Food Adelaide Part 2 covers some of the dishes that may or may not be familiar to South Australians but are now readily available in Adelaide.
As a migration destination country this is one of the benefits when migrants come from all over the World to Australia. They bring along their cuisine and some become mainstream.
This Food Adelaide post is aimed at two sets of residents.
Those who are born and raised in Australia and have noticed some of these food but have not tried it. And those who have recently settled in South Australia and want to know more about Adelaide food.
I have left out the delicious Kransky sausage and the wholesome Cornish Pasty as they have dedicated posts on this site. They are both iconic food in the State of South Australia and have long and interesting history.
I will also leave out Adelaide food dishes that are Australian fare and part of nearly every families’ home meals. These include the likes of the full English breakfast, burgers, meat pies , steaks and all forms of pasta dishes and pizzas.
Pho
First of the rank is Pho.
I have the distinct impression that most Australians are aware of this comfort food. I guess Pho is the first among the equals when it comes to ethnic food in Australia.
Pho is a fragrant light soup filled with rice noodles. It is typically served with finely sliced beef, cut against the grain, chopped coriander and onions and garnished with basil, lemon wedge and bean sprouts.
I had not tried Vietnamese Pho (pronounced “fahr”) until I came to Australia. It is absolutely great during the winter months and when you need something that is warm and earthy on a chilly night.
There are a number of variations so read thru the menu carefully. Don’t forget to grab a small dip bowl with soy sauce and add some cut chillies. This is to dip the meat for that extra zing as you take in a mouthful of noodles.
The family is blessed as we have an excellent pho eatery close by. No need to head to Addison Road in Pennington where there is a concentration of great and authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
Yiros
The Greek Yiros is another South Australian favourite and anyone born in South Australia in the last 4 decades would know of it.
For my fix I would sneak out on a Saturday afternoon and head to Norwood’s Yanni’s Yiros . I like it there as they would fry the meat crispy after slicing it off the vertical rotisserie. The only issue is the price for Lamb Yiros has climbed up significantly.
It comes in a wrap using pita bread with grilled thinly sliced meat with lots of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and garlic sauce.
Burrito
This is a recent arrival.
I was introduced to Burritos by an American colleague in London in 2011. I did not recall seeing it in Adelaide then.
London has food from all over the world and too many choices. I loved the burrito the moment I tried it. I have tried tacos before but burritos is now my favourite Mexican food. It is also complete meal. This is another wrap like the Yiros with rice, beans and meat.
Not sure if you have realised it but a wraps of all sorts are becoming popular. You see them in cafes and the ready made food sections in supermarkets.
I have seen wraps with chicken tikka which were never was part of Indian food heritage. Other cultures are adopting wraps to present their food.
Laksa
When we arrived in Adelaide years ago laksa was often mentioned. I guess the Singapore and Malaysian migrants must have introduced it to Australia when the first wave came in the 1960s and 1970s.
Its a rich prawn and coconut based broth with noodles, bean sprouts and fried tofu. It is indeed spicy, very spicy.
There are three places that are popular for it. Richard’s Laksa house in the Central Market food court, the long standing Asian Gourmet in Central Market and at Nanyang Cafe at Rundle Mall.
There are number of versions such as chicken but I would go for the seafood laksa which is the original version.
If you are new to spicy food, just take the first taste slowly as it hits the senses sharply. It is not chilly hot but the spices have a kick.
Garlic naan
This is not a dish by itself. It is bread.
Naan is leavened and thick flat bread made with whole wheat flour cooked in a tandoor oven.
It is eaten with various meat and vegetarian curries. Naan is the main stay of North Indian cuisine and the garlic naan is a stand-out in view of its aroma and taste.
The main forms are the plain naan, the butter naan and the garlic naan. The butter naan is more popular. I would still go for the garlic variety as it also has a liberal coating of butter. It best eaten when served hot from the tandoor. A cold naan does not cut it.
The practice is to order a naan or two with a curried vegetable or curried meat dish for a complete meal. If there are two dining, then one curried vegetable and one curried meat dish to be shared is ideal.
Another option is to order a naan and a serve of basmati rice for variety as the dishes go well with rice as well. But you certainly want to try the aromatic garlic naan.
Moroccan Lamb Tangine
This is not common in but I added it to the Food Adelaide list as the as the taste is very distinct and new.
If you are familiar with Western, Asian and Latin American cuisines and taste, this will be different.
It’s a dry stew with lamb or beef. As the Middle East and North Africa are traditionally partial to lamb and goat, the lamb tangine would be a good choice.
Tangine refers to the earthenware cooking pot and the lamb is slow cooked in it. It looks like a curry stew but the taste is closer to fruity and sweet. When you look at the ingredients you will realise why – cinnamon, saffron, black pepper, dates, apricots, almonds etc.
Its is also another dish that goes well with the wonderful couscous. Couscous is readily available in supermarkets here. Couscous joins the ranks of pasta, rice, noodles and bread as the base staple for many dishes.
Cantonese Roast Meat
It is a firmly established cuisine in Adelaide’s Chinatown for decades. It is especially popular with international students from Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia who are ethnic Chinese in heritage.
You can spot the stall or eatery with this cuisine as they tend to hang the various roast meats on hooks for display. The meats includes roast pork, chicken and duck. And there are also the sweet roast pork thinly sliced.
Roast meat is offered in many combinations. It is not easy to work out what to order for someone foreign to Hong Kong’s favourite form of meals. The picture menus do help.
The recommendation is to order a combination plate with two different roast meats with either rice or noodles. Try a different combination at each visit. The noodle combination is always served dry and not soup based.
My all time favourite version is roast duck with noodles. The best place for Cantonese roast meat is the long standing BBQ city at Gouger Street, Chinatown.
I first patronised BBC City more than 20 years ago and I consider it’s roast meat as a Food Adelaide must that has to be tried.
BBQ City has a casual approach and also serves a wide variety of other Chinese dishes and not just roast meat. If it is a family or group gathering and a number of dishes are ordered, get a plate of combination roast meat as well.
It is a good Chinese restaurant to start with if you are not familiar with Chinese cuisine. And on a journey of discovery of Adelaide food. The fact that it’s clientele is mostly Chinese tells you you are dealing with the real and good stuff.