Vietnam Cambodia and Laos - A Culinary Journey

A Culinary Journey to Southeast Asia

Dec 28, 2010 - Jan 26, 2011

Scrumpdillyicious will be touring Southeast Asia from Dec 28, 2010 to Jan 26, 2011, exploring the cultural and culinary pulse of this exotic corner of the world. Join me online each day as we journey through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, capturing the flavours of these fascinating cultures. 

Our Culinary Journey will take us from Saigon to Cambodia's Siem Reap, home to the magnificent Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat, then on to Laos, Hanoi, Hue and awe inspiring Halong Bay, as we explore the diverse culinary traditions and regional ingredients used in the aromatic cuisines of these three great nations. From the savoury in the north, spicy in the central region and sweet in the south of Vietnam, the delicious Khmer curries and noodle dishes of Cambodia to french-asian inspired Laotian cuisine, we'll embark on a culinary journey of the region's famed cuisines and time honoured customs — until then — Ăn ngon miệng — bon appetit!

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

 – Lao Tzu

 "Life is not measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away."

 –Annonymous

Amaya Prawns

Amaya is one of the finest Indian restaurants in Toronto, and certainly one of my favourites. We have a tradition of dining there with friends who love good Indian cuisine. One friend in particular adores Amaya's signature dish, Amaya Prawns, that we have to order two portions to share as an appetizer and two more again for the table as part of dinner. The dish features four perfectly cooked butterflied tiger prawns in a fragrant green mango sauce, with sautéed peppers and coconut milk. I became so enamoured with this dish that I scoured the web relentlessly in search of Amaya'a secret recipe. My tenacity paid off. 


Amaya Prawns
Inspired by a recipe from Amaya: The Indian Room
Serves 4 as a appetizer


12 large raw king size prawns, the bigger the better! 

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp curry powder (1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp ground turmeric)

2 tsp garlic purée

¾ tsp salt, or to taste

2 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced
 and cut into 1" triangles
1 orange and yellow pepper, diced and cut into 1" triangles
2 tbsp mango paste* (1/2 cup raw green mango, 2 green chilies finely chopped, ½ tsp garlic paste)
1 cup coconut milk

½ tsp kasteri mehti leaves (or dry fenugreek powder)


Peel and de-vein prawns, leaving tails attached. Rinse and pat dry.

Marinate prawns in lemon juice, curry powder, garlic and
 salt for 10 minutes, then drain the prawns.

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Add prawns and sauté for 60 seconds or until they start to curl.

Add mango paste, coconut milk and mehti and simmer gently over low heat for 2-3 minutes or more, until shrimp are just cooked through. Serve immediately with some peppers for garnish.


* COOK'S NOTE: I used canned mango pulp instead of paste, which turned out very well.
 http://www.amayarestaurant.com

Turkey Soup Dingman

My friend Chris makes a great Turkey Soup each Thanksgiving and Christmas, which she makes with the leftover carcass and turkey meat. The key to any good soup is the flavour of the stock and a homemade roasted turkey carcass will make an extraordinary rich and delicious poultry broth — even better that chicken stock. Turkey stock is easy to make too, since it's as easy as boiling up some water and cutting up a few vegetables. A large stock pot and strainer come in handy also. 

Simply chop up the carcass or pull it apart so it fits in a stock pot, and cover it with water by an inch or two. Add a few basic vegetables and bring to a simmer. Skim off anything that rises to the top that you wouldn't want eat if you saw it floating in a bowl of soup! Leave the stock to bubble away gently for 3 to 4 hours, then strain it though a colander. If you chill it, the fat will congeal on the surface. It can then be removed before using it for the Turkey Soup. Both the stock and soup freeze beautifully, so you can be enjoying the fruits of your labour for the chilly months to come.

Turkey Soup Dingman

1 Turkey carcass, with 6-8 cups of good meat reserved

3 bay leaves

7 carrots, 6 diced fine and 3 coarse with fronds

7 celery stalks, coarsely diced

2 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 leeks, diced fine

2 cups of fresh parsley

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 cup wild rice, uncooked 

Chop up the turkey carcass to fit in a large stock pot (with a built in strainer if you have one). Add the bay leaves, 1 coarsely chopped carrot, 3 celery stalks coarsely chopped with fronds and 2 onions. Add enough water to cover the carcass and vegetables by an inch or two, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down enough so it maintains a bubbling simmer. Let it bubble away for 3 to 4 hours, replenishing with some water if it gets too low.

Remove the carcass and vegetables from the stock pot, using a strainer. Discard the vegetables and carcass, but save any good looking turkey meat. Meanwhile, keep the strained turkey stock at a gentle simmer in the stock pot until needed. 

In a skillet, sauté the leeks and celery until soft, about 6 minutes. Add to the warm stock, then add the parsley, carrots and wild rice; salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Finally, add the peas, corn and turkey meat (good meat plus the meat that fell from the carcass).

The soup can be bagged and frozen for future use, or served hot with some lovely warm bread and a lump of good cheese.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas, born around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. The name Santa Claus evolved from the Dutch, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas, Dutch for Saint Nicholas. 

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas." Moore's poem is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a "right jolly old elf" with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! Although some of Moore's imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped popularize the now familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve "in a miniature sleigh" led by eight flying reindeer, leaving presents for deserving children. 

In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus, depicted as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children. It is Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus. Curiously, Father Christmas himself wears red and white only because Coca-Cola put him in its colours for an advertisment back in the 1920s! 

The Coca-Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s with ads in magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. At this time, many people thought of Coca-Cola as a warm weather drink only, so the company began a campaign to remind people that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month. This began a campaign connecting a true icon of winter, Santa Claus, with the beverage. 

In 1931, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned American illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus. For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem A Visit From St. Nicholas or as it is commonly called Twas the Night Before Christmas. Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa — an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people all over the world.

The Night Before Christmas

by Henry Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Home Cured Salmon Gravlax for Christmas

Salmon Gravlax is a perfect food, especially for salmon lovers. It can be made well in advance and will definitely impress your guests with it's fabulous colour and wonderfully fresh flavour — "And you made it yourself?" A little Mustard Dill Sauce on the side and you have an elegant first course. A slice or two on a slice of baguette with some chive cream cheese and a delicious appetizer is complete. And then there's Christmas morning and Eggs Benedict with Gravlax (or smoked salmon) and a generous dollop of hollandaise! Yummy.

The Swedes have celebrated the tradition of making Gravlax for the Christmas season for generations — on Christmas Eve in particular — a feast they call Julbord. Traditionally, the meal begins with fish; the most popular being Gravlax — salmon cured in sugar, salt and dill. Curing with salt is one of the oldest means of food preservation, and today, the time-honoured practice of curing foods with salt and spices has given us many delicacies we see in gourmet shops around the world. With just a few ingredients and very little work, Gravlax can be made easily at home, and at a fraction of the cost of what it sells for in the shops! Simply remove the large bones from a 3 to 4 pound salmon fillet. Prepare the cure by combining the salt and sugar, and apply it evenly on the fillet. Add dill or any other herb or spice desired, wrap the fillet, place it under a weight, and refrigerate.

There are about 20 minutes of work involved in preparing gravlax, then a waiting period of 24 hours. After removing the fillet from the refrigerator, wipe the salt cure from the salmon, and using a long thin knife, slice paper-thin slices from the fillet. Gravlax is a perfect hors d'oeuvre for the holidays and will impress your guests beyond belief! We make it every year and have made it our new family Christmas tradition — our own Canadian Julbord.

Salmon Gravlax
Makes 20-30 appetizer portions


1 3-4 lb salmon filet, deboned with skin on
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 bunch fresh dill


On a work surface, cut the salmon into 2 filets and place them skin side down. Mix the salt and sugar together and spread half of the cure mix over the surface of one filet. Lay the dill on top, then spread the rest of the cure mix over the dill and lay the second side of salmon, skin side up, over the first — thick part of one filet over the thin part of the other — so together they make a flat 'sandwich'. 


Place the salmon in a rimmed glass dish large enough to hold the fish, and cover firmly with cling film. Put a dish on top and weigh it down with some heavy cans or weights. Refrigerate for 24-36 hours, during which time, juices will accumulate in the bottom of the dish and the salmon with cure.


Take the salmon from the wrapping, remove the dill and scrape off any excess mix. With a long sharp knife, carefully slice thin slivers of the pink salmon on the bias, and serve with Mustard Dill Sauce.

Mustard Dill Sauce
Makes 1 cup

3 tbsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Fresh dill

Shortly before serving the salmon, dissolve prepared mustard and sugar in wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, whisking constantly to create a creamy emulsion. Finally, stir in a generous amount of finely chopped fresh dill. Serve in a decorative bowl along side the Gravlax.

Oysters on the Half Shell

The Winter Solstice has always been a time of feasting, excess and indulgence, and one of the most celebrated dishes associated with the Christmas season are oysters. According to folklore, oysters should only be eaten in months with 'R' in them — September, October, November etc. — which we now know is nonsense, and likely due to times when oysters were shipped without adequate refrigeration. These days we enjoy oysters all year round. They're one of the most nutritionally balanced foods and an excellent source of vitamins. So not not only are they delicious, they're good for you too — especially with a glass of champagne or chilled Muscadet! 


Buoyed by this notion of oysters being a health food, we hosted an oyster party recently with some friends who are fellow shucking enthusiasts. The only drawback is that oysters tend to be quite expensive, especially when you need to order a few dozen. That is until we discovered a hidden gem — Diana's Seafood at 2101 Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto. They have the best selection of seafood I've seen in the city, with a spectacular selection of oysters, from Kumamoto, Fanny Bay and Beausoleil to Lambertini and Pacific Rim, available per shell or bound in boxes of 3-dozen, 5-dozen, 10-dozen at prices that will make you weep. We purchased 6-dozen Malepeques for our Oyster-Fest and left with change from $30.00 and Diana's staff even put the boxes on ice for us so the little beauties would keep nicely chilled on their trip back downtown! 


Later that day, the oysters were shucked and served on the half shell with fresh grated horseradish and chilled Muscadet, and the four of us dined like Royalty! In fact, they were so delicious, and affordable, that we've decided to make it a monthly tradition. As Diana says...Eat fish, live longer. Eat oysters, love longer! Heck, some even say they're an aphrodisiac. Hello Fanny Bay!

Diana's Seafood

2101 Lawrence Avenue East

(between Warden & Birchmount)

www.dianasseafood.com

Oysters with Mignonette Sauce
Sauce for 36 oysters

1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
white pepper to taste

Place wine and vinegar in saucepan and reduce to one-half. Turn off the heat and stir in the shallot and white pepper. Set aside to steep for at least 1 hour. Serve the sauce in small ramekins and let your guests spoon it on top of each chilled, raw oyster on the half shell. A wedge of lemon and fresh grated horseradish are also good accompaniments with raw oysters.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This is a very naughty dessert. Warm, silky and devilishly good, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake is the quintessential chocolate lovers dessert. Best of all, it's gooey centre actually does erupt with a luscious molten core of chocolatey goodness. And unlike some other recipes I've tried, this recipe is fool-proof! Made with good quality dark chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar and flour, the mixture is simply poured into individual ramekins, baked about 15 minutes, and upturned onto decorative serving plates. A few fresh berries, a light dusting of icing sugar and your guests will be treated to a lovely warm dessert fresh from the oven. Now that's love!

Chocolate Lava Cake 

Serves 4

Inspired from a recipe by London-based Italian chef Aldo Zilli

4 tsp cocoa powder

4oz good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

4oz unsalted butter (1 stick)

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

4 1/2oz caster sugar

4oz plain or pastry flour, sifted

Icing sugar, to dust

Raspberries, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 4 ramekins, about 2 ¾” in diameter, and dust with cocoa powder; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a small pan over medium heat. Once half melted, add butter and continue to heat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Set aside for 10 minutes, or until needed.

Using a blender or hand whisk, whip the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and thickened, then add to the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour with a metal spoon. Divide the mixture between the 4 ramekins and cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cakes are firm on top. Using oven gloves, remove the ramekins from the oven and turn them out onto serving plates. Garnish with raspberries and dust all with icing sugar. Serve immediately.