The BamBu! Restaurant Abu Dhabi - Andrew's Spare Ribs

I have spent a lot of time in Abu Dhabi. We have for the last 15 years had major filming projects there. In 2000 I helped a very good friend Graham Wheeler (our cameraman on one of our projects) took over a failing restaurant and redesigned it from bottom up. The building was completely gutted and rebuilt inside to Grahams amazing design. I helped Graham choose the menu and was very involved in the birth of what is now one of the most popular places to eat in Abu Dhabi. The concept of the restaurant is eat and drink as much as you like from a huge selection of Oriental Freshly Cooked Dishes.


In the kitchen Andrew a Filipino was the cook. He had been the chef at the previous restaurant that had been in the building and he brought many recipes two of which are my favourites which I always have to have when I visit the BamBu!

Unfortunately a fews years ago Andrew had a heart attack and is no longer with us so these two dishes Pork Spare Ribs and Cuttlefish are in memory of him and his great cooking.

The Permata Krakatau Hotel, Cilegon West Java, INDONESIA.Nasi Goreng - (Indonesian Fried Rice)

In 2007 we made our first visit to Indonesia. Our filming trip had included Korea a place we have filmed in now four times over a period of six or seven years. I didn't have much knowledge of Indonesia other than what I had read about Bali so it was a new adventure. We arrived in Jakarta and travelled 100kms by taxi to our hotel the Permata Krakatau Hotel & golf course which turned out to be a number of different buildings rather like a holiday village. Our journey there took in a lot of the countryside which was full of paddy fields and small villages with people sitting out taking in the evening air. I immediately fell in love with the country and the people who seemed so friendly.

The hotel was not far from the island volcano Krakatau which, on August 26,1883, erupted causing what was one of the largest natural disasters in recorded history. The explosion was equivalent to 200 mega tonnes of TNT - about 13,000 times the yield of the Little Bomb, which devastated Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion was heard more than 3000 miles away and fine ashes from the eruption were carried by upper level winds as far away as New York City. and a series of large tsunami waves generated by the main explosion, some reaching a height of nearly 40 meters (more than 120 feet) above sea level, killed more than 36,000 people in the coastal towns and villages.

In the year following the eruption, average global temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 degrees Celsius. Weather patterns continued to be chaotic for years, and temperatures did not return to normal until 1888.

The food at the hotel was very good but one of my favourite dishes was Nasi Goreng. Nasi goreng literally means fried rice and is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried eggs, chicken and kripuk (fried crackers / chips made of shrimp or vegetables). Nasi goreng can be eaten at any time of day, although the Indonesians often eat it during breakfast, and mostly the ingredients are a previous day's dinner leftover.

THE RECIPE:

Serves 4 people.

2 cups of rice (basmati)

4 cups of water.

1 chicken stock cube.

2 tbls of oil (groundnut or vegetable oil)

3 onions chopped small.

2 cloves of garlic chopped small

2 green chillies (medium) chopped.

2 skinless chicken breasts diced.

400g raw prawns

½ tbls coriander seeds

1 tsp of shrimp paste.

½ tsp of sugar.

2 tsps of Kicap manis (sweet soy sauce)

1 tbls soy sauce

½ lettuce finely sliced.

½ cucumber sliced.

4 eggs (one per person)

Method:

Cooking the rice:
Wash the rice once. Crumble the stock cube into the water and bring to the boil. Add the rice and let it boil for two to three minuets. Cover with a lid, turn off the gas and let it stand for around 15 minutes, loosed with a fork and let it cool down. This can be done the day before and when cool put in the fridge until required.

Main recipe:

• Put oil in hot wok or frying pan.
• Add onions, garlic and chillies and fry until softened. Do not let the colour. When soft remove from the pan and put to one side.
• Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary and heat until very hot.
• Add the coriander, shrimp paste and sugar and let it cook for 30 secs stirring it all the time.
• Add the chicken once again stirring until the chicken has turned white and is cooked. Now return the onion mix to the pan containing the chicken mix well. making sure the heat is high add the rice to the chicken. Keep tossing it until the rice is heated through.
• Add the Kecip mantis, soy sauce and spring onions, turn down the heat to keep the mixture hot while you fry the four eggs.

To serve arrange the lettuce around the outside of 4 plates. Place the rice mixture in the centre. Garnish with the cucumber strips and put a fried egg on top of the rice.

Serve immediately and enjoy.

The Lemon Tree - Gurgaon, Delhi, INDIA.Sali Boti - (boneless cubes of meat with potato straws)

We have been working on a video production for the past two years and as part of this in 2007 we visited India. India is well known to us for we had been there a number of times on different projects one of which was the largest grass roots oil refinery in Gujarat. Each project at some stage has taken us to Delhi a city that is not at the top of my list of favourite places. I find it hot too busy and the pollution can turn your throat to sandpaper.

The hotel we had chosen, The Lemon Tree was one we didn't know but it sounded OK. It is one of a group run by Patu Keswani who has 15 years of experience with The Taj Group of Hotels.

The Lemon tree is to be found in Gurgaon a suburb of Delhi and about 10kms from the airport.

On our first night I was interested to try this Parsis dish. It was so good that I asked the head chef for the recipe.

Parsis Food:

This Parsis dish is eaten at celebrations. Parsis enjoy celebrating be it Diwali, New Year or Christmas.

Parsis weddings too are very special occasions where they eat fish, mutton chicken or dal.

THE RECIPE:

Sali Boti - (boneless cubes of meat with potato straws)
Serves 5-6 people.

Meat - (Boti)
1½ lbs mutton - cut into 1" cubes
2 tbsp of Ghee
3 large onions - finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger & Garlic paste.
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
3-4 Green Chillies (chopped)
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves (chopped)
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1½ tsp Salt.
1½ tbsp Vinegar.
1 tbsp Jaggery or Sugar.
1½ cup of water.

Potato Straws - (Sali)
4-5 Large Potatoes peeled and cut into fine straws.
Ghee for frying

Method:

• Heat the ghee and fry the onions until they are golden brown.
• Add the meat, garlic/ginger paste, turmeric and chili powder. Mix well and cook for about 10 minutes until the meat is well browned.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minuets after which time you add the salt and 1½ cups of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about ½ hour.
• Lastly add the coriander leaves, vinegar and jaggery. Cook for 5 minuets and then remove from heat.
• To cook the potato straws heat the ghee to 180C/350F or until a piece of bread takes 25 seconds to turn golden brown. Drain and dry the potato sticks. Put them carefully into the oil in 2 or 3 lots cooking them until they are golden and crisp.

Remove them from the ghee and serve them with the Boti (meat) by putting the meat on the plate with the straws on top.