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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Măng Kho Thịt (Braised Pork with Bamboo Shoots)

I got to spend another week working out of our Montréal office while my boyfriend A was working in Montréal also. I stayed at my mom's during the week since the office is 5 minutes away. This means that I got to enjoy some home cooking! I've written this before but while I do enjoy the special "weekend" treats (that we ate on the weekend) like bánh xèo (Vietnamese crepes), I do also miss the "week day" food we ate with rice. A lot of this food is kho, meaning braised in Vietnamese.

This time around I asked for măng kho thịt (braised pork with bamboo shoots). Like all kho food, is it very flavourful so you can eat rice with it. To get this flavour, you have to take your time to cook it. This is no stir fry! There is usually a tasty sauce that you can add to your rice. One main difference from eating such dishes in Vietnam is that we enjoy a lot more meat. In a similar dish, there might be a handful of pieces, mainly fatty ones. To meet my pickiness, my mom picks less fatty cuts of meat.

You can buy bamboo shoots in plastic packages in the refrigerator section of Asian grocery stores or you can even use canned bamboo shoots. Eating bamboo shoots is a very Asian specific ingredient and I love it. I love the slightly crunch texture of the bamboo and it's a perfect vehicle to absorb all of the flavours from the sauce. I think I might even like the bamboo better than the pork...!

Măng Kho Thịt (Braised Pork with Bamboo Shoots)

* oil
* ½ onion, sliced thinly
* 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed into 1" pieces
* 3 tsp salt
* 1 tsp pepper
* 3 tbsp sugar
* 2 lbs bamboo shoots, canned or bagged
* 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Season pork with 1 tsp salt and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours.
Heat oil in a medium pot.
Add onion slices to the oil and cook until softened for 1-2 minutes.
Add the pieces of meat.

Season with the remaining remaining 2 tsp salt, pepper, sugar.

Add chopped bamboo shoots, soy sauce and 1 cup of water.
Bring up the liquid to a boil and bring down to a simmer.
Add more water if necessary and the liquid dries up.
Allow to braise for 1 hour or so (until the pork is tender).

Serve with a bowl of rice.

Tada!

All you need is rice!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Rumi Restaurant (Outremont,QC)

5198 Rue Hutchison
Montréal, Outremont
514.490.1999
website

On Labour Day, my boyfriend A finally was free to go out. (A was working 3 weeks in Montréal and had been keeping quite busy.) He had a list of restaurant recommendations from a friend who also studied at McGill. One of them was near my sister's and her husband's condo (where A was staying) in nearby Outremont, just on the other side of Mount Royal.

Rumi is a quaint restaurant serving a mixture of North African and Middle Eastern food. I loved the décor, especially the Moroccon lanterns (I didn't get to buy any when I visited). The restaurant was first quiet but became very busy very quickly.

A and I each started with a small bowl of dal rumi ($3.50) made of red lentils, ginger and coconut milk. There are not many dal's I've met that I've disliked. I love the combination of lentils and seasoning and this soup was no exception. A great start to warm me up on a rainy day!

Dal Rumi.

At my suggestion, A and I shared 3 mezes (for $17) with naan bread ($2). We picked the hodja (roasted eggplant and peppers), hamdi (roasted peppers marinated in cider vinegar) and wali (sheep's milk feta). All three mezes were tasty. I love the roasted pepper salad - very Mediterranean. The eggplant dip was flavoured with tomatoes. The tangy and salty sheep's milk feta tasted great also. I loved going in between all three mezes, topping each on a piece of naan bread.

Three mezes (clockwise, from left):hodja (roasted eggplant and peppers), wali (sheep's milk feta) and hamdi (roasted peppers marinated in cider vinegar).

Finally, A and I shared the vegetarian platter majdub ($17). The vegetable medley included interesting vegetables like patty squash and celery root (that I had to translate from French and wasn't feeling 100% confident with those two terms, but I was right!). The tomato-ey sauce spiced with cinnamon was a perfect accompaniment to the rice topped with raisins.

Rumi is the perfect place for a date or a nice dinner. The food was very good, maybe slightly overpriced for the portions.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Please help me vote - Pesto Goat Cheesy Pasta

Dear Readers,
I need some help! I am a finalist in 20 minute supper club's cheesy pasta October challenge. The winning recipe will be the one that receives the most votes by the end of the month.

The prize is an awesome Kitchen Aid package. If I win, I pledge to put the kitchen tools to good use! Please vote for me!! Thanks in advance!

Click here to vote (my recipe is on the last row - first picture).
Click here for the recipe.

Much appreciated and love,
Miss.Adventure

p.s. If you want to enter for next month's contest, the theme is Quinoa Salad.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Bánh Khoai Mì (Vietnamese Cassava Coconut Cake)

I am not a sweets person in general, and most Vietnamese sweets don't appeal to me. There may be a handful of chè (Vietnamese liquid dessert/pudding). I don't mind the baked goods but I wouldn't really have any craving. Except for bánh khoai mì (khoai mì = cassava), a Vietnamese cake made out of cassava and coconut. When I lived in Vietnam, I would go down the street and buy a slice every few week or so - that was enough to make me happy. Cassava is a root vegetable widely used in Asia, Africa and South America.

Bánh khoai mì does not have the typical texture of a cake. It's a little more sticky and gelatinous. I know that doesn't make it appealing but it's really good. The consistency is due to its two main ingredients: cassava and coconut milk. Though the cassava is grated, you can taste a bit of the fibrous cassava. My favourite part is the caramelized golden exterior of the cake.

Bánh khoai mì (Vietnamese Cassava Coconut Cake)
I've never made this and didn't realize there were so little ingredients. Just three.

* 2 lbs frozen khoai mi
* 1 can coconut milk
* 400 g (about 2 cups) sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Pour in a round or square pan.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or so, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Broil slightly if not golden enough (don't burnt it - like my mom did slightly...)
Allow to cool and slice.
Tada!

You can find this in the freezer section of an Asian grocery store.

Cassava Cake batter.

A nice, sweet treat!

I am submitting this recipe to the 6th edition of Delicious Vietnam, a blogging event featuring Vietnamese food, hosted this month by Javaholic. Details about this month event can be found here.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Schwartz's Deli (Montréal, QC)

3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montréal, Québec
514.842.4813
website

Schwartz's is a Montréal institution. In terms of food, Montréal is known for its smoked meat and bagels. Schwartz's is where you find the best smoked meat. Montréal smoked meat consists of smoked beef briskets. Similarly in the US, New York has pastrami. I have never tried pastrami so I can't comment on the difference. My understanding is that additives are added to pastrami meat to cure it while smoked meat is just... smoked! At any deli counter across Canada, you can buy Montréal smoked meat but it never tastes the same as back home, just like Montréal bagels at groceries store which taste like bread shaped like a donut.

Whenever I've been to Schwartz's, there's been a waiting line outside. My sister L and I didn't wait too long, maybe 15 minutes or so. The restaurant itself is very small and they seat as many people as they can. We got the farthest table tucked in a corner. The walls are adorned with pictures of celebrities and reviews. Like I said, it's an institution!

You have to have your smoked meat with a black cherry soda so I ordered a Cott. My sister likes her smoked meat with a side of pickles ($1.60) and we got an order of fries ($2.65) to share (rather, I ate most of it!). You can't beat diner fries that are freshly fried in house.

L and I decided to order smoked meat sandwiches. L ordered the lean smoked meat ($5.90). The very high stack of meat is sandwiched between two slices of thick rye bread, and served with mustard. There are bottles of mustard if you want to add more.

I ordered the medium smoked meat which came marbled with fat. Eating a smoked meat sandwich is a messy endeavour but definitely worth it.

They also sell beef briskets and you can even hire someone to slice it at parties.

Schwartz's also sells smoked turkey sandwiches and you can even order smoked turkeys for $6.49 for Thanksgiving! I've already written it twice but Schwartz's is a Montréal instituation so you must visit if you are in Montréal.

Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen on Urbanspoon

Friday, October 1, 2010

Caramel Pudding

So I've been wanting to replicate the butterscotch budino that I had with Cathy (aka Gastronomer) when she took me out to Pizzeria Mozza in LA. The recipe scares me a bit so I thought I'd take baby steps and start with a caramel pudding. Good thing. This is one of the instances when I experienced a big fail in the kitchen attempting the caramel. It involved calling my mom for help and whining like a baby; thankfully, she's very patient with me and I was able to make a successful batch of caramel my second time around. Baby steps, I guess...

Caramel Pudding - Makes 6-8 servings
From Ricardo & Friends.

* 1-½ cups sugar
* 3 tbsp cornstarch
* 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
* 3 eggs
* ½ cup water
* ½ cup 35% cream
* ¼ cup cold salted butter, cut into cubes
* ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
* whipped cream, to serve with

In a saucepan off the heat, combine ¼ cup sugar, the cornstarch and the flour.
Add the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth.
Set aside.
Place the remaining 1-¼ cup sugar and the water in another saucepan and bring to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan.
Simmer without stirring until the mixture turns gold on medium heat, swirling the saucepan around if needed. BE patient - this will take several minutes, maybe around 10-15. (This is where it failed. I think the heat was too low and it turned into a crystal mess - that's mess, not meth).
Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until smooth.
Slowly pour the caramel into the egg mixture while whisking.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Simmer gently for about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until smooth.
Pour the mixture into six 125-ml (½-cup) jars or ramekins.
Refrigerate for about 3 hours.
Serve with whipped cream (or maple whipped cream) or vanilla cookies.
Tada!

Try #1 - Caramel FAIL!!

My poor caramel turned into hard crystals. I was watching a cooking show this week that explained that once you have crystals, it will spread quickly. So keep swirling the pan around to prevent crystals forming on the sides.

Try #2 - Caramel SUCCESS!!

The key is to be patient and wait until the sugar and water mixture turns into a golden colour. You will get rewarded by being able to add cream to your caramel!!

Whisking into the egg mixture to make a beautiful and cream golden brown pudding!

Ooof! Looking at these pictures increased my blood pressure! Hopefully, my failure will help another caramel pudding maker. Then it will not be for naught... The result was delicious! I was happy with the outcome. I'm glad to report that I made butterscotch later with success. Give me a few months and I may feel ready to atempt the budino...