Come One, Coriander All

CEBU, Philippines - Sheldon S. Jeyga, a  Singaporean of Malay decent,  finally gave in to the prodding of his family and peers to open a restaurant that is simply reflective of his skill in authentic, unpretentious Indian and Singaporean cuisine. But what prompted him to really put together a casual diner is “there was no food for me to eat,” he articulated. It’s pretty much nostalgic as he whips up secret family recipes, which he initially learned at the age of 8 from his grandma, without breaking tradition.

The Coriander is Crossroads’ newest, designed to accommodate 70 diners who wish to taste spoonfuls of Singaporean and Indian flavors in a cozy, family-style restaurant setting. Coriander (a.k.a. cilantro) is basically a staple herb/spice present in every dish hence the name. “We use leaves, powder and the seeds,” he revealed.

Sheldon, who has a strong inclination for family ties, purposely adorned the diner’s walls with family portraits, one of which was when he was still little huddling with grandma, his culinary hero. “I learned everything there is to know about cooking from my grandma. She taught me how to cook. My grandfather would not go out to eat at all. Even if he had a dinner party, he would eat at home and go out for the party because he doesn’t know where the food came from,” he expressed.

Although Sheldon didn’t have any formal culinary training, he takes pride in his grandma’s cooking ingenuity. No wonder, The Coriander’s ever-changing menu shows the list of her recipes. He even almost named it Grandma’s Kitchen. “I do a simple startling menu with the idea that I want people to be educated. Later on, I’ll expose them to more sophisticated Indian cuisine when one can tell cumin from coriander,” he enthused.

His Secrets Revealed

What’s Indian food without the curry? Cooking Indian food is no easy feat since it’s time consuming: it takes a day to prep while the curry needs to cook in order for the spices to burst into the curry. In Sheldon’s place, 13 imported spices are cooked at different temperatures. While it takes a while for this staple concoction to finish, the wait is definitely worth it as “curry is comfort food” – a good remedy for a broken heart, he said.

While everyone is going fusion, Sheldon does otherwise. “I don’t believe in food fusion. I’m a purist. Indian curry has no coconut at all while Malay has coconut. I don’t fuse my food together.” He remains traditional to ensure it’s authentic. “For coconut, I still do the old-fashion way of ‘kagod’ since that’s what I was introduced to at home.” The Chicken Biryani, being one of his favorite dishes, is the trickiest since it’s cooked in layers over compressed heat in the traditional charcoal fired oven.

For appetizer, the Vegetarian Samosa’s pastry dough that is made fresh everyday is folded and rolled 30 times to achieve its crispiness after frying it in minimal amount of cooking oil. The Saffron & Cardamom Basma Rice is extra special, as well, since this type of imported organic aged Bastami rice only grows at the foothills of the Himalayas where the water used to irrigate the rice fields are from the melted glaciers from the mountain.

Curried dishes are also available: Grandma Alimah’s Chicken Curry, as well as Beef Rendang Padang (Hot Beef Curry), a famous Malay dish, with generous portions of tender lean meat in thick spicy sauce has gathered compliments from foodies since The Coriander opened sometime in January. In one’s pursuit for meatless diet, the Tandoori Fish Fillet and The Coriander’s Prawns and Squid are the popular dishes so far. Don’t forget to include Limau Juice in the order slip – fresh organic juice made from three kinds of lemons.

“Our prices are competitive with the right amount of portions and the right amount of work put in every dish,” he assured.

Come with a huge appetite as you sample Chef Sheldon’s culinary flare. Come one, come all!