texasmesquite

Smells of her childhood
Source: Goodbites - NewStraightsTimes Online, MaylasiaVimala Seneviratne

May 18, 2008
It was a feast for the senses at the launch of Carol Selva Rajah's 11th cookbook, Heavenly Fragrances, in Sydney. She talks to VIMALA SENEVIRATNE about her passion for Asian cooking.

Watermelon rind salad with sweet Thai dressing. Carol says Asian cooks are trained to bring out the aromas of each individual spice or herb. Fresh seafood salad with sesame lime dressing.

THERE is a distinctly Asian aroma coming from the kitchen of a Sydney restaurant where Malaysian Carol Selva Rajah has spent most of the morning preparing a feast that includes nasi lemak, Vietnamese rolls, beancurd skin sausage rolls and beef parcels with Thai herbs.

“Mmm, looks and smells wonderful,” she says, adding finishing touches to one of the dishes. She is pleased with the result and so are the 80-odd guests who have turned up at Cinta Ria Restaurant for the launch of her 11th cookbook, Heavenly Fragrances, which explores the effect of spices and herbs, fragrance and flavour on Asian food.

“It’s all about smell or aroma. To this day I live by my amah’s rule: ‘If it doesn’t smell good, it will not taste good!’. If it was not for her, I wouldn’t have ventured down this path,” says Carol, after the last guest has left, satiated.

Settling down comfortably with a cup of hot tea, she proceeds to talk of her love for food and her childhood in Klang.

“When I was growing up in Klang, beautiful scents were all around us, pervading our lives. Mango and rambutan trees framed my window, the aroma of mango flowers spreading its light caramel-like fragrance around my room. We also had jackfruit trees, herbs and spice plants in every corner of the garden.

“This was my first introduction to aromas. In fact, our garden was where you got to feast with your eyes and nose before you sat down at the dinner table,” says Carol who emigrated to Sydney with her husband and three children more than 25 years ago.

It was from her amah, her Chinese nanny, that she learned to deconstruct a dish down to its ingredients and cooking steps just by tasting it.

“She was a natural cook, a master of flavours and aromatic patterns. Every morning before I went to school, I learned to pick and portion the herbs. In one instance, lemongrass, galangal, chili and turmeric would evolve into a mouth-watering curry paste – perfect for prawn sambal.

It was also from her that Carol learned the secret of layering ingredients when cooking. “Most people tend to add all the ingredients together, probably to save time. But, first you should add the garlic and wait for it to release its aroma. Then you can add the next ingredient and all the others, one by one, so that the oils and fragrances of each spice are released separately to build on the flavour,” explains Carol.

For the last 25 years, she has been sharing her passion, teaching in the Sydney Seafood School, in her test kitchen in Northwood and in the James Street Cooking School in Brisbane, Queensland.

It was in Australia that she first realised that herbs used in western cuisine were gentle and subtle while those used in Asian cooking were more intense and fiery.

“Our (eastern) cuisine is so aromatic because smell is important to us and good Asian cooks are trained to bring out the aromas of each individual spice or herb.”

The former English language teacher made a name for herself in Malaysia when she was host of Cita Ria, a microwave cooking series aired over TV3.

One of her books, The Food Of India, won a Gold Award for the Best Hard Cover Recipe Book 2002-2003 at the Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards in Adelaide. Another book, The Essential Guide To Buying And Using Authentic Asian Ingredients, is an invaluable reference book that’s used today as a textbook for students taking Asian food courses at Tafe Colleges in Sydney.

She was the first Australian woman invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard Foundation in New York where the menu was a lavish nonya dinner presented to the American media.

Subsequently, she was invited to present the same menu for The Captain’s Table on the QE2 cruise ship. Last year she was on the judging panel of Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards at the Australian Writers’ Festival.

She also sits on the board of the New South Wales Food and Wine Tourism Action Committee. All these have helped her become what she is today – successful, famous and well-respected. But Carol credits part of her success to perfect timing.

“I arrived in Sydney at a time when Australians were just taking notice of Asian food. They were curious about exotic ingredients and cooking with the wok. It was a good opportunity for me, my cooking school and putting my skills to good use,” adds Carol.

Carol and her daughter Anushiya, a chef who specialises in Thai cuisine, teach Asian cooking in Northwood.

“It’s quite amusing to see my students, many of whom are bankers, engineers and architects, coming in and exchanging their business suits for aprons. Initially, they would stumble their way through but, at the end of the day, they enjoy themselves and more importantly, they learn the art of Asian cooking,” adds Carol who has more than 2,000 recipes in her database.

When she was teaching English to migrants at Cabley Vale 23 years ago, she came across Cambodians, Laotians and Vietnamese women selling herbs and other Asian vegetables on the footpaths of Cabramatta, an Italian and Croatian suburb located in the western suburbs of Sydney.

“I was delighted to find the suburb taking on an Asian identity with hole-in-the-wall food stalls serving authentic Vietnamese and Laotian soups, noodles and snacks. It was an amazing experience for me. Almost every weekend, I would find my way there to introduce this food to friends. It was like eating at stalls in Malaysia or Singapore,” says Carol, who invited the editor of Gourmet Traveller to check out place. The editor was so impressed that he gave her a column, Day Trips To Asia, in the magazine.

The ever-enterprising Carol also decided to conduct guided food tours to the suburb.

“I roped in my daughter to help and our tours became a learning and tasting experience as we introduced the participants to Asian vegetables, herbs, spices and snacks as we stall-crawled through the narrow streets and arcades. Along the way we included tips on how these vegetables can be used in cooking, not only in Asian dishes but in western cooking as well,” she adds. Her tours won the Jaguar Gourmet Traveller Award for Excellence in Gastronomic Travel in 1990.

These days, however, Carol reserves her cooking skills for charity functions and special events. Each year at the Lilac Ball, her Chilli Crab Dinner For 10 helps to raise funds for St Vincent’s Hospital’s support services for cancer patients. Carol cooks dinner for the highest bidder in his house.

“This is a creative way to raise funds for a worthy cause and since I love to cook, I don’t mind doing it,” says Carol who cooks for her family on weekends.

Her daughter and two sons are all competent in the kitchen too. “Anushiya is a professional chef and the boys can whip up the best barbecue in town. Even my young grandchildren are showing an interest in cooking,” she says, beaming with pride.

When she can spare the time, Carol does a fair amount of entertaining at home and her menu can include a Vietnamese starter, an Indian main course and a nonya dessert.

She plans to continue doing what she loves best – cooking and writing more cookbooks though she confesses, with great mirth, to “this one great desire to put on a crash helmet, wear a leather jacket and ride off on a Harley Davidson”.

The 256-page hardcover Heavenly Fragrance, published by Periplus, is priced at RM132 and is available at all major bookshops.