Terrific tapas

The word tapas literally means “lid” – from the Spanish practice of covering drinks served in bars with a small saucer or a piece of bread to keep pesky flies at bay.
    With the booming catering sector in Thailand, tapas are now in greater demand than ever at meetings and cocktail receptions. Meanwhile Thai restaurants struggle to come up with their own version of tapas – such snacks are new in Thai dining.
    “Asian Tapas: Small Bites, Big Flavors” proves that an abundance of fresh Thai and other Asian ingredients is perfect for incorporating tapas into our contemporary cooking.
    As Christopher Megel and Anton Kilayko demonstrate, the fresh seasonal Asian ingredients are ideal for tapas that simply fit our hectic modern lifestyle. They create an extensive collection of recipes inspired by the unrivalled flavours of Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Japan and Bali, Indonesia.
    These recipes are surely to “assault” the senses, they write.
The recipes are based on mostly Asian ingredients, but at times you can see the culinary influence of France, Spain and Mexico, thanks to the authors’ diverse backgrounds and readiness to borrow from different parts of the globe.
    These recipes are for quick and everyday snacks and light meals that require a little chopping, slicing, mixing and blending.
The book opens with a description of innovative and experimental Asian tapas, blessed by the region’s melting pot of culinary culture and wealth of fresh ingredients.
    What’s particularly useful is the listing of a wide selection of ingredients common in the Asian kitchen, ranging from vegetables and herbs to spices and sauces.
    Thai basil, pandanus leaves, bamboo shoots, bok choy and dried-shrimp paste are some of the ingredients that dominate many illustrated creations, which include vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
    These dishes sound as delicious as they taste: Kashmiri shrimp kebabs with ginger and coriander, mussels in fragrant coconut cream, rainbow quail eggs, sesame crusted tuna nibbles with ginger and honey glazed baby squids.
    True to the tapas concept, these snacks encourage an act of sharing amid the flow of conversation and fine wine.
Reviewed by Manote Tripathi, The Nation

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