I stopped at Mosa Asian Bistro because I wanted Rainbow Panang Curry, one of my favorites. But I didn’t want it with fried chicken or fried shrimp.
That’s when I was told I could get it with grilled salmon.
Salmon?
It’s now one of my favorite dishes.
It also comes with tofu, but I’m going to stick with the salmon.
I asked Michelle Pao-Levine, daughter of chef/owner Eddie Pao, how the salmon came about. Customers “wanted to eat a healthier and lighter version, so we had to really think about how we can offer this dish with a seafood portion, but not have it be fried,” says Pao-Levine, who, along with her brother, Alex Pao, is a managing partner at Mosa.
“We, actually, used to offer it with a grouper or halibut. A white flaky fish. And we used to fry it. We’d put it in a batter almost like fish and chips. The same batter you’d use for chicken and shrimp.”
But customers wanted something healthier. “People who like to eat fish always asked us if we could offer a non-fried version of the fish. But a cod or a halibut non-fried, if we were to sear it in a wok, it would just flake up. It wasn’t firm enough of a fish meat. Using a salmon filet really works great because we can either put it in a panini press and cook it that way or put it in a wok. Either way it’s caramelized and seared all the way through.
“We discovered salmon, the flavor of a salmon filet, took to the Rainbow Panang sauce. Other types of fish didn’t seem to as much. When you pour all the sauce over a white fish, it almost drowns it. But when a piece of salmon is put with it, it stays nice and just delicious.”
This is not a skimpy portion. “It’s a whole filet of salmon. It’s not cut up in chunks.”
The sauce includes “freshly-squeezed citrus, coconut curry, panang curry, lime leaves. Lemongrass is in there.”
Pao-Levine wouldn’t tell me the secret ingredient that makes it sweet. “That’s one ingredient I’m not going to mention.
“I can literally just eat the sauce with the rice. It’s that kind of sauce. A lot of people ask me for extra rice ’cause they love that sauce so much.”
Mosa offers other healthy options. Customers can substitute grilled or sautéed chicken or shrimp in Rainbow Panang Curry and other dishes. “Basically, that dish can be made lighter and healthier, and I think we can please all different palates.”
The restaurant’s classic Szechuan Chicken also can be adapted for those “who don’t want the protein in it to be grilled or fried.”
Typically, the protein, whether it’s chicken, meat, or shrimp, is “going to be fried and then tossed and cooked with a sauce and the veggies.”
But they can “sauté the grilled chicken, shrimp, or beef. We can do it all.”
And, Levine says, “Certain dishes we can steam the veggies and our protein and put the sauce on the side.”
They also can also reduce the sauce in dishes, including their Pad Thai noodle dish or a broccoli with garlic sauce and chicken dish. “Asking for lighter sauce reduces the salt by half, but you still get the flavor. And you’re cutting down on your sodium and sugar.”
They also adapt their Su Chai Vegetables stir fry. “Like a vegetable medley stir fried, cooked in a light, white garlic sauce. We can take that and put the sauce on the side. So, almost any of our stir fries can be steamed with sauce on the side.”
Pao-Levine eats at Mosa every day she works. “I’ve been at the restaurant over 15 years. The way I eat is to cut down on my sauce.
“We make amazing sauces. That’s what Eddie does best. He makes over 27 sauces at this restaurant. It’s about enjoying the sauces. And I think people like coming to us because we can cook vegetables and make them delicious because we have so many delicious sauces. But you can still eat healthier.”
Mosa Asian Bistro is at 850 South White Station Road; (901) 683-8889.