Korean Chapter 1. Verse 1. Tong 86 (Beaufort Street, Northbridge)

What can I say this is one of my comfort eats. It's just comfortable to go there, any day and get a table and fast service. Although sometimes the staff doesn't really speak a very great deal of English, but I like accented waitstaff (as long as they bring me my order promptly). And everything is prompt, unless you want re-fills and this could take a while. You can do a lot of self-service, and just indicate to the boss you did it and what table number. I like the ring bell for service thing too (unless I'm sitting under the speaker).

The neko co. has tried nearly everything on the menu, from all of the portions of meats to the soups and stews. We also go there for the projected K-pop MTV, it's been on repeat for a while. So no new stuff. Just adds ethnic authenticity to the experience I guess. They don't wear gimicky Korean outfits but the food is just as authentic.

The factory feel here is convenient and evolving. Interesting comments and tiddie-bits are written and drawn all over the walls. There's a few rude artworks too, if you can find them. Add your mark, permanent markers are provided. The hanging bottle cap thing is very Korean casual eatery style. There's a lot of bottle cap drinking games a la Korean style. The shochu is cheap, you can mix your own chu-hai (order a fruity drink and self-mix). The makkoli (draft rice wine) takes getting used to if you've never tried something like it before. I like it, it's easier to drink - but it's slightly yoghurty. A bit like calpis / calpico but alcoholic. A friend of mine has called it toilet wash liquid before, but then I don't know when he had the opportunity to drink toilet wash.

Favourites:
the kimchee pancake - although not as great as Took Bae Kee 1 or 2. This is still fantastic in colour!
the ox tongue - alwasy a fav, especially good when you can see a speckling of fat and the slices are thin
the intercostals - not all people like the chewyness, but I find this is the easiest to cook with enough pink inside to taste juicey
the mushrooms - grilled mushrooms
the side dishes - the pickled spring onions is delicious with cooked slices of meat.
steamed egg - yes I know it sounds simple but you have to try this. The soup that you can spoon up in this is delicious. Fluffy yet substantial in flavour!

Traditionally the pork belly would be the top of the list, but I find the ones here are now more often very fatty. And I don't personally recommend the neck chain... it's harder to cook right and tastes a bit tougher.

I've also tryed the fish cake soup - don't really think there's much to it, other than the unmarinaded fish cake slices which you have as a side dish. So not much taste. There's the kimchee soup which is spicy but not as flavourful as the ones I tried at TBK. Has something to do with their kimchee, which is a little bit sourer than others.

I am almost sure if you know Korean, there's extra menu items to unlock. So I need to go there with a Korean friend sometime. Anyone want the job?

Vote: 5 out of 5 Stars
I'll add photos later.

Food adventures - cooking for 6

Like most Chinese people, I over cater. Chronically over cater. I mean, it must be an  in built genetic and cultural belief that there must be enough at any given time to feed double the number of guests you're expecting. Because who knows who else will drop by. And the number of guests you're expecting should always be rounded up by at least an additional 25%. Just in case.

So this is what I listed as menu for Australia Day light lunch:

• Turkish bread (dips/dukkah)
• Deep fried chicken wings
• Spring rolls
• A salad or two of some kind
• Maybe a mini quiche thingy
• Maybe lamb (cutlets) – Sam Kekovich tells me I need lamb to be Australian
• A baked pastry dessert / olliebollen – depends if I have energy/time to make this in the morning
• Watermelon
• Ice cream/icey poles (I have Fruit Yoghurt Splits)

Additional just in case food: nachos, popcorn, BBQ prawns, salt & pepper squid, fish gujons and also an open filo apple pie. Not all of these were done... And this was just the pre-planning list.

I did make 80% of this, I only had from 11 til about 12:30 to cook.

The amount I actually pre-paredcooked:



Plate piled high!



1 mini loaf of Garlic Ciabatta

12 Vegemite & Cheese Palmiers (amended recipe)

24 Salmon & Chive Mini Quiches (amended recipe)

2 kg worth of Deep Fried Chicken Wings

1 kg worth of Parmean Encrusted crumbed Lamb Chops (amended recipe, no salsa)

Antipasto board
Papadums1 giant bowl of Garden Salad

1 giant bowl of Watermelon (cubed)

1 giant bowl of vegetarian fried rice (contains egg)

1 (unsuccessful) Banana Tart Tatin (or turn over tart)

Garlic Ciabatta

I bought the ciabatta loaf and just buttered and garlic'd it up! The pre-minced garlic tube you find in Coles or Woolworths is really handy for this and much fresher than jar. It doesn't really beat mincing your own but when you're short on time and expecting guests pronto this is simple cheat.

Vegemite & Cheese Palmiers (amended recipe)

I changed the filling as I didn't have enough parmesan. I used Vegemite & shredded cheddar cheese. I was initially meant to make a pull-apart loaf but didn't have enough time to make the dough. So this recipe was really handy. I only made 1 sheet of puff pastry and it made 12 small palm sized palmiers. Great as a snack. I love Vegemite and cheese and this is a quick and crunchier version of the toastie. The rolling of the puff pastry takes some getting used to, but other wise very easy to make.

Salmon & Chive Mini Quiches (amended recipe)

I find smoked salmon for mini quiches too over-powering in flavour. Instead I used canned Atlantic wild salmon, just very small pieces. I removed the dill from the recipe, not a dill fan. Used chives and 1 more egg. Lessened the cream - depends how runny you like your quiches I think.

Personally, in future I'd remove the salmon altogether and just go with normal bacon quiche lorraine and maybe a vegetarian variation - semi-sundried tomatoes.

Plate filled with quiches, garlic ciabatta & palmiers

Deep Fried Chicken Wings

I had a pre-mix fried chicken seasoning - bought from VHT (Asian grocers). It tastes a bit like what you'd get if you buy nasi lemak fried chicken. But I added extra paprika, salt & pepper and floured the chicken before frying to get more crispy-ness. It was easy finger food, but the frying in a small deep fryer took quite a long time.

Parmean Encrusted crumbed Lamb Chops (amended recipe, no salsa)

No cutlets to be found last minute at IGA. Bought lamb fore-chops, a bit more grissly - little round bone but meat texture-wise same as cutlets. Cutlets are just easier to cook through and pretty. I tenderised and then marinaded the lamb a bit (salt & peppered the lamb and added some dried thyme). Recommendation - mix some rosemary in would be even better than the thyme.

My (unsuccessful) Banana Tart Tatin (or turn over tart)

I didn't have a stove top compatible baking dish - so that's failure number one. I tried to reduce the sugar required for the caramel, failure number two. I also added cinnamon to the caramel... this didn't really affect the recipe. So essentially my caramel failed to "crystallize".

The banana gave out more liquid than I imagined.

Finally, I rushed the pastry part and added too much milk for glazing. This became a scoop out dish, the sugar-hit is deadly even with the reduced sugar. Served with Coffee & vanilla ice-cream, delicious if you have a sweet-tooth.

Idea for next time: just use small ramekins and serve straight from oven with a dollop of double cream on top and ice-cream on the side. Could try this with stewed apples!

The Chinesey recipes I won't bother going into, there's so many easy ways to make these. That you really don't need further instructions from me.

Overall the lamb was a great hit, I shall have to try this again with pork chops or something else. Have to say you do end up throwing out the oil you shallow fry in as the parmesan and breadcrumb mixture just ruins the oil for re-use for anything else.

I'm going to do olliebollen sometime next week and of course try the open filo apple pie this weekend when I find a spare moment to cook them. Tonight... pasta or lasgna?

Koeksisters mishmash recipe

I didn't really follow any specific koeksister recipe. Read through a number of variations and was intending to make a vegan batch & a non-vegan batch. Plan fell through as I couldn't get hold of Ogran No Egg - an egg substitute.

The idea was to do two batches, one for work morning tea & one for a pot luck gathering with some friends tomorrow night.

The syrup I made the prior night, it contained the following:
1.5kg caster sugar
4 small cups if water
3 cinnamon sticks
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tspn ground ginger
1 tspn or so of citric acid powder for baking (or aka tartaric acid - it adds acidity to baking / cooking)

Mix sugar & water in small pot until all dissolved, recommend medium heat. Wouldn't want it to boil over. Add the spices (ginger & cinnamon). Carefully add the lemon juice as this will cause the contents to froth/boil up quickly so maintain low heat. Add citric acid if you like a little bit more tarty than sugary.

Leave on low-medium heat until syrup thickens a little more. Remove from heat, allow to cool and the pour into a large container to store in fridge. Chilled overnight is best!

Next day:
Prepare dough with following:
4 cups of self raising flour (for equivalent plain flour use 2 tspn of baking powder to rise - this will mean leavin dough to rise for 2-3rs)
70g or 4 tbspn of butter
2 eggs
1 cup of water or milk (I used milk for a creamier dough, also if using plain flour this allows it rise better)

Sifting of plain flour & baking powder is required. You can do that for the self raising but I lime the easier way out and just went ahead. Rub butter & flour together, will become slightly crumbly but won't have formed together. Should have no clumps of butter.

If using water, whisk eggs into water and pour in gradually and mix in to flour by hand.

I was lazy and just cracked the eggs in & poured in a cup of milk. Result the dough was slightly too gooey to start with and I had to wait for it rise any way cause I rushed it.

The rolling out to flat sheet and cutting into long 5cm x 10m pcs. Cut each pc twice more, slice length wise but not through the top. You should now have each pc as 3 strands joint at the top. Braid these, practice makes perfect by the end of the batch you'll be an expert. Don't worry about stuffing up, just roll up the deformed braid into a dough ball and start again ;)

Prepare deep fryer with oil, heat up to 180*C, test with a clove or small bit of the dough. Prepare plate with pan toasted sesames. And we're ready to roll.

The frying process - since I had a small fryer I had to do bathed of 8-10. Fry til golden brown, drain oil. Then dunk in syrup, drain from syrup, toss/cover in sesame.

Sesame is optional. The koeksister reminds me of the Tianjing mahua (麻花). So I added the sesame, taste is vaunted different. The following website is in Chinese, when I find an English version of the recipe I'll add or try it out :)

http://www.meishichina.com/Eat/Magic/201003/77981.html

Sayers Food, Leederville

Definitively my favorite cafe of all time. Stef & Mark Sayers' niche cafe had become the talk of the town. Fragrance of Five Sense beans, freshly roasted and brewed to perfection floats & welcome you in to a relaxed and funky dining area. Must try the outdoor bench chairs. The shade clothes and the breeze makes this delightful during summer months.

And oh the food:
Pork fillet, Pancetta, pumpkin gnocchi, wilted spinach & port jus

Presentation is clean cut and simplistic. Light and balanced taste of the dish aptly blends the port jus, sweet pumpkin gnocchi with the salty pancetta wrapped pork fillet. Delightfully simple and satisfy all the senses.

Quinoa & shredded pork salad, charred orange, sultanas & pistachio

This can be a definition of summer salad. Light but filling with the use of the quinoa. The quinoa provided an additional layer of texture to the salad. Instead of sultanas today we received the dish with diced honeyed fig - this was a nice surprise and much less sweet than the bursts of fructose of the sultanas. The caramelised onion adds a different sweetness to the dish and aptly off sets the juicy braised pork (belly meat). I've got to try this at home or a variation.

Leek & Parmesan croquettes, poached eggs, rocket leaf & spicy fruit chutney

An old favourite, now available during lunch! Sweet leek in croquette form! Love it. I got a giant croquette, but two poached eggs & extra wilted spinach! Score! Delightful way to start Saturday afternoon.

Dessert:

Carrot & coconut cake

Not a huge fan of desiccated coconut. But walnut & carrot cake can never go wrong. And I love the fact Sayers is one of few cafes which use REAL double cream with their cakes! And real cream with their iced coffees!

Stars: 5 out of 5

But then people have said I'm biased!

Chinese Spring Rolls (Vg, Cheat)

I need to provide images for brand / image. Basically, VHT in Perth stocks mini-spring rolls. Approx. $12 a packet - enough to feed a small army definitely over 80 in a packet. This is much cheaper than your supermarkets faux Asian spring rolls.

How to cook:
Shall fry in vegetable or olive oil.
Dry out on papertowel or baking rack to remove excess oil.
Serve on platters with sweet chilli sauce or whatever condiments you like. I wouldn't suggest soy sauce - it would be too salty.

Takes less than 2 mins to fry up a batch.

Taste test: 5 out of 5 Stars. (It's the deep fried goodness, convenience and passes the Asian taste test - my traditional Chinese parents even liked it without criticising so that says something.)

I used star anise/peppercorn infused olive oil for shallow frying in a wok. Just pop a star anise and some Szechuan Peppercorns into oil as you're heating it. You can also add cloves for added spice flavouring.

Picture: unavailable (I made it and then forgot to take photos. Will do another batch and take photos.)

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (GF, Vg)

For New Year's eve, I made Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (GF, Vg). I've never made this before - it looks easy... requires delicate touch and timing (which I sadly lack the skills for).

Like my mother, I never make anything with 'set measurements' and over-cater dramatically. So the following are the ingredients I prepared to use:

• 5 medium sized Carrots (almost julienne, my knife skills are not that great)
• 3 Capsicums (almost julienne, ok they were really chunky strips)
• 1/2 large red / Spanish Onion (almost julienne.)
• Dried Chinese mushrooms (they look like mini-shitakes, rehydrate with water overnight is best. And julienne if you have the skills.)
• 6-8 large Prawns (steamed / boiled & peeled)
• Roast Chicken - breast meat (I torn the strips - you may like to chop/slice them if you wanted to use a knife, it's more cathartic to tear it apart.)
• Vermicelli (I used green bean vermicelli. It has a more chewy texture and doesn't fall apart if left soaking in water when prepared in advance.)
• 1 kg Bean sprouts (I didn't use all of this, I barely used 250g on hindsight - but the rest can always be used in soups, noodles, stir-fries or salads.)
• Snowpea sprouts (I like these for the taste and colour.)
• 1 pkt Tofu puffs (ok this is not really the brand I used, just a picture to show you what they look like. I googled Tofu puffs and this fellow blogger's photo came up. I'm sure they have a proper name, but what would you call something that's like fried tofu but puffy!)
• a bunch of Coriander (use leaves and thin stems, large ones cut off and set aside for other uses.)
• 3 pkts 22cm Vietnames rice paper roll sheets (approx 15 sheets per packet, I used 2 packets - there are cracks/breakages if you're a first timer, so extra is recommended.)
• miso paste (I used this to add salt flavour to the rolls. Generally, this is additive free. Please check packaging as some may contain gluten or if you use a miso soup base - it may contain bonito - which is made from dried fish!)

I did stir-fry the carrots, mushroom together with a little bit of salt - do in batches if your wok/pan is not big enough. A short 2-3 mins will do, ensure carrots are still "crunchy" and not soft. Do the same with the capsicum and onions and salt. Do not cook this until vegetables are wilted. Take out and spread out to cool - if it's all layered in one bowl the vegetables on the bottom will wilt and more juices will / steam will be condensed to liquid - this will make your rice paper rolls too mushy and reduce the variety in texture. I personally, used a mini hand fan and chopsticks to keep turning and mixing the vegetabls until cool. This is similar to how traditionally you would cool down sushi rice.

Oh, minor side note, I use extra virgin olive oil which is already infused with cloves & Chinese peppercorns, so it provides a little bit more extra flavouring to stir-fry.

How to wrap them up: Google this - it's relatively simple and there are Youtube videos, you can't get it wrong. really I mean it, you can't get it wrong. Only break a few in the practice attempts. And it takes a few trials until you find the ideal colour combination placement (Hint: don't lump it all in the middle). I spread a little bit of the miso paste on to the rice paper sheets to add flavour.

For the dressing:
Since I'm trying for something Gluten Free and Vegan, most pre-made Asian sauces are out of the picture. And most recipes contain Fish Sauce or Oyster Sauce or Hoisin Sauce (which is Seafood sauce, shrimp base used in some of these pre-bottled ones). Most recommended replacement for fish sauce is soy sauce (which is not GF).

However, I found a pre-made Thai Salad Dressing that tastes very similar to the Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham). Base ingredients, rice vineagre, water, sugar, chilli, lemon juice and some coriander.

For those who want a quick and easy sauce, and don't need to be concerned about GF. Use Seafood Soy Sauce - it doesn't actually contain seafood or shrimp, it's a special premium soy sauce which is a little bit sweeter than premium light soy and colour is a bit lighter too. Infuse with some chopped chilli, a little rice vineager and you're good to go.

If you are not catering for Vegans, you can use the above link or just add fish sauce to normal soy for flavouring. You can also cheat with - mixture of Hoisin Sauce with some crunchy peanut butter for a non-spicy sauce.

The following links are interesting guides to food additives - especially in pre-bottled sauces.
Wikipedia - Food Additive basic definition and some grounding knowledge.
Food Additives Guide this guide is mostly emulsifiers, stabilisers etc. This is a non-government website, please use and cross-reference responsibly. They also have other guides for acids and other additives in foods.
Latest news on Emulsifiers, Stabilisers, Hydrocolloids Food Navigator provides collation of articles which relate to the food industry and scientific / consumer market impacts on this area's development.

Serves: 28 - 32 large rolls (trial and error means you might have less presentable ones and get to eat a few failed / broken attemps.) Cut in half, can cater for at least a party of 16 people as h'ors d'oeuvres.

Taste test: 4 out of 5 Stars (why? because I'm a critic - the presentation didn't work out as well as I had hoped. The sizes weren't very uniform and cutting was a problem after being left for a while.) 

Pictures: unavailable (I forgot to take but I'll make a new batch another time and update this entry.)

New Year's Resolve

Thinking back on the last year I realise I eat out a lot and I don't really cook as much at home any more. Not only do I like eating the various cuisines out there and figuring out what's in them at the time and then criticising the uses... For some, I think I should be able to create a better version of the dish. This is probably an result of a Chinese up-bringing where you end up going out with your parents for dinner and every single dish is reviewed with eagle eyes for the quality of the ingredients, the measured or un-measured use of spices and herbs and even the presentation and service delivery. It's not hard to see how food has become an obsession for me.

I'd like to share my "love" / "obsession" (zetsuai) for food with people. This means going out to restaurants pre- and post- reviews, cooking at home, cooking lessons, experimental failures... and just general ponderings.

I'm no Poh or Kylie Kwang or Luke Nguyen and I don't want to in-fusionize Asian cuisine. Some works and some don't. I'm not a fusion food fan. The exploration of new spices and sauces are great but some cuisines have worked it out already but mixing with a five spice sauce with a steak burger would be a bad idea.

I don't make New Year Resolutions, only because they end up being broken. Instead I'm going to resolve to do something for myself and my family this year. My resolve for the new year? To cook more. Instead of stress baking, I shall cook. This is not a Julie/Julia project, it's not even about showing the recipes I attempt. It's just a way to keep track of this resolve. This will be more honest than just critiquing existing foods and restaurants. I will still post reviews once in a while, but there is less pressure to be witty and note take during meals. The photography before eating is already a time critical delay to the eating.

If anyone reading this would like to join me on any food adventures or have any suggestions to what to make / go out and eat please leave a comment :)