Lemongrass Brisket with Laotian Chimichurri and Spicy Bitter Fish Sauce

This dish is the most common dish prepared when you attend a Laotian barbecue. Growing up, our parents never took us to any barbecue restaurants so we weren't familiar with the slow smoked style that we're familiar with now. Quite honestly, I'm not sure of why we chose the brisket cut of meat. Maybe because it was cheap and fed a lot of people or maybe because of its fat content that bares its true flavor once grilled. Many Americans would probably shun the way we cook the brisket. They prefer the low and slow method and we grill it just like any other cut of meat. I know one thing, no one has ever complained once they've tasted it.

The two sauces I prepared are the most commonly used with this dish. The Laotian "chimichurri" for lack of a better description contains garlic, chili peppers, ginger, scallions, and cilantro. Because it lacks oil, I'm not sure you can really call it a chimichurri, but it's close enough for my comfort. For my baker friend who came to dinner last night, this sauce is for you. The second sauce I prepared is not for the faint of heart or stomach. It's a combination of unfiltered homemade fish sauce, bottled fish sauce, and beef bile. Yes I know, gross right. Well it's definitely an acquired taste but you'll love it if you like the incomparable bitterness that makes one lost for words trying to describe it.

Of course, no Laotian meal is complete without sticky rice. It's been brought to my attention that just because you have the equipment and the correct grain of rice doesn't mean you actually no how to cook it. To my former roommate, I told you to pay attention when I cook instead of just watching television the whole time.

Brisket ingredients:

10 pounds brisket (cut into 10 inch steak pieces along the grain)
3 stalks lemongrass (pureed)
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 tablespoon kosher salt
6 tablespoon hoisin sauce
6 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Marinate your brisket for at least 3-4 hours if possible, overnight is even better. Set your oven to broil and place the rack on the upper middle section. Cook the brisket on a baking sheet layered with aluminum foil. Cook for 10 minutes on each side for medium rare or to your preferred temperature. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Chimichurri ingredients:

10 Thai chili peppers
1/2 cup ginger (loosely packed)
4 garlic cloves
Juice of 3 limes (approximately 1/2 cup)
8 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup cilantro (loosely packed, roughly chopped)
1/8 cup scallions (loosely packed, finely chopped

Directions:

In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic, chili peppers, ginger, and salt. Mash into a paste and then add all other ingredients and mix well. Add more lime juice or fish sauce to adjust tartness or saltiness.


Bitter fish sauce ingredients:

3 tablespoon unfiltered fish sauce
6 tablespoon bottled fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes (a little more than 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon dried crush Thai chili peppers (more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be)
2 teaspoon edible beef bile
1/8 cup cilantro (loosely packed, roughly chopped)
1/8 cup scallions (loosely packed, finely chopped)

Directions:

Combine the two fish sauces and mix well. Then add lime juice and edible beef bile. Incorporate all wet ingredients well before adding dry ingredients.

Sticky rice:

2 cups Glutinous/Sticky rice
Enough water to cover rice plus a few extra inches above (the rice will absorb some water)

Directions:

Rinse the rice thoroughly, approximately 3-4 times in cool running water. Then soak the rice in a large bowl for at least 2-3 hours or until the grains look completely translucent. You're also going to need some special equipment to cook sticky rice. These are cheap but may be hard to find (contact me if you need help finding it). You're going to need a concave boiler and an open face bamboo steamer (I'll post pics up later). Add enough water in the boiler (approximately 3-5 inches deep) and bring to a boil on high heat. Add rice from bowl to bamboo steamer and set in concave boiler. Cover the top of the steamer and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you'll want to get a wooden spatula and stir the rice around so that it cooks thoroughly from the inside out. Cook for another 8-10 minutes and then stir the rice again to release some of the steam. Remove rice and place in bamboo basket or a similar device to keep warm.

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Crème Brûlée with Raspberry Sauce

Crème brûlée is a simple dessert to make; it's actually one of the first desserts I can say I made successfully. However, this one was a bit disappointing to me because I didn't have whole vanilla beans; I'm not a big fan of vanilla extract- but you have to be resourceful at times.

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)

Directions:

Gently heat the cream on medium low (do not let it boil) and add sugar. Once the sugar dissolves add vanilla extract (or a split vanilla bean) and refrigerate for about 10 minutes to let it cool. Whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl and set aside. Once the cream mixture cools, slowly pour the cream mixture into the eggs while stirring continually. Slowly add the mixture to the ramekins (4 ramekins that will hold approximately 1/2 cup). Place ramekins on a deep sheet pan and add 2-3 cups of water to the pan (this is called a water bath). In an oven preheated to 300°, bake for 45-50 minutes or before it starts to boil. Pull out ramekins immediately and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Before serving add a thin layer of sugar and with a torch begin to lightly melt the sugar until all the sugar melts. Your sugar should have a medium to dark brown color to it.

Raspberry sauce:

1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until the water is reduced and the raspberries are thick and mushy. Let it cool and serve on top off the crème brûlée or a dessert of your choice.

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Fish Tacos with Kaffir Lime Aioli

The other day I saw one of my friend's post on Facebook that his wife made him fish tacos. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't invited but that just made me crave it even more. This dish is pretty simple but has a lot of components. I'll try to break it down as easy as possible.

Fish preparations:

2 pounds tilapia filets
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon cayenne peppery
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix well, let it marinate for at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake the fish for approximately for 15 minutes (be careful to not overcook, you want the fish to still look and taste moist).

Korean/Spanish rice:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 cup brown Korean rice
32 ounces chicken stock
2 Roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

In a deep sauce pan, sauté the shallots in butter and add rice once all the butter melts. Add tomatoes and all the dry ingredients. Then add 1/3 of the stock and cook rice in medium high heat and keep it covered. Once most of the liquid has reduce add another 1/3 of the stock. Repeat this again until all the stock is gone and the rice is cooked.

Cabbage aioli slaw:

1/2 head of red/purple cabbage (thinly sliced)
1 cup kaffir lime aioli

Directions:

Blanch the cabbage in a pot of boiling hot water for about 3 minutes. Strain and let cool. Add kaffir lime aioli (see previous post for this recipe) and toss.

Pico de gallo:

1/2 large onion (diced)
2 jalapenos (diced)
1/2 cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well and adjust salt and sour preference by adding salt or lime juice.

Assembling tacos:

You're going to need tortillas (I used flour) and lettuce. Simply layer the lettuce on top of the tortilla, and then just add the rice, slaw, and pico de gallo. Drizzle with extra ailoi and enjoy.

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Austin's Restaurant Week Fall 2010 - Cru Wine Bar Review (The Domain - Austin, TX)

Okay, so I don't do many reviews here but I thought it would add some content to the blog.

Last night I went to Cru Wine Bar for restaurant week. For months now my friends have been raving about their steamed mussels. Fortunately for me, the steamed mussels were part of the 3 course meal (which was only $25). We decided to eat at the bar since the all the tables were full and it didn't seem like anyone was leaving anytime soon. We started off with several flights of wine, which I wasn't impressed by, a couple of appetizers - goat cheese beignets and Ahi Tuna tartare. The beignets were absolutely delicious. I was told that the goat cheese was mixed with marscapone cheese as well and the creaminess definitely came through in the filling. The outside was fried to perfection, nice and crispy and just a touch of sweetness from the honey glaze. As for the tartare, if you've had one you've just about had them all. It definitely lacked that extra kicked to set it apart from other tuna tartares.

For dinner we opted for the steamed mussels, petite filet mignon, and the chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla ice cream. For the rave that I've been hearing about the mussels I can't say that it lived up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong they were good, but they weren't the best I've had. Coming from a person who loves tart and sour dishes, this dish was over the top with its tartness. In my opinion, it definitely needed a more delicate balance to showcase the white wine and lemongrass broth that were both drowned out by the tartness of the dish. The petite filet was a hit, it was cooked perfectly medium-rare and fork tender as can be. The veal/red wine demi glace was probably one of the better sauces I've ever tasted. It was neither too sweet nor too salty and was perfectly balanced. It was great to see that even though the sauce was superb the chef didn't drown the filet in it.

For dessert were initially going to have the chocolate lava cake, but by the time we ordered, they were all out. So they substituted the lava cake with a chocolate chip cake and vanilla ice cream - which was a blessing in disguise (I'm not a real big chocolate fan anyway). The chocolate chip cake was nothing more than a really thick cookie, however, it was delicious and a great ending to a wonderful meal.

I'd recommend anyone to Cru Wine Bar located at the Domain in Austin, TX, especially when you can get a great meal for just $25 during restaurant week (September 19-22 and 26-29, 2010 (FYI - The wine flights and the other appetizers are not part of the $25).

Chicken en Papillote

Initially, I was just going to stir fry the chicken but I thought I would showcase another method of cooking. This dish is also call "mok gai" in Laotian cuisine. It is made by using an "en papillote" technique is which basically cooking your food by wrapping it in paper, leaves, foil, etc. I chose to steam the chicken so I chose foil since I forgot to get the banana leaves from my sister's house. This was served with a refreshing papaya salad (no not the super spicy Laotian style).

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs (bone removed and discarded, meat sliced into 1/2 inch cuts)
1 pound Thai eggplants
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (stems removed and discarded, tops sliced 1/4 inch)
1 cup fresh Thai basil (tightly packed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
5 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 kaffir lime leaf per package
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
4 Thai chili peppers (roughly chopped)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except kaffir lime leaves in a large bowl and set aside to let it marinade for at least 10 minutes. Tear off a piece of foil paper about a foot long. Add about a cup of the chicken mixture to the bottom end of the foil and place 1 kaffir lime leaf on top. Starting from the bottom lift and fold the foil to cover the mixture. Then fold the sides in and continue folding the foil upwards to the top end of the foil. You're going to want to make sure it has a good seal so that all the juices stay in tack during steaming.

You are also going to need a steamer to complete cooking this dish. On high heat bring the water to a boil. Place each package in the steamer basket and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes.

To serve simply cut the top of the package diagonally from both ends (X marks the spot!). Open from the center and enjoy.

Serve with a bowl of steamed rice or a handful of sticky rice. As I mentioned earlier, I also served this dish with a refreshing papaya salad (See previous entry on making this).

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Austin's Restaurant Week Fall 2010

Anyone interested in going to any of the restaurants here in Austin for restaurant week? This would be a great opportunity to sample a lot of what Austin has to offer at a discounted price. This is also where I'm going to seek inspiration for new dishes. I guess we can call this a field trip. Normally, I wouldn't blog about the restaurants I dine in, but if this takes time away from my cooking, I might have to do so. Let me know if you're interested in meeting up and grabbing a bite to eat somewhere.

http://restaurantweekaustin.com/

Curiosity leads to exploration,
Exploration leads to discovery,
Discovery leads to knowledge,
Knowledge leads to Power.
 - unknown