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

Finding Balance…Southeast Asian Way

Nasi Uduk (in the middle) and its accompaniments

When I feel off balance, I gravitate toward rice. Center, stable and truly grounded, rice is a neutral field. It can be infused by other flavors and textures stand on its own and act as an equilibrium agent.

Most Asian meals do not typically draw a clear separation of ingredients such as starch, meat and vegetable, like Western meals. There are no courses. The concept of layering flavors and textures in a balanced way is as old as its civilization, depending on what one can grow, harvest, raise and catch. "There is always an underlying order in the midst of chaos" is how one of my friends refers to Southeast Asia and its food. I agree.

One of the most comforting Southeast Asian rice dishes is "Nasi Uduk". Not only does it illustrate the Southeast Asian layering of taste and texture, it also gives you a hint of how the meal is served in an individual scale and speaks volumes of its culture. In Hinduism and Buddhism, Mount Meru is the center of the world, surrounded by ripples of water. According to the ancient legend, Java (one of the Indonesian islands) is the Mount Meru. Many temples throughout Southeast Asia were built to represent this belief. The cone shape of rice in the center with surrounding ripples of flavors reminds me of the legend. 

Ankor Wat

During my visit at Angkor Wat, a wall carving of Vishnu (Hindu god), standing on top of a turtle, churning the ocean (the milky way) and being pulled in the opposite directions of good (Devas) and evil (Asura), to find immortality, the balance way was engraved...and my underlying order was awakened.

The Left

The Center

The Right

"Nasi" means rice in the Indonesian language. "Nasi Uduk" is the coconut rice, typically served with fried shallots, fried peanut-anchovies, cooked vegetable salad with peanut sauce (Gado Gado), Sambal (chili paste), rice crackers, chicken satay (curried or fried). In Malaysia, this similar dish is called Nasi Lemak.

This dish gives me balance. The rice is the centerpiece of the plate. Surrounding the coconut rice is the rest of the components, in small portions. Each side has its unique flavor that contributes to the flavor balance of the dish. The coconut rice is mild, sweet and nutty with hints of lemongrass, cinnamon and nutmeg. The Gado Gado gives green beans and sprouts a cooked but bouncy texture, dressed with creamy peanut sauce. The sambal provides chili and tangy heat. Top the dish off with the crunchy crackers and the fried shallots. How could you not be balanced?

The etiquette in eating a Southeast Asian meal is understood here as well--no knife or chopsticks, just hands and in small bites. One can adjust the flavor to his or her liking by adjusting the amount of different food in a bite. (You are allowed to adjust flavor to your liking, unlike the scorn you get from the western chefs). There are no courses of food here, but all together at once. If you grow up eating meat, potatoes and Mac and cheese, take small bites. You will need time to build and train your palate to understand and enjoy the food. The point is to taste the complexity and how raw ingredients transform, not tasting the food in its original state. Take steak and sushi out of your mind for a moment.

I have searched for an Indonesian or Malaysian restaurant to try this dish in the Triangle area and I came up empty. In the DC metro area, I visit Satay Sarina in Alexandria, VA and Malaysian Kopotium (at M st and 19th in DC).

So here is how I cope with my craving:

Beginning of Nasi Uduk

Nasi Uduk:
2 1/2 cups of white Jasmine rice
4 cups of Coconut milk
1 cup of water
4 stalks of Lemongrass
2 of each cinnamon stick, whole nutmeg
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
Simmer all ingredients except rice, on the stove top for 5 min.
Add all ingredients to rice cooker and cook.

Simplified Gado Gado

Gado Gado:
Blanched green beans, sprouts
Fresh sliced cucumbers
Peanut sauce
Boiled eggs
 

Peanut sauce:
1/2 cop rough ground peanuts
1/2 cup Coconut milk
to taste-Tamarind, Palm sugar, fish sauce
2 tablespoon of roasted chili, garlic, onion paste
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste

Teri Kechan

Teri Kechan (Anchovies peanut)
Dried anchovies, fried
Peanut, fried
In a mortar and petal, grind:
1/2 teaspoon Shrimp paste
5 Thai Chili
3 garlic cloves
Sauté on low heat for 10 min. With 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Add:
3 tablespoon of Palm sugar
2 tablespoon Tamarind pulp
Simmer for another 10 min
Add anchovies and peanuts...done.

A Balanced Dinner

I serve Massaman curry with this dish since it was soo cold outside. Hope you feel balanced...I do.
Cheers!

Teera

My Chinese Cupboard

Bean Curd Skin and Dry Mushroom

I found myself craving for a bowl of Chinese Hot and Sour soup on a rainy day.  After emptying out my cupboard and freezer, I found left over roast duck (with bones), bean curd (tofu) skin and dried mushrooms.  Bean curd skin is a product of soy beans.  During the boiling process of making soy milk, a film of soy forms at the surface of the pot.  That skin is harvested and air dried and it is ready to use.  You will find this product at Asian markets in the freezer section.  The sheet can come as large as three feet in diameter and as thin as paper.  My grandmother uses the bean curd skin (the dried version) in the mung bean noodle and ground pork soup.  I find that it can handle a stronger flavor such as duck stock.  My uncle uses it to wrap fried crab and pork rolls.  Many Dim Sum places use the skin as a wrapper for steaming dishes.  The texture is a bit hardier than noodles after cooking and you forget that you are eating protein rather than starch. And when it is fried, it is so crispy delicious.

So, this is not a typical ingredient to use in the traditional Chinese hot and sour soup, but who needs tofu when you have bean curd skin.  How did I manage to cook it? 

1.  The broth:

Sauté duck bones with a couple tablespoons of canola oil. (If you don't want to go through with making the broth, get yourself some beef stock or vegetarian stock.)

Add 1 gallon of water, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of each--whole clove, schezuan pepper corn, star anise, 2 whole nutmeg, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of thick sweet soy sauce, 1/4 cup of regular soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar.

Bring the broth to boil and let it simmer until reduced by half.

2.  The substance:

Cut the bean curd skin into 1/2" wide stripe.  Soak the mushrooms and let them sit for at least 1 hour.

Strain the broth and bring it up to boil once more.  Add the bean curd skin, mushrooms, 1/2 cup of cornstarch liquid (2 tablespoon of corn starch and 1/2 cup of water).  Scramble 1 egg and drop it into the broth.  Keep stirring the pot in circular motion.  Boil for another 5 minutes and serve with duck meat, sprinkle of green onion, fresh coriander, white pepper and chili old.

My Hot and Sour Soup

The soup should have some tanginess to it.  Add white vinegar if the taste needs to be sharpened.
Enjoy...

Cheers!
Teera

Mexican Small Bite-AKA Taco

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Taco at Los Comales de Durham

Turkey came and went, leaving weeks full of turkey sandwich, turkey pot pie, turkey curry, and turkey noodles to name a few. Hanukkah, Christmas, kwanza and New Year holidays were filled with endless ways to gorge. My body feels tight and in search for a way to feel normal again. In addition to doing more exercise, the Thai in me lay out some food ground rules:
1. Keep the meal small. Too much of anything is never good for you.
2. Eat more often. Don't wait until the extreme hungriness blind you and instigates you to eat your whole house in the process.
3. Eat more garlic, ginger, crunchy green, chili, herbs and citrus to improve your metabolism and blood circulation. I feel rejuvenated after a few doses of the combination. (Next blog, I will tell you of how to eat these items raw and deliciously.)

The first type of food that fits these categories, I think, is Mexican food, or tacos to be exact. Corn tortilla, slow cooked or grilled meat, onion, cilantro, lime and a good salsa, the combination is comfortingly fresh in small bites.

According to the most recent census, North Carolina ranked #10 nationally in Hispanic population. Wake county (Mainly Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Knightdale and Garner) ranks second to Mecklenburg county (Charlotte) in the state, surprisingly. I would have thought that Durham county would be on top when it comes to Hispanic population with the number of taco joints and Hispanic markets popping up on every corner. 

Mexican Market with Fresh Made Tortilla

North Carolina may not be California, Texas or Mexico, but the taco joints in the Triangle area can easily compete with those of a larger metropolitan area. As far as fresh tortillas, a little Mexican grocery store on Durham Road has the DC area beaten by a whole lot.

Basic rules of thumb when it comes to eating tacos.
1. Corn tortilla filled with assorted meat of one choice, topped with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa.
2. The popular fillings come from different parts of a cow and pig. Several joints offer goat and lamb. Often times the meats are slowly simmered or pit roasted until tender, in addition to grilled. For those with adventurous craving, you will also find innards like tripe and stomach on the menu.

Cow Cheek, Head, Goat and Lamb Taco

Los Cameles de Durham. I can't stop thinking about going back to this place, especially on a cold rainy day. Most of the meats here are slow cooked until shred. They offer all sorts of cow parts here--cheek, tongue, head, brain, stomach, and tripe in addition to the usual al pastor or carne adsada. The specialty, I really enjoyed were the goat (Birria de Chivo) and the lamb (Baracoa Borrego). Both dishes were slow cooked, but drastically different in taste. The goat stew was cooked with a different type of chili, as indicated by the reddish color. The lamb, traditionally BBQ/steamed in a pit, was less zesty, but still very tender and tasty. 

Menudo and Beef Tongue Taco

Los Cuates, Old Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh. This place has all the typical taco joint offerings, but I think the best tasting dish is the Menudo-cow tripe and foot spicy soup. Though, ask for a small serving when you order. Made with different types of chili, garlic, onion, oregano, this soup is very rich. I topped the soup with lime, oregano and onion and it was tangy, spicy, warm...tripe delicious.

Fish Taco

Pork Pibil Taco

Gonzo Taco and Tequila in North Raleigh is a more upscale joint. Unlike most clients at the 2 previous restaurants who were mostly Hispanic, this place, you will find Hispanic being a minority in attendance. My favorite tacos here are pork Pibil and the beef tongue (mysterious challenge of the day, according to the menu). Pork Pibil is a Yucatan slow-cooked pork that was marinated with citrus and annatto seed (for reddish color). The beef tongue was slow-cooked as well. Typically, it is boiled with Bay leaves, onion, garlic and peppercorn until tender. After the outer skin layer of the tongue is removed, what's left is pot roast tender.

 

Chain restaurant such as Chubby Taco also has decent, typical selections of taco, but they are not for me.  If a restaurant is not your thing, drive to taco trucks. There are several of them along route 98, between Durham and Raleigh. Knowing how to speak Spanish helps, but you can always point. 

Be adventurous and try. Who says that eating less (and affordable) is not more?
Cheers,
Teera