The "A" Game

Snow Pea Thai Chicken Gizzard Rice Noodle

Last night in HRI 206 International class was Asian night. This was the second class on Asian food this week. Monday's class on Asia was a trip to Restaurant Depot and then to the Asian Market and a ride to SAVOR Virginia's Low Country Cuisine Restaurant to cook up our finds at the Asian Market. I love going to the International Markets. I learn so much, some thing's I don't want to learn about like jellyfish as a main course is not my cup of tea, but to others well have at it. Chef says to the group while at the market, "a team member go get a noodle, any noodle, just not the same noodle I want four types of noodles."

Shrimp, Asparagus Noodle

Beef and Crispy Noodle

Second member go get a produce, any produce, not the same produce, four types of produce." Then when we all assembled again he picks a person from each team except team one (Me and Sheila) to pick a protein. WHY CAN'T WE PICK OUR OWN PROTEIN??? Ok fine, Sheila and I are still going to do ok. In fact we are going to do better than ok!  I have fresh Thai basil and Cilantro to use in our dish. FLAVOR, FLAVOR, FLAVOR!  It was really a great night at the restaurant. The rest of the students were so excited to cook in a real commercial kitchen. I am at the point that I am not as afraid of some of the equipment any more and it's become home to me. Sheila and I had the fine protein of chicken gizzards chosen for us. No prob! Ok problem don't let the vegetarian cook the protein next time. I swear! Snow Pea's, carrot, asparagus, onion, lots of ginger, garlic, Thai basil and cilantro sauteed and mixed with a spicy soy and sesame sauce and tossed our noodles in and we were done till I felt we needed some fancy shrooms. So I tossed some of them in whole, and should have cut them up, so had marks taken off for that and the gizzards were a little over done; but over all presentation was a 5.0. WHOO HOO! Everyone's dish was flavorful and fun to look at.

Pork Belly and Spicy Mushroom Noodle

Viet Nam

 What a great class! "So be prepared Wednesday" Chef says "have your nine course menu planned and ready to give to me and plan a four course meal for Viet Nam, Thailand, China (one region) and Japan." Sheila and I were given Viet Nam. OY  we wanted Thailand. But ok. Viet Nam has some awesome food. Sheila and I did a lot of talking on the phone and few e-mails back and forth on recipe's and dishes, and we were good to go.

Szuechuan

Natural Spring Rolls wrapped in lettuce leaves and and quickly panned fried served with some chili sesame dipping sauce for the appetizer. Then we did an asparagus and what was supposed to be crab but didn't have the protein in the house and used shrimp instead for a soup. Lots of Thai basil and cilantro with some fish sauce, which made it seriously too salty. I tried to water it down without loosing the flavor, but was unsuccessful. It was flavorful, but too salty. So we thought we needed a pallet cleanser and so I threw some mango juice, a little bit of pineapple juice, powdered ginger and a little unflavored gelatin into a bowl and froze it up. Then quenelled the ice and put in a small dish. Nice! Really it was perfect.

Thailand

Japan

   











 
For our entree we chose an original Curry Chicken recipe "Ca Ri Ga" with sweet potato, carrot, onion and the chicken in a really nice curry and coconut sauce and rice noodles. Fun! Dessert was the total surprise. We found a traditional banana soup dessert made from coconut milk, tapioca, banana's and some spices, slowly cooked and thickened up, then topped with toasted black and white sesame's seeds for a different texture. What is great about this dessert it can be frozen, it can be cold, it can be room temperature, it can be hot. Whatever it is temperature wise it taste's great, your taste buds go crazy and finds a new flavor at each temp. Sheila and I kept tasting it to the point we were afraid it was going to be gone before the plating. Plating a 5.0, Mis en place a 4.75, taste a 4.0. Not bad for a little effort.  I am still sweating on that little bit of effort on our "A" game. All the meals were wonderful. And so much imagination and work went into the presentations. I'd like to do that class over again just for some more of Randy's Thai Iced Tea Cocktails. (YUMM) We have for more labs for HRI 206 International Cuisine. Next up will be India and then the Caribbean. Too bad we can't take a class trip to like Jamaica for the weekend and taste some decent Caribbean food. 

We will have our little fall break and then HRI 207 American Regional will begin. Can't wait!  Cheesecake... Chicken and dumplings, how about some good old fashioned meatloaf and Corned beef sammiches?

Chef talking it up about HRI 207 American Regional