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!

Blue Bananas

MMM!! This Bar/Restaurant is located on Sansenthai, across from the LaoParis Hotel.

 

I went to lunch here for nearly a week straight. Yes, the food is that good! This is the only photo that really turned out well enough to post. All that means is that I have to go for another week!!

 

I’d heard that this was a popular locale with expats, and I know if expats frequent a place, it must be good.

 

I ate a really delicious chicken biryani. In my opinion, some artistic license has been taken with the dish, but not in a bad way.

 

Differing from other biryanis, this dish had some sort of hard gel cubes (if anyone knows a more fitting name, please tell me), crispy onion strips, and came with a very thin mint and yogurt sauce. Lots of turmeric was used, making this look like some sort of cheesy rice dish.

 

Now, I know I didn’t set it up well, the flavor of this dish was just YUM!

 

Why would I come back, really, if the food was bad? (Ok, don’t answer that…)

Candied Goodies Galore!!

 
Walking around in search of lunch, I found a woman selling some candied foods from a cart.

I walked past it thinking I should eat before buying sweets. In retrospect I should have eaten first then doubled back for some of these.

I asked the lady for about a fist sized portion of the pink ones. By ask, I of course mean pointed at the candy, then at my fist.

She grumbled something I couldn’t have any hope of understanding and proceeded to fill the bag with pink candies. After it was mostly full she started to fill it with the other colors and varieties available.

I ended up getting about a quart or two worth of candies for ₭5000 or about 60 US cents.

The pink stuff is candied coconut! The green and white are also candied coconut, but the pink and green ones have a delicate extra flavor I can’t quite identify.

The yellow one in the middle is candied galangal. Candied galangal and candied ginger taste relatively the same but galangal is still a bit stronger. In a good way.

There were three others she put in my bag that I have yet to identify. I have this sneaking suspicion that one is durian.

I know the colors seem unreal, but they are real and accurate. People who know my camera, know that it captures honest, excellent colors.

Simple Fried Rice or My Leftovers’ Second-Life

 

Ok, the first of many recipes! I still have a lot to learn on taking photos, and such and appreciate tips from ANYONE.

I know I am a bit behind on my posts, but I had so many wonderful opportunities and just plain “stuff” to do this week. Better late than never!

I really enjoy making fried rice.

I learned, a few years back, that it originated as a way to use any leftover steamed rice and other food bits from the previous days’ cooking. 

I LOVE this concept. There always seems to be leftovers around in the fridge that I just never have the urge to eat. Now that I have a rice cooker, I never have to let things spoil in my fridge again! Such a money-saver.

I was invited to a Christmas party featuring some delicious catering.  (ok I know it’s WAY past xmas, but I am pumping these out as often as I can..) We had some drinks, got to know everyone, and played “Yankee Swap.” I ended up with a nice Thai cookbook and a women of BeerLao calendar. (I have about 4 now, people must not think I know what the days of the week are…)

Ok, to the point. The family was going away for a few weeks and asked that everyone take home some of the food. I wasn’t very hungry (good catering fills me up) and didn’t want to take any with me, but I was eventually persuaded. I left with a plate of fresh spring rolls and nearly a plate full of sesame encrusted pork loin.

NOTE: It is NOT worth making an entire pork loin for such a small role in a fried rice dish. Sure, it tastes great, but there are other, much more economical (and tasty) alternatives.

 

I am so happy to have a rice cooker!! I love it!

I put some dry crushed chile flakes in with the rice. Putting it in with the rice brings out the flavor of the chiles and is not so much for making the rice spicy. THAT will come later.

This is an EXTREMELY simple fried rice. That in mind, there won’t be any fancy pics of elaborate ingredients and preparation methods, just plain simple fried rice that anyone can make. Some torn up cilantro always gives the food a fresh taste, and cilantro happens to be one of my favorite herbs. It is a VERY close tie with Thai basils and mint.

Since the pork has already been cooked an seasoned (With sesame, yeah!) I throw it in the same time as the carrots. Let em soak up some nice flavors.

 

A brief glance of the fried rice before any sauce is added.

These bad boys are spicy! Actual size is smaller than my pinkie, but pack a wallop!  I cut some up for a garnish. I ate a few of em. I sure am lucky that the housekeeper brings water daily!

I believe in writing or following recipes when doing anything Asian. Asian cooking isn’t so much about being precise in recipes as it is about knowing how everything goes together and what it looks like when it is correct. (IMHO)

I will, however,  still do my best to make a recipe.

Simple Fried Rice  - serves  about 2

Ingredients:

Steamed rice, about one cup uncooked

1 tablespoon oil

2 pinches and about one tablespoon dry chile flakes, pinches for steamed rice (if possible) tablespoons for seasoning

1 small Thai chile, chopped (optional garnish)

Small handful of Cilantro, About 10 or so whole stalks, torn

Cooked meat, about 3 medallions cut into small cubes

Carrot, 3 inches long cut into small cubes

Soy sauce, about a half cup, or rice all light brown color

Procedure:

1. Cook rice

2. In a pan (large enough for rice and movement) heat oil until it runs like water and add the meat and vegetables and stir for about 3 or 4 minutes or until the carrots are soft

3. Add the rice and remaining chile flakes and break up all chunks of the rice (I actually break up the rice with my VERY clean hands. Much better results than with a spoon or spatula

4. When rice is fully heated (steam rising, or hot to the touch) stir in the Cilantro

5. As soon as the Cilantro wilts (very slight wilt) add the soy sauce. Don’t just dump it in one spot, spread it around. When all of the rice is a very light brown shade, you are finished!

Garnish as you please, or use the chopped Thai chile. I used the Thai chile and some Thai basil. Thai basil has an anise flavor. I enjoy adding it in many dishes.

Restaurant: Indochina - 199 Setthatilath Rd.

 
I’ve walked by this place so many times wondering where/what Indochina is
.

(I honestly hadn’t heard of it before, but  Wikipedia has been very helpful in furthering my education)

The restaurant is very smartly executed. An obvious French influence is discernible throughout the restaurant, from the presentation of some dishes to the design of the interior.

This lovely green foliage was very traditionally served alongside the fried spring rolls. 

Many places I have tried, leave out this little detail. I believe that the inclusion of lettuce (at least!) and mint or basil, etc. make an incredible eating experience and that by not including it, the diner is being “robbed!”
(OK a bit dramatic, I know, but I seriously LOVE food too much to accept being robbed of an incredible dining experience)

MMM YUMMY! These were some beautiful (though not my favorite) spring rolls. They had a delicious crunchy exterior and a nice vegetable filling.

In Moscow I could only find spring rolls made from блины (absolutely unacceptable!) They were soggy, poorly fried and had a terrible tasting interior. The sauce often served was either unpalatable or made from mayo (or both!) I digress…

The sauce served with THESE spring rolls was a nice sort of citrus/cilantro/fish sauce with a hint of peanut and chiles. (and no mayo)  The way that it should be..

For my main meal I ordered the stir-fried chicken with vegetables and ginger.

I have been favoring these protein/vegetable, i.e. healthy, dishes for a while. I finally have access to such dishes here. (No restaurant in Moscow would have me be healthy..)

The ginger in this meal gave the food a very healthy essence/taste. I feel that ginger in nearly any dish gives the same healthy essence.

It tasted MUCH better than the picture. I will definitely be returning to take a better photo of it and try more food…

And lastly, a picture of me! I don’t have too many of these on here. The big reason is that I am the photographer and don’t like to do too many self portraits. Another reason is that I made this blog for food not for people pics. I will put some up from time to time though, don’t worry!

ITECC – The closest thing to a Chain style grocery store I think I will find

We drove by our house, or what will be our house whenever we can move in to it, and checked out the nearby attractions and stores.
The most obvious store in the area is called Lao ITECC. I am sure it is some sort of acronym but I have absolutely NO idea what it stands for. If anyone can tell me I will be happy to update. It stands for Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Center. EDIT: Thanks to the CLO for telling me what ITECC means

The reason this store is my favorite is that it has SOO many Asian products. Yes, I know I live in Asia so it should be everywhere. There are really no big stores to carry it all in one place like in the states. (except for this one)
The only other option is to luck out and find some of the items at the local markets. Along the streets there are little shops that sometimes have food products but there is no logical order or stocking. So for the sheer overwhelming number of Asian products, ITECC is the place. It has only one down side. It is really far away from where I am at now. When I move it will literally be right next door, but that will take some time.
I did find some pretty cool things to take with me. In the first picture is a hollowed out coconut shell filled with some shaved coconut and from what I can tell, a rice gelatin. please correct me if you know what it is)

I had tried this brand before, but never this flavor. (The other flavor I tried being Grass Jelly Drink, quite delicious) It was essentially basil seeds inside of little gelatin-like pods in a simple-syrup. I won’t drink it again, because I don’t need so much sugar and the flavor was nothing exceptional.

MMMM Yellow curry paste! This packet was about 6x5 inches and it was the smallest. There were huge gallon containers of this stuff!

 

I bought myself a new cleaver here. The knives in the hotel are so flimsy that when I was cutting a carrot I ended up making one large crescent. That is simply unacceptable. I know that a cleaver is not a normal knife for everyday cutting. Let me explain. At the Chinese restaurant cleavers were the only knives we had and as a result, it is the knife I am the most comfortable using. More safety is required, but once you are comfortable enough using it then it is no different than any other knife.

In my opinion it is more important to use a tool you are familiar and comfortable with using that works than to use the technically correct one.

I may ruffle some feathers with that one but I have always had and favored a  minimalist kitchen. I even made scones this morning using my rice cooker as a bowl and a soup spoon for all of my measuring, for cups and teaspoons. (I would normally use a bowl but we don’t have any in the hotel. Go minimalism!) I don’t even have an oven, but I wanted scones so badly that I made it work with a microwave. Even though scones are not Asian I will write about them.