CityView Magazine

they knew it would an all-consuming, seven-day-a-week flow of customers, suppliers and deliveries, not to mention constant cooking. Starting in the early hours, women prepare bowl after bowl of homemade kim chi, roll their own sushi and wrap up endless packages of beautiful and exotic foods: raw squid, jerky squid, seaweed salad and marinated turnips, bean sprouts, black beans and anchovies. Catch the cooks at the right time, and you might even be invited for an impromptu cooking lesson. Pan’s Thai Market Visitors to Pan’s market are greeted by a stand of neatly-arranged exotic fruits and vegetables plus a few items unfamiliar to most like duck eggs and black frogs. Round the corner to find sights more familiar, rice of all shapes and sizes and coconut in every form, fashion and container. Staples such as sesame oil, sesame seeds or soy sauce can be found at many Asian markets for lower prices than mainstream grocery stores and Pan’s is no exception. Vatsady Champasakwong took over the shop from her mother after she retired. Originally from Thailand, Champasakwong carries products for her many Thai customers, but she carries a variety of foods, even chicory coffee Dinner for four Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Sushi Rice Rolls 2 cups soy sauce 4 oranges 8 whole garlic cloves 2 Tb ginger 6 Tb light brown sugar 2 Tb sesame seeds 4 salmon fillets, about 6-8 oz each Garnish 2 scallions (green onions) 2 Tb orange zest (from marinade) ¼ tsp sri racha sauce* ¼ teaspoon wasabi paste* ¼ teaspoon oriental mustard* Zest oranges into long thin strips, reserving about 2 tablespoons for later use. In a small saucepan, combine zest and soy sauce. Juice the oranges through a strainer and add. Peel and slice garlic and ginger into thin strips, mince fine and add. Stir in sugar and sesame seeds. Bring all ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and stir until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool. Place salmon fillets in a shallow pan and add the cooled marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning salmon to coat evenly about every 15 minutes. Pre-heat grill and coat with pan spray or oil to prevent sticking. Grill salmon and baste with marinade to coat the salmon. Garnish with scallions and reserved zest. Serve with sushi rice rolls, Thai cucumber salad and sri racha sauce, wasabi paste and oriental mustard on the side. Sushi Rice Rolls 2 ½ cups sushi rice* 2 ½ cups water ½ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar* 1 pkg seasoned seaweed salad* 1 red bell pepper 4 Nori seaweed sushi sheets* ¼ cup sesame seeds - white ¼ cup sesame seeds – black Combine rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover tightly. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Transfer to a glass bowl and cool 10 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar. Cover and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stem and seed pepper and cut into ¼” x 3” strips. Place one Nori sheet on a sushi mat and spread about 1 cup of rice evenly, leaving a 1” border at the top. In the center of the rice, arrange a 1” wide row of seaweed salad. Place 4-6 strips of pepper in the center of the seaweed salad and cover again with more seaweed salad. Slowly roll the mat, forming the sushi sheet and contents into a cylindrical shape. Roll mat back and forth with some pressure to tighten and seal the wrap. Refrigerate rolls for at least 30 minutes. To cut, remove from refrigerator and use a serrated bread knife to make a diagonal cut on a 45 degree bias to create the two rice “towers” pictured. Dip the tips of the sushi rice rolls in sesame seeds to add color. *FTCC Chef Richard Kugelmann found these ingredients at Sun Supermarket. CityViewNC.com | 53

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