Spice expert shows how it’s done

Cooking with spices is hot.

Or not, depending on how heavy-handed one is with chilies and the like, as was demonstrated recently by chef and culinary professor emeritus Kusuma Cooray.

Cooray, author of “Burst of Flavor: The Fine Art of Cooking With Spices,” gave fellow members of Les Dames d’Escoffier a taste of her native Sri Lankan cooking during a session March 30 at ChefZone.

Cooray uses freshly ground spices, assembled and ground specifically for each dish. She is not one to make big batches of spice blends in advance to keep on hand. An electric spice or coffee grinder, many available for under $20, makes quick work of this prep step.

Certain spices are toasted prior to grinding, while others are not. “Don’t toast nutmeg. It’s too fine and it will burn,” she cautioned.

Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is an island in the Indian Ocean south of India. Its food is similar to Indian, Cooray said, but uses less oil, more coconut milk and is spicier.

During her demonstration she was light-handed with the spice-driven heat, in deference to the various Scoville-unit tolerances of those gathered.

Repeating phrases she must have used countless times during her career as a culinary educator, Cooray told the audience members to sample as they prepare any dish. “When you are cooking you have to taste or you will not know,” she said.

Your nose is another crucial tool, she added. “When you cook you’ve got to smell, then you know it’s good.”

Cooray was the first female chef in Hawaii to be certified an executive chef by the American Culinary Federation.

She served as personal chef to late tobacco heiress Doris Duke and taught culinary arts at Kapiolani Community College for some 30 years.

She volunteered to teach the class as part of Les Dames’ Global Culinary Initiative, which explores cuisines from around the world.

Les Dames is a nonprofit invitational organization of women in the food and beverage and hospitality industries. Its namesake, August Escoffier, revolutionized French cooking and achieved other pioneering feats in the culinary world.

DEVILED SHRIMP

1 pound shrimp, 16/20 size, peeled and deveined, tails left on

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons coarse red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

1 bulb lemongrass, crushed

1-inch piece of edible pandanus

1-inch cinnamon stick

1 cup sliced onions

4 green chilies (such as serrano), halved

2 wax peppers, thickly sliced

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1 sprig curry leaves, stem discarded

Mix shrimp with salt, ground spices, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and vinegar; marinate 20 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or skillet on high and add shrimp. Cook briefly, until half done. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan; add lemongrass, pandanus, cinnamon stick and onion. Cook until onions are wilted.

Add green chilies, wax peppers, tomatoes and curry leaves. Cook 2-3 minutes, then fold in partially cooked shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are cooked through. Taste and season with salt and lemon juice if needed. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt or lemon to taste): 140 calories, 8 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 12 g protein

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ZUCCHINI MALUN

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed

2 dried red chilies, broken into pieces

2 medium-size zucchini, diced in large pieces

Salt, to taste

>> Seasoning mix:

1 clove garlic

2 serrano or other green chilies, sliced

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons Dijon country mustard

1 teaspoon cumin seed

5 to 6 curry leaves

1/4 cup grated coconut

>> Garnish:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup teardrop or diced tomatoes

Salt and lemon juice, to taste

To make seasoning mix: Pulse all ingredients in a food processor to crush.

Heat oil in pan; add mustard seed and chilies, stirring a few seconds until mustard seeds start to pop, taking care not to let fumes get into your eyes. Stir in seasoning mix, then fold in zucchini, adding salt to taste. Cook 2 to 3 minutes; do not overcook.

For garnish: Heat oil in small pan. Add tomatoes, season with salt and lemon juice, then cook until the tomatoes are wilted. Serve over zucchini. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt or lemon to taste): 70 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, no cholesterol or sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 1 g protein

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.