Sweet or Savoury: Whip up a zesty Chocolate-Orange Mousse or a spicy Tamarind Fish Curry tonight

Colin’s Chocolate-Orange Mousse with Homemade Honeycomb

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 6 - 8

Mousse

300g dark chocolate (70 per cent), chopped

4 tablespoons (1/3 cup) honey

2 oranges

Pinch of salt

200ml pure cream

2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder

6 egg whites

Honeycomb

300g (1⅓ cups) caster sugar

50g honey

¼ cup water

30g bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and allow to melt. Stir in honey, zest of two oranges and salt.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat the cream and cocoa to soft peaks. Transfer to a large, clean bowl. Refrigerate.
3. Add egg whites to a clean bowl. Beat to soft peaks.
4. Using a spatula, gently fold one spoonful of the chocolate mixture into cream. Add remaining mixture and fold until just combined. Gently fold through egg whites without losing the volume of the mixture. Transfer to glass container. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or until cold.
5. To make Honeycomb, grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
6. In a large deep saucepan, combine sugar, honey and water over a low heat. Cook, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high. Boil without stirring for about 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown (145C). Remove from the heat and whisk in the bicarb. The mixture will foam up, increasing in size.
7. Immediately, pour lengthways onto prepared tray. Allow to cool on the bench top. When cool, break into large shards with your hands or the back of a large kitchen knife.
8. To serve, spoon mousse among glasses. Garnish with honeycomb and serve with orange segments.

TIP: Honeycomb can also be blended to a fine crumb.

Clarissa’s Tamarind Fish Curry

A classic Malaysian Fish Curry, made in many Malay or Nonya households. It’s a light curry, almost tom yum-like. There are many versions of this recipe. This is my grandmother’s recipe.

Tamarind pulp can be found in most Asian grocers. It comes in a block and has a thick, pasty consistency with seeds in it. You can also get concentrated tamarind paste, which is ready to use. If you use the paste for this recipe, the quantity really depends on the consistency — if it’s quite thick, I’d start with two tablespoons and taste before adding any more.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 ½ tablespoons tamarind puree

⅓ - ½ fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced into bite-sized wedges

500g mackerel or other firm-fleshed white fish, skin removed and pin-boned, cut into 4cm chunks

½ tablespoon salt

1½ tablespoons coconut or soft brown sugar, or to taste

½ tablespoon fish sauce

Vietnamese mint, to garnish

steamed rice, to serve

Curry Paste

2 large red onions, chopped roughly

2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

2 candlenuts or 3 macadamia nuts

⅓ cup sunflower oil

1 or 2 tablespoons chilli powder, or to taste

¼ teaspoon ground aniseed

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1. To make curry paste, place the onion, garlic and nuts in a large mortar and pound with a pestle to make a thick, coarse paste. (Alternately, place ingredients in a food processor and process to a coarse paste).
2. Heat the oil in a large deep-frying pan or saucepan over a high heat until smoking. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion paste and fry for 8 – 10 minutes, or until oil splits from paste. Stir in the chilli powder and spices. Continue frying until the paste becomes fragrant and caramelised, taking care not to let it burn.
3. Add water and bring to the boil. Stir in tamarind puree and pineapple. Gentle boil for three to five minutes, or until pineapple has softened. Add fish, salt, sugar and fish sauce. Return to the boil, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for five minutes or until sauce has just thickened. Remove from the heat. Sit covered for a further five minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flakes easily when gently pressed. Adjust seasoning with sugar, salt and tamarind to taste.
4. To serve, garnish curry with mint and serve with steamed rice.

TIPS: Tamarind pulp can also be used. Soak the pulp in boiling water for 15 minutes. When cooled, squeeze with your fingers to separate the tamarind flesh from the seeds. Pour the tamarind mixture into a sieve set over a bowl to catch the juice. Using your hand or the back of a spoon, stir and press to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the fibres, membranes and seeds left in the sieve and reserve the juice. You can replace pineapple with okra or eggplant, however, you will have to flash fry these vegetables first.

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