February 20, 2020

he Spice Cottage of Burgau, Portugal.

I am honoured to be allowed in the kitchen to watch. Three chefs, with small round white hats, flashing white smiles and dark lively eyes perform together to create amazing delicious Indian food in this sparkling clean kitchen, where everything and everyone has a place.

One chef flattens a dough ball, adds two triangles of Swiss cheese and then seals the cheese inside flattening it until the cheese is an even inside layer. Gee is rubbed on the top followed by a big layer of freshly crushed garlic and a layer of fresh coriander.  A showman slap sticks the garlic and coriander to the naan surface. Draped over a round cloth shape, the naan is lifted onto a wall of the hot brick tandori oven. A large round lid covers the oven.  In a few minutes the naan is puffed up and cooked. It is removed from the oven with two long metal pokers.  A bit of gee shines the surface and it is cut into four and then our starter is served in a basket with yogurt mint sauce and a sweet orange sauce.  

Earlier in the day, the large chicken cubes have been marinated with spices and cooked in the tandori oven and a Marsala sauce has been made, a kilo of spinach has been boiled for two hours, and the rice has been boiled and then fried with saffron.  Now some of the chicken and the Marsala sauce are mixed in a large frying pan. The chef stirs vigorously over the high gas flames. Gee is sprinkled in, then a splash of milk, a drizzle of cream and then pinches of the freshly ground spices, star of anise, turmeric, coriander, cumin and hot chilli pepper. After it is in the wonderful little copper serving pot with the candle keeping it warm, a sliver of almonds, and another drizzle of cream makes this perfect.  Next they start the Paneer Jalfrezi. I taste the bland paneer cheese, made earlier in the week.  It is mixed with the long cooked spinach sauce, the spices, a bit of gee and the cream and stirred over the high gas heat and suddenly it is is the best thing I have ever tasted.  The rice, refried with mushrooms, or eggs or cashews and raisins, completes the second course.

Two years ago, when we ate at the Spice Cottage, we never made it to desert.  Now we get Nazeen to package up some of the main course just so that we can savour small chunks of the world’s best, creamiest home made ice cream, Mango, Coconut or Pistachio.