A taste of Indian-inspired cuisine by the Spice Goddess, Bal Arneson

A slender lady dressed in a chef’s coat brought a plate of fries over to a young boy seated beside his older sister from across our table. It seemed such a casual act that I didn’t think the lady was a celebrity chef. It was, in fact, cookbook author and television host, Bal Arneson who stars in both the “Spice of Life with Bal Arneson” and “Spice Goddess” in the Asian Food Channel. 

 

I love watching all kinds of cooking shows and I’d seen this particular chef create delicious-looking Indian cuisine in her shows. In some episodes, I saw her two kids, 20-year-old daughter Anoop, and 10-year-old son Aaron, help her in the kitchen. It was obvious how their close family ties played a big role in the program.

 

The chef and her children were recently in Manila for the “Bal Arneson Spice Adventure” tour. Based in Vancouver, Canada, they traveled a thousand miles across the world for their Asian tour, which included stops in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 

 

Of mangoes and kare-kare

 

It was their first time to step foot in the urban jungle of Metro Manila and their eyes were glistening with excitement. While in Manila, they explored the streets to sample local fare. 

 

“We’ve been checking out the street markets. So we’ve been eating just street market food because I’m like, 'don’t take me to fancy places, just take me to the streets where locals eat,'” disclosed the down-to-earth chef. 

 

Although the trio encountered heavy traffic while going around the city, the local food more than made up for it. 

 

“I’ve been eating mangoes. I’m mangoed out. I love mangoes!” she exclaimed. 

 

Another thing that stood out for her was our local kare-kare dish made with ox tail and peanut sauce. “Oh my god, it’s so amazing. That kare-kare with ox tail is definitely something I’ll go back and try. I would love to incorporate that in my recipes,” said the chef.

 

It was hard to believe that before moving to Canada 23 years ago, Bal Arneson hardly spoke any English and had neither family support nor education. She has come a long way since then and is now a successful culinary personality with a Masters in Education to boot. 

 

Said Arneson, “It’s been an amazing experience. It’s such a blessing. I love food and now I get to share food. And through food, there’s the TV show, cookbooks, now I get to travel with the kids. Best education I can give to the kids is to travel the streets of Manila, you know. Where else can you learn that? You know, it’s been such an amazing experience. I’m so blessed.”

 

Indian flavors and spices

 

Since she launched her show, “Spice Goddess” in 2010, she has been sharing her Indian-inspired culinary creations that blend the best of east and west. At a private dinner event at the Chef Jessie Rockwell Club, Arneson prepared a feast of Indian dishes infused with local flavors. 

 

To whet our appetites, we were served a trio of appetizers, beginning with the Honey Glazed Grilled Carrots, which was actually inspired by Arneson’s veggie garden episode in one of her shows. She uses a lot of fresh ingredients in her cooking and I’m guessing that’s how she was able to maintain her slim figure all these years. You wouldn’t think she had a 20-something daughter!

 

The next starter was Sweet Potato and Yam Samosas with Fresh Mango Chutney. The chef and her children showed how to make a samosa through a quick cooking demonstration. I was impressed at how Aaron looked so comfortable cooking in front of an audience. He shared that he could already make buttered chicken from scratch.

 

The last appetizer was the Grilled Veggie Chili with Fire Roasted Corn, which was paired with Glenfiddich 12. For me, this was the best among the three because I liked the concept of a vegetarian chili dish. It wasn’t hot at all, but it had hints of spice. 

 

For the main course, we were given a choice of either Spice Crusted Rib Eye Steak with Coriander Blue Cheese, Grilled Yams and Sauteed Green Beans or Garam Masala Crusted Lapu-Lapu cooked in Coconut Sauce with Sauteed Mushrooms, Corn and Edamame. Even though my taste buds were salivating over the mention of steak, I listened to my conscience and went with the more heart-healthy option. Most of the people in my table went for the steak and only a handful of us went for the fish—including the chef. That made me more confident with my choice.

 

As soon as the server placed the plate in front of me, I could smell the fragrant aroma emanating from the dish. I wasn’t familiar with the spice blend, but it smelled  simply divine for me. I was expecting the coconut sauce to be white, like the one the local dishes that use this ingredient, but the sauce of the dish was thick and had a lot of spice granules in it. 

 

It was love at first bite! The flaky fish transcended another level with the hot and spicy coconut sauce that made my taste buds giddy for more. The chef concocted a perfect spice blend that consisted of garam masala, cumin, mustard seeds, garlic, ginger and curry. It was so tasty that I finished every morsel on my plate. I even overheard my seatmate who ordered the steak say, “I wish I got the lapu-lapu,” when she had a bite of the fish.

 

After finishing the entrée, I could sense that my stomach was already happy and full, but I just had to stay for dessert: Gulab Jamun with Buffalo Milk Ice Cream. The “Indian donuts” and ice cream were beautifully served in cocktail glasses. It was my first time to try this famous Indian dessert and I liked it, especially since it went well with the cool ice cream. I savored every bite and almost forgot about the Glenfiddich 18 that was paired with it.

 

It was a shame that Arneson stayed in Manila for only a few days. It would have been great if she could share more of her Indian cooking with the locals. But then I heard her say, “Next season, I would love to film one of my episodes here.” 

 

I guess we’ll just have to look forward to that. — VC, GMA News

 

 

For more information, visit the Asian Food Channel's website.