Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot and brown the onions over high heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
Make a paste of the ginger and garlic with a mortar and pestle, though it’s easier to do this in a blender — adding a little water as necessary. Add the paste to the onions. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the spices and chillies. Stir-fry for 3 minutes on low heat. Stir in the tomatoes. Throw in the potatoes and add water to cover.
Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are half-cooked, and then add the carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beans and tomato paste. Add water to cover and salt to taste. Simmer the curry until the vegetables are almost cooked.
Throw in the zucchini and snow peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with the almonds and coriander. Serve with steamed basmati rice and dhal.

A Sweet Little Book

“As a child, I loved to spend time in the kitchen cooking alongside my mother and aunt. Like most kids, I had a sweet tooth and especially loved making candies and cakes.
When the annual school fete came around, my mother would make batches of toffees and lollipops to sell at the sweet stall – my job was to decorate and package them. I’d help make the coconut ice,  spoon the
chocolate crackle mixture into paper cases, and break up the honeycomb when it had set.
As I grew older, I would often bake a cake or make a batch of fudge to give to friends as gifts for their birthdays or for Christmas. They were always well appreciated.

Chocolate Fudge from "A Sweet Little Book"

Receiving something handmade is a real joy, don’t you think?
In our frenetic, fragmented lives, a gift of food made at home with love and care is so special, no matter how simple or inexpensive the ingredients.
An exquisite box of sweets or a cake made with your own hands can give enormous pleasure – and it’s so easy!

Sesame Brittle from "A Sweet LIttle Book"

Today, the art of making candies, cakes and sweets for that special someone has almost become one of life’s forgotten delights.
Yet these gifts can inspire us to be more creative and to think of new ways of saying “I love you”. To make something yourself, to use your hands to transform simple ingredients into a unique gift, can be deeply satisfying.
Every year presents us with many reasons to celebrate – whether it’s Mother’s Daythe birth of a child, a wedding, Easter, Christmas  or Father’s Day. Each of these occasions can be acknowledged with a
particular gift, each person remembered on his or her day with something made by you and your children. Homemade sweets are also a lovely way to say thank you.

Rum Balls from "A Sweet Little Book"

No matter what size or shape, this kind of gift will always have your own personal touch. Experiment, be inventive – you’ll find such sweet kindness will be warmly received. Such sweet charity.”

Harbour Bridge view from InterContinental Sydney Level 31

The Bridge and Luna Park are just to my left, the Opera House directly in front, and North and South Head to my right.

Opera House view from InterContinental

I’ve been invited to join an Ultimately Sydney Gourmet Food Tour which departs from the hotel tomorrow at 10am.
Part of the package includes an overnight stay in a standard guest room, full buffet breakfast for two at the hotel’s Café Opera restaurant and two tickets to the private, guided foodie tour.
“It’s an enriching way for both visitors and locals looking to explore the city’s internationally-inspired culinary scene,” says David Patt, the hotel’s chief concierge.

Davidi Patt, Chief Concierge, InterContinental Sydney

“Generations of migrations settling in Sydney have created a vibrant blend of international flavours and experiences across the city and often found in the most unassuming places.”
Two different tours, running on alternate weeks, are available.  We were lucky to sample a mix of outlets on the Inner West and South Sydney tours,  and I was delighted to discover many new places which I didn’t know existed.
Our tour started at The Coffee Roaster, Alexandria, where the beans are roasted on a cushion of heated air which ensures they never burn, a  hi-tech roasting process developed by Michael Sivetz in the U.S. in the 1970s.

The Coffee Roaster, Alexandria

“We source the finest quality Arabica beans from around the world and work with cafes and restaurants on their blends,” says owner Dan Fitzsimmons.
Next stop is Establishment 218, retail outlet for the largest Australian-family owned beef abattoir which sells premium meat direct to the public at wholesale prices.  Opened 18 months ago, it offers customers the opportunity to select their own cuts of beef, with a butcher on hand to slice it to your specifications. Their AAA grade Angus scotch fillet is excellent value.
Then it was onto to Raineri Continental Delicatessen in Five Dock (97 Great North Road, Ph. 9713 6886) where Joseph Raineri and family specialise in top quality Italian goods.

Joseph Raineri with his mother, Sarina, and Helen Fraser from Ultimately Sydney Tours at Raineri Deli, Five Dock

“Too many cheap and nasty Italian products have been coming to Australia over the past few decades which is why we started importing good quality goods five years ago,” he says.
Make sure you try the magnificent milky parmesan from Emilia Romagna; the flavoursome extra virgin olive oil from Sicily; the pecorino with saffron, also from Sicily; and the tasty salami di casa.
At Erskineville, we visited Matt Donelan at St Peter’s Brewery where we learnt about his unfiltered, unpasteurised Green Star beer and robust amber ale called Cinnamon Girl, flavoured with a hint of cinnamon.
“I started the business in 2000 and wanted to be the local brewery for the area and generate a local identity,” he says.

St Peter's Brewery hand-carfted beers by Matt Donelan

We tasted some of his beers at The Hive Bar, a hip local bar where Donelan’s E’ville Pilsener is served on tap.
The tour finished in Surry Hills at the Bamboo Dumpling Room, where  publican Michael Bain has set up a quirky dumpling room at the back of the pub.

Bamboo Dumplinjg Room, Surry Hills

We sampled a selection of savoury dumplings, followed by his “happy endings”: ice cream dumplings (a nugget of cold ice cream wrapped in a rice noodle),  chocolate dumplings and deep-fried chocolate and caramel spring rolls.
It was a happy ending indeed.

Chocolate dumplings: Happy endings at the Bamboo Dumpling Room

I was a guest of InterContinental Sydney and Ultimately Sydney Tours.
The Gourmet Tour experience includes an overnight stay at InterContinental Sydney, full buffet breakfast for two at the hotel’s Cafe Opera restaurant and two tickets to a private gourmet tour with Ultimately Sydney, from $511 per night.

Line a 20cm square tin with non-stick baking paper.
Place the condensed milk into a mixing bowl and add the icing sugar. Beat well then mix in the desiccated coconut – it will be quite firm, but persevere.
Spoon half  the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon (it helps if you dip it in warm water).
Add a few drops of the red food colouring to the remaining mixture and mix well – you will need to use your hands for this step.  Dip them in warm water beforehand and knead well until it is an even pink colour.
Spread the pink mixture over the white layer and smooth with a spoon.
Place in the fridge for 4 – 5 hours or overnight, covered with plastic wrap.  Cut into squares when set.  Store in an airtight jar. Keeps for up to a month.

Dylan Goodman, a competitive young chef from the Northern Territory

For the first time, The Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) and Tasting Australia are combining forces in search of Australia’s Best Chef. The inaugural Battle of the Chefs 2012 will see chefs from across the nation come together to pit their cooking skills against one another at Regency International Centre TAFE SA for over $20,000 worth of prizes and cash and the title of ‘ACF Chef of the Year 2012.’
Each competitor will have two and a half hours to prepare and cook a main course for four to six people in one of three categories: Restaurant/Fine Dining Chef, Cafe/Bistro/Pub/Club Chef and Catering/Convention/Institution Chef.
“We’re really looking forward to the excitement this new competition will bring to Tasting Australia.To take home the title of ACF Chef of the Year will be an honour for any chef,” says Ian Parmenter, Festival Director.

Ian Parmenter, Tasting Australia festival director

“We’re eager to see how creative the chefs can be under pressure when developing their recipes and accessing the pantry.”
A week- long celebration of food and wine, Tasting Australia has become a huge international success since its inception in 1997, providing a showcase for top culinary talents.

Feast for the Senses, Tasting Australia

This year it gets off the ground on Thursday 26^th April and winds up on May 3^rd.  More than 60 public events are scheduled including L-Plates (Learn from the Master), another new event which gives amateur foodies a chance to acquire skills in making artisan breads, pastries, sausages, cheese and contemporary cocktails along with sessions on native cuisine, barista skills and working with seafood, meats and chocolate.

Tasting Australia Feast for the Senses

If you’re in Adelaide over the next couple of weeks, Feast for the Senses is your opportunity to join in the celebrations. Held in Elder Park  on the weekend of 28-29 April from 11am – 5pm, it’s the highlight of the Tasting Australia festival,  a free two-day extravaganza, attracting the world’s food, wine and lifestyle media, the keenest food and beverage enthusiasts and the general public alike.

Serves  12

To make the syrup: Bring sugar and water to the boil in saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.   Add lemons and return just to boil. Remove from heat and pour lemons and syrup into a bowl. Leave to stand at least 2 – 3 hours to allow lemons to infuse syrup.
Line base and sides of a 25cm-28cm  spring form pan with plastic wrap, allowing enough to overhang the sides and cover top of cake.
To make the lemon mousse:  In a small saucepan, bring sugar, lemon rind and juice to the boil.  Meanwhile, beat eggs in a mixing bowl.  Continue beating with electric beaters as you slowly pour in hot lemon mixture.   Pour back into pan and bring just to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until thickened.   Scrape into a bowl.
Sprinkle gelatine over cold water in small saucepan.  Let stand 5 minutes.   Heat over low heat until dissolved.  Stir into lemon mixture, mixing well.  Leave to cool, stirring once,  for 30 minutes or until no longer warm.
In another bowl, whip cream to soft peaks and fold into cooled lemon mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
While mousse cools, arrange lemon slices over bottom of prepared springfrom pan, reserving syrup. Spoon half the lemon mousse over lemons.
Dip half the savoiardi biscuits, one at a time, into the syrup and place a layer over the mousse.
Spoon over remaining mousse.  Dip remaining savoiardi biscuits in syrup and lay over the mousse.  Bring plastic wrap up over top of cake to cover.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours – or up to three days.
Uncover cake and invert gently onto plate.  Carefully remove plastic wrap and smooth sides if necessary with a metal spatula.   Garnish with fresh raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Note: add a little limoncello to the syrup for a flavour boost.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches boiling point.  Remove from heat.
Place walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, citrus juices, zest and rum into bowl of the food processor.  Pour in hot milk and process, turning on and off until mixture is grainy.  Don’t allow it to become mushy – it should retain some of the nutty texture.
Remove from food processor to another bowl and stir through the sultanas or cranberries.

To Make the Strudels:
Preheat oven to 220degC (200degC Fan Forced).

You will  8 sheets filo pastry for each strudel.  Remove filo from packet. Keep the pastry sheets covered with a teatowel to prevent them drying out and work quickly with one sheet at a time.
Remove one sheet and liberally brush with melted butter.  Repeat with another 7 sheets of pastry, brushing each one with butter.  Stack one on top of the other.
Spoon walnut filling along one end, roll up and brush outside sheet with butter.
Bake in preheated oven for ten minutes; reduce heat to 220degC and bake for a further 15 – 20 minutes or until strudel is golden and flaky.  Check occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Remove from oven, allow to cool, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.  Good served with cream and/or ice cream.

Makes 2 strudels

Note: there are 20 filo sheets in a packet

Umoja Women's Village - Samburu women singing a ceremonial song

Translated from the Swahili, the words mean, “My cow is better than yours…”
It’s also sung at weddings and when boys are circumcised. Status and wealth in Samburu culture is synonymous with the amount of cattle one owns, and their traditional diet consists mostly of milk and sometimes blood from their cows.
The blood is collected by making a tiny nick in the jugular of the cow, and draining the blood into a cup. The wound is then quickly sealed with hot ash. Meat is only consumed on special occasions. The Samburu diet is also supplemented with roots, vegetables and tubers dug up and made into a soup.

Judy, spokesperson for the women, outside a typical mud and dung house

In Samburu society the women are expected to do most of the work and are responsible for farming, cooking, cleaning, chopping wood, child care and the general running of the home.  They even build the houses (made with mud and cow dung).
At the Umoja Women’s Village, the women do everything because this is a “women only” village.

Umoja Womens Village - Samburu woman making jewellery

Established in 1990 by Rebecca Lolosoli, it was set up for women fleeing domestic abuse from violent husbands.  They survive by selling traditional Samburu jewellery to tourists and have set up a primary school for their children.
Quite by coincidence, we visited the village on International Women’s Day.
I was most impressed by the women I met in Kenya. They are strong, forthright, move with grace and are striking to look at.
At Loisaba Lodge, 280km west of Umoja, I was also impressed by Consolata Wangechi, chef at Loisaba Lodge in Laikipia for the past 17 years.

Consolata Wangechi, chef at Loisaba Lodge

Wangechi is from the Kikuyu tribe and was born in Nyeri, central Kenya.
Unlike the Samburu women from Umoja, she has daily access to a fresh vegie garden which is cultivated near the Loisaba airstrip.
When I visited, there were plenty of leeks, spinach, eggplants, fennel, pumpkin, beetroot and carrots in the garden, plus a bountiful supply of herbs.

Sunny Salad of Fresh Lettuce, Carrots and Egg

These were used in an array of colourful salads which were served from a buffet near the pool for lunch one day.

Caprese Salad, Loisaba

Her Caprese Salad and Pumpkin & Lentil Salads were also well presented, fresh and tantalising.
The ginger spice biscuits served for afternoon tea and early in the morning before we went out for our dawn game were crispy and more-ish.

Smiling female staff at Loisaba Lodge, Laikipia

And the colourful costumes and smiling female staff at the Lodge were a delight.

I travelled to Kenya as a guest of the Kenya Tourist Board: www.magicalkenya.com

Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft.  Add the garlic and dried spices to the pan and fry over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Remove and cool.
Combine onion and spice mix with the beef, coriander leaves and salt and mix well to combine.
Mould  the meat into finger shapes and gently insert a bamboo skewer through the middle.
Place under a hot grill or on the hot plate of the BBQ, turning them after 4 minutes. Allow to cook until browned on the other side, about 4 minutes.

Note: at Ol Donyu Lodge, these are served with a Peanut Sauce: in a blender, blend 1 cup peanut butter with 1 finely chopped chilli, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander.  Heat 1 cup coconut milk and blend until well combined.  Season to taste.  This can be made ahead and kept in the fridge – heat before serving.

I travelled to Kenya as a guest of the Kenya Tourist Board: www.magicalkenya.com