Presentation Suggestions

Using the Heat-and-Serve Specialty Dishes is a wonderful way to offer your guests great variety in Southeast Asian cuisine. To really add excitement to your party we suggest that you consider "plating up" the specialty dishes to make a really nice showing for your guests. Remember, the Asians believe that for a dish to be truly memorable, it must smell good, look good, and taste good. This section is designed to give you ideas on how to make your dishes look as good as they will smell and taste.

Condiments
One of the first thing you will want to do is put together a condiment tray. Things that are found on the tables at all outdoor markets in Asia include: Sriracha Sauce, Hoisen Sauce, Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Black ground pepper, ground chili pepper. Depending upon what you have ordered, additional condiments are served with the dish itself. Here is a picture of the standard condiment tray that we use at the Southeast Asian Restaurant.

Soups
If you are serving individuals a complete bowl of soup just pour the contents of the Heat-and-Serve tray into an individual bowl. With your chopsticks, separate the noodles gently so they are spread throughout the bowl. Reach in with your chopsticks and adjust the shrimps and squid to rest on top of the noodles. Thinly slice some scallions and sprinkle them on top of the soup. As a small side dish, washed lettuce leaves, fresh bean sprouts, a few sprigs of mint and basil, some slices of lime and maybe even some nice fresh red chili's. Place your condiments tray nearby where everyone can get at it.

If you are serving from a central dish, a Soup Turine makes a nice presentation. Again, a separate serving platter with the condiments as mentioned above adds a nice touch.