Chef at Large

I was talking on the phone with a friend one day. Lady friend. Cherie comes along and asks me who I’m speaking with. I tell her ‘my girlfriend’ and both of us (friend and I) share a laugh. Cherie nods an ok and walks off to continue doing whatever it was she was doing. Apparently. Indu took me aside later that evening and told me that Cherie [who is all of 5 years old] took her to the bedroom, closed the door, made her sit on the bed, sat down beside her and asked her ‘Mama, after you get married, can you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend like on TV’. Indu said, ‘no, you should not - having friends who are girls or boys is Ok, but not like in the movies’ - as per Cherie’s reference. “Then”, Cherie asked, “why does papa have a girlfriend?”.

Suffice to say, Indu was at a loss for words, wondering what prompted this. So, she quickly cleared it with me, as to what exactly prompted this question and then both of us proceeded to dispel any concerns Cherie might have about the whole situation. Interesting how much more perceptive this generation is than mine was. I don’t think I would have done the same.

This is a beautiful dish that ends with a nicely grilled (broiled) fish, dark brown on the outside and juicy tender white flesh inside, gently coated with a spicy teriyaki sauce and eaten with crisp vegetables embedded in balls of mashed potatoes. I picked up a 1 kilo fish, cleaned but whole, for this. Used half of it for today’s dinner.

500gm Piece of Fish 3 Boiled potatoes 2 tbsp finely chopped French beans 2 tbsp finely chopped cauliflower 2 tbsp finely chopped carrots 2 tbsp ginger paste 3 tbsp teriyaki bbq sauce 1 heaped tsp chilli powder salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean the fish. Pat dry.
2. Heat some oil in a small frying pan. Quickly fry on both sides on high heat.
3. Fry again on both sides on lower heat till golden.
4. In the meantime, mix the teriyaki sauce, ginger paste, chilli powder, salt and some water [1/2 cup]. Mix well.
5. Pour over the fish. Lower the heat and continue cooking, covered.
6. Turn over *once* and spoon the mixture from the pan over the fish again.
7. You may need to add a little water [a few spoons at a time] if the mixture becomes too thick.
8. Spoon the sauce over the fish from time to time for the next 10 minutes or so.
9. Remove pan from heat.
10. Pour all but some sauce from the pan into a bowl. Reserve.
11. Spoon a litte sauce over the fish. Sprinkle some of the chopped beans, carrots and cauliflower over the fish.
12. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
13. Mix the potatoes and the rest of the chopped vegetables. I like them crisp and raw. You could blanch them if you wish.
14. Make little balls of the potato and vegetable mixture. Arrange around the fish in the pan.
15. Pop the pan in the oven. Close to the top burners.
16. Grill (Broil) till the top is caramelised and the potato balls are firm, stiff and beginning to brown.
17. Take out of the oven.
18. To serve,
    1. Cut away some of the flesh [till the bone] gently
    2. Put on a plate and put a spoon or two of the reserved gravy over it.
    3. Put a potato ball (or two) from the pan
    4. Serve with toasted bread with butter.
    5. Consider a crisp mayo iceberg lettuce salad to go with this.

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