New Cambodian Restaurant with buffet

With my mother living 2 hours away in CT, its not always the easiest to fulfill my cravings for authentic Cambodian food.  Although I do know how to make a handful of simple dishes, I leave the time consuming traditional dishes to others.

Sure, Cambodian sandwich shops and fast-food joint are opening up in town quicker than anyone can keep track of, but sometimes its nice to just have a small sample of everything instead of committing to just one or two dishes from places like Yummy Express in Lowell.

Growing up in the 90’s, my siblings and cousin used to take turns and help out at my uncle’s office on Westford Street doing basic filing and answering phone calls.  During lunch, we would walk across the street (then later next door) to Khemara restaurant where my uncle had a tab and we would eat the Cambodian lunch buffet.  It was a steal then at $4.95.  We filled our little tummies with rice, chicken and soup.

As a young adult, I still loved going to Khemara restaurant and would go with friends for the weekend brunch buffet that served Cambodian specialties such a “nom pa chok” rice vermicilli and a traditional fish lemongrass soup base or “bun xiow” more of a Vietnamese dish with pork and bean sprouts filling in a tumeric rice flour crepe.  I was sad to see it close a few years ago and have longed for a new Cambodian buffet since.

Viet-Thai in Lowell offers great Southeast Asian cuisine and authentic Vietnamese dishes and the Mo and I like to go whenever we get a chance.  The only downside is that is that the buffet is only served on weekdays so the Mo and I can only go when we have the day off from work.

After going to a small mom and pop’s Asian store, New Asia Market, I discovered that they had purchased the restaurant in the same building, the old Southeast Asian restaurant.  The Mo and I actually both worked there for years and I was sad to see it go through different ownership over the years.

The new restaurant, “New Asia Restaurant”  has a weekday lunch buffet was advertised in the store for  $7.50.  I asked the clerk what kind of food was offered and was thrilled to hear that it was mainly Cambodian.  The restaurant also serves a la carte Cambodian dishes in addition to Cambodian hot pot and grill. (Koh Leung Phnom..aka cow goes up the hill…aka butter beef pan)

The Mo and I decided to head there today for Christmas eve brunch.  The restaurant got a mini face lift and the moved the food stations in the main dining hall versus the previous set up.  The restaurant seemed brighter and a new flat screen TV was installed.  This is pretty typical in any Cambodian restaurants where karaoke or Asian soap operas are on display for the patrons during their meal.

We got there a little bit after 11:00 AM so they were still putting out a few dishes under the food warming lamp.  It was definitely a Cambodian buffet with traditional soups, stews, curried pork, pra hok dishes, etc.  A few dishes can fall into the general Southeast Asian category  such as eggrolls, wings, phad thai, fried rice and chicken sate.  There was also a variety of vegetarian dishes that included stir fry vegetables, steamed garlic and green beans and tofu.

Buffet Offerings View 1

Buffet offerings, view 2, before they added the other 2 dishes

Fresh Vegetables paired with pork curry and prahok, fresh garden rolls on the far right

The food at the buffet was presented very nicely and most importantly, everything looked clean.  Since the restaurant had been only opened for a month, there was only one other table that was there. The owner/waitress advised that it does get busy during the lunch rush with its close proximity to city hall and downtown Lowell.

The food was average and it did the trick to satisfy any craving for Cambodian food.  I was excited that they had one of my favorite soups, stuffed bitter melon with pork and vermicelli. It’s one of the many things my mom always made growing up in our household.  It’s sometimes hard not to be biased as one is always used to their own family’s recipes.

The curried pork was a bit spicy for me but the Mo enjoyed it.  The fresh rolls left a lot to be desired. I’m not a fan of ground meat in my fresh rolls and they had ground chicken, the texture didn’t go well.  The Phad thai was great and the wings were full of flavor.  It stayed crispy under the heating lamps and I was surprised that it didn’t turn into a soggy gross mess.

We were too stuffed for dessert but it looked like there was only one offering, tapioca in coconut milk.

We would probably be back again on a lazy day as the service was fast and friendly and the price was just right.

My only wish is if they served “Nom Pa Chok”, “Bun Xiow” or “Nom Crook” (Pureed rice and Scallion pockets with fish sauce)

For more pictures, visit their Facebook page. 

Mami’s Pad Thai for Two

Pad Thai

When it comes to Pad Thai, you can pretty much put whatever meat, seafood, or veggies you want. It’s all up to you! My favorite combination is beef, shrimp and fried tofu with extra peanuts and hold the onions.  The most common combination I found is chicken and shrimp with onions, scallions and crushed peanuts.  No two families make pad thai the same.  Everyone makes it different!

Although most westerners conceive pad thai as an entree for lunch or dinner, its pretty common to eat any type of fried noodle dish for a breakfast.  When the Mo and I was in Bangkok, we saw many locals eating fried noodles or noodle soups for breakfast from the street vendors before heading off to their daily grind.

Growing up in a Cambodian household, my mother would usually make us fried wide noodles with sauce, fried ramen, or fried thin rice noodles (very similar to Pad Thai) but served with homemade fish sauce on the weekends.  She would make so much that we would eat it for breakfast, dinner and breakfast again on Sunday.

Fresh Pad Thai Noodles

Many people ask me the recipe for pad thai, and to be honest, I don’t really know it.  I just kind of improvise.  Each time I make it, it comes out different.  Also, the amount of phad thai I make affects the method and ingredients used.  For instance, if I am making large catering trays for a party, I purchase the dried noodles because its less expensive.  If I am cooking for just the Mo and I, I would just purchase a fresh bag of refrigerated noodles for convenience.  The difference is that I don’t have to soak the fresh noodles as I do with the dried noodles.

Here is a simple recipe for Two:

Store bought Pad Thai Sauce

• 1 Bag of Fresh Pad Thai Noodles (Can be purchased at any Asian store, but I actually got this at the local Market Basket in Chelmsford, Ma for $ 1.59)
• 1/4 lbs of Sliced Beef ( I use siroloin, but you can use any cut)
• 1 Scallion, sliced or julienne 
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon of Vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of fried garlic in oil
• 2 Cups of bean sprouts
• 2 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
• Roasted peanuts
• Pad Thai Sauce (You can Google some recipes to make your own pad thai sauce, I learned how to make the sauce while working at Southeast Asian in Lowell but it is just easier for me to buy the sauce if I am cooking for only two people) If you are lazy like me, you can purchase the sauce at any Asian store or any International Foods aisle in a Western grocery store. ** Please note, not all sauces are the same and it takes some experimenting.  Some are actually really spicy, BUYER BEWARE
• • Optional: 1/2 cup of Shrimp/tofu

• • Optional: Lime Wedge

• • Optional: Sriracha Hot Sauce

• • Optional: Small Onion

First, heat up a frying pan and prepare the eggs as you would cook it sunny side up. Flip the eggs over, and start scrambling with the eggs so they break up in the pan.  Set the cooked eggs aside. You can also beat the eggs before you scramble them but I like to see the contrasting yellow and whites in the noodle dish.

Sunny side up eggs

Scrambled Sunny Side up eggs

Sugar heating up in pan

To prevent the meat from overcooking or being too dry, I caramelize the meat.  This can be done with pork chicken or beef.  Caramelizing is very popular in Southeast Asian stews and stir fries. In the same frying pan (trying not to get the Mo mad by using too many pots/pans for him to wash later), add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a tablespoon of sugar and let the sugar dissolve on med heat.  After about two minutes, the sugar will turn a light brown.  Stir gently with a brush or a wooden spoon so you do not scratch the surface of your pan.  When the color turns medium brown, add the meat into the pan.  ** Be careful when doing this as the oil will splatter.  Use a cover if you need to prevent the splatter.  

Sugar caramelizing

Also, this “caramelizing” process is a bit tricky.  It took me a few trial and errors as teenager to get it right.  I used to wait to long before adding the meat and the sugar would be burned and I would have to throw away my meat.  When in doubt, just add a few pieces of meat initially so you don’t have to waste any if its burned.  Its easier to throw away burned sugar than a pan of meat coated in burned sugar.  Don’t get discouraged, just keep trying until you get it right.

Beef and oyster sauce

Add the oyster sauce to the pan and stir.  If using frozen seafood, blanch the seafood in boiling water before adding to the pan.  Stir occasionally until the meat and seafood is thoroughly cooked.  If you are using any other vegetables or tofu, you can add it to the mixture now.

In a large wok, add 1 cup of the pad thai sauce, fried garlic and the optional sriracha hot sauce if you prefer spicy.  Stir the mixture and let it heat up on medium temperature as it slowly boils.

Pad Thai Sauce

In a medium pot, boil 12 cups of water.  Add the noodles to the boiling water for 30 secs and drain.  **Careful not to overcook as the noodles will become gummy and stick together.  Do not use this method if using dried noodles. Since the noodles are already soaked using the dried method, the blanching step will overcook the noodles) 

Add the drained noodles and meat and seafood to the wok with the sauce and stir with tongs or chopsticks.  Be careful not to rip the noodles into pieces.  When the noodles are no longer white and covered with sauce, add the beansprouts and scallions. You can choose to add a little bit of lime juice if you prefer a more sour taste.  I don’t care for it that much so I opt not to.

 Plate the noodles and add crushed peanuts and a lime wedge for garnish.

Mami’s Pad Thai Noodles

The traditional Cambodians and Thais roast their own peanuts on the stove. Again, I like to cut corners so I buy the salted peanuts already roasted and use a mortar and pestle (that has been in my family for more than 20 years) and crush the peanuts manually.  You can also use a small mini food processor if that is easier for you. I prefer the peanuts more coarse for texture.

Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts

Mortar and Pestle

So very sore- Day 10

Chicken Lemongrass Soup

Today I woke up with muscle fatigue and soreness from climbing all those steep stairs yesterday.    We didn’t have any solid plans today so we woke up and walked around town looking for a mom and pop’s joint for breakfast.  We walked up the hill and found a small restaurant that was popular with the locals on the main road.  Most of the locals were getting their food packed to go for work.

Fried Chili baby clam with white rice

We both got fried baby clams (I know…not exactly breakfast food) and a side of chicken soup.  The lemon grass chicken soup tasted just like my sister’s soup, all that was missing was some chopped up Thai basil and mushrooms.  We enjoyed our meal and the total came to about $4.00.

We decided to walk over to the local natural attraction of rock formations, “Hin Ta and Hin Yai”.  The popular rocks formations resemble the male and female sex organs.  We took a longer route (by accident) where we had to walk on the beach and climb a really steep hill using a rope for balance.  In the meantime, it started to rain and I was wearing flip flops.  I was also wearing a WHITE tank top, being underdressed for the hike and the rain was definitely an understatement.

The Mo sitting on a beachside swing

We finally got to the site and took only a few pictures since we didn’t bring our waterproof camera.  We saw other tourists walking to and from a small road back to town.  We thought, that is a much easier route than what we just climbed, so we returned back using that small street.

Grandfather rock

For lunch, we kept it simple and went to 7-11 on the way back to the hotel.  A nice cold beer was much needed and we got noodles to go.  Instant noodles at 7-11 are extremely popular with both the locals and tourists.  Since public drinking is accepted, one can grab a bowl of noodles, steam buns or ham sandwich and wash it down with an ice cold beer on the go.

Large Selection of Noodles at 7-11

Each cup of noodle comes with its own seasoning packets and fork

Hot Water dispenser

Add Seasoning and Garlic/Chili Paste

Cover the lid and let it steam

Claim a seat outside of 7-11

Add optional condiments, of course the Mo can’t live without hot sauce

Voila! Lunch for under $4.00 (Beers included

We went back to our hotel and we caught up a few episodes of “Weeds” then took a four hour nap.

We wanted to try something different for dinner so we went to Royale Indian Palace for some Indian Cuisine.  We got 3 entrees, 2 breads, 2 rice, raita, 2 beers and a mango lassi for under $20.00.  What a great bargain!

Indian Restaurant Sign

Fresh Mano Lassi

Indian Feast for 2

The glory of Bangkok Thailand, Day 2

Royal Palace from a distance

We had a jammed-pack day today and tried to cover as much as possible, that being said, I’m not too proud of our expense report for the day.

After having a good night’s sleep on an actual bed (which beats sleeping on an airplane seat), we were up at the crack of dawn, ready to explore the city.

Ferry with Locals

First, we took a scenic river cruise on the Chao Phraya River Cruise and took pictures of the famous Wat Arun and Wat Phra Kaeon from a distance. I’m ashamed to say it but the Mo and I lack an appreciation for history, art, and culture. On our last trip to Cambodia, our tour guide advised that the tour of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat would last about four hours but we were in and out in less than 45 minutes. We pretty much just went to take pictures to show that we were there.

Our first stop was Chinatown. I must say, Chinatown evokes the same feeling regardless of its location, whether it is be New York, Boston, or Bangkok.

The familiar aroma of roast BBQ pork and duck fills the air while the streets are full with vendors pushing their Louis Vuitton knockoffs, dried mushrooms, and gold cat figurines with the waving paws.

We spent a good amount of time walking through the various side streets and alleys before we decided to grab some dim sum for breakfast. Most of the restaurants did not serve the delicious Chinese morsels until 10:00am so we found a nice little alley cart with lots of dim sum offerings. To my surprise the vendor was Cambodian and not a local Thai or Chinese. Nice to know that Cambodians can cook up a great authentic dim sum meal.

The Mo and I shared some shrimp dumplings, fried shrimp and tofu, and fish patties for breakfast, setting us back only $3.00. We are used to spending closer to $35.00 in the States for dim sum..but of course we always over order.

Shrimp and Scallion Dumpling

Assortment of Dim Sum Offerings

Delicious Fish Cakes

We stopped by the local grocery store to check it out and was surprised to see that one can eat a meal of rice and fried eggs for about 30 cents.

.30 cents can get you eggs and rice for breakfast in Bangkok

After a boat ride and a long walk back to our hotel, I decided to pamper myself with a manicure and pedicure, setting me back less than $ 9.00 total. I know most of you are questioning the hygiene of the establishment but it actually was decent. I watched the girl clean and sterilize the tools and switch blades on the heel scraper.

Less than $9.00 for a manicure & Pedicure

We set out to find me a hair straightener since my Chi blew the circuit in our hotel room. I needed one that was 110v. We headed towards MBK mall, a large mall consisting of eight floors, a movie theater, bowling alley, karaoke bar, and much more. The Mo was very excited as he boasted that the 4th floor electronics area was a nerd’s “dream come true” with all the electronics and accessories that was offered.

MBK Mall in Bangkok

After walking around several levels, we decided to grab lunch. That was a dilemma within itself. There were so many different foods to choose from ranging from high grade fresh sushi to the international chain food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King.

The Mo and I walked past a busy restaurant filled with locals and westerners. We thought we would give this place a try since it was so packed. The restaurant was called Kanom Chine Buffet, it was pretty much a rice vermicelli noodle buffet. There was one type of noodle and 6 different sauces to choose from. Toppings included Morning Glory, Lotus Blossoms, dried fish, garlic, ginger, dill, just to name a few. The meal came with a sweet banana in coconut milk dessert. The meal was well worth the price at only $2.50 per person.

“Nom Pa Chok” style with lime, basil, dill, and beansprouts. Tasted just like my mom’s cooking

“Nom Prik Oong Sauce” more on the sweet pork flavor

We headed back to the hotel and decided on taking a nap by the roof top pool. The Mo went for a dip while I proffered to lounge. The Mo couldn’t keep his eyes off the female European topless sunbather.

It was a nice day. Since Bangkok is currently going through the monsoon season, we were expecting lots of heavy rain or cloudy skies, but it was a really hot, humid, and sunny day.

Napping by the pool wasn’t enough so we decided to take another nap in our room, I mean we were totally exhausted from all that walking!

Four hours of napping goes by and we decide to head out and walk the streets of Khao San Road and its nearby streets. Throughout the night, we saw fire dancing, lady boys (Thai transvestites or draq queens) and lots of Westerners, mostly from Europe.

Fire dancing lady

We decided to indulge in his and hers foot massages that costs about $3.00 per person for thirty minutes. Nothing beats having your feet massaged while sitting back and drinking a large Singha beer in one hand and checking Facebook updates with the other hand. The massage was very good and the Mo commented that his foot and ankles were cracked in ways he never knew could be cracked.

The Mo getting his foot massage

Other patrons getting a foot massage

We got hungry and decided to eat a late dinner at a restaurant called “Suk Sabai”, this phrase is used in both the Thai and Khmer (Cambodian) language. Its a common greeting of “hello” but the literal translation is “are you well or content?”

Fried Marinated Pork Strips

Fried Noodles (“Mee Ka Thung” or “Lhat Nha”)

Although the food was very good, the portions was very small compared the previous meals we got on the food stalls for a fraction of the price. For 2 large beers, an appetizer, a salad and a fried noodle dish, we spent about $ 13.00.

Our night ended by walking the streets some more and picking up a few souvenirs that we knew we would only be able to get on Khao San Road.

Expense Report:
Food: 16.50
Drinks: 16.25
Transfers: 9.25
Luxury (Spa): 15.75
Misc: 62.85 (This includes a global sim card and other things we would only need to buy once.)

Total for Sept 2nd : $ 120.60