Feast Your Senses
We all agree that a book review is about the book itself. When Feast Bazaar 
by Barry Vera dropped on my doormat, I thought it might shatter in a thousand and one shards like a mirror would. I had received a colourful mirror. I grew up on Moroccan food; I have images of my gran ”rolling” couscous. I travelled some of my misspent youth in India, where I thought I had reached Nirvana the first time coconut rice met my palate. Not so long ago my sense of smell ran amok in the streets of Old Damascus while I gorged on Cinnamon Lamb Pizza.
Feast Bazaar is a beautifully presented book (it is also a TV series); English-born chef Barry Vera offers much more than recipes from India, Morocco, and Syria. It is “a journey into the food, history, cultures” and customs of these countries; he achieves a delicate balancing exercise between the visual, the evocative, and the knowledge.
Of course the old ingredients – good-looking chef roaming intriguing places – might make you think, ”I have seen it all already”; however, this one has a difference, which I am not sure I can define. But at the end of the day, the recipes are easy enough for you to want to try out, and when you do, they will not let your senses down; they work. Often they are an improvement on what you already do and know – take the humble lassi, a perfect cooling drink. I had tried all sorts of variations and admittedly there are as many recipes as they are people. Barry Vera’s offers a version that is a joy for the taste buds. Have a go and you’ll see what I mean.
Vanilla Lassi with Rosewater
- 100ml (3.5 fl oz) pouring (whipping) cream
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) full cream (whole) milk
- 310g (11 oz) plain yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 tablespoons rosewater
- Ice, to serve
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to serve
- Pinch saffron threads, to serve (optional)
Blend all the ingredients, except the ice, nutmeg, and saffron, in a blender until smooth.
Half fill two tall glasses with ice and pour in the lassi. Sprinkle the nutmeg and saffron (if using) on top, to serve.
