Khao Maew (ข้าวแมว)/ Cat's Rice

Pla tu (ปลาทู) is a kind of mackerel only found in the Gulf of Thailand. It is known to be one of the fish referred to in the Thai idiom, "wherever there is water, there is food." It is usually very simply prepared. You can fry it or steam it. You can eat it hot, eat it cold, either way it will be very tasty! Pla Tu (ปลาทู) is about the length and size of your standard TV remote. No bigger than that.

I think this recipe has been around a long time and must be a very country style. Now everybody eats a lot of western food and very few people still consume this type of food. Thais in the olden days, when the weather gets really hot, sometimes they eat only rice and watermelon. If the mango is in season they eat mango with rice. Not that they do not have money or poor, but just because when the harvest was so fruitful that you had to keep eating the fruit aside from just selling it. Or the weather is so hot that they don' t feel like eating anything else.

This dish is one of those dishes that makes me think of when our family moved back to Bangkok after living in San Francisco for a while.  My children were still toddlers and sometimes, or I should say most of the time, me and my two children will be dinner with my mom. When my mom told them that we are going to have Khao Maew (ข้าวแมว) they would always excitedly look at each other. It sounds funny but it is truly good. No Thai can turn down a dish with Nam Pla, Prik, Manao or fish sauce, bird's eye chili, lime juice. Mine also has a bit of sugar in it too. Reloaded!

- Daisy

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This dish reminds me of my childhood in Bangkok. Completely dreamy and idyllic. My best childhood memories include running around my uncle's house watching my grandma prepare the fish for steaming and hand mixing the rice and fish in a ginormous bowl. Whenever I ate it I would imagine growing some whiskers and silently meow in my mind. Truly my grandma's love in a bowl. Meow!

- Darin

**EDITOR'S NOTE: After posting this recipe, Mom called Grandma to tell her about it and we found out that this recipe was actually Grandma's very own recipe!  Mom and I had always thought it had to have been around forever--a classic Thai dish long forgotten.  Hard to believe Grandma just made it up one day because she had two hungry kids at home.  CRAZY!  Now I know where Mom and I get our insane-kitchen-experiments genes from.  So here is an original family recipe for you all! **  

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Khao Maew 

ข้าวแมว

Cat's Rice

Serves 3-4

2 Pla Tu (Thai Mackerel)
1 Knob of Ginger
1 Bird's Eye Chili (or more if you're a champ like my mom)
2 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
1/2 Lime (DO NOT substitute with a lemon)
1/2 tsp Sugar
4 cups of Jasmine Rice (don't even think about using any other kind of rice)
3-5 Shallots, sliced
1 English Cucumber, quartered and sliced

1) Firstly, get the rice going in the rice cooker and clean the Pla Tu.



2) Use a regular steamer and steam the fish with a couple slices of ginger for about 15 minutes. Begin checking at the 10 minute mark. You're looking for the flesh to turn white and become firm. After they have cooled down, careful debone them and with two forks, shred the fish into small pieces.

I used two spoons. It was much more difficult. Please learn from my mistake and use forks.

3) In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Have a taste. It should be salty and a bit sour. Lastly add the chili. Save a quarter of the sauce to serve on the side.

TIP: After handling fish, the best way to get rid of fishy smell is lemon or lime. Just use the rest of lime after squeeze out juice to brush every finger then wash with regular soap again.

4) Put the hot rice in a big bowl, and follow it with Pla Tu pieces and fish sauce mixture.  Combine and adjust to your taste. Serve with the sliced cucumber and the leftover sauce on the side.

Love.

San Francisco: Day 3

We rested up today after having such a long day yesterday and didn't wake up until 10am!  Regular time for me, but way early for Mom and Darian, even with the time difference.  After finally getting the sleepy twins out of bed, we headed to Zuni Cafe.  At first I was afraid that it would a repeat experience of Chez Panisse but my worries were absolutely unfounded.

Fennel Sausage on a bed of French Lentils and Roasted Yellow and Red Beets

My Fennel Sausage on a bed of French Lentils and Roasted Yellow and Red Beets were DELICIOUS.  I was afraid the sausage would be dry but it was light but still delectably juicy with great seasonings and paired extremely well with the lemony french lentils.  The sweet roasted beets brightened up the whole dish and the grilled greens (dandelion greens?  beet tops?) rounded off the entire experience.  My one caveat was that the greens were a little too slathered in olive oil but aside from that the dish was perfect.  The charred-ness made the greens so good I was actually wishing for more and you better believe I did not even leave one little lentil left on the plate. 

Penne with Mushroom Sauce

Darian, of course, got the Penne with Mushroom Sauce.  She is currently on a mushroom bend at the moment so she devoured the plate and I knew secretly would've to ask for seconds if she weren't so full!  The sauce looks deceptively simple but the flavors were so rounded and complex I won't even venture to try to guess beyond chopped tomatoes and some awesomely dry white wine.  The homemade pasta was so good I kept stealing bites from Darian's plate, thank god she was too tired to notice.

Zuni Cafe Burger

Mom was also pretty impressed with her Zuni Burger, although she later admitted that I was right and she should have ordered her burger medium instead of medium rare.  (NOTE: People, please always get your burgers medium.  Just trust me on this.)  She loved the bread and the pickled onions.  Yum!

Gâteau Victoire with Whipped Cream & Caramel Pot De Crème with Bourbon Whipped Cream and Hazelnut Praline

What really did us over were the desserts.  Mom got the Gâteau Victoire with Whipped Cream and I got the Caramel Pot De Crème with Bourbon Whipped Cream and Hazelnut Praline.  Both were delicious.  Mom's was delightfully dense and chocolatey, just sweet enough to satisfy our sugar craving while my pot de creme was rich and the whipped cream extremely bourbon-ey, almost overwhelmingly so but balanced when eaten together and even better with the hazelnut praline.  Highly recommended, no matter how full you are from the undoubtedly wonderful entrees.  I made reservations but it was pretty empty when we got there so maybe its not necessary for lunch.

Golden Gate Bridge

 After the decadent brunch, we ventured to the Golden Gate Bridge since it was such a nice day--too mad every other tourist in the Bay Area also had the same thought and the area was completely packed.  Darian and I did manage to get this wonderful panorama when Mom, in trying to get the car to from the parking lot to come pick us up, accidentally wound up crossing the bridge (don't ask).  Afterwards, we made a quick trip to the Cote Tower, which according to the tourist in front of us, "is possibly the worst run tourist attraction I ever came across."  I couldn't honestly disagree but the views were still pretty, especially so as we were there right at sunset.

Dinner was at Ozumo and I could hardly contain my excitement after reading all about their uni risotto, but before we got to that, we started off with the Age Dashi Dofu and the Calamari.  The tofu was so-so but the calamari was pretty delicious with the dipping sauce.

Uni Risotto

The Uni Risotto, however, wasn't so-so, wasn't delicious but absolutely AMAZING.  Even Darian, who is by no means an uni person (I honestly don't think she even knows what uni is), was dying over it.  It was creamy and perfectly chewy with a WHOOSH! of sea breeze in your mouth.  That is honestly the only way I explain it.  Just wonderfulness in your mouth!  The only person who wasn't was Mom but that is because she can't stand any type of cheese or risotto for that matter.  Darian and I didn't mind of course, more for us!

Yellowtail Collar

We also ordered the Spider Roll and the Red Dragon which were both pretty good.  I also insisted on getting the Yellowtail Collar but we completely over-ordered so I think it was a bit under-appreciated by the three of us.  Sad.

We did manage to digest enough of the Uni Risotto and sushi to have room for ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery!  Mom tried earl grey, salted caramel and banana which were all delicious while Darian and I indulged in their sundaes: Darian in their Brownie Sundae and I got the Banana Spilt.  Their split isn't like a traditional split, instead focusing more on the banana flavor by caramelizing the banana and adding tons of nuts into the mix.  DELICIOUS!  We all agreed that it was the best thing we've had the entire trip!  Must stop in SF!

San Francisco: Day 2

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz

After sleeping in and spending the day leisurely driving around SF and eating on Christmas, today we got up extra early to get on the first boat to Alcatraz.  Darian is currently obsessed with Al Capone and the gangster era so she was super stoked to go see where the man himself was jailed.  The view from the island to San Francisco is breathtaking.  The early morning drizzled even added a bit extra mystery and noir to the trip--too bad Darian was much too grumpy about having to wake up before noon to notice.  Oh, to be a teenager!

Afterwards, I dragged Mom and Darian to Berkley to the famous Chez Panisse Cafe.  Unfortunately for me, all the hype was slightly unfounded.  I'm not sure if it was because we were eating at the end of a very busy lunch rush or what, but our food was, overall, a bit of a disappointment.  Maybe I'm being too critical, but after having had to make lunch reservations more than a month in advanced, I just expected more.  The food, we all felt, was nothing special and some dishes were actually pretty bland.

I started off with the Potato, Cauliflower, Beet and Egg Salad.  It was fine.  Everything was well seasoned and perfectly cooked, so it was one of the better ones.  My mom had the pumpkin soup which ended up being just a tad too sweet and really nothing else.

Darian was famished so when her Rigatoni Ragu came, she completely destroyed it but before she did, Mom and I managed to sneak a bite or two and we both agreed that my mom could manage better.  I think my big problem with it was that it just smelled and tasted strangely gamey.  The pasta did taste homemade though and was nicely chewy.

Rigatoni Ragu

Mom got the Poached Sole with Fennel and Grapefruit which sounded much more interesting that it actually was.  I'm still not sure about the pairing of grapefruit with fennel and fish.  It wasn't that the combination was bad, but it wasn't good either so I'm not sure why it was put together.  Mom didn't like it because it was too fishy and I had to agree.  At first I just chalked it up to my jetlag--for some strange reason whenever I fly, afterwards I really can't have any fish without feeling I've just face-planted in a fish market--but after she complained about it, it seems like my oversensitivity was not completely unfounded in this case.

Poached Sole with Fennel and Grapefruit

I had the Fish with Romesco Sauce and Leeks, Clams and Grilled Potatoes, which was fine.  The fish itself was under seasoned but with the crust, it was fine.  The clams weren't overcooked and the potatoes were perfectly grilled but I wished the leeks were cooked a bit more, but I think that is just my personal taste. I did end up with a random huge chucks of bread in the romesco sauce, which were clearly meant to have been properly pulsed.  It wasn't unpleasant, but  I just didn't expect such a silly mistake from such a well-regarded restaurant.

Crusted Fish with Leeks, Clams and Grilled Potatoes

What did redeem the restaurant for me and made me think that the off-dishes are not a norm for the restaurant was the dessert which were SPECTACULAR.  We really didn't have high hopes after the disappointing entrees but it all changed after the first bite of their Poached Pear Galette.  I love my galettes (evidence: Blue Cheese and Plum Galette) and theirs seriously put mine to shame.  The crust was so thin and flaky unlike my galette crusts which are always pie-like since, well, its a pie crust, but theirs resembled more of a puff pastry or even a phyllo dough.  The texture of the crust reminded me of the roti rolls I used to eat after school in Bangkok was I was younger, which were fried after being stretched within an inch of its life, making them so deliciously crispy that even after a coating of condensed milk it stayed perfectly crispy.   I have no idea how the Chez Panisse Cafe pastry chef did it, but they managed to and with an oven so less.  The pears were beautifully poached in both white and red wine (so pretty!) and not overly sweet when perfectly complemented by the spoonful of creme fraiche.  It was so good that Mom kept trying to steal bites from my plate and I actually yelled at her to back off--that was how good it was.

Poached Pear Galette

 Mom got the persimmon cake, which I thought was good despite the fact that I dislike persimmons.  Something about their texture really throws me off but this cake was pretty good.  It reminded me of Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake.

Persimmon Cake

So I wouldn't not recommend you to visit the cafe.  I would just caution that from my experience, it was not up to all the hype surrounding it.  I actually would be interested in going back to see if I would have a different experience.

For dinner, we were stuck around the touristy Fisherman's Wharf area so I decided to take Mom and Darian to Scoma's Restaurant for some seafood.  We were in SF, after all!  And after the lackluster lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe, we decided to play it safe for dinner and stick to the classics: fresh oysters to share, Lobster Ravioli for Darian, Dungeness Crab Spoonbread for me and Pasta alla Scoma for Mom.  

Fresh Oysters!

 Nothing better than fresh oysters!  These were on the smallish side but were so sweet, we were tempted to order another half dozen.  My Dungeness Crab Spoonbread was wonderful, with the huge chunks of crab pairing perfectly with sweet corn and peppers and elevated to wonderful flavor heights with the sourdough bread.  I honestly can't see it working as well with any other type of bread.  The sourdough adds this great zing to cut an overall sweet and creamy dish, making it a much rounder plate of flavors.  Too bad the salad was drowning in lemon juice, so much so that my right eye kept wincing, much to Darian's amusement.

Dungeness Crab Spoonbread.  Scoma Classic!

 Mom's Pasta alla Scoma was classic and beautifully tangy, although I wished there was a bit more brininess, considering all the seafood in it.  The scallops were perfectly cooked to Mom's delight, something even the best of restaurants sometimes fail at.  Standard seafood pasta fare, perfectly cooked!

Pasta alla Scoma

Darian basically inhaled her Lobster Ravioli.  Although she admitted there was a bit too much creaminess going on with there being cheese inside the ravioli along with the lobster and then doused in a cream sauce, the lobster was so fresh she didn't mind.

Lobster Ravioli

We finished our dinner off with a trip to the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop for a brownie sundae that was pretty terrible but fun all the same.  Ready for Day 3!