from the Markets.

I had read a blog post about the Raw Kitchen in Freo not too long ago and wanted to try their “Raw Pizza.” At $8.70 PER SLICE I felt this purchase was not for my stomach but for the greater good of my blog. (I had to try it out of curiosity!!).

This Raw food fad interests me and I understand why people find raw food and vegan food a “healthy” path to take, however I am not sold on the “research” into claiming that eating raw makes you feel more energized…I decided to give this “raw food” a go regardless.

The dehydrated buckwheat base was covered in a thick layer of sundried tomato pesto which was very strong. For a usual tomato paste base that is typically on a pizza, this is okay as it compliments the toppings, but pesto is different. Pesto you only need a thin layer, and I just felt a little sick by the end of the second bite.

The pizza was topped with very few slices of mushroom, tomato, olives and freshly chopped basil. The strange ingredient was a nut cheese which was very creamy and tasted a little like sour cream.

Overall the experience was a little disappointing. Firstly, I was still very hungry after my one slice of $8.70 raw pizza. Secondly, the pesto combined with the “nut cheese” was too strong and overpowering for my liking. It was too rich. Thirdly, it was way overpriced. I get that the pizza was raw…but doesn’t this take less time than putting the pizza in the oven??

The only positive I can’t think of is that I enjoyed the crunchy dehydrated buckwheat base; the texture reminded me of a cracker or biscuit.

 I guess I didn’t try any desserts like their cocoa balls or cheesecakes on offer or their raw smoothies/juices…which could have swayed me otherwise…

Probably wouldn’t go back, and definitely not if there is Michelle’s Crepes on offer.

Have you ever tried the Raw Kitchen in Fremantle?

Tell me your experiences on raw food!

 

Seafood Curry Laksa

The other night I was spoiled with a Seafood Curry Laksa.

Laksa is a Malaysian dish that is usually egg and Vermicelli noodles, seafood, bean shoots and spices among other things in a coconut cream broth.

This is a meal can be simply made by mixing the store-bought Laksa paste with coconut milk, seafood and veggies…producing a pretty damn good laksa!

But no, this night, Jack decided to make the Curry Laksa FROM SCRATCH.

I’m talking – the prawns still with their shells on so that he could fry them up in oil and use that “prawn oil” in the Laksa for extra authenticity!

The result from a lot of work, spices ground from scratch, prawns peeled and fried and seafood including FISH BALLS, prawns and scallops added…is THE BEST TASTING MEAL Jack’s made from date! Amazing! So authentic, I’m surprised it came from our Aussie kitchen!

If you’re in the mood to spoil someone and have some time and some weird Asian ingredients at hand, then give this a go! It’s certainly worth every bit!

I'm also a huge fan of "Fish balls" which you can usually buy from your local Asian supermarket. These are white, smooth balls of fish meat which have a sponge-like texture and remind me a little of spongy ping-pong balls. I think i'm going to purchase some just to keep in the freezer so that I can add them to the next curry I make, becuase they sure are yum!

Seafood Curry Laksa Recipe:

Ingredients

Spice Paste
4-5 shallots, chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, chopped
Thumb size piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 fresh red chilli (more if you want more kick!)
1 heaped tbsp dried prawns
½ cup water

Broth
12 green prawns
4 tbsp vegetable oil
180 mls of laksa paste
1 litre chicken stock
1 can coconut cream
Fish balls
Fried tofu puffs
1 tsp sugar
Fish sauce
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Finishing Touches
Rice vermicelli noodles
Egg noodles
Shredded cooked chicken meat (boiled-stock can be used for the broth!)
Bean sprouts
Spring onions, chopped
Red chilli, sliced
Coriander leaves
Deep fried shallots
Fresh lime wedges

Preparation

Process in blender, shallots, garlic, ginger, chillies, dried prawns and water until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside.

Shell prawns and reserve meat. Heat oil in a large pot and fry prawns shells for about 1 minute until they turn red then remove from pan. Add spice paste to prawn flavoured oil and fry for a minute before adding the laksa paste. Fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes and pour in the stock.

Bring to the boil and then add coconut cream. It's always good to allow time to simmer for the flavours to come out. Add fish balls and fried tofu. Add sugar, fish sauce and salt to taste. Squeeze in the lime.

Blanch rice and egg noodles in boiling water and transfer some of each to serving bowls. Poach reserved prawn meat in same water. Pour over the broth and top with chicken, prawns and bean sprouts. Garnish with the spring onions, chilli, coriander and fried shallots. Squeeze in the lime before eating.

 

The Cove Indian Restaurant

With the wind and rain that has been dominating the weather forecast lately, there is nothing I have been craving more than a hot spicy curry!

The other night, there was what resembled a tornado outside and although I had plenty to cook with in my fridge, the thought of an Indian Curry just being made for me just sounded too good to resist.

The Cove Indian Restaurant is on Canning Hwy in Applecross and the restaurant is actually inside a 1920 colonial-style white house with a gorgeous big verandah that surrounds the home.  Each “dining room” splits off from the main hallway which as you enter, you can smell the strong spicy flavours of India that gives you the impression you have clearly made it to heaven.

I have been to The Cove Indian Restaurant so many times that the Manager actually seats us now and the staff all recognise us, and know our “usual order.” I found it hard to divert from my regular order after I fell in love with this curry the first time I tried it. I have of course tried many other of The Cove’s dishes, the al le carte menu is huge and I constantly spend ages dreaming of every curry and trying to decide! I have even been there on the weekend nights where they feature a full Indian buffet spread for $39pp. (Such great value!)

The buffet offers everything from the usual Butter Chicken to a selection of vegetarian options and Indian desserts. The buffet gives you a selection of:

·         4 salads

·         7 entree’s

·         9 mains

·         6 vegetarian mains

·         Accompaniments such as pappadams and chutney

·         4 or more Dessert options

·         Tea and coffee

A Sunday lunch buffet is only $28pp. This buffet I found gives you beautiful authentic high quality curries. Northing like the deli options where curries sit in heated pots, stewing for hours. This is all constantly replaced with fresh curries throughout the buffet.

I’d book, because it can get very busy!

Tonight we neither dined in, nor ate from the buffet, we placed a pickup order and jumped in the car eagerly to pick up what we knew what consistently proved to us as the best Indian around!

My favourite curry from The Cove is the Okra Curry (Bindhi Masala) (about $14.50).
What the hell is OKRA you ask? It's a vegetable typically used in Indian cuisine. 
Okra looks like this raw:

These little green fingers don’t look extremely appetising I know, but this curry is seriously good!

The Bindi Masala consists of okra, tomatoes, onions and Indian spices.

The Cove do it amazingly! I can’t really describe the taste but it’s classic Indian goodness!

Bindi Masala

Jack had the Butter Chicken. Being a big fan of chilli and everything spicy, this is a big deal if he choses the Butter Chicken (a typically very mild and sweet Indian curry) over those hotter and spicier options. The Butter Chicken at The Cove is TO-DIE-FOR, so it’s a no brainer.

I even love it and I don’t even eat the chicken. So the creamy, rich, buttery, sweet – “butter” – part of the butter chicken is what tastes amazing!!

Butter Chicken

Rip off some Naan Bread and dip it into the sweet curry goodness and you have yourself heaven on a plate. There is nothing that feels better on a night in, away form the wind and rain!

Tonight we decided to try the ‘Peshwari Naan’. This Naan is described as being filled with dried fruits and coconut. Normally the thought of sweet raisins with a spicy curry confuses me. But if you have tried this combination you can understand the brilliance of the sweetness of the fruit mixed with the creamy/spicy curry.

 

Peshwari Naan

My favourite from The Cove would still have to be the Garlic Naan, hands down. You can’t really go wrong.

Overall, the service at The Cove is brilliant. The ambiance of the restaurant is gorgeous as you sit in an old-style room and gorge in the flavours of India as they drift by.

Highs: The Butter Chicken and the Bhindi Masala.

Lows: once you buy your curry, then rice, then Naan and some condiments if that’s your thing – it can end up being on the pricier side. If quality is what you’re after, then look no further.

Overall: 9/10

Smoked Salmon for Brunch!

I never used to like raw fish.

In fact, the thought of it gave me little shivers as I think of a fish you pull out of the water on your fishing line as you take a bite into the raw flesh. Wow – this blog just got serious. This sounds like a vego’s heaven!

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when I decided I liked smoked salmon…It may have been the time that I couldn’t understand the obsession behind bagels in Canada, and thus, the ever noticeable “smoked salmon and cream cheese with dill and capers on a bagel” that seemed to shout at me on every menu/bagel place in Canada/America.

I get it. Smoked salmon/cream cheese/dill – It just works. It’s one of those combinations that you can’t get wrong.

I’ve always wanted to have some occasion that calls for finger food so that I can make little savoury pikelets with cream cheese and salmon!

Just looking all cute and fancy.

...Slightly went off on a side-track there… This is the brunch I had on Sunday.

(By the way- there is no better day to have Brunch than on a Sunday – exception being Saturday or a public holiday)

Poached eggs on multigrain toast with balsamic mushrooms, asparagus and smoked salmon!

This would have to be one of my favourite brunch combinations!

After casually eating smoked salmon before lunch, I felt my day needed to be completed with something else equally as classy.

This did not happen.

Thus, the highlight of my day was this brunch.

On another note, Chapels on Whatley in Maylands does a spectacular smoked salmon added to your brunch. Very generous serve of gorgeous fresh smoked salmon. Check out my Chapels on Whatley blog post here!

Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

I’m a big fan of Cinnamon.

I have it sprinkled on my muesli in the morning, I love putting it into cakes or muffins and even on French toast with caramelised bananas and maple syrup! I even sprinkle some on top of my morning coffee.

If you’ve ever done the “Cinnamon Challenge” you will:

a)    Know that this is in-fact a challenge, as opposed to those who brush off this “challenge” with such exaggerated confidence – really having no idea what they are in for.

b)    Have an understanding of how hilarious it can be watching others do the “Cinnamon Challenge”

c)    Have a new appreciation of that nutty little bark I have become ever so fond of.

If you haven’t done the “Cinnamon Challenge,” It simply is trying to swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon in one mouthful. Deceivingly hard.

I’m also a big fan of coffee.

There is nothing more exciting than waking up to a big steaming hot man cup of coffee (in bed).

I am lucky enough to have recently acquired been able to use Jack’s Nespresso coffee machine. It’s amazing by the way!

For those Nespresso fanatics – yes it really is concerning okay to have five coffee’s a day. The sensational quality of Nespresso truly makes up for the fact you will not be able to get to sleep at night.

For those that enjoy a warm cup of coffee and enjoy sleeping at night – You may have discovered Chai latte’s.

I love a good Chai latte. Not one made with that sickly sweet syrup (cough DOME cough), but one that you can taste the authentic Indian spices. The cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger…Mmm! I came across this recipe for Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies on a food blog I came across in my food-blog-obsessed-ventures.

These cookies are begging to be dunked into a big cup of tea (Chai tea specifically or even better – a Chai latte!). They have a gorgeous sugar crust on the outside, a small crunch and soft on the inside. Imagine a mix between a ginger snap biscuit and a cinnamon spiced shortbread biscuit.

If you aren’t a fan of Chai tea, these cookies have had the tick of approval from all chai-lovers and non-chai-lovers alike during my sampling at work.

And I totally didn’t even Photoshop these photos!

Crinkle-top-sweet-sugary-spice goodness. Don’t stop at one. I make them bite sized so you don’t feel as bad when you eat seven a couple of them!

Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

 

Yield: About 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and black pepper. Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar-spice mixture, set aside to reserve for rolling the cookies. 

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar-spice mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, combine until fully incorporated

6. Slowly blend in dry ingredients mixing until just combined. 

7. Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) roll dough into balls and then into the reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

9. Let stand on baking sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Notes:

- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cheese and Chive Damper with Thai Red Curry Pumpkin Soup

It was Harmony Day the other week and we decided to hold a morning tea at work to celebrate the multicultural diversity in our workplace.

To me, any excuse for a morning tea is great – but this morning tea in particular got me very excited! I love trying different cuisines and this was an opportunity for me to try lots of homemade delicacies made by my co-workers.

I realised I didn’t really have much of an idea of my heritage and this was due to years of unclear, random and vague explanation from my parents that I was “an English immigrant, a bit of Scottish, Irish and a few other things…You’re pretty much just Australian.”

Cheers folks.

From this I made three conclusions:

1)    I am Australian

2)    I have some English Background…god knows how much or if there is enough to even count… and

3)    My parents probably didn’t know either…

I decided to embrace my “Australian Heritage” and make some Damper for morning tea.

To avoid this turning out like tasteless, undercooked lumpy dough of a scone…I decided to adapt the recipe to “Cheese and Chive Damper” – Yum!

(See the recipe below)

As this was such a hit, I made it again for dinner one night to go with my red-curry spiced Pumpkin Soup (YUM!). There is nothing more satisfying that dipping a hot piece of fresh bread covered in butter in a hot spicy soup!

Highly recommended.

Cheese and Chive Damper Recipe

Ingredients

·         250g SR flour

·         ½ tsp salt

·         25g butter

·         175ml milk (which I replaced with beer to make the damper “fluffier”)

·         3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

·         Fresh chives chopped finely

·         ¼ cup Milk (for glaze)

·         Extra cheese for topping

·         Salt and pepper

Method

1.             Preheat oven to 180°C.

2.             Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl. Using fingers rub in the chopped butter until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add cheese and chives. Mix well.

3.             Make a well in flour and pour in the beer. Mix quickly into a soft dough, using a knife or the hands.

4.             Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly. Press into a round. Place onto a greased baking tray. Glaze with milk and sprinkle with extra cheese.

5.             Bake 15-20 minutes in 180°C oven, and serve sliced with butter or olive oil.

6.             Individual dampers can also be shaped and baked for the same time and temperature.

Cheese and Chive Damper hot out of the oven!

Harmony Day morning tea spread

Thai Red Curry Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

·         Peanut oil

·         1 Brown Onion

·         2 Garlic

·         1 kg Pumpkin

·         2 Carrots

·         2 potatoes (preferably sweet potatoes)

·         2 tbs (or more!) Thai Red Curry paste

·         1 tin Coconut milk/cream

·         4 cups Chicken stock

·         Coriander to garnish

Method:
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, garlic and red curry paste and cook stirring for 2 minutes, stir in the chopped pumpkin, carrots, potatoes and chicken stock, bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

2. Stir in the coconut cream, cook 3 minutes or until heated through, season to taste. Process or blend the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Ladle soup into bowls and top with coriander leaves to serve