For those without the determination to plough gamely on, there are two approaches to the horror of the New Year. You can list all your resolutions in the hope that maybe, just maybe, you will be able to succeed in checking off at least one or two before the breaking dawn of 2011. Or, you can boldly embrace the unfamiliar, forget lists and just get stuck in – say yes to new challenges, experiences and pleasures, including those of the culinary kind.
My preference is for the latter and on today’s menu is Indonesian fusion food at new restaurant Cho Gao. No cuisine is better designed to blow away the seasonal slump. Unlike Chinese and Thai, where dishes tend to be fried, Indonesian cooking focuses on fresh flavours. ‘Chinese has a lot of balance between sweet and sour – there’s always a one-two bang,’ explains executive chef Lloyd Cremer, whose South African routes hide a passion for the Indonesian way of life. ‘South-East Asian flavours focus on the use of lime, coconut, mango juice, lemongrass, lot’s of fruit in the various sauces and fresh Thai chillies… It’s more subtle zinginess – the whole idea is not to leave you feeling too full.’
Indonesian cooking remains a rarity in the Middle East (in fact, as Lloyd explains, Cho Gao is currently the only one of its kind in the UAE). For those who enjoy a ‘tear and share’ approach to dining out, it’s certainly a good option, and a healthy one. ‘I try to avoid frying as much as possible because I don’t think people want all that grease – if you want grease you go to McDonalds.’ The presence of steamed chicken buns, mango and soft shell crab salad, garlic lime king prawns and soba noodles in Cho Gao’s kitchen is testament to this; healthy options share menu space with a range of curries, noodle-based dishes and main course meats served with the signature house glaze.
This isn’t fine dining but it doesn’t pretend to be. The concept is simple – fresh, authentic flavours at affordable prices to encourage repeat visits and experiences that cover everything from a quick lunchtime bite to a leisurely evening meal. ‘I think a lot of the hotels here always want to go high end, and I don’t think everyone wants to spend a week’s salary in one sitting,’ reveals Lloyd. But despite the mid-range pricing system the decor remains suitably sleek, almost spa-like with large wooden tables, lanterns, wicker baskets overflowing with spices and sliding screens for private dining. Meals are usually rounded off with a freshly brewed cuppa (served in a traditional terracotta teapot), but instead of classic breakfast, the brew of choice comes from a designer range (yes, there is in fact designer tea!) known as tchaba. Special blends include jasmine pearl, Moroccan nights and rosa – herbal infusions rich in essential oils, flowers and fruits.
So, on with the cooking and today Chef Albert Camdano is cooking a starter of creamy coconut and roast cassava soup followed by braised beef rendang. The backbone to all Indonesian cooking, so I’m told, is spice. On the morning of my visit in mid-January the restaurant isn’t yet open to customers and Lloyd is frequently harassed by lost workman wandering into the kitchen; an annoyance aggravated by the fact that he runs an incredibly tight ship. A team of chefs styled like members of a local karate club chop, slice and spice under his strict supervision. For the soup, fresh coconut is combined with coconut cream to replicate (as much as possible) the ingredients used by native islanders from Vietnam, Malaysia and Bali. But instead of tamarind and fresh lemon, Chef Albert opts for salt, as Lloyd explains, ‘to cater to the tastebuds of a Western market.’ Soy and edamme beans are added to the mix before the soup is poured into a bowl and finished off with chilli oil and fried onion.
For the main, beef ribs have already been braised (with caramelised onion, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaf and galangal) and cooked in the oven for an hour until the beef is so tender that it literally falls off the bone. Coconut milk is once again used as a base for the sauce, with ingredient stalwarts of lemongrass, lime leaf, chilli and ground spices added to the saucepan and brought to the boil. Albert strains the sauce and pours over the top of the plated beef, finishing with a few cubes of roast potatoes, prawn crackers and pickles. A side of steamed black rice (a fresher, carb-light alternative to basmati) is recommended.
The danger of merging so many different herbs and spices is surely that some will get lost under the dominating flavour but, as I find out, there’s a fine balance to uphold and a technique to mastering the subtleties involved in Indonesian cooking. Final tweaks (dish presentation, menu options) are still being ironed out at Cho Gao, but it’ll be interesting to see how this restaurant fairs when fully up and running – it certainly has all the ingredients to do very well indeed.
Cho Gao, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi (02 621 0000)
Indonesian braised beef rendang
Ingredients (for four people)
1 litre coconut milk
3 Kaffir lime leaf
1 stalk lemon grass
3 pcs red chilli finely sliced
800g beef ribs cut into 3
Ground spices
3 tbsp chopped galangal
Half a tbsp turmeric powder
100g onion
50g garlic
3 tbsp ginger chopped
200g red chilli
2 litres water
Method
Braising the beef: Caramelise sliced onion, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaf and galangal in an oven pan, de-glaze pan and add seasoning. Bring liquid to the boil then add beef short ribs. Braise for one hour then check tenderness. Keep beef hot.
Sauce preparation: Put coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, chilli and ground spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the sauce has reduced and is thickened.
To serve: Pour sauce over the ribs to glaze. Combine with small roast potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Creamy coconut and roast cassava soup
Ingredients (for four people)
500g coconut cream
Salt (to taste)
100g edamme beans peeled
3 sweet basil
2 coriander leaf
150g cassava root cut cube and half boiled
Ground spices
3 tablespoons of chopped galangal
1 tablespoon lemon grass
100g onion
50g garlic
3 tablespoons of chopped ginger
Method
1 Stir fry ground spices.
2 Add cassava, edamme beans and coconut milk.
3 Bring to the boil, simmer and finally add salt and pepper.
4 To serve: garnish with chopped spring onion, chilli oil and fried onion.
