Sweet & Salty love affair: Millefeuille of Mekong

Millefeuille of Mekong: Pan seared Scallops served over
layers of crispy rice wrapper and mango tartar salad
with tamarind vinaigrette

When my doctor announced to us the good news of my "pregnancy" (same time a year ago) I knew that there would be clashes of ideas between me and my hubby. For he is a man of science (there is always an explanation to everything) contrary to me that that has strong attachments to "wisdoms" of elder generation. Superstitions related to pregnancy are limitless after all its natural for mothers to do anything they think will ensure the birth of a healthy child. I remember I often hear such funny comments from my aunties like, "avoid looking at ugly people or it will make your baby ugly" or "not to eat chocolate if you do not want your baby to have a dark skin" . Well I'm sure you have heard a lot too. There is a widespread superstition on pregnancy in Philippines called "Paglilihi", a term that describes pregnant mom's strong desire to eat a certain food and that fathers should at all cost make it possible to ensure the birth of their dream child. Well, as my pregnancy progress I noticed that I had that very strong envies to eat "asian food", specially filipino food. My husband told me its normal (of course:-)) because i'm longing for my country that I have not visited for quite some time and it was absolutely nothing to do with my pregnancy. Anyway to cut the story short, I won. He gave in (maybe because he just does not want me to have early contractions) to my "food tantrums". So when we went back from our "shopping spree" in the closest Asian grocery in our city, this is how our living room looked like this.

Our tatami laden with Asian goodies.

We bought tons of noodles, asian condiments, asian vegetables and other hard to find ingredients like: tocino mix (sweet ham like curing powder), guava soupe mix (I love this), shrimp paste, tamarind paste, well the list is really endless. With all this, we concocted this sweet and salty entrée of pan seared Scallops served in layers of crispy fried crispy rice wrappers and mango tartar with tamarind and pomegrate sauce. My husband had the idea of the rice wrappers millefeuille but the stuffing is definitely mine! Hubby called this recipe the Millefeuille of Mekong.


Mango Tartar Salad
1 ripe mango, the seeds of half of a pomegranate, 2 tsps of lime juice, salt, pepper,2 tbsp of olive oil

In a bowl mix the lime juice with salt and pepper. Peel the mango, remove the seed and cut into small cubes. Put the mango and the pomegrate seeds in the bowl with the sauce and add up the olive oil. Put them in the fridge

Crispy Rice Wrappers
6 sheet of dried rice wrapper, 1 egg, 1 tsp of black sesame seeds, 1tsp of white sesame seeds, oil for frying

Dredge in the egg the rice wrapper then sprinkle it with black and white sesame seeds. Fry them one by one in a very hot casserole with oil. Cook each wrapper for about 3 seconds. Dry them in paper towel.
Tamarind and Pomegrenate Vinaigrette
1 tsp of tamarind paste, 3 tbsps of olive oil, 1 tsp of Nuoc Nam, 1 tsp of honey, 2 tbsps of pomegrenate seeds

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Pan seared Scallops
12 scallops, 10 g of butter, salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan , when it becomes hot add the scallops and fry each side for about 30 seconds. Put salt and pepper on the top
Assembling the Millefeuille
Start first with a layer of crispy rice wrapper followed with the mango tartar. You can alternate the layer with the mango tartar and a layer of beans sprout and baby spinach salad. Garnish the top layer with the scallops. Drizzle on the top the tamarind vinaigrette. Bon appetit!!

Ps. Hello blogging friends, you might have noticed that I've been blogging very slowly these past few days and I have been bloging about my old recipes. My family is actually confronting a big problem (my dad is not doing very well). I still try to continue to blog because this makes my mind occupied. :-(

26 comments:

Anita said...

I can see myself using that vinaigrette in other recipes... since I won't be eating scallops anytime soon.

My prayers are with you and your family...hang in there.

Finla said...

Wow this dish looks so good.
And my you have to do a lot of preperation.
Yeah you are like me when i go to the asian super market i too buy loads of things. And when i come home and dump everything in the kitchen i tell where am i going to keep all these things ;-)
Hope your dad get better soon.

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Aww, I'm sorry about your dad sweetie. You take care of your family first. We'll always be here.

And gosh, your fusion millefeuille looks gorgeous!

Sylvia said...

I hope your dad getting well soon.This recipe is one of the most beautiful that I saw in blogosphere

Gloria Baker said...

Sorry by your Dad Dhanggit, I hope he will be better dear. I come to tell you that I have a new recipe in my blog, but is doesn`t matter take care.Lovely recipes you are always. xxxx a big hug Gloria

Oggi said...

This creation of yours is beautiful and looks delicious!
When I was pregnant with my first child I had cravings for all things cold, ex halo-halo, ice cream, frozen watermelon, ice cold jicama

Oh, so sorry to hear about your Dad, hope he'll feel better soon. hug hug

Susan said...

Dear Dhanggit, I'm very sorry to hear that your father is unwell. Please take care of yourself and your family. We will be here when you return.

This is a grand creation, sure to please even the most discerning diner.

tigerfish said...

Look at the tatami of goodies! Wow :)

Such a creative and refreshing dish! So delicious. The mangoes are enticing me.

Chibog in Chief said...

Thanks to everyone for these warm words..that's what i truly need..but as I said blogging makes my mind occupied :-) dont worry I'll still be blogging..and visiting your site too

Anita, i know you will like this type of sauce

happycook, its hard to go to asian supermarket..coz most of the time i go back home with lots of stuffs and no more room to keep them :-)

wanderingchopsticks, thanks!!

sylvia, oh thats really sweet!! thats what i need during this times of trouble..compliments hahaha

gloria, of course i'll check on your new recipe..this gives me little joy.;travelling in the blogosphere world of food

oggi, i hope you werent pregnant during winter.;its kinda hard to eat halohalo :-)

susan, thanks for those comforting words my dear!!

tigerfish, its amazing how mangoes blended with scallops !!

Sia said...

thank u for leaving a trail in my blog and leading to ur wonderful corner dhanggit. what a fabulous blog u have here.
sorry to hear abt ur dad. my prayers are with u and ur family dhanggit.

desie said...

this sounds great with the flavour of mango in the salad.

dhanggit, warm thoughts and hugs to you. hang in there and all the best to your family.

Manggy said...

That's very creative! It sounds tasty too.

I hope your family pulls through these trying times...

Cakespy said...

Dhanggit: This looks AMAZING!! Mille feuille of happiness, joy and flavor!

Chibog in Chief said...

Sia, thanks for passing by too!!

Maybahay, glad you like the mango tartar salad :-)

Manggy, thanks for these comforting words :-), i needed them

Cakesype: hehehe you put a smile on my face thanks dear

Swati said...

Dhangitt
Wishing your dad an early recovery..
Ur dish looks out of the world and irresistable.....Loved it!!1

Tanya said...

Looks delicious...
I'm so sorry to hear about your dad! My dad got very sick last summer and I don't know how I could have blogged at all during that time. He's fine now, and I hope that your family is so lucky. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

Little Corner of Mine said...

Sorry to read about your dad, hope he is feeling better soon. And congratulations on your pregnancy!

Emily said...

It is a true work of art! All of the colors are wonderful...I love your creativity.

Take your time. The most important thing is your dad. Hope all is well.

Anonymous said...

i had the same feelings 4 years ago...anyway, you have such delicious photos and i love the pasta(italian & chinese) recipes...sublime...PROST

K and S said...

I've been missing your posts, my feeder is not working properly...I hope your father will feel better soon. Lots of hugs!

Rosie said...

Dhanggit, this Mille feuille is awesome!!

Hope your dad is feeling better soon!!

Rosie x

ilingc said...

Dear Dhanggit,

My thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time.

I came by a few days ago and saw both your posts but only manage to comment on the tomatoes as I had to step out. Hope you weren't offended.

Your mille feuille sounds spectacular. I would love to try this one day - scallops and mango are some of my favourite foods! :)

Gloria Baker said...

Dhanggit I'm worry by you when you can post, a big hug, xxxxGloria

ICook4Fun said...

Sorry to hear about your father. Hope he will be well soon.

Analyse said...

congratulations on your pregnancy! i really admire your love for cooking, sana ako din. but hélas, i wasn't blessed with such talent..

i'm sorry to hear about your father, hope he'll be well soon..

docemdy said...

I wish your dad the best.