Thursday, August 25, 2011

Catering Our First Client Appreciation Party

Bill Brooks, a highly energetic and engaging real estate agent that I would recommend to anyone, hired us for his first ever client appreciation party.  It was an absolute blast!  Yoko taught them to make sushi and after they ate, I provided the entertainment.

This is what he had to say:

Hi Yoko and Jake;
The thanks are all mine. The two of you definitely over delivered. I’ve had calls from most of the people and they all raved about the event. Please use me as a reference any time you have any one considering having you cater their event. I have attached all of my photos. Please feel free to use any of them. They aren’t as good as yours but maybe you can dress them up.
Thanks again;
Bill


Cambodian Chicken Curry

 
 
I am surrounded by bad Thai restaurants.  That is a very sad thing, because I love Thai food.  For some reason, here in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC we have many Thai restaurants.  New York may have its pizzerias and Chinese food, Philly its cheesesteaks, other cities what they have, but we have Thai restaurants.  This is especially notable because we have no Thai neighborhoods and no Thai communities to speak of.  Even our Chinatown has largely disbanded.  But, we must love Thai food because they are ubiquitous. 
    
Three blocks from my apartment there is a Thai restaurant.  Not terrible, but not good.  It’s the kind of place you try and are disappointed, and six months later hoping it is better are disappointed again, and a year later having forgotten your prior disappointment are reminded again after another meal, disliking yourself as much as your meal because you allow your hope to be punished.  Eight blocks in the opposite direction there is another one.  It isn’t terrible either, but it’s not good and the menu is limited.  Six blocks further on the same street is another.  I ate there years ago and don’t remember it being bad, but have had no urge to return, which must mean that my body is telling me something.  Four blocks beyond that are two more Thai restaurants.  One is in a location that has changed cuisines frequently.  It is decorated in a modern way that would be wonderful if the food were good, which it isn’t.  One more block further is another.  Not good. It is a long trail of misery that like the street ends at the river, which I wish I could throw myself into, or at least all of these not so good restaurants.
    
Along this chain of pain is a pan-Asian restaurant that is wonderful.  It was my first introduction to southern Thai food, including Curry Laksa (if you consider this Singaporean dish related).  I love this yellow curry dish and I order it virtually every visit.  It comes with cellophane noodles, shrimp (it's not on the menu, but I order it this way and they make it for me), fried tofu, sprouts, cilantro, celery and little fried onions.  The curry is the kind of thing you want to slurp out what remains at the bottom of the bowl, and then spread it on your lips, behind your ears and on your cheeks, and then you wish you could take a bath in it.
    
But what really changed my culinary life was the Massaman curry.  Here was a curry without a color.  Not red, not yellow, not green.  It also had potatoes and peanuts.  It was different, like its origins (from the Muslim south).  It was so subtle, so interesting, so multilayered.  It taught me that curry could be so much more, in this case with the addition of Spice Island ingredients like cinnamon and nutmeg.  This was how exotic was exotic when it wanted to be.  This was beautiful. 
     
It also hasn’t been replicated at any of the other restaurants in my neighborhood.  So, since my favorite restaurant is a little too far to go to as frequently as I would like, I forced myself to learn how to cook Thai food.  They say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  I’m not saying that I am a proficient Thai cook, but I do make good Thai food, which is better than bad Thai food you had to pay for.  I have learned that cooking Thai food is not that hard.  It all seems to involve coconut milk, curry paste, and the addition of fish sauce and sugar.  I have taken extra steps including keeping on hand palm sugar, coconut oil, galangal, tamarind paste, ginger, and lemongrass, which along with a full complement of spices allows me to make just about any recipe.  Which still leaves me wondering, if someone like me can keep these ingredients and make at least a good curry, why are so many restaurants around me cooking not very good, clumsy, uninteresting, you are Thai aren’t you so why aren’t you making good, much less great, curry?
    
I don't know, but all of this is a long way of answering the question: what on earth possessed you to make Cambodian chicken curry?  The answer is, once you know how to do something, you want to try more of it, in different ways, opening new doors, exploring new ingredients, techniques and tastes.  So, as I was flipping through my recently purchased 500 Curries cookbook, wanting to fill a need to both explore and experience, I came across this recipe.  It is simple and different, in that it uses Indian curry or garam masala as the base.  According to this book, that is common in many Cambodian recipes.  I did not know that, not that I knew anything about Cambodian recipes, but it was something new and something I would try.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
2 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp galangal, chopped
1 lemon grass stock, chopped
1 tsp chili flakes
1 potato (sweet if desired), peeled and cubed
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup coconut milk
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small bunch basil, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
salt/pepper
   
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the garam masala and turmeric.  Use half the mixture to coat the chicken pieces.  Set both aside.  Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over high heat.  Add the shallots, garlic, galangal and lemon grass and cook a minute or two.  Stir in the rest of the spice mixture, chili flakes and then add the chicken. Stir to coat, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, 1/4 cup water, fish sauce, sugar and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.  Add the tomatoes and half the basil, stirring to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, adding a little more of either sugar or fish sauce to taste.  Serve with rice and garnish with remaining basil and cilantro.
     

Times Square kiosk awardees come forward


August 25

I just got off the phone with my friends at Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, who I think were bursting with desire to share the news that they’re one of four restaurants that have been granted the right to set up a kiosk in the unbelievably high-traffic area of Times Square. 

The other three are international empanada stand Nuchas; Snack Box, a creation of Jonathan Morr of Republic and Bond St., which will be serving espresso, milk shakes and gourmet hot dogs; and panini stand Salumè.

They told me Salumè would open this week, and the rest will open in the coming weeks. Rickshaw's targeted opening date is late September or early October.

All of the kiosks will be opening on Broadway Plaza, the pedestrian zone that Broadway has become.

A press release the Rickshaw folks forwarded to me from the Times Square Alliance said construction of the Salumè stand would start tomorrow, between 46th and 47th streets, and that it would open by mid-September. 

But of course a restaurant’s not open until it’s open.

And once these particular spots are open, I suspect they’ll be mobbed. 

So, congratulations all around.

Lamb Khoresht with Split Peas and Fried Potatoes

















Every time we ate this wonderful dish in Iran, I puzzled over the fried potatoes on top. Why would you add these when the dish was most often served with rice? I even considered making them “optional.” What I discovered when I made the dish for myself was how much the potatoes softened and rounded out the rather intense flavor of the dried limes, adding a nice mouth feel as well. Even with the hassle of frying them, they play a very important role in the dish and I would highly recommend including them.

½ cup yellow split peas, soaked in water for 30 minutes or overnight
1 medium onion, chopped
4 dried limes, washed, dried, and pierced with the fork
1 pound lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons powdered dried lemon or lime
Salt and pepper to taste
2½ cups boiling water or stock [I prefer chicken stock]
Note: I heated my stock in the microwave.
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice, optional
Note: It may not be needed if you use the dried lemon or lime powder.
2 tablespoon liquid saffron, see directions below

Garnish:
2 medium potatoes
vegetable oil
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro

1. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy sauté pan or a cast iron Dutch oven. Fry the onion until golden.
2. Add the lamb, turmeric, lime or lemon powder, whole dried limes, salt and pepper. Stir well and fry until the meat is golden brown all over.
3. Add the boiling water or stock and reduce the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on low heat until the meat is cooked. It should be tender enough to cut with a fork. [The recipe calls for 45 minutes to 1 hour but mine took a much shorter period of time—like 15-20 minutes. It all depends on the tenderness of your meat.]
4. Drain the split peas and add to the pan. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until the split peas are cooked. They should be soft while still retaining their shape. Add small amounts of boiling water or stock if the mixture looks too dry.
5. Add the tomato paste, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the liquid saffron. Cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat. You can make the khoresht ahead to this point and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it. Before serving, reheat gently and remove the inflated dried limes as best you can.

6. For the garnish: While the khoresht is heating, cut the potatoes into ½-inch x 2-inch pieces like small French fries. Place them in a bowl of cold water unless you plan to cook them right away.
7. Heat about ½-inch oil in a heavy cast iron frying pan until hot but not smoking. Drain and dry your potatoes. Slide them into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. If you need to keep them for a short period of time, remove from the paper towel, transfer to a plate and keep warm in a 250º F. oven.
8. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon liquid saffron to the toasted almonds and stir to combine.

9. Serve the khoresht in a shallow bowl or a bram. Garnish with the fried potatoes and the nuts. Sprinkle with the parsley or cilantro. Best served with rice to soak up the delicious sauce. Cucumbers with Yogurt and Mint is also very good with it.

To make liquid saffron: In a small cup, mix ¼ teaspoon ground saffron with 4 tablespoons boiling water. Stir, cover the cup, and let sit for 3-4 minutes. It is also possible to make half a recipe.

You can find both the dried limes and the lime/lemon powder at Middle Eastern or Persian food stores. Zand’s is located in Albany, CA on Solano Avenue, blocks from my house. I’m so lucky.

Serves 4
Adapted from Jila Dana-Haeri’s New Persian Cooking: A Fresh Approach to the Classic Cuisine of Iran

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