What the heck is kataifi? ... Perhaps you sighted it here first
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De Lime and De Coconut Shrimp. -
The shrimp are inside the kataifi.
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A sighting is when a new or unfamiliar thing passes before our eyes or under our nose for the first time. Then it encores. For example, you notice a new-to-you word in a book and then, within a short period of time, you see that word again in, say, a newspaper. First thing you know, you see it all over the place.
It works the same way with food. Say an off-beat ingredient catches your eye, or there's an unfamiliar food on the menu. In most instances, the first response is, "Now what the heck is THAT?"
That's a sighting. Then comes second sight. It might happen within a few days, a week or a month. But after the second sighting, you know in your food writer's gut that food is going to be the next big thing or at least some chef's ingredient du jour.
The last time I visited Tamari, an Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant in Lawrenceville, I ordered a hot tapa, Filo Shrimp -- three big shrimp wrapped in kataifi, deep-fried, and served with three dipping sauces. Wow, that's one good combination, says I.
Then recently, at the Old House restaurant in Santa Fe, a trio of seafood appetizers featured a huge baked sea scallop wrapped in, guess what, kataifi.
This tongue twister (say kuh-tuh-EE-fee) is a style of phyllo pastry that looks like it has been passed through a shredder. Strands are as thick as ukulele strings and, when cooked, have the appearance and texture of shredded wheat cereal. You've seen it at area Greek food festivals, as kataifi is a traditional ingredient in Greek and Mediterranean desserts and sweets such as baklava and cigar-shaped, nut-and-honey cookies.
Two sightings, one conclusion: Chefs are using kataifi to add crunch to not sweet, but savory dishes. You watch!
Even the big guns are doing it. Superchef Joel Robuchon was inspired to combine shrimp with kataifi after tasting a Vietnamese recipe for shrimp coated with soft vermicelli. Since he's inclined toward Mediterranean flavor, he swapped kataifi dough for the vermicelli. He smooshes the kataifi dough, tosses it with chopped herbs and presses, rather than wraps, it onto the shrimp to very pretty effect. He pairs the dish with a French chardonnay.
Thinking kataifi would be fun to play with, I headed into the kitchen. Here are some of the things to remember when working with the shredded dough.
First Published September 30, 2010 12:00 am
