Archive for April, 2008
Prawns with Apples was a combination that materialized during a small birthday lunch for Jopi (pronounced “Hopi”), one of our Service staff.
King gives Jopi a Birthday kiss…
After lunch at a local restaurant, we returned to Jopi´s place for some afternoon drinks. As the “quick drinks” carried on in to the night we became hungry and Jopi´s boyfriend Greg decided to grill some King Prawns.
“Langostinos a la Plancha” are a typical way to grill King Prawns, all you need is salt and a hot plate/grill/plancha.
King seeing that the others were discarding the heads decided to use the “head jus” to make a sauce, and the the only thing at hand at the time was a bowl of apples.
So in a small pot we pressed out the liquid from the heads and mixed them with diced apples. The combination was lovely, the sweet and sourness of the apples went well with the strong sea flavour. Immediately we knew that we would have to share this flavour and decided to create it next day in the restaurant.
A smooth Carrot Puree (sweet), blanched King Prawns (delicate), diced Granny Smith Apples (sour) and a shot of the “head jus” (sea-full).
It is strange how ideas come to you when you least expect them to! :)
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I like to decorate our dessert plates “a la minute” or “at the moment”. Using melted chocolate and fruit coulis are an easy way to dress up a dish.
The liquid Chocolate acts as a border for the colourful fruits coulis.
Green = Kiwi
Yellow = Mango
Red = Forest Fruits
The designs are very simple and also edible! :)
Khamhoung after watching me “plate” a birthday cake decided that he wanted to have a try, but he didn’t have an idea of what to draw, so I told him to draw whatever “came to mind”.
A few minutes later he came back with this.
Through muffled laughs we asked him what it was.
“Vang Vieng!”, Khamhoung replied and further added “Don’t you recognise the mountains and the trees?”… 
Come to think about it, he has a point… ;)
Our Fish Markets are now full of fresh Sardines. They are so easy to prepare and we especially love them simply grilled on a BBQ (or even better, on the beach) or briefly Marinated.
Not only do they taste good, they are also healthy (food speak: they are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Calcium, Vitamin D and B12 :) ).
Sardines on Toast is something that I grew up with back in the UK, however, at that time we could only get hold of tinned Sardines, normally packed in Oil or a Tomato Sauce. At that time I had never imagined that they could be eaten fresh, in fact, I had never even seen a fresh one! :shock:
For some reason when some fresh Sardines arrived to our kitchens yesterday, it brought back memories of traveling through France, where I enjoyed a more grown up version of Sardines on Toast at a local Brasserie, served on grilled country bread and a bed of Ratatouille.
This gave me the idea of making a similar version, this time using Jéow Mhak Lhen, or Lao Style Tomato Chutney as an inspiration.
The Sardines were cleaned and filleted before being covered in Salt for 15 minutes, after the salt is removed they are then covered with a Yuzu Vinaigrette for 10 minutes before being stored in Extra Virgin Olive Oil before serving. The process is quick and ensures that the fish are not “over-cured” and lets the fillets retain their natural tenderness.
I love Bloody Mary´s. They are quick and easy to make and very enjoyable on a sunny afternoon. ;)
There are 1000´s or recipes and variations, but the two most important ingredients are Tomato Juice and Worcestershire Sauce. It was whilst looking at a bottle of the latter that the idea of “Anchovies in Tomato” was born.
I have always fondly called Worcestershire Sauce the “European Padek Juice” because it is a fermented liquid condiment that contains Anchovies.
For my version, fresh Anchovies were cleaned then briefly marinated in Yuzu Juice.
They are used to line a shot glass that is then filled with a Virgin Mary mix (not all our clients drink alcohol).
They are then topped with a Citrus Foam and served immediately.
I don’t know if it will catch on, or whether a “Bloody Laocook ” will be seen in any bars, but it will definitely be featured on our “Aharn Menu”.
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Before any work can begin in our kitchens, we have to get our tools ready. The cook´s best friends in his workplace are his knives. A blunt blade is dangerous one.
Khamhoung, Kuchi and Saki tend to our knives. Sharpening cannot be rushed, there are no short cuts for quality.
Khamhoung gets our Ducks ready for one of our new dishes.
The Duck must pass a taste test before t reaches any tables.
Our Duck is based on the Chinese Roast Duck cooking method, though we have used more of a Laotian marinade that contains Lemongrass and Garlic. As with the Chinese version, the Duck will benefit from a few days hanging before roasting.
We serve our Duck medium rare, and only use the breast for this dish. The legs will be used in a Red Curry, the stock being made from the carcasses.
What looks like noodles, are actually Elvers, expensive little things from the near by town of Trebujena.
Normally in Spain, Elvers are cooked in Olive Oil with Garlic and sometimes Dried Chillies, they then take on a “noodle-like” texture.
These small Eels are a delicacy around this region, and fetch high prices in the local Tapas Bars.
They are best purchased alive, and are treated to a bath of Marlboro Lights. What? You read right…. :shock:
Tobacco is removed from a cigarette, wrapped in a cloth then placed in a container filled with the swimming Elvers. Within minutes they are ready to be placed in to the hot oil, otherwise they would splatter (basically jump) everywhere if you dumped them in to the hot fat. Why do we use Tobacco? Who knows? It was a handy tip that I got off a cook in one of the famous bars in the nearby White Village.
Hey, if it works for him, it works for us… :)
We served our Elvers on top of a Cauliflower and Phö Jelly with some Garlic, Olive Oil and Chillie Crumbs.
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The same Garlic, Olive Oil and Chillie Crumbs also topped our Jade Noodles with King Prawn, however this time we added a dash of Sesame and Grapeseed Oil, to Jade Noodles that have been tossed in a Yuzu Vinaigrette.
The Prawn is first shelled and cleaned before being blanched in a light Vegetable stock for a few seconds (yep, never overcook Prawns!), that way they retain their lovely texture and sweetness, which goes well with the scent of the Garlic and Sesame Oil.
We are thinking about making a menu of “Mini Aharn” for the summer, a kind of “Ghem Lau” or “Drink Snacks”, perhaps a 9 or 10 course meal consisting of some of the small dishes that we have made during this season.
10 dishes sounds like a lot, but they are small, and there will be plenty of Wine to go with it! ;) :)