Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

Laos is a tiny country with a history that defies its size, with a strong Buddhist influence.  Tonight's meal was a definite success, as we all enjoyed it.  We had Laap, a spicy beef dish considered to be the national dish of Laos, along with a sticky rice, chicken and mixed vegetables and Mee Lad Na, a fried noodle dish.  Jordan was totally thrilled with the noodle dish, and was more than happy to clean the bowl!  Jessica, my talented young sous chef, definitely enjoyed the flavouring of the chicken dish.  What I do find quite interesting is that there are only small differences in seasoning amongst some of the Asian countries, and while many of the main ingredients are quite similar, the flavours can be surprisingly different.  I will say, the dishes tonight were delicious and will be both the noodle and chicken dishes will be added to our regular menus.

khàwp ja̖i lãi lãi 

Taiwan

As to whether Taiwan is an independent country is perhaps a bit controversial, but I thought that its cuisine certainly warranted its own separate treatment. My bit of research of the country shows an incredible juxtaposition of the ancient and the cutting edge of modern technology.  The National Palace Museum in Taipei is the national museum of the People's Republic of China, one of the top 5 museums in the world.  

For my menu, I chose a Taiwanese beef noodle soup, which was a very simple, tasty dish.  I followed with one of the national dishes, Bawan, and the ubiquitous Asian side dish of rice.  The bawan was an interesting culinary experience, a steamed pork and shrimp dumpling of sorts, which was quite delicious.  I must admit, I am using a wide variety of cooking techniques in this culinary world journey!

                                   mànmàn chī!

Nippon-koku

Japan, a tiny country which has recently suffered a huge catastrophe.  My daughter, who was lucky enough to go on a school trip to Japan, is totally in love with the country and everything Japanese, so I was a bit concerned about being able to do justice to Japanese cuisine.  We started with a vegetable Sushi, which was actually fun to make.  We followed it up with Sukiyaki, with Yakitori on the side.  It was quite delicious, actually, and Jess was so impressed with the sushi that she even took a picture of it - I must have done something right!  I did find a Sapporo beer to accompany the meal, and a Junmai Ginjo Sake.  While I am not a fan of sake at all, we did need to add it to the yakitori, so we did have a very tiny sip, before finishing off the meal with a cup of green tea.  We had joked about doing a tea ceremony, but my daughter said that I would never be able to figure out whether she made my tea cold as an insult to me or out of concern that I might burn myself if the tea were too hot!

On a more serious note, the earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan recently were heartbreaking to see and hear about.  The Japanese are such a respectful people, and one of the most indelible memories my daughter has of the trip was how incredibly clean the cities were.  There were very few garbage cans in evidence, yet the streets were spotless.  It is just so sad to think of how that pristine environment was soiled by such a tragic disaster.

                                           itadakimasu

Republik Singapura

Singapore, the Lion City, is a small city-state with a large population.  I was absolutely amazed as I read about this country - its military is the most advanced in South-East Asia, and the city itself is the world's fourth leading financial centre.  It is a truly impressive city!

For the meal, I chose to make a Chili Crab, together with a Chicken Rice dish, which is apparently a staple in Singapore markets.  And finally, my search of the local MLCC did bring results - Tiger Beer!  The menu was a simple one, but quite tasty, especially the crab dish.  And now, I have lots of lovely tasty homemade chili sauce in my fridge!

                                     makan makan!

Islāmī Jumhūrī-ye Pākistān

For this stop on my culinary tour, I chose the cuisine of Pakistan.  

We had a Vegetable Biryani, coupled with a Nihari (beef stew).  A bit of research indicated that these two are considered to be the national dishes of Pakistan.  Neither of the children were especially thrilled with the cuisine, unfortunately.  The nihari was very spicy, and I loved it.  The biryani was tasty, but its flavour was overwhelmed by the nihari.  The country has a long and incredibly varied history, impossible to do justice to in a brief summary in a blog such as this.

                                                        maze karein