Larb Gai - Laotian Spicy Chicken Mix

Larb Gai with lettuce and cucumber

I apologize as I waited so long to post this easy recipe!

As a favorite traditional food as many birthday parties and get togethers, this dish is an easy fix. It takes longer to prep than anything but it well worth the effort once its complete. This version is a chicken version as there are many version from beef to pork just adding and mixing according to the likes and dislikes of individuals.

Tradition has it with many different innards from the animals sliced / diced up small and mixed with basic Larb ingredients, so depending on availability you can create it with just the basic ground of your preferred meat.

For my chicken larb recipe, I prefer the different textures from gizzards, liver and skin of the chicken in addition to the ground chicken.

You will need the following (as for this and other recipes amounts are not specific as dishes are usually mixed then adjusted as individual taste differs):

thinly sliced kaffir leaves

meat:
1 pkg of ground chicken or turkey
1 pkg of chicken thighs
1 container / pkg of chicken livers
1 container / pkg of chicken gizzards

herbs:
mint
green onion (scallions)
chili peppers
cilantro(coriander)
kaffir lime leaves (optional)
lemon grass  (optional)

Thinly sliced lemon grass

spices:
fish sauce (2 tbsp)
chicken broth (powder mix)
roasted rice powder (1 tsp) (instructions below)
dried pepper (optional for added spice)
lime juice (1-2 limes depending on flavor)


 How to make roasted rice powder:

In a skillet with low flame, mix rice slowly as the rice is roasted. Keep in mind not to mix too much in the beginning to allow it to turn brown color. Once the pan is hot the rice will roast quicker, then you would mix more. Do not burn rice but do not disregard if there is a little burning. Rice powder can be gray (from the charcoaled / over burned rice) or light brown. Once the rice is cooled either pound in a mortar or blend in a blender until it is a fine powder. This can also be bought in a local asian grocery store.



Prepare the meat by cooking the ground meat in a skillet then draining. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and place in boiling water to cook it thoroughly, then cut and thinly slice into small strips. Boil liver and gizzards, separately as liver will cook quicker. Do not over cook liver as it will get tough. Once gizzards are cooked slice into small thin pieces and do the same with the livers putting each ingredient in small bowls to be mixed later.

Prepare the herbs, this can be done while the meats are cooking. Thinly slice all the herbs, except the cilantro (coriander) can be chopped. Mix all together in a bowl for later except for the chili peppers, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves to be in separated bowls.

Once you have all your ingredients, in a big mixing bowl put in the ground chicken, gizzards, sliced skin leaving out the livers as it will be added last. Add the spices, sliced chili peppers and lime juice. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Taste and adjust the flavor now. You should taste all the spices harmoniously with a bit of tang from the lime. If it is not slightly tangy add more lime juice. It should not taste plain, if so add more fish sauce and chicken broth powder. I tend to make it slightly salty as the herbs will change the taste. Once the taste is to your liking fold in the liver and the herbs.Adding the herbs will give it a different taste, fresher taste. Voila!

This can be served with lettuce and cucumber with jasmine rice.

Bon apetit!

Bay Nan

Pineapple Sauce for Daht Seen - Laotian Hibachi

Just this past weekend we had a few friends over for what we call "Daht Seen" in Lao. It's basically a griddle or skillet set up in the middle of a dining table covered in an oil then a variety of foods are thrown on to cook while everyone around grabs their chop sticks reaching for different foods to dip in different sauces.

There are many ways to eat in this fashion. Some people will cook their food then make either lettuce wraps or clear Vietnamese summer rolls. Some people prefer to just go from the griddle to the sauce and be done with it. Preference is up to you.

A very popular sauce being used now is a pineapple based sauce that my friend asked the recipe for. It's very easy and can be done with a blender.

1 can of pineapple - any (crushed, chunks, whole rings)
few slices of ginger - julienne (just to make it easier for the blender to process for slight hint of flavor)
2-3 garlic cloves - (this can also be sliced up)
2 thai chilli peppers - start small (with 1/2 of pepper) and build up to desired heat. Easier to add than to take away.
2 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of chicken broth granuals for flavor

Once you blend it thouroughly taste and adjust as needed. You do not want a sweet sauce but a savory slightly spicy sauce. If it is too spicy, salty or strong in the other flavors just add more pineapple.

Add a few stems of corriander (leaving out most of the stems) and blend. Serve in small bowls for dipping.

This sauce can also be a dipping sauce for steak. My friend even suggested it may be used as a salad dressing. Have fun experimenting with it and let me know how many different ways you use this sauce!

-Bay N.

Laos Food - Cooking at Home

Jasmine Rice with Khmer sausages & jewl mak len

Lately I haven't done a restaurant review since we haven't eaten at any new restaurants in so long. I've been cooking a lot of traditional food at home.



My family is from Laos. A small land lock country in southeast Asia. Most of the foods are similar to Thai food with a different flare if you will. It has a harsher taste and smell due to the access of certain foods. Its a poorer country with less luxuries as we have here in the states. With many of us coming to the US as small children and growing up mainly speaking English and eating McDonalds we tend to lose our culture and the way food was cooked back in the old country.

grilled chicken wings, mango spicy salad, Lao style eggs

With the help of the internet and youtube.com  we have resources to help us cook good old fashion Lao food. Some foods are taught from our moms and gmas so from my family to my friends and family online I will try to share some simple recipes for some of my favorite stinky Lao food that I post up on instagram from time to time. Feel free to ask for any recipes for anything you see on my instagram page.

instagram : BayBayNan916

Until then enjoy the reviews and recipes...Bay Nan - FGC

Sour bamboo soup with chicken, sour bamboo jewl, stir frys and Lao traditional sausage

ramen noodles (mi mama) with fish cakes, pork cake, beef and herbs

grilled seasoned duck head with pork nam and papaya salad

Spicy noodle salad, stir fried beef in oyster sauce, stir fried chicken gizzards with cabbage

sour chicken soup, larb gai, tomato jewl, mok bha (steamed catfish)

Bangkok Restaurant - never changes...

Bangkok Restaurant - Columbus OH

phad kanar moo karb

Yesterday, after a busy early morning with my husband and son, we decided to go to a local favorite for authentic Thai food along with Chinese food made to order. Bangkok has been a favorite in our family even with the kids. That's a plus for us since our children are such picky eaters. They have such a variety and unlike other Asian restaurants, the taste of the food doesn't change. If you've had their food, you grow to love the taste of the food and if you return, it will stimulate your brain as if it's the first time you're having it again.

baby spring rolls / fried chicken

SERVICE:  It may be favoritism since I know the workers there but as busy as it may get, they are very friendly and as fast as they can be with service. Always walking offering water and checking in with us if we need anything for our meal. They are happy to help and provide. At time when visiting restaurants I get a feel that we are overstaying but not here. In addition we never feel like we are unwanted customers. Always good service and attention the same as other customers at lunch or at dinner.

shrimp chips

FOOD: The food taste consistent so you get what you expect and if you are trying new food they can adjust the heat (spiciness) according to your own preference. The food is delicious and authentic, very close to home. I have never tried the Chinese dishes because I tend to only order according to the specialties in which restaurants are categorized. (steak from steakhouse, seafood from seafood restaurants, sushi from sushi restaurants, etc.) They have specialty drinks from my favorite Thai ice coffee and Thai tea along with a selection of bubble teas. I don't prefer the bubble tea here for its a little on the sweet side. This is in addition to the sodas and water.

PRICES/PORTIONS: The prices depend on which time of day you visit. I believe they have lunch specials for smaller portions. They are usual prices for the food and the portions do feed the family. We tend to order multiple dishes to share and we always pack home for later. We split some of the dishes among the kids to share and the older kids get their own so we always go home happy and full.The drinks are a little pricy but then you are at a restaurant. You can get a dish for about $5 - $9 depending on what it is. 

ATMOSPHERE: There are plenty of Thai decorations around and they always have Thai karaoke music videos playing in the background on a flat screen TV for your viewing pleasure. It is not a big restaurant with about 10 booths and tables in the middle. 

yum seafood

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  We continue to go back for the food and the nice "home" feeling. I have a rule I use with eating at international cuisine restaurants, if the people of that culture eats there, it must be authentic and good. There are always a crowd of Thai and Lao people eating there with my family included. It's a treat and being there at lunch is just as good as dinner with less of a crowd, but still a crowd all the same. Good service and good food is always a plus with us. It will keep you craving! For safe picks, the Phad Thai and Lad Na is always a choice. Phad Ke Mao is spicy good, but rice dishes are my favorite from ordering soups, Phad Ka Na Moo Korp (fried pork with Chinese brocolli), and Red Curries. Try one then try them all.

- GOOD EATS = FULL STOMACHS - Bay Nan

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant ... "Dim Sum funny ninjas!"

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant - Dim Sum

Recently I received an email from Tasty Tree. Once in a while I will get an email  with the local deal of the "moment" since its so inconsistent. Well recently  I received the following deal: http://tastytree.com/resto/SunflowerColumbus/ Which was buy a $50 gift card for $20 (but they add a 16% tip automatically).

My husband was never a big dim sum fan being a fan of the big "I want to get full" meal usually consisting of noodles. But since I went ahead and bought this coupon / gift card we decided to give the kids a treat and take them out to eat. This would be the first time for the kids to try something new.

Now I have had dim sum before so I enjoy it because I'm the type of eater who likes to pick at different foods and taste different things. So you can tell I'm a big fan of cooking too many sides to the one main meal. I like the selection and the option of choosing many different tastes within one sitting. Dim sum means point of the heart meant as a snack or quick meal that lightly "touches the heart". But when it comes to my family, we eat until we were half way to food comas. If you've never had dim sum, they are like little bite size dumplings that are either steamed or fried served in wooden baskets, steam tins or on small plates.

The restaurant opens at 11 am and fills up quick. We were there half an hour early, but no one was there yet except the workers. Once we walked in 10 min early we were seated and our waitress promptly arrived to take our drink orders. Soon after the serving cart and rolled around. Basically the waitress will ask what you would like. If you know your dim sum you can ask for it by name. If not, like us we just look and point at what we like. You can ask for more than one basket and what they do it they stamp or mark it according to size on a piece of paper that is for our table.

We tried several different ones, our favorites being the pork siu mai and the steam shrimp dumplings (ha gow). My youngest loved the chicken feet and I really enjoyed the fried tofu. They have several carts rolling around consisting of soups and congee (rice porridge), fried dumplings, clams, veggies, and desserts. They also had bubble tea which the kids tasted. Not the best bubble tea but an option non the less.


Our bill was a total of $106 ($136 - $50 gift card +$20 tip) for about 20 little tins/plates,  4 sodas, 2 hot tea, & 3 bubble teas. Not bad for a family of seven. It took them a while to validate the coupon and ring up the bill but end the end well worth the savings of $30. Overall we had a good time, full bellies, and hopefully will come again. The kids enjoyed it and being picky eaters did get full from tasting every little dumpling.

Happy Ninja - Bay Nan

Buckeye Pho - Northern Columbus

Buckeye Pho - Asian Kitchen

My family used to frequent this restaurant often when it first opened even though it was well over a 30 minute drive. If you Columbus, it's hard to find a decent Pho restaurant that is consistent in the flavor of the soup with decent service. We don't expect the best service since it is a casual spot. It has been a few months since visiting this restaurant, but only because of the drive. 

bun mi (Cold cut)

The family used to work at the owner's sister in law's cafe (MiLi's Cafe off 161) - but took a risk to open a Pho shop on their own. They are Vietnamese so you can consider this authentic.

Environment:
They greet you as soon as you walk in and let you choose where you want to sit. You can choose from either the bar or the tables. There are several tables and the waitress was happy to push together tables to accommodate (today) our family of 5.

There is a wall filled with buckeye nuts attached and 3 huge flat screen TVs always with the spots channel on and Vietnamese karaoke. It's not very big but is big enough to fit everyone comfortably.

Service:

Summer Rolls

Our waitress was prompt. She took our drink orders and was quick once they were ready. This included the food. There was a short wait for the food and she checked on us to make sure food was good and refills were given. As we just made it before the rush of people coming in, our food didn't take very long but every time we come we hardly noticed the wait.

Orders:
My children ordered large specialty Pho, my husband spring rolls and the seafood crispy fried egg noodle and I ordered a small Pho, cold cut bun mi and ice coffee. My youngest also ordered fried egg rolls, a strawberry boba tea and my husband a honeydew boba tea.


Portions:
The specialty drinks are in same size glass cups as the other drinks. Just enough for one person. The Vietnamese ice coffee is strong and just enough. I very rarely order a second. The children once in a while get refills on their sodas and they always provide water in addition to our drinks.

The large Pho bowls are pretty big but more of a regular size to me when eating Pho. Perfect for one person. The smalls are a good size for children  or people wanting Pho in addition to another dish. The Xl size is pretty good to hold off my husband who has a big appetite for Pho. The crispy noodle was a large dish, half way to a serving dish.

  Taste:

The Pho is always good. Slightly sweet and seemed like a hint of soy sauce that day but very good. 

Crispy Noodle

This was the first time we tried the seafood crispy fried egg noodle which was good but not great. The noodles were crispy and crunchy but had a taste of eating noodles straight out of the bag (mi mama) which is good but only in small portions. The noodles soften once sitting in the gravy. Not very filling but enjoyable if you like picking at all the good seafood and veggies. The gravy was good and flavorful. Good selection of seafood including octopus, imitation crab, and shrimp. The veggies included baby bok choy, green onions and shitake mushrooms. 

The bun mi is one of my favorites because the fresh french bread is so crispy good on the outside and soft on the inside with a good amount of filling. I like to order the cold cut but they also offer other types. All good in my opinion but then  I am a bread girl so to me it comes down to the fresh french bread and amount of filling. 

The ice coffee was great, strong and not too sweet. The boba teas were a good amount, more like fruit ice cream than smoothies but very refreshing and good.

 The summer rolls are also good, proportioned the noodles with the veggies and meat are good. Sometimes you run into restaurants with too much of one or the other. The summer rolls can also lose taste if the sauce is not good which is not the case at Buckeye Pho. My youngest always loves the fried egg rolls so no complaints there. They always come out hot and fresh as egg rolls should be.



Prices:
 Prices are not bad for the amount of food. They are not the same as in other larger states of course but is worth it for the good food. Small specialty pho is $ 7.59 as the large is $8.59 and jumbo $10.99. Spring rolls are $3.59 for two rolls, and $3.69 for two fried egg rolls. The bun mi sandwich was $5.59 but more depending on which one you order. I'm still upset that restaurants like this charge $1.99 for sodas out of the dispenser but at least here we received refills. 

Overall Experience:

Pho Dac Biet (Specialty Pho)

 We like this cafe / restaurant. We don't often get to visit but make it out when we can. The food is good and service is good. The pho is good also but sometimes the prices could match the cheaper prices in Texas and California but they have a lot more pho restaurants. The restaurant also offers a lot of selection to choose from including Bun Cuon (crepes) and rice dishes. I've had their rice dishes which are also good, both in amount and taste. They also have one of my favorite desserts, Crème Brulee both in regular and coffee flavor that I have yet to try. In retrospective we will return to have lunch or dinner here with the family if we're ever in the area again. 

Very Full Belly - Bay Nan