Red Lantern on Riley (and Red Lily)

When asked what my favourite cuisine is I will answer Vietnamese straight up. Saying that, this is always a question that makes me think.  Being the world traveller and global eater that I am there are many cuisines that fall into this category of 'favourites'.  So the question should be more on the level of what Asian cuisine is your favourite.

 

I have been a long time follower and fan of Luke Nguyen.  I have a number of recipe books and watch his TV shows.  I also have a copy of the 'Secrets of the Red Lantern' and have thoroughly enjoyed reading this too.  I'm always inspired to re-create dishes from these books.

 

Red Lantern has been on my radar for sometime and with friends visiting from Dubai (via Quebec) this was the first place that was a must to celebrate my friends birthday.

 

 

Red Lily cocktail menu

 

 

Arriving at the Red Lantern on Riley, I first notice the friendly welcome, the warmth of the space and the definite feeling of being transplanted into any restaurant in Saigon or Hanoi.  I'm left with a yearning to return to Vietnam instantly.

 

We are shown through to Red Lily at the back of the restaurant, which is the cocktail bar. 

 

The menu is vast and vibrant and rich with tropical fruit infusions.

 

cocktails all round

 

Top left - Berried in Chocolate - Mozart dark chocolate liqueur and creme de mure blackberry shaken with lime and a hint of lily's spiced winter syrup

 

Top right - Poached As - Spiced Wild Turkey and poached pear puree with Lily's spiced winter syrup and a red wine reduction

 

Bottom left - Ho Chi Minh Sling - lychees, lemon, cucumber and mint topped with dry gin, lychee liqueur and jasmine tea 

 

Bottom right - Pham Fatale - house infused kaffir lime leaf vodka shaken with lychee and ginger liqueurs and coconut water

 

I had the Pham Fatale and it was so refreshingly tasty.  The intense kaffir lime hit makes my taste buds tingle with pleasure.  Love this cocktail.

 

Well take a sip of each others (for reviewing purposes) and they are all delicious.  I could drink these cocktails all night.

  

We were finally seated and ready to devour the menu.  There is so many amazing dishes and it was hard to choose just a few to share.  Choosing entrees's seemed to be easier than choosing mains.  Entree's just seemed to pop out at us. 

 

We start with 3 entree's to share.

 

Cuon Thit Nuong

 

fresh rice paper rolls

 

Soft rice paper rolls of char grilled honey pork and Vietnamese herbs.  Fresh rice paper rolls are always a great way to start a meal.  Fresh, herby and so very tasty when the filling is perfectly balanced.  The honey pork is wonderfully sweet and charred.

 

Banh Bap Chien va Tom

 

I was curious about the prawn and cauliflower fritters and just had to sample them. 

 

 

 

Spencer gulf prawns and cauliflower fritters served with sweet fish sauce. 

 

Enveloped in lettuce, herbs and peanuts, dipped into the sweet fish sauce...popping these into your mouth was a pure pleasure.

 

But it was the last entree that stole the dish of the night for all of us. 

 

Banh Bot Chien

 

This is Aunty 5's rice cakes with tiger prawns, caramelised pork, pork floss and shallot oil.  I think there was a moment of silence with a moan or two  from the four of us as we relished every single bite of this dish.  This will be ordered again for sure!

 

I know I have the recipe for this but to try and duplicate it might just burst the bubble.  

 

 

 

Aunty 5's rice cakes

 

 

As mentioned earlier, mains were a little harder to choose.  We wanted everything but knew the tummy capacity was not going to allow that. 

 

In the end after much discussion we went with 3 dishes and a side with steamed rice too.

 

Bo Luc Lac

 

I ate many versions of this dish while living in Cambodia and it's a staple favourite.  Red Lantern's version is made with O'Connor Black Angus beef strip loin tossed in oyster sauce and sesame (although traditionally it is made with garlic and black pepper).

 

This was delicious. 

 

bo luc lac

 

 

Ca Nuong va Goi Hoa Chuoi

 

 

 

Pan fried fish fillets with tamarind sauce and banana blossom salad

 

We are torn with this dish.  half the table enjoy it, the other half not so much.   The  seeded crust is crunchy and nutty however the actual fish leaves a 'muddy' taste in your mouth.  That is not necessarily a bad thing.  If you prefer your white fish only you may have some problems with it. I'm okay with the 'muddiness' of the flesh and it doesn't displease the pallate so much  AND I WISH I COULD REMEMBER WHAT TYPE OF FISH IT WAS!

 

It appears that I haven't a decent photo of our third dish (but it's here in the background).

 

Ca Ri Vit

 

Burrwaong duck yellow curry with eggplant and cherry tomato. 

 

This was a lovely light curry and the duck is cooked between a medium and well done. 

 

 

 

We go with a side of tossed greens and steamed rice.  The tossed greens in bean curd are moreish and I keep going back for another piece.

 

 

 

Of course no dinner is complete without dessert and we decided that we would share one.

 

As we were celebrating Mrs Fu's ('25th') birthday she was surprised with a sparkler.

 

We had the banana fritter..  They only way to eat bananas in Asia in my opinion!

Coating in shredded coconut and served with icecream.

 

 

This was truly a delightful dinner and I will be returning again soon (even if it's just for Aunty 5's rice cakes).  Happy Birthday to my lovely friend Mrs Fu...hope your birthday holiday was amazing (even if you didn't get to cuddle a koala!)

 

 

 

 

A Masterclass with Matt Moran @ Sydney Seafood School, Fishmarkets, Pyrmont

I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends, who in their ultimate wisdom and knowledge of my passions and hobbies, have been overwhelmingly generous celebrating with me reaching the big 4-0 and have lavished me lots of foodie gifts!  

One of those gifts was a hot date with Matt Moran (okay I had to share him but that's not the point).

Last night found me sitting beside one of my dearest friends A (along with 40 odd other randoms), smiling and laughing along with celebrity chef, Matt Moran at the Sydney Seafood School at the Fishmarkets at Pyrmont.

This was my first time doing a class at the Sydney Seafood School and I was super excited about doing it with a Celebrity Chef (yeah that sounds naughty!)

We were greeted in reception and ushered through to the lecture style room. Tiered seating offered a great view of the kitchen bench which also offered TV screens and mirrors for added coverage.
After introductions were made (not that any were really needed!) we were regaled of stories of his upcoming Season 2 of Paddock to Plate, along with chef/kitchen stories and of course following instructions on the 3 recipes that he was cooking (which in turn is what we would be cooking following the session).

 

Matt in action

My mouth was drooling just watching him cook and I have to say watching a chef in action is amazing.  They are so methodic and make it all look so easy. 

After this session were were then ushered into the main kitchen area where we were put in to groups of 6 at a bench and after introductions to our team for the evening we discussed amongst ourselves which dish was being cooked by whom. Two people to a dish. A and I were eager to do the Crab and Pea Risotto.



Everyone ended up helping everyone prepare our ingredients anyway, and we all were chatty and happy as we chopped, diced and sliced.

A having a go at skinning a squid

Matt made his way around to all the benches, overing tips and advice on our dishes, along with some photo bombing.

I really enjoyed this cook.  It was social and fun and learning to cook dishes that I hadn't attempted before.

icing down my peas (and yes I pea'd on the floor!)

 

 

This was the first time my friend A had attempted to cook seafood - I think she may just give it a go in her own kitchen now!

 

 

During our cooking time, I quickly popped out to purchase yet another cookbook (so don’t need another one right!!!!) and chose Dinner at Matt’s. He was close by to sign my copy and for a quick photo or two. He also signed my huge Birthday badge that A asked me to wear for the evening.

meeting Matt Moran

Matt Moran cookbooks

So what did we cook?
We start with risotto.  A dish that I very rarely eat.  I have attempted risotto in the past and I have always been disappointed in it. It's either to chalky, gluggy or starchy.  Over the past 5 years I haven't been eating alot of starchy carbs (ie bread, pasta or rice) not because of any allergen or dietary issues, just because I have adopted a high protein, low carb approach due to some surgery I had on my tummy.  There are days I wish I could eat a whole bowl of rice or pasta (just never going to happen) *sigh*...anyway I digress......


 Crab & Pea Risotto

 So this is the dish that A and I were allocated.  A did most of the actual cooking of it.  I mainly chopped and threw in the ingredients.

crab and pea risotto

I haven't cooked crab before.  Love to it when the luxury permits.  We used prepacked raw spanner crab (which takes the cooking and picking time out of the equation) and fresh peas.  We all mentioned how shelling fresh peas took us back to our childhood when we used to sit with our mum (or grandma) and shell a big bowl.  One of the ladies on our bench mentioned that her grandma made the kids whistle during the shelling.  Why I asked?  Because if you weren't whistling it meant you were eating the peas!!!! LOL....so true!!!

I was very taken with this risotto and it's a definite on my recipe radar.

Chilli, Salt & Pepper Squid

chilli squid with fresh lime

 
Again, calamari is a dish I love to eat when out but never attempted at home.  But that has changed.  this was spicy and the calamari was tender.  Just make sure that your oil is very hot to ensure a crispy batter.

The ladies did a fantastic job, and plating was very pretty.

Steamed Blue-eye Trevalla with garden herbs and Sauce Vierge

blue-eye trevalla

This was surprisingly simple and easy to cook and definitely will be on the menu at a dinner party soon.  I think this is the first time I've taste trevalla.  It's a good meaty white fish but light and so very tasty.  The fresh herbs used are sensational and the tomato, lemon and peppery flavour of the sauce pairs well.

Receipes were easy to follow and plenty of staff on hand to show you where all our ingredients and cookware was placed around the benches.

I have always been wary of cooking seafood at home, mainly because it can be a very expensive protein to stuff up (and easily at that) and there have been plenty of times I've overcooked my fish but after tonight’s cooking class I feel a little more confident that I could do more seafood dishes at home.

Overall, I think we cooked, dished up and plated rather well in the 1 hour time slot and it was lovely to sit down with our ‘team’ and eat our creations ‘family’ style, chatting over a glass of wine and some fine food (if I do say so myself).

A & I celebrate over a glass of wine

 

The dining room is abuzz with activity.  We have set our own tables and we are to also clear them at the end of the meal.  Helps the staff with clean up.


I love the lighting in the dining room and absolutely love the design of the lights!

lighting in the dining room

If you like cooking, learning new techniques, cooking classes, celebrity chefs and/or seafood, I would recommend booking in to do a class.  The School offers a great current program.

Thanks to A, I and A for the wonderful birthday gift and being able to share this experience my my dear friend.  It was a fabulous night.  I have a feeling we will be back doing another class in the future!

Bourbon Peach Glazed Brisket - get your meatsweats on!

I have always had a love affair with the Deep South

Not sure when it started, perhaps to much Gone with the Wind and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which just happens to be my favourite movie OF ALL TIME and I won't be mentioning the exact number of times I have seen it, but it does runs into triple figures. What I do know is that it's love......

I've been researching for months for my upcoming trip to Louisiana and have been reading blogs on BBQ (and all the variations and interpretations), Creole, Cajun and Soul Food.  I know I don't have enough time for all of it and it will probably lead to another trip at some point.

A recent purchase of Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee surprised me with a blend of Southern and Korean 'fusion' flavours (although I'm not a big fan of the fusion word when it comes to blending flavours).  As I cracked open the spine the first page that opened was like a sending me a message from above (and I'm not religious!) - it was like a ray of sunshine hitting the page or it could have just been the glare from the office fluro lights! I did know this was the first dish I would have to try and cook.

Yesterday was that day to try.  What was the dish?

Braised Brisket with Bourbon Peach Glaze

I had a bit of a hard time hunting down peach jam/conserve in Sydney. Why do we not make peach jam? Eventually I found a jar of Hank's peach and vanilla jam.  That will do - great jam by the way!

Starting off with the dry rub of a mix of salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cinnamon I cured the brisket for 3 hours. I did make one variation and that was to halve my recipe because I just didn't need to do 4kgs of brisket.

dry rubbed and ready

Preparing the braising liquid, I was a little unsure about how it would taste after smelling the vast amount of booze that went into it. It reminded me of the pub carpet the morning after a big night. (perhaps I was a little hungover which didn't help) Anyway, bourbon and stout along with soy sauce, beef stock, brown sugar and thyme, along with some fried onions, celery, carrot and tomatoes went into the pan.  Browning off the brisket fat side down, I flipped the slab of meat into the roasting tray and sealed it with foil and popped it in to the oven for 3 hours at 170 degrees.

ready for the oven

The house smelt divine after an hour.

By the time my family arrived some 4 hours later, I was preparing the peach glaze and the mashed potato, corn cobs and peas were ready.  I usually get frazzled as I try to entertain, serve drinks, cook and chat but I was the complete domestic goddess today.

I did have a mishap with my masher.  It got suctioned into the potato and broke in half!

By the time I was grilling the peach glaze and fat on the brisket, my family were seated and ready for the carving. I'm telling you it was a food religious experience (for me anyway!) as I sliced into the tender slab of brisket and the sticky glaze glistened. 

I'm drooling as I sliced (but not on it!)

 

dinner is served  - family style - no fancy table here folks

 

Plates piled we dug in and the sounds of oohs and ahhs and moans from the family must have meant it was tasty. It was juicy and fatty and tender and sticky, perfect with buttery mash potatoes, peas and corn, along with the braising vegies (which were delicious!).

Even my 5 year old niece liked the brisket (she's sometimes a picky eater when it comes to sauces and whatnot) and she was very proud of herself that she decorated the plates with lemon wedges that she cut (and not at all needed with the dish but she thought it was a pretty garnish (where has she learnt that from!).

 

my plate

 

 

Needless to say we polished off the brisket ending in the meat sweats - and there are no leftovers.  That's always a good sign but that also means I don't have any dinner tonight!  Perhaps I should have done the 4 kilos?



My Plate: Peppermint Crisp Pie

peppermint crisp pie

 

It's been an epic weekend.  Birthday celebrations saw me at the Good Food and Wine Show on Saturday with some close friends, which then continued on into the night with a girls night in, with copious amounts of wine and good food, not to mention the fantastic group of girlfriends I am blessed with.

Sunday dawned a bit fuzzy and hazy (and I'm not talking about the weather) and it was an afternoon of family gatherings to celebrate the birthday and catch up with some family.  The original menu that I had planned didn't happen because the weekend ended up being much busier than originally planned, but I did do this dessert!

Peppermint Crisp Pie.  It's an Apples for Jam recipe by Tessa Kiros.  I have adapted the recipe to accommodate Australian 'equivalent' products and slight changes in measurements.  You will need to make the dulce de leche prior to making the dessert.  You will need at least 4-5 hours to make the caramel and let it cool.

Ingredients

1.5 packets of Marie biscuits ( you may not need all the crumbs)
150g butter, melted
1 tin of dulce de leche (sweetened condensed milk boiled)
whipped cream
3 peppermint crisp bars, crushed (or grated peppermint chocolate)

Method

Take labels off the tins. Place unopened tin of sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan and cover with water (at least an inch above the can).  I also placed a clean tea towel into the saucepan around the tin to keep it from bouncing around  (I did 3 tins to make extra caramel and used 2 tea towels).  Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for at least 3 hours.  Ensure water level does not drop below the tops of the tins (or may have have a caramel explosion in your kitchen).  Turn off and let the tin cool down. DO NOT OPEN WHILE HOT!*

Crush biscuits in a blender to make a crumb.  Place in a bowl and pour in melted butter.  Mix together.

Pack crumbs into pie tin (20cm pie tin) and pack down to make a crust.  Place in fridge to set until ready to serve.

Place pie crust on a plate, top with dulce de leche, whipped cream and sprinkle the crushed peppermint crisp (or grated peppermint chocolate) over the top.

As I hadn't made dulce de leche before, I was super impressed with myself when I opened the tin and saw the deep sweet, fudgy caramel.  This is a super easy dessert (once you have the caramel made) and I think it was the crispy peppermint shards on top that gave it the wow factor. 
* You can store unopened tins of caramel in the fridge or pantry.  I have kept some in a container in the fridge to have sneaky spoonful or two.  It's sinful but oh so delicious!

BBQ with Jamie Oliver

Like many, I wish Jamie Oliver could be a guest at one of my BBQ's, but I had to be happy enough with cooking a few of his recipes from Jamie's America cookbook.

I'll confess, it took me a long time to 'discover' Jamie Oliver's cookbooks.  Of course, I watched TV shows and flicked through Naked Chef cookbooks, but just never got into the hype (I know where have I been) but it was after seeing Jamie's American series and hence the purchasing of the cookbook that I became a big fan! Now I'm hooked!  Why did it take so long?  I can highly recommend the cookbook.

Anyways, I'm a convert now!

This particular weekend (going back 18 months or so!) I decided to cook for the folks and lil' brother. I hadn't been back in Sydney that long and was slowly settling into Sydney life.  I hadn't cooked for the family in a very long time.  I wanted to wow them with my inner domestic goddess (hahah).  It was nearing the end of summer but it was a cold, blustery, rainy day. Not great BBQ weather but perfect for slow cooking some ribs!

The ribs take about 7 hours in the oven.  So I spent the morning preparing the rub and marinades, shoved the ribs in the oven and  left the house to go test drive some cars (as one does)!

Five hours later I came home to a house full of wonderful BBQ aroma and a new car!  I'm not sure which I was more excited about?

So what did I actually cook?

Daisy May's BBQ Ribs,  Chili Cheese Cornbread and an Apple and Walnut Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing with corn cobs on the side

Daisy May's BBQ Ribs

The ribs were succulent and meaty and were very tender. In the photo they look a little dry but they weren't. They could have had another hour in the oven for more fall of the bone tenderness but I've learnt that for next time.

Chilli Cheese Cornbread

The cornbread was rich with cheese and jalapeno chillis and had a dense texture with some crumb but was delicious.

Apple & Walnut Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

This was surprisingly a very crunchy fresh salad, despite the blue cheese dressing being a little heavier.  This was a big hit.

The family demolished the meal, so I'm thinking it was a huge success. My brother raved about the cornbread that I froze the leftovers into portions for him to eat over the next few weeks.  It was gone within 3 days! I will admit that I had the cornbread for breakfast one morning, toasted with lots of butter and a poached egg! YUM.

This was the first time cooking a Jamie Oliver meal and it won't be my last!

Lentil, Chilli & Mint Soup

When I first began this little project, I was cooking and photographing the dishes more than I was posting them here...yeah I've said it before I was a slack blogger in the early days!  So it's time to dig out some of those recipes and post them! 

This soup is a winner for winter.  It's easy to pull together and perfect for a cold winters night.  I've adapted it from a Donna Hay recipe from her 10 Minute Meals cookbook (which I have a personal signed copy wishing me a Happy Birthday).

I am now focusing on my inner Donna Hay....food stylist extrodinare. She makes things so delectable on a plate.  There's alot to learn.

I will admit that I cooked mine for nearly 20 minutes to get a smoother, softer lentil because 10 minutes didn't seem to really cook it and I played around with the spice level to suit my personal taste.

Red Lentil, chilli and mint soup

Ingredients

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 small brown onion, chopped
1 cup of red lentils
1 long red chilli, diced
1-2 tsp lemon rind, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 litre of chicken stock (you could use vegie stock)
handful of mint leaves, washed and chopped
greek yoghurt

Method

Fry onion, chilli, lemon and cumin in oil
Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil
Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until smooth and creamy
Stir in mint
top with yoghurt and mint and serve

The resurrection of the blog and a facebook page

I've decided that this blog space has been sporadic enough.  With the view of me actually writing and taking photos I keep telling myself to focus on it but time just gets away from me and I never seem to really focus on it.... ..I've procrastinated far to long...it's now time to actually pull my finger out and do it more often. 

I have plenty of photos and material to occupy the space for sometime.....so I'm going to dig deep into the memories and photo archives of some delicious travel eats and start posting.

To go along with this 'new/old/resurrected' project I've also created a facebook page to go along with it....so you can follow me there to.  Mainly covering photos of My Plate, which is a project that I like to do when I'm dining out or cooking at home...

Please support my endeavours in the culinary eating world that I love so much!

Here is a link to my page Roofood.  I hope you will pop over and visit!

Carmelised Pork with Ginger and Vinegar

I got myself back in the kitchen last week inspired by my recent readings of Kylie Kwong.  I decided on this dish - carmelised pork with ginger and vinegar.  I have not  slow cooked pork belly like this before.  Usually I roast it to a super crunchy pork crackling state.  Slow cooking it makes the skin go all gelatinous and gooey....pork bliss!

Now I can only assume that you leave the skin on because the recipe only said pork belly.  It didn't state whether to the leave the skin on or not.  It worked for me leaving the skin on and the flavours were delish.  I did realise afterwards that I used palm sugar instead of brown sugar, so not sure if that changed the sweetness of the dish.  My pork certainly wasn't as dark as was pictured in the book...(but hey food photography always looks better!)

As I was a solo diner for this meal I had a heap of leftovers and the next day the flavours were even better.  I also was able to skim off the solidified pork fat that had set at the top of the container.  The sauce was a jelly.  Perfect!

Cookbook Addict: Kylie Kwong - My China

I've recently 'discovered' Kylie Kwong.  Previously she was someone that I hadn't really taken much notice of.  I saw her on a couple of episodes of Masterchef Australia and my interst was piqued. 

A few weeks ago I saw her at Eveleigh markets dishing up her famous buns and pancakes at her stall and I decided to go look at some of her cookbooks.  Originally I was going to get the Simple Chinese Cooking Class, but then I saw My China and I was hooked.

My love of cookbooks isn't just about the recipes.  It's about the story, the culture, the history and the photography that goes into the book.  I just love reading someone's story about their travels and their food adventures, along with the recipes.  I love to read about the different regions of a country that make up their food culture.

I couldn't wait for my parcel to arrive and I haven't put it down since.  I'm captivated!

Not only does it make me want to travel to China (even more than before) but I'm intrigued in Kylie's cooking.  I want to check out her restaurant Billy Kwong in Sydney and I'm stopping by the stall next time I'm at the markets to say hi!

Cookbook Addict: Heston at Home; Mexican Street Food and Movida Rustica

I have a secret. A secret that I don't think I have shared here yet. I have a cookbook addiction. Particularly ones full of food, photography, travel and information about anything food and travel related.



I admit that my collection is growing (groaning) yet I find I can still add more.


I have recently added 3 more to the collections and I am excited about trying out some of the recipes in them.





So what has been added to the collection?

At the moment I am "dream" planning my trip to Central America. Hoping next year I can take some time out to go. I find that I am reaching for Mexican flavours at the moment. They are exciting, palate tingling flavours, using new ingredients..





Now I just have to source some in Sydney.