China State Dinner

Last week, Chairman Hu of the Chinese Government hosted a welcoming dinner for US President Barack Obama at The Peoples’ Great Hall in Beijing.

The following is the menu of the dinner:

Small Plate Cold Dish

Ground Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Beef Steak Chinese Style

Grilled Red Star Garoupa

Stir-fried White Asparagus

Dessert

Dim Sum

Fruit Ice Cream

The following are samples of dishes prepared by the chefs at The Peoples’ Great Hall for other events:

Cold Dish

Soup

Main Course

Dessert

Hong Kong Modern Chinese Dishes

Sai Kou Sushi by Japanese Master Sushi Chef

Fish Sauce

In Vietnamese and Thai cooking, fish sauce (nuoc mam) is as what salt is in Western and soy sauce in Chinese cooking. It is included in practically all recipes. Prepared from fresh anchovies and salt, layered in huge wooden barrels, the manufacture of fish sauce is a major industry in Vietnam. The factories are located along the coast to assure the freshness of the fish to be processed. After about 3 months of fermentation in the barrel, liquid drips from an open spigot, to be poured back into the top of the barrel. After about 6 months the fish sauce is produced.

The first draining is the very best fish sauce, lighter in color and perfectly clear (kind of “Extra Virgin” fish sauce). It is relatively expensive and is reserved for table use. The second and third draining yield a fish sauce of lower quality and lower cost for general- purpose cooking. The two towns most noted for their fish sauce are Phu Quoc and Phan Thiet in Vietnam. Phu Quoc produces the best fish sauce, some of which are exported. On the label, the “nhi” signifies the highest quality.

In my Asian cooking recipes involving fish sauce, I use the brand “Golden Boy” (Thailand) for seasoning and marinade. For salad and dipping sauces, I use the brand “Three Crabs” (Vietnam) that is nearly three times more expensive than the one used for cooking.

Flavour and Scent Trends for 2010

Mintel, a leading global market research company, predicts new flavours and scents will make an appearance in the US marketplace in 2010, as well as some familiar ones…reinvented.

Mintel’s flavour predictions for 2010

1. Cardamom
2. Sweet Potato
3. Hibiscus
4. Cupuaçu – the taste of the Amazon
5. Rose water
6. Latin

Mintel’s scent predictions for 2010

1. Simple, clean
2. Scents to influence mood

Read more ….

Private Cooking Class

I did a private cooking class at the Hilton Suite Winnipeg Airport a week ago. The event is one of the spousal program of a meeting orgainzed by a company in Winnipeg.

In the Taste of Thai program, I demonstrated the preparation of three dishes, Spicy Shrimp Salad, Golden Cups and Red Chicken Curry.

The following shows the description of the spousal program pasted on top of the invitation card.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is made from diluting the liquid pressed from grated coconut meat with water. It should not be confused with the liquid in the center of the coconut that is called coconut water or juice. Nowadays, the pressing process is done in factory and coconut milk is canned or made into powder for convenient use.

Full coconut milk is approximately 20% fat. About 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother’s milk. Lauric acid is known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones. It also has important anti-carcinogenic and anti-pathogenic properties and is less likely to cause weight gain than polyunsaturated oils.

When cooking meat and seafood in my recipes, I use the Aroy-D brand (from Thailand) “for cooking” coconut milk. It has more rich taste and aromatic flavour than the general purpose canned milk or milk powder that I would normally use in dessert and drink.

Spicy Meatball with Chili Sambal

I’ll teach this dish tonight in the Asian Cuisine III cooking class.

Yuen Yang Fried Rice

This is one of the three dishes I’ll teach tomorrow in the Asian Cuisine III cooking class.

Noodle Meal for Two Menu

Stir-fried Vermicelli with Shrimp, Chicken and Egg

Chinese Eight Treasures Vegetarian Congee(Congee with Bean Medley, Corn, Black Mushroom, Cloudear Fungus, Ginko and Dried Oyster)

Stir-fried Bok Choy