This dessert at Moon Rabbit, which just reopened at a new location in Washington, D.C., on January 15, is actually named for a Vietnamese fish curry from the island of Phú Quốc, which is known for its fish sauce. Pastry chef Susan Bae uses all of its flavor elements, minus onion and garlic, to make a sweet version.
She starts by toasting cumin and different types of peppercorns — green, black, white, and pink — and blending that with fresh turmeric, coriander, galangal, ginger, lemon grass, and makrut lime in a neutral oil.
Then she uses that oil to make a sponge cake.
To evoke the creaminess of the curry, Bae makes an avocado sorbet, which she spoons over a flat, round gelée of lime juice and coconut water. That’s topped by the aromatic sponge cake and garnished with a foam of soursop, yogurt, condensed milk, and a little coconut milk. The plate is then dressed with fish sauce caramel (made simply by finishing caramelized sugar with fish sauce), a micro herb blend of dill, mint, and shiso, makrut lime leaf powder, and finger lime.
Price: $16