Beautiful Colors of Laos @ Kong View Restaurant

It’s time to break the hiatus(…again)

 

I’m now a short-timer here in Laos and as such, I am frantically eating and photogging as much as I can before my time is up.

 

I was working for a while and that had been my excuse not to blog anything. That excuse went along with the job... Then it was a lost recipe that was holding back another post.

 

Realizing my short-timer status (and my newly-mandated free-time) I’ve decided to just do it. Why not? I love eating and taking pictures and writing about it. It’s like something you really enjoy doing when you sit down to do it, but you never actually sit down to do it. This is a BAAAD funk to get into. Break it! Break it down!!!

Now begins the actual blog content…

 

I’ve been to Kong View many times and have heard the food’s rave reviews. Unfortunately all of my previous experiences with KV have been at night or sans camera. Thankfully my camera was attached to my wrist today! I think I really lucked out with the view we got with the Mekong and the fisherman speeding past. A quick hand to my camera didn’t hurt matters either.. The colors out on the river are just so ALIVE! The water levels seem to be “up” so close-up opportunities are abound.

On to the food.

Ever since I discovered Tom Yum Minced Pork ramen noodles from WaiWai I’ve had this ungodly craving for the stuff. Trust me, the ramen is so good I am bringing home CASES of the stuff! Tom Yum is a soup (if you couldn’t tell from the photo). It’s bit sour, salty, tangy, yummmm. This Tom Yum is Tom Yum Gai (chicken) and i my experience, Tom Yum of any variety should be spicy. Even though I spoke Lao to the waitress she still saw Falang and as a result, there weren’t any chilis in my Tom Yum :( This is quickly remedied, “Pusao, a nee baw phet. Khaw Makphet, baw?” (Miss, this is not spicy. Could I have some chilis?) Soon after this request, a bowl of freshly sliced chilis are brought to my plate and are ceremoniously (yes, ceremoniously) dumped into my Tom Yum. The chili adding was done after the photos were taken so you can’t really get the full effect.

Of course, no blog post of mine would be complete without the obligatory  extreme close-up food porn. I will say that the chicken used in my Tom Yum was very…”country. By that I mean made with the less desirable parts of the chicken or parts that contained a lot of bone or connective tissue. Baw pen yang, I can eat around it :)

Another dish of the day was the surprisingly delectable Cashew Chicken. As its name implies, Cashew Chicken has cashews and chicken. What its name doesn’t imply is that it is also chock full of awesomeness. Awesomeness and Yum! This dish tastes as if it was prepared in a similar manner to American-Chinese food. Very delicious and full of umami so often found in wok-cooked foods. We had so much food that I got this packed up to go, but ate it soon after getting home. It was that good!

As is tradition, (and tasty) some sticky rice was ordered. Culturally, it is used a healthy meal filler. It’s also less expensive than processed carbs (Breads, flours, etc.) and proteins. In my opinion, sticky rice is most useful as the vehicle for your journey into the flavors of Lao food (Yeah, I know it went over the top..). Just pull off a small handful and smush it together. From here you can dip your sticky rice mound into all sorts of sauces and dishes. I’ll sometimes end up doing this and finish the sticky rice before I get to the other foods..

Thanks and enjoy!

Tuong Ot Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Sauce)

Ok. Long hiatus, I know, but I am back. Easing back into things, I made a DELICIOUS chili sauce from Wandering Chopsticks. Ever since I had my first bowl of Phở I have been mesmerized by Vietnamese food. It is just so completely different from the cuisine of the rest of SE Asia. It’s kind of hard to describe, but the flavors are so yummy and mesh so well, like nothing else. I hope to cook more Vietnamese food, and a sauce is a nice, simple way to introduce yourself to a cuisine. This sauce is exceptionally simple. It’s so delicious that I will definitely make it again, yet with an uncomplicated ingredient list I will always have in my pantry.

 

 

 

 

To the surprise of most Lao people, I LOVE chilis and always ask for my food, “Phet Phet” (~ Hot Hot).  Even I was surprised by how many chilis went into this sauce (100) but that number will fluctuate each time it gets made because, obviously, the chilis will vary in size. A note of caution on the chilis: when opening the lid of the food processor, don’t have any noses or eyes (or other sensitive parts, do I really have to tell you?) too close. Those fumes will melt off some layer you didn’t even realize you had. My finger actually burned for a while after I fished out the last bit from the FP into the wok. I think the spot was already sensitive due to a slight injury received during a chopsticks bout…

The lemongrass takes the longest of the ingredients to cook, so it gets added first. If you don’t pay attention to it the lemongrass can burn. (More notes in my adaptation of the recipe)

As soon as you have the next ingredients prepped, add them to the wok. There’s no timing involved here yet, so take as much time as you wish. The lemongrass can always benefit from more time..

In the end, this is what my sauce ended up looking like. If you use the proper amount of 0il in the beginning then it *may* be a brighter color. It’s been about two days since I made this sauce and my house (not just my kitchen) still smells of this stuff. Great because it’s yummy!!

Now for the recipe: Tuong Ot Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Sauce) Adapted from Wandering Chopsticks recipe

Makes 2-4 Cups

1 1/2 cups fresh chili peppers of your choice (Remove the stems, if they are larger than ~2in. halve them)
For color, 1/2 cup of dried chili pods or 1/4 cup Sriracha chili hot sauce (I lucked out and found smoked chili powder accidentally. Delicious mistake!)
1-1.5 lemongrass stalks, finely minced (The lemongrass here is about 14 inches long and nearly 3/4 in. wide at its base. If yours is smaller, use 2)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (Get ‘em as big and fat as you can. You can add more if you want for more dragon breath)
4 shallots, or 1 small onion, minced
Salt to taste
1-2 tblsp sugar
1-2 tblsp white vinegar
2 to 4 tblsp fish sauce
~ 1 cup, or more vegetable oil, or a neutral-tasting oil. Olive and sesame oils would be too overpowering.

Note: This can be done with everything  prepared in advance and just thrown in, but you’ll have to add in time for things to cook. The way detailed here is simpler.

1.  Heat wok and 1/2 c oil on low

2.  Cut the lemongrass into 1-2 in. chunks and add to food processor. Get as fine as you can then add to the oil. This is intended to be a long slow cooking. You want it high enough to make noises when you put the lemongrass in, but low enough so you can focus on preparing your other ingredients.

3. Put the chilis into the FP next. Same as before, get it as fine as you can. My FP is older than I am and small, so my sauce is pretty chunky still. Don't smell too strongly or put your eyes near it. Best way to scoop the last bits stuck to the side is NOT your finger! Use anything else you can. This much capsaicin can even burn your skin..

4. FP the Garlic and Shallots/onion. Make a little space in the middle to ensure they get some wok contact. Add some oil if needed. Just to make sure they don’t stick to bad. Once those look like they’ve been cooked down a bit, it’s time to add our liquids.

5. Stir everything in your wok together well. In a small bowl mix the vinegar, fish sauce and sugar. Stir this into the wok and then add the chili powder/ground dry chilis and mix. Add the rest of the oil. Throughout the recipe, make sure to keep the sauce “moist” with oil. At no time should anything seem dry.

6. Bring the heat up a bit to let this simmer for AT LEAST 10 minutes. I let mine simmer for a bit longer because my lemongrass was still pretty rough and I didn’t add enough oil until right at the end.

 

There you have it! A great, easy chili sauce that people will LOVE. I’ve been putting it on everything when I cook as a base sauce, a dipping sauce, whatever you want it for. This stuff is powerful. I even needed water when I was testing the flavor!

Copypasta: Steamy Kitchen’s Steak Salting Experiment

Here’s a tip: thaw some meat in the fridge. Even if you don’t have any idea what to do with it. It forces you to figure out how to cook  it.

I mean look at this meat. Would you throw that away?

I know it’s nothing compared to what’s in the states, but this is the good stuff.

Tasty New Zealand beef. It’s what’s for dinner… Tonight anyways.

By the time it had thawed, I STILL hadn’t figured anything out.

Quickly thinking about anything I had been reading about steaks, I remembered an article from Steamy Kitchen’s Blog.

Knowing I was starting out with a less than “Gucci” steak this post really caught my attention.






So reading through the article, the miracle promised, is to come from salt. You liberally salt the meat. I agree with the use of Kosher/Seas salt instead of table salt. I disagree that I read “liberally” before I saw the chart with amount of  salt for your size of meat…

This is my take on a liberal salting. After I had this thing salted and resting, I saw the chart towards the bottom of the post that says to use only 1/2 tsp per side if it is less than 1” thick.. Oh Shi- I think the little pile of salt on the bottom left of the meat is 1/2 tsp.. Ok, you should not use this much salt. My bad. I will totally read through the post next time. Also, nowhere in the post does it say to rub the salt in…OOPS! Maybe in addition to reading the article on something I have NO experience in, I should follow the instructions properly…

The pictures in the post were very helpful to me. I too understand the difficulties of drawing with a touchpad.. but I could understand it and make it through with out scratching my head, so job well done I say!

Basically, salt makes meat soft. Read the post if you want more detail.

After it has finished resting wash it off very well and dry it even better. Very DRY!! Otherwise you would be steaming the meat. Besides making your meat soft, salt pulls water out of meat, so when you rinse it you pull water back into it (more or less). If you don’t dry it thoroughly, you will end up steaming your now soggy shi**y piece of meat.

Another tip. Don’t mistake salted butter for unsalted butter. I cooked this steak and the asparagus together in a pan with butter. So a “salt rub” (totally not on purpose) plus salted butter (aaagh!) <> good steak. The asparagus was PERFECTLY seasoned. Delicious! The meat was just too salty to be good.

  Really, it wasn’t terrible, but next time, I will pay attention and read. When you royally mess up a recipe, you will never make that mistake again.. It actually looked pretty good too.

My newest vice… Black Coffee in a Baggie!

 

Yes, it’s arrived. The time has come when I desire something more than just plain water. This deep, dark blob of coffee in a little sack, or as I call it, “Ice Coffee, baw sai nom, baw sai nam tahn.”

 

I still haven’t figured out why togo drinks are given in plastic baggies. Someone theorized that it makes it easier to carry when riding the motorbike. If anyone has any other theories, please feel free to share them with me.

 

The flavor of this coffee reminds me of a nice, smooth dark beer. Most good dark beers have hints of chocolate, coffee, and molasses.

 

 

I finally found someone to take a photo of me doing something instead of me on the food all the time. I know I am a bit on the fuzzy side but doesn’t that just complete my nerd look? I mean, honestly, I have my thumb drive on my neck (With the Harry Potter movies and my blogging tools..) the polo, and the big glasses. Wait, where’s my pocket protector? Pshh! Didn’t you know the thumb drive is the new pocket protector?!

 

Getting back to the coffee itself, I never thought I would enjoy the taste of completely black coffee. This stuff is as black as it gets. I haven’t mentioned it before, but I gave up sugar in drinks after a meditation retreat in Ukraine. We weren’t allowed any sugar in our drinks or food and the same for salt. Somehow the salt kept making it to out table each meal, but that sugar was never to be found. By the end of the week, I had no need of it in my green tea. When I came back, I think my taste buds were having this new revelation; I was tasting things in a way I hadn’t considered before.

View Larger Map

 

The place I get my Coffee is a small restaurant called Just for Fun.. It is just to the south of That Dam, across the street from the wine house. I will feature them soon. I want to include their kitchen this time, so I am getting to know the owner.

Please bear with me while I am sorting out the map feature.

The Cinnamon Lounge, AKA I Got What I Deserved

I've been very excited to eat at the restaurant featured here today, The Cinnamon Lounge.


Back when I first arrived in Laos, I stayed in a hotel and while some people get fancy company vehicles, I walked everywhere.


Now, the Internet is terrible at communicating tone, so let me clarify.


I honestly enjoy walking! I get to find all of the hidden gems that you just can't get to with a car. Even if you could, those in cars often miss the corner treats and deals (steals?) that I love the most. Clear enough for ya?


I seem to have steered far away from actually talking about this restaurant. Let me get us back to where we should be.


Along the main road, right next to a French restaurant, (La something maybe. It's always La something..) sits this creative looking little food place. I'd walk by this place nearly everyday. When I'd notice it, I'd either be not hungry or too busy to stop and look.


I wonder if other people overlook this place as much as I have?


Well, I've made it here, so now what?


I go in and am welcomed by an expat employee (manager/owner?) , which is normally a good sign.


I sit down, and right in the middle of the table is a nice full cup of cinnamon. I think it would have been a great addition to the ambiance if it had been fresher. The cinnamon oil (and smell) had dried up a long time ago.


The menu was pretty all over the place. There is no theme that I could identify, (unless that was the idea) but if the food is good, I can forgive. (I know absolutely zero about menu themes. That is best left to professionals.)


The dishes ranged from Sri Lankan and Thai, to Mexican and Spanish (wait, what?!) with nice sounding names. (Deviled Chicken in the Sri Lankan side HAD to be tried)


I hadn't had Mexican or Spanish food in a while and decided to look at what could be had from that corner of the world. (Yes, I know that I am contemplating Mexican food at a Lao restaurant...) Unsurprisingly, the dishes were nearly identical; burrito and enchiladas or similar in both the Mexican and Spanish side. The only difference I could gather (from the menu) was the order that the ingredients were listed in...


As it would all be pretty much the same, I decided to enlist the aid of our expat host to determine which order of ingredients would make a better dish. A quick sideways glance returned to us with an uneasy, "Enchilada." The deviled chicken from the Sri Lankan side would also make an appearance.


After a bit of a wait, our food arrived. As you can see, my enchilada was very nice to look at. I can't say the same for the deviled chicken. It looked, "OK."


The flavor is where, as I mentioned in the title, I get what I deserve.


I did not enjoy the enchilada. I ate a few more bites than I probably should have, given my distaste for it, but I was crazy hungry! To be honest, the smell reminded me of an unclean person, and the taste was just all wrong. Spices were mixed together all willy nilly and was more in the style of Indian than Mexican. Not in a good way...


The deviled chicken, to me, was not quite right either. I can't put my finger on it, but it was just off. (I learned my lesson from the enchilada, "If it smells bad and tastes bad, don't keep eating to figure out what the bad taste is.")


I will point out, the staff was EXTREMELY attentive, but that could have been because I was at the only occupied table, on a Sunday. (Places usually close pretty early here, even earlier on Sundays)


This is my first review of a restaurant where I didn't find anything I liked. Having never written a negative review, I wasn't too sure how to approach this.


Better to tell the truth and leave room for improvement, than to smooth over the bad and lead people in blindly. That'll do.


Yes, this was a negative review. I did not enjoy the food here. I WILL be returning to the restaurant. I love returning when everything is perfect and the food is wonderful. However, it would be totally unfair to the restaurant and to myself (readers too) to just give it a bad review and never return.


The menu was quite extensive, and there will be plenty of opportunities to try many of the other dishes. Maybe something a little more close to home, Thai perhaps?


Let me bottom line this. I went to a restaurant in Laos, and requested Mexican food prepared by locals. I ASKED for and got what I deserved.

Rashmis… AGAIN. I LOVE this place!!!!

So, I’ve taken a mini-break from blogging. A lot of things have been going on. Good things!! I started working. Between the new job and classes, there has been little time for blogging. It has also been getting harder and harder to find good lighting.

 

There is one restaurant that I am guaranteed to find the best natural diffused lighting ever. If you read the title, then you already know which restaurant I am talking about… It’s RASHMIS!!

 

I have never had bad food here. The service is impeccable, the food delicious, and my water glass, always full.

 

Every time I eat here, I try something new. I have never been let down.

 

Above is naan bread with mint and cottage cheese. MMMM! Even more delicious than it sounds.

 

This dish is called triple fried rice. My goal was to determine how it could be “triple-fried.” Here’s what I’ve come up with: 1. Fried Rice 2. The chicken inside was lightly battered and fried 3. I think it’s the egg on top. It’s not a traditional fried egg, but it was technically fried, so I’m goin with it.

 

Yes, there is rice under there. It was some of the best fried rice I’ve ever had.

 

mmm! Daal.

I love how this shot illustrates how good the lighting is here.

Also, this daal was DELICIOUS!!

Delicious Fried Fish @ Kop Chai Deu Restaurant

OH. WOW!!

 

When I was a kid, I never liked fish. Detested really. I never knew why.

 

Recently, I have developed a great taste for fish and other seafood, thanks in large part to a great food friend of mine. Thanks!

 

If I were to rate fish, this would definitely be on my top five.

 

It is fried, but not heavily battered like you would see on the the deep south… (Fried catfish, anyone?) It doesn’t even seem like it has been battered, more like a yummy crisp crust.

 

It sits on a bed of fried seaweed (Nori?) and roasted (Or fried) lemongrass. Again, wow, just Wow!

 

Spray the lime juice all over and it’s just FABULOUS!