[Nepoznati Knez]

As some know, I have a summer restaurant where I try to open up people to world cooking (mostly vegetarian.some meat but no fish).

I used to travel a lot to discover new food but I am getting older and I am stucked in France with health and family problems.

I guess some of you are food curious too and can give me some hints about new receipes...

I already have a lot from my own family (Syrian Balkan Moroccan and Italian cooking) but I may have overlooked some, I also cook a lot of Asian Fusion (Sushi Sambal Som Tam) but it is difficult here to buy some of the fresh products you need.
For instance I had good food in Belem but it is not possible to get Tucupi or real guarana here or Açai regularly. I can find some local products that are similar in some cases.

It is quite expensive restaurant so forget about junk food but there are only 3 people cooking so forget about last minute sophisticated cooking too.

I am looking for receipes (or part of receipe) you can cook in advance and store two or three days like mole verde, pesto, sambal, pahi, curries or relishes (like malosol) to insert in receipes.

Feel free to tell me what you enjoy, even if you do not have an accurate receipe, I guess I can find it by my own.

 

[MWW]

I'm not much of a foodie so I can't really offer you much.

However something like Lor Mai Gai (glutinous/sticky rice pudding with chicken) is a nice savoury dimsim that is frequently marketed in yumcha, and is a Malaysian dish. It also includes chinese sausage and shittake mushrooms, all wrapped in bamboo leaves. It's the size of a man's wallet, so not a main but a good entree. You can freeze store and then steam it up. Lo Mai Gai recipe- easily cook with common Asian ingredients

The upgrade from this would be the sticky rice pudding (called zhong zi) which is a staple during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival but the taste can be difficult to pull off (my grandmother was amazing at this and made over 70 at a time for the family) and it does require a lot of prep to make heaps. Wonderful when done well but maybe somewhat ambitious for you.

Wonton in broth or with egg noodles is another simple but great Asian dish if done well and involves such simple ingredients. The wonton can be frozen stored as well even before cooking, though this should be done very quickly after you've finished assembling the lot as they can become frail with moisture if you leave them out for too long. I would not overcharge that said.

The thousand year (or century) egg porridge is sublime. The egg is a bit of an acquired taste for some, because it is strong and smells (but I love it); one won't find an egg that tastes nor looks quite like it. It might be hard for you to get the egg but you can do other congees (not quite the same that said). Add some twin fried breadsticks (called you ja guay i.e. deep fried ghost, or you tiao) with that and it will be a favourite. This pastry looks hard but is actually rather soft and fluffy inside and is amazing to eat when you dunk it into the warm congee. There is even a legend behind it!

 

In brief, a General and hero of the Emperor during the Song Dynasty called Yue Fei is plotted against by the Prime Minister Qin Hui. Yue Fei was famous for his many victories. Qin and his wife makes false accusations against Yue Fei who is imprisoned and then executed. The Emperor Gaozeng though was also complicit as he had the power not to listen to Qin and was fearful of his own position. The people are very upset and a dough maker made pastries into the likeness of Qin and his wife and they deepfry and eat them.

Some have it sweet like churros with coffee that said.

Someone has a shortened recipe of the thousand year egg porridge, I cannot say whether it is good or not but you can try.

20-Minute Congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥)

Make delicious Chinese congee with slow-cooked flavor––from scratch––in 20 minutes! This exciting technique drastically cuts the usual congee cooking time.

thewoksoflife.com

Fried Bread Sticks - Dau Chao Quay - You Tiao - Scruff & Steph

These fried bread sticks are a delicious and versatile treat that everyone must give a go at least once. It is similar to a doughnut but lighter, chewier and has a crispy skin when fresh. Many Asian people have them as a savoury accompaniment / snack with their congee or cup of coffee in the...

scruffandsteph.com

 

[Nepoznati Knez]

Thanks @MWW I have 20 very small banana trees in my greenhouse and I planned to try them for cooking may Mother Nature allow them to survive winter. There is also a guy who grew a kind of local organic shitake (lantain du Chêne) close to my place. And one of the cook likes glutinated rice so I can try it....

I avoid frozen things as it kills texture and even taste if it is too long, and fresh food is my place philosophy. But it is not a problem as we can cook smaller amonts and include it in a combo.

I had very nice sweet black rice pudding in Bali but the guy asked to be ordered one day in advance so indeed maybe difficult for organisation.

Thousand year egg is not my thing, I do not even eat fresh eggs but I will try the other receipes, thanks a lot.

And try the Congee without egg as it sounds like a rice soup we used to eat for breakfast in Thailand.... I will even try the frozen rice to shorten as texture is not the key.

BTW I love fresh herbs in my food and what I got in food street in South East Asia : a huge range of fresh herbs you can add as you like in your meal was a bliss for me....

I already have some Asian fresh herbs in my garden (or rather on growing tables) such like shiso (tito) chinese coriander or thai holy basil but if you have some others you enjoy just give me their names and I would try to find seeds.

 

[Jolyon]

Wrong forums, bro. Forums @ ??? www.cheftalk.com

 

[Ilkae]

My favorite Chinese noodle dishes:

Zha jiang mian Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面): Beijing’s signature noodles or the Korean version Jja jang myeon Jjajangmyeon (Noodles in blackbean sauce) recipe - Maangchi.com

You po mian You Po Mian (Hot Oil Noodles)

Liang mian Liang mian (凉面) or Chicken Noodle Salad- Sichuan Liang Mian | China Sichuan Food

And from Japan, Hakata style tonkotsu ramen:

Hakata Ramen - How To and Where To Eat In Fukuoka | MATCHA RAMEN MAGAZINE | MATCHA - JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE

Hakata ramen is a local variety of Japanese ramen that originates from Fukuoka in southern Japan. Learn how to order and eat it, recommended restaurants, and the unique characteristics of Hakata ramen, with its tonkotsu pork bone broth and thin noodles.

matcha-jp.com

 

[Kowchi]

Gnocchi is my favorite food and always goes good as a daily special.

Its simple to make too.

 

[MWW]

Thanks @MWW I have 20 very small banana trees in my greenhouse and I planned to try them for cooking may Mother Nature allow them to survive winter. There is also a guy who grew a kind of local organic shitake (lantain du Chêne) close to my place. And one of the cook likes glutinated rice so I can try it....

I avoid frozen things as it kills texture and even taste if it is too long, and fresh food is my place philosophy. But it is not a problem as we can cook smaller amonts and include it in a combo.

I had very nice sweet black rice pudding in Bali but the guy asked to be ordered one day in advance so indeed maybe difficult for organisation.

Thousand year egg is not my thing, I do not even eat fresh eggs but I will try the other receipes, thanks a lot.

And try the Congee without egg as it sounds like a rice soup we used to eat for breakfast in Thailand.... I will even try the frozen rice to shorten as texture is not the key.

BTW I love fresh herbs in my food and what I got in food street in South East Asia : a huge range of fresh herbs you can add as you like in your meal was a bliss for me....

I already have some Asian fresh herbs in my garden (or rather on growing tables) such like shiso (tito) chinese coriander or thai holy basil but if you have some others you enjoy just give me their names and I would try to find seeds.

With the wonton, I'm used to making it home for a family of 4 and freezing enough for 5 later.

But you can do it on the spot too for a given order. 8 wonton with noodles or 12-14 for broth alone will do. Wrapping the wonton is actually very easy, will take no more than 10 mins to make enough for one customer (faster too with more hands). Then no more than 10 minutes boiling on the stove. This part typically you boil the water/broth first, add the wonton, wait for it to boil, them add a halfcup of water to simmer, raise to boil again, repeat x 3. This is to avoid it spilling over (the water does rise up fast as steam).

The only thing is you'll have to create a "batter" blending and marinating the mince and small herbs/cabbage that go inside beforehand which takes 30-40 minutes. That part of the dish you can freeze or refrigerate, or have in separate "containers" ready to thaw to be wrapped and saves freezing pastry.

As to herbs, shallots are always a star, and star anise for pork stews and soups (remove this though before serving, it has a strong aftertaste).

If you do desserts, well the Lao po bing (wife or sweetheart cake) pastry is one humble but easy pastry. You need wintermelon as the main ingredient.

Wife Cake/Lao Po Bing 老婆饼

I really love this pastry as this is my third time making this week! The first two times I gave most away to mom, aunts, sister in law, and ...

ch3rri-blossoms.blogspot.com

It looks simple but it darn tastes good, I had it as a boy. It's unlikely foreigners are well acquainted with thus but with good marketing strategies they will become much loved.

The ancient story goes a man's father got very ill and the family tried hard to pay for his medicine but ran out of money. The wife goes and sells herself as a slave to pay for the ongoing medical treatment. The husband finds out and is sad so he goes and makes these cakes to sell. These became a huge hit and he made more than enough to buy his wife back.

 

[clearwaters]

@Ilkae Do you like the Chinese/Asian spicy food a lot?

@MWW I hate the thousand year egg porridge lol. Can't really eat it unless I'm sick and have no choice.

 

[Bakano]

Thai style salads with green mango are easy to make and summer-appropriate.

Vietnamese Pho soup very simple and delicious, the epitome of "fresh", although getting the right herbs might not be simple in the French midi.

 

[ne znam ali mozda]

we should organise a big MTF meeting in Knez's restaurant in Nice next summer, love the city, been there many times, would be cool to meet some of you

hey Knez so you don't serve cevapi?

 

[Nepoznati Knez]

we should organise a big MTF meeting in Knez's restaurant in Nice next summer, love the city, been there many times, would be cool to meet some of you

hey Knez so you don't serve cevapi?

Sorry guy I m not in Nizza maybe 300 kms from it but love Nizzarte cooking and city. You probably misunderstood Nizza and Nîmes which is the neighbour city of Montpellier where an indoor ATP event occurs in February.
Nîmes is a very old Roman city with a lot of History but definitely 40 kms from the Sea so one of the hottest place in Summertime (hot meaning like in oven not a place with nice and open minded chicks).


I am not very fond of meat (except chicken and rabbit), fish, cheese or pastas, it is some things I do not eat myself so it is difficult for me to have my personnal receipes with it, but I have hired cooks that can cook it.
That said it is not a budget restaurant so it is difficult to serve simple things like gnocchi or pastas or cevapi

So no cevapi, and as far as Balkan cooking is concerned, I can cook veggie sarmale (sour cabbage ones with rice and dried fruits) from time to time, gibanica, ajvar and of course cheese burek, more Lebanese South Italian and Morrocan cooking in my comfort zone.

As you already noticed (and joked me about) my Serbian roots are quite weak, I do not speak language fluently and only have a lonesome grandfather that cut relationships with Serbia when leaving Serbian Cavalry during WWI (staying in Corsica with my Corsican Grandmother instead of going back fighting in Gallipoli). Our relationships with Serbian relatives began just some 15ish years ago when a Serbian cousin tried to find tracks in Corsica.
I was very close to my old grand father, took his religion as a teen but not properly raised "Serbian way" more "Mediterranean way"

 

[ne znam ali mozda]

Sorry guy I m not in Nizza maybe 300 kms from it but love Nizzarte cooking and city. You probably misunderstood Nizza and Nîmes which is the neighbour city of Montpellier where an indoor ATP event occurs in February.
Nîmes is a very old Roman city with a lot of History but definitely 40 kms from the Sea so one of the hottest place in Summertime (hot meaning like in oven not a place with nice and open minded chicks).


I am not very fond of meat (except chicken and rabbit), fish, cheese or pastas, it is some things I do not eat myself so it is difficult for me to have my personnal receipes with it, but I have hired cooks that can cook it.
That said it is not a budget restaurant so it is difficult to serve simple things like gnocchi or pastas or cevapi

So no cevapi, and as far as Balkan cooking is concerned, I can cook veggie sarmale (sour cabbage ones with rice and dried fruits) from time to time, gibanica, ajvar and of course cheese burek, more Lebanese South Italian and Morrocan cooking in my comfort zone.

As you already noticed (and joked me about) my Serbian roots are quite weak, I do not speak language fluently and only have a lonesome grandfather that cut relationships with Serbia when leaving Serbian Cavalry during WWI (staying in Corsica with my Corsican Grandmother instead of going back fighting in Gallipoli). Our relationships with Serbian relatives began just some 15ish years ago when a Serbian cousin tried to find tracks in Corsica.
I was very close to my old grand father, took his religion as a teen but not properly raised "Serbian way" more "Mediterranean way"

alright then if it is a high-end restaurant, i will get burek and sarma, both turkish/ottoman gems, but i would also order mix of local food from Nimes.

 

[Nepoznati Knez]

alright then if it is a high-end restaurant, i will get burek and sarma, both turkish/ottoman gems, but i would also order mix of local food from Nimes.

Not really high end let say upper middle class... Nîmes is known for its rice, its onions, its bull meat and also for Brandade a puree made with haddock fish.

 

[MWW]

Thai style salads with green mango are easy to make and summer-appropriate.

Vietnamese Pho soup very simple and delicious, the epitome of "fresh", although getting the right herbs might not be simple in the French midi.

gee you really have taste.

For herbs, actually it's very much just mint, bean sprouts, some cut shallots and coriander. The sprouts might be trickier of these. The mint and sprouts go on a separate plate customers just add as they wish to the pho soup.

 

[ne znam ali mozda]

Not really high end let say upper middle class... Nîmes is known for its rice, its onions, its bull meat and also for Brandade a puree made with haddock fish.

Aha, lovely. I would defo go for it.

I was not joking about the meeting of MTFers btw, it would be cool, I already met five MTFers, I won't reveal their names cuz they are not posting anymore, but it was a lot of fun, I say people who are located close to Europe, we should think about re-union at Knez's restaurant

 

[Ilkae]

@Ilkae Do you like the Chinese/Asian spicy food a lot?

[...]

Hmm... I do like plenty of Chinese/Asian foods, not necessarily only the spicy kind (but also that, like the you po mian). I did spend three months in Chengdu so I'm familiar e.g. with their hot pot (which I do like, although not my utmost favorite). In Hong Kong a few locals took me out to a great small no frills char siu spot, as well as a place called Congee King (one Michelin star IINM; edit I think there's no star, but just recommended in the guide) which was wonderful. I recall the congee with a crisp fish skin on the side. At the char siu place - char siu over rice, and bo lo bao with a good bit of butter. Yum.

Any recommendations / courses that you yourself favor?

 

[clearwaters]

Hmm... I do like plenty of Chinese/Asian foods, not necessarily only the spicy kind (but also that, like the you po mian). I did spend three months in Chengdu so I'm familiar e.g. with their hot pot (which I do like, although not my utmost favorite). In Hong Kong a few locals took me out to a great small no frills char siu spot, as well as a place called Congee King (one Michelin star IINM; edit I think there's no star, but just recommended in the guide) which was wonderful. I recall the congee with a crisp fish skin on the side. At the char siu place - char siu over rice, and bo lo bao with a good bit of butter. Yum.

Any recommendations / courses that you yourself favor?

I went to Congee King once and was similarly thinking if the place had a Michelin star. Apparently it did at some point but later lost it but the shop kept using that as a kind of advertisement.

I prefer food with a fresh taste - haven't had a pineapple bun or char siu over rice in years I think, although they are definitely yummy. I usually have rice noodles, the Chinese ones with soup, or Pad Thai, which I'd recommend but it is so well-known that it needs no introduction.