laocook

We have decided to share with you some of our earlier work which I originally posted at Laoplanet.net.

Yum of Cuttlefish. There are tons of Cuttlefish and Squid to be found at the markets here. Mostly we like to score the slices of Cuttlefish and Wok fry them with Spicy Salt & Pepper. This time I had decided to cut the Cuttlefish to resemble Noodles (when just cooked just right, they have similar textures).

Vermicelli Salad with Tiger Prawn and Tamarind and Chilli Dressing. The sauce is a great clash of Sweet, Sour and Spicy. We remove the seeds from the Chilli before making the sauce. The Tiger Prawn is shelled, cleaned and simply wrapped in a Spring Roll Sheet, it is deep fried just before serving and adds a Crunchy addition to the dressed Vermicelli.

Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger and Tiger Prawns. The Sea Bass is a very fragile fish, and shouldn’t be served if overcooked. The Prawns have been slow cooked in Sake and Sweet Soy sauce, just until half cooked, otherwise like the fish, the texture will be lost if overdone. Fast steaming is the key to cooking fish, the water should be boiling rapidly, that way it quickly seals the lovely juices inside the fish.

Chicken Wings with 4 Sauces. This dish is an example of what Lao Cook Team is all about. The bringing together of Cultures and Recipes. The first sauce is a favourite of the staff, is a Laotian Tomato & Coriander Chutney (Jéow Mak Len), the second is a wonderfully aromatic Roasted Mushroom Puree, which is basically a New Style version of Jéow Mak Het. Japanese influence plays a role in the Miso and Poached Garlic Sauce and Red Sauce, made with Sesame and Peppers with a host of Sour Plums.

Dtom Khem with Spring Chicken and Quail Eggs. I still love a bowl of steaming rice with Dtom Khem, the sweet tasting sauce mixed with the white grains of rice were always a treat. Mostly made from Pork cuts, Dtom Khem obtains its colour from the caramelising of sugar, adding ginger cuts the taste and wont make the Dtom Khem overly sweet. We use Spring Chicken, aka Poussin, the meat is tender and absorbs the sauce flavourings well. Seeing as we use small poultry, it is only fitting that we add Quail Eggs to the recipe.

Our fascination with “Imitating” other foods continues with our Milk Udon with Pineapple and White Pepper Soup. Milk Jelly is cut to resemble Japanese Udon noodles, the sweet refreshing taste of the Pineapple (which is ice cold) is pricked with White Pepper “juice”, which adds an interesting concept to almost confuse the taste buds, you can taste the Pepperness without the actual presence of Pepper grains. This dish was realised with the help of our Japanese Pastry Chef, Akiyama Mansanori.

Akiyama also plays an important part in our Green Tea Parfait with Jasmine Mascarpone Cream. This iced desert is creamy and a little heavy with the addition of the Mascarpone, but sometimes you have to spoil yourself. It is made even more rich with the addition of Sugar Rings, made with Sugar, Water and Spanish Vinegar. This desert would later be changed and evolve in to our Green Tea Tiramisu, minus the Sugar Rings.

At the Lao Cook Kitchens, we all enjoy a nice soup, especially Dtom Kha or Dtom Yum. When I was younger, I had mistranslated Dtom Kha Gai for “Boiled Chicken Leg” on one of my Father´s menus, instead of calling it “Boiled Galangal & Chicken (soup)”.

Lately, I have been working on a New Style of Dtom Kha, and decided to omit the Chicken in favor of some Mushrooms and Broad Beans (Fava Beans), I love Beans, especially fresh ones. We are lucky to get a good supply of organic beans, that we shell and blanch briefly before giving them an Ice Bath, this method retains the glorious colour and ensures that the beans are not over cooked.

I have been experimenting with different types of Mushrooms and have found that Fresh Shiitake gives a nice balance of flavour as well as “Oyster-like” texture.

A good Chicken Stock is also needed, and I always use Double Boiled Chicken Stock, it gives the soup more “body”. I don’t add a lot of Coconut Milk, as I want the finished dish to be light, and the soup is strained before being used. When drinking the New Style Dtom Kha, the wispy head quickly gives way to the warm soup, which is both flavoursome yet gentle, as you get to the bottom of the soup, the slivers of Mushroom are introduced (they are lighter than the beans) with their slippery texture, when you reach the end, you will find the “al dente” beans.

 New Style “Dtom Kha”, you can see the Beans through the milky texture of the soup, if you look carefully, you can also see the Mushrooms resting above. To make the Frothy Head, use a handheld food mixer, spoon the bubbles carefully on top of the soup and serve immediately.

Sometimes we like to use traditional recipes and add a modern touch. I mean, that is what Lao Cook Team is all about…

Darly told me that she made some Chicken Larb (Larb Gai) this weekend, so I thought, “Why not do the same”.. :)

Larb Gai is great when minced by hand, pan fried and mixed at the very last second. As with all Larbs, it is a very simple dish that requires only good honest ingredients. I find pleasure in dry roasting the sticky rice, and then pounding it with a pestle & mortar, the aroma is subtle, but the flavour it lends to the finished dish brings out all the memories of home-cooking.

We serve our Larb Gai in small glasses, as an opener to the meal proper. I have used “Boniato Chips”, also known as Sweet Potato Chips, that have been thinly sliced and fried until its Orange Colour is bright and vibrant. It gives a wonderful texture when eaten with the mini Larb.

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We all love fish, and working near a Fishing Port, we always find ourselves with fresh and tender seafood, brought to our kitchens straight from the boats. Feeling a little homesick, last night I decided to make a Lemon Grass Bream, lightly grilled and served medium rare. I marinaded the fish in finely chopped Lemon Grass, with a touch of Thai Mushroom Soy Sauce and a dash of Sherry and Sesame Oil. The combination was very much East meets West.

The fish is served with Braised Cabbage in Sake, Coriander Oil, Trout Caviar and Marbled Orange Oil, which gives the dish a tangy twist. Never overcook fish as it will become tough and ruin the velvet texture that Mother Nature (or the fishermen) intended. ;)

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After work its always party time.

Laurene and Patti try their hand at the DJ booth.

BBQ´s at 2am are not uncommon.

As most of you know, Anouck is a Singer/Song Writer and Laurene´s sister. We posted 2 details of her photo-shoot pics a while back. Now we are glad to say that she has sent us the whole photo-shoot.

She is busy preparing her CD and the Lao Cook Team cant wait to get their hands on it. It is great that her music is modern and we are very proud of her.

When I was in VTE, I remember roadside “kitchens” preparing snacks, or Kuan Ghem. These roadside eateries were a very casual affair, mainly made up of a makeshift BBQ and lovely morsels being prepared over the hot coals.

One thing that I enjoyed eating were Meat Balls, whether made of Pork, Beef or even Fish and Chicken. I recall watching in awe as the ladies (for some reason it was always ladies preparing the food) make the balls ever so quickly and deftly from their own secret recipe, they would then either deep fry them in hot oil over the coals or simply grill them. The aroma was inviting and it was Kip well spent.

Last night upon Sen´s idea, we made our own Squid and Prawn Balls, dished up as an Amuse Bouche which we served with some Sweet Chilli Sauce cut with extra Fish Sauce, Fresh Lime Juice, Chives and Coriander.

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There are some logos that are universal, logos that everyone would recognise. A lot of positive and negative things have been said about McDonalds, but I think that we all have to agree, its a World Famous Franchise that is recognisable in nearly every language. I too, sometimes, have a craving for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, one day I will show you my own very special ½ Kilo and Cheese version. ;)

Sawadee Khrup Khun Ronald.

Instead of being content with celebrating the midnight hour on December the 31st, the Lao celebrate their New Year over three days.

Wonder why the pic is blurry, too much Champagne for the Photographer…

(From Left to Right: Peng, Toon, Laurene, Jopi, Vienne, Patti, Saki, Erika and Isabel)

;)

You would think that after a “heavy” night, we would spend the next day relaxing, but No!, in true “A Team” fashion we made an afternoon BBQ and ended up splashed and covered in white paste, (mixed Talc with Water), when asked why, the Team replied “If you smell nice on the first day of the New Year, you will smell nice all year round”. Perhaps its true…

Kham and Sen looking untanned.

Kham and Peng (not Son Goku from Dragonball Z!)

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After the festivities have died down, or we have run out of Beer, its time to return to the grind of work.

Kham shows off two Ostrich Eggs, that will be destined for a (large) Omelet. The outer shell is so thick that you may need a hammer and saw to open it. We use drills to open a hole in the top before extracting the White and Yolk, that way we can keep the shells for decoration.

Kuchi back in the kitchen preparing Sushi for a small group booking. The room temperature is controlled to ensure that the fish stays fresh as possible until it is served. It is like working in a fridge.

Now is the season for Broccoli, and below I have taken advantage of a sauce made by Kenji, mixed it with Cream and Lime Essence, added some Tofu “Crisp” Cubes and some Spring Onion Tempura. The softness of the sauce lends a delightful texture to the crunchy Tofu & Tempura.

It is fitting that both Boundy Senathit´s sons should continue in his footsteps, or in this case, his Kitchen Clogs.

Arriving to the UK in the early 70´s, Boundy forged a happy home for his family, working all hours of the day to ensure that his wife and then only child, would have enough to eat. His catering career started off as a Cook in a small London Pub. When his second son arrived, he worked the graveyard shift in one of London´s grand hotels whilst his my mother cleaned the rooms during the day, this way, at least one of them would be home when I finished school.

I remember not having much as a child, I would envy all my friends with their new clothes, school kits and summer holidays. I would sit home and sulk when we couldn’t afford the money for me to go on school outings. But now that I am older, I understand why. We always had food on the table, and a warm comfortable home.

I have never worked with my father, I think that it would be such a culture clash.

King prepares a light dinner.

During my fathers time as a Chef, he would work the exhausting hours churning out dishes. There was no way a Laotian would dare try to make “his own” food during that time, hardly anyone had heard of Thailand then, so why would people have heard of Laos?

Thankfully times have moved on, people have opened their minds, and though my father is away from the big kitchens, he still remains faithful to his craft and now works with my mother on their own business, cooking food from their own Catering Unit in one of London’s busiest markets, its a change from the hoi palloi of the grand kitchens, but saying that, its not uncommon to for them to knock out huge numbers of dishes within a short time span. They named their business Thai & Lao Cuisine, one of the first companies in the UK to use the word Lao commercially.

It now up to King and I to continue what he started, and along with our Lao Cook Team, we plan to do just that…

The Lao Cook Team would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

Apart from the New Year, the last week has been busy both at work and at home. We are proud to present 2 new members to the “A Team”.

Junior, who is Lao/French is based in London and will be joining the team next month, he will be training with King on the Teppan.

King and Junior enjoy lunch.

My Father decided to pay us a rare short visit. He is based in London, which is only a short flight from here, luckily the weather has been nice and he has been able to enjoy a few rays of sun before heading back to the UK.

Patti, also Lao/French is from a musical family, she joins us for 3 months to do some training before she goes to Hotel Management School.

My Father, me, Rose, Patti and Laurene out for a long lunch in the country.

Work has been busy and we have been trying out a few new dishes, but none of them have made the menu at the moment, there needs to be more “Fine Tuning” before we dare release any dish.

Saki tests a new sauce recipe, that we hope to use with a new dish that will feature King Prawns, but until it is “perfected”, there is a lot of work to do, and lots of Prawns to shell for trials.

Last night after Service I invited all the staff for a few glasses of Champagne to bring in our New Year, little did I know that a few glasses would lead to more glasses, then to more glasses… ;) We love Champagne.

Sokdee Pimai!!

It is strange that I live in such a beautiful country and have not really seen so much of her. So last weekend, I decided to just “go for it” and planned a few days in Ronda.

It is only a two hours from here, and a pleasant drive through the lush greenery of the Spanish countryside. It is a small and wonderfully hypnotic town, full of history.

It was nice to get away from the kitchens for a while, so Rose and I took full advantage of our few days away. We booked ourselves in to a small hotel call El Juncal, just on the outskirts of the town. What a joyful place! They have their own Vineyard, which produces a lovely wine, fragrant and elegant. I love privately owned small hotels, because of the care and attention that the owners and staff put in.

We had a delightful dinner in town at one of the regions best restaurants, where we were pampered with an extraordinary 21 dish “Degustation” menu. A big “Thumbs up” to the Chef Benito, who was nice enough to show me around his kitchen and offer a signed Menu from all his staff.

A truly great weekend! Good Hotel, Good Food, Good Company ;)

An enchanting aroma was carried along the floating breeze. It was early, but late by VTE standards. The neighbours where cooking, selling and talking. Looking at my watch I couldn’t believe that it was so early, by European standards, the aroma should have been Bacon and Eggs. But it wasn’t. It was a tantalising scent that reminded of my childhood, of days long ago.

Thinking: These guys have been up way before the crack of dawn and have cooked, with gusto and flair, it is only fitting that I should rise from my bed and pay homage to their efforts.

I have to admit, I am not really a “Morning” person, but when in VTE, you do as everyone does. Enjoy life. Eat.

Breakfast:

Hmm, what do we have here? Let us take a closer look.

Now there is something that you don’t see in the Supermarkets often. A nice piece of Tongue, Stomach and other lovely things.

Americans call them “Variety Meats”, or on some packaging “Mechanically Collected Meats”, in the EU we know it as “Tripe”, or “Offal”. No matter what you call it, I love it.

In Spain we have “Menudo”, a hearty stew of Offal with Chorizo and loads of fat, it is in essence, The Winter dish, heavy, filling and (excuse the pun) gutsy.

I don’t know many Laotians that would say NO to a fine piece of Tripe. Cooking methods depend on the piece in question, but gentle simmering and perhaps a short grilling will bring out the best flavour and texture.

Some may frown upon such delicacies, but let me tell you, there are worse things in your everyday Sausage or Pâte.

After a very filling breakfast, a gentle stroll in the Morning Market, especially to the smokey Food Section. Here a kaleidoscope of smells and sights mingle with the hustle and bustle of the remarkable market. It would not pass a Hygiene Test, but hey, neither would some of the food on offer. But the offerings are sincere and tasty. People of all ages are seated on small stalls, eating their spicy offerings, the rhythmic tone of the Pestle and Mortar signal the arrival of a Tum Mak Hung, so red with Chillies you would think that it the Lao were Sadomasochist.

The smell of grilled fish is a calling card for a small “Tapas”, that would comprise of some Dried Squid, or Air Dried Marinated Beef, or perhaps a small bowl of Noodles with Chunks of Blood, hmmm yes…that will do nicely.

They say that “Time flies when you are having fun”, and it is all too true when in VTE. We miss her.