Khoom Lanna

Posted on

I am forever wishing there were more ethnic restaurants in Sonoma County to explore. To be fair, things have come a long way in the last few years; after all, Santa Rosa now boasts more than a few Vietnamese restaurants and there’s even an Ethiopian restaurant (and a good one at that).

One of my newer favorites is Khoom Lanna, a Thai restaurant located in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. I visited on a Saturday night, and was struck by the simple, elegant interior. This theme carries over into Khoom Lanna’s food, as each dish is beautifully prepared but isn’t overdone or stuffy.

My dining companion and I shared two entrees. The first was eggplant with beef.

Eggplant with Beef

Stir-fried with ample basil and chili, the eggplant was soft and buttery and the beef was well-seared. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, so I really enjoyed this dish and found myself wishing the serving size was a little larger.

The next entree we shared was the drunken noodles.

Drunken Noodles

I can’t seem to visit an Asian restaurant without ordering at least one noodle dish, and I’m glad I chose this one at Khoom Lanna. The wide rice noodles were stir-fried and had that great chewy, slightly charred flavor that I love. Strips of beef, basil, chili, garlic, and vegetables rounded out this dish.

Unable to resist the siren call of fried bananas and coconut ice cream, I also split a dessert.

Fried Bananas with Coconut Ice Cream

This was a decadent dessert to say the least and definitely meant to share. I don’t have much a of a sweet tooth, but I’m a sucker for Southeast Asian ones. Warm, crispy bananas with molten interior against cold, tropical ice cream? Yes, please.

The service at Khoom Lanna is great too: attentive without being pushy. I left feeling excited not only for my next visit, but finally, for the state of ethnic food in Sonoma County. We’re headed in the right direction.

Sesame Chicken

Posted on

Karaage is a Japanese-style of frying where meats are lightly dusted with starch before deep-frying. The result is a wonderfully crispy coating that also works to seal in moisture. It also absorbs very little oil so this isn’t nearly as greasy as most deep-fried foods.

This sesame chicken dish, adapted from a Martin Yan recipe, employs karaage-style frying and amazingly, when I reheated leftovers of this dish the next day, the chicken was still crispy. Served atop a bed of steamed spinach and alongside rice, it’s a complete and easy to make meal.

Sesame chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup dashi stock
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 bunch spinach, stems removed, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-by-2-inch pieces
cornstarch
vegetable oil
steamed rice

1. Combine soy sauce, sake, dashi, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Keep sauce warm.

2. Cook spinach in boiling water for 1 minute; drain well and set aside.

3. Dredge chicken in cornstarch; shake off excess. Place a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. When oil is hot, add chicken and pan-fry, uncovered, until no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes on each side. Lift out and drain on paper towels.

4. Place rice in 4 individual bowls; top each serving with 1/4 of the spinach. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch-wide strips, dip in sauce, then arrange over spinach. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Braised Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms

Posted on

Mushrooms and bamboo shoots are both common ingredients in Sichuanese cooking, which is known primarily for its fiery, bold flavors. This healthy vegetable dish is much more mellow than the spicy Sichuan dishes you may be accustomed to seeing on Chinese restaurant menus, but it’s just as satisfying.

This has become one of my favorite side dishes to make when I’m cooking a Chinese meal, since it’s easy to prepare and I’m a big fan of mushrooms. It reheats well too so it’s especially ideal for making ahead of time.

Braised Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

12 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 15-ounce can bamboo shoots (preferably tips), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 pound white button mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 slices ginger, crushed
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1. Soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Slice caps in half. Slice bamboo shoots lengthwise. Combine chicken broth, water, oyster-flavored sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl; set aside.

2. Place a large saucepan over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and button mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add snow peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring until sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute.

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana

Posted on

I’m a sucker for Peruvian cuisine but I always tend to gravitate towards the same dishes. Okay, I’ll be honest – the same one dish: lomo saltado. The sirloin strips stir-fried with soy sauce, vinegar, and spices and stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and French fries is one of my all-time favorite meals so it’s hard to branch out.

But I digress. When I met up with friends at La Mar Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco’s Embarcadero, I was determined to stick to the cebiche. La Mar is, after all, a cebiche restaurant. (It’s also an international restaurant, with outposts throughout Latin America in Lima, Mexico City, Santiago, Sao Paolo, and Panama City.)

After we were seated, our waiter brought us Yukon, plantain, and sweet potato chips and an array of dipping sauces to nibble on while we perused the menu.

Chips and Dipping Sauces

My favorite was were the sweet potato chips, and all three of the sauces were full of depth and spicy.

For my entree, I chose the cebiche mixto.

Cebiche Mixto

The cebiche mixto came with a little bit of everything: Mahi Mahi, calamari, octopus and habanero pepper in ají amarillo leche de tigre with cilantro, red onions, Peruvian corn, and yam. Whew. The ají amarillo sauce was delicious but I was let down by the cebiche. The fish wasn’t as flavorful as I was expecting and the big chunks of yam seemed out of place. That being said, I’ve since heard rave reviews of La Mar’s other cebiches so I’ll come better informed next time.

If it’s one thing La Mar has down it’s presentation and ambiance. All of our dishes were gorgeously plated and the restaurant interior was modern and industrial without at all feeling cold. The service was friendly and unhurried during our visit, despite the restaurant being very busy.

Even though my entree wasn’t as incredible as I was hoping for it to be, I left La Mar feeling satisfied. The restaurant was fun, the menu looked exciting, and it left me wanting to go back to discover more.

Deep-Fried Tofu with Mushroom Sauce

Posted on

I’ve been on a tofu kick lately, and I can’t think of a better way to cook it than with mushrooms. Both are rich in protein and lend this dish a rich, meaty flavor despite having no meat at all.

This Japanese rendition, adapted from Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook, is wonderful on its own or with steamed rice.

Deep-fried tofu with mushroom sauce

1 block firm tofu, about 1 pound
4 tablespoons grated daikon radish
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 green onion, sliced
2 mild peppers, such as Anaheim, pierced and deep-fried (optional)
1 cup dashi stock
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, enoki or shimeji
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

1. Wrap the tofu in two layers of paper towels and place in a flat-bottomed dish with sides. Place a light weight such as another flat dish on top, and leave about 30 minutes to drain excess moisture. Wipe any moisture from the surface of the tofu and slice horizontally. Slice each half into eight rectangular pieces. Set aside.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil to medium-high and carefully slip the tofu pieces into the oil. Deep-fry until golden brown, 3-4 minutes.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and pour in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat as soon as it comes to a boil.

4. Place the fried tofu pieces in a serving dish, ladle the sauce over, and top with the grated daikon and ginger. Garnish with the fried peppers and green onion.