Kakulas Brothers

My shopping spree at Kakulas Brothers in Perth was one of the highlights of my recent visit.
From the outside it looks like a dusty old grocery store, but step up and through the wooden doors and it is like stepping into Aladdin's Cave for foodies. It even smelt wonderful, predominantly of cumin and mixtures of other curry like spices. By the door, an old man in a grocer's apron stood behind a long timber counter, fronted with the decorative lead panels that you see in the ceilings of old Australian homes. The floor is all timber and the shelves lines with products from Europe and Asia. I didn't get a good look at all the items on the shelves, but I did snatch up some Morello Cherry jam from Poland.
All the dried fruits, herbs, spices, grains, rice, everything you can think of, are laid out in big bags, grouped together with similar products. It was heaven to wander through the store wishing I lived closer so I could try a little bit of everything regularly, rather than remembering whatever I bought had to be packed in a suitcase.
I bought some onion flakes and garlic flakes. These have been put to use in a jar of oil with char grilled capsicum.
I was out of star anise at home and there in front of me was the biggest bag of them I had ever seen. No small supermarket plastic containers here. Two large handfuls, that managed to send their wonderful fragrance through most of my luggage cost $1.19 ($7.99/kg)
I managed to fill my basket with steel cut oats, dusting polenta, nigella seeds, black sesame seeds, all sorts of soy and rice chips and fruit balls for the kids. Cinnamon came by the bundle

Goji Berries $2.25 ($7.50/kg).

A product of Asia, goji, or wolfberries are have long played important roles in traditional Chinese medicine where they are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other effects. In traditional Chinese medicine terms, wolfberries are sweet in taste and neutral in nature. They act on the liver, lungs, and kidneys and enrich yin. They can be eaten raw, consumed as juice or wine, brewed into an herbal tea or prepared as a tincture.

In the West, dried wolfberries are also eaten as a snack, like sultanas or other dried fruit. Their taste has an accent of tomato and is similar to that of dates, dried cranberries or raisins, though drier, more tart, less sweet and with an herbal scent. Dried wolfberries are also used frequently in raw food diets These dried Ruby Blood Plums are great for eating just as they are.
These dried strawberries, although they make a great snack, are for a cake or some muffins. These cost 84c. ($22.50/kg)

There is a similar store in Fremantle, Kakulas Sisters. The story goes that the daughters were not permitted to work in the family business, so they decided to set up their own store. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to visit - you go girls!

Kakulas Bros.

183 Williams St

Northbridge

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Chermoula

This months delicious. magazine has already been tagged with lots of hot pink sticky notes. For once, the planets have aligned so, not only are there lots of recipes I want to make, but I have all the ingredients on hand. This one is the butterflied leg of lamb with chermoula.

I had a leg of lamb in the freezer and I'm quite partial to taking to things with the knife and deboning. If you are a little squeemish or don't really have the time, a butterflied legs of lamb can be prepared by your butcher.

After removing the bone, I cut through the larger pieces of meat so it lay flat.

The chermoula mix before being liberally massaged into the lamb.

Stored in a plastic bag in the freezer for two days.

Hot off the BBQ. I served ours with some cubed, fried potatoes and salad, but it would be just as good sliced from the barbeque into flat bread and eaten in your hand.

Pink, succulent roast lamb - yum.

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Chermoula.

2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground turmeric
5 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup finely chopped coriander, plus extra sprigs for garnish
2 – 2.5kg lamb leg, butterflied
Lime wedges and minted yoghurt to serve.

Mix the spices, garlic, oil, lemon juice, chopped coriander and 2 tspn pepper together in a bowl.
Place lamb, skin side down, on chopping board and open out. Spoon half the chermoula mix onto the meat and rub it in well. Turn over and repeat with the remaining mixture.
Place the lamb in a large snap lock bag, folding the lamb to fit. Place in a container with a tight fitting lid, or in a dish and cover well with plastic wrap.
Marinate lamb in the fridge for 1-2 days to allow the flavor of the chermoula to permeate the meat. Bring back to room temperature for about 30minsutes before you cook it.
Preheat the BBQ or char grill pan on high heat. Sear the lamb for about 4 minutes on each side.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover with the BBQ lid or a stainless steel bowl and cook for a further 13 – 15 mins on each side, until charred on the outside and rosy pink in the thickest parts of the meat.
Transfer lamb to a tray, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Thickly slice the lamb across the grain, garnish with coriander and mint yoghurt and lime wedges.

from delicious., October 2008, Belinda Jeffery.