Crispy Shrimp – Wong Eats

Thai Orchid Kitchen

Thai restaurants abound in the DMV area in which such establishments can be found in most neighborhoods, particularly dotting affluent or ethnically-populated ones. As much as they make their presence in these parts of town, they are not as visible in the eastern sections like Prince George’s County, MD and Southeast DC, for which I have griped about in previous blogs. Since last summer, I have been noticing Thai Orchid Kitchen located in an improbable spot, at one of the busiest intersection in Anacostia, DC. Since a friend, with whom I would meet up once in a while, lived fairly close by, we paid it a visit during lunch one afternoon, and I was quite impressed by the meal. Subsequent meals there enticed me to drop in a number of times, hence enough dishes were sampled for this most tardy blog.

From the outside, the windows bars can be a bit unnerving to the uninitiated, and walking in, the dining area appears rather spacious despite the building’s shotgun-like appearance. After perusing the rather large menu, I decided to open my meal with a couple of classic soups. The first was Tom Ka. The bowl arrived filled with a whitish coconut cream-based liquid stained by some chili oil covering bits of chicken and mushrooms, and made aromatic by pieces of the obligatory lemongrass and galangal root. After giving the soup a stir since the cream tends to rise to the top, I took a good sip. Creamy and aromatic it was, but I was taken aback by a good hit of sourness and saltiness coming from both fish sauce and lime juice. Alternating sips with bites of my main dish only confirmed the overwhelming seasoning which begged for some taming. The other soup was the recognizable Tom Yum Shrimp. The hot liquid was perfumed by lemongrass, galangal root, and thin slivers of Kaffir lime leaf. Pieces of shrimp were both sweet and plump and the bowl was chockfull with straw mushroom and tomatoes. However, the disappointment lied in the seasoning, which, like the above, was replete with too much fish sauce and lime juice, this further exacerbated by too much sugar in this case. Although both soups require bold flavor ingredients, finesse in the balancing act of their elements is the secret to their success – the owner noted that his customers love fish sauce, but this was an overkill. In this kitchen, all the elements are there but the soups need some tweaking. However, these openers did not damper my curiosity of discovering the rest of the kitchen’s menu.

A favorite appetizer of mine from this Southeast Asian cuisine is Steamed Dumplings. One bite into them was revelatory. They tasted freshly made with the skins supple from the steaming, and the stuffing enticing with a savory mix of ground pork and shrimp, exuding an a la minute quality in each mouthful. The side of dark soy sauce was the perfect accompaniment with its slightly sweet dark molasses alongside its soy umami saltiness. The owner exclaimed that this was a big seller hence their freshly-made quality and flavor, which my dining companions raved about. Admittedly, this is one of the best versions I have eaten in the area. Another meat appetizer that equally impressed me was Chicken Satay. The skewers of meat were not the plainly seasoned ones found in most establishments. Here, the meat was properly grilled but still moist with hints of root herbs of galangal and lemongrass, colored by a hit of yellow turmeric. But it was the peanut sauce that sealed the deal with its nutty sweet and creamy mix echoing the use of the root herbs in the bites. Two good appetizers indeed.

Thai cuisine is known for their salads, and I had to taste a couple of them here. The first was Pla Goong or Grilled Shrimp Salad. The butterflied seafood came grilled and paired with carrots, lettuce, cilantro, and lemongrass, all brought together by a rather spicy, sweet and sour dressing. The salad was fairly tasty and each bite was made interesting by the bits of lemongrass that exuded a root citrus flavor. However, the dish was marred by the unseasoned and dried out shrimp that was crying out for some marinade that would have added flavor and moisture to the protein. Larb Kai was the other order. This traditional salad consists of minced chicken seasoned with dried chili flakes, lime juice, and toasted rice powder. The dish was still warm from the freshly cooked chicken but it tasted slightly under seasoned upon the first spoonful. Perhaps my tastebuds were slightly numb by the heavily seasoned grilled shrimp salad, but after a while, I was beginning to appreciate the subtleties of the chicken salad. With a bit more chili flakes and toasted rice powder, the dish would have scored highly in my books.

A couple of fried seafood dishes were also sampled. The first was the Fried Calamari appetizer. Rings of battered squid rings arrived with a florescent red sweet sauce. The pieces of seafood were a bit heavily battered despite it description of “lightly battered” in the menu. Despite this issue, the squid was quite tender, this being quite a tall feet for most kitchens. The main order of Crispy Seafood Basil suffered the same treatment as the calamari. The pieces of shrimp and fish were also heavy from both the batter and frying which made the dish a bit overwhelming and quickly filling. But I appreciated the pieces of battered green beans and carrots paired with a decent spicy garlic basil sauce, albeit a bit over thickened.

The dish that impressed me about this kitchen during my first visit was Drunken Noodles. The version here is a good mix of fresh wide rice noodles, sweet white onion, green onion, ripe tomato, and a choice protein. The slices of pork I chose each time were fresh and devoid of the “porky” scent usually found in that meat. But what pulls the elements together is the sauce that moistens the dish as well as the high-heat wok searing imparting a slightly char flavor. The sides of chili pickles and paste are the obligatory accoutrements to add more acid and spicy interest, as if the dish were not flavorful enough. This dish is definitely a lunch favorite of mine, including the well-made version here.

Another lunch dish I tried that caught my attention was the classic Kaprow Basil. However, during a dinner visit with a friend, his order was not quite what I had eaten for lunch. The dinner version was made with slices of chicken breast, sweet pepper, sweet onion, and green onion, sitting on a pool of brown sauce, devoid of basil leaves, reminding one of Chinese food. On another visit, I spoke to the cook’s sister and I asked for the traditional version. This time, minced chicken and shrimp were paired with long beans, sweet onions, and a handful of fragrant basil, sitting on a bare pool of proper sauce made with fish sauce and some soy. This version was more delectable although it yearned for a bit more chili heat and saltiness, which would have made the dish soar.

A trio of other seafood dishes caught the attention of me and my dinner companions during our visits. Salmon Curry with Pumpkin arrived with the bowl filled with large chunks of salmon and pieces of Kabocha pumpkin, covered in a slightly sweet yellow curry that was spiced by its usual suspects of cinnamon and cloves, all made velvety by some rich coconut cream. The pieces of fish were amazingly moist and fresh-tasting and the pumpkin being the kind that didn’t overwhelm the palate with its sweetness, which complemented the whole dish. The various elements in the dish came together beautifully and my friend seemed very pleased with his order. Another order placed by him was a similar fish dish – Crispy Salmon. When the dish arrived, it took him by surprise. The fillet was quite heavily battered and it was fried crispy, which was unexpected and to his dismay since he has an aversion for anything deep fried. After much griping, he managed to scrape the top off and started to appreciate the moist salmon and the flavors of the sauce despite its over-thickened consistency. My order one night was Seafood Prik Prao which was listed as a special on a hand-written menu. Wow! Everything on this dish impressed me starting with the freshness of the seafood (shrimp, tender squid, perfectly cooked sweet scallops, and mussels (not frozen)), to the red chili paste that made each bite tantalizing with its spice heat and well-balanced seasoning. The pieces of cashew nuts added another layer of taste and textural interest along with the fresh oyster mushrooms that exuded some silky lusciousness. It was assuring for me to know that the kitchen will cook any of the specials even if the special menu was not on display, for which I will be ordering in the future based on this offering.

After our meal one night and feeling very sated, we were recommended by our waitress to try Mango and Sticky Rice. Reluctantly, I probed her about the ripeness of the mango, and she reassured me that they were the smaller ones that were at their prime. Taking her word, we placed the order and the dish indeed echoed her thoughts. One bite reminded my senses what a good ripe mango tastes like, especially after a winter of unripen tropical fruits. But it was its accompanying sticky rice that was doing its darnest to wrestle my attention with its perfectly steamed grains (a tall feet for most kitchens), perfectly seasoned with salty coconut cream that made it the perfect foil to the sweet fruit. The obligatory yellow lentils added the crunch to the pairing of soft elements, making each bite more irresistible. This dessert was a definite hit and perfect sweet ending for all those present at my table, and I’m looking forward to more of its order in the upcoming summer months.

There were many highlights at Thai Orchid Restaurant, from the Chicken Satay and Steamed Dumplings appetizers, to the Larb Kai Salad, the Drunken Noodles, the traditional style of Kaprow Basil, the Salmon Pumpkin Curry and Seafood Prik Prao, and the quintessential and perfectly-made Thai ending – Mango and Sticky Rice. There were some dishes that left us nonplussed due to either their over seasoning or a lack of traditional approach in order to cater to the locals in the area. But once one can overlook some of these dishes, the diner can appreciate the well-seasoned and properly cooked aforementioned dishes that make this place worth recommending, especially in this part of town that has made this establishment very popular with delivery orders. Time to head back there soon and end the next meal with that scrumptious mango dessert!

Malaysian Meals 3

Food, Restaurants

I recently came back from a month-long trip to Turkey and Southeast Asia, and I managed to spend a week in my birth land, Malaysia, with my parents and relatives. This trip back was a great opportunity to catch up with my folks as well as to gorge myself with dishes that I missed most from my growing up years in this part of the world. After running around from one eating place to another and savoring the home dishes my Auntie Shirley cooked over the course of the week, here is the run down of the Malaysian gastronomic delights that not only sated my stomach but also warmed my soul. This posting is a continuation of the series on Malaysian Meals posted a couple of years ago (see blog links in above menu).

Malaysians really love their breakfast, judging by the crowds in eating places including roadside stalls at the early hours. One item that they are very fond of is Soft-boiled Egg which you will find to be a common order. A whole egg has been poached to the perfect state of opaque egg white and a barely cooked viscous yolk. A touch of white pepper (not black) and some salt or soy sauce complete this simple yet satisfying starter. Usually, it comes with a side of Toasted Bread, cut from whole loaves and not presliced, toasted but still quite pale, slathered with some margarine (not butter – only time an exception for me here) and some Kaya, a sweet coconut jam. This sweet sandwich is perfect with some hot Teh Tarik (pulled tea) or the strong Kopi-O (Malaysian coffee) to wake the eater up with its rich sweetness. I didn’t mind ordering two eggs with toast morning after morning since they get it right in this part of the world, and concern for my cholesterol level went out of the window with each delicious bite.

Another fairly mild breakfast item is Chee Cheong Fun. It is steamed sheets of rice dough rolled up to look like its moniker that translates as pig’s intestines noodle. No meat is involved here. It can be eaten with a combination of sweet and sour spicy sauces, and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. But most eaters would add a myriad of toppings called Yong Tau Foo. Stuffed tofu skin, fish ball, and stuffed puffed tofu cake are favored at this time of the morning. This was a favorite of mine when I used to visit my parents, and my Mum would stop by the stall during her rounds in the open wet markets, a place where great breakfast can be found.

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This Chinese breakfast item is also a noodle – Wanton Noodles in Sauce. Most of us know this dish as a noodle soup with floating pieces of wanton dumpling. Here, we have a version in which the cooked noodle is mixed in a sauce of soy, oyster sauce, and dark caramel soy sauce, a version that I rarely find outside of Malaysia. I prefer this type since it is not too hot for consumption in this sweltering part of the world, as well as its slight sweetness from the dark sauce and sour from some pickled green chilies. Customarily, a bowl of wanton soup is served with the noodles. But my parents usually add some other protein like Barbecue Pork (Char Siu) or my favorite, Braised Chicken Feet. Yumm.

Another fairly mild Chinese breakfast item is Rice Porridge or Congee. Grains of rice have been cooked with lots of liquid until they have lost their structural integrity, resulting in a thick gruel much like loose oatmeal. Without anything else, this porridge tastes of nothing. Hence, the bowl I had in a hot steamy coffee shop was topped with fried dough crullers, slices of pork, and crispy fried pig intestine. The dough crullers and pork added the savory and textural elements to this bowl, as well the intestine bits that also imparted a touch of funkiness. Probably my mother’s instruction for the cook to add an extra serving of intestine was a bit overkill. But nevertheless, I enjoyed this porridge especially having not savored it in so many years.

People in this part of world have been conditioned to seek spice in their food. Hence, there are some breakfast items that fit that bill. Roti Chanai and Murtabak are savory pancakes of South Indian origin, and their presence is indicative of the sizable Indian community here. The former is a simple grilled flaky pancake whereas the latter is the same pancake but with a stuffing of meat, egg or onion. For one breakfast, I chose the egg and onion version. The spicy element can be found in the different sauces that accompany this rather mild dough: fish curry, dahl lentil curry, and Sambar (a sour spicy sauce). It is not uncommon to find a Malaysian tearing off pieces of the roti or murtabak with their fingers and dipping it into the various sauces. No matter the cultural background, all Malaysians love this breakfast, as far as I know, with no exceptions coming to mind.
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Another spicy breakfast standard is from the Malay culture – Nasi Lemak. Its name refers to the rice that has been cooked with coconut cream to elevate the starch with some richness and fragrance. The usual toppings are crispy Whitebait fish, roasted peanuts, a hard-boiled egg, and sweet spicy Sambal sauce. The banana leaf wrapping is traditional and commonly seen, lending some vegetal fragrance to the whole mix. I have eaten versions with curry chicken and beef rendang. But I prefer mine pared down to its bare simplicity and devoid of meat, like the above, especially at the early hours of the day.

For lunch, Malaysians tend to gear towards noodle dishes. The following dishes are from the Baba Nyonya /Peranakan culture which I belong to. Penang Shrimp Noodle Soup is a dish with noodles in a spicy stock bursting with shrimp flavor as a result of frying the shells before making the stock. Pieces of chicken, shrimp, egg, and fried shallots complement the rich broth as well as adding some protein. As if it were not spicy enough, a side of cooked chili paste is usually added to each chopstickful of noodles. An appetizer ordered that day was Lor Bak. Tofu sheets have been stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and shrimp along with the secret ingredient, five-spice powder. The side of sour chili sauce is de rigueur with its chili heat as well as acid to balance these rich meaty bites..

Again, the following lunch dishes are from the same culture as above. Asam Mee is also from the Penang region, pointing to the Siamese influence with the use of sour elements. A spicy tamarind broth has been cooked with various root aromatics and Mackerel fish to produce a flavorful broth that is key to this dish. Toppings of cucumber, lettuce, pineapple, raw onions, mint, and fresh chili result in a melange of textures, temperatures, and flavors, making this dish a must-have in my books. A side order of Kueh Pai Tee brought back memories of eating them with my grandmothers. Fried dough shells looking like top hats, hence its other moniker, have been stuffed with a savory mix of jicama and meat, and topped with egg, fried shallots, sometimes crab meat, cilantro, fried shallots, and a dollop of sour chili sauce. Rarely is one stuffed shell fulfilling, but I had to make room for the above noodle dish.
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Another Penang Nyonya dish I ate was Mee Siam that was cooked by my Aunt Shirley. This recipe was handed down by my maternal grandmother, and I requested my aunt to cook it because I missed it very much and I wanted to fine-tune the recipe I copied down years ago. Rice stick noodles have been stir-fried in a chili-shallot-garlic-dried shrimp mix before tossed with shrimp, bean sprouts and Chinese chives. The usual toppings are slivers of egg pancake, fried shallots, fried garlic, sweet chili paste, and fresh lime juice. A sweet fermented bean paste sauce is added according to the diner’s whim. As you can see the preparation list is quite long, hence, no other dish is cooked or served along this monumental dish. The result is a delight of sour, sweet, spice, and salty, as well as the different fragrant elements from the dried shrimp, chives, fried shallots and fried garlic. With such a wonderful dish, there is never a request for anything else but more of this heavenly treat.

This Nyonya noodle dish, Curry Laksa, is from the Malacca region, which my father’s side hails from. Noodles are covered with a rich broth make with chili, root aromatics, and enriched with coconut milk. The usual bowl partners are chicken, fish cake, tofu cakes, fish ball, bean sprouts and some long beans. A squirt of lime juice is the necessary citrus hit to cut through the creamy broth. Not only is this bowl filling with all the different elements, but truly satisfying with the strong flavors and the rich coconut based soup. Not an everyday lunch order, but worthwhile once in a while.

A road stall lunch order one day was Minced Fish Noodle. This is a take on the traditional fish ball noodle soup dish. But here we have a version that is made with a sweet fish bone broth that is made even sweeter with tomatoes and cloudy with evaporated milk, which was completely novel for me. The fish cake was not the usual bouncy fish ball consistency that I was used to, but one that was rather airy and light with the slightly rough texture from fish meat that had not been overly minced. The soft rice stick noodles was the right starch to go with this delicate dish, which was a nice break from all the spice. A mild noodle dish but not tame after all.

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The last noodle dish is usually served in coffee shops or roadside stalls – Char Kueh Teow. Flat rice noodles are wok-fried with a dark sauce, shrimp, sometimes Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, egg, and usually cockles. This dish is difficult to replicate at home due to the high temperature needed to char the noodles slightly to give that je ne sais quoi. However, as of late, I have been rather disappointed by stalls that take short cuts with the ingredients, like cockles and crispy pork lard, and the lack of wok char from cooking it at a lower temperature. To make matters worse, I have not found any cook in the city using pork lard as the starting element, which imparts lots of flavor to each bite. Another favorite of mine, but I’m easily disappointed by what is served. Oh well, the quest continues.

For dinner one night, my parents and I had Hainanese Chicken Rice. A whole chicken is gently cooked in which the collagen in the flesh is still intact, producing a silky smooth and moist flesh. The rice is cooked with the broth and some chicken fat, tasting savory from the liquid and rich from the fat, good enough to be eaten by itself. The chicken in this order was from the “kampung”, a free-range bird that was nearly devoid of fat and tasting far superior than the supermarket kind. The side of ginger chili sauce is the obligatory sauce with the poultry. An order of Ipoh Bean sprouts was the perfect accompaniment to the mild-tasting Chicken Rice. Bean sprouts have been stir-fried with slivers of salted fish that have been made crispy by frying in very hot oil, imparting its fishy saltiness to the rather tasteless sprouts. What makes these bean sprouts unique is its short length and its distinctive flavor from the lime water in the Ipoh region. Our order was quite late in arrival, but it was worth ingesting every morsel indeed.

A meet-up with a former schoolmate from my English days warranted feasting on what Malaysian cuisine is also known for – seafood. The first order was Frog Legs (water animal, right?) which was cooked with ginger and green onions. The sweet flesh was paired well with the pungent ginger and green onion and brought together by a light sauce. Another dish was Crispy Shrimp. Large pieces of the shellfish were fried in very hot oil until the shell was brittle and edible while the flesh remained moist. A light coating of fried fresh chilies and green onions provided additional flavors to these tasty pieces. The final dish was Chili Crab, a perennial favorite of most Malaysians. Large pieces of fresh crab were coated with a thick sweet chili sauce that was enriched by some egg. The idea is to lick the sauce off the shells, crack them open to dip the flesh in the sauce, and to dunk pieces of toast into that heavenly sauce. Yes, that sauce is good enough to lick off the plate, making it a hot item on the menu.

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A lunch meet-up with some relatives was regaled with a couple of Chinese classics. The first was Braised Pork Knuckle. Pieces of pig hand or feet have been stewed in a dark savory sauce for hours before being paired with some fresh vegetables and Chinese mushrooms. What I enjoyed was the tender pieces of pork that has been stewed long enough for it to become fork-tender and full of flavor, as well as the chewy pieces of fish maw that I found quite interesting texture and taste-wise. The other classic was Sweet and Sour Pork. Eating it was refreshing for this diner, a far departure from the usual renditions found in inferior establishments. Here was a dish made with small pieces of pork that were not too heavily battered, paired with pieces of fresh cucumber, green onions, onions, pineapple, and red chilies, and brought together by a thin sweet and sour sauce that was not nuclear-glowing by red coloring. When done right, this dish is worth ordering and revelatory to anyone. Staying with my auntie, I requested a couple of vegetable-based dishes that I had not eaten for quite some time. Chow Moo Choy is made with pickled vegetables cooked with pieces of pork. The leafy vegetable has been dried with salt and sugar, and these same flavor elements permeate the whole dish, making it quite irresistible. The other is Chah Choy. Fresh cabbage-like leaves are cooked with leftover chicken or pork, whole dried chilies and tamarind slices until the leaves are very tender, tasting savory, spicy and sour at the same time. I had missed these two dishes, and I am grateful that my auntie went out of her way to bring back these dishes to my taste buds.

A couple of dishes that I ate on this trip reminded me of my grandmother and her cooking. Kow Yoke is a braised dish with alternate layers of taro root and pork belly covered by a thick sauce. The melting quality of the dish evokes a sense of comfort while elevated by the five-spice in the sauce. This was definitely a dish that I missed dearly. The final dish that the same auntie cooked for my parents and me was Ayam Kacang Putih. This Indian recipe was handed down from my grandmother’s sister after having learned it from her father-in-law’s Indian chauffeur. Here, pieces of chicken have been marinated in red chili powder before being fried and paired with fragrant curry leaves, perfumy anise powder, red chili, shallots, and crunchy roasted baby garbanzo/chick peas. This dish is a definite explosion of flavors that brings back memories of Grandma cooking this signature dish. Again, this was a trip down Memory Lane that was worth every chicken morsel and every drop of the sauce.

Whew, that was only part of what I consumed in the course of one week, frantically trying my best to cover as much ground within a short period of time. Malaysians, I included, are some serious foodies who not only enjoy the local offerings but also obsess about them and plan their daily lives around the meals. With such gastronomic delights that abound in this part of the world, no wonder food is in the forefront of their mind. By what you have just seen and read in this blog, I think you can understand why.