Archive for July, 2010
Pig ears. You either love them or hate them.
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You´d be surprised at how many tapas you can get from a set of ears. When the ears arrive, they are given a few blasts of the blow torch to get rid of any hair. Then they are washed and boiled, once cool enough to handle, they are thinly sliced before being fried with some garlic, seasoning and coriander.
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The texture is somewhat between fatty, sticky and crunchy.
Other “crunchy” tapas that have been served include Chicken Skin.
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I adore crispy chicken skin, for me its the best part of the fowl. It perplexes me to see some people remove the skin when they are served roasted or BBQed chicken. All my friends know that I love the skin, so there’s always extra for me! 
Its not only chicken skin that I like, pork skin too, especially from a nice piece of roasted pork. In the UK we call the roasted skin “Crackling”, named after the sound it makes when eaten. Pork rind that is sold in small packets are called “Scratchings”. In Lao it is known as “Kiep Moo”.
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Kiep Moo is served as a snack or as an accompaniment to Papaya Salad.
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I serve both of the skins as an Amuse Bouche.
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As they say, “The Honeymoon is over”…and its back to work…
Actually the Honeymoon was over some time ago, I have been occupied by the World Cup as well as a new menu.
Here in the summer, it gets really hot, and I mean REALLY hot, and a lot of our guests ask for lighter dishes and smaller portions.
Before the wedding I had started to plan for our new Summer Menu that would feature Tapas, small dishes that could be ordered instead of a full blown (heavy) dinner. The menu is proving to be a success, we are serving between 130 to 180 Tapas every evening.
The menu changes every two or three days, depending on what is available at the markets. It also gives us the chance to serve some traditional dishes alongside our modern ones.
To Tapear (pronounced Tah-pé-ah) informally means in Spanish ” to have some tapas” and our menu is called Tapa-Ya (pronounced the same Tapear), which is my funny way of saying “lets have tapas, already”.
With so many changing dishes on the menu, the “mis en place” has changed dramatically. This is a good thing as it keeps all my cooks “on their toes” and frees us from the sometimes mundane preparations that are made daily for a regular “a la carte” menu.
A lot of the inspiration for our tapas comes from Spanish dishes that I see everyday, as well as the food that we prepare for ourselves at home.
“Albondigas” are Spanish for Meatballs. Our Albondigas are made from pork.
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The meatballs are shaped by pushing them up through the hands, which is quicker than rolling them.
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This is the traditional way that meatballs are shaped “back home”. Next time you have a bowl of Pho with meatballs in Vientiane, look for a place that has the irregular shaped ones, that proves they are “homemade” and taste so much better..
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These Albondigas will be served in a spicy curry sauce made with red spices.
“Gambas al Ajillo” is a typical Spanish dish of prawns cooked in olive oil with garlic and chilli. My version has the addition of ginger and spring onion as well as homemade roasted chilli oil. This makes the dish more spicy and aromatic.
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Spice up your life…why not?!
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Moving away from Spanish influenced dishes the next one is made from chicken.
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One night whilst having a stroll on the banks of the Mekong, I saw stalls selling BBQed Chicken Hearts, such a simple snack, grilled while you wait. The smell was wonderful, and the taste was equally so, especially with a jug of Beerlao at hand.
Back then I thought to myself that one day I could share this cheap luxury with others. I didnt know that a few years later I would be serving them in a 5 Star hotel…
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These chicken hearts are marinated along with the livers before being skewered then char-grilled. How wonderful simple things can be…
With some Japanese influence our next dish is Tataki.
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Briefly seared tuna is dressed with some very yummy Wasabi-Miso sauce.
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The Tataki is one of our best selling Tapas.
However, my favourite is the Lao Burger.
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I have been known to snack on 4 or 5 of these small burgers throughout the day! (one of the advantages of being the Chef, tasting for “quality control! 
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The Lao Burger is basically a Lao Sausage shaped in to a burger and served in a bun with Lao Tomato Chutney (Jéow Mhak Len).
This dish is fondly called a “McLao” in the kitchen………..
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