ETHNIC COOK : The Budapest-Bangkok Connection

Born in Budapest, Gabriel Ormenyi grew up with good, home-style Hungarian cooking. But now that he lives in Southern California, Ormenyi has come to love Thai food. He cooks his own versions of Thai dishes, including chicken in red curry sauce and garlic-pepper pork. Even his Hungarian dishes have picked up an extra kick--he’s that dedicated to spicy flavors.

Consider his chicken paprikash. It’s based on his mother’s recipe, but she wouldn’t recognize it. Ormenyi spikes it liberally with Hungarian hot paprika and adds plenty of garlic. He finishes off the paprikash with heavy cream to give it a silky texture.

The assertive, rich flavors blended with the cream reflect Ormenyi’s bent for balancing many elements in a single dish. That’s the way the Thais cook, and that’s why Ormenyi likes their food.

“I love to cook,” Ormenyi says, “and I’m pretty good at it.” He even made his own wedding cake: With his mother’s help, he baked enough Hungarian hazelnut torte for 250 guests.

Ormenyi works long hours in the movie industry as a driver and set mover. This limits his time in the kitchen. But on weekends, he might cook up a big meal of paprikash with buttered Pennsylvania Dutch noodles and Hungarian-style cucumber salad, topped with sour cream and paprika.

There would be plenty of bread too--Ormenyi bakes a different loaf each weekend. Two of his specialties are mashed-potato bread and his mother’s hallah, which is so delicate it must be consumed almost as soon as it comes out of the oven. For dessert, he might make hazelnut torte, spread with a chocolate butter-cream frosting that Ormenyi likes to embellish with a dash of Grand Marnier or Cognac.

With such a meal, Ormenyi almost always drinks a full-bodied Hungarian red wine, maybe Egri Bikaver. Of course, this is somewhat disloyal. Ormenyi is a partner in Salmon Creek Vineyards, a Chardonnay produced in Napa Valley.

GABRIEL ORMENYI’S HUNGARIAN CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

1 chicken, including back and ribs, cut into pieces

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup oil

3 large onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup water, about

1 large bay leaf

3 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped

4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tablespoon hot Hungarian paprika, or to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons flour

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in large cast-iron Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken pieces in single layer, leaving any remaining pieces for second batch. Cook chicken, uncovered, until brown on both sides. Remove chicken from pan. Tent with foil and set aside in warm place.

Drain off most of fat. Add onions and saute until brown at edges. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add chicken, green pepper, wine, 1/4 cup water and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. Add tomatoes, sweet and hot paprika and tomato paste. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender.

Blend sour cream, heavy cream and flour until smooth. Add to chicken and cook, uncovered, until thickened. Before serving, discard chicken back and bay leaf. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve over wide egg noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving, without noodles, contains about:

915 calories; 293 mg sodium; 224 mg cholesterol; 69 grams fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 50 grams protein; 2.64 grams fiber.