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Over the last year and a half we have firmly established ourselves as a key player in the food scene on Vietnam's central coast.
18 months ago we were the first to do Liquid Nitrogen ice cream to Vietnam.
We brought in chilled steaks. Sourdough breads. Sourdough pizza. Authentic Thai curries. Making our own sea salt.
17 Months ago we introduced hot rock 'steamboats' – a table cooking method where seafood is steamed ina heavy cast iron casserole at the table, using local herbs, aromats and rice wine.
It's been a huge success, and there's a now a constant succession of trolleys leaving the kitchen to serve nitrogen ice cream or hot rock dishes.
On the new menu we've decided to expand the hot rock repertoire, and the first to be added was a re-interpretation of South Vietnam's "prawns steamed with young coconut" or 'tom hap nuoc dua'.
Although this is normally a pretty impressive dish visually and conceptually, the taste is often a tad lacking.
It's almost always served in a whole coconut with fire licking up the side from a burning blob of catering fuel.
The coconut is often tasteless, bland, watery or a tad dull – so the secret is in choosing a sweet, aromatic coconut with equally sweet tasty juice.
A great tip if you're in a city – look for cans or frozen cups of sweet young Thai coconut juice. FOCO brand from Bangkok does a great roasted coconut juice.
If you try some different coconut juices and find a great tasting one, you'll end up with a rich, sweet, consistent flavour, possibly even better than the fresh young coconuts.
A great tip if you're in a city – look for cans or frozen cups of sweet young Thai coconut juice. FOCO brand from Bangkok does a great roasted coconut juice.
If you try some different coconut juices and find a great tasting one, you'll end up with a rich, sweet, consistent flavour, possibly even better than the fresh young coconuts.
We decided to do this hot rock style rather thsan steaming in the kitchen, and we're laying the hot rocks on the broken woody, hairy coconut husks so there is a hint of cocknnut smoke as well.
It's delicious.
Our chosen aromats were lemongrass, galangal, coconut water and the young coconut flesh itself.
The whole process is pretty fast.
The hot rocks are super heated over a high pressure air-assisted wok burner until they are glowing deep orange. Make sure you have the right rocks – some shatter or explode at high temp. We use black-grey mountain river stones.
The red hot stones are emptied into the cast-iron casserole on top of the coconut shell, which begins smouldering.
The prawns are laid on top (Peeled on the body and deveined – head on, tail on).
The coconut flesh is laid on and around the prawns, and the lemongrass and galangal sprinkled around.
The young coconut water is then poured over and the lid shut immediately.
The whole pot begins shaking and complaining, and it sits for 3-4 minutes emitting steam and funny sounds.
Then it's time to eat.
The prawns steam perfectly in a controlled environment, so all of the flavours are there with maximum show and minimum fuss.
Use fresh prawns if available, not frozen – the difference is incredible.
Normally these prawns are served with salt, pepper and lime wedge.
The lime is squeezed into the salt and pepper, and a deliciously simple heart-attack inducing formula is there in front of you, ready to go. (According to my doctor, who insists that too much salt in my diet will kill me silently and with great prejudice, squeezing my heart to a grinding halt, never to be revived)
The lime is squeezed into the salt and pepper, and a deliciously simple heart-attack inducing formula is there in front of you, ready to go. (According to my doctor, who insists that too much salt in my diet will kill me silently and with great prejudice, squeezing my heart to a grinding halt, never to be revived)
That's a bid sad really <wipes tears>
I LOVE salty stuff.
But I would have probably served it with a chilled coconut soup or a coconut salad myself if I were going to go 100% non-traditional – to offset temperatures, textures etc.
As it is, the lime, salt, pepper works well. The prawns are fresh, sweet and lightly scented from the coconut.
The flavours are quite delicate. Nothing overpowers and the dish is impressive, fresh and light with some smoky wisps from the husk.
Leave me your comments when you've made prawns steamed with young coconut. It's a great show and a great taste.
