laocook

I cannot believe that we have almost reached the end of May! Wow, how time flies! Almost half the year gone already!

During the spring, the team and I have been busy in the kitchen preparing food for gala dinners, weddings and other big events. There is never a dull moment!

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Many diners got the chance to sample my Nhem as an amuse bouche, I even added slices of Som Moo, just like “at home”.

Another traditional classic, Larb Gai has also been served up, this time I added quinoa to the recipe. The texture is almost rice-like and it absorbs and compliments the flavour of the chicken salad. It looks like I´ll be serving more of this pretty soon.

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Our chicken supplier had thrown in a few boxes of chicken livers and hearts for free (how nice of him!). The latter was served up for the staff (yum yum) and the livers went in to a terrine.

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I also added some quail eggs and for a decadent touch some chunks of foie gras were also included. I like to use Pho stock to set my terrines as I think it lends another dimension to the dish.

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Another thing that had kept me busy was giving culinary classes. For the first time the swinging doors that separate the kitchen from the dining room were open to our hotel guests.

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Giving classes is not an easy thing, I take off my hat and salute all teachers around the world!

Great fun was had by all and I hope that the participants left the two day course with some knowledge and above all, a good experience.

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I also arranged an Introduction to Wine Tasting as well as Dining Etiquette. So much to teach within a short weekend! I´ll definitely organise another one of these events later in the year.

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One dish that I showed the class was my new Lao Salad 2011.

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This dish consists of all the ingredients found in a typical Laotian salad. The egg has been cooked at 62.5 degrees for 45 minutes and sits on top of sauteed ground pork that has been mixed with homemade Honey Coated Peanuts which adds a wonderful sweet crunchy texture. Herbs and salad leaves are dressed with an egg yolk based vinaigrette.

What excites me about this dish is that it will feature on my menu for an upcoming Charity Dinner Event that will be held in London.

Organised through the Young Lao Society based in London, the dinner is to help raise funds for SKL (School for Kids in Laos), a registered charity that aims to do what it is named after, build schools for children in my homeland.

The dinner will take place on June 26th in a riverside restaurant in London. Another dish that I will be preparing is:

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A Study of Goong Che Nam Pa in Textures. This is a reworking of one of our favourite dishes that has been featured on the menu since 2005 under various names such as Laotian Carpaccio of Prawns or its Spanish name “Láminas de Gambas Blancas”.

This version features raw and cooked marinated prawns as well as the “Crystal Shallots” and Nam Pa dressing and new additions like Solid Prawn Oil, Clear Tomato Noodles and Black Olive Powder.

These two dishes form a part of a special 5 course meal that will be served that evening.

The event will also feature a fashion show and live music as well as a Lao Night Market which will be selling handicrafts and textiles from Laos. There are also great raffle prizes to be won such as a 2 night stay at the hotel resort in Spain, Wimbledon tickets, private tennis lesson with British Lao tennis ace Anne Keothavong and other great prizes.

Limited tickets are available for the event for only 55GBP and all proceeds from the event will go to the charity. More information can be found by clicking the logo below.

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Please come to support us and have a drink with me after the meal!

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Happy New Year to all the Lao people around the globe, may you be blessed with happiness and health!

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In the kitchen this week I have been continuing my experiments with nut cheese, Cashew Nut Cheese to be precise.

Earlier in the week a small packet arrived and in this package was some Probiotics that I purchased online. Probiotics are basically friendly bacteria found in the body. I am not taking these supplements for any health reasons, I bought them to ferment my cashew cheese.

Though my previous and basic recipes for this cheese tasted good, adding the probiotics took it to another level. Its hard to describe the improvement, its like playing for years on a Playstation 2 then discovering the Playstation 3!

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It does take longer to make, but the results are well worth the wait.

I still soak my raw cashews overnight, then I blitz them with a small amount of water that has had two probiotic capsules emptied and dissolved in to it, then I let it ferment in a warm place overnight, in my case I just leave it in the pastry kitchen, which is always nice and warm.

Next day the paste is mixed with a little salt, onion powder and nutritional yeast flakes. Thereafter it is rolled in chopped almonds, chopped tarragon and dried hibiscus leaves, the latter giving the cheese a tangy sharp bite.

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It is then left to rest in the fridge for a few hours to firm up, which makes it easier to cut. It seems like a lot of work for a simple nut cheese, but like most good things in life, its worth waiting for.

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This week also saw me playing around with my Dtom Khem Ravioli. Having taken the elements of the original dish (Pork, Soy, Ginger, Sugar etc…) I had never found a way to incorporate the egg, which is normally hard boiled and stewed together with the rest of the ingredients. The long cooking time obviously makes the egg overcooked and rubbery. Well, I set myself a challenge to rectify that.

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A quail egg is cooked in a water bath for 22 minutes at 62ºC. It is then cracked out of its shell and placed on to a warm plate. The reason I choose a quail egg is because this dish is served as a starter, in small portions. If I was making a bigger plate, then I would definitely use a normal sized egg.

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The egg is hidden by three ravioli, browned butter and Dtom Khem Jus.

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Cutting in to the ravioli not only releases its sauce, it also breaks the quail egg. I´ll need to test this on a few more customers to get their opinions before I decide to fully incorporate the updated version on my menu.

Its not only me who has been experimenting this week. Reka and Leon worked on some Coconut Chocolate Sushi Rice.

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White, Milk and Dark Chocolate Sushi Rice.

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Sushi rice is cooked with sweetened coconut milk then dipped in melted chocolate and allowed to cool. The first idea was to serve it with freshly cut fruits “a la nigiri“, however, it tasted just great on its own.

It´s not all work and no play at the restaurant, to celebrate the New Year we had an informal lunch with some good old fashioned home cooking.

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True to the phrase that nothing should go to waste, off cuts of pork are marinated then deep fried and served as a snack.

These were followed by one of my favourite pieces of beef, the tongue.

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A simple marinade of soy sauce, garlic and black pepper followed by a searing in a hot pan results in a mouth watering dish.

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Overcooking the tongue is a crime. Juicy and soft is what it should be. Hmmm. Lovely.

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This plastic container contains Padek, this homemade fermented fish and liquid has travelled to Spain all the way from Vientiane!.

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Pungent, aromatic or just plain smelly?. You choose!

No Lao celebratory meal would be complete without a Papaya Salad!.

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Spicy!

After the meal there was music and singing, courtesy of Leon.

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Leon not only plays well, he also writes his own songs!

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Fun is had by everyone. Unfortunately there was no Beerlao to toast this event, however everyone enjoyed the local brew…

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Sokdee Pi Mai or Souk Dee Bee Mai or Chokdee Pee Mai. You choose, but you know what I mean….

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A white foam box arrives with holes punctured through the lid.

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The box is heavy, and I can feel movement inside… that signifies…. freshness… Hmmm…

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Live eels. Nice.

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I´ve always enjoyed eels, they have a firm and tasty flesh. Pots of Jellied Eels are always enjoyed for lunch when I visit my family in the UK. Buying them cooked or smoked is easy, the challenge is to prepare them fresh, and I do enjoy a challenge!

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No photos of the filleting process as it took three of us to do it! One to hold down the head, another to hold the tail and me in the middle passing a short blade through its back from its head to its tail, without cutting through the stomach.

Videos are abound on the web showing deft Japanese cooks doing what took three of us to achieve, and finishing their job within a matter of seconds!

You see, the eels don’t know when to die . Well, that’s not correctly true, they are dead but their bodies keep on moving, or in my case, thrashing around, curling around my arm and generally being a nuisance. That’s why it took three of us! Job done anyway.

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The heads and bones are used for a stock, the innards are used for staff dinner! The Lao never waste food, especially if it tastes this nice!

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Cooked eel, fatty, salty and sweet.

Eel and Foie Gras have a culinary partnership. Spanish chef Martin Berasategui can be credited with one of the most copied dishes involving this unlikely pairing. His original  “Milhoja de Foie, Anguila Ahumada y Manzana Verde Caramelizada” goes by many names and variations. Essentially its a “mille-feuille” of layered foie gras, smoked eel, more foie gras and green apple slices, caramelized by adding some sugar and a few seconds under a blow torch. I have eaten it at more than four different restaurants, some cooks add thin pineapple slices between the foie gras and eel, some substitute the eel for smoked mackerel, some add mango and one cook added goats cheese, the latter tasting very good indeed, a great combination.

Now its my turn.

Staying away from the “Milhojas” presentation, mine is rolled up in sushi rice with a slice of cucumber to give it a slight crunch.

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An army of Foie Gras & Eel Makis are prepared for the Amuse Bouche.

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A dab of sweet sauce made from mirin, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and the eel stock is added at the final moment to give the rolls a sweet kick. Its the same sauce that the eels are brushed with whilst being cooked. Its also served with nuggets of goats cheese because I like the contrast in flavours having tried it before.

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The cook responsible for rolling the makis is Leon.

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Laotian born Leon is here from across the Atlantic as an intern. As a sushi cook from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Leon has been in contact with me for a few years and was interested in an internship since 2009. Now he is here, he has quickly made friends and (hopefully) enjoying his time in the kitchens.

Leon is not the only new face in my team.

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Former intern Reka is from Hungary. Last year she completed an internship through her college and fell in love with the kitchen. She impressed us all and was offered a full time job after she completed her studies.

It wasnt only live eels that arrived last week. One of my favourite ingredients of all time landed on my stainless steel table.

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Two tins of 650g Caviar. Hmmm.

Ecologic Spanish Caviar from Granada.

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Before any dish is prepared using the caviar, it has to go through a taste test (wink, wink).

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It took a few “tests” to convince me (wink, wink, wink)!!

The two tins of caviar where ordered for a special tasting menu featuring various dishes from my kitchen and from my sous chefs kitchen. An expensive meal, but well worth it.

Dishes served included:

• “Royal Oyster”, sour cream and shallots served under a semi-jellied oyster, topped with caviar.
• “Pomme Moscovite“, originally a Russian dish made from pototes and caviar.
• “Regal egg”, creamy sous vide scrambled egg topped with caviar served in the egg shell.
• “Smoked Sturgeon”, smoked fillet of sturgeon with lime dressing and caviar.
• “Sturgeon Confit”, slow cooked sturgeon in olive oil with caviar and herb vinaigrette.

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Though I enjoyed making and tasting these sublime dishes, my favourite is Caviar served as is.

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I´d think you´d agree.

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Three Cheeses walked in to a crowded bar. The bar went silent.

“Why has everyone gone quiet?”, asked the new barman.

The manager called him over and whispered in his ear, “Everyone knows the Cheeses, don’t mess with them, they´re NUTS!“….

Okay, okay, its a bad joke, but I couldn’t think of another way to start this post, and when I came up with the punchline, I had a few laughs myself…

Cheese. Made from nuts. Nut Cheese. They´re NUTS! (lol again).

Ok, seriously though, they are made from Cashew Nuts.

On a recent trip to London I was introduced to a vegan restaurant by my brother. I was pessimistic at first as I am known for my love of big juicy bloody stakes as well as my unsavoury comments to my waiting staff when asked to cook something vegetarian out of the blue.

Ignorantly I had always thought that vegetarian restaurants only served salads, pastas and grilled vegetables. Even more ignorantly I thought that a vegan restaurant would only serve chickpeas and spinach.

I was so, so wrong. Not only was I pleasantly surprised and pleased with the gourmet meal, it was a real culinary eye opener. I have no intention about becoming a vegetarian or vegan, but good food should be shared.

Of the many starting dishes on offer was the Cheese Tasting Plate.

“Nothing vegan about this dish”, I started to think to myself, a bit confused. It was only when I was told that the selection of cheeses were in fact Cashew Cheeses, made from cashew nuts. (Cashew Nuts, no longer to be only used in Chicken Stir Fries or as salted bar snacks).

They looked like regular cheeses, had the same texture and same tangy creamy taste of cheese made from dairy products. They were so good that I knew that I would be making something similar on my return to Spain. “Good food should be shared”.

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Cashew Truffle Cheese.

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The basic recipe for these types of cheeses involves soaking raw cashew nuts in water overnight before straining them and blitzing them with lemon or lime juice and whatever other ingredients you wish to add. Once well binded they can be shaped in cling film and left to firm up in the fridge for a day or two. The taste gets better the longer you leave it, but they can also be eaten straight away.

My first batch was very basic and I only added salt and truffle oil. If I had some real truffles, I would have added them too, plus a few shavings on top.

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Cashew, Coriander and Tahini Cheese.

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This one tasted more “herby”. Loads of coriander, garlic and a blob of tahini gave this cheese more body. So good in fact that the testing dish was finished by the tasting staff (without knowing that it was made from cashew nuts!).

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Cashew Parsley Cheese.

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In order to get a more creamy texture I added more water to my blender, and also left it running a little longer than the other cheeses. This resulted in a very spreadable creamy cheese, great on toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and crushed nuts.

All in all I am happy about the results and will definitely be making more versions.

I also plan on rolling the cheeses in chopped herbs, adding liquid smoke and drying them out. Should be interesting!

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Basic Cashew Nut Cheese Recipe.

• 300g Raw Cashew Nuts, soaked in water overnight
• 1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 50ml Water (you may need less or more depending one how creamy you want it)
• 50/60ml Fresh Lemon or Lime Juice (you may need more or less depending on how tangy you want it)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• Pinch of White pepper
• Other ingredients or herbs of your own choice (fresh herbs such as mint, coriander, dill etc.. should be added towards the end of the recipe , powdered spices can be added at the beginning)
• MSG (only joking, we don’t use added MSG in our kitchens)

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Method.

1. Drain cashew nuts and rinse.
2. Place in to a good blender with the garlic and blitz until crumbly.
3. Add lemon or lime juice, continue to blitz, stopping the machine now and again to scrape down the sides.
4. Whilst the machine is running add water to reach your desired consistency, a drier cheese will be easier to roll and will set firmer.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add other ingredients that you have chosen and continue to blitz.
7. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remember that the flavours will develop and merge whilst being stored.
8. For creamy cheese, store in an airtight container, if rolling the cheese, place the mixture on to a damp cheesecloth and hang in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to help firming. Once firm enough to handle place the mixture on to some cling film and roll in to a sausage shape then tie both ends together. Return to the fridge.
9. Eat. Drink. Savour.

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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

We must be NUTS!

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