MEN’S HEALTH 7303- UPPER HUSK
Spice is balanced
by the sweetness
of coconut cream in
Thai cooking. “Get the
meat from a coconut
shell, then blitz it with
hot water. Squeeze it
into a bowl through
a muslin cloth and
the cream will rise to
the top.” The effort
is worth it: canned
versions contain
xanthan gum, a
stabiliser linked to
intestinal problems.01- CANNED HEAT
Harissa – a spicy
Tunisian paste of
roasted serrano
peppers and chillies- features heavily at
Berber & Q. “It’s so
versatile,” enthuses
Katz. “You can add it
to chicken, lamb, pork,
even gravy. It makes
everything taste
amazing.” If you can
stand the heat you’ll
also reap its potent
anti-inflammatory
effects, with just one
spoon numbing joint
pain (and your tongue).
03- GREENER
PASTURES
“I love Middle Eastern
salads,” says Katz.
“Instead of rocket
or baby gem, we
use parsley, dill
and coriander for
a punchier flavour.”
These tiny greens
pack immune system-
boosting vitamins
C and K in vastly
superior amounts to
watery salad leaves.05- STICKING POINTS
“For sweetness we
use date syrup,” says
Katz. “It’s a sugar
alternative popular
in the Middle East, but
with a much deeper
flavour. Use it in your
meat juice reductions
to add something
unexpected to the
mix.” Gratifyingly, it’s
not as nutritionally
shallow as table
sucrose either, with
a moderate serving
delivering a healthy
dose of potassium.
Call it a sweet post-
training pick-me-up.04- HOME BREW
“Fermented fish is
essential to Thai
cooking,” says Oliver.
“Fish sauce and
shrimp paste give
Thai food its umami
flavour and add depth.
A little goes a long
way.” Ask your local
Asian grocer for
Nam Pla and use it in
curries, marinades
and fried dishes. If
you need to hold your
nose, just remember
each tablespoon
packs 2g of protein.02- SEEDS OF CHANGE
A mainstay of Middle
Eastern dishes from
Lebanon to Bulgaria,
tahini is a paste
made from toasted
sesame seeds.
Naturally, it’s packed
with fibre, plus iron
and magnesium
to regulate body fat
and speed recovery.
“I mix it with a little
water, lemon and
garlic to make a sauce
that goes with any
dish from meat to
fish,” says Katz.04- CLOVES
OF FLAVOUR
“Garlic goes in
every thing we do for
depth of flavour,” says
Katz. “And I mean
everything. You’d
be surprised how
uncommon garlic is in
British cooking.” Not
only will it add depth
and hum to stews and
roasted meats, this
pungent bulb acts
as an anticoagulant,
improving blood flow
to reduce your risk of
heart disease, says
the journal American
Family Physician.05- JAM PACKED
To elevate anything
from salads to soups,
Oliver recommends
Nam Prik Pao. “It’s
Thai chilli jam: a dark,
smoky, slightly sweet
and spicy paste
that injects a massive
hit of flavour into
whatever you’re
cooking. It’s even
good on your boiled
eggs.” The garlic,
chilli and shallots the
recipe traditionally
calls for make
this your one-stop
early morning
immunity-booster.01- BASE INSTINCTS
A holy trinity forms
the base of most Thai
dishes. “We love white
pepper, coriander
root and garlic,” says
Oliver. “Pound them
down and you’ll
have an instant Thai
aroma.” The result is
a base that packs a
hefty, piquant punch.
Often overlooked in
Western cooking,
coriander root has
been proven to
reduce inflammation
- useful considering
how spicy things are
about to get.
02- DRY HEAT
“It’s important to
leave Western ways
at the door when
cooking Thai,” says
Oliver. “Rather than
buying dried flakes,
dry-roast chillies in
a frying pan – some
small spicy ones
and big, smoky ones
- until darkened,
then blitz into a
powder. The flavour
is incredible.”
According to the
American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition
the heat is more than
enough to scorch
through your risk
of type 2 diabetes.
Keep that bottle of
Chang handy.
SPICE
WORLD
0405020103
PROTEIN-RICH TAHINI
boasts all nine essential
amino acids, according
to data from the USDADATE SYRUP INHIBITS
growth of bad
bacteria faster than
manuka honey, says
the Society for
General MicrobiologySIAMESE
DREAMS
Authentic Thai food, just like
legit Cantonese and genuine
Indian, has traditionally been
under-represented on these
shores. But all critics agree that Andy
Oliver’s Som Saa in Spitalfields is the
real deal. Having spent time working at
the renowned Bo.Lan in Bangkok, Oliver
learned to coax the best out of every
component. It’s this approach that
has become the cornerstone of his
revered take on regional Thai dishes.
EASTERN
PROMISE
It’s hard to put
a finger on the
cuisine at east
London’s Berber
& Q, borrowing as it does
from Turkish ocakbasi grills,
Moroccan spice blends and
Persian staples, all distilled
through the vision of barbecue
fetishist and chef-owner Josh
Katz, who makes no secret of
his love for the meat-smoking
pits of New York. “Brits
don’t have the national food
identity you find elsewhere,”
says Katz. “But that’s what
makes us more appreciative
of international cuisines.”