Gourmet Traveller/ Jaguar Awards for Excellence, August 1998

Many changes over the last 23 years since Reuben and Charmaine started the business of getting the kitchen prep work done for time-poor gourmets. No longer do Reuben and Charmaine go to Flemington markets or grow their own laksa leaf, we have found a trusted boutique manufacturer who does the hard work on our behalf. The products, however, are true to their original recipes.

With ingredients more widely available and more time on our hands during the occasional lockdowns, we can indulge ourselves in cooking as therapy: get into the kitchen and make our own curries from scratch.

They sure do taste good, as I can confirm having made Charmaine Solomon’s sensational Burmese panthe kaukswe (chicken curry) just today. But they take time, so unless you like eating late, start work a couple of hours ahead of when the stomach rumbles are likely to begin.

To remind my self of the flavours I grew up with, I even made the coconut milk myself (using desiccated coconut to make it easier) not having the wherewithal for freshly grating a couple of coconuts.

This is an excellent exercise for novice cooks as it serves as a benchmark for what thick coconut milk should be like when a recipe calls for it. It is definitely lighter in consistency than anything in a tin or carton- more akin to a creamy, full cream milk. Save those super creamy, supermarket coconut milks for enriching desserts or learn to dilute them for a more authentic consistency for curry.

Panthe Kaukswe is very soupy using both thin and thick coconut milk but is thickened to a coating consistency by adding a tablespoon or two of besan (chickpea) flour towards the end of cooking. Served with an assortment of accompaniments it gives diners a chance to personalise each and every serve, or even every mouthful. Look for the recipe in the Burmese chapter of Charmaine’s Complete Asian Cookbook.

And when again time is short, remember this award winning selection of Curry Pastes which is available through good delicatessens, or online at this website.

In 1998 The Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine in conjunction with The Jaguar Awards for Excellence chose to award Charmaine and Reuben Solomon for their ‘outstanding achievement and making a genuine difference to our quality of life’ for their range of excellent curry pastes and marinades. Spices Pty Ltd was born and continues to produce an excellent range of highly regarded curry pastes for the Australian and overseas markets.