So, I arrived in the morning to find Ning setting up the ingredients to begin the process of making the ‘Nam Phrik Pao’.  She was very excited, meeting me outside before I entered the building to take me and show me the ingredients drying in the sun…

Now, this is an important ingredient for Thai cooking and traditionally takes significant time and effort to make correctly.  After making this and discussing it over several meals throughout the trip, I soon learned from several Thai women, that this was something done with the entire family – not necessarily a chore they looked forward to as children.

‘Nam Phrik Pao’ is a Chili Jam that can be used as a dip or as an ingredient in a variety of dishes.  The flavors are rich, deep and balanced and the process is involved and precise.  I am going to try and keep this a short story!

The ingredients are Dried Red Chilies, Garlic, Shallots, Dried Shrimp (good quality is important…), Shrimp Paste (also, quality is critical…), Tamarind Paste, Palm Sugar and Fish Sauce.  The intended balance of flavors is ‘Sweet, Sour and Salty’.

As you can see above, the Shrimp Paste was actually roasted in a banana leaf, while the other ingredients were drying in the sun.  Once these ingredients were ready, I began the process of frying each ingredient individually in a shallow wok of oil. (Garlic, Shallots, Chilies and Dried Shrimp)

Once I completed this task, next came the pounding, grinding and pulverizing.  I was so busy for the ensuing hour that I failed to photograph each stage of the process!!!  I began with making the Dried Shrimp into a powder and then removing it from the ‘Pok-Pok’ (Stone Mortar & Pestle).  Then I repeated the pounding process with the Garlic, adding in the Shallots, followed by the Chilies.  Each stage took nearly 10-15 minutes of grinding and pounding before achieving the desired texture and consistency.

Finally, I reached the stage of adding the remaining ingredients, finding the right texture (a thick “Jam-like” consistency) and balance of flavors desired.  It was delicious and would then be added as an ingredient into our ‘Wing Bean Salad’ (Yam Tua Plu).

The ‘Wing Bean Salad’ with the Soft-Boiled Egg was delicious with loads of flavor and texture!!!

We made several other items over the couple days, and everything had its own unique character.  But, the best thing I came away with is a better understanding of the complexities of Thai cuisine, yet the simplicity of using high quality, flavorful ingredients in a balanced way to achieve “craveable” flavors and textures!!!

I can’t wait to return and spend some more time in the kitchen with this wonderful, passionate Team of people!!!

Thank you to both of my instructors and their staff for all the assistance and fantastic information!!!  I look forward to seeing you again soon!!!

Sawasdee and Kawp Koon Krahp!!!

So…to continue onward; Larb is one of my favorite Thai dishes for its salty, sour, spicy flavors.  I wanted to learn the proper way of making Larb, so I requested this as one of the items we would do, in addition to a few other pretty common Thai dishes.

We set out to make Larb Moo (also spelled Laab among other ways) from the north of Thailand, which I found in the process to be more aromatic than the typical counterpart I generally eat at my local Thai restaurants.  The key was what Ning referred to as the “secret ingredient”…’Phrik Larb’.  This is yet another combination of ingredients that took some coaxing out of Khun Kobkaew the following day, before I was able to get the recipe – which, by the way, will be difficult to emulate, as the herbs will not be found at my local market! (Szechuan Mint, Ma-Kwaen and Ma-Lab???) Anyway, it is a blend of Dried Chilies, Herbs and toasted Garlic and Shallots, which creates a very aromatic fragrance, adding a level of sophistication to the final product!

As you can see above, the second photo shows the ’Phrik Larb’, along with minced pork (Moo), and the other ingredients we would be adding.  Also shown above, adding of the lime just at the end of the cooking process, so as NOT to cook away the bright sour taste of the fresh squeezed lime juice.  The end result was a delicious balance of salty, spicy and sour!!!

We then made a more typical version to compare it to, which uses Roasted Sticky Rice that has been ground together with Lemongrass Peel, among other ingredients, to create the balance of flavors.  While I would say it is difficult to select a favorite, there was a stark contrast between the two.  Either way, you can’t go wrong with well-made Larb – be it pork, chicken or even beef, the flavors are addicting!

Another pretty common dish is Pad Kaproa (Pad = Stir-Fried and Kaproa = Holy Basil) which is generally done with Chicken (Gai), Pork (Moo) or Shrimp (Goong). Essentially a simple stir-fry of the Holy Basil, Garlic, Meat, Fish Sauce and of course… Chilies!  This is generally served with a Fried Egg and Steamed White rice, which has made it a perfect breakfast item on several occasions since being here.

Now, the sauce you see drizzled over the egg above, is ‘Phrik Nam Pla’; the quintessential Thai condiment!  This is a simple sauce with BIG flavor, essentially epitomizing the balance between salty, sour, sweet and spice!  This is a blend of; Fish Sauce (good quality fish sauce preferred…), Garlic, Chilies (…REALLY “Hot” Chilies…), Cilantro, Lime Juice and Palm Sugar.  By the way; ‘Phrik’ is the word for “Chili”, specifically referring to the small Thai chilies or ‘Birds Eye’ Chili.  So, anytime you see the work ‘Phrik’, you can rest assured it will probably be somewhat spicy!!!

As evidence below shows…the flavors are addicting!!!

We also made Tom Kah Gai (Chicken in Coconut Soup); which I could wax poetic about, but quite simply put – THE BEST I have ever had!!!  The secret???  No real secret; just making the coconut cream from scratch and adding a hint of “Young Coconut” at the end sort of made a difference.  Also, Khun Kobkaew adds the squeeze of Lime Juice into the bowl for brightness, rather than adding it directly into the soup.  Once again, the balance of flavors is critical… this is intended to be somewhat sour with hints of spice, but NOT sweet, as often found when using the wrong ingredients.

We went through other dishes on the first day, but the most common would have to be the ‘Pad Thai’. This is a very simple dish that most people get wrong.  The sauce is actually a fairly light sauce, often mistakenly substituted for a heavier version of some sort of Peanut Sauce.  Traditionally, the sauce is a blend Tamarind Paste, Fish Sauce and Palm Sugar; a well-balanced combination of Sour, Salty and Sweet.

I remember my early travel days to Thailand, I would go down to Sukhumvit Soi 2 (a street that no longer exists) in the morning for breakfast, and there was a line-up of street stalls and vendors that made nothing but Pad Thai.  It was a great way to start the day and an adventure to find the vendor that made the BEST Pad Thai!!!

Okay…after writing all of this, I have to go out and get some Larb and maybe some yummy Pad Thai for lunch before heading into work tonight!!!

In the next post, I will begin with ‘Nam Phrik Pao’; you remember…the one that took me an hour of pounding and grinding!!!  Until then……….

After many trips over the years to Thailand and working in several kitchens along the way, I finally decided it was long past time I learned more about the history of this cuisine and what makes it so special.

After delving further into the roots (sometimes literally “roots”), I find myself worried that the time-honored methods of this complex cuisine may be getting lost in the current generation of hurried, on-the-go life-styles.

The Khao Cooking School is one of many schools in Thailand that teach basic classes and traditional dishes.  However, I requested to spend some quality one-on-one time with the matriarch herself, Assistant Professor Kobkaew Najpinit (Khun Kobkaew), to get a real sense of the depth, history, methods and techniques used to extract the intense, yet subtle flavors that are so prevelant in Thai food.

The school is run by Niphatchanok Najpinit (Ning), daughter of Khun Kobkaew, with the help of her younger sister.  Clearly cooking is a passion in this family and keeping with tradition is something they are dedicated to doing and teaching!   To this day, Ning, and especially her sister, get VERY nervous when “mom” is looking over their shoulder.  Quite entertaining actually!!!

We spent a good amount of time reviewing ingredients; chilies, herbs, roots, hard spices and garlic, all play a critical role in Thai cuisine.  Above are several herbs we used to cook with.  Unfortunately, most are difficult to get in the USA, so we see substitutions that just can’t match the flavors found in Thailand.  Holy Basil (Kaproa) and Cumin Basil (Bai Yeera) are two that we used to make one of the classic dishes (Pad Kaproa Gai) I will cover later.

Corriander Root, I learned, is one of the “key” ingredients used in Thai cooking.  Now, we can obtain a similar flavor by using ‘Cilantro Stems’ (Corriander is the name for Cilantro in Asia); but you must use much more stems to get the flavor obtained from the Corriander Root.

Of course, Lemongrass and Galangal are also critical for the balance of flavors, along with Kaiffer Lime leaves.  Then there are the chilies!  Oh how I LOVE Thai chilies!!!  3-basic chili categories; Birds-Eye (Atomic Hot), Jinda (Thai Dynamite) and Chifa (Mild, flavorful and almost sweet…ALMOST!).

Now, here is a critical element that requires some serious patience and effort.  Making our own “Coconut Cream”.  Not to be confused with “Coconut Milk”, although you obtain both from the process.

You must first prepare the coconut, break it open and grate the meat.  Pour warm water over the coconut and allow it to soak.  Massage the coconut meat to release the “Cream” which takes a bit of patience and effort.  Pour the “Cream” off and place it in the freezer to get cold quickly (do not actually freeze), which allows the cream to rise to the top in a thick creamy paste.

The “Cream” comes from the 1st Press, while the “Milk” would be obtained from a 2nd Press.  Repeating the process will extract what can be classified as the Coconut Milk.  Not as much body, sweetness or flavor, but still with a purpose of its own.

Then there is the technique of extracting the best from all of these ingredients.  As you can see, we used a traditional ‘Mortar & Pestle’ method to mash, grind, pound and pulse the ingredients to extract the maximum fragrance and flavor from each ingredient.  Depending on what you are making, you would work this process in stages to layer the flavors and insure you have the balance necessary; salt, sour, sweet & spice.

One dish we made (Nam Prik Pao), a very important ingredient in Thai Cuisine, I spent an hour (seriously…1 hour) pulverizing ingredients until I obtained the flavor and consistency Khun Kobkaew thought appropriate.  I didn’t need to go to the gym for a workout that day…it was quite the workout itself!!!  I will cover that item in an upcoming post.

Needless to say, from reading the very brief explanation above, there is complexity involved in creating the depth and balance that make the flavors of Thailand so unique and delicious!

Khun Kobkaew and I had a lengthy discussion of the difference between “difficult” and “complex”.  She asked me if I thought Thai Cuisine was difficult and my response was to the effect of complexity versus difficulty.  The nuances, layers, methods, components and techniques involved, make it complex…not complicated!!!

Now that we have made the introduction, shall we begin to dance?  On the next post, I will cover a few basic dishes, which you will likely recognize by name, but would evoke an entirely different reaction in taste than you may have experienced before!!!

Stay tuned…

This year has been a whirlwind of exciting projects, which has kept us in constant motion.  Today, I’m off to Thailand and Laos for the next three weeks for a promotion with the Royal Project of Thailand where we will be highlighting US Seafood paired with the beautiful Fresh Produce of Thailand.

I will also be involved in some Cooking Classes in Bangkok, as well as working for a few days with a Chef in Vientiane, Laos.

I cautiously plan to keep a journal of this trip as it happens, so please check back here often, for current and up-to-date information, photos and maybe even a recipe or two!!!

All my best and Bon Appetit ~

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For the month of July, one of the dishes I created for Anderson Seafood was a colorful plate of Caviar with Lemon Blinis and Creme Fraiche.

Blinis, which are little pancakes originally used for the Czars of Russia to consume with their phenomenal Sturgeon Caviar, are leavened with yeast and classically served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.  It’s a simple but elegant dish that is beautiful to look at as well as delicious to eat!

The blini batter I make uses dry yeast, eggs, milk, flour, chives, salt, black pepper and lemon.

The gorgeous array of Tobiko Caviar provided by Anderson Seafoods.

Each Blini got a small dollop of Creme Fraiche before the caviar was gently placed.

A simple, but elegant treat for a pre-meal hors d’ oeuvre or passed for a cocktail party!  Best with Dry Champage…or better yet, ice cold Vodka just like in Russia!

Recently, we were at the Mai Tai Bar in Long Beach prepping and presenting over 20 possible menu items.  Here are some photos from the day’s preparation.

Executive Chef of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Martin Ibarra and Head Chef of Mai Tai Bar and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Long Beach, Jose Serrato.

Chef Kelly prepping items for the presentation.

On Monday, May 10th and Tuesday, May 11th Phyllis Ann Marshall of FoodPower and I had a great opportunity to host a webinar through Restaurantowner.com.

We were invited by the owner, Jim Laube, to present our Seminar “Smarter BOH = Higher ROI” as a WEBINAR to his list of members.  We had over 250 people register for a 2-part WEBINAR over the course of the 2-days.

We discussed the 7-Step Manufacturing Process of Back Of House (BOH) Operations in the restaurant, reviewing ways for restaurant operators to capture more profit through improved product management and loss prevention.

This WEBINAR was based from a Seminar we performed in Nashville, TN in February for another group of restaurant owners and operators.  The response to the WEBINAR was very positive and feedback continues to roll in.

It was a very diverse group of attendees, as I understand we had people registered from around the country as well as all over the world, including Australia and Japan.

For this month’s batch of seafood dishes at Anderson Seafoods, one of the featured fish is Corvina.

Corvina is a firm fleshed mild fish from Central and South America. Though very popular for ceviche, it is a wonderful fish for almost any other cooking method.

Here’s a step by step breakdown of the Coriander Seed Crusted Corvina with Sauteed Zucchini and Red Chile Mole.

Take the dried chiles, remove the stem, tear open and scrape the seeds out.  Put the seeded chiles into a pot with enough water so that they are just barely submerged.

Take some dried Mexican oregano and put into the pot with a pinch of kosher salt.  Saute red onions and garlic in some olive oil then add to the chiles and herbs.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

While simmering the chiles, cut the squash into 1″ pieces and slice the fresh red chiles in small strips and gently saute in olive oil with a pinch of salt.

In a small bowl, combine the coriander seeds, kosher salt, black pepper, and Mexican oregano.  Using a Mortar & Pestle (or electronic spice grinder), crush the mixture into a rough spice rub.  Using this mixture of spices, carefully crust the top of the Corvina.

Heat up a saute pan until very hot and add 1 ounce of cooking oil.  Dust some flour on top of the crusted Corvina then place in the saute pan, crusted side down.  Sear for about 1-2 minutes allowing the crust to form.  Turn the fish over and sear the other side for 1-2 minutes.  Place the pan in a 350 degree oven to finish cooking.  Once removed, add a bit of whole butter to the pan and gently baste the fish using a spoon.

Take all the solid pieces out of the pot (with the chiles, onions, and garlic) and put into a food processor.  Blend until it becomes a smooth puree.  Add cooking liquid as needed for the mole and to obtain the desired consistency.

To plate, pour some mole onto the plate and spread it around evenly.  Spoon the vegetables on top of the mole then place the Corvina on top.

Garnish with some cilantro and serve.

You may wish to finish the dish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and splash of lime zest to brighten the flavors.

~ Bon Appetit…

As eluded a couple weeks ago, when I was in Washington with the boys of Silver City, we decided to hit Seattle for an evening of dining after a busy week in preparation for the new menu.

Chef/Owner Jerry Traunfeld’s Northwest style and homage to natural ingredients was the attraction for this visit.  This and the fact that he was recently on an episode of ‘Top Chef Masters’; so we wanted to stop by and check things out.

While the overall experience was great, the highlight was the Chef’s Herb Garden and his use of these herbs laced throughout the entire meal.  Of course, I went out and did some picking of herbs myself; and caught up in the aromas and excitement of the variety of interesting herbs, I failed to photograph the garden!  Sorry…

Crater Lake Blue, Cherry, Sage, and Walnut Tart

This first little nibble epitomized the entire food philosophy from my perspective. It also laid the foundation of expectation for the meal to come. The flavors of this tart were crisp, clean, decisive and powerful. The dough was perfect and the combination of ingredients magical!

Cumin-Pork Steamed Bun

I LOVE “Bao” (Steamed Buns), which you generally find when partaking in Dim Sum; or, of course, on the streets of China.  However, the best part of this variation was the Pickled Rhubarb and Fresh Herbs that graced the plate!

Salt Cod Fritters with Smoked Paprika Aioli

I also look forward to good Salt Cod when I find it on menus. Unfortunately, this was a miss, as it tasted too much like old fryer oil and not enough Salt Cod intensity.  However, the Smoked Paprika Aioli was a powerful accompaniment and worked very well, making the fritter a vehicle for the sauce.

Spot Prawn and Chervil Roll

Fresh Spot Prawns… a little risky, but nicely done!  Spot Prawns of nearly every variety are soooooo delicate that things can easily go wrong.  This delicate version of a classic New England Lobster Roll was very light and fresh, with a nice addition flowering Chervil.  Chervil just happens to be my favorite herb for it’s delicate texture and intense flavor POP that it imparts!

Chocolate Terrine with Ginger, Salted Sesame, and Cumin Cashew

FANTASTIC!  I certainly love Chocolate and this terrine was elevated by the ‘Bite’ of Ginger, the Salted Sesame and the depth of the Cumin-Cashew sort of brittle.  Great flavors that left me wanting more!  No surprise there… anything Chocolate, I always want more!!!

We also indulged in the “Seasonal Thali”, which is essentially a platter of items in tasting bites, that work as the Main Course.  I ordered one that featured 10 different items, including Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek and Green-Roasted Halibut.  Of course at this point in the meal, I was so excited about the food, not to mention the 2 bottles of wine we had consumed (Albarino from Spain and Gigondas from the Rhone) that I failed to take a photo!

Check out POPPY online at www.poppyseattle.com

Great food, great fun and great people to enjoy with!!!

Ciao and Bon Appetit…