laocook

It is a busy time in the Laocook Kitchens. The restaurant has been full everynight lately, so we must be doing something right…. :)

Though our menu is fixed (at the moment), we still have time to indulge in making New Dishes.

You will have seen our Tuna Toro Tartare served in Cones in previous posts, this time we thought that we would rework it and serve it in a crispy potato circle. Avocado sits at the bottom whilst Yuzu Dressed Tuna Toro (the best part) sits neatly on top.

The actual size (diameter) of the Amuse Bouche is no bigger than a 2 Euro coin, just enough to get the appetite going. ;)

Scartet Prawns can grow as big as your hand. They have an extremely delicate flesh and a wonderful flavour. Costing more per kilo than Lobsters, the best part is the head.

In our dish, the tail has been seperated and cleaned, the head steamed and the tail end cooked in clarified butter. The “legs” have been removed and deep-fried. To finish the dish, the sauteed tail is tossed with Tamarind and Fish Sauce Dressing, before being served on top of the head, the deep fried “legs” add a crunchy texture to the sour yet sweet tail, which is just undercooked, so that it retains its fantastic texture and natural sweetness.

Extra Tamarind and Fish Sauce Dressing is poured over before leaving the Kitchen. A teaspoon is provided so that our diners can scoop out the lovely meat inside the head.

**

Our work not only entails produce for the ASIA Restaurant, we also prepare foods for our other sectors.

Khamsene, Second Chef, is the backbone of the A Team.

Pork is a prized meat in Spain, and Khamsene´s Smoked Pork Leg is a labour of love.

The leg is deboned, and left to sit in our special brine for 3 days before being smoked, and lightly roasted.

It is then scored then given a Honey, Tamarind and Mustard glaze.

Cloves are then added, before it is ready for serving.

Served cold, and thinly sliced it makes a great dish for Brunch.

(We must admit, we sneak of slices and make Sandwiches with lashings of “Jéow Bong” and Pickled Cucumbers)

;)

**

Its not always work, work, work. Sometimes we get the chance to just relax and get someone else to do the cooking.

Kuchi enjoys a lunch with King Crab.

:)

Lately we have been trying out some new dishes for our upcoming menu.

Everyone likes Larb Gai (Laotian Chicken Salad), its easy to eat and has the wonderful aroma of Pounded Roasted Sticky Rice.

Most people use a blender to “blitz” the Roasted Sticky Rice (which is actually Dry Pan Fried), but we always use a Pestle and Mortar, the end result is less “powdery”, and the Rice still has a certain crunchiness.

We love Asparagus, which we simply blanch. The worst crime anyone can do with vegetables is to overcook them. Overcooked veggies suffer from lack of colour, flavour and vitamins.

The spear is wrapped in Home Smoked Salmon and Cucumber strips, Onions and cut Lime wedges are used as garnishes.

Our “Kemou Chicken”, a hot firery dish, so called because (it is said) that when arriving home after a few drinks, hungry cooks would fry up a dish and add copious amounts of chillies.

Beef grilled medium served with Sesame Mustard Sauce. A kind of fusion dish that uses grilled Beef Fillet, served on top of Onion rings and topped with a Mustard Soy based sauce with Sesame Seeds and Oil. All our Beef dishes are cut before being served, that way they can be eaten with Chopsticks.

:)

Photos for this post were unfortunately lost when the Server crashed on May 23 2007.

Last September I planted some seeds that Darly gave to the A Team.

I planted them indoors, first on top of the fridge until they emerged, then I transferred them near the window.

When they are strong enough, they will eventualy be planted at the A Team´s house for everyone to enjoy.

Chillies are easy to grow.

Some of them have already started to flower.

They need a good amount of sunlight, so a place near large windows is perfect. Taking them outside for a few minutes everyday will make them stronger, and when they get used to being outdoors, they can be planted in the garden, and before you know it, you will have Chillies all over the place.

Only a few Papayas made it, out of 13 seeds, I have about 4 small plants, which I think are either from Mexico or Brazil.

The biggest surprise was the emergance of the Kaffir Lime plant, out of 30 seeds, only one made it, and it is much adored by the A Team.

Frog Legs taste reminiscent of Chicken, but have a softer texture. We mostly like to Deep Fry our Frog Legs in Batter, or Pan Fry them with Garlic, Fresh Peppercorns and Olive Oil.

Frog Legs also taste great in “Aw”, or Laotian Stew.

“Aw” can either be a Dry Stew, or Wet one, it all depends on how much Stock you use. We prefer our “Aw” on the drier side, especially as you need your fingers to eat the legs.

The Stew can be made with any meat that you like, and a Wet Stew would be great with some Pork Belly (Moo Sam Sun, Three Layered Pork), like mentioned above, just add more Stock and simmer until the meat is tender.

“Aw” also benefits from being made the night before, as the flavours will be intensified. If you have some Laotian Aubergines (Pea Aubergine), add those too!

Below is our LCTV Presentation of Laotian Frog Leg Stew. We hope that you enjoy it and will try the recipe, its easier than it looks.

:)

Ballotine of Pork, is French in origin, and better known in Laos as “Yhor”. It can be enjoyed in Sandwiches, “Yum´s” or on its own.

Our version, made by Khamhoung uses Bacon Rind in place of boiled Pig Skin, which we think gives the “Yhor” a smokey flavour.

**

Our Sweetcorn Soup, a favourite in many Chinese restaurants. A dash of Chilli Oil mixed with Shallot Oil is added just before serving, as is chopped Coriander.

**

Yakisoba with Crispy Sweet Potato. Served as a “Tapas” with Vegetables, has truly a Japanese origin. This dish is served luke warm.

**

New Style Goong Che Nam Pla makes a return. This is one of our favorite dishes that started off much different to what we serve now. It is still a diners favourite and perhaps the most requested dish on our menu, even when its off the menu!.

**

Lobster and Lobster Roe Dumplings. Steamed then Pan-fried, the Dumplings have a soft yet crunchy texture. Inside is Lobster Meat, Lobster Roe, Shallots and Garlic Chives. The sauce is Mirin, Saké, Dark Soy and Sesame based.

**

“XO Sauce” plays a big influence on our “VS Chicken” dish. The sauce is made from Dried Shrimp, Jamón Pata Negra (1st Quality Iberian Ham), Chillies, Shallots, Garlic and a touch of Padek.

Briefly Blanched Asparagus adds a crunch to the dish. In our search for a name for the dish, the only name we could come up with was “Very Special Chicken”, hence the name “VS Chicken”!

Mok Pa, steamed fish in Banana Leaf.

White fish is great for absorbing the seasonings and flavours, we have used Seabass and Hake Roe (which gives it more body). If you cannot get hold of a Banana Leaf you can use Tin Foil (Aluminium Foil, Silver Foil).

:)