Mother's Day 2010

Two weekends ago, I went home to surprise my mom for Mother's Day. It's difficult shopping for a present for your mom, so I figured the best thing I could do for her was cook her a nice meal. My mom requested food with Thai flavors so I drew some inspiration from Thai food that I've had recently in LA. I can't claim that these are authentic Thai dishes--in fact, they may be far from it--so I will just call them "Thai-Inspired."

I started planning the menu two days before Mother's Day and it only took me an afternoon of prep work to put out this "four-course" dinner on Sunday for my mom, my brother, and myself. Thankfully, everything worked out and as far as I could tell, my mom enjoyed everything. Although she is my mom so she might be a little biased ;) I will say one thing though--it's nearly impossibly to cook and sit down to eat at the same time.

Mother's Day 2010

Thai-Inspired Menu

Red Curry Mussels

New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels, Red Curry, Coconut

Our local Whole Foods always has beautiful mussels, and if my mom and I see them when we go grocery shopping, we have to buy some. Usually I do them in a simple lemongrass broth, but this time I wanted to do something different and a little spicy. I added some red curry paste to the fish stock I made earlier that day, and it created the perfect broth for the mussels. It was definitely a nice spicy appetizer.

Thai Beef Salad

Grilled Flank Steak, Cucumber, Carrot, Red Onion, Cherry Tomatoes, Cabbage, Cilantro, Chili Lime Garlic Dressing

I drew inspiration from Jitlada for this salad. I remembered seeing a Jitlada recipe online for a Thai Beef Salad and I adapted the recipe for this dish. I marinated the flank steak in a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper before grilling it to medium rare. A salad of fresh vegetables dressed in a spicy dressing of mortar-and-pestled garlic and chili, fish sauce, lime and honey provided the perfect complement to the slices of steak. I soaked the raw red onions in cold water to make them milder, created strips of carrot with a peeler, and cut half-moons of a seeded cucumber. It was nice and light--a salad that would be perfect for summer.

Seafood Tom Yum

Lobster, Shrimp, Halibut, Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, with Lemongrass, Lime, Ginger, Cilantro, Roasted Red Chili Paste

For this soup, I drew inspiration from a recent trip to Nakkara. I decided to pour the soup into the bowl tableside just like they did at the restaurant. I cooked each protein individually in the broth because of their different cooking times. I made a fish stock earlier in the day out of halibut bones I got from Whole Foods for $0.99/lb. I flavored the stock with some Thai flavors, and I think it turned out pretty well for my first try at Tom Yum soup although next time, I might add a little more acidity.

Chocolate Molleux

Valhrona Guanaja Chocolate, Coconut Chantilly

Finally, a chocolate dessert. My mom's favorite desserts always involve chocolate so this was perfect. It really doesn't get any more chocolate-y than this. Using high quality Valhrona chocolate made this molten chocolate cake even more indulgent. It was my first time using this Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe, and it worked pretty well. However, next time I would bake them just a little while longer--they were still a little too unset. Not a problem though--it just made them more "molten."

Minnie wanted a bite too ;)

Nakkara

When Kevin invited me to a blogger tasting event at Nakkara--a Thai fusion restaurant on Beverly Blvd--I gladly invited the invitation for three reasons. 1) I haven't met Kevin in person yet, and I've been an admirer of his blog kevinEats for the longest time. 2) I love Thai food. I can't turn down Thai food. 3)It was scheduled for the day after my accounting midterms. I knew I'd be needing some cheering up. What could be better than a special 13-course tasting menu at a Thai restaurant with a group of fellow food bloggers?

Nakkara on Beverly

7669 Bevely Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90039

tel: 323-937-3100

Nakkara Mieng Kham

toasted coconut, cashew nut, dried shrimp, diced lime, Thai chili, red onion, and thick sweet mieng sauce

We started with this nice one-bite offering wrapped in a cleverly cut and folded leaf of romaine lettuce. Inside the lettuce was all kinds of yummy things. The most apparent was the dried shredded coconut--present in the wrap and the accompanying sauce. Amy of theroamingbelly convinced me this was a one-bite thing, so I put the entire thing in my mouth. It was a very BIG bite for me but a wonderful bite when my teeth found the little wedge of lime hidden in the lettuce. It provided such a nice refreshing burst of citrus.

Spicy Filet Mignon Skewer

grilled filet mignon, bell peppers, green curry sauce

The ensuing dish was also a nice one-bite deal. A skewered piece of tender beef, resting inside a shot glass full of delicious green curry. Needless to say, I downed the sauce in the shot glass after the bite of meat.

Garlic Lamb Chop

grilled marinated lamb chop, crispy garlic

This was a nicely prepared lamb chop--cooked to a good temperature, perfect amount of lamb flavor. While I am usually not a fan of the taste of garlic cooked to a crisp, it worked in this dish. The squeeze of lime was also a nice touch. The bell pepper garnish (which we saw in the previous dish and will see in some later dishes) was used too excessively in my opinion. Bell pepper has a beautiful color as a garnish, but also such a strong flavor.

Peking Duck Rolls

Peking roast duck, romaine heart, rice paper wrap, Hoisin & Sriracha dipping sauce

This dish reminded me of vietnamese spring rolls--light and refreshing. I always get excited when I see duck on the menu but in this case, the name Peking duck was a little misleading. To me, Peking duck implies that some crispy duck skin is involved. There was only duck meat in the roll. The sauce was also a little too salty and overpowering for me. I preferred the roll without the sauce.

Big Surprise!

steamed mixed seafood, coconut milk, red curry paste

calamari, scallop, shrimp, crab meat

Such an intriguing name for a dish! This is the restaurant's signature dish and it didn't disappoint. The serving vessel itself was fascinating--the owner explain that he had brought them from Thailand and that is it usually used for a dessert dish. In this case, each little compartment contained a nice little "surprise" of calamari, scallops, and shrimp topped with curry-soaked crab meat. I had initially thought that there would be a different "surprise" under each lid, but it turns out they were all the same. No complaints though! Just the act of revealing what was underneath those little domed lids was exciting!

Shrimp Tom Yum

hot and sour broth made with aroma of fragrant herbs, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, fresh lime, and chili

Nice clear broth that was refreshing--just your typical Tom Yum soup. The lemongrass and lime flavors were very apparent. I enjoyed it and actually preferred it to the other soup of the night.

Chicken Tom Kha

coconut milk and hot and sour broth made with aroma of fragrant herbs, galangal, lemon grass, and chili

Both the soups were poured at the table, which I always enjoy. This soup was basically like the Tom Yum just with some coconut milk added into the mix. It was a little heavier but still good. The pieces of chicken were a little bit dry though--ironic since they're in soup?

Green Papaya Salad

shredded green papaya, cherry tomato, green beans, chili lime dressing

I actually really enjoyed this salad. I usually stay away from green papaya salads because I've had a few that are ridiculously spicy. This one was at the perfect heat level for me--just a nice warm burn at the back of the throat. Sweat wasn't beading up on my forehead, I wasn't downing the entire glass of water. It was actually very refreshing. Although usually topped with peanuts, this salad came topped with cashews. I applaud the choice of cashews because it provided a nice, sweet, smooth, creamy touch of nuttiness.

Soft Shell Crab Panaeng

deep-fried soft shell crab, crispy basil leaves, Panaeng curry paste

If soft shell crab is on the menu, I order it. Here, it was a little overpowered by the sauce. However, overall it was still very delicious--just not the best Thai soft shell crab I've had...

Crying Tiger

flamed grilled marinated rib-eye steak, dried chili pepper sauce

This was my favorite dish. The marinated steak came with a great tangy sauce. There was something crunchy in the sauce--I'm not quite sure what it was but it was really good. The meat was cooked to a good temperature again--as was apparent in most of our meat dishes. The accompanying crudités were also a nice touch of freshness.

911 Catfish

deep-fried catfish, young peppercorn, Krachai roots, red chili paste

Tasty, but by this point I was getting pretty full. I managed to eat two pieces of it, but now that im thinking about them and im hungry, I wouldn't mind eating a few more. I'm also not quite sure why it was named 911 Catfish...it wasn't particularly spicy, although I'm thankful for that.

Seafood Pad Thai

the most popular street food in Thailand + the freshest seafood from the Pacific coast

I found the pad thai to be too sweet--even with a generous squeeze of lime. Come here for their other dishes. This was the only one that really didn't work for me.

Surf & Turf Fried Rice

grilled filet mignon, shrimp, ginger fried rice

The shrimp found on this dish were very similar to the ones on the pad thai. Thankfully, neither was overcooked. The bell pepper in the fried rice was very apparent, while the ginger not so much.

Mango & Sweet Sticky Rice

Thailand's traditional summer dessert

The mangos were delicious! Perfectly ripe, not stringy, and definitely tasted like the wonderfully, smooth, sweet mangos I've had in Asia. Not the dry, stringy ones that I've gotten a few times here. The sticky rice was a little sweet for me but probably perfect for most people. I just loved the mangos!

Nakkara's business card describes itself as a "Thai-inspired" cuisine and it is just that. We had some lovely dishes that evoked familiar flavors associated with Thai food, while remaining at a perfect level of spiciness. 13 courses was a lot but we worked out way through each one happily.

It was so great to eat with everyone there!

Amy of The Roaming Belly

Danny of Kung Food Panda

Diana of Diana Takes a Bite

Felicia of The Food Ledger

Kevin of Kevin Eats

Green-Lipped Mussels

On this rainy day, I have nothing to do but contemplate the female sexuality. I am trapped in a room with no kitchen and only Sleeping Beauty and Prince Tristan and a collection of lusty poems from my English class.

Yet in the end, my thoughts return to food.

The stiff, proud stalk of an asparagus,

the erotically-shaped, briny muscle hidden inside the hard shell of an oyster,

the creamy texture of an avocado coating the tongue.

Food is sensual.

This deliciously inviting mussel resembles another muscle...no?

Lemongrass Green Mussels

2 pounds green-lipped mussels

1 can fish stock or clam stock

2 cups water

1 stalk lemongrass

1 shallot

1 lime (zest and juice)

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar (or piece of rock sugar)

1 teaspoon salt

1 inch nub of fresh ginger

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 clove garlic

3 stalks green onion (only green part)

1 serrano pepper

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

salt

I love green-lipped mussels. They're so much meatier and tastier than the smaller P.E.I. mussels. Every time I see them at Whole Foods, I buy every last green-lipped mussel they have. This is my favorite way of preparing them. The Thai-inspired broth is deliciously lemony and fresh with a spicy heat from the serrano pepper.

1. Cut the stalk of lemongrass into pieces, dice the shallot, zest and juice the lime, and cut ginger into large slices. Combine with fish stock, water, rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring to boil and reduce by a third.

2. While the broth is reducing, clean and de-beard the mussels.

3. Strain the reduce broth through a sieve and reserve.

4. In a large pot, saute minced garlic, sliced serrano pepper, and grated ginger in the sesame oil. Add the mussels to the pot with some salt. Transfer some of the broth to the pot with the mussels. Add enough to cover the mussels only halfway. Cover and let the mussels cook until they open.

5. Plate in a shallow bowl along with some broth and enjoy with someone you love.