agent umami

int'l chowhound

[agentumami]

Kachna s bramborovými špalíčky, červený a bílý zelí

The best thing about moving to Northern Germany might just be its relative proximity to my mother-in-law Lenka’s home cooking. Sure, it’s a seven hour drive to the village, but this roast duck served with potato dumplings and two kinds of cabbage drizzled with fatty pan drippings makes you forget the traffic.

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The good ladleful...

Even my favorite food stylist Sarah Ibrahim would struggle to beautify this 18th century seafaring staple.  Its homely mix of potted meat, beets and pickled herring when plated resembles beef tartare gone wrong. Likely carried to Hamburg by Danish sailors back in the day, most of the  Germans I’ve met loathe the idea of it.

The moniker scouser refers to the tough-as-nails working class of 19th century Liverpool who barely survived on low wages and this cheap sailor’s fare. If you appreciate corned beef hash like I do, give it a try.

It admittedly looks better in the can.

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Krabbenbrot, Hamburg DE

Who the hell moves from the tropical paradise of S.E. Asia to Northern Germany in the dead of winter? This int’l chowhound, that’s who! 

These tiny brown shrimp from the North Sea piled over serious rye bread and topped by a properly runny egg have a muddy sweetness and depth akin to crawfish.  

Head to Pier 10 for the no-frills local version served on a crusty roll and best washed down with a cold Astra.  

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The world’s best roast chicken...

Hyperbole? Nah. These magician hawkers from Isaan do things to yardbird we in the West haven’t even heard of yet. Hooks for brining, gorgeous clay pots for cooking and an herbal infusion that elevates everyday fare to the sublime, I’ll never make a roast chicken this fine. Fact.

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Oven-less in Bangkok

Pictured here: Rice cooker sticky ribs and a dinosaur-sized 39 day dry aged Tomahawk steak. Next up:  Steamed mango coconut cake.

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super zaab lai!

Moo Tod, the ubiquitous fried pork of Thailand, can be found on every street corner. But, when a well-meaning friend gently pointed out that eating it four 4x per week wasn’t perhaps the best step toward longevity, I decided to be a bit more discriminating.

Peep this standout from Have A Seed.  This restaurant’s name is a play on ‘have a seat’ because in Thai seed refers to the sharp intake of saliva and air that’s triggered by eating something spicy/delicious.

The balance of meat to skin to fat crisped to ungodly perfection is definitely worth the cholesterol bomb. Served with an artery-clearing shot of Sriracha on the side.

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There’s a growing category of Thai restaurants I like to call hiso local. They don’t aim for the swanky refinement of places like Nahm, but who wants to eat in a hotel? The inventive cooking gets overwhelmed by the stiff interpretation of that dreadful category ‘fine dining’.

This simple take on a Thai street omelet with lovingly rendered pork crackling does everything right. And, the deep fried balls of sour northern Thai sausage are everything you want and then some.

[agentumami]

Be still my heart.

One of Bangkok’s many, many charms is the unreal quality of takeaway food. This beautiful roast duck nestled next to bitter Chinese greens topped with pickled ginger came from a food stand in my office cafeteria. The dark, rich bone broth that ties it all together is a goddamned marvel. That you can score a lunch like this on the fly for less than $3USD boggles my foodie brain.

[agentumami]

And where the Hell have you been?

I’ve been here and there, eating this and that, all the while wondering if I can ever truly quit Bangkok. This magical city is both a lure and a curse. It seduces you with its non-stop deliciousness and dooms you to a comparative food fever wherein other cities invariably fall short. A kick-ass job opportunity in H____ you say? But where will I get my som tum poo mah fix?

Case in point: the deceptively simple son-in-law egg so named for its resemblance to golden orbs of luck, or in the racier version, its anatomical twin, said son-in-laws’ ahem...assets.

As if its name wasn’t enough, you’ll want to try these because they are they single best egg dish ever devised. It’s as if David Chang’s fabled 6-minute egg became impatient, stumbled into a fry pan of shallow oil, dried itself off, and settled into a sweet bath of crispy shallots, tamarind, fish sauce and chili.

Available anywhere and everywhere.

[agentumami]

The whole animal…

There’s something deeply satisfying about nose-to-tail, or in this case, claw-to-claw, eating. Nothing goes to waste and at $1 for a cast of these tiny flash fried crabs, you can afford to share.

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Pla duk fu

The many English translations of this classic Isaan salad do literary justice to its bombastic yet balanced flavors: crispy cloud fish, fried cotton fish, exploding fish (!) and my personal favorite: deep-fried catfish fluff.

Pla means fish, duk refers to the river it swims in, and fu means fluffy. And, there is something downright ethereal about this dish where whole barbecued mud fish reduced to a fine mince meets blazingly hot oil until it magically reassembles in the pan forming a light and crispy cloud.

The fresh herbs, greens and slivers of green mango complete the culinary alchemy.

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Laos Sandwich, Luang Prabang

A confession: I never truly dug sandwiches before I moved to SE Asia. Sure, I ate my share of PB&J as a kid, braved the queue at Katz's a few times per year for a 'moist' pastrami with a Cel-Ray chaser and was mildly amused at the artisanal grilled cheese sandwich trend of late. 

But truth be told, most sandwiches leave me wanting. This from a chowhound who lived two blocks down from New York's deservedly worshipped Alidoro. Too much bread, uninspired fillings, the dreaded 'dry bite' when the ingredients have shifted around or fallen to the plate; so much can go wrong.

So why is it that sandwiches from this part of the world almost always get it right? The khao jie pate sandwich (literally bread with meat) is the Laotian banh mi. Or maybe it's the Cambodian num pang?

However you want to slice it, this overstuffed post-colonial hybrid is goddamned delicious.

[agentumami]

Instant Gratification

Proof that 'fast food' can be fresh, thoughtful and delicious, this ready made meal in a bag puts a Thai twist on a Vietnamese classic.

Gorgeous pork satay, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lettuce, cucumbers with chili and spicy peanut sauces on the side. 

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Shoal Food

Forgive the terrible pun, but there's something incredibly soulful about these simple, dried-then-fried fish. While the war to crown the world's greatest food city rages on - Singapore! Istanbul! Penang! Jakarta! Mexico City! - Bangkok easily claims the throne for best street snacks.

Savory, slightly sweet and chewy like Chinese pork jerky, these tiny guys are my favorite small bite day or night. 

[agentumami]

Chicken soup for the soulless

Imagine the Grinch before his ‘aha moment’. Hungover from too much slivovice, the twee four part harmony lilting up from Whooville have worked his last nerve. Remember, he’s still essentially heartless so platitudes and homespun homilies just make his head pound.

Enter chicken soup for the soulless; tenderly hacked up bits of flesh, bone and blood bathed in a dark roiling broth. There’s white meat too nestled against toothsome noodles, but the knuckles steal the show.

It will cure all that ails you and fill your shriveled little heart with joy.

[agentumami]

BBQ Prawn, Yawaorat Bangkok

What is it about shrimp brains? That briny, sweet elixir of the sea gods may be the single most goddamn umami ingredient on the planet. The char of the old-school coal grill reduces us to a elemental state, primitive and savage; we rip off the heads and suck the creamy innards like cavemen.

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AU’s Best Dish of 2013

After heated debate between my erudite belly and my opinionated yet wholly unreliable goldfish memory, we have a winner.

Note that the victor is a dish, not only this restaurant’s version of it. I fell so in love with Burmese sticky rice noodles in a rich broth with scraps of chili, pork and beef that I would order it anywhere - from street hawkers to the rival noodle shops throughout Yangon.

Not that you need reminding, but sticky rice makes everything better. Noodles included. Toothsome and glutinous, they become the perfect flavor vehicle for every last bit of goodness in the bowl.

This rendition hails from the Shan State, the chowhound promised land bordering China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south.

With culinary traditions this rich and deep, no wonder it dazzles.