Celebration: Seven-Course Dinner at MOCA NY

Here are some of the behind the scene pictures for the $888 plate dinner for Museum of Chinese in America in New  York this past Monday.

Irene K. Wong with Pichet Ong

Hey one of guests of honor is Ang Lee!

Chefs talk before event starts

MENU

• Seared Chicken with Sesame and Jumbo Prawns in a taro basket (with caramelized walnuts and snow peas)  
• Grilled Aged Rib Eye Steak — charred — topped with parsley garlic  pesto  
• Shanghai Baby Bok Choy with  Xiao Sing Rice Wine and  How See — Dried Oyster (large Chinese mushroom)
• Maine Lobster Laced with Ginger and Scallions (bedded with Fun See -glass noodle)
• Steamed Stripe bass with sesame oil and Enoki Mushroom (wilted spring onion)
• E-Fu Noodles with Black Mushroom burnt yellow chive (Longevity egg noodle with Choy Sum vegetable)
• Double Happiness Fried Rice with baby corn and English peas (with Shallot Crisp)

Food Talk: Rijsttafel

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Our Signature Freshly Baked Mini Caneles

This year, I am featuring Rijsttafel for the holiday season for my friends and family gatherings and I hope for you too. It is the Dutch interpretation of exotic Indonesian cuisine eaten in a communal dinning.  Laced with unique, distinctive flavors including Asian herbs and spices, with beautiful presentation.

I spent a significant portion of a four year sabbatical in Asia searching Indonesia for old textiles with my Dutch godmother. Many times over the course of that search I sat down to delicious Rijsttafel meals in Java and one of the most memorable experiences was having multiple dishes in Bali and cooking with ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, candle nuts, and palm sugar.

When I returned from my sabbatical I was asked to cater a big 50th birthday bash in Holland, where I discovered that Rijsttafel is found everywhere, from the smallest hamlet to the largest city. Since my Indonesian Rijsttafel experiences were fresh in my mind, I was able to create a wonderful, authentic feast for the celebration.

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Various Dishes from our Rijsttafel "Rice Table" Holiday Party

 Fresh Prawns with Habanero Chili Dipping Sauce  

From our kitchen to your table:

• Heirloom Squash / Pumpkin Ravioli with Coconut Kashmiri red curry dip
• Lump Crabmeat Slaw with Mint Chutney and Mustard Seeds
• Mekong Style Meatballs with coriander roots and minced spring onion
• Indonesian origin Beef Rendang with spicy slow cooked beef stew
• Roast Lemongrass Chicken with Caramelized Onion
• Vegetable Ratatouille as featured on The Occasional Vegetarian
• Our Signature Panthay Noodle with Vegetables  and red onion relish

Food Talk: Holy Basil!

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Private VIP Lounge of Q Bar

I often get my brain picked on for my expertise with exotic drinks from various Asian regions; whether with modern-global touches or with traditional roots. This time, I asked two renowned bars and their mixologists for their favorite herbal concoctions.

One of my favorite spots when I am in Bangkok is the Q Bar. This recipe is courtesy of “Travelin Matt”.

Thai Basil by Travelin Matt

Ingredients:

• 4 lime wedges
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 oz vodka
• Fresh watermelon
• Fresh Basil (4-5 Leaves)
• Ice Cubes
• Sprite to top off

Instructions:

1. Muddle Brown Sugar and lime first
2. Muddle watermelon
3. Add basil leaves (no muddle)
4. Add vodka
5. Add ice cubes
6. Top off with sprite or 7-up
7. Stir strongly (Mojito Style)
8. Garnish with basil leaf and watermelon wedge
9. ENJOY!

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Green with envy, the Green Delilah

Here is another recipe using Thai Basil recommended by our friend, Pauline Nguyen hailed from her much celebrated Lily Cocktail Bar, in New South Wales, Australia. 

Green Delilah by Dee Stewart of Lily Cocktail Bar

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 ounce vodka
• 1 ounce apple liqueur
• small bar spoon of lime marmalade
• 8-10 basil leaves
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce pineapple juice

Instructions:

1. Muddle leaves in marmies (marmalade)
2. Add everything else
3. Shake it like a polaroid
4. Strain into a martini glass
5. Garnish with a spring of Thai basil

For an art benefit of 250 guests in the Hamptons,  we made one of our simple signature drinks, the Rangoon Cooler.

Rangoon Cooler

Ingredients:

• 5 holy basil or thai basil leaves 
• Juice of medium lime
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 2-1/2 ounces vodka

Instructions:

1. Place five basil leaves in a mixing glass.
2. Squeeze the lime into the glass.
3. Press down on the leaves with a muddler and twist 4 to 5 times.
4. Fill glass three-quarters of the way with ice cubes.
5. Add the simple syrup and vodka.
6. Give the glass a good shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
7. Float a piece of the muddled basil leaf on the top as a garnish.

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How do you like to use basil or your favorite herb? Let us know!

Entertainment: Summer Outdoor Fun

Summertime begins in the month of March for me every year, as I've been planning outdoor celebrations from weddings to a child's first birthday. Why not celebrate your special occasions with gatherings at a farm or on your own roof top. The beautiful weather will make it easier and merrier to create a simple, yet smart party planning.

Coming up with a fun ideal menu, like BBQ Striped Bass with Refreshing Tomato Vinaigrette or aromatic grilled Balinese Chicken Satay. And you can always make outdoor meals ahead of time so you can enjoy the wonderful company and setting.  Make simple rustic arrangements where your guests can participate with the setting by helping themselves to some Hibiscus Lemonade.  That's a party that can't be beat! 

 Wedding at Dudley Farm, Guilford, Conn.

Setting up chilled refreshing hibiscus lemonade

En Route to Ceremony at Farm Wedding

More outdoor venues we like to use:

oldwestburygardens.org
queensfarm.org
thesandspointpreserve.com
upstatefarmsny.com/paisleyfarm.html
scholastic.com/eventservices
channingdaughters.com

Travel: Top 5 Favorite Hotels From My Traveling Years

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Haggling at a market in Baños, Equador

Luna Runtun (Ecuador)

Located at the entrance to the Amazon. The rooms are on a bluff seemingly floating in the cloud banks. Waking up to the sounds of Toucans and parrots in misty rainforest surroundings. After a 10-hour bus ride from Quito, this is a real treat.

Gorgeous view from the top

In Le Princess (Myanmar)

The magical serene surrounding here is one that you must be present to fully experience the charm and beauty of this place.  With magnificent views of the blue mountain ranges, stunning swathes of floating vegetation and awakening up to the sound of fish fluttering was not a bad place to spend my 40th birthday.

Hotel Maya (Malaysia)

The best breakfast ever! It simply blew me away.  The buffet selection had Eastern and Western treats; offering most of my favorite snacks such as mini curry puffs, pancake rolls with coconut palm filings and kayan with Pandan layer cakes.  They were all bite-sized so I can still watch my girlie figure.  The hotel spa’s hydrotherapy pools with water jets were a blessing after 22-hour flight.  The rooms were great and comfortable with views over looking the Petronas Towers and the vibrant skyline of the city.

Lush welcoming at the Hotel Maya

Uma by COMO Hotel (Paro, Bhutan)

No wonder they call Bhutan “The Small Kingdom Country”.  It is the Switzerland if the east with impeccable service that you wouldn’t want to leave.  The private villas offer spectacular breathtaking 360-degree views of the Himalayas.  The villas themselves are built with handmade wooden carving and textiles from local artisans mix in the traditional with the modern.

Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest) — Taktsang Trail, Paro, Bhutan

Mas de Torrent (Costa Brava, Spain)

A leisurely drive from the Northeast of Barcelona; Girona is one of most gastronomical city in the Catalan region; tastings of wild guinea fowl with chestnut and bacon to morsels of local mushrooms with garlic octopus, marinated sardines with olive oil and fresh anchovy montaditos. Mas de Torrent is a fully restored 18th century property with spacious room over looking the gorgeous beautiful gardens.

Travel: My Top 5 Restaurants from Around the World

I have been traveling since I was 21 and I have always enjoyed eating the local cuisine wherever I visited.  I've had a lot of delightful and memorable meals; I only wish they were not always a continent away!

Chilean King Crab Ceviche Salad with Andes Corn

Here are my five favorite restaurants from the 50+ countries I have traveled to:

Aldea (Puerto Natales, Chile)

After traveling for 3 weeks and eating various fish stews (Chile’s National Dish); this unique restaurant blends the delicious flavors of the Mediterranean spices with great Chilean wine to pairs with.  You won’t easily find a place like this anywhere in the world.

Irene at Aldea Restuarant in Chile

L'Auberge de l'Ill (Illhaeusern, France)

Start with an aperitif in the garden with a peak abundance of roses and lilies then onto the dining room with its beautiful setting where dinner is best paired with Alsatian wine.  Their foie gras was orgasmic!  It’s a definitely like a 3-Michelin star restaurant to me.

Nyonyan and Baba (Singapore)

This restaurant was up the block from where I used to live for a few months in an old restored colonial house on the Emerald Hill Road and is full of ambiance with a real fusion of Asian cuisine.  Now in a new location.

Harmonique (Bangkok, Thailand)

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants, even though I have been to Bangkok a dozen times.  It is a traditional home restaurant situated near the river and is owned by three sisters.  My favorite dish is the steamed striped bass with chili and lime juice.  It’s fresh and deliciously simple amongst other Thai curries.

Yung Kee Restaurant (Central, Hong Kong)

The most amazing Roast Goose you will ever have that has been around for generations.  Don’t be surprised if you bump into your friends there; I do so every time I have lunch there.

Travel: Patagonia - A Gastronomical Trip Via Ruta Pan-Am Hwy

On route to the Glacier Serrano, Torres del Paine

After touring through the rolling vineyards of wine valleys and endless picturesque lakes in Chile; my next adventure starts on a flight to “the end of the world”, Last Hope Sound, where Magellanic penguin colonies thrive and then on to Puerto Natales; the home of breath taking,

stunning national park

. It is an experience like no other, that will get under your skin and never leave you.

Salto Grande,

pic by Irene K. Wong

With the help of

Fransisco

we had an excellent itinerary full of adventures with mountain treks, horseback riding across the Ultima Esperanza Province and lunch in between breaks that include

parrillada

in Torres del Paine National Park.

Glacier by Serrano River,

pic by Irene K. Wong

Standing at the tip of the unspoiled frontier of South America, Patagonia stretches from the tip of South America to the ice capped mountains of the Andes. The experience affords one with breathtaking views of not only majestic fjords and brilliant azure lakes and channels of Patagonia, but also offers unique gastronomical treats like my favorite national dish of Chiloe, Chile, the curanto seafood stew during our stay.  And of course, there were endless snacks with variations of empanadas, all guzzled down with

herb-infused pisco sours

.

National Dish of Chiloe, La Curanto, 

pic by Irene K. Wong

Here are some great places to stay (prices are approximate and the season):

-

Weskar Lodge

~$250

-

Aqua Terra

~$100

-

Erractic Rock

~$40 - $90

-

The Singular

~$400-$600

-

Indigo

~$350

Great shopping spot:

- Origenses Artesanias- Chiloe

Dining:

- Afrigonia

- Aldea Restaurant

Reading list before and after your trip:

- In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (Penguin Classics)

- Chilean Patagonia’s Peaks, Up Close

(NYT)

- A Torres del Paine walking

guidebook

Local Sweet Pine Berries are great for marmalades!