GASTRONOMIC GLOBALIZATION.

Byline: William Rice Chicago Tribune

One of the high points of any trip for those of us who travel to eat is finding the unexpected in an unexpected place.

For instance, a side street off a busy suburban Memphis, Tenn., highway, in a neighborhood of one-story homes that are being converted one by one to house retail businesses, is an unlikely location for a gastronomic landmark. But you'll find one, restaurant Raji at 71 W. Brookhaven Circle.

Named for its personable owner, Raji Jallepalli, the 6-year-old restaurant offers a hybrid cuisine that can be found nowhere else. This brings an international array of food lovers to her door and attracts crowds when she makes a guest appearance in such big-city venues as the James Beard House in New York or Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.

A native of Hyderabad, India, and a medical technologist by training, Jallepalli is a self-taught cook who has built an exciting repertory of dishes that contain American ingredients and Indian spices prepared by French culinary techniques. A diner is served a five-course meal. The menu and the price change nightly to accommodate ingredients Jallepalli has found at the market.

On a given night, she might prepare grilled shellfish in lentil crepes or a pastry cup filled with crab and an emulsion of blackberry and crab, supreme of duck with caramelized curry sauce or leg of lamb marinated in mint chutney, mango creme brulee or a persimmon and spice souffle.

The restaurant retains the ambience of a home, in part because no more than 30 persons are served at widely spaced tables in two rooms.

Closer to home, it is equally unexpected to find Indonesian dishes such as timbungan babi (spicy pork spareribs in broth) and ayam kalas (Balinese chicken curry) in the Streeterville Grill and Bar of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.

In this case, the recipes - plus half a dozen others - are reminders of the visit of chef Felix Eko Yuniarto Budiestiawan of the Sheraton Nusa Indah resort in his native Bali.

Budiestiawan taught the Streeterville cooks how to handle the fiery and highly aromatic seasonings that make Indonesian cooking so distinctive. They, in turn, continue to make several of his recipes that particularly pleased Chicago diners.

So, here are tastes from far away gathered surprisingly close to home.

RAJI'S FILLET OF RAINBOW TROUT WITH LIME BUTTER BEURRE BLANC

4 rainbow trout fillets

Salt

Freshly crushed ajowan seeds, see Note

3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chopped onion

Pinch ground turmeric 

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Peel of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime

2 tablespoons white wine

1 bunch spinach, rinsed, stems removed and dried

1 small yellow squash, cut into 1-inch dice

8 tablespoons butter OR 4 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Rinse fillets, pat dry and season each very lightly with salt and ajowan. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil and onion over medium heat. When onion softens, add pinch salt, turmeric and cream. Bring to a boil. Add lemon and lime juices and peels, white wine and -1/8 teaspoon ajowan. Reduce until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, then remove from heat. Allow to cool 15 minutes and pour through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan. Discard solids.

In a skillet, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil. When hot, add spinach and saute until softened. Use a slotted spoon to transfer spinach to a heat-proof dish. Season with salt.

Place in preheated low temperature oven to keep warm.

In same pan, saute diced squash until just soft. Transfer to a dish with spinach and season with salt. Rewarm sauce.

Heat butter in a saute pan large enough to hold trout in single layer. As soon as butter stops bubbling, add fillets, skin side down. Cook until firm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and brush skin side lightly with butter.

Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce onto each of 4 warm plates and spread thin. Make rectangular bed of spinach and squash on each plate and top with 1 trout fillet, skin side down.

Serve at once with a semidry white wine such as Riesling or chenin blanc. Makes 4 appetizers or 2 main-course servings.

NOTE: Ajowan, or ajwain, is a seed related to caraway and cumin. If necessary, substitute either for ajowan.

BABY SQUID IN COCONUT MILK, BALI-STYLE

24 baby squid, cleaned and cut into large bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying

3 tablespoons rendang spices, see Note

1 turmeric leaf, see Note

6 kaffir lime leaves, cut in thin strips, see Note

2 pieces lemongrass, crushed, see Note

2 tablespoons seeded and sliced red chiles

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, see Note

Rinse squid and pat dry. Set aside.

Place a wok or a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil, then rendang spices, turmeric leaf, lime leaves, lemongrass and red chiles. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Simmer until oil forms a coating over top of milk, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add squid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until just firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook or squid will toughen.

Transfer squid and souplike sauce to a warm serving bowl or portion into 2 or 3 individual bowls or soup plates. Serve at once with steamed rice. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

NOTE: Rendang spices are a combination of almost a dozen seasonings. To save time, mix 2 tablespoons of a blend such as Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic or Steven Raichlen's Hanoi Hot with 2 teaspoons ground turmeric.

You can substitute the minced peel of 1 lime for lime leaves.

These ingredients are available in Thai and Asian markets.

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PHOTO

Photo (Color) The tiny Raji restaurant in Memphis, Tenn., attracts international visitors with such dishes as Fillet of Rainbow Trout With Lime Butter Beurre Blanc. Tony Berardi/Chicago Tribune