Archive for July, 2006
I remember when I was a kid making a Jéow for unripe mangoes or sour apples. The sauce base was Sugar dissolved in Fish Sauce, sometimes I added Anchovies, Shallots or Chilli Flakes. No matter what ingredients we did or didn’t use, we could never leave out Ground Toasted Sticky Rice, which binds the sauce together and added a Toasty aroma.
I also used to enjoy the sauce with sour Grapefruits, hence the creation of this dish. We have taken a simple idea and transformed it a little.
This is our Grapefruit & Salmon Salad with Orange Oil

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You will need:
Fresh Salmon (or any other Sushi Grade fish)
Sugar (about 30g)
Nam Pla (Fish Sauce)
Chives, chopped
Dash of Sesame Oil
Dash of Lemon Grass Oil
Orange Oil (about 3 tablespoons)
Shallot (diced)
Ground Toasted Sticky Rice
9 Grapefruit Segments, skin and pith removed
Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt (this will bring out the best in the Grapefruit)

Cut five thin slices on an angle from the Salmon. Keep cool.
Read on….
There are probably 100´s of recipes for Larb Beef online, each one different and unique in their own way. In Laos, nearly every household has their own recipe. I remember at family gatherings, we always used to wait for my Uncle “Loung Tihn” to arrive so he could mix the Larb.
Here is our own version of Larb Beef, that is made to order.

You will need the following basic ingredients.

Beef Fillet (we use Tenderloin, about 100g)
The quantities of the remaining ingredients vary according to personal taste…
Mint Leaves
Coriander (include a little of the stalk)
Wedge of Lime
Chillies
Ground Toasted Sticky Rice (check out Manivan´s instructional video on how to make Ground Toasted Sticky Rice)
Diced Red Pepper
Shallots
Fish Sauce
Diced Green Pepper
Shredded Lime Leaves
(Not pictured) Shallot Oil cut with Garlic Oil (90%-10%)

The Beef should be fresh and cool.
Read on…
Cooking with fruit and extracting their natural flavours is healthy and tasty.
We love cooking with Orange Oil and it partners well with King Prawns.

Kham adds drops of the reduced oil to our King Prawn Salad.

The prawns are cleaned and lightly blanched.

Orange Oil is easy to make, just boil off some freshly strained juice (say a litre) and lower the heat and allow to simmer until you have about 200ml and it is thick and syrupy. Allow to cool. Place in a clean bottle and add some Grapeseed Oil cut with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Use Orange Oil in Vinaigrette’s or Steamed Fish.
Kuchi & Saki are our Fish Experts, and they love to prepare Japanese style dishes using the fresh fish that we are lucky to have everyday (except Sunday and Monday´s, even the Fisherman need days off too!).

Saki by the pool.
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Sashimi is a Japanese dish mostly involving raw seafood, sliced thinly and served as is with some Wasabi and Soy Sauce, or a Citrus Ponzu sauce. (Not all Sashimi is raw i.e. Octopus, which can be chewy is normally cooked before hand. Beef Sashimi also exists, however, in the western world Sashimi is mostly associated with Raw Fish.)
Make sure you buy the freshest fish possible, and try not to handle the fish too much, otherwise you may bruise the tender flesh, and make sure to keep the fish cool at all times. You will need a very sharp knife for best results.

We will be using Seabass. If possible get the fishmonger to clean and trim the fish for you, otherwise carefully cut along the belly and remove the internal organs, then rinse in cold water. When scaling fish, do so under running water, again being careful not to bruise the flesh.

Remove the head of the fish by cutting just behind the side fins.

Read on……..