mmm-yoso – Page 371

Luang Prabang: Pak Ou Caves, a LaoLao break, and Tat Sae

February 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

*** No food in this one…. just drink. If you're interested in the Pak Ou caves, and more waterfalls, read on……

Every guidebook on Luang Prabang mentions, and recommends a visit to the Pak Ou Caves. Located about 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang, the caves are said to have been originally used for worship of the river spirit. When Buddhism was accepted, the use of the caves changed. And over time, the Pak Ou Grottoes have become a repository of approximately 4,000 or so Buddhas. Wow, caves, grottoes, the Mekong…… I'm sold.

The Missus and I, desiring more freedom, decided that instead of taking the usual boat trip up and down the Mekong, we'd hire our own Jumbo, and take the overland route. The relatively new highway made the going pretty quick.

Until we turned off the main road and headed to Ban Pak Ou, the village across the Mekong from the caves. This last 10 kilometers took almost an hour.

It had rained pretty darn hard that morning (subject of a future post), and our trip turned into a mire-fest. Along with the spine smashing dips in the road, our faithful driver "Fong" dealt with some pretty nasty hydoplaning, and there were a few times where I thought we were going to get stuck in the mud. But Fong got us to our destination, and the Missus and I kinda enjoyed the ride. At least I enjoyed it after I managed to straighten out my spine.

In Ban Pak Ou, we hired a boat, which took us across the Mekong. This is the route that the pilgrims take to the caves during Lao New Year. I can only imagine what an ordeal this must've been before the highway. When the entire trip was taken on the dirt road.

The view of the caves while crossing the Mekong is breathtaking.

There are two caves at Pak Ou. The lower cave Tham Ting, which is about 50 feet or so above the Mekong, and the large, and pitch dark Tham Phum, a stairway climb up the cliff.

What did I think? Well, if you are Buddhist, or love Buddhas, you'll love the Pak Ou Caves, there are figures everywhere.

As for me, I found the view out of Tham Ting to be the most photogenic, and enjoyable.

We had a little surprise on the boat ride back across the Mekong.

Looks like we've got a boat "pilot in training". For some reason, the Missus and I were touched seeing the family trade being passed from Father to Son. Though the son may need a bit more training, as he overshot the bamboo landing and Dad, putting his slipper over his hands had to paddle us back to the landing. Fong, the Missus, and I couldn't help but crack up!

After landing, I made sure to shake the young man's hand, and told him "kopchai lai-lai" (thank you very much), which he found quite humorous.

The road had dried up quite a bit on our return trip. And before we hit the little village of Ban Xang Hai, something happened which I think we'll always remember.

As Fong was driving up the dirt road, we noticed a bike approaching going in the opposite direction. Peddling was an older man with a young girls packed on the back. As the bike passed us, Fong picked up on something and said, "aahh, look, look!" At which time the man on the bike whistled, and an elephant came running out of the brush! An honest to goodness elephant. The Missus and I let out yelps of startled joy, and I totally forgot to take a photo. The Missus finally collected Her wits and managed this shot.

Man that elephant was hauling, I'm guessing they were heading home for lunch? They don't call Luang Prabang the "Kingdom of a Million Elephants" for nothin'. This was one of those, "remember the time…….." moments for us.

Soon enough it was time for the "tourist" break.

All over the well touristed areas of Luang Prabang you'll see signs like the one to the right. And it is true, a bottle of Lao Lao (Lao whiskey – moonshine, if you will) is cheaper than bottled water. If I recall, a bottle of water ran you 10,000 Kip, Lao-Lao 8,000 Kip.

And the village of Ban Xang Hai is well known for it's Lao-Lao. Actually, the name of the village of under 100 people is "Jar-maker Village", but I guess now they are more in the business of filling those jars instead of making them.

Lao-Lao is big business here, and everything has been set-up for purchase by thirsty tourists.

And yet, I was charmed by the nice folks, and loved the "instructional sign" on how Lao-Lao is created. You can't help but smile when you read it.

Plus, when we returned back home, and watched a rerun of No Reservations, this is where that snarky, cranky, loveable lush, Tony Bourdain and his crew had Lao-Lao. If it's good enough for Bourdain……

Being used to their share of firewater seeking Westerners, some of the Ladies spoke passable mono-syballic English, and amanged to demonstrate how Lao-Lao is made.

As the sign says, in goes sticky rice and water, and out comes Lao-Lao. I received a taste of the stuff as it came out of the bamboo tube, nice and hot. It tasted almost like hot sake. Since it is made from rice, I guess that makes perfect sense. And of course, I had to buy a bottle, of which I don't remember the price, probably since I finished the bottle that very evening.

And it tasted nothing like sake….I remember that much.

We returned to Luang Prabang, and Fong drove thru the city and about 15 kilometers South to the village of Ban Aen. Catching a boat at Ban Aen we headed upriver for about 5 minutes to Tat Sae, another popular waterfall.

The scenery was wonderful, but I remember being distracted by the fact that the young man steering the boat had to constantly bail water out of the craft as we headed to the falls.

What really caught the Missus's attention when we arrived were the Elephants.

We bought two stalks of bananas which the elephants went through in less than five minutes.

When you look an elephant in the eye, you can't help but realize that there's some real intelligence there.

The whole experience was ruined when the Missus noticed that the elephants were heavily chained, and we watched one getting whacked with a baseball bat sized piece of wood……

The falls at Tat Sae are not very high, but are beautiful in their own right. There are several levels of limestone falls, which pass around and through the trees and the forest.

There are several large pool areas were folks can swim, and the water is clean, if a bit milky looking from the limestone.

You can walk over, and around the falls on a system of bridges, some of which are a bit precarious, but kinda makes you feel like you're a kid again….

We had done a bit, and the day wasn't over, but we needed to head back to Luang Prabang.

Our driver for the trip was Fong. He had driven the Missus around on the previous day while I had been taking my cooking class. And I think he felt pretty comfortable with us. On the trip up to the Pak Ou Caves he asked if it was all right to pick up his family, who needed to go to the rice fields for harvesting. He really didn't need to ask. And so we met Fong's wife, daughter, son, brother (who's a University student), and Mother, all packed into the back of the Jumbo, it's a great way to get to know folks. And of course there was the inevitable question; "ok, you are American. But what are you really?" If we're ever back in Luang Prabang, we'll make sure to find Fong….

As always, half the fun is getting there (and back)……….

White Chili

February 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Did you know I did requests? he-he-he…. On occasion the Missus has to work on weekends. Recently, it has been my habit to cook up a decent batch of food, for the Missus to take to work with Her. I'm kinda flattered that it has gone over rather well. But I guess that there's just so much Chili-Spaghetti, Soy Sauce Chicken, and deconstructed Loco Mocos that I can serve. Recently, one on the Missus's co-workers, and one of my favorite persons in the world "MP", asked the Missus if I could make "White Chili". The Missus, not knowing what White Chili was said, "no problem". The thing is, I didn't even know, nor had I ever heard of White Chili. In fact, I still don't know what White Chili is. So of course I scoured the Internet…. and really didn't find out much, other than it is a "chili" made with white beans and chicken. In fact, I still don't know what the origin of this "chili" (is it really a chili???) is. Ya' know, I admire folks who can whip out dishes they've never tasted, nor heard of, or use ingredients they really have never worked with. I'm not that person…….

I can truly say, I've never had a chance to even consider using Navy Beans….or even Cannelli Beans (white kidneys). I looked over a bunch of recipes, and to my surprise, we had most of the ingredients here at home. This turned out to be a good recipe for left-over rotisserie chicken, it seems that we often have some chicken left over, you know the parts with less flavor (i.e. breast). This usually ends up integrated into several dinners for Sammy and Frankie, but this time, I had use for it (sorry Boyz!).

I worked within what I knew about MP, not good with spicy, nothing to salty, etc……

On the way home from work, I picked up a can of Cannelli Beans, 2 cans of Navy Beans (on sale), and a can of diced green chilies.

When putting the recipe together, the first thing I noticed was how "flat" the dish was. Even with the green chilies, it was fairly bland. I added some cherry peppers, using only the green ones (to fit in the color scheme). When reading the recipes, it seemed like the chili was not hearty enough for my taste. Until I read one that used cannelli beans pureed with chicken broth as a thickening agent. In essence, a typical White Bean Puree was used to give the dish body. The dish also sorely needed some acid, which is why I ended up adding Pinot Grigio (nice and crisp), and some vinegar seemed to complete the equation. A dollop of sour cream also added to the dish, lime added more acid, and a palate cleansing citrus, and I thought that corn tortillas just seemed right…… funny how the mind works.

Enough with the verbage, I'm sure you want me to get on with the recipe. If you love heat, you can add jalapenos, or be like me when I had my one bowl, I added several dashes of hot sauce.

White Chili

3 Cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
2 15oz cans of Navy Beans, drained
1 15oz can of Cannelli Beans, drained
1 onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 Tb Olive Oil
4 Cups Chicken stock/broth
1 4oz can diced green chilies
4-5 Green Cherry Peppers, diced
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio, or similar white wine
1 Tb white vinegar
2 tsp cumin seeds (remember to crush)
2 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Garnishes/Sides
1-2 Cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
Sliced scallions
Cilantro leaves
Sour Cream
Lime
Tortillas
Hot Sauce

– In a food processor, combine Cannelli Beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth and process until smooth. Put aside.
– Heat a dutch oven or similar pot on medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and garlic, and saute until fragrant and translucent.
– Add the remainder of the chicken broth, oregano, cumin, green chilies, and cherry peppers (or whatever chilies you want – but try to keep the color scheme in mind).
– Bring back to a simmer, and add wine and vinegar.
– Add bean puree to thicken.
– Bring to a simmer, taste and adjust seasoning.
– Simmer for 1-2 hours (or leave overnight, it'll taste even better), and serve with the sides and garnishes of your choice.

I'm guessing it'll taste even better with home made chicken stock. And geeez some nice cheese biscuits!

So maybe someone can tell me…… what is "real" White Chili supposed to be?

Next request……. quick Coq Au Vin…….

Luang Prabang: Tamarind Cooking School Part 2

February 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

After a interesting visit to Phousy Market, we arrived at a riverside home for our cooking class. The class would take place outdoors, and items were already in place for our class.

Looking over the ingredients got me excited. I realized that most of the folks taking the class were looking to kill some time, but I just wanted to get going.

What made this really fun was the total "hands-on" approach. We were give ingredients, and verbal instructions, and cooked by "feel", which was effective on many levels(we were given recipes after the class). You may not have a clue about the cuisine, but you instinctively build dishes to your taste, which is why the same dish differs so much from place to place.

Another big change for me was…..everything was cooked on charcoal braziers.

No thermometers, no dials, just use of your senses, something that Joy subtly emphasized. "It is ok, so long it tastes good to you…."

And since everything starts with sticky rice…..

Some of the key points, soak at least 3-4 hours, but overnight is the best. Lightly massage the rice before draining. After placing rice in the bamboo steamer, pour water over rice and the edges of the steamer. After 20-30 minutes, remove the steamer from the pot of boiling water, and "flip" over. The rice turned out perfect, but I'm still not comfortable with making it.

What I found interesting was that unlike most recipes I've read for making this, we never covered the rice!

The next item on the agenda was a Jeow, the wonderful Lao "dip". We had choices of Jeow Mak Keua (Eggplant Dip), or the Jeow Mak Len (Tomato Dip). This is where I learned the concept of a "Lao pinch", which is twice as much as what I think of as a "pinch". It is key to roast the peppers and the eggplant or tomato. And since returning I've made this several times. It is quite easy.

The concept of "Western spicy" (1-4 peppers) versus "Lao spicy" (10-12 chilies) was humorous.

If making the Jeow introduced me to the use of the mortar and pestle in Lao cooking, making the Mok Pa, drove it home.

The mortar funnels the scents of the items being bruised, mixed, and crushed right up to your nose. You really get in touch with what you're making.

I've already posted a modified recipe, which you can find here. Of course, being all thumbs, it was easy to iidentify my "packet".

Next up, Joy demonstrated how to trim Sa-Khan.

Yes indeed, we were going to make Or Lam (Lao stew). When I asked about substitutes for the bark of genus Piper Ribesioides, I was first told black peppercorns, then Joy, turned to me and said, "for you, I know you can get Sichuan Peppercorns, so use that, but do not toast." Ah yes, the Lao affinity for the numbing bitterness……

Everything was placed into a pot, along with lemongrass, pea eggplants, cloud ear fungus, etc. The thickening agent was a ball of day old sticky rice, roasted briefly over charcoal, than pounded with a pestle.

Water added, stew on the charcoal, Joy, being much the slave driver said, "it's time for a break." So while things were being set-up for the next portion of our class, we relaxed and partook in a Laolao tasting. Joy also brought out the small bamboo tube he had left Phousy Market with, and asked, "anyone want to try this?" Opening the tube, out poured a bunch of wiggly, squiggly, silk worms. Being with an adventurous bunch, there an immediate "yes" was the response. The silkworms were taken to the "real kitchen", and soon a small plate of fried silkworms dusted with salt arrived.

If you like fried, you'll like these. Crisp and light, it's sort of like shoestring potatoes… I don't know why restaurants here in the States don't serve this, they are very innocuous.

A few minutes later, revived by some good Laolao (Lao home-made whiskey) and fried silkworms, Joy grabbed a stalk of lemongrass, and started cutting slits into it.

Finely chopped chicken was distributed, and Joy instructed us as to the ingredients for Ua Si Khai, Stuffed Lemongrass. Meat, be it chicken, pork, or beef, is chopped and placed into a mortar along with coriander, scallions, garlic, kaffir lime leaf, and salt, and pounded into a thick and rough paste. It is subsequently stuffed into the lemongrass. We each made two stuffed lemongrass, the first was grilled over charcoal.

The second was put aside, and later coated with egg and deep-fried.

As the stuffed lemongrass was being grilled, our Or Lam was ready. The fragrance was a heady mix of anise-woodsy-earthy smells. The anise accents via the use of "Lao basil" (holy basil). We each had a small bowl of Or Lam, and had a shot at the Sa-Kahn.

I bit into the bark, and got an instant shot of the numbing-hot ("Ma"), bitter flavor of the Sa-Khan. Sort of like Sichuan Peppercorn without the floral touches, adding in a puckering bitterness.

The Or Lam itself, was the best I had tasted to date.

As we finished off the Or Lam, our grilled stuffed lemongrass was ready.

The unanimous response as we ate these were; "did we actually make this?" It was wonderful!

Soon enough it was time to get back cooking. It was time to make "Koy", a mixed salad of sorts. Joy mentioned the difference between Koy and Laap, but I must apologize, as I don't recall it. It just gives me reason to return no? Again, we split fish, or water buffalo….guess what I chose?

At this point, Joy told us, "I have something for you. This is an important ingredient in Water Buffalo Koy in Luang Prabang."

"It is optional, but we like Water Buffalo bile in our Koy." I've had Pinapaitan, a very popular Ilocano dish, where beef bile is front and center before, so it was no big deal for me, but there were no other takers. I thought that the tablespoon of bile I added to my Koy just added to the flavor. BTW, Sab E Lee will sometimes have beef bile available for their Koi Soi which adds a dimension to the dish.

At this point, we proceeded to deep fry our stuffed lemongrass dipped in egg wash. After the stuffed lemongrass was ready, we moved off to a table to eat (yet again!), the rest of our dishes.

I hope you excuse the pictures, the challenges of taking while in the midst of a cooking class is quite hard.

While consuming the fruits of our labor, again the initial response was, "I can't believe I made this…."

So let me ask you, would you like me to do a post on anything you've seen. I'm willing to, or have already made some of the dishes, and would gladly do a post on anything except sticky rice, which I feel needs a bunch of practice, and Or Lam (because I don't think I can find Sa-Kahn).

For those of us not born, married, or exposed to the cuisine, Tamarind's Cooking Classes can make us believers…..

Luang Prabang: Tamarind Cooking School Part 1 – Trip to Phousy Market

February 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Laos, Luang Prabang, Markets & Grocers, Travel

In previous Luang Prabang post, I mentioned two personal rules that I broke during our stay in Luang Prabang. The first was buying t-shirts, the second was taking a cooking class. I had never really been interested in taking a cooking class, but because we were staying in Luang Prabang for 6 days, why not? Plus, I really didn't know very much about Lao, or Luang Prabang cuisine. I had read up a bit about Tamarind Restaurant, and thought why not? The Missus made other "shopping" plans for the day, and I made reservations for the cooking class.

Tamarind was located right around the corner from our hotel, right across from Wat Nong Sikhounmuong.

The class is pretty much an all-day affair, and cost $25 US. The fearless leader of our group of Aussies, Brits, French, and yours truly, the token Asian-American was Joy Ngeuamboupha, who, along with Caroline Gaylard, own Tamarind. Joy and his sisters work the kitchen of Tamarind.

The first part of the class was a market tour of Phousy Market, which is the largest market in Luang Prabang, and supplies many of the homes and restaurants in Luang Prabang. Phousy Market (also spelled Phosy Market) is vastly different in scale than the morning Fresh Market, the products sold are much more mainstream (relatively), and there are some pretty large vendors in the market.

We all jumped on a soon to be overloaded tuk-tuk, and headed off to market.

I'll keep the text down to descriptions, a few things I learned about Lao food and eating habits, and a few anecdotes from here on.

As with all of these type of markets, everything is separated.

Which included the all important Water Buffalo Skin.

Available in all shapes and sizes, I was most familiar with the slices used for Jeow Bong, the wonderful Chili Dip.

Of course there were dried chilies:

And Padek in many stages of, ummm, fermentation.

Joy noted: "As you can see, no flies. When it is good, the flies won't touch it!" I thought perhaps the inverse was true……

One large portion was devoted to the varied produce available in Luang Prabang.

Here's Joy with a piece of Sa-Khan (piper ribesioides), which is used in the making of Or Lam, the various Lao stews.

And of course, there were "Hops", the stuff we saw eveyone munching on. I also learned that the flowers are edible as well.

And of course chilies, like these bright little ones:

At this stop Joy asked if anyone wanted to try one of these chilies. Seeing there were no takers, I decided to volunteer. Now Mom always told me, "the smaller the chili, the hotter it is." And man were these tiny chilies hot! Even though I didn't let the chili touch my lip, I felt an almost scalding heat in my mouth. I wanted to let out a "whooooaaa", but could only let out a "gakkkk." At which point I noticed that all the women vendors had stopped, and were watching me. They just started cracking up, and laughing. Joy told me, "the ladies say, only the tourists are crazy enough to eat these chilies by themselves……"

As we walked pass the fruits, and stopped by this lovely pile of Sapodilla, Joy answered aquestion I had about fruit. We had noticed a lack of fruit in the very tropical Luang Prabang, and I was wondering why.

The reason? It is believed that fruit is for the very young, and the very old, who have problems chewing, or little or no teeth.

Eggs were another little learning moment for me.

All eggs that are produced in Laos are stamped. If there are no stamps on the eggs it means that it was probably imported. Eggs with what looks like hand written numbers on them are fertilized duck or chicken eggs (aka Balut), and the numbers indicate the gestational age of the eggs.

And soon it was off to the meat "department":

I learned that in Luang Prabang, offal is much more expensive and treasured than lean cuts.

I also learned that Water Buffalo is getting to be much more expensive. Machinery is slowly replacing the Water Buffalo for use in agriculture, so there are less of them.

I was also surprised at how many turkeys I saw.

With the Mekong River on one side, and the Khan River on the other, you knew that fish and other products of the river was quite important.

This catfish was very much alive, and even tried to bite my finger off. I was told that it can live for quite a long while out of the water.

On the outer perimeter of the market reside some of the more interesting items, like bee larvae hives.

And all manner of dried "meat".

You could make out some fish, birds, and various rodents. But I had no clue what some of this stuff was.

Soon enough, Joy met us at the tuk-tuk, with a little plastic bag filled with greenish liquid, and a little bamboo tube. I guess it was time to start cookin'!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Road Trip: Hwang Hae Do Korean BBQ – Garden Grove (OC)

February 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

**** This location of Hwang Hae Do has closed

I took a day off right after the New Year, for the purpose of going on a short eating road trip to LA and the OC with two of my friends, MrS, and the entity that is known as the EatingMachine. We started at Mei Long Village, for Xiao Long Bao, and a few Shanghainese cold dishes. Next it was off to Food Cabin, for more Xiao LongBao, Shengjian Bao, and other assorted dishes. Lucky for us, "DaMachine" was running smoothly, easily eliminating any possibility of leftovers. On the way back, we decided to stop for a "real meal" in the area of Garden Grove Icall Koreatown South. I had written down a few listings in my "black book", but Mr S, pulling from his Korean roots dismissed my list, brought out his cell phone, and went off on a speed dial frenzy. The consensus, was for Hwang Hae Do….. which was one of the places on my list! Ha!

Hwang Hae Do looks quite humble in comparison to some of the newer and more fancy restaurants in the area. And boy does this place love its photos, posters, and fliers.

The interior is "old wood rustic", with the ever present Plasma Television going strong.

Hwang Hae is a province in North Korea, so if the name meant anything, this would be North Korean inspired food. I had written down the dishes that I wanted to try at Heang Hae Do, and looking down the list, after all the XLB, I crossed off the mandu, but had something else in mind. And MrS, after chatting with the really nice lady, came to the same conclusion. And, of course it was one of the items on the myriad of flyers posted everywhere around the place.

After Mr S placed our orders in Korean, the panchan arrived. There were a few items, I enjoyed, the baechu kimchi (Napa Cabbage kimchi) was very good. And I don't recall seeing dotorimuk (Acorn Jelly) much in San Diego. But most of it was pretty mild in flavor.

Pretty soon a metal "pan" of sorts was placed above the BBQ brazier. The pan had a "moat" of sauce encircling it.

It was Yook-soo Bulgogi($18.99/order – minimum 2 orders) time! A huge platter of thinly sliced meat, onions, scallions, and mushrooms arrived, and was piled on the top of the pan.

For ease of use, part of the meat was portioned off on a bowl placed on the table.

While the rest remained on the platter, table side.

Sheesh, do ya' think this was enough? And what is even more impressive…..this was only 2 orders, and came with rice, and 2 beers (OB).

For those who have never had Yook-soo Bulgogi, I think I can best describe it as a Sukiyaki like dish.

This broth was mild and balanced in flavor, just lightly sweet. There are places in San Diego that make this, but most versions are much too sweet and heavy. The meat was good in quality, soft, and almost melted in your mouth.

And while we were waiting for our meat to cook, MrS had ordered us Mul Naengmyun, the classic North Korean cold buckwheat noodle soup dish.

The tangy broth, even when tempered with liberal doses of vinegar sent my tastebuds into overdrive. It was a nice foil to the meat, and was a very effective palate cleanser. Even with all the meat, I managed to finish my entire bowl. Yes, we each had an entire metal bowl. In case you're interested there's an interesting post on Naengmyun in Pyongyang which can be found here.

As if to add the "cherry on the top", at the end noodles are placed in the meat infused broth.

After all of that food we had earlier, I can't believe we finished everything in fine fashion. Total damage, 2 orders Yook-soo Bulgogi, 3 Mul Naengmyun – $62.

The only problem we had was staying awake on the drive back to San Diego.

The service was efficient, the lady was very nice. Not much English spoken, but there are all those posters everywhere….

Hwang Hae Do
9567 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92842

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El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante – A revisit

February 1, 2009 mmm-yoso Salvadoran Restaurants

We used to have El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante on our rotation, but in recent years it had fallen off. Not because the food had fallen off, but because we just didn't visit enough. Over the last few years, the restaurant has cleaned upa bit, and gone are the loud video games. The interior has been freshened up a bit…with the emphasis on "a bit", and does look nicer.

This being Sunday, there was a steady flow of customers in and out of the restaurant, and a good number of take-out orders. And though the two young ladies running the floor looked a bit overwhelmed, they were very nice and friendly.

Things started with the basic chips and salsa.

Things look the same, right? So why a new post? Well, first off, like most places, prices have increased a bit. Pupusas are now $1.99, still a bargain, and the weekend soups (like in this post), have gone up a dollar to $7.95. It is still a very reasonable eating option.

Also gone is the "whole bucket of curtido", which is now served thusly:

Still, a change in prices, and modification of side dishes, would not usually mean a new post.

What would entice me to do an updated post? Well, today we noticed an item on the menu, we had not noticed before.

It's called Pacayas Forradas con Huevo ($7.95). Never heard of it. Doesn't look like anything particularly interesting. But brush off some of the really nice mildly sweet and rich tomato based sauce, and the egg batter, and something like this looks back out at ya'.

Don't they look like little tentacles that are going to reach out and grab you? Or maybe baby-baby corn? The pacayas, had a crunch to it, and a puckery-tannic bitterness, that bothered the Missus a bit. The sauce did well to balance out the flavor. And lest you think this is an ovo-vegetarian dish, we spied strands of meat in the sauce, and pulled out a chicken wing-tip from under the pacayas. The sauce was good….very good, and we mopped every drop of it up with the tortillas.

So what is pacaya? Not much on the Internet, but I found this post and photo from a Guatemala blog that provided a good bit of information. Appears that this was the flower from a species of palms called Chamaedorea.

And yes, the Pupusas are still quite good.

And Pupusas de Queso con Loroco has been added to them menu (or maybe we just didn't notice before). You can find a photo of Loroco on this post from Ed from Yuma.

My favorite of the day was the Pupusa de Chicharron, which was so good, I forgot to take a photo of it. Great pork flavor.

So why El Salvadoran food today…and why have I been checking out a Guatemalan blog? hmmmm……..

El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante
3824 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Yum Cha Cafe – A brief look…..

January 31, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

It seems that a whole bunch of FOYs (Friends of Yoso) have been on "Yum Cha Cafe watch". A few days back, FOY Trent email'd me saying that he saw equipment being moved into the space….and like a good YCC groupie, I was there that afternoon to take a photo.

Walking up to the window, I peered at the menu…..and felt funny. This was getting a bit out of hand. There's a fine line between groupie and stalker. So I backed a-waaay from the window, leaving behind the gathered condensation left by my nose and hands, walked away, and decided to tuck Yum Cha Cafe back into the far reaches of my mind.

Until……. I received an email from another FOY, Fred, who informed me that Yum Cha Cafe was open. A perfect storm had formed. I had gone in to work at 6am and been so busy that I skipped lunch, I was hungry, the Missus had also been "shopping" so She had skipped lunch. Yum Cha Cafe here we come…..

There are two ways of ordering…you can either fill in one of the order sheets and hand it to someone….or elbow your way in line and order from one of the ladies, who may hand you off to another lady, who in turn, will pass you off to the cashier. One other thing, Vietnamese is the language of choice for many of the employees at this location of Yum Cha Cafe.

Compared to the San Gabriel location, the prices here are about 40 cents to a dollar more here in San Diego.

And there was a full complement of Chinese BBQ, but no Rice Porridge today.

Yum Cha Cafe in San Gabriel serves up decent quality food at good prices, how would the new San Diego location hold up? Well…… we'd like to make a few more visits, so you'll have to wait for a bit. But that means that you be able to visit, and form your own opinions, right?

But just as a tease, here's some chicken feet ($1.39):

I'm showing these with the express purpose of tempting FOY and fellow food blogger CAB.

I think the Missus kinda enjoyed these…

Even though the prices here are 40% higher than LA, the Missus and I filled up for a total (including tax) of $8.78. And because great minds think alike, I think we saw Cathy's Husband (The Mister) walking into the place as we were driving out!

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily: 8am-8pm

Wandering Chopsticks writes about the San Gabriel location of Yum Cha Cafe in this post.

Luang Prabang: Tat Kuang Si, Boungnasouk Restaurant, and the Night Handicraft Market

January 29, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

For us, one of the must visit sites around Luang Prabang is Tat Kuang Si, Kuang Si Waterfall, located about 20 miles South of Luang Prabang. Why? Well, because of this:

It's pretty easy to get to…you hire a "Jumbo", who drops by a "ticket office" and get admission to falls for you.

The Jumbo will park in a parking-shopping-eating area, and you can take one of either two routes. One is a well paved asphalt road, and the other is a pretty easy forest trail that meanders it's way up to the falls.

Some of it was mildly reminiscent of Kbal Spean in Cambodia.

You could hear the water rushing down alongside the forest trail. There were a few areas where folks can swim in the crystal clear water. Also along the trail is the Luang Prabang Bear Rescue Center.

All the bears here have been confiscated from poachers, and they all looked to be in good shape. Adriactic Black Bears (Moon Bears) are endangered, mostly due to Habitat Fragmentation, and the market for bear parts and bile.

You can find more info here.

Funny, there are two things that I've never, ever done on our international vacations…… one of them is buy a t-shirt. But Laos finally broke me, I ended up buying a "Free the Bears" t-shirt, as well as a BeerLao t-shirt. I also broke the other rule, more about that later……

As we walked up the trail, we passed a few "mini-falls".

And to tell you the truth, I had not expected much. I've seen more than my fair share of waterfalls. But I already thought this excursion was well worth the time. There were the bears, and I was enchanted by the pristine looking water.

But as we walked in the clearing and took a look at the falls…..

I realize that my lousy photography skills really doesn't do justice to the falls. But for a scale comparison, check out the guy in the photo to the right.

The falls are 180 feet of crystal clear water. There are no liability issues here, you can walk pretty much right up to the falls. And cross on wooden bridges in various states of maintenance.

Boungnasouk Restaurant:

Lunch on that day was at a restaurant we passed on our way back from Somchan Restaurant. Just like the afore mentioned restaurant, Boungnasouk(the restaurant is owned by the guest house across the street) was located with a view over the Mekong.

We had looked over the menu, and thought it would be a decent alternative.

Not being very hungry we ordered just a few items. Very predictable items…..

Of course I got the Khai Pene:

This version of the dried, pressed, and fried river moss was thinner than the version at Kheam Kong Restaurant, and had more "stuff" going on.

The Jeow Bong came on the side, and was by far the best version we had on the trip.

Nice garlic flavor, with a mild spiciness. The water buffalo skin pieces were a bit big, but not too tough.

Of course the Missus got the Luang Prabang Salad:

The Salat Nyam was not very good, the dressing lacked any great egg flavor, though the watercress was nice and tender. Boiled Egg slices were also omitted, and while the cucumbers were decent, the tomatoes (strange for Luang Prabang) were under-ripe, and lacked the "flavor of sushine".

To finish things off, we had the Cucumber Salad:

This cucumber version, of the more well known papaya salad, was nicely pungent, but the heat had been gringo-ized, and the seeds were not removed before shredding.

Over all, mediocre……

The Night Handicraft Market:

Around 4pm there is Luang Prabang's version of evening "traffic". Sisavangvong, from the National Museum until the intersection of Kitsalat becomes a bustling beehive of activity.

Part of it is due to folks heading home, but most of it is because the street is undergoing the transformation to the Night Handicraft Market.

The sandwich and fruit drinks booths, move from the area on the corner of Kitsalat, across the main street.

Electricity is set-up via a tangle of extension cords on the street.

Food stalls are set-up along the side streets. This woman specialized in pig parts, especially heads. Over several days I spotted her method of keeping herself "nourished". For every three or four pieces she chopped, she ate one!

At sundown, the main street is closed, and Sisavangvong becomes a huge market…..of handcrafts of infinite variety.

And while the parents sell and socialize, the children study under the glow of the lightbulbs.

And the food stalls do a bang up business.

Usually having our meals fairly early, we didn't eat much at the stalls. But one night, the Missus saw a vendor making the Lao version of Kanom Krok.

And couldn't resist. But these weren't very good, the flavor was off, as was the overall texture.

I'm sure if we spent enough time in these alleyways, we'd have found some pretty good, and cheap eats.

One of the most entertaining little encounters happened at the Night Market. On our first night in Luang Prabang, walking through the night market, we noticed that many of the women vendors, had branches in their hands. On top of these branches were a nut like fruit. They were cracking away, just going at it. The Missus, who has loves sunflower seeds, was determined to find out what this was. And so we were off on a mission!

The Missus finally cornered a woman who was munching (cracking) away.

Not being able to find these…..the Missus was determined to buy them off the woman. Now the Missus fancies Herself as being quite the bargainer, and when the woman said 8,000 Kip, the Missus responded with; "no-no, 4,000 Kip." And so the great deal was made.

The Missus felt proud and quite smug….She had been "Queen of the Deal…Baroness of the Bargain." Of course we turned the corner and found out that a bunch of this stuff went for 2,000 Kip! We also noticed that the woman had already eaten half the bunch!

So what was this? I was told it's hops! As in beer hops!

And so, every evening, under the heat of the lightbulbs, the Missus became a "hop-popping" machine. "Oh (crack) this is (crack-crunch) sooo (crack – pop) good! I'll (crack-pop-crunch) really miss (crack) it!"

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine

January 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** Ka Ti Thai has closed

I was driving past Montgomery Field on Aero Drive, when I noticed a tiny sign posted on the grass in front of one of those non-descript grey colored strip malls. Craning my head to read it, I almost drove right off the road! Sheesh, if you thought texting or cell phones were major driving hazards…… But there was a payoff for my pulled neck muscle. The sign read "Thai Food". I took a right on Glen Curtiss Road, and another right onto Gibbs Drive, which, along with running parallel to Aero, is the only way you'll get in to the parking lot of these strip malls.

And lo' and behold, what was once a pizza shop, was now a Thai Restaurant! In the oddest of locations. Unfortunately, the place was closed.

Luckily, I found myself in the area around lunchtime several days later. I parked and entered the tiny restaurant.

The first thing I noticed was the decor………wow, lot's of lace. It looked more like a Southern Tea Room than a Thai Restaurant.

I had spied a list of Lunch Specials ranging in price from $6.95 to $8.95 on the billboard outside.

I was greeted, and seated by a smiling Young Lady and was handed the menu. I was positively famished so I ordered a few items.

I started with the Som Tom (Papaya Salad – $7.95). In keeping with the S(tandard) O(perating) P(rocedure), I was asked for a "heat level". My reply of "Thai spicy please", was met with a gasp, an uncomfortable smile, and a "please, one moment". At which time the young lady, scurried to the kitchen. I could overhear a discussion, and there was some moving noises…perhaps preparing the defibrillator, and maybe the fire extinguisher? The Server returned, and obviously concerned with my survival, verified that I indeed wanted my Papaya Salad spicy. After reaffirming my commitment to chilies, she gladly placed my order.

The Som Tom arrived, nice, bright, and fresh. The young lady thoughtfully included some extra napkins for me, which came in very handy. As for the salad itself, it was very "HWOP", that would be "hot with out pungency". I enjoyed the sweat inducing spiciness, as well as the good amount of tart-sour lime in the dish, but there was a lack of fish sauce; and no other component (dry shrimp, salted crab) to add that umami bang to the dish.

I also ordered the Spicy Noodles with Chicken (lunch special price – $6.95). It arrived looking pretty good.

This was pretty much a drunken noodles type of dish. The chicken was moist and soft. The noodles sorely needed a bit of "wok hay" as it presented itself as flaccid edging on mushy. The dish was very tamarind heavy, making it too tart….. you know the phrase, "too much of a good thing….." The heat level was decent. I took my leftovers home, and the Missus had a taste of it, and responded with a "whoa……..puckery." Still, the service was very friendly, and I wanted to give this place another shot.

So, with the Missus occupied for the evening, I dropped by Ka Ti for take-out. I had wanted Nahm Tok, but they were out, so instead I went with the Marinated Pork Ribs ($12.95). Which, according to the menu, were pork ribs marinated in Coca-Cola. While waiting for my order, I heard the microwave pinging, not once, but three times, which did not bode well for my meal. When I arrived home and removed the plastic cover from my tray, this is what greeted me:

The ribs looked very pale, I had expected something with more caramelization. The flavor was very reminiscent of braised sweet-sour pork, and was not bad. The texture of the ribs were very soft, too soft, again much like something braised. My first thought was that they could have just used pork shoulder with a Coca-Cola braise and achieved something better than this for less. The veggies were very routine broccoli and carrots. I was provided with a good sized container of Jasmine Rice as well.

You know, I like the staff at Ka Ti, they are warm and pleasant folks from just outside Bangkok. I want them to do well, especially in this location. But I found the food to be mediocre Americanized Thai, though I've done much worse, and paid much more for Thai in San Diego. Still, this is the best, if not the only Thai for at least a mile, and adds more diversity to what is offered around Serra Mesa.

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine
8690 Aero Drive #114
San Diego, CA 92123

Open Mon – Fri – 9am – 7pm

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