Red n Hot......

One might think that announcing your intention to visit an establishment named "Red n Hot" situated on the outskirts of London's Soho area could raise a few eyebrows!....However hold those thoughts because it's neither a building busily bursting with busty babes nor is it a bordelo bulging with bouncy bi-sexual beefcakes, it is in fact a rather fantastic little Szechuan restaurant.

(I wonder how many hits I get in the blog because I've used those words)

I say fantastic with regard to its food rather than in reverence to it's appearance. It's not exactly plush!

I was first drawn in there by hunger but also too by the name. I like my spicy food and I like to challenge my taste buds to the heat so seeing something called "Red n Hot" with the the suffix "Szechuan Cuisine" was just too tempting.

I always play it pretty safe when I go there and have the same the house special of Sliced beef sichuan style. Described as lavishly topped with chilli & sichuan pepper and I accompanied that with some egg fried rice.

Now I say safe because even though it's incredibly hot (so much so that this time around it even anaesthetised part of my tongue) it's rather tame considering some of the other dishes on the menu......uh hmmmmmm......These are taken directly from their menu and not made up or altered in anyway.

002. Husband & Wife’s Pork Lung Slice
004. Shredded Hot & Spicy Pig’s Tripe
006. Marinated Duck’s Tongue in Chilli Sauce
014. Hot & Spicy Beef Tripe
017. Slices of Pig’s Ears in Sesame Oil
052. Dry Fried Pig’s Intestine with Red & Green Peppers (Sichuan Delicacy)
054. Gong Bao Pig’s Intestine with Peanut
060. Fire Exploded Kidney Flowers, Crisp & Fast Fried
115. Dry Fried Frog Legs with Chilli Peppers(Authentic Sichuan Dish)

And curiously on the vegetable section of the menu one finds these -

140. Dry Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork
142. Aubergine in Fish Flavoured Sauce
145. Diced Chicken with Aubergine in Oyster Sauce
146. Pea Sprouts & Shredded Chicken with Thousand Year Egg in Rich Broth
159. Spinach & Shredded Chicken with Thousand Year Egg in Rich Broth

......You really couldn't make this stuff up but if you still don't believe me you can check it out for yourselves right here

I think I've been there three times now and I've never seen another western person in there. I do get some funny looks when I walk in. I think they must assume at first glance that I'm either lost or delivering something.

Each table doubles up as an induction hob too. They do this wonderful looking dish involving what seems as big bowl of broth which is kept hot on the induction hob and a huge board of meats and vegetables which you dip into the broth to cook then transfer to your bowl to eat.

It looks amazing but I'm yet to try. Firstly because I am not brave enough to even think about what meats are on that board let alone try them and secondly because it's so big that even if I did summon the cojones to get involved I'd never get close to finishing it on my own.

Next time you're in London and feeling peckish I seriously recommend popping in and giving it a go. It's on Charing Cross road on the far edges of Chinatown if approaching from the Piccadilly Circus end.

The ongoing mackerel and gooseberry experiment got another tweak on Monday and I'm pretty chuffed with myself for getting it almost right. This time I made a mackerel pâté garnished with a little chopped fresh mint and served that up with the absolutely winning pickled fennel, toasted bread and a gooseberry purée rather than a jelly.

To make the pate I used six mackerel fillets which I'd cooked in a water bath and then allowed to cool. Of these six fillets I removed the skin from four and blitzed up with some double cream, melted (unsalted) butter and seasoning until it was smooth then into it I folded the flaked remaining mackerel fillets and put in the fridge to set.

Of course you don't have to use a water bath you can just grill, bake or steam them.

The acidity and anise flavour from the pickled fennel compliments the mackerel so perfetcly and then the sweetness of the gooseberry purée balances it all so well together. The hint of fresh mint gives an added layer of flavour but as it's just a garnish you can choose how much or how little yourself rather than it being overpowering.

This time around I shaved the fennel lengthways. (I used a vegetable peeler, you could use a knife if you're skilled at doing so but a veg peeler is much easier and quicker). It gave it a little more flavour but also added much more of the missing bite from the last pickling attempt. Mix that with the relative smoothness of the pâté, the crunch of the toast and the purée and you get all these wonderful textures and flavours combining.

My only concern with the dish now is presentation. I have ideas for this but it involves rectangular plates and not setting the pâté in ramekins......I don't have rectangular plates, the mould required for setting the pate or a kitchen with decent enough light to take good photos........yet !!!

Toodlepip xx