We’re experimenting with some new dishes (as in china) and new dishes (the Chinese-ish kind).

Today I went to Ikea near the Mall of America to hunt down some dishes that didn’t look like the standard things you find in typical mom and pop Chinese joints like ours: white, oval, and bordered with some boring Asian pattern.

Bringing a few of them into the restaurant really got my dad and I thinking about what we could make that might be different.

He has been a big fan of the very mild and easily-adapatble sole fish lately.  Last night he prepped some coconut and panko bread crumb filets.  I immediately thought of the chicken and coconut curry I enjoy making when I’m on my own.

So we grabbed a sole filet and fried it (I know, I’m sure there’s another way we could prepare it, but it’s damn good), I took out a can of coconut milk and we picked out a few veggies (peapods, broccoli, peppers, a few carrots and onions), minced some ginger and garlic and threw it all together.

Panko and Coconut-Crusted Sole atop Coconut-Curried Veggies

It’s funny, my dad cooked everything in a different order than I would have.  But I told him how much ginger, coconut milk, curry and sugar to put in the dish.  It’s maybe only the second time we’ve ever truly collaborated on a dish.

The result is pictured — Panko and Coconut-Crusted Sole atop Coconut-Curried Veggies.  We gave the dish to our good friend Andrea Blum who reports that it was excellent.  I only got a quick taste of the sauce to make sure it was good.  Interestingly, I think rather highly of my coconut curry.  But once again, my father proved to me that his innate cooking ability really is all about his “special touch,” as he calls it.  The stuff tasted about 5-times better than anything I’ve ever made.

What a fun night at Red Moon!  You should have seen how excited we were to play around with some food!

Working as a news reporter in Michigan, I had my fill of venison.  From Chef Hermann’s European Cafe in Cadillac, Mich. (morning show cooking segment during deer season) to the friendly Mecosta County deer processor who packaged venison jerky for troops over seas to the buck pole I attended in Gaylord, Mich (firearm opener)… I tasted venison in many forms (chili, tenderloin, sausage) and it was decidedly nasty.  I just couldn’t stand that gamey flavor.  Ick.  Nothing against those who prepared it.  Just my own preference.  And  I know I’m not alone.

So when my dad’s friend, Frank, brought in a quarter of a deer this week after his weekend hunting expedition — I feared I would be skipping the afternoon employee/family meal for days to come.

The secret to non-gamey venison: ginger. And a proper shot, too, apparently.

We got to talking about my disdain for venison.  According to Frank, the way the deer is taken as well as handled and trimmed has a lot to do with the resulting taste of the meat.  But so does the preparation.  My dad says “gwai lo” don’t know how to properly cook deer.  No offense to my many “gwai lo” readers — those who relish the fruits of their annual hunts.  But he might be on to something.

So what’s the secret?  Well… ginger.  The venison must be prepared with ginger.  Monday we ate ours sauteed with peppers, onions and tons of ginger.  Tuesday, we had a venison stew with Chinese bean curds and black mushrooms — yes, seasoned with ginger.

I’m a believer.  There can be non-gamey venison.

I have found the source of the five pounds I am going to gain in the next two weeks.  And I don’t know what to call it.  My dad calls it breakfast.

And before you go turning your nose up at this concoction, you must hear me out.  A note, you ought to like either one or both of the following to imagine what this might taste like: hot and sour soup and fried rice.  And not just any bowl of either, but my dad’s — which are phenomenally better than some of the crap I’ve sampled around the country.

Hear me out, before you go turning your nose up at this bowl of goodness.

So here’s what it is:  fried rice with some hot and sour soup poured over-top.  And that’s it.  Amazing.

I think I know why I like it so much.  When I was a kid, I’d go wait tables on Saturdays with my dad at our first restaurant, Kwan’s Chinese Cuisine (54th and Penn Ave. in Minneapolis — still there, same owners we sold to 14 years ago), all I would eat was fried rice with my dad’s homemade warm sweet and sour sauce on top.  This new deal is the grown-up version — with some spice, a little tofu and all the other hot and sour soup fixings.

I love the spiciness, the bite from the vinegar and the tinge of sweetness that my dad adds to his hot and sour.  Super  addicting.  Come try it sometime.

But the real question is, could I sell it?  If I did, how might I come up with a name for it?

And since I plan on eating more tonight… I made sure to workout today.  I’m trying a Gold’s Gym and I managed a two-mile run around Shakopee.