Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. The weather is still great and the beaches are less busy. However, there are some draw backs. It´s the busiest time at the hotel! Therefore I only get to enjoy the beach for a few days at the beginning of September before the hotel gets fully booked, however I have my November holidays to look forward to. 
With all the restaurants at the resort fully booked for every lunch and dinner service, there is little time to take photos and research new recipes or improve old ones. However, with my trusty iPhone to hand I can still take the odd photo now and again then upload them to my Facebook page.
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Some photos from my iPhone Album include:
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Sweet n Spicy Almonds.
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Raw almonds are baked in the oven for a few minutes before being mixed with a blend of heated sugar, honey, spices and chili oil. The result is a sweet-spicy-nutty snack that makes it difficult to only eat one!
Another snack that is really difficult to leave alone is flavoured with curry and paprika powder.
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Curry Caramel Popcorn.
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Popped corn is flavoured with melted butter, golden syrup, brown sugar, curry and paprika powders. Once the popcorn is mixed it is placed in a low oven for 50 minutes then allowed to cool, allowing the caramel mixture to harden, then it is placed in the fridge. Serving it from the fridge gives the morsels a extra crunchiness.
Another snack that we have been offering is a little more elegant.
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Foie Gras Maki with Foie Gras Crumbs.
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Not so good for Weight Watchers, but sometimes we need to have fun! The richness of the duck liver is complimented with a thick syrupy reduction of soy sauce and sugar.
If you thought that dish was elegant, wait until you see the next one!
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Light Mushroom and Egg Flan with Caviar.
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Eggs are removed from their shell and used to make a light “Mushroom Chawanmushi“. This savoury egg custard is cooked in the egg shell before being topped with a generous amount of caviar. Yummy!
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The Spanish love their “Pulpo” or octopus. Found in nearly every tapas bar, boiled or grilled octopus is a wonderful tapas to have with a beer or a chilled glass of Manzanilla Sherry. Though said to be Galicia´s most famous dish, it is served all over Spain and in other Mediterranean counrties and islands. When served boiled it is sometimes accompanied with boiled sliced potatoes and garnished with paprika, oilve oil and sea salt. Throughout Spain this dish is referred to as “Pulpo a la Gallega” (Galician Style Octopus), whether or not partnered with potato rounds.
It seemed fitting to have some octopus served in the restaurant.
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Octopus Tempura.
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Boiled octopus tentacles are dipped in a tempura flour before being briefly deep fried and served on top of a thick Balsamic Sweet Chili Sauce.
Moving away from the iPhone photos, I did manage to snap a few photos with my trusted Canon 450D (Rebel XSi).
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Intern Sasi preparing (and tasting!) her Mise en Place.
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Sasi is in her last month of her three month internship. A Graduate with honours from the French Culinary Institute and hailing from NYC she contacted me in June and wanted to come to my kitchens in Spain for a few months before setting off on an extraordinary travel itinerary that will take her to London, Australia and Asia. Like all good cooks, she loves eating and learning.
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In my last update I showed you my smoked mackerel, this time I used the same technique and added a few more ingredients to smoke some duck breast.
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Unlike the mackerel, duck breast benefits from being soaked in a brine beforehand which will help tenderise the meat.
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The breasts are hot smoked at a high temperature for a only a few minutes, enough to give it a nice colour and not overcook it.
The result is a juicy and smokey breast that is served thinly sliced “as is” or used to build a layer in a terrine.
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For some groups in the hotel we have been preparing set menus.
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One dish that is requested in most menus is my “Goong Che Nam Pa” or Prawn Carpaccio.
For this certain meal the next course would be “Ping Gai“, obviously served with “Jeow Mhak Len“!
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Whilst the chicken (cooked sous vide) got its finishing touches we started to plate the garnishes. Inside the crispy potato thread rings are fried rice topped with the roasted tomato chutney and semi-dried cherry tomatoes and spinach.
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A few days ago I had to prepare a dish that would be featured in a Spanish TV programme about the hotel. Tired of preparing my Prawn Carpaccio (its been over publicised) I decided to create a “salad” version instead.
This version would use cooked (well, half cooked actually) king prawns instead of my favoured raw ones. The dressing remained the same, and I also added a few other ingredients.
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Prawn Salad.
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Sweet things over the past few weeks included our Mango Passion (Fruit) Crème Brûlée. (Don´t you just love those cute accents over the letters?!).
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We caramelize these twice. Adds to the crunchiness, and everyone loves crunchiness!
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For after dinner coffees I served up some biscuits.
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Green Tea Biscuits.
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I just love the delicate flavour of Matcha Green Tea. The real powder is quite expensive, thankfully its good to know that a little goes a long way!
I don’t know if the next thing qualifies as something sweet or if it falls in to the savoury section.
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Bacon Marshmallows.
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Yep. Bacon!
These were specially made for a special “Degustacion” menu to accompany my Terrine of Foie Gras that would be served in another restaurant at the resort. Of course the marshmallows were toasted before being served! Quite yummy in my opinion!
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Summer has officially ended and Autumn has arrived. And what a busy summer it was!!
The great news is that the charity event that I catered for in London in June managed to raise 5768GBP (that’s 6612Euro or 8880USD!!).
The sell out dinner saw my team and I cook for 100 guests at a riverside restaurant. Other activities that evening included a grand raffle, fashion show and crafts market.
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The starter is served! New Style Goong Che Nam Pa (Prawn Carpaccio).
Meanwhile, down in the basement kitchen…
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I explain to the volunteers how to plate the 63 degree cooked egg for the Lao Salad 2011.
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My brother King adds garnishes to the salad.
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There are plates everywhere!
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The pre-dessert by former Laocook Emile is served in tall shot glasses.
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Refreshing Asian Pears Poached in Syrup, Crushed Ice and Hibiscus Jelly acts as the palate cleanser before the dessert proper.
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Junior continues with Emilie´s Sankhaya Inspired Dessert which featured Pumpkin Cake, Coconut Panna Cotta and Dried fruits.
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After a short break we all got to go upstairs and meet the guests.
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Tennis player and former British Number 1, Anne Keothavong who was competing at The Wimbledon Tennis Championships was also in attendance.
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The team of kitchen volunteers and I share a beer after a long evening.
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Many thanks to everyone who helped and donated to this special event!!
More photos of the event can be seen at the School For Kids in Laos website.
The event was filmed in HD and the documentary is currently in post production.
King also arranged for the event to be filmed by “Press n Play Media”.
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Back in Spain the kitchens remain busy. Even though the restaurants were full every night, I managed to organise another in-house competition for the cooks.
This time the chosen ingredients were Tender Wheat (Trigo Tierno), Spinach and Ham.
It´s always great to watch the cooks prepare dishes for these competitions, to see how they integrate the flavours and textures of the ingredients, their presentation skills and organisation.
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This time I served as one of the lucky judges.
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The runner-up dish was a beautiful plate presented by Kit.
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Tender Wheat Cooked in Coconut Broth, Filled with Spanish Ham and Spinach Puree.
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However, it was Junior´s cold starter of Puree of Tender Wheat with Spanish Ham Crumbs and Souffle Spinach Tempura that won the judges over.
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That makes it TWO in a row for Junior! Well Done!!
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At the beginning of September I was joined in the kitchen by Chef Marta Ramírez from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Marta is the Chef Patron of the Captain Cook Restaurant which is situated in the Marina del Norte. She had contacted me a while ago to ask permission to use one of my recipes (Nhem), in her “Cena Degustación de Laos” (Lao Degustation Dinner).
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Marta gets to grips with our king prawns!
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Marta is a fan of Asiatic cooking and frequently offers her diners a chance to sample some exotic flavours as well as hosting special themed evenings.
It was quite a busy time when she arrived, however she assures me that she enjoyed her hectic two weeks!
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At least she got to see some Degustation Menus of my own as well as some new Amuse Bouche plates.
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Salmon Ceviche on pea Puree served on Toasts.
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Mini Lao Salad 2011 with Honey Roasted Nuts, Garlic Pork and 63 Degree Egg.
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Tapas of Foie Gras and Citrus Marinated Smoked Iberian Pork.
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We are currently midway through our High Season and have just finished catering for Audi´s launch of their new A5/S5 range. We fed more than 400 international journalists with such dishes as my “Goong Che Nam Pa” and “Scallops with Citrus Dressing” as well as a host of other dishes from the other restaurants within the resort.
There´s no time to be tired!
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Like a lot of my recipes, ideas come from things that “I miss”.
I remember (back in the old days) my mother warming up some steamed rice and placing a few pieces of smoked mackerel on top. The heat of the rice would warm the smoked fish through. That resulted in smokey and fatty tasting flakes of fish, best enjoyed with some “Jeow Bong”. A remedy for a quick fix when you were hungry, or in our case, living on a tight budget.
Mackerel is much underrated. In my opinion it should get more attention on restaurant menus. It is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which can reduce cholesterol levels, but above all, its tasty and cheap.
When we think of smoking (no, not cigarettes, pipes or weed!), there are two techniques. Hot and Cold. Not only is smoking a way of preserving foods, it also imparts a wonderful aroma and taste.
Cold smoking basically involves applying smoke to food without heat. Hot smoking, as the name suggests, involves applying smoke and heat, thereby cooking the food.
Many types of ingredients can be smoked, meats, fowl, vegetables, fish etc.. Mackerel is a great protagonist because of its oiliness.
Smoking foods at home is pretty easy, just make sure that you have enough ventilation to avoid setting off your smoke alarms!
I use rice and a few other ingredients to generate the smoke, but if you can get your hands on some wood chips, even better!.
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Get the mackerel cleaned and filleted, make sure you remove all the pin bones.
Salting the fish draws out moisture and allows the smoke to better penetrate the flesh.
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Spread some salt flakes and some sugar on a dish and place the fillets skin side down, then sprinkle some more salt flakes over the fish and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, get your smoker ready. In this case I use a large pan lined with tin foil, this not only saves on cleaning, it also helps save the pan!
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To produce the smoke I use some uncooked rice, coriander seeds, star anis, ginger and some broken up cinnamon sticks. You could use wood chips or even tea leaves.
The pan is placed on high heat whilst I wash and pat dry the fish fillets.
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Olive oil is sprinkled on a dish and the fillets placed skin side down. This ensures that the fish doesn´t stick to the wire racks, the fish is then seasoned with a little salt and freshly milled black pepper.
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By now the rice and other ingredients are starting to release smoke. Scrunched up balls of tin foil will help support my wire racks.
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Once a good smoke is achieved, its time to lower the heat.
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The fillets are placed on to wire racks and carefully placed in the pan on top of the balls of tin foil.
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The pan is then covered with a lid. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes of gentle smoking to achive a juicy succulent fillet, which can be eaten immediatley or stored in the fridge for a few days.
On this occassion I am smoking them for a little longer because I have other uses for the mackerel.
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These fillets have been smoked for 10 minutes, which gives them a stronger smokey taste.
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Whats left behind is nice and charred. Preparing the pan lined with foil makes cleaning so much easier, and is much kinder to your pan.
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The fillets are allowed to cool then flaked.
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I wanted to make some “Rillettes”, so some finely chopped shallots and garlic are sweated in a pan with some butter. Once translucant, the mackerel flakes are added.
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After a minute or so of stirring, I added some (well, quite a bit) of butter. Once the butter had melted, I added a few spoonfuls of stock, made from the mackerel bones and some chopped fresh coriander.
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Everything is gently stirred until well combined, then removed from the pan and allowed to cool before being chilled.
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Later it is served up with some Cashew, Hibiscus and Nori Cheese with some toasts as a small starter.
It tasted so good (though I would say that!), I even caught the Service staff sneaking a few pieces…..
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I am watching you!
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From Honeybees to Pepperwood, Creative Lao Cooking with Friends is the cookbook from Makphet Restaurant in Vientiane, Laos.
I have mentioned the restaurant in a few of my previous posts because I think that it is an important place. It´s not only a place that serves good clean food, it´s also a training restaurant.
The restaurant is part of the Friends-International Peuan Mit (meaning “friends” in Lao) Project. As well as the restaurant they also have the Peuan Mit Garage. Free training is provided for young people in both these outlets and graduates are supported to find employment once they have completed their training.
The organisation also runs a mobile school which provides classes in Vientiane and its suburbs. There is also a Centre (provided by the Lao Government) which provides remedial classes, hygiene facilities, recreational workshops (art, dance, drama, sport) emergency shelter, life-skills education and counselling sessions to children and youth.
You can tell from the front cover that the contents inside will be colourful. Indeed the pages are adorned with colourful paintings and photographs.
The recipes are not just a collection of dishes from the restaurant, in fact the team led by Gustav Auer (himself also a chef, so you definitely know there’s a “labour of love” involved), travelled across Laos, from the northern tip to the southern boarders, visiting various regions and provinces to capture and record food from diverse ethnic groups.
Apart from the photographs of the dishes, there is also an array of photos from their travels through Laos depicting glorious shots of the countryside, markets and people, especially smiling happy children.
The recipes are divided in to 6 sections. there is also a short illustrated guide to herbs and spices.
The first section is about Dips, also known as “Jeow” in Lao.
No Lao meal would be complete without one form of Jeow. They must have encountered 100´s of different Jeow´s along their travels! You would have to dedicate an entire book on Laotian Dips if you wanted to present them all! (Maybe that’s not such a bad idea!).
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A recipe for one of my favourites, Jeow Bong is also included.
There is nothing better than some sticky rice and a spicy/sweet Jeow Bong. Yum!
The recipes are easy to follow and are also translated in to Lao.
Some other Jeows included in this chapter, to name a few include:
- Grilled Tomato, Garlic and Shallot Dip (Jeow Maklen)
- Grilled Eggplant Dip (Jeow Mak Keua)
- Hmong Style Wild Mushroom and Chili Dip (Jeow Hed Hmong)
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The next chapter is dedicated to Salads and Laap.
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Everyone enjoys a good Laap dish, whether its main ingredient is beef, chicken, pork or seafood. These dishes are light, healthy and best of all, spicy and herby…
Some notable recipes included in this chapter include:
- Banana Flower Tofu and Mushroom Laap with Soy and Lime Dressing (Laap Taohou)
- Lao Famous Spicy Green Papaya Salad (Tum Mak Hoong)
- Spicy Crispy Rice Dumplings and Pork Sausage Salad with coconut (Naem Khao)
- Mekong River Fish and Banana Flower Laap with Young Galangal (Goi Pa).
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The recipe for the Tum Mak Hoong started off a very long conversation between myself and the rest of the team. It seems that “everyone´s mother” makes the “best” Papaya Salad!!!
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The next chapter looks at Soups and Curries.
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Soups remind me of the Noodles Stalls selling steaming bowls of soup, available to “eat in” or “take away” in plastic bags!
Curries remind me of good homely cooking. Slow cooking.
Some notable dishes included in this chapter are:
- Curried Fish and Coconut Soup with Rice Noodles (Mee Gah Thi)
- Luang Prabang Style Rice Noodle Soup with pork and Tomatoes (Khao Soi Luang Prabang)
- Savannakhet Style Fish Dumpling and Rice Noodle Soup (Khao Peak Pa)
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The next section gives you a 3 in 1.
Grill, Steam, Fry.
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Grilling, Steaming and Frying are the most common forms of cooking in Laos.
Grilling over an open fire fuelled by wood or charcoal releases wonderful aromas. Steaming offers a healthy variety of possibilities, especially fish and vegetables. Frying, either by Wok or Deep Frying offers a quick way to prepare ingredients.
Some wonderful dishes in this section include:
- Spiced Lao Pork Sausages (Sai Oua)
- Steamed Green Vegetables, Herb and Mushroom Salad with Padek and Sesame Dressing (Soup Phak)
- (the fantastically named and looking) Amok with Young Honeybee Larvae and Quail Eggs (Mok Taw On)
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Thereafter we move on to Sweets.
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Each province in Laos offers her own tempting selections.
There is a reason why this section is not entitled “Desserts”.
Sweets are enjoyed in Laos as a snack throughout the day. Lao meals are typically finished with some fresh fruit rather than a sweet dish.
Some tempting dishes in this chapter include:
- Pandan Scented Sago with Mango and Sweet Coconut Milk (Sakoo Baitoey)
- Steamed Sticky Rice Cakes with Bananas and Coconut (Khao Tom)
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The final section looks at Chilled Temptations that include some cooled drinks and cocktails that are on offer in the restaurant.
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I was going to count the number of photographs that appear in the cookbook but gave up after the Dip Section (more than 100 so far!).
The photos posted above are not so clear, the reason is my scanner is old and very slow, but believe me, the book is very vibrant!
It looks like the results of the restaurant team´s travels and hard work have paid off and the resulting book is worthy of being on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Laos, her cuisine and her people.
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Well done to Gustav and the team at Makphet Restaurant!!
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Needless to say, all proceeds from the sale of the book go back to the Friends-International Projects that help children.
Further interesting reading at Making Friends (cookbook) in Laos blog, and much better quality photos from the book at Friends Lao Cookbook Flickr Photostream.
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