Fish Amok

It has been a while since we cooked Khmer food (Cambodian). We attempted a meal for parents a while ago, after our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia last year. For us, it was the Cambodian food that was the most memorable of the trip, even though we were in the country for such a short time. We ate in out hotel a couple of times, which also had a restaurant in the town. Other meals were in small restaurants within the Angkor complex.

My favourite dish from Cambodia is their national dish Amok Trei, or Fish Amok. There are a few different recipes and cooking methods written about on the Internet, but our Cambodian and Vietnamese recipe book calls the dish "Steamed Fish in Coconut Custard". Some recipes I have come across don't even involve steaming, and in fact one recipe I saw was from the wall of Angkor Thom apparently, and there was no steaming.

The two examples of Amok I had in Cambodia (above) were quite different. The first was chicken Amok, and was rather liquid. This was served in a coconut, and had a small amount of onion and other vegetables within the dish. The second was fish amok and was served in a banana leaf cup, in which many recipes say that the mixture should be steamed. (Although some just say it should be presented in them). This second version was thicker and again included small amounts of vegetables. Both we very tasty and quite unlike anything we'd ever had before.

The basic flavours of this dish come from the paste "Kroeung". Some times this is called this Cambodian curry paste, other times it is called a herbal paste, but the version I used contained lemongrass, shallots, ginger, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves and loads of garlic. No chilli. Some recipes do add chilli, but I was following the "herbal paste" recipe from the Cambodian and Vietnamese recipe book.

When we tried the dish before, we'd used that book, however the quantities didn't seem to add up. The Amok was very liquid, and the flavour of the Kroeung quite diluted, so I'd researched a few alternative recipes and came up with an idea of what to try to see if it worked.

Ingredients:


3 lemongrass stalks
8 cloves of garlic
Ginger root or galangal if available
1 tsp Turmeric
1 large shallot
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 Birdseye chillis
2 fillets of cod
Half a can of coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 eggs

Firstly I made the Kroeung paste. This was 3 lemongrass stalks (I'm never sure how to prepare lemongrass, I know everything says to removed the woody outer leaves, but it is all woody if you ask me!), 8 cloves of garlic, 1 shallot, 3 kaffir lime leaves, a piece of ginger and a teaspoon of turmeric all whizzed up with a bit of water to make a paste.

Next I added about 2-3 tablespoons of the Kroeung to about half a tin of coconut milk along with 2 chopped birds eye chillis. Many recipes for Amok do not have any chilli at all, but some do (and some Kroeung recipes have chilli in but this one didn't). We like the kick, so I added some. Into this mixture went two eggs (double yolkers bought from Marple Food and Drink Festival), 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and two fillets of cod, cut into chunks.

The mixture is then put in a steamer, and for these quantities, steamed for 15-20 mins stirring part way through.
The last time we attempted Amok, we didn't have a bowl big enough for the food that would fit in the steamer so cooked the mixture in a ban marie. Perhaps that method also was to blame for it not thickening last time.
I think I overcooked the mixture slightly as the eggs seemed a little scrambled, but this didn't ruin the dish as all the flavours were still there.


The finished dish was lovely. Very very tasty. The flavours were true of the food we'd eaten in Cambodia, but possibly this version of Amok might not be that authentic. For example I used powdered turmeric instead of fresh turmeric root, and ginger rather than galangal, also I'm not actually sure about the addition of the chillis. (Kerry, can you help on this? Does your Amok have chilli in?) Plus there was not a banana leaf in sight. The fish still held it's flavour and the sauce was definitely thicker than before. We served it with plain rice.

I will modify the proportions the next time we make this. I think there was too much Kroeung to coconut milk as it was rather rich and needed the rice to balance it. I may also try adding a few thin slices of onion and another vegetable maybe. But I think this time was far more successful than last.

Fish Amok or Amok Trei

Orange Tree Tapas and Grill, Denton

On Sunday evening, since earlier plans had been cancelled, we decided to try the Orange Tree Tapas restaurant in Denton. We'd often looked at the menu but decided to stick with original plans of a takeaway or the Italian, but this time we stuck to it, and went in.

Being a Sunday night, the restaurant was empty, but we were warmly greeted by what appeared to be the owner.

The restaurant looked lovely, and we guess could have a great atmosphere when busy. The owner seemed determined to make us laugh and proved to be a character, chatting to us and making jokes throughout the night - perhaps a little too much at times.

We asked him how many dishes we should order after being told that the portions were quite big, and he recommended 3 each, and he also pointed out a couple of dishes to try (which we didn't actually! But will next time).

We ordered some house wine, and he gave us pretty much a full glass to try, and if we didn't like it, he'd get us something different. But it was very nice, so bonus glass of wine!

Eventually we ordered a mixture of dishes, and some chips as the side. The owner was quite keen that we wouldn't order too much and kept saying that if we wanted more throughout the meal we could order as and when. He also said that one portion of chips would be more than enough for us both with what we'd ordered. Something which we were impressed with.

 

We ordered the (1) Chicken, Mushrooms, Cream and Garlic, (2) Lightly Spiced Lamb Stew, (3) Sticky and Spicy Rice, (4) Chicken, Paprika and Cream, (5) Fillet Steak in Garlic and Chilli, and the (6) Chorizo sauteed with Parsley and Lemon.  All were very tasty indeed, and we wondered why we'd never been in before. The owner pointed out the blackboards which displayed the specials as well as the mid-week offers. The offers seemed to be so good value it was untrue, so next time, we're going to try a week night and see what we get. The bill game to around £38 with a bottle of wine, so very good value.

Marple Food and Drink Festival and Crayfish

On Saturday, Tim was helping out the Marple Band at what we thought was a random gig, but it turned out to be at the Marple Food and Drink Festival. Bonus! I went along to support the band and also to see what was going on.

 

It was the Food and Drink day of the festival and the precinct was full of various stalls, many from local business, but notably including Marple Allotments Association. A stall which I gathered useful information about my lack of home grown tomatoes as well as some rather exciting and still muddy red Swiss Chard. Something that we've never cooked before.

I spent quite a bit of money while the band were playing, on various veg, gluten free brownies (because I can!) and a bottle of interesting Prosecco. But my main ingredient that I was excited about was Crayfish tails.

I'd spotted a recipe on The Recipe Chef, via facebook which I quite fancied, but never actually got round to hunting out some crayfish tails. So here they were, in little pots on the fishmonger's stand, begging to be bought. I couldn't remember the quantities from the recipe so bought a pot of prawns too. If there were too many, I'd just eat them as they were.

I kind of followed the recipe but not entirely, and looking at it now, I realise I ate the sauce which was meant for 2 people, but only with the pasta for one!

I started by chopping up the two and only tomatoes we had into chunks. These were supposed to be cherry tomatoes, but I did chop them to approximately cherry tomatoes if that counts? And started preparing the red pepper as suggested. This involved putting it in the microwave with a splash of water for a couple of minutes. At the end of the time I thought the microwave was going to explode, or the pepper would be on fire, but all was well. This too was chopped up, added to the tomatoes and put in the oven (200C) with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a chopped clove of garlic for about 20 mins.

Meanwhile I put on some gluten free spaghetti to cook.

Once out of the oven, the sauce is mashed down in a pan, then the crayfish (and prawns) were added and the whole sauce heated through.

The sauce is mixed with the cooked pasta and I added a few torn basil leaves (the recipe said to cook the tomatoes with dried basil, but we didn't have any) and a drizzle of olive oil.

The dish was lovely. One of my favourites actually. And I will be making it again and again. If I can find crayfish tails that is. The guys at The Recipe Chef commented about the meatiness of the crayfish tails compared to prawns, but I've previously not had the opportunity to actually compare them in the same dish I didn't really expect much meatiness to be obvious, but there was quite a big difference. The crayfish also added so much more of a lovely fishy flavour to the dish.

Perhaps I've not been looking that closely, but it doesn't seem that our supermarkets have any crayfish, and with the absence of any fishmonger that I can see in the area, my hunt may be a long one.

Brodsky and Bizarre



Cage Performance



Cage Performance

Last night saw me at the familiar place that is the RNCM. Although it seems that much has changed since the last time I was there, but that's another story. There was Jazz and CAMRA Beer Festival on it seemed, but I don't drink beer and have mixed views about what some call Jazz, but last night's performance was no ordinary Jazz. I won't go on about this too much, as this is a food blog after all, but I'd just like to mention a few bits.
There was a performance of John Cage Uncaged, which was a performance of his Song Books. If anyone who doesn't know who I mean - yes he is the 4'33" guy. It really was a bizarre and random night, and intentionally so. Performances happened across all the RNCM's public spaces including in the middle of the coffee shop - most notably for me, the one performance of the chef cooking mushrooms which he handed out. More like a cooking demonstration than a musical performance, but that's Cage for you. All performances happened at random times, and in random orders, and the whole idea was that everyone could wander round it all, each getting a different combination and therefore experience of the night. Kind of like a bizarre interactive museum. Anyway, more about the performance here.

Towards the end of the performance The Brother and I decided to eat at the newly redeveloped Brodsky restaurant which is part of the RNCM. I saw some ongoing building work to the side of the restaurant and I believe that the plans are to be able to run the restaurant as a self-contained establishment which doesn't rely on the events at the college for opening times. Earlier in the day enquiries had been made about the gluten free dishes and it seemed there was quite a good selection.
When we arrived, the lady who seemed to be in charge presented us with a menu on which the gluten free options had been labelled. (not pictured) Excellent service!

Brodsky's main courses

The prices didn't seem to be as expensive as expected, but there was a limited choice. I think that the menu offered changes as per what type of event is running, to cater for special pre-show 3-course meals, festivals, and multiple events. I chose the Tex Mex Chicken and The Brother chose the Tuna Steak with garlic and herb butter which was on the fish bit of the menu.
Brodsky's now run table service which was efficient, and the whole lay out and decor of the room was rather pleasant. Lots of white walls, and dark fittings.
When the food arrived however, I was a little disappointed. My food was OK, nothing special at all. My chicken dish looked like it was canteen food, and maybe a big pot had been kept bubbling. It didn't really seem to be Tex Mex either. It was a "generic" tomato sauce with added peppers and chilli. The side of veg seemed not to be too fresh, although they had treated it to a knob of butter, and it wasn't overdone.

Tex Mex Chicken

The Tuna was good. I haven't really eaten much Tuna and it looked a bit overcooked to me, but according to The Brother, who has been eating lots of it recently, it was fine. I did try some and it wasn't dry, and it was quite tasty. The butter was good too, although if you look closely at the picture, you can see that they had left the cling film on! Nevermind.

Tuna Steak with Garlic and Herb Butter

I'm not sure if I was expecting too much from the new restaurant, as it does serve a college as well as the general public, but I think it could have potential. Once it has established its own identity it could be great. I may consider eating there again next time I'm up Oxford Road and at the RNCM, but this time choose something that would have been cooked fresh rather than maybe sat over a burner for a while.
I should have grabbed at the mushroom giveaway earlier to see what they were like.

Back, briefly, to the Cage thing. The night was very odd, funny, crazy and different, so that got me thinking about trying to re-create a dish which I had some time ago that produced a similar reaction in me. A few different flavours and textures that are not normally put together producing an unusual mix and a smile to the face. I'm not trying to be Heston or anything, but watch this space for something a bit different soon!

P.S. I know at least 3 readers will know who it is in the first picture - just shows how bizarre the night was really!

Chinese Slow-Cooked Pork

Thanks to a fantastic half-price offer at Morrisons I did something which is quite rare and bought a joint of meat.  Pork shoulder is a cut I love cooking as it tenderises so well when you have a few hours spare and at £2 something a kilo I thought I would treat Fran to something special ;)

Chinese Slow-Cooked Pork

When we are not talking about food we are generally talking about our fast-approaching little soiree to Switzerland (hence the curiously placed guide book above).   In a few weeks we will be no doubt trying to cook a cheese fondue or something but for now - back to the pork....

I can't really attribute this recipe to anyone as I looked at a few, pinched some ideas but changed quantities, missed some things out and added some others so I guess this is my own creation.  With slow-cooker recipes you don't need to be too accurate on cooking time and we find we often go to the pub until we are hungry.  In this case it added about 3 hours to the planned cooking time so we were left with a "pulled pork" type of consistency which was fantastic actually!  The sauce was very rich but the meat could take it and had we not served it with crackling then it would have been a healthy dish too.

Such a very simple dish done this way:

lkg Pork Shoulder Joint
1 teaspoon Chinese 5spice
1 teaspoon salt

Remove the fat from the pork, rub meat with the 5spice and salt and leave in fridge for 2 hours




For the cooking sauce:

1 Tablespoon Molasses
4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (Gluten-free)
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Teaspoon Crushed Dried Chilli
5 Spring Onions
1 Large Knob of Ginger (unpeeled and finely sliced)
6 Cloves of garlic (peeled but left whole)
600 ml of Chicken Stock (Gluten-free)
Cornflour

In a pan dissolve the molasses into the soy and fish sauce.  Add the stock and vegetables and bring to a simmer.

Put the slow-cooker to high and place the meat in the middle.  Pour over the sauce, cover and leave for 4 hours.  Turn the meat and cook on low for at least another 2 hours.

When cooked, remove the meat, cover with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Pour the sauce from the slow-cooker into a pan through a sieve.









Turn up the heat and thicken with cornflour until at the required consistency.

Shred the meat and scatter it over stir-fried veg, then drizzle over some sauce.  We also had scratchings (done separately) but they were a bit of a disaster so we won't go there. 

We thought it tasty great.  The sauce was rich and spicy but the meat could handle it.  It was nice to have the stir-fry crunch too.  We plan to buy some more pork while it is still on offer so you may see some more slow-cooked pork ideas (or perhaps you could suggest one!?)