laocook

No doubt you have all seen the (almost iconic) bottles of Sriracha Chilli Sauce in Asian stores and eateries (especially the Phö Houses).

Sriracha Chilli Sauce originates from the Thai coastal town which it is named after (Si Racha), and is now a generic name for the red hot sauce that is much loved in SE Asia and closer to home.

In good old Laocook fashion, we decided to make our own. :)

The main ingredients are Chilli, Garlic, Vinegar (we used Jerez Reserva), Salt and Sugar. We also used a variety of Chillies for our version, the hot Thai Chillies grown in my garden (stored in the freezer), Scotch Bonnet (imported from London), and Spanish Chillies (for the colour).

Like the original, we have used no artificial flavourings or conservatives.

We only made a small batch, which has now finished (seems that all the staff, not only the A-Team enjoy some Chilli Sauce with their lunch…).

;)

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Seeing as our Sushi Bar is at the entrance to the dining room, most of our diners like to start their meal off with a selection of Sushi. We like to offer freshly made up Sushi Platters, that way all the table can sample the various delicacies that we have to offer, and also gives Kuchi a chance to improvise.

Kuchi Sushi. :)

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The other night we got a chance to finish early and decided to head off to a local restaurant (the Spanish eat very late here). When I called the restaurant, the owner and dear friend said he would save us a couple of cuts of Sirloin.

I didn’t think that two cuts would be enough for three of us, that was until they presented the cuts to us for inspection.

No, we are not going to eat the tobacco, its there to show you a size comparison, and yes, the cigarettes belong to me…! :(

There was enough meat for six of us!.

Seeing as there were only three of us (and Suri eats a lot!), we just managed to get through all of the meat, washed down with two and a half bottles of wine….

The meat was cooked at the table on a hot stone, and served very, very rare. :)

An unlikely pair, but well suited together. :)

Marinated Sardines are easy to make and have a wonderful taste. After cleaning them, you don’t have to hang around and search for all the little fish bones as marinading them will make them soft and unnoticeable.

Crispy Chicken skin is a treat. Whenever we roast chicken or make a Ping Gai, the skin is my favourite part. Sometimes I am shocked when people put the skin to one side and don’t eat it, but my friends know me and always offer me their share. :)

When I was younger and used to visit KFC with my school mates, they always had to pay “Chicken Skin Tax!!” ;)

Those were the days….

In our small dish is a velvety soft Pumpkin Puree, Raisins steeped in Yakitori Sauce, Crispy Chicken Skin and half a fillet of Marinated Sardine. It is a lovely combination, best enjoyed with a crisp Chardonnay.

:)

Our Tamarind & Salt Cocktail has four flavours, which are melded together. A thickish Tamarind Pulp is at the bottom of the glass, a few sprinklings of Sea Salt, then a refreshing juice followed by a sweet Pineapple Air.

Tamarind & Salt Cocktail.

The use of the straw allows the diner to sample the above flavours, in reverse order. Firstly, the sour Pulp is sucked up, followed by the saltiness of the Sea Salt, which will sweeten the initial sourness of the Pulp, then comes the refreshing juice, lastly followed by the Pineapple Air. It is meant to be sucked up in one go, and play kind tricks on the palate. :)

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No doubt the best part of an egg is the Yolk. When I eat fried eggs, I always like to leave the Yolk until last!. I love the richness of a runny Yolk.

The thick Red Pepper soup is a Spanish idea. Roasted Red Peppers are skinned and deseeded, before being blitzed with old bread and flavoured with “Reserva” Sherry Vinegar, Garlic, Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The Yolk has been separated from the egg white and poached in the oven which has been set at 60º.

Yolk with Red Pepper.

Crushed Pine Kernels with Salt, Chives and Truffle Oil finish this small dish.

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This next dish is a pure indulgence in creaminess.

Ripe Avocado has been blitzed with Lime Juice and Milk to create a thick and heavy cream. The Croutons are made with normal sandwich bread that has been brushed with Shallot Oil and baked in the oven.

The mixture is then spooned on to a small bowl and crowned with Crème Fraîche and Caviar.

Avocado with Caviar.

As it is a very heavy dish, it has to be served in small portions, and anyway, it has to be small because the Caviar is expensive! ;)

It has been a busy week in the kitchens, and we have been hard at work getting some new dishes ready for our Summer “Aharn” Menu.

Shark with Egg.

Wafer thin slices of Shark, Tamarind Sauce and Quail Egg.

The hardest part of this dish is separating the Quail Yolk from the Egg White. Because everything on this dish is raw, we have to use really fresh eggs, which means that the Egg White is more thicker and encases the Yolk, thus making it tricky to separate, (thats why fresh eggs should be used in poaching, the older the egg, the more watery the White will be) especially when working with such small eggs.

Basically, we have to wash the White and Yolk under slow running water, until it separates, without damaging the precious Yolk.

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Tuna with Cheese.

Tastes better than it sounds. ;)

We use Goats Cheese, which has a smooth texture and is not too overpowering. The Chives and sprig of Dill give this small dish a herby aroma. In our first version we used grated Ginger, but we found the ginger flavour too overwhelming.

“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit”, better known to us as Bangkok, is the gateway to SE Asia.

Though the long name may seem strange, don´t forget that “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula” nowadays is known as LA (Los Angeles).

Anyway, I always spend a few nights in Bangkok before heading on to Vientiane.

The outstanding skyline is panoramic, and like most cities is huge. But the real character of the city is on the pavements.

Yes, Bangkok has loads of traffic, but thanks to the above ground rail system, the city is more accessible.

A mile or so in a taxi can take you up to an hour or more, depending on the time. (Though it seems “bumper to bumper” most of the time).

For “shopaholics”, Bangkok is THE CITY. You can buy anything you want here!

I normally “upgrade” my Digicam when I am in Bangkok. Not only because it can be cheaper (barter damn you, barter and win!) :) , but also because Thai salespersons will include extra bits n´pieces like tripods, 4GB memory cards etc…

It really does pay to shop around. ;)

Apart from shopping, Bangkok is great for food. Every cuisine seems to be represented, and to suit every budget too. If you want a “road-side grilled Ping Gai” or “30g Beluga Caviar”, Bangkok has it all.

Jacky is one of my heroes, and he is cooking here! Yipppeeeeeeeeeeee!

Snake in the Eagle´s Shadow Soup maybe……

One thing that I adore to eat is Seafood. And the Thai Restaurants know how to serve it!

A Whole Crab, delicately cooked in spices and Egg, sounds weird, but has to be tried to be appreciated. Be prepared to get your fingers dirty!! :)

The Night Bazaar (Suan Lum) is a great place to visit, not only are there arts and crafts, there is also a beer and food section (somewhere to wait while Rose does her “Marathon Shopping”). ;)

Watching afternoon football matches in the evening in Bangkok is great, especially as the Thais love English Football.

But where and what to eat? There is so much on offer…

Really, Bangkok and the rest of SE Asia is a place to get fat…eat till you drop, then shop, a little sightseeing, eat, drink, eat, drink, eat, then drop.

A break between eating and shopping. Yes, more beer please!…..

Hopefully I will be in Bangkok and Laos during November 2008 with some of the A-Team. If you are heading our way, let us know…. :)

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After a year away from the Laocook Kitchens, King has decided to return to Spain and rejoin the A-Team.

Our mission in 2008 is to push further our works from 2007. Asiatic Cuisine in Spain has taken large steps forward over the past 18 months, ingredients that are vital to our foods are now becoming more available.

More and more Spanish cooks are now using herbs and spices that we know so well. New restaurants are opening, under the banner of “Cocina Asiatica” (Asian Kitchen), as opposed to “Cocina Oriental” (Oriental Kitchen).

Our goal has always been to offer Quality, not Quantity, and this goal will never change.

There are interesting times ahead, and we all look forward to them. :)

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Ping Gai and Truffle Potatoes.

Chicken “Oysters” are marinated with the usual suspects (Lemongrass, Lime Leaf, Garlic etc…), and served on top of a velvet Potato and Truffle Oil Puree. This is a very rich and heavy dish, thats why it is served one “Oyster” per person. ;)

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King Prawns with Mushrooms.

Dried Chinese Mushrooms are rehydrated, then slow cooked in pork fat. The King Prawns are briefly poached in an Oyster Sauce based stock, which is then thickened. A Homemade Prawn Cracker gives this small dish its “crunch”.

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Chicken in Red Curry.

Red Curry is available at most SE Asian restaurants, and ours is no exception. We prefer a thicker curry, that is why we reduce it down to almost a “gravy-like” consistency. This is seasoned at the final minute, otherwise the reduction would make it too salty.