BUDDHA' S F E A S T from Indochine
noodle bird nest to my
mother’s recipe it would be
a good dish.”
A native of Vietnam,
Thompson says this dish can
be found in Vietnam and
Thailand with substitutions
of the vegetables based on the
varieties found in each country.
Sitting atop the crispy egg
noodle nest of the Buddha’s
Feast is a mixture of vegetables
that includes snow peas,
broccoli, cauliflower, bamboo
shoots, tofu, shiitake mush-rooms,
edamame beans, yow
choy, asparagus and onions,
all tossed in a house-made
teriyaki sauce.
“We just use all different
textures of vegetables. … It
adds a lot of complexity,”
Thompson says.
The variety of vegetables
and the lightness of the dish
make a popular choice for her
more health-conscious diners.
Thompson says it can be made
gluten free by substituting rice
noodles instead of egg noodles.
Thompson describes the
Buddha’s Feast as “an enlight-ening
experience.”
Barely a year old, chef Keith
Rhodes’ Phun Seafood Bar, a
southeastern Asian tapas bar,
is home to many multicultural
Asian dishes that mix flavors
from across the region. The
Hong Kong-style noodle bowl
is an example of that. Loaded
with crispy pork belly, ginger,
cilantro, fried pork wontons
and crispy yu choy vegetables,
Rhodes says the dish’s pho
broth and combination of ver-micelli
rice and egg noodles is
the true foundation.
“You are going to get some-thing
that is a little sweet, a lit-tle
fragrant with fresh cilantro,
which is key to giving it depth
and flavor,” Rhodes says. “The
pork broth is a very deep flavor
as well and is simmered with
star anise so it layers the flavor.”
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Although Rhodes says his
original pho broth is a secret
recipe, this savory base contains
traditional Asian flavors like
star anise, cinnamon, white
peppercorns, pork bones and
fried shallots. Kept hot in a
thin aluminum pot, Rhodes
says hot pho broth is the cure
to many ailments.
For the rice and egg noodles
utilized in the Hong Kong
noodle bowl, Rhodes pre-fers
the noodles to be a little
chewy to hold up in the broth.
The name, Hong Kong noodle
bowl, comes from combining
the two noodle types, which
is the typical way it’s found in
Chinese noodle houses.
savor — guide to food & dining on the azalea coast