At Jordan, garlic cloves are smashed with the skin on, before being popped into the parcels. We opted to finely sliver ours. In his personal capacity, George prefers giving his lemongrass stalk a good bash to release all the flavours and oils (and we do, too). At the restaurant, though, he finely slices it.
“For me mussels are all about the cooking juices,” says George.“The most famous mussel dishes rely on not what you put in, but what is already inside the mussels, so that’s why frozen mussels are a no-go. If we can’t get fresh then we don’t serve the dish.”
It’s full-cream coconut milk for George all the way. “I didn’t even know you could get low-fat coconut milk; if you do we don’t use it,”he says.“The most important thing with all the ingredients is balance. Too much coconut milk will affect the flavour.” A mix of finely sliced red and green chilli brings the fire to this dish, but not too much, says George. “We add just a pinch. Too much will overpower the aromatics. You can always add more later.”
The team at The Restaurant use Tahitian lime juice along with fish sauce and palm sugar at the end to season. They don’t add the zest. But if you think you need some, go ahead.
Cook’s Tip: If you don’t want the flavour of ginger to be too overpowering, slice it thinly, instead of grating it. That’s what George and his team do. Three slivers per parcel.
The Restaurant at Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch Kloof Road, Vlottenburg, Stellenbosch; tel: 021 881 3612, jordanwines.com.
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