Heavenly Fragrance - Carol Selva Rajah

A Book Review by Franz Scheurer

Carol has always been one of my favourite food personalities in Sydney. She can cook, she can write about food and her hospitality knows no bounds. Her latest book, ‘Heavenly Fragrance, Cooking with Aromatic Asian Herbs, Fruits, Spices and Seasonings’ is the most colourful book I’ve ever seen; its purple, orange, vibrant green, bright blue, yellow and myriad other colours set the scene for a joyous Asian romp. You can’t help but smile looking at Masana Kawana’s superb photography.

Browsing through the pages a great many recipes ‘sucked me in’. Each chapter is prefaced with a few pages detailing the ingredients and I am delighted to see lesser used ingredients, such as banana leaves, flowers and stems, ginger flowers and pomelo, dealt with.

The ‘Sweet potato curry puffs with Vietnamese mint’ are a delicious snack, as are the crunchy ‘Asparagus spears in crispy wonton skins’. The ‘Lamb chops with sweet plum ginger marinade’ won’t be out of place at an Aussie BBQ. My personal favourite has to be the ‘Silken tofu with pork and shrimp’, as alluring as it is simple. There’s no doubt that Carol’s Amah was a brilliant cook as evidenced by ‘Amah’s fragrant sambal shrimp’ and ‘Amah’s chicken curry’.

Malaysia to me is roti, roti and more roti. I tend to prefer Roti Channai, but Carol’s recipe for ‘Lacy Malay coconut pancakes’ (or Roti Jala) could convert me. Lo Bak, the fatty pork sausage encased in a beancurd skin, is another favourite of mine and Carol’s version, on page 217, looks great.

Carol does venture off the Malay path into ‘Chinese rice congee with all the trimmings’. Chok (Cantonese for rice congee) is the ultimate comfort food, comparing favourably with Jewish chicken soup as a healing agent for anything from headaches to sweaty feet.

‘Heavenly Fragrance, Cooking with Aromatic Asian Herbs, Fruits, Spices and Seasonings’ is a very enjoyable read full of achievable recipes. And its bright colours and full-page photos make it a beautiful book for the coffee table.

Released and printed by Periplus Editions

ISBN-13: 978-0-7946-0353-3