A Taste of London

So, it rains, rains and rains.  This weather reminds me of my recent trip to London, the land of trench coats and tea.  I had a few days there and was determined to get to know British food, even for a glimpse.

Morning was the essential English breakfast-banger, bacon, egg, beans and tomato. Hefty and hearty was how I felt, eating this meal.  

London Breakfast

I had my first dinner at a local gastro pub, Great Queen Street at Covent Garden.  A gastro pub is a British watering hole with awesome food, similar to a French bistro.  I did not find typical pub grub at this particular gastro pub, the food changes daily.  The special of the day was lamb of all parts, delicate sweet bread sauté with baby green, pate and rillette with fresh spicy radish and a Moroccan lamb shank stew.  The flavor is getting warmer and no fish and chip to be found.

 

Lamb Shank Stew

 Located across from the Spitalfield market, East London, St. John Bread and Wine was one of my best stops.  The fresh bread aroma will greet you as you enter this operation.  Cow heart with spicy dandelion greens and roast pigeon on a bed of pea puree were on the menu. The meat tasted tender and not gamey.  Another sweet bread dish appeared with barley and sweet onion.  This time it was cow sweet bread and had more depth than the lamp ones I had previously.  The dessert was pannacotta.  I had to wheel myself out of the restaurant.  This nose to tail dinning is filling me up.

Cow Sweetbread

Cow Heart

Roast Pigeon

 

Borough Street Market was my favorite.  To see and eat the local produce was a treat.  You can’t find food like this at home; fresh, unpasteurized cheese, cured blood sausage, etc.  You can get good fish and chips here, but I gravitated toward a sandwich at a joint called Roast.  The pork belly with crackling sandwich won me over for the day.  Crispy, salty, on a piece of bread and a glass of wine from a local shop, what could be simpler?

 

The roast pig sandwich

  

English tea was a must and a perfect relief from walking and eating.  Harrods was fancy and popular with the tourists.  A stroll away from the British Museum, I dropped into a bookstore, the tea there was just simply perfect there.  Harrods department store has one of the oldest Edwardian food halls.  Best to sit at the oyster bar and a glass of sparkling wine, but you will pay for it.

 

Harrods Edwardian Food Hall

Oyster and Sparkling at Harrods Food Hall

Harrods High Tea

Bookstore Tea time

 England colonized many countries in the world.  Many came to live in London and introduce a food scene beyond meat and cheese.  Visiting Chinatown and sampling the food there was so much fun.  Indian, Chinese, Malaysian were some of the food I had and it seems as authentic as one could ask for.  The best dish for me was the razor clam soup with mushroom at a Sichuan place.  The brought was sweet and the clam—made me want to curl up and hug myself.

Sichuan Razor Clam in London

 

Malaysian food in London Chinatown

The very last meal I had was the Sunday Roast.  Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding in Chelsea, a neighborhood where one could hear children play.  

English Sunday Roast

 

London was great.  The food was rich and comforting, much more than I bargained for.

Until the next rainy day, Cheers!

Teera

Pig Country, Not Yet Suckling

Neighborhood Suckling Pig-Pickin

North Carolina is pig country, but believe it or not it is hard to find suckling pig here. Local BBQ joints may have a whole pig, but I would bet that unless they are Asian, they would not have one. Suckling pigs are pigs that typically weigh less than 50 lbs and in between the age of 4 to 6 weeks. In Asia, they are cooked at around 10 to 15 lbs. My karma craving gave me unrest and after a long search, my determination paid off. I found Mae Farm, a small local pig farm in Louisburg, NC. They raise their free-range organic pigs from birth. They also work with NC land conservancy to preserve the natural heritage and environs as the pigs roam.

Many may disagree with serving the pig whole. In my household, serving it whole with the bones is a normal routine. Not only does the meat taste better but the process also brings awareness to what one eats. I often tell my children that the animals sacrifice their life to satisfy our hunger. We should always appreciate every single part of it.

35 lbs from Mae Farm

Cooked the Asian Way-Chinese Box

I ordered a 35 lbs butterflied pig and got myself a Chinese box. Marinate the cavity with Chinese five spices, brown sugar and fermented tofu, over night. The pigskin is brushed with a mixture of soy, molasses and vinegar. The roasting time takes about 4 hours. The pig is served on a bun with my version of spicy coleslaw and BBQ sauce.  The tanginess and the crunch of the coleslaw cut the richness of the pork.  The BBQ is sweet and smoky, pulling it all together with a glass of Gewurztraminer.

 

My Version of Suckling Pig Sandwich

With an Asian cleaver and a very large wood board, I practically fed the whole neighborhood with the pig. The kids enjoyed the crispy skin, the ears and it's tail. I am so glad they that I had the opportunity to show the kids how the meat is not just a piece of steak, chop, stick or even worse...a nugget.

The local free-range pig was tender and crisp...so glad I live here in North Cacalacky!

Cheers,
Teera

 

Summer Warmth

Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Warm ocean breeze, surf and sand, summer is finally here.  Close your eyes and let your mind wander to nothingness and flavors.  Thai food is always on my mind.  A beach trip would be incomplete without a family gathering and  great spicy seafood.  My family and I capture a part of our summer here on Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

Thai Curry Crab Stirfry

My favorite of all time and a must at the beach is Thai curry crab stirfry.  Using local North Carolina blue crab, curry powder, ginger, celery, scallion and eggs, all are combined in a quick stirfry.  The flavor of the crab emulsified with the rest of the ingredient salty, spicy, sweet, and rich.  With a bowl of steaming jasmine rice...I feel right at home.

Satau Shrimp

I stumbled upon a local shrimp market in Indian Beach called Norman's.  They have the best local shrimp on the island and catch shrimp from their own shrimp boat (which is rare these days).  The exact address I am not quite sure, but it is located next to Willis Seafood on Salter Path.  I would skip Willis and go straight to this place.  The product is 200% better in quality for 1/2 of the price.  The 1st time I had this dish was at Phungha province in southern Thailand.  The area is known for sea shrimp of all forms.  Shrimp paste, the essence of many Thai dishes, is well known in the area.  My uncle is great at making this dish with shrimp, Sator seeds, shrimp paste and other spicy herbs.  North Carolina shrimp is well known and perfect for this dish...with head on.

Blue Ocean Seafood, Morehead City, NC

Blue Ocean Seafood in Morehead City is another great local seafood market.  Best to get the fish here are flounder, bluefish, snapper, all local catch.

Pok Tag Soup

Pok tag, In Thai language it means " broken fish net".  On a rainy day at the beach, a pungent seafood lemongrass soup, sprinkled with holy basil, chili and lime seems most appropriate.  Thai's eat spicy soup in the mist of the hot, humid summer day to cool down.  For me I drink the broth under a breezy cool shade to feel whole again.

Cheers to Summer!
Teera

  

 

One Night in Raleigh

Oysters at 42 Street Bar

How does one spend a night in Raleigh? Restaurant hopping is a definite option. Where 2 railroads meet a power station, a block north of Hillsboro Street, there lays an intersection of restaurants, within a few steps from each other and you never have to leave this block.

First stop is 42nd Street Oyster Bar. Opened as a grocery store in 1931 and started to serve beer after prohibition was lifted in 1933. This place is packed with people and has long lines out the door on a Saturday evening. I suggest you go directly to the bar, have a dozen raw oysters, a North Carolina beer from among the many on tap and/or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and your night is off to a great beginning. The oysters on the menu come mainly from Virginia and Maryland. The Chesapeake is well known for muddy waters and its oysters. I was a bit apprehensive at first and was looking for a colder water oyster from the Pacific Northwest, but the Virginia oysters tasted clean, briny and sweet, perfect to start the night with. If you want to hang and have dinner here, there are plenty of seafood options to choose from. The incentive is to hear the live band that starts at 10pm....but I am moving on.

Dinner at Mantra

Second stop is Mantra Indian. Across from the Oyster bar, on West Street, is an awesome Indian place. The freshly fried, paper-thin crisp--Papad or Papadum were served with 3 types of sauce--mint chutney, raita and tamarind chutney. The chickpea, lentil and rice are a typical base for the Papad. I had goat curry, Channa Marsala, lamb vindaloo, basmati rice and plain Nan. I can taste the sweet spices in the goat curry such as graham Marsala--a mixture typically made with clove, cardamom and cinnamon. The meat was falling off the bones...so tasty. Lamb vindaloo kept my spicy craving at bay. The lamb was cooked in a vinegar base chili curry and potato. Chana Marsala is made with chickpea, curry powder and graham Marsala. My husband's all time favorite chickpea dish is the one at Ravi Kebab in the DC area. The one at Mantra, I think is better by far.

And the nightcap is over a beer. Across the street from the oyster bar, on Jones street, there lies an infamous taproom--Natty Greene's Brewery. Started by 2 UNC graduates in Greensboro in 2004, the Raleigh branch opened its doors in 2010. The old powerhouse, renovated and serves 12 beers on tap regularly. I had a light beer made in the Belgian style similar to my favorite Corsendonk, a perfect way to end the night indeed!

Cheers!

Teera