Viet World Kitchen

Fashionable Fast Food in Vietnam

We discussed the rise in popularity of fast food joints in urban centers of Vietnam (read Saigon and Hanoi) and there doesn't seem to be much stopping people from digging the stuff. Just like in the U.S. kids nag their parents to take them for fast food. It's fashionable, tasty and fun.

The government would love for kids to just say "no" (remember Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign in the 1980s?) but that's easier said than done.

Read more from the 2/27/08 story in the Vietnam New Service

More Striking Vietnamese People - NY Restaurant Workers

Binh, who often comments on this blog and is among the many of you who keep me honest, sent this article from the New York Times last week about a judgment for the deliverymen of Saigon Grill, a mini chain of highly-rated Vietnamese restaurants in Manhattan.  The deliverymen have been picketing for nearly a year to protest being underpaid, and then the restaurant fired a number of them last March, apparently because they were threatening a lawsuit. That's an illegal firing in the U.S. Most of the deliverymen are Chinese-born and they assert that they sometimes received only $120 for a 75-hour work week (that's $1.60 an hour). New York State's minimum wage is $4.85 an hour before tips. 

Unlike the situation in San Jose with the "Little Saigon" naming controversy that persists, there were no hunger strikes in New York!

Restaurants Must Rehire Deliverymen, Judge Rules (NYT, 2/21/08, login may be required)

"I Love Pho" exhibit in Australia

Cuong Le of the Casula Powerhouse Project (an arts performance space in Australia) has curated a wonderful traveling multimedia exhibit on pho noodle soup -- the national food of Vietnam. If you're in Footscray, Australia this month, you're in for a treat because I Love Pho will be there:

Footscray Community Arts Center                          
Gabriel Gallery
Friday 22 February – Thursday 10 April
                          Official Launch Sunday 2 March, 3pm
                          9.30am – 5pm (Closed Mondays)
FREE

"Little Saigon" -- Hunger Striker in San Jose

Viet World Kitchen is a food place but I sometimes digress to discuss political issues. Last month, we started a conversation about the "Little Saigon" naming controversy in San Jose, California. It all started when disgruntled Viet-Americans called Madison Nguyen a communist because they didn't like her support of "Saigon Business District" over their preferred "Little Saigon." People took sides, there were generational splits, talk of recalls, and more.

In a nutshell, much has gone awry and the latest developments include the following:

(3/13/08) City of San Jose comes up with a temporary solution and Ly Tong ends his hunger strike. He'd stopped drinking water a little while ago. For more, read the thread below and also the postings at Solving San Jose's Little Saigon Controversy.

(3/4/08) The San Jose Mercury News released some numbers (finally!) saying that last August 2007 the City of San Jose's Redevelopment Agency sent out 1,136 surveys to people living near the stretch of Story Road, asking them what it should be called. Of the surveys sent out, there were 117 responses. Of those responses, 44 surveys were for "Little Saigon." The mayor, who's now being criticized for mishandling this situation, says they should have paused to outreach to people.  The newspaper's editorial board calls for the city to end the "ridiculous" situation and name the area "Little Saigon" -- just so everyone can move on. It's a 1-mile strip of road.

(3/2/08) A protest of 7,500 Viet-Americans gathered in front of City Hall to support "Little Saigon."

In light of all the turmoil that this once small issue has created, Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilwoman Madison Nguyen are going to rescind (pull back) the name "Saigon Business District" on March 4. The City of San Jose will not have a costly city-wide vote on the name, and some kind of process will be devised for coming up with a name. This past week, commentary in the San Jose Mercury News has stated things like the situation has become "surreal" with the hunger strike, that the city has become a "laughing-stock" and that it needs to move on.

Perennial showman Ly Tong decided last Friday to eat his last bowl of noodles and go on a hunger strike until the city agrees to name the business-shopping district "Little Saigon" instead of "Saigon Business District," which was what was decided on by the city council. "I'll continue until I die," he says according to a 2/20/08 article in the San Jose Mercury News.

The City of San Jose is going to put the naming issue up to a city-wide vote (the name affects a couple of blocks in District 7, represented by Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American woman to be elected to office)

The controversy has made national headlines in a 2/16/08 piece in the New York Times.

The wh0le thing has escalated into a mess that will unfortunately damage the San Jose Vietnamese American community for a long time, unless a diplomatic solution can be finessed. For 2008 Tet, San Francisco-based journalist and commentator Andrew Lam penned a terrific and insightful piece on the many unresolved issues in the Vietnamese American community. He carefully aired a little dirty laundry but got people thinking about the realities of Vietnam today, the tight relationship between overseas Vietnamese and the Motherland, and how people may come to grips with  their anger and sense of loss:

New Year, Old Unresolved Passion: Vietnam and its Diaspora (New American Media, 2/7/08)

 

Pomelo Salad: Goi Buoi Tom Thit

It's pomelo season, and in the last week, I've made Vietnamese pomelo salad three times. How could I resist? Everywhere I shopped -- from the San Jose Tet market where I bought my potted chrysanthemums, to the Chinese grocery store, to Costco -- there were pomelos for sale. The gentle giant version of grapefruit is favored in Vietnam as a palate cleansing winter fruit, and also as the star in a special event salads like this one.

Medium pomelos are the size of a volleyball and big ones make you think of playing basketball. I search for the heaviest one in whatever size that's available because then the flesh won't be so dry. Pomelo flesh is drier than that of grapefruit so that's why the dryness is an issue.

To get to the flesh, one also removes the out skin of each segment. Cut into each segment with a knife or pair of kitchen scissors, and then use your fingers to remove the flesh and break it apart into bite size pieces. In Vietnam, a super dedicated cook would separate each piece of pomelo flesh into individual teardrop cells. I've not that kind of patience, though sometimes the pomelo flesh will naturally fall apart. It's a tedious task, but one that's great for sharing with friends. My girlfriends Michelle, Thy and I attacked a pomelo last weekend for a salad for our Tet dinner and had quality girl time in the process.

Like grapefruit, pomelo may be whitish/yellow or pink. In this salad, my California grown pomelos were all pink in color so I chose to use some finely shredded carrot for a funky/cool contrast. If yours is whitish/yellow, use a small carrot and add 1/2 thinly sliced cucumber (halve it lengthwise and seed it first)> When using carrot and cucumber, I the cut veggies with 1/4 teaspoon of each salt and sugar to make them weep their liquid, then I rinse and squeeze them dry before adding to the salad.  Regardless, you'll end up with an unusual savory-tart-bitter-pungent blending of flavors that's also beautiful to look at. If you don't have time for frying the shallots, add a little more peanuts to make up for the loss of richness.

Pomelo Salad with Shrimp and Meat
Goi Buoi Tom Thit

Serves 6

 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless pork chop, or ¾ to 1 cup matchstick-cut gio (Vietnamese silky sausage)
1 medium pomelo
1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine shreds
¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, leafy tops only
1/4 cup chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts
1/3 cup Crispy Caramelized Shallot

Dressing
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 generous teaspoon Vietnamese chile garlic sauce, homemade or storebought

1. Put the salt in a small saucepan and fill 2/3 with water. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp. As soon as they've curled up, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

2. Return the water to a boil and add the chicken or pork chop. When bubbles form at the rim, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes to cook the flesh. Remove and set aside to cool. (If you're using the Vietnamese sausage, skip this step because it's already cooked.)

3. Cut the shrimp in the diagonal into large pieces that will blend well with the pomelo and other ingredients. Hand shred the chicken or cut the pork into julienne. Set aside.

4. Cut off one end of the pomelo to reveal its fleshy pith. Then use your fingers and knife to remove the pith so that all that's remaining is the white covered flesh. Pry the pomelo open and split into two parts. Then use a knife, scissors and your fingers to peel away the skin from each segment and remove the flesh. Separate the flesh into bite size pieces and deposit in a bowl.

5. For the dressing, combine fish sauce, lime juice, water, sugar and chile garlic sauce in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar.

6. Right before serving, add the shrimp, chicken or pork, carrot, mint, cilantro, peanuts and shallot to the pomelo. Toss with your fingers or tongs to combine well. Add the dressing and toss. Taste and adjust the flavors, as needed. Transfer to a plate, leaving any liquid behind and serve.

 

Rat Cuisine in Vietnam

I never know what to make of a story that capitalizes on what may be viewed as weird/extreme eating by 'exotic' cultures. We're officially in the Year of the Rat and on Wednesday, February 6, the Wall Street Journal had an article on how there's been a resurgence in rat-based dining in Vietnam.

The title of James Hookway's piece is "For Vietnamese, The Year of the Rat Starts with Lunch:  Rodent-Eating Takes Off, In Response to Bird Flu;Cats, Snakes on Menu, Too." That's quite a headline, and if you weren't a careful reader, you may think, "Those bizarre, crazy Vietnamese people. They'll eat anything!"

But read further down, past the first paragraph to get the culinary details and rationale for the resurgence of rat cuisine. Hookway's story is quite informative.

That's quite a difference from the LA Times February 6 piece on  new dining trends in Orange County's Little Saigon!

For more to ponder, see:

• Half-hatched duck egg posting
• Year of the Rat posting which contains some comments on rat cuisine

Trends in O.C. Little Saigon Dining

Vietnamese restaurants are reaching out to non-Vietnamese diners who want foods that are accessible as well as to Viet customers who want good quality traditional fare. What does that mean in terms of dining trends?

1) Riffs and modern takes on rice paper rolls, lamb chops with traditional seasonings. Taking something old and marrying it with something new is very Vietnamese. There are only guidelines and few rules in Viet cooking, which is governed by innovation and perpetual innovation.

2) Specialized and smaller, focused menus. Restaurants that offer huge menus can't do everything well. In Vietnam, the best joints only prepare a number of dishes, or maybe even just one.

Read more from this February 6, 2008 Los Angeles Times Food section article :

"In Little Saigon, a revitalized dining scene" by Linda Burum

Simple Ways to Celebrate Tet

There's always a certain fervor around Tet. For example, My husband and I don't decorate for any holiday but Lunar New Year. Part of it is that we've no time during Christmas and don't find the decor for other holidays (e.g, Easter, Thanksgiving) to be as festive as the somewhat odd stuff that comes with Lunar New Year territory. All the glitter, gold and crimson speaks to us and makes us cheery. By the time Lunar New Year comes around, we actually feel ready (like we've recovered from the past year) to start over again with hope. As tacky as the stuff looks, I'm drawn to buy a lantern and good luck signs to put up at home.

Though we've accumulated a supply of lanterns and dragons and the like over the years, Tet wouldn't be Tet without going to cho Tet (Tet market). Shopping at a Tet market in Vietnam is much more festive than in the States. Here, it means visiting Viet grocery stores or Vietnamese communities to check out their gold-red packaged goods. I always pick up some candied sweetmeats to supplement what I make at home. Of, course we also look for blossoms and flowers for the house. 

Then, you're suppose to have something new to wear too. (The young girl in the photo was probably wearing her spanking new ao dai for Tet!) To that end, I buy a new outfit, or a little ditty to freshen up my wardrobe.  For all the fun shopping and decorating, did I mention the house cleaning and cooking? Yes, you're suppose to do that as well, albeit many people buy specialty Tet foods nowadays.

But let's face it, this year is starting off kinda strange, with the presidential election going on (Super Tuesday is next Tuesday!) and worries about the economy. People seem to be more stressed out too.

Have no fear. When money and time are in limited supply, you can still celebrate Tet. At heart, it's a humble holiday about being with family, friends and resting up. Here are some inexpensive, simple things that you can do to get into the spirit:

• Make a traditional couplet in Vietnamese and post it on your front door.  No need to do something fancy like the young man in the photo, who was at a San Jose Tet festival. Just download this Word file and use it for your couplet.  Change the font to doll things up. The terms capture the essentials for celebrating Vietnamese Lunar New Year:

Neu Cao - New year tree/bamboo
Phao no - Exploding firecrackers
Banh chung xanh - Sticky rice cake filled with pork and mung bean
Thit mo - Luxurious fatty meats
Dua hanh - Pickled shallots
Cau Doi Do - Red couplet hanging side by side

(Note that half the things listed are specific foods! This is a traditional couplet that leans heavily on northern Vietnamese foodways with the preference for banh chung, and pickled shallots, which are both beloved by people of northern descent.)

• Buy a bunch of tangerines or oranges and display them on a nice platter in a prominent spot in your home. They're precious seasonal fruits that are good luck symbols. Pomelos are wonderful this time of the year too.
• On the first day of the new year (February 7 this year), practice Xong Dat, a Vietnamese New Year tradition. The first person to enter your home on the first day of the New Year is suppose to share his/her good/bad fortune with you for the next cycle. I always rig it -- like my parents do. (Some people hire or ask certain auspicious people to drop by!)  The deal is this . . . I make my hubby go out of the house through the back door and then reenter through the front door by first knocking on the front door. I feign surprise and open the door. He wishes and blesses our home with a few good luck sentences. After that, it's a done deal and we're set for the year.
• Say "Happy New Year" to people:
  • In Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Nam Moi ("Chook moon nahm moy!")
  • In Cantonese: Gung Hay Fat Choy! ("Goong Hey Faht Choi!)"
  • In Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai! ("Goon Shee Fah Ssai!")
• Read a recipe for Tet Eve (Dem Giao Thua)  that doesn't require any cooking, just a tiny bit of reflection. The recipe was sent to me by my friend erin Khue Ninh, an Asian American literature professor.
  

Tet Sticky Rice Cakes: Banh Chung & Banh Tet

If you're unfamiliar with Tet sticky rice cakes (banh chung and banh tet), the must-have food for Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration, chances are you may be asking, "Is it an adobe brick or doorstop wrapped in banana leaf?" At Viet delis, bakeries and grocery stores, you'll find them this week and next displayed on tables. The weighty cakes will be wrapped in plastic with red or gold ribbon tied around them to make them look extra festive for this most important holiday.

Banh chung are the square ones, and banh tet are the cylindrical ones. They are the same, but the major difference lies in their shape. Northern Viet people are partial to the square banh chung whereas central and southern people prefer the round banh tet. Banh chung is the name that most people use. My family prepared and ate banh chung because my mother hails from a town named Hai Duong, which is right outside of Hanoi (in the northern region).

Other than the shape variation, banh chung are traditionally wrapped in the large green leaves called la dong (Phrynium placentarium, which is related to arrowroot). Banh tet are wrapped in banana leaves. Banana leaves impart a wonderful tea-like aroma and flavor to the rice and since la dong aren't available abroad, Viet people living overseas use banana leaves to wrap banh chung and banh tet. Regardless, the cakes are boiled for 6 to 8 hours, depending on size.

Getting the cakes to look like nice squares and cylinders requires finesse. To appreciate the wrapping process and get a few tips, check these out:

• Video on how to wrap banh chung the old-fashioned way -- without a mold, using la dong (rush/arrowroot leaves) tied with strips of reed and cooked over coals. Note how they've lightly tinted the rice pale green with food coloring, something that's definitely not old-school but a modern, widespread practice in Vietnam.
• Photos for how to wrap banh chung using a wood mold (Word file). The mold is my preferred method because it's much easier to get the square shape, a hallmark of the sticky rice cakes. The photos correspond to my detailed recipe for banh chung in  Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006).

What's inside the wrapping? The leaves encase sticky rice, in the center of which there's buttery mung bean and opalescent bits of pork and pork fat. The filling is simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and a touch of fish sauce. It's filling food that can be made in advance and sit around for days, which makes it great for Tet, when you're suppose to have fun, not slave in the kitchen. The leaves impart a wonderful tea-like quality to the rice. When you eat a fresh hot, one, the rice is soft and chewy sweet. The beans are plush and rich and the pork contributes a wonderful savoriness.

How to eat Tet sticky rice cakes and what to serve them with? Square banh chung are cut into wedges (use unflavored dental floss) so each portion has a fair share of rice, mung bean and pork. Round banh tet are cut into thick slices. It's often the case that the cake is eaten with some sugar, which sounds weird but is a great combination of flavors. Banh chung and banh tet may also be fried to a delicious chewy crispness too. The photo above is of a market vendor on Phu Quoc island frying banh tet; here's a fair amount of food coloring in her rice.

Viet people typically serve the cakes with tangy, sweet pungent pickled shallots, garlicky pickled daikon, and various kinds of Vietnamese charcuterie -- silky sausages and head cheese. Pigs were often slaughtered for Tet so people use some of the meat and offal for charcuterie, which keeps around. There's often a long-simmered dish too in which pork or beef is cooked in caramel sauce.

If you don't make them buy them, like many Vietnamese living abroad do these days. Check Viet markets and delis, or Chinese markets where there's a large Viet clientele. The cakes sit out at room temperature. Poke them to make sure they're fresh.

Jump to the main Viet World Kitchen website for more on Tet eats . . .

What do you serve for Tet?

Chuck asked: Does anyone have a good source for buying and ordering banh chung/banh tet in the Bay Area?

Finding a Tet Festival

Where there's a community of Vietnamese people, there's bound to be a Tet festival and food! Strategies for locating an event near you include:

• If you've got a sizable Viet community, check your local newspaper listings.
• Do an internet search for "Tet X year your city, region, state, etc.]"  For example "Tet 2008 Sacramento"
• Check with university and college students belonging to the local chapter of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). Those organizations may have an event or two.
  
• Ask a Vietnamese person. For example, the person who does your nails! Or, people at a local Vietnamese restaurant.
• Attend a Chinese new year festival to get the feel for the lunar new year!