Viet World Kitchen

Harvest Time: Moon Cakes, Big Ag, Chili Sauces

Today is the Autumnal Equinox so I guess we're all officially packing up summer and readying for the cooler months. Soon, it'll be harvest time all over the globe. Here in Northern California, we have harvest festivals going on all over the place.

For Vietnamese people, we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday that's akin to American Thanksgiving. Like Lunar New Year, there's a brief pause for food, fun, and family. Moon cakes figure in this holiday -- which lands on September 25 so mark your calendar. Tet Trung Thu, as Tuesday's holiday is called in Vietnamese, is second to Tet. At the minimum, take a gander at the moon, share some love, and count your blessings.

Big Ag in Salinas, CA

I sure did recently when I took an agricultural tour of the Salinas Valley, which is nicknamed "America's Salad Bowl" because that's where most of the lettuce is grown for the entire United States. The temperate climate (cool mornings and evenings) keeps the leafy greens happy.

For the tour, I boarded a bus along with two dozen other people and we spent the day visiting farms and wineries. A highpoint was going out into the iceberg lettuce fields to get an up-close look at how it's harvested.

This is backbreaking labor. The workers, mostly from Mexico, do the harvesting and packing all day long so that people across the nation can get their fill of produce. The repetitive motion of cutting, trimming and packing the lettuce is no walk in the park. The women covered their faces and bodies well to prevent getting too tanned. I imagine the covering helps prevent exposure to other things too. I've always had much respect for these people as I drove by them at 75 mph on the highway but now, I'm even more in awe.

Where I live, we get most of our produce from local farmers and are blessed by their bounty. Many other people receive their lettuce, broccoli, and the likes from places very far away because they don't live close enough to super fresh food. I'm a champion of locally-grown produce but learning about the work and technology that goes into provide fresh, safe food was an eye opener. The Salinas Valley was hit with the E. coli spinach recount a year ago, so everyone we spoke to had bent over backwards to ensure consumers that what they grow is safely processed.

I still think that you're best off eating food that's traveled the least number of miles to your door. But if that's not possible, or if you really do need those strawberries in January(!), then know that there are people who are doing their darndest to safeguard the food supply.

Homemade Chili Sauces

As we transition into fall, the fresh chile supply will soon be gone. If you have a big harvest from your garden or can reap the benefits of someone else's harvest at a farmer's market or grocery store, then consider making your own chili sauce.

Josh Levine started a conversation when he asked me about preservatives in the Rooster brand chili sauces. What resulted from that posting was quite enlightening, including a couple of Viet-Americans -- Lili and Chuck -- who sent in their families' recipes for chili sauce. Check out the posting and comment thread and give it a whirl.

Pho in Lexicon

Yep, it was made official last week. Pho entered the dictionary. Say it loud and proud. It's hard to misspell too!

October Events

I'll be finishing the year with a few cooking classes and events next month. At the beginning and end of October are: 

Sunday, October 7: Slow Food Aquaterra Convivium
Join me to geek out on how rice is used in the Vietnamese kitchen at the "Transformations of Rice" Slow Food event in Emeryville, CA.  Guests will be eating, cooking, drinking and lots of conviviality.

Monday, October 29: Asia Society and Museum
Looks like we've made it! The Asia Society in New York City will be hosting a fabulous panel, discussion and tasting called "From Saigon to Soho: The Rise of Vietnamese Cuisine."

Beyond October, I'll just be in my hut, researching and writing. I'll keep and so should you!

We Don't Look and Cook the Same

Asia is on the rise and Vietnamese food is hip and hot. More and more Vietnamese crossover restaurants are opening up outside of traditional enclaves, introducing Vietnamese flavors to non-Viet people and creating 'modern' Vietnamese food. Huy Fong's Rooster brand of Vietnamese chili-garlic and Sriracha sauce are becoming ubiquitous. After all these years, I finally get to say that my people are popular!

Anything trendy is bound to be misrepresented. Popularity comes with its burdens as people capitalize on what Vietnam and Vietnamese means.

Indochine Interpretations

During the past couple of weeks, we've been having a spirited discussion on an episode of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade, a show that airs on the Food Network channel. In early August, they aired a show called "Indochine Brunch" that was quite a sight to see, with the show host sporting a pink kimono.

Mastery of any cuisine is not a birthright, but rather an acquisition. (As many of you know, you don't have to be Vietnamese to cook Vietnamese food!) Sandra Lee and her producers could have done more homework to understand what Indochine is. Instead, theirs was a mishmash of flavors and bad cooking techniques. Catch up and voice your opinion on the "Indochine Brunch".

A company that may be doing a better job at capitalizing on the Indochine exoticism is making Canton liqueur. Simon Bao emailed this morning about the re-released Canton -- made from French cognac, Vietnamese baby ginger, Provencal honey, and vanilla. Years ago, I tried the original version that was made in Guangdong province in China. It was terribly sweet but not bad tasting, though it was discontinued in 1997. The revived and new formula for Canton is looking to cash in on the cachet of being Vietnamese-French, or rather, Indochine. I haven't had a taste since the limited release late last month, but this description from their website captures their strategy: ". . . discover a rare union of tropical romance and continental sophistication."

Fast Food Vietnam

Vietnam may be one of the poorest countries in the world, but that doesn't stop fast food companies from storming in. There's a growing class of urbanites with money to spend. And so the number of clean, convenient, and mono-culture eateries is steadily increasing. McDonald's is coming soon. But should we be concerned? What do such businesses mean for Vietnam? Read and comment on fast food restaurants in Saigon.

But hey, corporations don't have to be the only ones making fast food. Home cooks can too. All you need is freezer space. If you want to make your own convenience food at home, make a batch or two of salmon cakes with dill and garlic and coconut waffles. Both can be made ahead and kept frozen for whenever the urge strikes you.

Top Chef

Speaking of TV, tune in this Wednesday night to watch the new episode of Top Chef, which airs on Bravo. Among the finalists in Season 3 is Hung Huynh, a Vietnamese-American sous chef in Las Vegas. Sara Nguyen, his fellow contestant, was eliminated earlier.

Asian Grandmas Cookbook Project

This isn't my next book.  It belongs to Pat Tanumihardja, a friend of mine who lives in Seattle. She just won the book contract and is looking for recipe contributions. It promises to be a great publication that honors the women who taught many of us how to cook, eat, and enjoy. Details  and contact information are in Pat's call for recipes.

By the way, a few weeks ago, we visited Seattle and Pat invited us to lunch at her mom's new Indonesian restaurant. We practically ran over there as soon as we arrived! Pat is pictured here with her mom at Julia's Indonesian Kitchen, a charming restaurant located in a small home in the Roosevelt neighborhood. I hope some of Julia's well-crafted Indo home cooking gets into Pat's book!

Upcoming Events

Cooking demonstrations, classes and panels will be taking me to various places in Southern California, the Bay Area, and New York. Hope to meet you on one of those occasions.

The Heat is On: Southeast Asian Farmers, Avocados and Homemade Hot Sauce

Summer in Santa Cruz usually means lots of foggy mornings and cool evenings. This year, we've had exceptionally warm weather. Many locals wonder if it's due to global warming but I throw caution to the wind and bask in the lovely sunny days.

When the heat is on, it's time to enjoy the best of hot-weather vegetables and there's no better place to 'forage' than a farmers' market. Several weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite ones -- the Friday market in Old Town Oakland. About a third of the vendors are Southeast Asian: Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese, and Filipino. Despite the many languages spoken at the market, shoppers frequently bridge language and cultural barriers to exchange cooking tips. For staple ingredients, Oakland Chinatown is merely a street crossing away.

If you have a farmers' market near your house, go there now for the best produce -- fresher and tastier than any supermarket's. Plus, you'll be directly supporting farmers and avoiding middlemen. Find a local farmer's market at the Local Harvest site.

The freshest ingredients will make your Vietnamese food -- any food for that matter -- taste better. You can grow it yourself, or be an avid shopper.

At a Southeast Asian farmer's stall, you'll likely find an amazing selection of eggplant, sweet cherry tomatoes, opo and luffa squash, sweet potato and bitter melon leaves, bitter melon, lemongrass, chiles, and even Vietnamese herbs. Maybe there'll be someone selling just laid chicken, duck and quail eggs as well as half-hatched chicken and duck eggs. I scored on fresh squash blossoms at the Oakland market and made Deep-Fried Squash Blossoms as soon as I got home.

Another summer favorite is the avocado. Though I'm spoiled by California's year-round supply of the buttery-fleshed berries, now is when I find myself eating them nearly everyday. Guacamole, whole-grain vegetarian sandwiches and Vietnamese avocado shakes. Never heard of the Avocado Shake, the Southeast Asian treat? It's fabulously pale green, rich, and cooling.

August/September Saveur

Now that you're pondering Asian veggies and avocado treats, check the August/September issue of Saveur. Yours truly wrote the cover story on avocados (there are more than you think!) and a piece on Hmong farmer John Xiong. The farming story is particularly dear to my heart because I've wanted to highlight the work of Southeast Asian farmers in the U.S., most of whom are Hmong farmers, for years.

Small farms advisers Richard Molinar and Michael Yang of Fresno, CA, have put together an informative guide to the Asian specialty vegetable crops grown in the Central Valley of California. Click here to access the .pdf.

Crank up the Heat

My mother swears that when it's hot, you should eat hot food to cool you down. If you subscribe to her theory, then you should make a batch of Jason's Vietnamese-Style Sate Chile Sauce. I did, and it's addictive. 

For Bastille Day, I turned on the oven to prepare a childhood favorite: Braised Beef Tongue. It's a homey French preparation that my mother liked to prepare. It's been years since I had tasted it so I rummaged through my freezer for a tongue (yep, I have an interesting freezer) and stormed the kitchen  to make it myself.

It's also grilling season so after some thought and practice, I discovered that yes, I CAN cook Beef in Betel Leaf on a grill without burning them. This brings the cooking closer to the traditional method in Vietnam, where the little fragrant rolls are grilled on a charcoal brazier. The instructions have been added to the original recipe.

August in Seattle and Vancouver

If you're in the Pacific Northwest, I'll be heading your way in several weeks. First up is a luncheon and book signing at Monsoon restaurant in Seattle and then a cooking demonstration and signing at Columbia City farmer's market in Seattle. All of these events celebrate Vietnamese food traditions and home cooking. Join me if you're in the area.

Trillium, ExtraMSG and Wandering Chopsticks sent recommendations for Asian markets and restaurants in Portland.  If you have something to add or would like to contribute information on markets and restaurants where you live, email me your picks (or warnings) and I'll post them up!

From Seattle, I'll cross the border to Vancouver, where I'll tape a TV segment with food expert  Nathan Fong for British Columbia's "Global Saturday Chefs" program. CityCooks, a program that airs nationally on CityTV, has also scheduled me to tape a show for them too. (Airing dates and times are to be announced. Canadian residents should check their program listings. ) I hope there will be enough opportunity to explore and sample Vancouver's wealth of fabulous food.

Vietnamese Food Mini-Boot Camp

I've pondered designing an intensive Vietnamese cooking class for some time, and Bay Area cooking teachers Linda Carucci and Cindy Race invited me to do just that in late August! It's a two-day program -- a Vietnamese restaurant dinner and discussion on Thursday, 8/30, and then a farmer's market excursion, hands-on cooking class, and multi-course lunch with wine pairings on Friday, 8/31. Peruse the class flyer for details.

For other opportunities to cook and learn, check the listing of Classes and Events.

Final Words

Many thanks to those who've sent in suggestions for content. I'm keeping a running list (Vietnamese beer, fish cakes, MSG, etc.) and will get to answering your questions!

P.S. When cooking seems like a chore, remember the armless Chinese housewife. Thanks to Vic Fong for that one.

Human Rights in Vietnam, Airline Food, Recipes + Music from Vietnam

Hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday. That's America's Independence Day celebration for those of you who don't live in the U.S. In addition to gathering with friends in the evening for lots of beer and grilled foods, my husband and I also took time out to read the Declaration of Independence as a reminder of the values of this country. (My husband is a political scientist!) Many of those values are universal, and in fact, were included by Ho Chi Minh in his 1945 Vietnam Declaration of Independence. (Note that he mentions both the American and French Revolutions.)

Vietnam's current human rights record speaks differently, and we'll see how things play out, given the Vietnamese president's recent June 22 visit to Washington, D.C. Leading up to the visit, the Viet-American community was abuzz with speculation. In late May, a small group of Viet-American activists met with President Bush to voice their concerns. The day after the meeting, on June 23, Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet met with business leaders at a ritzy Southern California resort hotel. Busloads of people gathered at the resort for two days of protest (video from ABC News included). In the aftermath, the White House invited Vietnamese-American activist Dr. Nguyen Xuan Ngai (a key member of the Democratic Party of Vietnam, a group that advocates democracy for Vietnam) to D.C. for a State Department briefing on Bush's meeting with Nguyen Ming Triet.

Regardless of your politics, a lot has changed in the last 32 years. Those of you who've flown on Vietnam Airlines, a well run state-owned enterprise, will be interested in learning about how they produce their food for the jet set. Graham Holiday posted a link on his Noodlepie blog to an insider's look at the airline's food production process.

But certain things stay the same too, like the persistent corruption in Vietnam. People at every level of society have to battle such inequities. Here's a July 4 story on anti-corruption warrior Le Hien Duc, an 88-pound, 75-year-old grandma in Hanoi.

Indeed, the economic liberalization has brought easier travel, plenty of good food, and tons of exported ingredients to those of us living and cooking abroad. Daniel Tran, whose family owns and operates the Vien Dong supermarkets in Southern California, just told me that they currently carry 20 different kinds of fish sauce, mostly made in Vietnam and Thailand (!!).

Indeed, whether you're Vietnamese or not, there's plenty to explore. In our small pocket of the virtual world, new recipe postings on this blog include one for the classic Vietnamese snack, beef in wild betel leaf (thit bo nuong la lot). I posted the recipe to highlight my mom's instructions for how to efficient roll up the meat into small, neat packets. Summer begs for cooling salads and Rosa from Geneva, Switzerland, sent a link to her Vietnamese grapefruit salad with chicken (goi buoi thit ga), and I made a meatless rendition of a spicy cabbage salad (goi bap cai). Simon, who provoked me to post the chicken pho recipe, reacted to Andrew Lam's piece on the role of ethnic foods in America culinary landscape by sending in his original, fusion recipe for pho couscous (just scroll down posting on Andrew Lam's article).

This past week, I learned a nifty trick for growing moisture loving rice paddy herb (ngo om), which is an ingredient for Vietnamese sour fish soup. All of this has been happening on the blog. Peruse and join in the fray.

Not everything has gone to the blogosphere. If you want another tip from my mama, she gave me a terrific for how to freeze cha gio (fried imperial rolls). Refugees like my family came to America for many things, including potable water and refrigeration!

I'm a supporter of public radio station KCRW in Santa Monica, California. One of the songs on their current playlist is an unusual version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" done with Vietnamese instruments. It's from an album called The Rough Guide Music to the Music of Vietnam, which includes old folk pieces and modern, Western pieces performed by the country's top musicians.

For all of these reasons and more, I count my blessings.

Vietnamese Herbs, Chicken Pho, and the Midwest

The heat is on so it's time to nurture and harvest your garden. Vietnamese herbs and chiles are my priorities. I'm in the market this week for Thai chiles, particularly starters of Thai Dragon, which have been good to me for several years -- when a gopher hasn't gotten to it! Thai Dragon produces wonderfully fragrant and hot fruits and starters are often available at nurseries and farmer's markets.

Another great chile is the long chile pepper (Holland chile) that's available on the East Coast but is not found in great abundance on the West Coast, where I substitute red Fresnos. This afternoon, I found a starter for "Long Red Cayenne" which looks very promising for growing a supply of 4 to 5 inch long red beauties. Remember that if you have a bumper crop at the end of the season, just put the chiles in a zip-top bag and keep them frozen. They'll last for 6 months to a year.

Most Vietnamese herbs are annuals so reap their tasty benefits during the hotter months when bunches are lush and well priced. If you grow your own, see this blog posting on my recent home gardening experiences. For details on the range of Vietnamese herbs, visit the VietWorldKitchen.com's herb primer.

Fresh herbs are usually enjoyed raw in the Vietnamese repertoire, and often put on garnish plates for wrapping foods up or for adding to noodle soup. If you're into  pho noodle soup and have only had the beef version, try the light and equally delicious chicken version. I've posted a Chicken pho noodle soup recipe from my cookbook up on this blog to inspire and inform folks. Try it out and send in your comments.

Candy from Indiana sent in great photos of dishes she's been making in the Midwest. And people think that the middle of the United States isn't happening. Check out Candy's Vietnamese cooking prowess!

A couple of weeks ago, I taught a Vietnamese cooking class at Roblar Winery in Santa Ynez. The main course was bo kho beef stew with fresh tomato, lemongrass, star anise and Thai basil. To give people a taste of great old-fashioned beef, I bought 14 pounds of grass-fed chuck roast from Joe Morris, a local rancher in San Juan Bautista. I've been purchasing 1/4 of a cow from Joe  for five years now, and it's some of the best beef I've ever eaten. One hundred percent (100%!) grass-fed, the meat has great beefy flavor and chew. Yes, it's leaner than grocery store beef but it's better for you with lots of omega 3, and better for the environment too since ranchers like Joe are good stewards of the land. It's too costly for Joe to be certified organic, but he is. Readers outside of the Bay Area should check with Local Harvest for information.

If you are in the Bay Area, I'll be giving a talk and providing food tastings on Monday, June 25 in San Francisco at the Commonwealth Club. Of course, I'll sign books too! I'd love to meet and chat with you so stop by, if you can. Though I'm taking a break in July from traveling, there are more events and classes for August (the Pacific Northwest!), September, and October.

And yes, the blog is up and running but the main site will remain. This blog enables you to contribute information and insights, and allows all of us to build a community dedicated to Vietnamese food and cooking.

All the best,

Andrea

Classes, Awards, Chicago, Buddha's Dinner, and Tea

You must think that I don't have a life since this is being sent on Saturday afternoon. Since I wrote a good four weeks ago, it's been a whirlwind -- a delightful blur actually.

March was filled with cooking classes, with a fabulous hands-on afternoon class at Ramekins in Sonoma. We made banh khoai (delightful crepes from Hue) with everyone having a turn at the stove, bo bia (beef and jicama rice paper hand rolls), chuoi nuong (grilled bananas and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf), among other things. Joan, who's contributed to site before, signed up for the class and it was such a pleasure to meet her and cook with her. She took this snapshot of the class. That's me in the middle with my big hair and Joan is the second person on my left.

In May, I'll be teaching in Eugene, OR, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. For more, check the classes and events listing.

Awards and Conferences

Every year, Spring marks the cookbook awards season and on March 19, I learned that Into the Vietnamese Kitchen was up for three (3!!) awards. Two of them were from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), a respected professional organization. And the other was from the James Beard Foundation. Shazam! The first time out of the shoot. It's quite an honor to be in such rarefied company, which included these excellent works: Cradle of Flavor, The Sushi Experience, Memories of Philippine Kitchens, The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook, and The Soul of a New Cuisine. I was up for first book and international for the IACP awards, which were announced at the annual IACP conference in Chicago last week.

And the award for best international cookbook went to . . . my dear friend and soul brother James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine and author of Cradle of Flavor. The Lee brothers received the first book awards. The conference was good, and I led a panel with James and Elizabeth Andoh (author of Washoku) called "Going Underground: Roots, rhizomes and tubers in Asian cooking". Not as geeky as you may think. Our session was filled with standing room only!

In a few weeks, I'll be making my first trip to New York to attend the Beard Foundation Awards ceremony, where I'm up for best Asian cookbook. Cross your fingers! Regardless of the outcome, it's amazing to have the book recognized at such a level. I feel a bit like David versus Goliath. Nevertheless, it should be quite the party scene.

While in Chicago, I checked the Southeast Asian enclave around Argyle Street as well as the humongous Super H (owned by HMart) grocery store in Niles, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Chicago. About 40% Korean, the pan-Asian inventory was dizzyingly large -- the same size as the Home Depot that was in the shopping center. Super H is also like a deluxe mainstream American market in its cleanliness and orderliness. The kimchi was fantastic!

I was at the conference for five (5) days, and also had the pleasure of meeting Bich Minh Nguyen, author of Stealing Buddha's Dinner. A writing professor at Purdue University and recipient of the PEN/Jerard Fund Award, Bich has recently published a memoir of growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We often read about Viet people on the coasts or in the South, but what about the Midwest? Yep, it was cold, but Bich delivers more than weather descriptions. An extremely gifted writer, she cleverly uses food themes to convey the trials and tribulations of being an immigrant in America. The complex and poignant book is tender, funny, and charming -- just like Bich is in person. (And, she cooks from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen too!)

Vietnamese Tea

I just posted information that my father wrote on various types of Vietnamese tea. Tea is in these days. But hey, Vietnamese people have been drinking all kinds of tea (fresh, dried, leaves, and buds) for thousands of years. What prompted Bo Gia (Old Daddy) was a query I got about an unusual kind of tea called nu voi. Read on . . .

That's about it for now. Stay tuned for more or submit content for posting!

Take care,

Andrea