Thai Iced Tea - Cha Yen

I really miss Mother Teresa.  That's my code name for one of my best friends.  We used to do everything together, every single day.  She's not only the god mother of The Young Tongue, she was and still is my confidante.  We've laughed and cried together, bought pets, started a business, traveled places, and she is my "go-to-Mom" whenever I have those "you-don't-want-to-ask-your-pedia-because-you'll-sound-stupid-and-you-should-know-this-by-now" kind of questions.  And in so many levels, our background and outlook in life are similar.  I don't even have to explain anything, she just gets me.  How often can you find that?!

One of her favorite drinks is Cha-Yen, or simply put, Thai Iced Tea.  When I lived in Manila, we would trek Dusit Hotel to get this as authentic as possible.  The quality after all, was trustworthy.  Over sips of this drink and several dishes, we would sit there in Dusit Thani, sharing our life stories.  We would also exchange parenting tips.  I really admire her for her devotion to her growing family.  She is a super mom! 

So here's how to prepare her favorite drink:

You'll have to start with a Thai Tea Mix.  They widely use the NUMBER ONE BRAND here.  It comes in this packaging, with a "thumbs up" sign.  I searched high and low for this in Bangkok and just when I was about to give up, I befriended a Thai Iced Tea hawker guy in front of our office, and asked if I could just buy a few packs from his inventory.  And he so kindly obliged.  He also told me that this brand is readily available in local stores.  Apparently, I was looking at the wrong places.  I guess when he said "local," he meant as local as you can get - not the big names like Tesco's or Big C (previously Carrefour) and definitely not Villa Supermarket.

Steep 2-3 teaspoons of this tea mix per cup of boiling water for a few minutes.  Here you can see me use my ever-dependable, Bodum tea infuser (how I got this in Sweden is another story all together which I'll probably share someday when I cook something Scandinavian).  Right, back to the tea...  Strain and combine with 3 teaspoons (or more if you want it sweeter) of condensed milk.  Pour into a glass with lots of ice.  And for that indulgent (or shall I say naughty) flavor, drizzle with evaporated milk.  Most people question the addition of this last ingredient since they feel the condensed milk gives it the right sweetness already.  In my opinion, the evaporated milk gives a more creamy flavor and well-balanced note, so this last step is ever-so important.  Do not compromise and don't just settle without.

Refreshing and uniquely Thai! Do you know that saying "once on the lips, forever on the hips?"  Drink in moderation I guess.  But quite frankly, I drink a tall glass every lunch time.  And that's because it's "aroi maak maak!"

So cheers to you Mother Teresa!  I miss you heaps.  And I can't wait to see you here in the City of Angels.  

Sauteed Spinach

Dark leafy vegetables are very good for your children because vitamins A, C, K, folate, iron, and calcium are present in these greens.  My mentors have told me that these are high in fat-soluble vitamins, so in order for these to work, you have to cook it in fat like butter or olive oil.

Saute a piece of onion and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil or butter until translucent.

Toss in your washed spinach leaves.  If you're cooking a hefty bunch, try to saute them in batches so that they will all cook evenly.  Then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

All these ingredients are readily available in any supermarket.

Bresaola, Rucola, Miele e Tartufo

I found some Bresaola in the market yesterday and decided to make a salad for myself.  Bresaola is air-dried salted beef from Lombardy in Italy, usually dark red or purple in color.  It has a sharp and distinct taste, so when nestled in a bed of rucola (arugula) with it's natural radish-like and peppery flavors, a melodious affair begins.  Other components of this salad calls for the creamy and buttery texture of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese, ground almonds, the subtle and refined taste of ile de rhe rock salt, freshly ground long pepper known to be fiery and sweet (thanks to Tricia who gave me hand-carried ones from her recent trip to Florence), extra virgin olive oil, and copious amounts of miele e tartufo (truffle honey).  If you don't have long pepper, you can use black peppercorns.  

Please note that honey should not be given to children under the age of 2 years for the risk of botulism.  Click here if you'd like to know more about it.

I got this truffle honey from Santi's and carefully read the label first because for the price, I wanted to get my money's worth; and I did!  With generous slices of real truffles (how often does that happen?), an authentic taste was ever present with the sweet goodness of Italian honey.  It might also be good to note, that it's made in Umbria.  A few notes I learned from chefs which I'd like to share for newbie truffle lovers: 

• the white variety is superior to the black one
• consider Piedmont (up north) and Umbria (central) as truffle country in Italy
• Italy is known for the best truffles in the world
• female boar/sows are used to sniff/smell for truffles because it resembles the scent of a "wild" boar in heat 

I'm sure by now, you wouldn't be surprised to read that The Young Tongue wanted to try my salad too.  The arugula might be too much of a stretch for her and the honey a big no-no, so I made her try the Bresaola instead.  And the usual suspect just kept asking for more!

Prosciutto, Zucchini, Mushroom, and Mashed Potatoes

 

Mashed potatoes, when served with a motley crew of flavorsome friends, can be enjoyable and colorful!

Pan-sear the prosciutto slices in a hot pan with olive oil until crispy.  Set aside.  In the same pan, saute thinly sliced zucchini.  Set aside.  Then toss in portobello or Swiss mushrooms and saute to perfection.

Bring water to a boil, add a piece of peeled potato (per person), and allow to cook in a gentle simmer.  You can test doneness by placing a paring knife right smack in the center, and if the potato falls off the knife, it's cooked to the core.  Remove from the pot and place in a bowl along with a knob of butter per person.  If you're inclined on having a richer flavor and velvet-like consistency, you can go for an added dollop of cream.  Mash and season to taste with salt and pepper.  For this recipe, I chose to season with Sabatino & Co. Truffle Salt.  Then place in a serving bowl.

Assemble the prosciutto, zucchini, and mushrooms on top of the mashed potato and for unctuous goodness, drizzle liberal amounts of truffle oil.  Season with truffle salt.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Sabatino & Co. truffle products are available locally albeit not in a mortar and brick store.  Email:  cecillec12@yahoo.com for orders.

This is NOT a paid advertisement.

Portobello Mushroom Risotto

My friend, Arlene, requested an easy risotto recipe.  And so, here it is. 

I used Ribe Risotto, but would prefer arborio.  You'll also need some truffle-infused oil to add an intensified mushroom taste in the end.  Both the risotto and oil are available in Santi's deli.

Saute chopped white onions and sliced portobello mushrooms in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.  You can add shell fish (in my case, I added Manila clams) or you can add other vegetables if you want to keep this entirely vegetarian.  Remove from the pan once cooked.

In a separate pan with boiling water and salt, plunge your baby asparagus.  Allow to soften for about a minute or two.  Then remove and set aside.

In the same pan where the vegetables were cooked, toss in the uncooked risotto.   I use half a cup of uncooked risotto for a hefty serving per person.  Allow the grains to get translucent.  This will take about a minute or two.  Then immediately...

...pour your stock, gradually.  If you're serving this to vegetarians, use vegetable stock.  If you added shell fish, you can use fish stock.  You can also use chicken stock or beef stock.  If you're cooking 400 grams of uncooked risotto, you'll need about 1.2 liters of stock.

Constant stirring and attention is required when cooking this dish.  Truly, a labor of love.

Once the risotto is al dente, add some cream and grated parmigiano-reggiano.  Season to taste.  Stir.  The consistency you're after is silky and a slightly runny.  You may also add a knob of butter.

Place the risotto on a deep plate and assemble the shellfish, mushrooms, and asparagus.  Then drizzle with truffle-infused oil, liberally.

Saffron Couscous

The Young Tongue loves couscous.  Whenever we have nilaga at home, I always try to serve this with something a little bit more festive so that she gets excited to eat it.  Today's ingredient of choice happen to be Saffron.

I think I was 9 years of age when I first asked my dad to buy me this ingredient along with polenta and chocolate chip morsels.  He recounts how difficult it was then to buy saffron in the US, the good variety always being under lock and key. 

Allow your saffron threads to bloom in hot water.  I use about 20 threads for 2 people (but you can use less if on a budget).  I used half a cup of boiling water.

 In a hot pan with olive oil, saute a medium piece of white onion.

Add half a cup of couscous once your onions are translucent.  Stir for a minute under gentle heat.

Pour your half cup of water with saffron threads.  Then immediately...

...pour your half cup of chicken stock.

Add about a knob of butter and stir.  Cover with a lid and allow the couscous to absorb the liquid fully.  This will take about less than 5 minutes under gentle heat.  Season to taste.  Serve immediately.

MOTHER TERESA NOTES:

Saffron threads and couscous are readily available in Santi's.  I also came across couscous in Landmark supermarket.

Fried Mozzarella

The Young Tongue loves cheese.  When she was 7 months old, she insisted on having a try of my cave-aged Gruyere sandwich.  So occasionally, I relent to giving her a snack of cheese, in various forms.  Yesterday's snack was paired with Oh, Baby! All Natural Baby Food Tomato Young Palate Line (pureed goodness in a jar).

Drain your mozzarella cheese and pat dry with a paper towel.  Then dredge in a bowl of flour mixed with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper.  You can also opt to put other dried spices like nutmeg, cardamon, fennel, paprika...more or less, you get my drift.  You may likewise do the same with the cheese, if mozzarella doesn't suit your fancy.  Try Gruyere, Cheddar, Manchego, Blue Cheese...ah, the possibilities are limitless!

Then dredge in a bowl with a beaten egg.

Then place in a bowl with breadcrumbs (I used Japanese breadcrumbs found in any supermarket).  For a thicker coating, you can dredge back into the eggs then the breadcrumbs.

Deep-fry until golden.  If you have the luxury of a deep fat fryer, set the temperature at 180 degrees Celcius.  For a small snack like this, I opted to use a non-stick frying pan, consuming less oil.  I also drained excess oil by using a paper towel.


PLAN AHEAD:  
You can coat the mozzarella balls ahead of time and place in the freezer a day before your party.


IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TECHNIQUE!  
You may also use this technique for other fried foods like chicken or fish fillets, shelled shrimps, mussels, oysters, and so on and so forth.

Honey-glazed Pork Belly

(Honey-glazed Pork Belly, recipe 4 of 5 for First Officer Diaz's Dinner)

We rarely cook pork at home but when we do, we like it grilled.  I remember my lola using sugar cane juice along with lemongrass for her marinade.  I didn't have lemongrass and sugarcane juice in my kitchen, so I just used honey and dried organic thyme.

My other ingredient is Knorr Aromat.  I first came across this powerhouse of an ingredient in Switzerland with my siblings, Ricky and Liesl.  We saw this widely placed in tabletops across several cantons.  Though it wasn't until I worked with a Swiss chef named Kurt Pozzato, that I discovered it's powers.  It's perfect blend of spices and herbs help accentuate most flavors in any dish.  This goes without saying, that if  I were to choose only one ready-to-use commercially-produced cooking ingredient, it would have to be Aromat.  The European-made ones are available in Santi's, but at a fraction of the cost, you can buy a locally-made one in Landmark or Makro (and it's still produced by the same company, Unilever).

I used a kilo of pork belly and drizzled it with honey (I used Sicilian honey for it's perfect balance of sweetness, but any regular honey will do) and rubbed it with Knorr Aromat, in liberal amounts, along with some dried organic thyme.  I usually marinate my meat in an air-tight ziploc bag in the fridge.  Our room temperature, anywhere between 28 - 33 degrees celcius, is too tricky and bacteria can multiply in just seconds - so beware!

Once your charcoal is ready, just plop the pork (brushed with vegetable oil) and allow for it to cook until well-done.  How can you tell if it's properly cooked?  It's drippings (juices) should not be colored red or pink, and instead, should be translucent when it rests on your plate.  Pork, by the way, should never be eaten rare or medium-rare.

And for those who just followed/read this blog, I served it with Roast Capsicums in Rosemary Dressing (for recipe, click here) and buttered corn on the cob (sprinkled with paprika).

Moules Marniere

To kill time during my winter break as a culinary student, I helped out in the basement kitchen of Le Cordon Bleu, by preparing meals for our chefs.  The task was quite daunting, considering, the thought of having to cook for your mentors, all of whom worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, frightened me.  To have backed out at that point, was unthinkable, so I just rolled with it.

Chef Didier ruled that kitchen.  Belgian-born, he moved to France to work for starred chefs, until he found himself working for Harrod's.  Wanting a slower-paced life, he chose to work at the Le Cordon Bleu, the setting for which we met.  High on EQ, he immediately tried to assuage my fears by telling me he'd gladly help me on my first lunch service.  So I asked him to teach me that fragrant snail dish I fell in love with in Brussels.  We couldn't find snails in the pantry at that time, and so we opted for mussels and he said in the thickest French accent I can remember, "Zer iz no escargots in zi Freezir zo we shall juz cook Moules marniere inztead.  Iz ziz okay wiz you mademoiselle?"  How could I say no?  It sounded fairly simple, and it was!  This dish is French by nature but is oftentimes seen all over Europe.  

In a hot pan, combine extra olive oil and a knob of butter.  Let this combine.

Add chopped shallots.  If you don't have shallots, combine red onions and garlic.

Add mussels that have been quickly washed in running water.  I like to serve about 10 pieces per person as an entree.  And I like to cook the mussels within the same day I purchased it.  I like to keep things fresh, especially for seafood (which doesn't stay longer than 3 days in my freezer).

Pour a quarter to a half cup of dry white wine then cover with a lid under medium-high heat.  Special instructions on cooking with wine can be found here.  If you're too lazy to read the link, pour wine into a cup rather than straight from the bottle as I've seen one too many bottles of wine flare up.  Your hand might catch fire.  Also, you  may want to regulate the flame to low when you pour your wine because you might end up doing a flambe (fire catching your mussels).  


Once the mussels open, they're cooked.  Discard unopened shells immediately.  Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.

Add coarsely chopped parsley.  I wanted to give this a slightly Swedish accent by placing dill instead.

Mother Teresa Notes:  Mussels can be bought in wet market or S&R.

Vongole

One of my best friends, Ter (short for Teresa), challenged me to include a few easy-to-follow-recipes into this blog for mothers like her who don't know how to cook (or so she modestly and humbly  claims).  She also mentioned that I should cite where I got the ingredients so that she could replicate everything as I require.  I'm labeling these recipes "Mother Teresa" on this blog.  And to kick things off, she's requested a recipe for Vongole.  So Ter, this one's for you!

Slice or chop (whichever you prefer) 5 shallots and 1 piece of garlic thinly.  If you don't have shallots like me (I forgot to buy them), you can opt to use onions.  Combine extra virgin olive oil and 10 grams of butter (if you don't have a weighing scale, just imagine those free butter that comes in single-sized packs in the hotels) on a hot pan.

Once your butter and olive oil are well-combined, place your Manila clams.  I like using about 20 pieces per person.  You can easily buy this in the wet market (I personally prefer going to Farmer's market at 5:30am, beating some of the restaurant/hotel chefs to the freshest catch) or if you can't wake up that early, you can buy this in S&R or any supermarket.

Pour a fourth or half a cup of white wine (measurements are per person) and immediately cover with a lid.  My stove is still on medium-high heat at this point.  I also happen to use Chardonnay because I had a bottle that was already opened.  For novice cooks, do not pour wine straight from a bottle if you're cooking with a gas range, simply pour your wine in a cup first as I've seen one too many bottles flare up.  Regulate your flame too because this might catch the alcohol and you'll end up doing a flambe!  Ladies, your hair might catch fire.


Allow the Manila clams enough time to cook.  You'll know it's done when the shells open up.  Discard shells that don't open and refuse to eat them if you're served any.

Add your pasta of choice.  I used a Bavette (De Cecco) because it's what I had in the pantry and because I like it the most of all the commercially-produced pastas.  You can get De Cecco in Landmark, but don't fret too much.  If you can't get De Cecco, use Barilla, or opt with what you have in your pantry already.  As a rule of thumb, I under cook my pasta by a minute.  For vongole, I under cook it for 1.5 minutes.  The reason why I under cook it longer than usual is to allow it to continue cooking with the Manila clams, allowing it to absorb it's juices, as I add it into the pan with shells.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  And add coarsely chopped parsley.  In my case, I used dill because of the abundance from my garden. 

Simple, fresh-tasting, and an eye candy of a dish, this must be served as soon as it's cooked.