Tia's Recipe & Photo Journal

Vietnamese Clam Congee (Chao Hen)

2011-05-08T13:47:00.007-04:00

Clam congee is another one of the many comfort dishes from my parents' home town. It's traditionally made with tiny clams dredged up from the Perfume River in Hue, Vietnam by the locals. To taste these tiny clams in Hue is a magical experience, but here in my Boston kitchen, I use either live little neck clams or Snow's minced clams in juice to recreate a similar taste.

Whether using live little neck clams or canned clams, what you will need to do is cook and/or separate the clam meat from its juice.

Ingredients for congee:

olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed & drained
1 cup clam juice
8-12 cups water

Ingredients for clams:

olive oil
1 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, finely minced (bulb only)
1 cup minced clam meat
fish sauce
sea salt
cracked black pepper
sugar

To garnish:

fresh chili, thinly sliced
spring onion, sliced into rings
coriander leaves, chopped
Vietnamese coriander leaves, chopped
finely cracked black pepper
lime wedges

Heat up a soup pot and cover bottom with a drizzle of olive oil. Toss in shallots and fry until slightly golden and aromatic. Add the rice and fry until all the grains have been coated with oil and turned slightly golden. Pour in clam juice and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes until the mixture is soft and smooth. More or less water can be added for the desired consistency.

Heat up a separate skillet and drizzle with oil. Add in some shallot and fry until aromatic. Add garlic and continue to fry until aromatic. Toss in the clams and season with fish sauce, salt, black pepper and a little sprinkle of sugar. This mixtured of cooked clams can then be added to the pot of congee to finish cooking together or it can be set aside to serve as a topping for the plain congee.

To serve the clam congee, ladle piping hot congee into a bowl. Top with clams, slices of chili, fresh herbs, finely cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lime. Stir up the congee so that it wilts the fresh herbs and enjoy the burst of flavors in your mouth.

Vietnamese Bamboo Shoot Sate (Mang Xao Sa Te)

2011-04-07T22:59:00.016-04:00

This bamboo shoot sate is an old family recipe that I'd never attempted until a few weeks ago. My cousin, CD, posted a photo of it on Facebook and I instantly salivated as the smells of my sister's kitchen engulfed me.

Fresh bamboo shoots are hard to get a hold of, but precooked shoots in vacuum-sealed bags as well as dried shoots are readily available at most Asian markets. I prefer the precooked ones in stir-fries and always reconstitute the dried ones for use in soups. Bamboo shoots are low-calorie, high-fiber and loaded with nutrients. Another reason to use more of this lovely and versatile ingredient!

The sate chile sauce is very similar to the ingredients that make up Bun Bo Hue, and I definitely think the shrimp paste is necessary. It adds a depth of flavor that nothing else can substitute, but I completely understand if you want to skip the malodorous shrimp paste. :)

Ingredients:

grape seed oil
garlic, chopped
shallots, chopped
lemongrass, minced
fresh Bird's Eye chile, chopped
crushed dried chile
paprika
shrimp paste
salt
cracked black pepper
fish sauce
sugar
precooked bamboo shoots (washed, drained & sliced thinly)
cilantro, chopped

To make the sate chili sauce, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a generous amount of oil to fully coat the bottom. Add garlic and lower heat to med-low to slowly fry the rest of the aromatics. As soon as the garlic turns slightly golden, toss in the shallots and continue to fry. When they've turned slightly golden, add the lemongrass and let them infuse the oil. Add the fresh chile and continue to cook for a bit longer and then throw in the crushed chile and paprika. Continue to stir and slowly fry the aromatics until they've all blended nicely and infused the oil. Add a little dollop of shrimp paste and continue stirring for another minute. Season with salt, black pepper, fish sauce and sugar. You can make extra sate chile sauce and put in a glass jar to save for later use.

For this bamboo sate dish, toss thinly sliced precooked bamboo shoots into the sauce and stir-fry for several minutes. Adjust seasoning, take off heat, and toss with chopped cilantro. This dish is best served with steamed jasmine rice.

My Hello Kitty Bento

2010-06-30T22:10:00.001-04:00

My first bento: Turkish chickpea salad and red lentil soup.

My Hello Kitty bento has two tiers. Salad on bottom, soup on top. :)

The top tier has a tight lid to prevent liquid leakage.

It is the cutest little thing. :)

Snap-on strap to secure compartments.

I love my bento! :)

Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crêpes)

2010-06-24T17:09:00.002-04:00

Crêpe batter:

1 bag Vietnamese crêpe mix
3 cups cold water
13.5 fl oz can unsweetened coconut milk
bunch spring onion, thinly sliced

Crêpe filling:

1 lb small shrimps, peeled
1/2 lb lean pork, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
side of grilled/stir-fried mushrooms

Salad:

butter lettuce
cucumber, thinly sliced
handful spearmint
handful Thai basil

Dressing:

1 cup water
4 tbsp sugar
2 Persian lime, juiced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 bird’s eye chilies, finely chopped
4 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce

Pour crêpe mix along with coconut milk, water and spring onion into a bowl and stir well. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. Mix all crêpe filling ingredients in a bowl (except stir-fried mushrooms) and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Prepare salad and dressing.

Place a non-stick skillet on high heat and drizzle with oil. Toss in a little bit of the filling mix (except mushrooms) and cook until half-way done. Ladle in the batter and swirl pan to make a thin layer. Cover with lid and lower heat to medium and let cook for a few minutes. When the edges of the crêpe start to pull away from the pan and the bottom turns a golden brown, fill crêpe with the stir-fried mushrooms and fold over to make a half circle. Let it finish cooking for another minute or so and transfer to plate. Serve immediately with salad and dressing.

How do I love mangos?

2010-06-21T19:04:00.008-04:00

Let me count the ways.

Ripe Ataulfo mango...

peeled like this...

and eaten like this.

Or cubed and eaten with Greek yogurt.

Or when the weather is hot like today...

a quart of Trader Joe's Mango Sorbet will be just as heavenly.

Made in Australia from ripe mangos on its northeastern coast. They are only here for the summer, so run to your local Trader Joe's now and grab a quart before the season ends. You will not be disappointed. :)

Spinach Curry

2010-06-16T19:08:00.005-04:00

Spinach Curry

1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely diced
2 bird's eye chilies, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Drizzle some olive oil into a hot skillet and toss in garlic, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Toast until they become aromatic and the seeds start to crackle. Throw in chili and onion and cook until soft. Add spinach and toss until the leaves have wilted. Sprinkle in ground turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve with pulao.

Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken (Ga Kho Gung)

2010-05-25T20:07:00.032-04:00

Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken (Ga Kho Gung)

1.5 lb skinless & boneless chicken thighs, chunked
Vietnamese fish sauce
sea salt & freshly-cracked black pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
big knob of ginger, julienned
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 fresh Bird's eye chili, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp granulated sugar
rice wine
spring onion to garnish

Marinate chicken with garlic, fish sauce, salt & pepper to taste for at least 30 minutes. Place heavy skillet or pot over high heat and cover bottom of skillet with oil. Drizzle equal amount of sugar into oil and let it caramelize to a light golden color. Throw chicken in and allow to sear to a golden brown. Toss in ginger, shallot and chili and allow aromatics to fry briefly. Drizzle some rice wine over chicken and lower heat to allow sauce to reduce and absorb into the chicken. Garnish with spring onion and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Hue On My Mind

2010-03-14T17:06:00.031-04:00

It's been a few years since my visit to my parents' hometown of Hue, Vietnam but I still remember the food I had there like it was yesterday. Bun hen, a Hue dish made of freshwater baby clams harvested from the Perfume River (Song Huong), was such a delight that my sister, KD, and I went back to the same restaurant every day for these little clams for the duration of our stay.

While shopping at Truong Thinh II Super Market in Dorchester the other day, I saw the freshwater baby clams imported from Vietnam in frozen packs and decided to replicate what I had in Hue.

Ingredients seen here: fresh knob of ginger, a few cloves of garlic, a couple shallots, a few Bird's eye chilies, raw peanuts, shallot crisps, Vietnamese dressing, pork rinds, sesame seed rice cracker, rice noodles, shredded spring onion, polygonum, spearmint and clams.

I always buy raw nuts and dry roast them myself for each meal. It's really quick and simple and tastes ten times better than store-bought roasted nuts.

I stir-fried the clams over high heat with shallot, ginger, garlic and chili. The clams were seasoned with a bit of fish sauce, ground black pepper, sugar, oyster sauce and then tossed with shredded polygonum, spearmint and spring onion. The stir-fried clams, hen xao, can also be served as an appetizer along with some sesame rice crackers.

To serve as bun hen, I placed some rice noodles into a bowl, added my herbs of choice, piled on the stir-fried clams and garnished with shallot crisps, pork rinds and roasted peanuts. A drizzle of Vietnamese dressing completes the meal.

Dong Khanh Restaurant: Round 2

2009-01-16T23:59:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite lunch buddy and her bowl of chao long (Cantonese pork innards congee) at Dong Khanh Restaurant. The Cantonese version is more viscous and bland compared to its Vietnamese counterpart, which is more like a savory rice soup.

And the best part about eating congee when it's cold out are the gio chao quay (Vietnamese) or yau ja gwai (Cantonese)--Chinese fried bread sticks. Dong Khanh's sticks are always mouth-searing hot, adequately crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside.

And here is the glorious Dong Khanh bun thit nuong cha gio (rice vermicelli with spring roll & grilled pork)--my favorite Vietnamese restaurant dish. I was skeptical when I first saw it because it did not have the traditional thinly-sliced pork, but instead was served with a sliced pork chop. Tradition aside, the pork was cooked to perfection--well-marinated and tender.

Dong Khanh Restaurant

2009-01-05T23:59:00.007-05:00

Banh cuon are steamed rice rolls filled with seasoned minced pork, wood ear mushroom and onion and served with thin slices of Vietnamese lean pork cake, mung bean sprouts, julienned cucumbers, torn Thai basil, shallot crisps and a generous amount of nuoc cham.

I had this banh cuon ($5) from Dong Khanh in Chinatown for lunch today. This is my best Vietnamese food find in Boston thus far.

Although Dong Khanh uses previously frozen pork cake instead of fresh pork cake that’s been steamed in banana leaves, this dish is still superb due to its exquisitely delicate and fresh rice rolls. I don’t know how they do it, but the rice rolls always taste like they just came off of the steamer 2 seconds before they landed on my table. Amazing!

I also had an order of goi cuon ($3) which were pretty decent. They decided to leave out the requisite herbs and substituted leaf lettuce with iceberg lettuce, an unfortunate trend in Boston Vietnamese restaurants.

This is a Vietnamese restaurant run by Cho Lon Chinese, so the menu carries many Chinese items as well. I will contintue to go to Pho Pasteur for pho, but this place definitely has better bun thit nuong, banh cuon and fruit smoothies.

Dong Khanh Restaurant
83 Harrison Ave
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 426-9410
Vietnamese Cuisine

Kabocha Soup

2009-01-02T02:57:00.028-05:00

Kabocha, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is a sweet and nutty winter squash native to Japan. E’s parents gave us one from their lovely garden to play with, and since I've only had kabocha served as part of the tempura vegetable mix alongside udon noodle soup, I decided to treat it like a pumpkin and made a comforting soup.

This kabocha was relatively young, so I didn't have to remove the skin prior to cooking. However, to achieve the brilliant yellow color of the finished product, you should peel off the green skin.

Kabocha Soup

1 kabocha, seeded & chunked
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 knob ginger, peeled & sliced
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1 qt chicken/vegetable broth
2-3 cups water to adjust consistency
Toasted sesame seed oil
Soy sauce
Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
A pat of butter
Chopped chives & toasted pumpkin seeds or almond flakes to garnish

Place a soup pot over high heat and drizzle with EVOO and a pat of butter. Toss in onion, ginger and garlic and saute until aromatic and soft. Add broth and water and bring to a rolling boil before tossing in the chunked kabocha. Lower heat, cover and let simmer until kabocha is tender. Take off heat and blend till smooth. I mashed the kabocha with the back of a spoon, but a hand blender would be better if you’d like a really smooth texture. Season with a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil, a splash of soy sauce, sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.

To serve, ladle some hot soup into a small bowl and garnish with chopped chives, pan-toasted pumpkin seeds or almond flakes and a drizzle of fine olive oil.

Pan Tao or "Donut" Peach

2008-11-08T21:54:00.007-05:00

Behold, the pan tao peach, sweet and crunchy like other white peach varieties...

But where is the pit?

Ah, there it is, the size of a little berry. :)

Home is where the heart is

2008-09-17T22:49:00.013-04:00

It’s been exactly a month since my last blog post—the longest I’ve gone without posting since I started documenting my adventures in the kitchen almost a year ago. It’s not that I’ve thought of food infrequently in the past month, but I’ve just been settling into my new home. My real-life friends and regular readers have known that I’ve recently relocated to Boston from south Florida, but my absence from blogging has compelled many quiet and new readers to drop thoughtful notes to find out my whereabouts. I’m still here, dear friends, and I will be posting more regularly when I move into a new apartment in October with S & E. :)

Summer in Boston has been an immensely wonderful experience for me. There are so many things that I love about this city, the tangible ones being the lovely Charles River in summer and magnificent brownstones throughout the city, but I still haven’t been able to put my finger on the reason why I feel completely at home here. I often find myself smiling or feeling an involuntary skip in my steps as I walk to work or stroll along the Charles River esplanade. I’ve had many warnings from Bostonians of the impending winter, but I simply cannot wait to experience the seasons again. I am excited for autumn to arrive with all its beauty and dreams!

Fresh onions at the SoWa Open Market.

Plums galore at the Haymarket.

A clam on Revere Beach.

One of the many beautiful brownstones and uneven brick roads.

Summer outdoor concert by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra at the Hatch Shell off the Charles River esplanade.

Part of the Boston skyline at sunset from the Charles River.

My favorite place in Boston: a view of the Charles River from a wooden bench under a sleepy willow tree.

New Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

2008-08-17T23:15:00.003-04:00

E and I made it to this smallish Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown shortly before 7pm on Saturday night and the place was already packed.

We stood in line and waited patiently for about 20 minutes. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their food immensely, so I got really excited as I made mental notes of which lobster or shrimp I wanted from the tanks of live seafood at the doorway.

We settled on the sauteed snow pea tips, which were fresh, tender and seasoned perfectly.

Crispy salt and pepper squid was the answer to our craving for fried food. It was very good but also a bit rich, so we were wondering if they used some rendered pork fat to fry this batch.

And my favorite dish: ginger & scallion lobster couldn't have been better! Maybe it's due to the increased price of rice, but we had to ask for steamed jasmine rice (complimentary).

Complimentary dessert: hot tapioca pearls with sweet coconut milk and papaya. A slightly sweet and refreshing ending to a perfect meal. :) This dinner only set us back $44.55 before tip.

New Jumbo Seafood Restaurant
5-9 Hudson St
Boston, MA 02111
617.542.2823
Cantonese Cuisine
Mon-Fri 11:30am-11pm
Sat-Sun 10:30am-3am

Dragon Fruit (Thanh Long)

2008-08-17T22:38:00.000-04:00

Not the fruit of my sister's dragon fruit plant, but tastes just as sweet! This is another reason why I love Super 88 Market! :)

Han River Restaurant

2008-08-16T11:48:00.004-04:00

Han River Restaurant, a tribute to the Han River in Korea, is a tiny mom-and-pop restaurant with a few tables that serves up good Korean basics in Brookline.

The gal bi ($10.95) comes with a generous side of steamed rice, kim chi and cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil. We ordered the "deluxe" size, which is an added half portion (good for sharing between 2 people) that costs $14.75. I've been here 3 times and the gal bi has been consistently good! These beef short ribs were always well-marinated and cooked to perfection over direct flames right in front of you. Their chap chae was only average (not enough vegies or beef), so we wouldn't order that next time. I'll be returning soon, if just for the gal bi.

Han River Restaurant
1009 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617.739.6221
Korean Cuisine
Mon-Sat: 11am-9:30pm

Vietnamese Braised Pork Riblets with Daikon (Suon Kho Cu Cai Trang)

2008-08-15T14:10:00.002-04:00

Daikon is an East Asian giant white radish that’s very popular in Japanese and Korean cuisine. In Vietnamese cuisine, it is usually pickled and added to fish sauce and sandwiches or braised and sautéed with meat. It’s a great vegetable to braise because it absorbs much of the flavor from the broth. This low-calorie root vegetable is high in vitamin C and helps with digestion.

Braised Pork Riblets with Daikon (Suon Kho Cu Cai Trang)
(Yields 4 Entrée Portions)

2 lbs pork ribs, cut 1-inch thick crosswise by butcher
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Vietnamese fish sauce to taste
Dark soy sauce to taste
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame seed oil
Cooking oil
3 shallots, diced
1-inch knob ginger, sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Thai Bird’s Eye chili, left whole
2 daikons, peeled & chunked
2-3 cups water

This simple recipe requires minimal effort and only a little extra time to braise. Start off by seasoning the riblets with lots of freshly cracked black pepper, chili powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame seed oil. Set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Place a big pot over very high heat and drizzle with a tiny bit of oil. Toss in riblets and give them a good searing. Add shallots, ginger, garlic and chili and toss till fragrant. Add water and daikon and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and slow simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. It’s ready when the daikon has turned translucent and golden and the liquid has reduced by half or more. Adjust seasoning and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly (Thit Heo Kho Tau)

2008-08-12T22:44:00.011-04:00

The name of this dish in Vietnamese translates to “Chinese braised pork,” but since this dish has been Vietnamized with the addition of coconut and fish sauce, I can’t really classify it as Chinese. :) Thit heo kho tau is eaten in so many Vietnamese homes and is traditionally cooked with coconut juice, but my family makes it with coconut milk, so I will continue our tradition. I generally try to cook healthy meals, but this exception is a worthy one!

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly (Thit Heo Kho Tau)

(Yields 4 Entrée Portions)

1 lb pork belly with skin (2 slabs), washed & patted dry
8 hardboiled eggs, peeled
2 slabs tofu, fried & quartered
2 tbsp granulated sugar, more to taste
2 shallots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2-inch knob ginger, peeled & sliced
1 Thai Bird’s Eye chili, left whole
2 star anise seeds
Several black peppercorns
13.5 fl oz can unsweetened Thai coconut milk (Chaokoh)
Same amount of water as coconut milk
¼ cup dark soy sauce, more to taste
Splash of Vietnamese fish sauce to taste
Coriander & spring onion to garnish

Take a pin and pierce several holes into the hardboiled eggs. This will prevent any explosion when you fry them as well as allow the seasoning to penetrate the eggs as they braise. Fry the eggs until they are golden and set aside.

You can buy fried tofu or fry them yourself. I chose the lazy way today and bought a pack of fried tofu that contains two slabs. Quarter them or cut into bite-size chunks. Set aside.

I got these pork belly slabs from Super 88 Market in Allston. They've got them prepacked in neat little trays behind the meat counter (I think specifically for this dish). Place a dry, deep skillet over medium heat and fry the slabs of pork belly, fattier side down first. Cook until both sides are browned and then flip to fry the skin briefly. Set aside.

Find a big pot to accommodate all the ingredients for braising. Place it over high heat and drizzle with enough oil to fry the aromatics and caramelize the sugar. When oil is hot, add shallot, garlic, ginger, chili and star anise seeds and toss until fragrant. Drizzle sugar over the aromatics and toss until shallots have turned golden. Stir in coconut milk, water and soy sauce. If I’m cooking outdoors, then the fish sauce goes in at this point, but if I’m cooking indoors, then I hold off on the fish sauce until the end so that it doesn’t perfume the entire house. Add the fried pork belly, eggs and tofu into the sauce and slow simmer for a couple hours. When pork is tender, taste the sauce and adjust seasoning. You can add more water to adjust consistency or braise the pork longer.

I like to serve the pork belly in one piece because it’s so tender that you can just break it apart with your chopsticks, but you can slice as desired right before serving. Plate the pork with eggs and tofu and drizzle generously with sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallion and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Vietnamese Grilled Meatballs with Rice Vermicelli (Bun Nem Nuong)

2008-08-07T23:51:00.013-04:00

Grilled Meatballs with Rice Vermicelli (Bun Nem Nuong)
(Yields 2-3 Entrée Portions)

Meatball marinade:

1 lb minced pork
Fish sauce & salt to taste
1 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, minced
2 Thai Bird’s Eye chilies, seeded & minced
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tbsp cornstarch
A touch of freshly ground cinnamon

Additional ingredients & supplies:

Soaked bamboo skewers
Cooked rice vermicelli
Fresh cilantro
Fried scallion
Other fresh herbs/vegies
Vietnamese dipping sauce

I love eating meatballs and fish cakes that are made from scratch but really hate the intensive labor that comes along with it. For juicy, bouncy meatballs, you have to knead minced meat with seasonings until the fat and muscle tissues have melded well and formed a gelatinous mixture. This takes some work (I hate to exercise) and fondness of running your fingers through raw, minced meat. My sister, KC, usually wears latex surgical gloves to knead her meat, but I didn’t have any today and had to do it with my bare hand! After massaging the meat for a good 15 minutes, cover and chill for at least a couple hours or, if possible, overnight.

For tonight’s dinner, I skewered them and popped them in the oven at 500F for a grilled effect. I wish I had a charcoal grill! These balls were served with some thin rice vermicelli, fried scallion, cilantro, and dipping sauce.

Wandering Chopsticks stuffed them into salad rolls, which is a yummy low-carb alternative!

Garlic Love: Roasted Garlic Hummus

2008-08-02T22:43:00.004-04:00

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you probably already know that I absolutely LOVE garlic. So, to celebrate my romance with this glorious herb, I decided to make roasted garlic hummus today. The sweet and buttery taste of roasted garlic turns ordinary hummus into a luxurious spread that goes well with toasted flatbread or a hot, crispy baguette.

Roasting garlic is super simple. Remove the outer skins and lop off the tops. Sprinkle with a bit of cracked black pepper, sea salt, evoo and your favorite dried herb. Enclose garlic with foil paper and toss into a preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes.

Remove heads from oven and allow to cool. The roasted cloves will easily fall out with a simple tug of each individual clove's skin.

Roasted garlic alone can be made into a delicious spread, but I thought adding it to hummus would encourage me to eat more chickpeas.

Roasted Garlic Hummus
(Yields 4-6 Appetizer Portions)

1 can (15 oz) chickpea, rinsed & drained
3 heads garlic, roasted & peeled
1 tbsp plain yogurt, or to taste
1 tbsp tahini, or to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Cayenne powder to taste
Pinch of cumin
More EVOO, smoked paprika & chopped parsley to garnish

I still operate in a very old-fashioned kitchen, so the chickpea and garlic were pounded in a mortar and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients. You can certainly blitz everything in a food processor if short on time. Garnish with lots of EVOO, paprika and fresh parsley.

Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Suon Nuong Xa)

2008-07-30T23:11:00.006-04:00

Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Suon Nuong Xa)(Yields 2 Entrée Portions)

1 lb (4 thin slices) center-cut loin pork chops, bone in
Vietnamese fish sauce to taste
Fine sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Bird’s eye chili, seeded & minced
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Marinate pork chops with ingredients for at least a couple hours. These chops are best grilled over hot charcoal, but a really hot oven broiler or pan will do in a squeeze. I served them with hot jasmine rice, a fried egg, sliced tomato and sweet pepper. Garnish rice and chops with fried scallion and drizzle generously with dipping sauce right before eating.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

2008-07-30T22:46:00.006-04:00

There are endless variations of nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce), most of which contain the key ingredient of fish sauce. Fish sauce is widely popular throughout Southeast Asia and varies significantly from one country to another. I like to use top-grade Vietnamese fish sauce such as Three Crabs Brand, which is a product of Thailand that is processed in Hong Kong and tailored to the Vietnamese palette.

This recipe is for the most basic and ubiquitous dipping sauce for many Vietnamese dishes.

½ cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 Persian lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bird’s eye chilies, seeded & finely chopped
2 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce

To make the simple syrup, bring water to a boil and add sugar. Allow sugar to dissolve completely and liquid to reduce a bit. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, add chopped garlic and chili and cover with lime juice. Covering the garlic and chili with lime juice first enables them to float in the sauce instead of sink to the very bottom. Once the simple syrup has cooled, add it to the mixture and drizzle in the fish sauce. Stir well and serve. Any extra sauce can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. I prefer to make my sauce fresh every time.

Grilled Turkish Meatball (Kofte) Sandwich

2008-07-30T12:17:00.001-04:00

Toasted whole wheat flatbread (a healthful but also less satisfying alternative to the thicker pita bread) stuffed with kofte and a salad of vine ripe tomato, sweet Italian pepper, onion and parsley. Top with cacik and/or hummus.

Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp (Tom Rim)

2008-07-28T22:30:00.005-04:00

Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp (Tom Rim)
(Yields 2 Entrée Portions)

1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 shallot, finely sliced
½ tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Bird's eye chili, minced
Vietnamese fish sauce & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Cooking oil
1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
2 stalks scallion, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tsp sesame seed oil
Splash Chinese rice wine

Toss shrimp with shallot, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper and fish sauce and set aside.

Place a heavy skillet over high heat with a generous drizzle of oil and granulated sugar. When the granules of sugar have dissolved and turned golden, toss in the shrimp. Cook shrimp until they've turned pink and then add a splash of rice wine, sesame oil and scallion. Toss well and simmer until shrimps have absorbed most of the liquid. Don't worry about the shrimp overcooking and turning dry--this method seals in the moisture and the shrimp always turn out succulent! Adjust seasoning and garnish with rings of scallion. Serve with hot jasmine rice.

When I'm lucky enough to find live shrimp, I will cook them with heads and shell on like my sisters always do. The crispy shell and shrimp fat is super yummy when caramelized! :)

Extra Dwarf Bok Choy with Preserved Beancurd (Cai Thia Xao Chao)

2008-07-28T22:10:00.002-04:00

Brassica rapa chinensis or bok choy (Cantonese), bai cai (Mandarin) and cai thia (Vietnamese) is a versatile green that's great for stirfries. It has a generally sweet flavor with a hint of mustard. I prefer the extra dwarf bok choy not only because they are tiny and adorable, but because they are more leafy than the regular bok choy. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on really clean ones without sand, then you can cook them whole. I always find them to be a bit too sandy, so I usually cut off the very ends to separate the stems. Fill up the entire sink with cold water and let them hang out in there till the sand and debris sink to the bottom. After a couple rinses, these beauties can be drained and tossed into stirfries or soups.

Extra dwarf bok choy stirfried with fresh, minced garlic, ginger, chili, sesame seed oil, preserved beancurd and fish sauce. My favorite way to enjoy leafy greens with hot jasmine rice.