What is unique to the AGA stoves is they are centrally heated and the stove cooks with radiant heat, there are no heat controls or electronic knobs – it is always on and ready to go. You might remember seeing the stove on the Two Fat Ladies television show. It's at the top of my wish list. 

 

A picture is worth a thousand words – check out the video.

 

 

 

I’m writing about my adventure because I adapted two yummy savory pancake recipes that I want to share with you, one being a scallion cilantro pancake that I adapted to an approximate 2 inch pancake to hold thin slices of teriyaki steak. I didn’t make the dipping sauce and I substituted chopped cilantro instead of the small cilantro leaves and sliced scallions instead of the 1 ½ inch pieces of scallions.  I like the pancake as a foil to the teriyaki steak - RECIPE

 

As for making teriyaki steak, so simple, get a jar of Kikkoman’s Teriyaki sauce and marinate your steak.

 

Again, I made smaller versions of the pancakes, 2 inch rounds to hold the smoked salmon. The pancakes were full of flavor and the mustard seeds (readily available in the McCormick display – the glass bottle priced out better than the little plastic jar) added a nice crunch.   I added some dill to the sour cream topping and didn’t used the caviar. These pancakes look like they would freeze well. Feel free to substitute crème fraiche for the sour cream. - RECIPE 

 

  

In Edible Enlightenment Part 1, I delivered to you my story of Pho, a Vietnamese soup, and its flavor profile, history, and how with the addition of the traditional accoutrements you can season to your palate.

 

In today’s Edible Enlightenment Part 2, I will review a selection of local Pho restaurants. These Pho restaurants are on the west side of town with one exception on York Road. I apologize to any Pho restaurant I might have overlooked – please leave a comment if I missed any other locations.

 

Baltimore Pho

 

I’ve been in a number of Pho restaurants and I must say that Baltimore Pho is the fine dining of Pho and Vietnamese food in the city. Across from the Hollins Street Market, in the old Mencken’s Cultured Pearl location, Baltimore Pho is carving a niche for itself as upscale Vietnamese dining. It embraces Baltimore’s seafood connection - hence the name Baltimore Pho. 

It was mid May when I tried Baltimore Pho Restaurant and Bar. My dinner reservations were early enough to enjoy their happy hour drink specials and Vietnamese noshes at the exposed brick bar. I had a yummy Lychee Mojito for $6.00 – a great combination of the sweet, tart flavors that I love.

 

A good deal of thought was put into the look and feel of the place: bamboo mats, upscale red chopsticks, and logo-emblazoned triangle shaped dishes.  My companion and I kicked off the meal with the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with 2 dipping sauces and Green Papaya Salad. I have been spoiled by my friends’, the Hoangs, rendition of rice paper rolls (they called them summer rolls) which is my gauge for all others. The Hoang’s version was lighter on the fresh herbs.

 

Now down to the nitty-gritty, the Pho. Baltimore Pho has a more American pleasing palate selection of well done beef, rare beef, beef meat ball, combination of meats, Baltimore seafood, and a vegetarian version with tofu. The flank tendon or tripe renditions available at the more traditional Pho restaurants were not available.  I got the well-done beef version, the broth was subtle and a tinge sweeter than I’m used to but it was a tasty bowl of soup. I was surprised to see culantro (no not cilantro) on the condiment plate. The pricing is significantly higher than the traditional Pho restaurants which are usually around $6 a bowl. If memory serves me, Tuesday night is Neighborhood Night at Baltimore Pho, offering a heavy Pho discount. You will need to show your license to prove you live in the neighborhood.

 

One might assume the number one after this restaurant name is implying that it is the best Pho you can consume, does that make Pho #75 in Virginia the seventy fifth. In researching my Pho article I discovered that many of these restaurants add the number of the year that they opened ( i.e. 1975 or 2001). 

 

Not as high end as Baltimore Pho, Pho # 1 is still a step above the cafeteria-feel Pho restaurants like An Loi in Columbia. The menu offers a large selection of Vietnamese dishes and fresh fruit drinks. 

 

You have a large selection of meats and combination of meats to go in your Pho. The small bowl is sufficient for any grown adult to fill themselves. The broth is bolder and more assertive and it is a flavor I like. They aren’t as fancy with the accoutrements, and each table has assorted hot sauces and hoisin set up like we American’s have ketchup and mustard on the tables.

 

I’ve had other dishes other than the Pho and they were okay, it is truly the Pho that I go back for time-and-again. 

 

An Loi and Pho Dat Thanh

The few things I can write about An Loi is that it is in an out-of-the-way strip mall that took me forever to find and it is as basic as it comes. I haven’t eaten there in years and I heard owners have changed so I can’t give you a review. I remember the Pho being tasty.

 

Pho Dat Thanh is also in Columbia, more upscale in ambience, a tad above Pho#1 but not as fancy as Baltimore Pho. I have eaten there a number of times and find the soups to be where they shine. Try the Pho and I highly recommend the duck noodle soup. 

 

I have discovered some new places while researching this story and will make sojourns to taste their Pho and will update you periodically.

I’m going to list as many of the Pho restaurants that I can find, if I have missed one let me know. May I suggest you call the restaurants for their days of operation and hours. 

When Nyghia and Phoung Hoang introduced me to Vietnamese food, it was truly a day of edible enlightenment. Some of you will remember them from their Hoang’s Seafood Grille in Mt. Washington and Canton. The Hoang's have relocated to Falls Church and have opened Hoang' s Cuisine.

The Hoangs became good friends and it was Nyghia who introduce me to pho (pronounced FUH), which means soup in Vietnamese. I received an in-depth lesson on this rich, flavorful broth at Hoang’s carryout location on York Road, near Lake Avenue. The carryout had a small counter and it was only there that Nyghia offered pho. In Baltimore, at that time, few if anyone knew of pho, of course the Vietnamese and then the Vietnam War veterans did. From my Northwest home it was easily a 30 minute drive but I had to have my pho. I remember dragging Chef Nancy Longo from Pierpoint Restaurant for this new flavor sensation.

Warning:

This story is not for the attention deficit. For those of you who read all installments, you will be deemed pho literate (by Dining Dish standards). Yes, I said installments: recipes and reviews are to follow.

What is the History of Pho?

A great number of people believe that pho (fuh) was derived from the French dish, pot-au-feu, which the French colonist introduced to the Vietnamese. The method of charring the onion and ginger for pho is similar to that process of charring onions for pot-au-feu. Let me suggest you read Andrea Q. Nguyen's story for a thorough examination of pho - Click Here . I am not here to re-event the wheel when it is so well documented.

Here Comes the Pho, Here Comes the Pho

The basic aromatics are star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds and a long simmer of beef bones are the heart of this broth.

Pho is typically served to you in a deep bowl which contains rice noodles (banh pho), the same type of noodle used in Pad Thai, reminiscent of linguini in shape. You can choose from an assortment of beef toppings and I usually pick the brisket and rare beef (which cooks submerged in the broth while you eat it). There can be scallions and onion in the broth when served.

You will be served a separate dish with accoutrements; cilantro, culantro and/or Thai basil (remove the leaves from the stems and add to the pho), mung bean sprouts, sliced onions, scallions, wedges of lime, and sliced chili peppers (dip in broth so the natural oils come out or leave them in the broth if you really like hot).

On your table will be a condiment tray of hoisin sauces, srichacha sauce, chili and garlic paste, hot chili oil and nuoc mam (fish sauce).

You Are the Final Flavor Profile to your Pho

How tart, how hot, how salty and how sweet is based on what you add. I throw in the herbs, sprouts, onions, squeezes of lime, srichacha sauce, hoisin and a splash of nuoc mam. For your first foray with pho, go gently. What I mean, add just a small amount of the items you think you will like and then taste it, you can always add more but you can’t take it out.

From my Spaghetti Eating 101 Class, I apply the twirl method to eating the pho rice noodles. I twirl the noodles twisted in my chopsticks on the base of the flat Asian spoon and then I slurp it all up, loudly and with great pride. At a recent trip to Asian Court, a Chinese woman complimented me on my fabulous chopstick skills when eating dim sum.

The number of pho restaurants is growing in Baltimore and I will be reviewing a selection of them in my next installment Edible Enlightenment Part 2.

I enjoy cooking for small intimate dinner gatherings and this past Sunday wasn’t any different as I put together an eclectic menu for friends. I start small, a simple 3 course dinner and BAM, it has grown, out of control cooking. (recipes below)  Keeping it simple doesn’t seem to be in my realm of reality, I ended up with 6 courses…yup, count them.

 

Pot Stickers with a Yuzu Dipping Sauce

Tom Yum Soup (inspired by my dinner at Redfish)

Grilled Caesar Salad

Lemon Basil Sorbetto

Honey Truffle Marinated Chicken, Steamed Asparagus with Apricot Marmalade and Oven Roasted Potatoes

Yellow Cake with Fudge Icing with Fresh Strawberries

 

Guess what, I didn’t take any pictures at dinner - not a one but I have put together a couple post pictures.   I’m going to write this in course order though food prep was much different.

 

 

 

Pot Stickers: This was a last minute decision to have a munch in the den with drinks before we sat down to dinner. I pulled the Pot Stickers from the freezer, sautéed them and then steamed them per the package instructions. 

 

Yuzu Dipping Sauce: I used a tablespoon of yuzu juice (lime juice is a good substitute), 2 tablespoons of Asian fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, 1 small garlic clove thinly sliced and 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance the acid of the yuzu juice. Mix and make adjustments to your taste buds.

 

 

Tom Yum Soup:  I had homemade chicken broth(see below)  and combined it with low sodium chicken broth (total 4 cups), diced shallots, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots and the Instant Sour Shrimp Paste (tom yum) for the chili-sour flavor* (1 teaspoon).  I peeled 8 shrimp and put the shells in a strainer that I put in the stock to cook a bit and add more flavor. I added the shrimp about 2 minutes before service so they wouldn’t be over cooked. I previously boiled off some egg noodles (I was out of rice noodles) which I added to the stock just after the shrimp.

 

* the instant sour shrimp paste is spicy and I suggest start with a regular teaspoon and let it blend well into the soup. Give it a taste and add a bit more until you reach the level of heat you want in the soup. 

 

Grilled Caesar Salad: I had just gotten the new Food and Wine-June 08 and on page 160 they had Seared Romaine Spears with Caesar Dressing. I got Romaine hearts at the produce store on sale for 99 cents…yes, 99 cents. I cut the romaine heads in half lengthwise and brushed with Canola oil and grilled them until they had a slight char on both sides but were still crisp.  The dressing swapped out egg yolks with low fat mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.  I processed all the ingredients and slowly added Canola oil.  I dressed the plate with the dressing and put the romaine spears on top, salt & pepper, shaved Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and chopped tomato.

 

Lemon Basil Sorbetto: I wrote about this before, it is SOOO good and I had about 11 lemons leftover from a food styling job just the week before so I filled in to the 20 lemons needed. I zested all the lemons before I juiced them and froze them for future cooking endeavors. The recipe is from Executive Chef Bill Crouse at Sotto Sopra – RECIPE.  This was my intermezzo.

 

Honey Truffled Chicken: First I purchased two whole chickens and brought them home and broke them down into parts. I took the wing tips, the backs and gizzards and threw them in the pressure cooker with onions, carrots, celery, parsley stems and salt for a quick stock-used in the Tom Yum soup.

 

Marinade for the chicken:

 

4 ounces of honey

2 tablespoons chicken stock

2 tablespoons of truffle oil

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper

 

Mix all the ingredients for the chicken. Coat the chicken pieces well and marinate them overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the chicken about 45 minutes (test for doneness with an instant read thermometer.) As the oven preheats mix up the basting mixture. As the chicken cooks, baste it from time-to-time. 

 

 

Basting mixture for the chicken:

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chicken stock

2 teaspoons of truffle oil

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper

½ teaspoon of salt

 

 

Oven Roasted Potatoes: I chose to use the tiny red potatoes. Remember start your potatoes in cold water with lots of salt. (If what you are cooking grew below ground you start it in cold water and if it grew above ground you add it to boiling water). Once at a boil, I let them cook 5 minutes and drained. I tossed the potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, garlic powder, and chopped shallots and put them on a cookie sheet in the oven with the chicken. Every time I basted the chicken, I gave the pan of potatoes a shake.

 

Asparagus: From the WomenHeart’s All Heart Family Cookbook, I used their recipe for steamed asparagus and slivered carrots topped with Apricot marmalade and grated ginger. This is a fabulous cookbook that doesn’t feel like a diet cookbook.  There are many recipes I have fixed and many more I am going to make.  It emphasizes heart healthy foods, 40 foods proven to promote heart health. Ladies, don’t be fooled, heart disease kills more women than breast cancer. This is a cookbook that should be on your shelves – the food tastes great plus you learn how many choices you do have with heart healthy foods.   

 

 

Yellow Cake with Fudge Icing: This is an ongoing quest of mine to find a really moist, dense yellow cake. Where as this cake was delicious,  denser and moist, it wasn’t what I’m seeking ~ so I still search for my holy grail of cakes. PLEASE, if you have a yellow cake recipe that is really dense and moist send it to me (diningdish@hotmail.com).

 

I tried the cake recipe from Restaurant Eve which was in the Washington Post-I did not make their icing.  I searched the internet for a chocolate fudge icing recipe and was ready to make one that called for condensed milk. I knew I had a can in the cupboard only to find out it had a date on it from 1996.  Needless to say, I chose another recipe  – Caroline’s Chocolate Fudge Frosting that came out great (I added a pinch of salt to it and only used ½ cup of milk.  I think salt brings out the chocolate flavor)

 

Heathens that we were, we polished off ½ the cake between 4 people.  I probably should put a warning on this menu “Do Not Try This At Home~ It Can be Harmful to a Full Night’s Sleep and One’s Waistline.” I’m still eating cake and sorbetto; I sent the leftover chicken, asparagus and potatoes home with my guests.   

 

Are you an unbridled cook?  We can start a club and go insane cooking for each other...but what a way to go.

I’m not sure when I first heard of Chef Barbara Tropp. It was so long ago, and many meals have passed since then. Barbara was the chef/owner of China Moon Restaurant in San Francisco and a leading authority on Chinese food. Her interest in Chinese culture started in high school and led to doctoral studies at Princeton. Her passion took her to Taiwan for two years where her two host families guided her on a Chinese culinary path.

Her first cookbook, The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking Techniques and Recipes, came out in 1982. James Beard said, “Barbara Tropp’s volume on Chinese cooking is a unique achievement. Her intelligent and thorough explanations are detailed and truly great. The choice of recipes is exciting. This is a magnum opus for any cooking addict.” More praise appears on the book cover from Maida Heatter and Craig Claiborne.

Entertaining with China Moon

Her China Moon Cookbook is amazing, detailed and always on the money. Her recipes were complex and one made a commitment to make her recipes. I have two distinct memories of entertaining with Chef Tropp’s recipes. The first is the China Moon Infusion Chicken Broth, starting with chicken stock and then making the same recipe with the stock instead of water, and the final step, cooking the stock a third time with whole bulbs of garlic and lemongrass. The average consumer would know that it tasted good but I served this to a food scientist who immediately recognized the depth and layering of flavors.

In the mid ‘90s, I had invited Chef Gino Troia and his wife for dinner, but knew what I served could not be Italian. I decided on what I knew would be wonderful: Clear-Steamed Salmon with Ginger-Black Bean Vinaigrette from the China Moon Cookbook.

She Empowered Many

Chef Tropp broke ground not only in combining California and Chinese cuisines, but also as a leader for women chefs and restaurateurs. It was Barbara along with others like Joyce Goldstein and Lydia Bastianich who spearheaded a now-thriving organization which promotes and lends guidance to women in the restaurant industry: Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR). Little did I know when cooking her recipes that I would benefit from her efforts and be part of the organization she helped create.

A Great Loss

Sadly, in late 2001, Barbara died of ovarian cancer at age 53. Her husband, Bart Rhoades, continues to support WCR and comes to their annual conference every year to present the Barbara Tropp Award. Recently, Bart announced he had just discovered an unfinished, unpublished article of Barbara’s and agreed to mail it to me. I hope you enjoy this new found glimpse of the late, great Chef Tropp. I leave it in the unedited state it was sent to me. I hope you relish this rare opportunity to share once more in Barbara’s passion.


By Barbara Tropp Bon Appetit - Chicken

It is difficult not to like chicken! Or at least I would think so – I, who grew up with a chicken farm down the road (across the way from the corn fields that supplied the vegetable course for our chicken dinners), and who came of culinary age in Taiwan, where the chicken is enchantingly and naturally sweet, and so prized a creature that old men (such as the one I lived with) did verbal battle in the morning marketplaces over the merits of this plump bird or that svelte one. No indeed, chicken on my tongue and to my way of thinking is one of the great foods!

Especially in the warm summer months, chicken is a regular on my Chinese-inclined table. I make an extra effort to plan dinners simply, so that I have time to shop for the freshest possible bird. Shopping as I do in a Chinatown poultry market, I know the chicken is fresh-killed that morning and at its natural best, but if I am traveling and hungry for chicken I look for the same signs of freshness in the everyday supermarket birds – a smooth, glossy skin stretched over a plump breast, a discernable moistness, and no sign of excess juices afloat in the bag or storage tray. And then I plan my meal to show off my prize. A stir-fry of “Spicy Tangerine Chicken” served with a crisp green salad, slices of hot garlic bread and a glass of cool wine, or skewers of “Grilled Chinese Chicken Wings” bedded on seasoned rice and washed down with fresh lemonade is my own personal summer style. I avoid Chinese banquets like the plague, and turn to a simple East-West menu with the same happy pleasure that I would greet a shady tree.

Thinking in terms of cooking pleasure, if you are new to cooking a whole chicken and are intimidated by recipes such as “Chinese Curried Chicken”, “Steamed Chicken with Sweet Sausage and Scallion Oil” and “Orange and Tea Smoked Chicken” that call for you to chop up an entire bird, take heart! It is actually a very easy business. The main trick is to have in hand a sturdy, thick-bladed cleaver that will not knick when it hits the bone, and, if you wish an additional friendly tool, a poultry shear. Then, it’s a matter only of method. I first remove the wings and legs by cutting neatly around the joint, bending the wing or leg back to snap the bone free of the socket, and making the extra cut or two needed to free the joint. If the legs are big, I chop them Chinese-style into thirds across the bone (some good-spirited, hearty whacks do the job), and split the wings in two by cutting through the central joint. Next, I cut the body of the chicken into two by cutting first through the breast bone and then along one side of the backbone. The last step is to cut along the rib cage to divide each half in half again, and then to chop each fourth across the bone into rectangular pieces that make a good-sized morsel then claimed by a fork or chopstick. This act of chopping takes more time to describe than to execute, so don’t hesitate to give it a try.

Similarly, if you are new to cooking Chinese-style and fear that your precious summer hours will be wasted slaving over a chopping block and hot wok, put your fears aside. Recipes such as “Steamed Chicken Dumplings”, “Sourdough Chicken Toasts’ and “Rice Crumb Chicken” – pretty appetizers, the trio – are simple enough for even a novice cook. “Stir-Fried Hoisin Chicken with Hazelnuts”, while involving a marinating step and the classic attention to chopping vegetables and aromatics, may be prepared a full day in advance, leaving the final 3-minute cooking to the leisurely moments just before dinner. And “Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup with Toasted Almonds” and “Cold and Crunch Chicken Salad with Two Sauces” are do-ahead dishes as well, with the additional appeal of the familiar.

Here, then are some lively alternatives to the usual summer chicken. Approach them with confidence and enjoy them with a cold beer and a refreshing salad. It’s summertime and the Chinese Cookin’ is easy.

Rice Crumb Chicken

Soft slices of chicken breast are coated with seasoned rice and steamed, making this a very simple appetizer or light main course.

4-6 hors d’oeuvre servings or 2 entrée servings

½ pound boned and skinned fresh chicken breast
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
½ teaspoon Chinese chili sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons finely minced scallion, white and light greet parts only
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Chinese or Japanese sesame oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw white rice
½ teaspoon “Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt”
additional pepper-salt for dipping - or – “Hakka Garlic Sauce”

Lightly pound fillets and breast pieces with the broad side of a cleaver until 3/8-inch thick, then cut crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. In a small bowl, toss the chicken, garlic, chili sauce, scallion, wine, soy sauce and sesame oil, stirring well with your hand to coat and separate the slices. Seal airtight and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

In a dry skillet, toast the rice and pepper-salt over moderate heat stirring until the grains turn golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the hot mixture to a food processor fitted with the steel knife and grind to a nubbly consistency about half the size of a peppercorn. Combine the rice mixture with the chicken, tossing to distribute the crumbs.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on a heatproof plate at least 1-inch smaller in diameter than your steamer. (Do not worry if the crumbs do not entirely cover the chicken.) Steam over medium-high heat 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.

Serve with an accompanying dip dish of “Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt” or “Hakka Garlic Sauce”, or a simple mixture of 1 part soy sauce and 1 part unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar with a dash of sesame oil or hot chili oil.

Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt

A wonderful, all-around seasoning. Store in an airtight jar.

Makes ½ cup.

¼ cup Szechwan peppercorns
½ cup old-fashioned kosher salt

Toast peppercorns and salt in a dry skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until salt turns off-white. Peppercorns will smoke; lower heat if needed to prevent scorching. Remove hot mixture to work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel knife and process for a full minute to obtain a coarse powder. Alternatively, pound in a mortar with a pestle. Sieve to remove peppercorn husks.

Hakka Garlic Sauce

A zippy sweet garlic sauce perfect with chicken.

Makes ¼ cup.

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine the garlic, vinegar and sugar in a small dish, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside 15 minutes to allow flavors to develop, and stir before serving.

©Dara Bunjon

 

There is a new restaurant and probably the only place now serving Dim Sum in Baltimore (really Ellicott City) called Asian Court. The recommendation came a roundabout way from my sister who lives in California who corresponds with an old friend, Jeff Davis, who lives most of the time in Hong Kong and was recently in Baltimore and found this new gem.  

 

When I advised Jeff that I had made it to Asian Court for Dim Sum for lunch this week he replied. “hope u can return there on the wkend for the dimsum specials, as it is quite worthwile 'n u will see a mix of almost 95% Asian there w/their families, 'n w/it a whole different feeling 'n atmosphere, not unlike the real thing found more often in Asia...and the food served reinforces same...”  (quite obviously Jeff is a cryptologist as well – only joking).

 

Dim Sum to the Chinese is like hors d’ouevres to the French or appetizers to us. Their origins come from Chinese tea houses. The literal translation is “to touch your heart.”

 

 

I had put out an all-points bulletin to my food buddies but scheduling has been a problem.

I like traveling in numbers for food, it means I get to sample more dishes.   It was decided we would go one weekend for the dim sum when it is served on the rolling carts. The dim sum is cooked to order during the weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on the Saturday, Sunday and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the carts as stated above.

 

Well scheduling with everyone has been difficult and when another friend said she and her husband were available for lunch this week we went over to the west side of town to Asian Court in Ellicott City. It is in a strip mall just passed Home Depot heading west from where 29 intersects Route 40.

 

 

The restaurant wasn’t full but as Jeff Davis said above, the majority of the people in the restaurant were Asian – always a good sign. The dining room seemed divided with tables with tablecloths and some without. The restaurant is nicely appointed with a tank of beautifully colored fish between the sushi section and the bar. The entrance was marble.     

 

Don’t let me lead you astray with the dim sum; this restaurant serves a broad selection of Chinese dishes from ones we have come to know and ones that Anthony Bourdain might eat like Sauteed Pigs Intestine with Sour Cabbage and Pigs Feet with Bean Curd Sauce. Asian Court has a broad Japanese menu along with some delicious sushi. Also there is a large vegetarian selection. 

 

So my dining posse and I wanted to try a little of this and a little of that and we kicked it off with Char Siu Bao-$3.25 ( bun stuffed with barbecued pork – your choice steamed or fried),  Fung Jeow $3.25 (chicken feet, deep fried, then marinated with oyster sauce and steamed), Fun Gor $3.25 (translucent dumplings that are filled with ground pork with peanuts) and finally Stuffed Eggplant 3.95 (purple eggplant stuffed with a shrimp paste, fried and topped with a sauce). 

 

 

 

I grew up eating chicken feet in my mother’s chicken fricassee and she used them to make chicken soup so this wasn’t a stretch for me. They are messy, they have a lot of bones but if you are so inspired, do give them a try and ask for extra napkins. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next on our adventure was some sushi and as you can see it arrived beautifully displayed. We ordered Maki Rolls: Salmon Skin Roll $4.50, Eel with Cucumber $4.95, Shrimp Tempura $4.95 and Spicy Tuna Roll for $4.50. I really liked their sushi and it was because of their rice, it was well seasoned. So many times I get sushi and the rice is tasteless and too sticky (that happens when it isn’t cooled down properly*). 

 

 

 

My friend Patti ordered the luncheon portion of pepper steak $7.45 which came with spring rolls and white rice. It was nicely prepared; it wasn’t too salty as this dish tends to be.

 

 

 

During luncheon we were chatting with Mei-Lin Louie and her husband Sam, what a charming couple. They informed me that they own another restaurant in Silver Spring called Asian Bistro Café. Mei-Lin sent out coconut pudding, which is a rice and coconut milk concoction with a jiggle like Jello. Mei-Lin explained that Chinese desserts aren’t very sweet. 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this restaurant and I have many dishes I want to try above and beyond the dim sum so I will be back, probably many times. I’m intrigued with the soups and noodle dishes. 

 

If you live in the area they have delivery for a $25.00 order or more and curbside pick up.

 

 

* Chef Nyghia Hoang told me that to properly cool sushi rice it must be done in a wooden bowl or box which can absorb some of the moisture as opposed to something plastic which keep the rice sitting in moisture. You will see fans blowing on the rice to help this process. 

 

Asian Court

9180 Baltimore National Pike

Ellicott City, MD 21042

410.461.8388

Open 7 days 

Chinese – from all regions

Japanese