Gỏi Cuốn: A Refreshing Vietnamese Dish

Summer Rolls

This has to be one of my biggest food faves ever: gỏi cuốn or Vietnamese summer rolls.

The principle of this dish is pretty much the same as for classic Chinese lumpia or its local counterpart the lumpiang sariwa: a salad-like melange of vegetables, glass noodles [mung bean vermicelli], and a protein source (either grilled / sauteed pork or tofu fried till golden-crisp) all wrapped in fresh rice paper.  Gỏi cuốn goes a step further and has the earthy sweetness of Vietnamese basil and the fresh coolness of mint in the mix.  The end result is dipped in a sauce known  as tương xà which is, essentially, hoisin sauce pepped up with a mix of tamarind juice, garlic, and some coconut water.

I love them because, as their name and substance suggest, they are perfect for warm-weather days when you’re craving for a savory, satisfying meal but are much too wilted to face hot entrees and warm sides.

The rolls at Pho Hoa are among my personal picks because they’re loaded with cucumber, noodles, pork, carrot, and shrimp.  This makes them oh-so-savory and really cooling.

And speaking of noodles, here’s a foodie shout-out to the adorable Mr. W: heya, happy birthday!  Here’s to many more to come!

Biscotteria Margherita: The July Menu

Hi, everyone!  Here’s a fresh update from the Biscotteria!  As of this month, I’ve revised the menu and am now offering a number of new treats along with my regular roster of temptations. 

To order, please call or text 0915-8517362 or email me at biscotteria.di.m@gmail.com.  Again: please place your orders at least three to five days in advance.

Items and prices are as follows:

Biscotti

P 15.00 per piece; available in tub of 6 and tub of 12

• Il Mediterraneo A lemony, poppy-seed studded cookie that will make you think of bright sunny days.
• La Prima-Colazione Wholegrain biscotti flavored with a double-dose of coffee and honey; definitely an eye-opener.
• Il Cinese Classic almond biscotti gets an Oriental twist with a dash of ginger and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
• Lo Spagnolo Taking its cue from classic Spanish tastes, this one’s an orange-flavored cookie studded with dark chocolate.
• Bacche di Bosco New! A pretty pink and strawberry-flavored cookie studded with dried blueberries, cranberries, and cherries.
• Ang Probinsiyana New! A vivid green delight, this pandan-flavored cookie also features toasted cashews and bits of candied pili nut.
• Mutya ng Antipolo New! This golden delight bears the taste and fragrance of ripe mangoes and the crunch of toasted cashew.

Cupcakes

P 20.00 per piece; available in pack of 6 and pack of 12

• Little Witches Dark chocolate cake with chocolate chips and a gianduja topping
• Sassy Girls Peanut-butter cake with chunks of chocolate and caramel
• Sunshine Missies Lemon cake with cashews and bits of dried mango
• Harvest Queens Brown-sugar and mixed spice cake with pecans and dried cranberries
• Pomona Whole-grain apple cake with walnuts and mixed spice

Other Treats

 

P 20.00 per piece; available in pack of 6 and pack of 12

• Madness Dark chocolate brownies with a swirl of rich peanut butter
• Madeleines aux Prunes Prune and walnut shell-cakes with dark chocolate ganache
• Madeleines aux Mangues Mango and cashew shell-cakes with a mango glaze
• Madeleines aux Citron Lemon shell-cakes with dark chocolate ganache

Coming this August: Artisanal breads and Greek-style shortbread!

Recovery Food: Gingered Chicken and Mushrooms on Rice

There is nothing – I mean, seriously, nothing – better than a good hearty meal of hot, fluffy rice topped with all sorts of good things just after one has recovered from one illness or another. One can easily do this at home by simply scooping freshly-cooked rice into a large, deep bowl and putting a healthy ladleful of good meat stew or maybe a crisp, beautifully breaded and deep-fried pork chop and brown gravy on top.

However, if the Gestapo – er, those *ahem* nice HR people – get on your case and demand that you haul your backside back to work ASAP, you may be pressed to seek comfort elsewhere. Because I have a habit of fleeing the coop whenever the clock hits high noon, I can always seek consolation in any number of Chinese or Japanese restaurants that serve really good rice bowls.

The rice bowl above is particularly nice and is what I had after the flu a couple of weeks back. This one is from Mongkok and consists of gingered chicken and mushrooms on top of hot white rice. The chicken is braised in its own broth till tender and takes on the flavor of the spices used; in this case, I could detect star anise, a bit of cinnamon, and a touch of black pepper.

There are restaurants that serve variations of this dish that skimp on the mushrooms – and that really gets my goat because I love mushrooms! Thankfully, this particular bowl featured large, wonderfully succulent slices of shiitake mushroom: tender, earthy morsels that lent more savor to the dish.

The ginger in this dish served as both a flavor accent and a garnish. Sharp-tasting, even sinus-clearing, the yellow shreds were evenly scattered atop the rice and added a good counterpoint to the fluffy blandness.

To add any more sauce to this would be like gilding the lily, but I found that a touch of chili oil, kalamansi [native lime], and soy sauce gave it a bit more oomph. A satisfying – and rejuvenating – meal, indeed.

Food for Functions: The Renaissance Hotel – Makati

It’s a cliche that the food served for corporate functions tends to be more than a little insipid or, worse, bland. The lucky part about being in the Philippines in this particular case means that the food served for a seminar, workshop, or posher-than-words trade conference will be neither of the two. Indeed, the food served for functions here is actually both good and interesting.

Our company recently hosted a conference at the Renaissance Hotel (formerly known as the New World Renaissance) in Makati and this meant a heavy tea break for 150 people at four and cocktails for the same number of people at six. So, of course, there was the question of what to feed the crowd. As shown above, we went all out and gave them a proper spread

I wasn’t able to snap a pic of the tea break spread, but it was a relatively good one: beef and chicken satay accompanied by a peanut dip, vegetable spring rolls with spiced vinegar, and penne au gratin.

The beef satay was deliciously tender and succulent; the fact that it was cooked medium rare helped and the solid flavor went harmoniously with the peanut dip which was, surprisingly, more savory than sweet. Alas, the chicken wasn’t as good as it was dry and tough.

The spring rolls and the pasta were, in my honest opinion, average; nothing spectacular about either the flavor or the presentation.

As seen on the plate shown above, the cocktail buffet held quite an assortment of tidbits. Clockwise from the top: toast rounds with a vegetable terrine, tuna tataki with sun-dried tomato and French beans in pastry, smoked salmon and cream cheese on buttered toast, suppli al telefono, pork siu mai, asparagus spears wrapped in proscuitto, and herbed lapu-lapu fillet bites. Not shown but also included were chicken drumettes and beef siu mai.

The vegetable terrine on toast was interesting, but not interesting enough to warrant seconds. The tuna tart, on the other hand, had a pissaladiere vibe to it and was one of the more popular nibbles. The smoked salmon canape was, of course, a classic taste while the bold, fresh asparagus went strikingly well with the smoky-tasting prosciutto. The pork siu mai was better received by most of the guests than the beef and the chicken drumettes disappeared rapidly from the table. I was expecting the suppli (risotto croquettes with mozzarella cheese) to be crisp on the outside and stringily chewy within, but was sorely disappointed by the stodgy, lukewarm logs that came our way.

Still, it was a successful function – and I daresay the food played a major part in its success.

New at Biscotteria Margherita: A Mango and Cashew Delight

This has to be one of the best original baking ideas I’ve had in quite a while: a batch of golden biscotti studded with dried mangoes and toasted cashews. Feeling whimsical on the day I baked these for the very first time, I gave them the name Viva Antipolo. The pilgrimage town of Antipolo in Rizal Province, you see, is famous for its mangoes and cashews; devotees of Our Lady of Good Voyages who come to the town in May buy bushel baskets and sacks of these to bring home as gifts.

Eaten on their own, they have a buttery sort of flavor despite the fact that I don’t use butter for biscotti. (The yellow color is actually imparted by the mango extract used to flavor the dough.) The chewiness of the mango bits balances the crunch of the cookie and the smoky taste of the toasted nuts adds savor. Indeed, I’ve been told that the Viva Antipolo has a rather fruitcake-y vibe to it but is certainly much more appealing than real fruitcake.

As shown above, it goes well with hot chocolate and it pairs nicely with salabat (traditional ginger tea), too.

The Viva Antipolo is one of Biscotteria Margherita’s newest offerings and goes for PhP 15.00 apiece, minimum order of 12. To order, feel free to email me at biscotteria.di.m@gmail.com or call/text 0915-8517362.