After a career which spanned the mid '80s and '90s and encapsulated the punk ennui which decorated Melbourne's artistic leanings - and later the US and UK's more pointed fervor after trips to LA and London - Melburnian band Boom Crash Opera are back.
The Australian music legends recently reformed for greatest hits collection The Best Things and a national tour which includes a performance at A Day On The Green with Jimmy Barnes on March 22, a support slot for Keith Urban and sets at the Between The Bays and Motor City Music festivals. Powerhouse vocalist Dale Ryder, a complete foodie, writes for Eventfinda on his best and worst culinary experiences, with a recipe thrown in for good measure.
"I was born in Madras/Channai in the south of India and grew up eating spicy food for breakfast every morning. A man would come to the house with a large woven wicker tub filled with savoury South Indian breakfast delights, freshly made and still warm.
"My most favorite thing to eat is a Masala Dosia. It’s a very large crisp pancake made from rice flour wrapped around a spicy potato dry curry and served with an equally spicy curry called Sambar, which is made with lentils, okra and bitter Indian gourd. It also comes with a dipping chutney made from fresh coconut, hot chilli and coriander. Sometimes I dream about it! Not many restaurants make Masala Dosai; the best restaurant in Melbourne that has this on the menu is the Mardas Banyon tree in Moorabbin.
"However, my worst food experience was in Bali at a place the kids wanted to go to called Forest Gump. The food was dry, over cooked and tasteless and worst of all, over priced. Never go there.
"I also grew up with a passion for Japanese food. So much so that I built a teppanyaki bar at home that seats 14 people. My family love it and it’s a fantastic way to have a dinner party."
Here’s a quick recipe for Tatsuage (fried chicken)
TIP: I find chicken breast is ideal for this dish because there’s no fat.
1) Slice the breast into very thin slices
2) Marinade the chicken slices in crushed garlic, ginger, white miso paste and a little soy sauce and let sit for at least 5 hours
3) Heat a wok on a high flame with enough oil for deep frying. Just before you fry the chicken toss them in Japanese bread crumbs (do not dip them in an egg mixture)
4) Fry the chicken very quickly. You'll know they're cooked because the chicken will shrink (fry for no more than two minutes)
5) Drain the fried chicken well and serve with a mayo/wasabi dipping sauce made from Japanese mayonaise (or fresh home-made mayo) and wasabi paste (to taste)
- Dale Ryder
:: SEE HERE FOR BOOM CRASH OPERA TOUR DATES
