top of page

Sweet and Sour Fish (Fish Ingriyi)  by Fiona Hallequa Amiel

This recipe is offered by Fiona (Hallegua) Amiel, who grew up in an esteemed Jewish family in Cochin, India, Her ancestors arrived to Cochin over 200 years ago from Iraq and Syria. Her cooking knowledge was passed to her by her mother, an award-winning chef with whom she spent many hours in the kitchen. Today she lives with her husband Alan in New York, where they belong the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue there. This recipe, believed to be Iraqi in origin, was eaten during the week and is made with tamarind instead of lime to adapt to South Indian cuisine.

I kg Firm Fish Fillets

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp turmeric

2 medium eggplant sliced

4 medium onions sliced

1/2 kg tomatoes sliced

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. tamarind paste oil for frying

salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat oil sauté onions until golden brown. Fry eggplant until golden brown. Drain and set aside Fry tomatoes drain and set aside.

In a casserole dish place a layer for cooked fish, sautéed onions, egg plant and tomatoes. Keep layering until these ingredients are finished. Mix tamarind paste, sugar and salt with 1/2 cup of water together.

 

Pour this mixture over the layers and bake in a moderate oven of 20-30 minutes. Serve with boiled rice.

Sutlatch (Turkish Rice Pudding)  by Janet Amateau

This recipe, in honor of Shabuot, comes from Janet Amateau, a Barcelona-based chef and food historian who shares her knowledge of Sephardic food traditions on her website, Sephardicfood.com. Below is her sutlatch recipe along with a link explaining why it's such an important recipe in Sephardic culture (and also why everyone today makes it the wrong way!):  http://sephardicfood.com/2014/05/29/hold-the-cheesecake-ill-take-sutlatch/:

 

The ideal pot for sutlatch is one designed for making reductions and sauces, heavy gauged and with either of two specific shapes. A saucier is low and wide with a slight bulge around the middle. The bowl shape accommodates a whisk and reduces the risk of scorching. A Windsor pan is shaped like an inverted cone with the tip cut off. Wider at the top than at the bottom, it encourages moisture to evaporate rapidly.

Ingredients for four servings:

4 heaping tablespoons fine milled rice flour

1/3 cup water

1 quart (4 cups) whole fresh milk

¼ cup (4 tablespoons) vanilla sugar

1 teaspoon orange flower water

ground cinnamon

edible white flowers, either orange blossom or honeysuckle

 

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, moisten the rice flour with water and let it rest for 5 minutes. Set the pan over a high flame, and stir in the milk and sugar. When the milk begins to simmer, reduce the flame to medium, and continue stirring the pot. The pudding will thicken very slowly. As it does, gradually reduce the flame to prevent scorching. Stir continuously until the pudding is thick and smooth. Take turns with someone if you need a break, but don’t stop stirring, and don’t give up! It may take an hour, and longer for a bigger batch. Once thickened, remove the pot from the heat and stir in orange flower water to taste.

 

The texture should be very smooth. If it isn't, pass the sutlatch through a fine mesh sieve into individual bowls. Cover each pudding with wax paper or plastic wrap while they’re still warm. Let cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

 

Garnish just before serving with edible white flowers & cinnamon. Fragrant orange blossoms are a reminder of Spain & Portugal. For Shavuot, sweet honeysuckle references the land of milk and honey. In Rhodes tradition, guests are each served a bowl with their first initial written in ground cinnamon. Cut a stencil, hold it close to the surface of the pudding, and sprinkle generously. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

 

bottom of page