Getting Ready for Kampala Restaurant Week

Some of you know that a big chunk of my time nowadays is spent working with Endiro Coffee, based in Uganda.  One of my roles is as the Corporate Executive Chef.  It's funny that I find myself cooking again after many years.  I still remember praying at Waffle House that God would allow me to be in full time ministry.  I was convinced that my time as a cook there was being wasted.  But, no ... with the Lord, nothing is wasted.

Anyway, we are getting ready for a big event in Kamapla, Uganda called the Kampala Restaurant Week.  This is a little different than the Kamapala Restaurant Awards that we competed in (and won!) last fall.  The biggest difference is that instead of competing in our own little category ("cafe") we must go head to head against restaurants of many different types.  Also, we are being judged on a three-course meal that we design especially for the event.

So, it fell to me to design the menu.  I'll be heading to Uganda soon to train our chefs to execute the meal perfectly.  Our entry this year embraces two culinary themes that are important to who we are as a company.  The first is, of course, coffee.  Coffee is a powerful symbol of the diversity and beauty of people and cultures throughout the nation and the world.  Also, coffee connects to simple and amazing people in farming villages.  We believe that “with enough coffee, we can change the world” – literally.  So, we are utilizing coffee heavily in this meal through beverage pairings and as an ingredient in cooking.  The second theme is the concept of “glocal food” (global and local).  We believe that Ugandan food is world-class and should interact with world flavors and forms.  This particular meal is an intermingling of Ugandan and Latin cuisine throughout.  The idea of “glocal food” is an invitation and challenge for us to enter into the world of the “other” and to discover the richness of coming together to brew a better world

Here are the courses:

Starter - Carne Asada Crostinis. Served with a Pourover of Bududa Bukalasi Coffee.
“Carne asada” is a marinated, grilled and sliced skirt steak popular in Mexican cuisine.  It is often served as a taco. A “crostini” is an Italian appetizer consisting of toasted bread and any number of toppings.  For our purpose, we are bringing together these two Latin concepts with the subtle Ugandan flavors of mango and pineapple.  The result is a bright, tangy and sweet appetizer that is visually stunning, texturally intriguing and simply delicious.  We are pairing this dish with our Single Origin Bududa Bukalasi prepared as a pourover.  The coffee’s balance of earthiness and acidity complement the smoky steak and fruity flavors of the crostini in a heavenly way.

Entree - Coffee-rubbed Pork Chop Sandwich with Coffee-candied Bacon and Grilled Pineapple. Served with Cold-Brewed Iced Kisoro Coffee.

Here we are taking the concept of a Mexican molé sauce, deconstructing it and rebuilding it as a dry rub.  Anchoring the dry rub is our own single-origin Ugandan coffee from Kisoro. We then take real Ugandan honey and more of that coffee to candy some thick cut bacon.  A generous slice of grilled pineapple brings the bright fruitiness to the party.  Served with hand-cut seasoned fries and a glass of ultra-refreshing cold brewed, iced coffee.  It is a glocal homage to two of our favorite Ugandan tastes – coffee and the Pork Joint!

Dessert - The Aztec Frozen Mocha

I am an amatuer barista at best, so I developed

the basic concept and threw it over to our Head of Coffee for the final development.  Basically, it is a twist on Mexican Hot Chocolate decked out with ice cream, spices and espresso to create the pefect "kiss goodnight" dessert - sweet with a kick.

I have grown to love cooking and how it gives me the opportunity to be creative, to learn, to serve people and to grow in my understanding of people and cultures.  If you are in Kamapala for restaurant week, stop by and try the meal.  If not, maybe I'll cook for you some time.  If you are still wondering how God is going to use you to change the world, hear the Lord say, "What's that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2)

Don't Gross Out the World - International Dining Quiz

The link below is to a cool, flash-based quiz on international dining etiquette.  I love it and think I'll use it for training. Check it out:

http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf

That is all.

Overcoming Jet Lag in "Asia's World City"

     Well, I am ready to sleep after a great, day exploring and enjoying Hong Kong.  This is my second time here, but today I had most of the day completely on my own just to check things out.  I tried to think through my goals for the day.  I wanted to pray, enjoy myself, eat good food, and pick up some gifts for the folks back home.

Tin Hau Temple, HK

     Most of the day I just wandered around.  The parks in Hong Kong are beautiful and peaceful.  Old people practicing Tai Chi abound.  Early on I discovered a temple devoted to the deity Tin Hau - a patron deity of seafarers.  Seeing the temple there along with many small shrines in apartments and on street corners served as an important reminder of the indigenous lostness of Hong Kong.  So much work is left to be done among the Chinese.  Help us, Lord.

Kowloon Masjid

     Of course, I am always struck by diaspora as well.  Today I saw a huge mosque in Kowloon with lots of Muslims coming and going.  I doubt many people consider the importance of reaching Muslims in Hong Kong.  But the need is great.  I don't exactly how many Muslims are in this place but I know they are varied.  Today alone I encountered Indonesian house maids, Arab imams, South Asian Muslim men hawking watches on the street and even one Pakistani man who offered to sell me marijuana (I turned him down, by the way).  I also met a few Nepalis.  I have found them difficult to identify here, and also quite stand-offish.  They have seemed almost afraid.  Not sure what is behind that, I haven't encountered it in the past.
     I disappointed myself with my eating today.  Ended up with a McDonald's breakfast and a KFC lunch.  Pathetic, I know.  I just go intimidated with the prospects of ordering food in a more "local" establishment.  Part of it was not being able to decide.  Part was being afraid of prices being too high.  Most of it was just having no functionality in Cantonese.  Well, I do know how to ask for more chili sauce -- essential skill.  By mid afternoon I got up the nerve to get some fish balls on a stick -- wonderful, really.

Hot Pot

     Saw some other cool stuff that I won't go on and on about.  The highlight however was dinner tonight with old friends.  Yau, Kay, Ryan, and Carol were all students in our college ministry back in Oklahoma.  It was encouraging to see them and to hear what the Lord is doing among them.  They encourage me by their very existence.  I hope I was an encouragement to them as well.  It is always great to see people you invested much in continuing in the faith, walking with the Lord.
     Of course, we did have great food.  Per my request, we went out for hot pot and ate most of the food in the restaurant.  Delicious!  Tomorrow we will again share a meal -- dim sum.
     So, that was my day.  It is now 11:30PM and I haven't had a nap.  Was up at 6AM.  So, I feel sleepy and seem on my way to overcoming jet lag quickly.  Tomorrow will be focused on these Hong Kong friends and do some prep for the summit which starts Wednesday.

Endiro Coffee in Uganda -- Don't miss it!

Cool. Here's a review of my sister's new coffee shop in Kampala, Uganda. Super proud of her and the work she is doing there. May the Lord show TIBM how we can get behind her in it. By the way, my dear friend Vincent Lee is responsible for the logo design.  So, if you are in Uganda, don't miss Endiro Coffee, and please tell my sister, Gloria, "Namaste" from me.

UPDATE: Got to talk with Gloria on the phone since posting this.  Let her know that the website for Endiro Coffee was down.  It is back up now.  Check it out here http://www.endirocoffee.com/!  Also, please let's all lift up the ministry of Endiro as they seek to launch and support discipleship initiatives among child-headed families in Uganda.

Snapshots #2: Coffee Shop Love | a year in uganda: "Of course I love a good coffee, but I really love Endiro because of the story behind it. My good friend Gloria (in above picture, on right), has had the dream of starting this coffee shop ever since I met her. She’s been a missionary in Nepal and has traveled the world, but her heart now is focused on the vulnerable children of Uganda, and she wanted to open a coffee shop as a means to support some discipleship initiatives she’s developing for child-headed families and other neglected members of society here. Which I think is GREAT. Who doesn’t love buying a latte and feeling like you’ve just done one small thing to save the world?"

Loaves and Fishes: How To by Alton Brown

In keeping with yesterday's barley loaves theme here's a fun video from Alton Brown:


Gospel Grains - Alton Brown from Jarrod Cecil on Vimeo.