Piroshki - a Christmas tradition

There are two foods that I have always remembered eating over Christmas. One is sausage rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning, and the other is piroshki. Originating from Russia, these little savoury treats were introduced to our family by a Latvian friend of my mother's, who she first met in the early 1980s when studying textiles at Strathfield Tafe. They have been a family favourite ever since.

Mushroom, bacon and onion filled piroshki. It's hard to stop at just 1. or 2. or 5. 

I don't know how they came to be a Christmas tradition, but I suspect the first time mum had them was Christmas. Making these has been a bit of a tradition too. They are quite simple, but VERY TIME CONSUMING! So we have all had to make a few to help.

Sadly this year mum wasn't involved in making them as she unexpectedly passed away in August. So I was on my own. In a kitchen I have rarely cooked in since I left home aged 17. With a few helpful comments from dad {but not actual get-the-hands-dirty help}.

However I KNOW she would have been watching and laughing at me, especially when I ended up covered in flour, and with sticky dough bits all over the kitchen. And when I struggled to make little round balls of filled dough - most of mine have leakages. Oh well. They still taste just like I remembered. The test will be when the rest of the family taste them too! In about 10 minutes. Eek!

The hardest part of this was actually finding the recipe - I knew it was on a very yellowed scrap of paper, but the mystery was where! Luckily I found mum's recipe folder, and there it was - covered in much flour and oil stains (and yes, it's now been scanned and copied)!

As we eat these as part of many meals over Christmas and usually have hordes of people popping in, I made double the quantity. They also freeze well and just need about 5 minutes in the oven at about 180c to reheat.

Ingredients - dough
11g dry yeast (or two sachets)
2 1/2 tbs sugar
3 cups plain flour
1 1/4 cup milk
125g butter
2 tbs salt
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
beaten egg to glaze

Ingredients - filling
olive oil
3 large onions, finely chopped
250g bacon, finely chopped
250g mushrooms, finely chopped
fresh ground black pepper

Method
Combine the yeast, 1/2 tbs sugar and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl, stir and leave for about 10 minutes so it can react, become frothy and rise. {I didn't have scales OR any measuring spoons so had to guesstimate the amount! I was a bit worried I had under-estimated so added a bit extra. THAT was unnecessary! But it turned out OK. Phew!}

My frothy, yeasty mix. This continued rising to almost over the bowl!

Heat the butter, salt and remaining milk and sugar in a saucepan until it's lukewarm. Stir occasionally. {I overheated mine and then promptly burnt my hand when I started kneading it all in a later step. D'oh!}.

Butter, milk, sugar and salt - DON'T LET IT OVERHEAT!

Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well. When the milk and butter mix is ready {and not too hot!}, add it, the yeasty mixture and the egg yolk. Stir it with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated. Knead it with your hands for about 3 minutes until it's smooth and elastic - note that it will be very sticky and this is how it is meant to be. Sprinkle some flour on top, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it in a warm-ish spot to rise, for about an hour.

This was my dough before it rose. It rose to the top of the bowl.

While the dough is rising, heat a large frypan with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, add the onion and gently fry until clear (3-4 minutes). Add the bacon and mushroom and cook through (about 5-8 minutes). Once this is cooked, let the mixture cool.

This is where I realised I had miscalculated the time as it was 4pm and we were going to a Christmas party and needed to leave at 5pm! Eek! I left the dough to keep rising and when I came home I popped it in the fridge for it to rest overnight. On the plus side, this made it a bit less sticky when I came to use it the next day. I also put the filling mixture in another container and kept it in the fridge overnight.

So the NEXT day I did this bit.

Heat the oven to very hot - about 230c (or 450f).

Crack the egg into a small bowl and mix together - this is the egg wash for brushing over the piroshki before baking.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface {I just used the kitchen bench - easy to clean after!}. Knead it lightly until it comes together. Because it was still quite sticky I used a bit of flour on my hands too.

Lightly kneaded dough

Get the filling mix and give it a bit of a stir.

With the dough, tear off pieces that are a bit smaller than a golf ball and flatten it out on the bench. Add a teaspoon of filling to the middle of the dough and roll it up. In theory it should look like a ball. In practice this didn't really happen.

Squashed dough with filling in the middle, before it was rolled up

Place them on baking trays lined with baking paper (or similar) so they don't stick. Leave them for about 10-15 minutes to rise a bit more, then brush with the egg wash. Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Yeah, yeah, they are not all round. But they still taste the same!

CAUTION - the filling takes longer to cool down that the outside once they are out of the oven {Yes, I was impatient. Yes, I burnt a few tastebuds. Yes, I RACED to get a cold glass of water. No, I doubt I learned from that moment of greed. It's the once a year piroshki after all!}. 

Et voila. YUM. 

Making these piroshki was a bit of a comedy of errors {if you were following me on twitter you would have felt my horror at finding the HUGE weevil at the BOTTOM of the bag of JUST PURCHASED flour immediately AFTER I had added the wet ingredients}. 

Sorry loved ones who have just read this after eating. Think of the extra protein {smiles}. 

Do you have any Christmas traditions? I'd love to hear them! 

{And yes, I'll post a sausage roll recipe too!}

UK culinary genius Heston Blumenthal is coming to the Goldie!

In today's exciting food news, UK culinary genius Heston Blumenthal is coming to Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast - 18-20 March 2011. 

Heston Blumenthal

Heston will host In Conversation with Heston Blumenthal - an exclusive weekend event that offers participants an insight into the unique philosophies of one of the world’s most intriguing chefs.

If you have ever watched any of his TV shows, been to his restaurant The Fat Duck {and LUCKY YOU if you have!}, or read his book, you'll know he has made his name blowing up, reducing, foaming, freezing, deconstructing and reconstructing what was once mostly normal food. 

According to the media release, a special feature of the weekend will be the “Evolution of Taste” sessions where Blumenthal will be sharing his unique philosophy and approach to cooking, exploring taste and flavour, and his passion for the multi-sensory experience of eating and drinking, supported by extraordinary photographic images, and clips from his renowned television shows.

Another highlight will give participants the chance to get-up-close-and-personal with Blumenthal when he hosts a dinner on the Saturday night joining his guests at their tables instead of cooking.”

Tix are $3,750 per couple, and in case all that food is too much for you, it also includes a round of golf! 

For info and to book contact Events Worldwide on 1300 788 666 or visit www.events.com.au. 

I'd love to go - does anyone want to sponsor me?? Pretty please? 

Speedy asparagus tart

I was making sausage rolls on the weekend (yes, those lamb ones for those of you sampled them!) and found myself with 1 leftover sheet of puff pastry. I really didn't want to throw it out, so I had a quick forage in the fridge to see what else needed to be used up.

A few other bits and pieces later - the remnants of a container of ricotta, a couple of eggs almost at their best before date, a scrap of parmesan, a few cherry tomatoes and some gorgeous asparagus - and I had the makings of an easy-peasy tart.

Not my greatest photo - but you get the general gist of it!

Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
3 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup of ricotta (I think I had something in between)
about 20g grated parmesan
1 bunch of asparagus - ends snapped off, rinsed
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Place the puff pastry into a quiche or pie or flan dish - I used a long one that had a removable base. I needed to cut the pastry sheet to fit.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs, ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry (it won't look like a lot, but it will puff up when cooking).

Arrange the asparagus and cherry tomatoes on the eggy mixture.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Leave in the dish to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. You could serve it with a salad for a light lunch or dinner.

Option - to make the pastry base flakier you could pre-bake the pastry for 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly, then push the base down before you add the egg mixture. I was hungry so didn't bother pre-cooking the pastry, but the base pastry was a bit doughy. Next time I'll try not to be so impatient!

Do you have any "use up the leftovers" tricks?

Pulled pork - Mexican style

This is a dish I have been hankering for since seeing pulled pork at a food truck in San Francisco in October. Which I didn't try as I had already scoffed too many other foods that night. And which I was rather annoyed about as the smells were just lip-smacking!

This version is very different as it has Mexican flavourings and not the southern BBQ I desired in San Francisco. That version will be made for another post. When we've finished eating the mound of pulled pork still in the fridge. mmmmm

The only problem with this dish (and it's really NOT a problem if you are organised) is that it takes about 8 hours to cook. And that is only a problem if you are a) impatient and b) have a serious, uncontrollable, need-it-NOW craving.

What you need:

• vegetable oil - I use grapeseed or ricebran
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped
• 2 kg boneless piece of pork (I used boneless pork leg), skin and excess fat removed
• 3 tsp smokey paprika
• 4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried coriander (you could also use a handful of fresh, but I had dried that was bought in error and I wanted to use it up)
• 4 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, and 2 tsps of sauce (chipotle chilis are what make the flavour of this dish so try and get them. Many good gourmet food stores will sell small tins of them)
• 1 cup water

What to do:

Turn on the oven and heat it to about 140c. 

Heat the oil in an oven proof pot that has a lid (I used a Le Crueset casserole pot) and fry the onion and garlic on a low heat until soft (about 3-4 minutes). 

Saute onions and garlic

While the onion and garlic are cooking, mix together the paprika, cumin, salt and coriander. Make deep cuts into the pork (not all the way through) and rub the spice mix all over the pork and into the cuts. Rub on both sides. Place the pork into the casserole dish and brown it on both sides (about 1-2 minutes on each side). 

Pork rubbed with spice mix, in the casserole dish

Add the water and chopped up chipotle chilis, cover with the lid and bring it to the boil. Once boiling place in the oven and let it cook for about 6-8 hours. Check it every hour or so, and turn the pork over at about the 3 hour mark. This can also be cooked in a crockpot, I just don't have one! 

I've just been flicking through Donna Hay's latest book. It's pretty obvious that her "cooked" shots are not actually in the pot the dish was cooked in. They look waaay too pristine! Anyway, this is the cooked pork. You can see from the waterline that the liquid has reduced, which is what you want it to do. 

Once the pork is cooked, you should be able to pull it apart with two forks - which is why it's called pulled pork :) 

Pulled pork - this took about 15 seconds as it just fell apart as soon as the fork went near it!

Once this has been done, I normally let it cool then pop it in the fridge overnight to let the flavours develop. It can be eaten the day it's made, but it tastes a LOT better 2-3 days later. 

I served it with homemade corn tortillas (but you can buy your own from the store if that's easier - but they taste SO MUCH BETTER if you make them). 

Making the corn tortillas was SO EASY. And a HUGE thanks to Natascha Mirosch for blogging this on her blog Degustation which gave me my inspiration. 

I bought a tortilla press and masa flour (I bought it from Pennisi's Fine Food in Brisbane, but other good providores should have it too). Masa flour is corn flour, so great for coeliacs. Follow the directions on the flour - mix 2 cups of flour with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 1/4 cups of water. Roll into 16 golf ball sized balls, and squish each one in the tortilla press. My 10 yo step son did this bit. Cook in a fry pan with no oil until brown and a bit puffy, then turn to cook the other side. Serve warm. 

Tortillas rolled into little golf-ball sized balls

I used Glad Bake so the tortillas wouldn't stick to the press.

Using this press (which cost me $35) was so much easier and quicker than using a rolling pin.

Brown in a non stick fry pan. Mine is big so I can do 3-4 at once which made it a lot quicker

The finished product - these can stay warm by covering with foil and placing in the oven on a low heat. They taste pretty yuk when they are cold, but delish when warm. 

I served the pork with the tortillas, a quickly pan-fried mix of sliced red capsicum and red onion, guacamole and salad of black beans, corn, red pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes from the garden, coriander, squeeze of lime and splash of olive oil. 

My tomatoes! Am proud of these even though I did nothing to grow them! They just appeared thanks to the wonders of our compost. 

Pulled pork

Red capsicum with red onion, quickly cooked in the pan I cooked the tortillas in. As the pan was still hot, I added a tablespoon of olive oil, the veggies, and it was cooked in about 2 minutes. 

This is one of my favourite salads. I LOVE black beans but they are a bit of a drama in Australia as I have to buy them dried, soak them, cook them, then freeze them in ziplock bags until I want them. Well worth the monthly cookup.

Bean and corn salad

Finally, EAT! 

When serving I also added some store-bought green chilli sauce for extra flavour (you could also use Tabasco). 

A big thanks to Julia Birks (who was a lunch guest) who took a few of the photos and who reminded me I needed to get the final shot before we ate it all! And for providing a few boutique wines. 

I also made a baked chicken dish for this meal - but that's another blog post. 

QLD FBI. Not a night for spies. Or undercover agents.

For a year or two now I've been hearing about the QLD FBI. As an avid reader of crime and thriller novels, I was intrigued. Would there be spies? Would there be covert operations? Would there {gasp} ... be a fugitive???

Alas, it was not to be {little sigh of relief}. QLD FBI hosts events for the Food and Beverage Industry. And yesterday afternoon I went for my first time. Along with quite a few other first-timers {waving hello}.

Held at Martin Duncan's Freestyle Tout at the Emporium, QLD FBI showcased a range of food suppliers. I'm still debating what my favourite was. A huge thanks to the suppliers who generously supplied their products for tasting:

• Fino Food and Wine - cheeses and tasty little oat crackers that I SERIOUSLY NEED to buy some of
• Amber Hill Wines - sadly I was driving so only tasted the chardonnay. Having seriously overdosed on chardy in 2000 I haven't really had a palate for it since. This one changed all that. If my cribbing from the website is correct, it was the 2008, which was their first chardonnay. Who says Queensland can't make wine??
• Careme Pastry - I met owner and chef, Will Wood, at the Good Food and Wine Show, but really didn't know who he was {oops. I do now}. Of course I had tasted Careme Pastry, and I have 4 packets in my freezer waiting to be cooked. And eaten. Soon. Check out the website for ideas and recipes {drools}. 
• More Food - were showcasing Coffin Bay oysters (More Food are also the distributors for Careme Pastry). I have on good authority that these were amazing {my view on oysters will never again be publicly shared after a twitter comment that caused outrage}. 
• Beloka Water - sparking and still water from Beloka, on the eastern border of the Kosciuszko National Park. One of the most gorgeous parts of Australia. In my opinion. The sparkling was just as I like it. Not too many bubbles up my nose. 

Cheeses - anticlockwise Camenbert (front), brie, burrata, NZ blue

Cheese - washed rind (l), blue (r)

Amber Hill wines 

Beloka water

Careme pastry - sour cream shortcrust

Careme pastry - lemon merengue at the front (with vanilla bean sweet shortcrust), little chocolate tarts of oozy-goodness at the back (with chocolate shortcrust) 

Martin Duncan (pink shirt), owner of Freestyle Tout; Will Wood (chef's whites), owner of Careme Pastry. Maker of all baked goodness at QLD FBI. 

The wait staff were swarmed when they emerged from the kitchen with Will's baked goodies. Not shown were the little tarts with caramelised onions, blue cheese and pear slivers. OMG. These were so, so good. Actually, they take the prize as best of the day. At least for me. Sorry there is no pic. Everyone else obviously loved them too, as by the time I thought to snap away all I had left were crumbs dribbled down my top, and the sight of empty plates (I wanted seconds. Didn't get them).

If you're in the food biz in or around Brisbane, check out QLD FBI. It was a great afternoon. Martin confirmed he has 4 events lined up for 2011, and that they will be on Mondays from 3-5pm. Just in time for when Monday-itis AND 3.30-itis hits {or is it just me who finds Monday afternoons a chore?}. No other excuse needed. See you there next year.

Herbie's spices

I have always loved to cook with as many different herbs and spices as I can, and to experiment with different flavour combinations. So you can just imagine my excitement when Emma from Black Pearl Epicure called to invite me to attend their cooking class with Ian "Herbie" Hemphill from Herbie's Spices. Of course I didn't need to think for long before saying yes!

I was even more excited when I found out the theme was Moroccan Spice and that our meal would be cooked by Glen Barratt from the wonderful Restaurant II. Every meal I have eaten there has been an absolute standout, with the most special to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary in 2008.

But back to Herbie. I really don't think he stopped talking the whole evening (barely even to eat!), as he regaled us with stories of his life and passion. Interspersed with his stories was an outpouring of information on spices. And of course a gorgeous meal. He explained to us how there are five categories of spice, and that how we use them depends on their characteristics. The categories are:

1. sweet - such as cinnamon and vanilla
2. pungent - such as cardamom, cloves and star anise
3. tangy - such as tamarind and sumac
4. amalgamating - such as coriander and fennel seed
5. hot - such as pepper, chilli and mustard.

So when people say they don't like spicy food, they generally mean they don't like hot food. Think about it. How many people do you honestly know who don't like vanilla ice cream or cinnamon scented pastries?? 

The first food we sampled was beetroot and yogurt dip with mastic. Many readers will recall George using mastic in a couple of episodes of Masterchef. What interested me is that mastic used to be eaten as a chewing gum (in the pre-Wrigley's days of course!), and that after an hour of chewing you could still determine the flavour - something that certainly wasn't possible the last time I chewed a piece of gum! This dish used the mastic infused in olive oil so we weren't chewing, chewing, chewing!

Beetroot and yogurt dip with mastic

The Zahlouk interested me as it's English translation was eggplant salad, but it was cooked. Eggplant is one of my favourite veggies and I'm always after new ways too cook it and different flavours to add too it.

Zahlouk (eggplant salad)

Another favourite of mine are legumes in all shapes and sizes. This dish, white beans with tahini, was also absolutely gorgeous. I had to restrain myself from having thirds! I'll be making this for dinner tomorrow night and I suspect I won't show the same self-control!

White beans with tahini

Berbere chicken with spiced couscous was the main course, and smelling Glen cooking it made me very glad I didn't have thirds of the beans! We were all drooling at the mouthwatering aromas coming from the stove. I had never heard of the spice mix berbere before, and a quick read of the back of the spice packet when it came to our table showed it contains sea salt, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, Ajowan, fenugreek, allspice, ginger, chilli, nutmeg and clove.

The Herbie's website has a recipe for an African Berbere paste and I'll be making this in the not too distant future to coat a few chicken pieces for the barbie {mouth waters in anticipation}.

Berbere chicken with couscous

Now I'm really not a lover of oranges. Unless they are fresh, sweet and eaten dribbling over a sink. This dessert converted me. The orange slices were spiced up with a syrup of orange and lemon juices, honey and Ras el Hanout. And it was delicious. Luckily we were given a teaspoon to help with the leftover syrup, otherwise I may have had to lick the plate! The dollop of sour cream helped cut through the potentially cloying sweetness of the syrup.

Spiced orange slices

I think the best tips Herbie gave us were:

• trust your judgement when you are balancing flavours
• smell the spices every time you use them - this will help you notice the flavour profile and gain confidence so your understanding and feeling of the spice will become more subliminal over time
• roasting or heating spices will change the flavour, giving it a greater depth - just like the flavour of bread is changed when you toast it
• don't over-roast spices as you will make them bitter
• store your spices in a dark cupboard and in an airtight container
• don't let your spices come into contact with moisture - use a DRY spoon when scooping them out of the packet and don't just wave it over a steaming pot. 

After learning all this, I realised that I need to be more adventurous, and also find some room in my very overcrowded pantry so my spices can get off the kitchen bench!

My favourite spices are cumin, chilli and fennel seed. What are yours? 

Comforting lasagne

If you follow me on twitter you will see that today I'm wanted to have a VERY BIG RANT about a few things that seriously annoyed me. 

I didn't.

Instead I jumped on my mac to blog about one of my favourite comfort foods - lasagne. Just saying the word makes me feel like I've been enveloped in a great big hug with a snuggly woolly blanket and the arms of a loved one.

Fortunately I've made lasagne twice in the last 5 days so I have had plenty of practice! I've also taken plenty of photos - in fact I've taken 70 photos just of the 2nd lasagne! And to those of you who have asked, YES, I'm POSITIVE I have taken more than 70 photos of my hubby in the last year. Just not in the last 5 days. :)

I love both meat and vegetarian lasagnes and have made a lot of both this year (it's been a difficult year). This recipe has meat, but you could easily substitute the meat for extra veggies or for lentils.


What you need:
Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, peeled and chopped

250g pork mince

250g veal mince (you can buy veal and pork mince in one packet from some supermarkets)

1 x 750ml jar of tomato passata

1 x tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 tsp Italian seasoning

4-5 shakes of Tabasco

1/2 cup red wine (or water)

200g mushrooms, sliced

1 packet lasagne noodles (fresh or dry, I used dry this time)

250g ricotta cheese

250g mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes or grated

50g parmesan or pecorino, grated

1 packet frozen spinach, defrosted and with as much liquid squeezed out as possible

cubed mozarella

• In a large frypan heat 2-3 tsp olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. 

Sauteeing garlic and onion - hear the sizzle! 

• Add the mince and cook until browned (about 4-5 minutes). 
• Add the tomato passata, tin of tomatoes, wine, sugar, salt, pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, Tabasco, stir to combine and bring to a simmmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. 
• Heat the oven to 180c
• While meat and tomato mix is simmering, mix the ricotta and the spinach in a medium sized bowl

mmm spinach. Popeye would be proud!

To assemble:

• Put about 2 tsp olive oil on the lasagne dish, mix with your fingers so the bottom of the dish is lightly coated (this prevents the lasagne sheets from sticking). 
• Put the first layer of lasagne noodles in the dish

I used a packet of Barilla lasagne sheets this time, but usually I use fresh

• Spread half the meat mix over the lasagne noodles, add half the mozarella 

If you want to make it a bit healthier you could always leave out the mozzarella, but I love cheese!

• Add another layer of lasagne noodles and gently press down
• Spread the ricotta/spinach mix, put the mushrooms on top

This is the first time I've added the spinach to the ricotta and it added an extra dimension of flavour that  really enhanced the dish

• Add another layer of lasagne noodles and gently press down
• Add the remainder of the meat, then the remainder of the mozzarella. Finally evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the top. 

My favourite bit is when all the mozzarella melts when it's cooked. I could just eat the top!

Cook at about 180c for about 30 minutes or until golden on the top and the cheese has all melted.

It looks so pretty with the layers! But not so pretty that it won't be eaten!

Serve with salad, garlic bread and a big glass of red wine (for the over 18s. Or the over 21s in America). 

So OK, there's no salad or garlic bread in this pic, but there IS wine. 

This is simple and a real crowd pleaser! 

How do you like your lasagne? The traditional way or with a bit of variation?

Kim Thanh Restaurant celebrates 24 years

Last night was the end of an era for Chieu Lu and Cuong La - owners of Kim Thanh Restaurant in West End. And it is the beginning of a new era for their son, Bao La, up and coming chef.

I was privileged to be invited to a dinner to celebrate the 24 years Kim Thanh has been open. In an age where staying in the restaurant game for 24 months is a notable feat, 24 years is truly a triumph. Sadly at the end of the meal it was announced Kim Thanh will be closing next year. If you've not been, then go, and go quickly!

Dinner last night was cooked primarily by Bao La. At only 24 years old, and in the early stages of his chef's apprenticeship, it was a big challenge to take on, and one that he excelled at.

The 5 course tasting plate was a sensory delight. As I review the menu and my photos, I'm still trying to decide what I enjoyed the most. The photos below really don't do justice to the colours and until there is smell-o-vision or taste-a-picture, you'll have to take my word on the flavours and aromas.

Nem nuong cuon cham tuong Hue (grilled pork rice paper rolls with Hue dipping sauce)

Goi ngo sen tom thit (Pickled lotus stem salad with prawn and pork belly)

Mi vit tiem (Master stock cooked duck with egg noodles in Chinese herb broth)

I haven't cooked a master stock before, and also haven't experimented much with duck. After tasting this dish, I'll be doing both. I'm pretty sure it was my favourite. But then I nearly ate all the ice cream (below) before realising I hadn't taken a photo!

Bo luc lac (Wok tossed Black Angus with Dalat salad and tomato rice)

I don't know what the flavours were in the salad, but it had a beautifully subtle sweetness that complemented the flavours of the beef.

Dua nuong trai vai ca rem (Roasted coconut and lychee ice cream)

The only part of the meal Bao didn't make was the ice cream. The roasted coconut added a completely different flavour to regular coconut, and the addition of what I THINK were crushed fortune cookies at the bottom of the glass, gave a delicious little crunch that lifted the dish.

Thank you to Bao and your family for inviting me to celebrate with you. I look forward to returning again soon. And I will listen out for your future food adventures with interest.