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Photo: Kelli Uldall 154-155 Food for Thought_Layout 1 10/26/13 11:27 AM Page 2 Christine and Thanh Truong of An Choi in Pacific Grove use unusual and delicious ingredients to flavor their creative Thai dishes. Chef Thanh Truong learned his craft internationally. GUMBO AND ANARCHY EXOTIC AN CHOI burly, tattooed, Louisiana-bred chef would never Choi. The one handed to customers lists fasci- fined Big Sur Roadhouse, creating a California- and-a-nod menu gives chef-owner Thanh One look at Matt Glazer suggests this buck tradition. But here he is, chef at the redeCajun menu that includes an anarchic version of gumbo, that sacred dish of the south. Turns out Glazer is a modernist, embracing There are two menus at Pacific Grove's An nating, contemporary Asian food. Another wink- Truong permission to dig deep into his pantry of exotic ingredients. Big-city tourists and Asian immigrants travel new ingredients and techniques. far to experience this off-the-beaten-path heresy. Authentic Louisiana gumbo always starts Lighthouse Avenue. Truong, a classically trained Tweaking gumbo is something close to with a roux (flour cooked in oil until it's at the brink of charcoal). Roux is a ritual…a commit- ment. It's a gloriously dark, complex-flavored, authentic base and the foundation for its smoky, restaurant at the unpopulated end of chef from Vietnam, cooks food from his home- land, but stamps his culinary passport in Thailand, China, Korea…even France. Order the fish maw soup and make Truong rich flavor. smile. Fish "maw" is the swim bladder, and the increasing disdain for gluten, and he wanted to cheap. Like many ingredients in China, maw is Glazer threw it out the window. There is an create a healthier gumbo. So he substitutes roasted root vegetables for the flour, cooking down carrots, parsnips and rutabagas until they turn dark. Then he runs them through a food mill and suspends the puree in stock, creating a rich, thick roux substitute. So far no one has noticed the difference… except those with gluten intolerance. "There is so much ego in this business," Glazer says. "It's much easier to say yes. I just found a way." Big Sur Roadhouse is located at 47080 Highway 1 in Big Sur. 831/667-2370. price for this luxury ingredient is far from regarded as a nourishing tonic. Purchased dry, it has an unusually spongy texture that soaks up other flavors. Truong will also use the crunchy, delicately flavored lotus root in a special shrimp and lotus salad, or prepare whole lobsters roasted with onion-ginger sauce. "We get many requests," says Truong, who runs the restaurant with his wife Christine. "We make anything, always cooked fresh to order." An Choi is located at 1120 Lighthouse Ave. in Pacific Grove. For information: 831/372-8818 or www.anchoirestaurant.com. C ARMEL M AG A Z I N E • H O L D I AY 2013 155