The Melting Pot Asian Gems

By Vasanthi Duraiappah

My second cookbook, The Melting Pot Asian Gems, provides a different perspective into the way I look at food. The inspiration for this book has come from the four countries that played an important role in my lifefrom my ethnic country, Sri Lanka; my birthplace, Malaysia; my time in India during medical training; and my present home, Australia. Malaysia, with its diverse mix of cultures, has developed unique styles of cooking influenced by neighboring countries. It must be noted that the flavors and aromas of traditional Sri Lankan and Indian dishes are similar, but have subtle differences that give each their individuality. In The Melting Pot Asian Gems, I try and use recipes from all these nations to express the influence of these various cultures on my journey through life. I hope you enjoy the dishes as much as my family and I have over the years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Oct 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504310932

Vasanthi Duraiappah

Dr Vasanthi Duraiappah was a medical doctor with a PhD in Public Health who is currently retired. She resides in Australia and has involved herself in charity work for the last 25 years. She published her first cookbook The Melting Pot - Malaysian Gems in 2011. Her passion for cooking has led her into publishing her second cookbook - The Melting Pot Asian Gems. This cookbook shares recipes from countries that have played an important part in her life with specialty dishes highlighting recipes from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India and Australia. The proceeds of the sale of this cookbook, as with her first cookbook, will go to fund services and research into Leukaemia.

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Copyright © 2017 Vasanthi Duraiappah.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-1057-4 (sc)

       978-1-5043-1093-2 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/19/2017

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THE

MELTING POT

ASIAN GEMS

BY

VASANTHI DURAIAPPAH

Table of Contents

Introduction

About the Author

What you need in your pantry if you want to cook from this recipe book!

Breakfast

Mains

Sweets and Snacks

My Favourite Australian Dishes

Conversion Chart

Index

Introduction

Food plays an important role in most families. In my family, we are obsessed with food. We are already planning what we are going to cook for the next meal before we have finished eating the first. My beloved grandmother, Visayaladchy Sinnathamby, was instrumental in mentoring me, and did her best to ensure that all the women in my family knew how to cook. For my first cookbook, The Melting Pot - Malaysian Gems, the recipes were handed down the generations, from my grandmother to my mother and her sisters, then to me and my cousins, and now from me to my daughter.

Through that cookbook, I was able to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation of Queensland in Australia, and I donated some of the money raised to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in America. A big thank you to all of you that kindly bought this book. I am proud to inform you that your generosity helped the Leukemia Foundation of Queensland to fully furnish the kitchen and dining room of one apartment for families of children suffering from cancer to reside in while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

I would like to dedicate this book, The Melting Pot – Asian Gems, to the memory of my nephew Kethan, who lost his battle with leukemia after seven and a half years, at the age of 12 in 2013. He was a tenacious boy with a creative soul, who despite leaving us in person will forever stay with us in spirit.

The Melting Pot – Asian Gems provides a different perspective into the way I look at food. The inspiration for it has come from the countries that played an important role in my life. Although my ethnic background is Sri Lankan Jaffna Tamil, I was born in Malaysia in the 1950s, after my parents’ families had emigrated there in the early 1900s. In my late teens and early twenties, I spent nearly a decade in India for my medical training. I made the life changing decision to immigrate to Australia in the early 1990s, with my husband and 2 kids, and the last 26 years have been the best of my life. The diverse flavours, ingredients, spices etc of the foods from these four countries have heavily impacted the way I cook.

My birthplace, Malaysia, contains a diverse mix of cultures. Malays, Chinese and Indians have all developed unique styles of cooking that have been influenced by neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The Peranakans, who are descendants of early Chinese immigrants intermarrying the local Malays, and the intermarried Indian-Malay peoples, have also played an important part in introducing some of the distinctive flavours that are popular in Malaysian cuisine. It must be noted that the flavours and aromas of traditional Sri Lankan and Indian dishes are similar, but have subtle differences that give each their individuality. Even in Indian cuisine, the dishes that originate from the four corners of the country have distinct characteristics. Food from the North is not pungent, but rich in cream and cooked in ghee. In the South, the recipes are spicier, with dishes from Kerala and Sri Lanka using coconut milk and coconut oil. There is a small Eurasian ethnic group in Sri Lanka known generally as Burghers. They are descendants from the intermarriage of the Portuguese and Dutch with the native Singhalese population. Some of their cuisine has been integrated into the Sri Lankan cuisine. I was fortunate enough to obtain some of these time-tested recipes from Aunty Ruth (Rosemary) who belongs to this community. And Australia, my home, where cooking provides its own allure due to its wholesome directness in the diversity of its dishes. This is the reflection of its evolution over the last century, coinciding with significant immigration from varying European and Asian nations.

In The Melting Pot – Asian Gems, I try and use recipes from all these countries to express the influence of the various cultures on my journey through life. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I have over the years.

I would like to thank the following people from the bottom of my heart for their contributions to this cookbook. First and foremost, my mother, Jeyaletchumy, who was my role model and who provided me from a young age with the skills to be able to embark on this journey. My aunties, Thevi, Devi and Viji, who throughout the years added to my knowledge of cooking Jaffna dishes and contributed some of the unique dishes to this book. My cousins, family and friends; Sumathy, Sylvia, Suresh, Aunty Ruth (Rosemary), Uma, Jaya and Susheela, who deserve high-praise for their generosity in providing their own recipes for this book.

I would also like to thank Tom Bellew for giving up his Sundays to do the beautiful food photography for this book, my nephew Nikesh and my sister-in-law Sumi for advice and editing, and my friend Kamini, for helping me with the design and formatting of the book. I am also deeply grateful to my children, Vibashini and Vinesh, and my son-in-law Nigel, for their support, encouragement and for always being my honest critics.

Last but definitely not least, my wonderful husband, Kana, who has always been my strongest supporter. This book, like my first book, would not have been possible if not for his belief, support and faith in my abilities which has never wavered over our 35 years of marriage.

About the Author

Dr Vasanthi Duraiapah has involved herself in charity work for the last 20 years. She published her first cookbook The Melting Pot - Malaysian Gems in 2011 as a tribute to her nephew, Kethan, who at the time was battling a rare variant of leukemia. The proceeds from the sale of this cookbook were donated to the Leukemia Foundation of Queensland and to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.

Although Vasanthi has a passion for cooking, her professional background has been within the health sector for most of her life. She was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and completed her medical degree in India, before spending a decade working in Malaysia. She married her husband, Kana, and had 2 children. They immigrated to Queensland, Australia in the early 90s where she changed careers from a clinician to focusing more on public health, completing her Masters in Public Health and subsequently a PhD focusing on work-place abuse against mental health professionals. After a long career centring on public health statistical research she retired four years ago and is now a devoted grandmother to her adorable grand-daughter, Aarya.

It was Vasanthi’s ongoing drive for cooking and developing new recipes that has led her into publishing this cookbook The Melting Pot Asian Gems. This cookbook shares recipes from countries that have played an important part in her life. Highlighting recipes from her Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic background through to Malaysia, her country of birth, and India where she spent her formative years. Australia has been her home for the last 26 years and she has paid homage to the country by publishing dishes that she feels are iconic of the country’s culture.

The proceeds of the sale of this cookbook will go to fund further services and research into Leukemia.

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What you need in your pantry if you want to cook from this recipe book!

Agar Agar:

Agar Agar is a setting agent made from seaweed. It is used widely in Asia for making jelly (jello) as it has better setting qualities than gelatin, and sets without refrigeration. It is available in Asian grocery stores in several forms; powder, strands, flakes or bars.

Asafoetida:

This spice is used as a digestive aid as it reduces the growth of microflora in the gut, thereby reducing flatulence. It is used as a condiment, and in pickles. Due to its strong aroma, I suggest storing it in an air-tight container to avoid affecting the quality of