February Loyalty Card Offer

In February we will be offering double points when you dine with us at any time. Come in, warm up and try something new in 2012!

How does the loyalty card work? Each time you dine at Chantek, just show your card and we will give you 'reward points' to spend in the future when you visit Chantek. In February we are offering double reward points for each visit. (Valid every day in February 2012).

If you have not yet joined join now and get £5 to spend at Chantek when you join.

Loyalty Card Offer: Win a champagne meal for two

Chantek is very pleased with the response to our loyalty card scheme and we now have over 1000 members.

The winner of our competition is Mr Matthew Walker from Truro, who wins a champagne meal for two.

Not joined yet? join now

Ingredient of the month: The cardamon

What is the connection between Scandanavia, the Arab world and the East? The answer is cardamon , which features in all these cuisines. Cardomon is an plant native to India and Bhutan with aromatic seed pods and is related to the ginger family.(Zingiberaceae). It lays claim to being the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla.

It has to be said at this stage, that we are talking about green cardamon, which is what a recipe refers to when it asks for cardamon. Black cardamon is a different beast, larger and knoblier, with a flavour akin to mint and with the somewhat dubious reputation of adding a bacon flavour to vegetarian dishes! Perhaps there is even an undiscovered cardamon, that adds the flavour of root vegetables to meat? we wait with baited breath.

Green cardamon has an intense flavour with a citrus aroma and hints of menthol. It is widely used, depending on the culture you are in, as a breath freshener, to get rid of excess wind, as a cough medicine or even as a love potion! Given that your late night cough remedy might turn you into a sweet smelling, fart free, love monster, it is surprising that cardamon is not featured more often in advice columns of ' Mens Health Magazine'!

It is perhaps unsurprising therefore, that Arabic countries partial to the use of a hookah (waterpipe) often take cardamon in their coffee, in fact 60% of world cardamon production goes into cups of coffee in Arabic countries. Cardamon is also widely used as a spice in baking and it is the traditional flavour for the decadant Indian ice cream Kulfi.

How does cardamon fit into south east Asian cooking?

Traders from Indonesia bought cardamon to Thailand, where it is found in the Muslim dish, Masaman curry. The name 'masaman' is derived from 'musselman', an archaic word for Muslim. Spices and herbs can be divided into two groups. The warm and aromatic spices of cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves form the base of Indian cooking, and kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and galangal form the basic of Thai food. Most of the time these spice groups are cooked with separately, so when they are mixed together it is genuine fusion food. In the same way that the world club championship of football represents a fusion of the best of the European league and the best of the South American league. Most of the time they dont mix but when they do it can be intoxicating! Try this fusion cuisine at Chantek with our specialities of masaman lamb and beef rendang.

February Recipe: Malasa Tea

At this time of year when the cold weather bites I make masala tea. The spicy sweetness brings back Christmas and makes winter seem warm and cosy again.

Ingredients:
2 cups of milk
8 cardamom pods crushed
1 large cinnamon stick
Knob root ginger, grated
1 tsp nutmeg
Honey ( or palm sugar)
1 black tea bag ( decaf works fine too)

Put all ingredients in a pan, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. strain before serving. enjoy.

Tip - grind your own cardamon - crush the pods in a pestle and mortar and pick out the pods and grind seeds in a coffee grinder.

Open the lid and wow your guests with the smell, then serve after dinner cardamon coffee. If coffee is supposed to be the most recognizable smell in the world, cardamon must be the most evocative.

Valentine's Day Menu

Our Valentines menu has a nod to Chinese year of the dragon, with other Chantek favourites too. To reserve call Chantek on 01872 225 071.

The meal starts off with a complimentary glass of wine or bottle of Singapore's finest Tiger beer, then to celebrate the year of the dragon we feature some tasty Chinese dishes. Dim sum refers to small bite sized portion of food, and if a small bite is what you would like to share with your valentine, then try our delicately flavoured minced pork with ginger in a light dumpling with a dipping sauce. For mains we offer an authentic fiery chilli beef with cashew nuts and locally sourced organic pollack with an aromatic ginger sauce.

Our chef's specialty dish is Thai jungle pork, made with the peppery krachai root which is held in thailand to be an aphrodisiac. Thai Roast duck red curry is back again by popular request.

Dessert is the luxurious gulay chuam, redolent of hot evenings from the northeast of thailand where the mekong winds lazily down stream. Orange zest and grandmarnier liquor are the base of a sauce with a hint of tropical malibu, poured over Callestick Farm's vanilla ice cream and topped with toasted cashew nuts.

Celebrate with us! £25.00 pp - See our Valentine´s Day Menu here!

February Contest: Guess where & win a bottle of Bonarda wine

Question: where is this?
Hint: Untouched mountains and forest region in Indochina opening up to eco tourism. Think of Spices!
Answer here!

January's answer: Harbin (Manchuria, China) - No winner!