Viet World Kitchen

Mystery Dumpling - Banh Mang

A few days ago, my friend Terrence Khuu came over for dinner with these beauties here. His mom, a cook at Le Colonial in San Francisco, makes these not for the restaurant, but for family and friends. I was luck to be among the "friends" category.

The skin is soft and supple like banh cuon steamed rice flour sheets. But they didn't harden in the fridge. She makes them in a nonstick skillet and fills the crepe with chopped shrimp, which she seasons lightly and includes the roe pulled from the shrimp head. Mang is bamboo shoot in Vietnamese but she opted for thin shreds of jicama, which is more delicately flavored.

Each one was about 4-inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Accompanying sauces included lightly sweetened coconut milk and a light ginger, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar sauce. You can eat banh mang with one of the sauces or combine the two.

Terrence and his family are from the Can Tho area in the southern region of Vietnam. He says this kind of food is popular there. Though Terrence is a chef, his mom isn't willing to let him in on the secret. I'm not familiar with this little treat, which we only served half of to guests and saved the rest for ourselves!

Any of you heard of banh mang or know how to make it?

Grilled Beef and Jicama Salad

Last week we had a discussion on "What is Modern Asian Cuisine" and in the past, we talked about authenticity in cooking. Today, I experienced  and cooked 'modern' Asian cuisine. It was borne out of  necessity.

We had two friends from Los Angeles announce last week that they were coming for lunch. My husband and I are awful on Monday mornings (or any morning for that fact) so what to prepare was an issue. Restaurants are not great where we live so it's better to whip something up. What I prepared was a salad of jicama, green apple, carrot, basil and grilled beef. 

In the Viet repertoire, grilled beef might be paired with green papaya or mango for a salad. I didn't have time to go to an Asian market for green papaya but was at my neighborhood store and there was jicama, a favorite Viet vegetable that can be eaten raw with chile and salt or cooked in a stir-fry. Once wilted, jicama retains its crunch -- which is precisely what green papaya would do too. So there was my substitute.

Because jicama is boringly white, a little orange carrot was called for -- cut into fine shreds for slivers of color. Still not visually exciting. Lots of Vietnamese cooks in America use tart green apple as a stand-in for star-fruit and other sour fruits, so I threw some in. Then some coarsely chopped basil (I jused regular because I lacked foresight to get Thai basil at the farmer's market last Saturday). I also threw in a small handful of fried shallot from the fridge. The dressing was the usual chile, lime, fish sauce and sugar combo, but I made it a tad sweeter than usual because of the apple's tartness.

Salads like these are typically plush but also somewhat crunchy. The ingredients are manipulated somehow to retain crispness but also yield to the dressing. Jicama, carrot, and apple are all too crunchy on their own so I poured the dressing on and left it for a few minutes. The acid, salt, and sugar, softened those ingredients without making them limp and wimpy.

The result was amazingly good. This is a light salad that fits in with summer barbecues and can be served for lunch or dinner.

So what's modern about it? I applied traditional ideas to fresh ingredients that were at hand to make tasty food. The concept is old-fashioned but the combination is new. Best of all, it worked.

Grilled Beef and Jicama Salad

For the kecap manis, go to an Asian market and check the Indonesian and Malay section. It comes in a tall slender dark bottle and is thick like molasses. Kecap manis is one of my favorite ingredients. You have to add salt as it's not salty like soy sauce.

Serves 4

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 or 2 Thai chiles, minced

2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kecap manis (sweet Malay soy sauce) or dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light (regular) soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound beef steak, such as flank, top sirloin or bottom sirloin (cut thicker cuts into 1/2-inch thick pieces)
1 2/3 pounds jicama, peeled, quartered, and cut into thick matchsticks
1 carrot, cut into julienne or fine shreds
1 Granny Smith apple or other tart apple, cut into matchsticks and tossed with generous 1 teaspoon lime juice to prevent browning
1/2 lightly packed cups coarsely chopped Thai or Italian basil
1/4 cup fried shallot or chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing, using the lesser quantity of sugar. Taste and add more sugar for a more sweet finish than a tart one. Set aside.

2. Make the marinade by combining the garlic, pepper, kecap manis, soy sauce and oil on a plate. Taste and add extra salt as needed. Add the steaks and coat well. Set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 3.

3. Combine the jicama, carrot, and apple in a bowl. Toss to distribute well. Set aside.

4. Grill the steak over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to a plate, cover with a foil tent and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal into 3-inch long pieces.

5. To serve, add the basil and fried shallots to the jicama mixture. Add the dressing and toss. Let things sit for about 2 minutes, or until the salad has slightly softened. Divide the vegetables among the plates, leaving any excess dressing behind. Top with the beef and bring to the table.

What is Modern Asian Cuisine?

I ponder this on a regular basis. Doesn't something become modern the moment you prepare it because you can't exactly replicate the experience of the past? Also, modern approaches for me mean using cooking implements like food processors and maybe reducing the amount of fat, salt, or sugar in dishes. However, it doesn't mean letting go of or forgetting the past.

Simon Bao sent me his observations from watching recent episodes of Top Chef. As usual, Simon's acerbic wit makes for a terrific read. Take a look and let us all know your thoughts:

What is Modern Asian Cuisine?  Well...  I'm confident that there are a few chefs out there who do actually have a meaningful definition of that.  As there once were meaningful definitions of Fusion and Pan-Asian and Pacific-Rim.

But...  you KNOW what happens with these phrases. 

Let me give you a fast run-down on the most alarming Modern Asian Cuisine that the American public will have seen all year.  Read this when you have a few free moments, you'll really want to catch what happened.

Three chefs were on one team, and all three have backgrounds in "Asian Cuisine."  One, Dale Talde, is a sous chef at Buddakan.  Another, Spike Mendelsohn, was chef de cuisine at Mai House and claims to have studied Viet cuisine for 2 years.  (He's the guy who made the Apples & Fish Goi Cuon.)  Another, Lisa Fernandes, has worked in NYC at Asia de Cuba, Rain, and Public.

So for the Restaurant Wars challenge, those 3 decided to name their (one-night-only) restaurant Mai Buddha, and to feature their best takes on "Modern Asian Cuisine."

For appetizer, Dale Talde came up with Butterscotch Miso Scallops.  Some seared scallops sauced with something made from caramelized sugar, scotch whisky, butter, and buckets of blond miso paste.  With lots more miso paste right on the plate.  People thought it was disgusting, and was a major reason he was eliminated.  The scallops were plated with some pickled long beans.

Lisa's starter course was a Spicy Coconut Laksa with Grilled Prawns & Vermicelli.  It almost looks like a usual Laksa except...  she made the broth from the carcasses of smoked chickens.  Just sniffing the aroma of the soup was compared to sticking one's face over a camp fire.  I've asked around, whether there are any forms of Laksa that are ever made with a smoked chicken broth, or broth from any kind of smoked animal, so far no one has said they've heard of that.  The smokiness almost got Lisa eliminated.

There were bitter disputes over the entree, Braised Short Ribs with Pickled Red Cabbage & Apple Basil Thai Salad.  Spike took credit for it, Dale disputed that, Spike said well it was his recipe, Dale said he did all the work.  In any case, it was short ribs braised in a not very Asian liquid, served with almost none at all of the non-Asian pickled red cabbage, and a salad that turned out to be just julienned Granny Smith apples and chopped Thai basil.  That's it.

Lisa's dessert offering was Thai Mango Sticky Rice with Toasted Coconut, and it almost got her sent off in disgrace.  They didn't use Sticky Rice for it, Dale found something on a supermarket shelf and handed it to Lisa, telling her "Here, they use this for dessert."  No one knows what kind of rice it was, but it wasn't Sticky Rice.  The liquids used in cooking and plating the rice, garnished with toasted coconut, caused one diner to say it was like "Baby vomit with wood chips."

Dale Talde's dessert was a Filipino green avocado Halo Halo with Cantelope.  There were no great complaints about that, except that he'd put in avocados with extensive brown, spoiled areas on them.

So, that's what Modern Asian Cuisine is.  People surrendering to the temptation to always make the proteins the centerpiece and overwhelming majority of what's eaten.  General neglect of the vegetables, neglect of the salad plate or fresh herbs.  A missed opportunity to present diners with even just a little black rice or red rice as the bed for that braised beef.  No notion of plating the beef with a fast stir-fry of (pre-blanched) "Vegetable Medley" to at least represent the cuisines they're drawing from.

So, the Mai Buddha team lost, there were recriminations and accusations all over the place.

And I despair of what viewers are going to think of "Asian Cuisine."

:-)

Oh, and it may or may not be connected, but after his incredibly dismal performance on Top Chef, Spike Mendelsohn is no longer chef de cuisine at Mai House.  Rumors fly of harsh and ugly words on the sidewalk, high drama, anger and bitterness vented in public, between Nieporent and "Chef Spike."

Oddly enough, Lisa Fernandes of the smoky Laksa and baby vomit sticky rice is now chef de cuisine at Mai House.

Troi oi. [OMIGOD in Vietnamese]  :-)

Trout Simmered with Orange Peel and Caramel Sauce (Ca Kho Cam)

In Vietnam, fish simmered in caramel sauce is everyday soul food. The dark, bittersweet, savory fish is a great with rice. Depending on the cook and her/his resources, such a fish kho ("kaw") can be super intensely flavored and salty so as to get people to eat more rice than fish.

You can simmer most any kind of fish, big or small. On my last visit to my folks, my mom and dad served us a trout kho with strips of orange peel. It was full of citrus fragrance and not at all bitter, given the fact that the white pith is kept as part of the mix.

My husband liked it so much he suggested we make it when we got home. Our neighbor has a tangelo tree so I used one of the fruits. But you can feature orange like my folks. If you use store bought fruit, do try to buy an organic one or remember to scrub the wax of the fruit before using it.

If you have caramel sauce in your pantry, this is a great way to fix trout, which by the way, is among the good sustainable fish to consume in the United States. Caramel sauce is a stealth Vietnamese staple that's something worth having on hand.

Fish kho is great for advance preparation as it actually tastes better after sitting around for a couple of days. It ages, I suppose.

Trout and Orange Peel Simmered in Caramel Sauce
Ca Kho Cam

Serves 4 to 6 along with 2 or 3 other dishes

 1 (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound) whole gutted trout, trimmed of fins and cut into 1-inch steaks (keep or discard the head)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
Peel of 1/2 orange or tangelo, cut into 1/4-inch-wide, 2-inch-long strips
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1. In a saucepan, combine the fish with the peppercorns, salt, caramel sauce and fish sauce, coating the fish well. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.

2. Add the peel, oil, and onion to the saucepan. Gently stir thing so that these seasonings are well distributed.

3. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to simmer gently, and cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Uncover, add water to just cover the fish. Replace the lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and adjust the heat, as necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid level has reduced by half.

4. Turn off the heat, taste, and make any flavor adjustments before serving. When making in advance, partially cover with the lid, and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Reheat over medium or medium-low heat, adding a little water to facilitate things, as necessary. Enjoy with lots of rice.

Vietnamese Red Rice

There are certain dishes that people ask me about and Vietnamese red rice is one of them. It's a dish that's become popular in a number of Vietnamese restaurants abroad -- a diaspora dish, if you will. It's not part of the Vietnamese repertoire in the sense of being a classic dish that says, "I'm Vietnamese!" On the other hand, what makes something a classic? Perhaps, a particular food becomes a classic if over time, enough cooks make it and enough people like it.

There's a red sticky rice called xoi gac in traditional Vietnamese cooking where sweet rice is coated in the red-orange pulp of the gac fruit (Mormordica cochinensis), a spiky volleyball-sized fruit that's related to bitter melon. That slightly sweet, rich xoi gac sticky rice is associated with celebratory occasions, like weddings, because its reddish color symbolizes prosperity and good luck. Usually, the rice is paired with roasted meats like crispy pork or duck.

I imagine that Vietnamese red rice is a take on xoi gac, only it's made with long-grain rice and is essentially a glorified fried rice. The difference is that the rice is cooked in butter and lots of garlic. Vietnamese restaurants, like their Chinese brethen, have lots of rice around so why not make fried rice?

I recently purchased a copy of the Red Lantern Vietnamese restaurant cookbook from Australia and there was the red rice recipe. I gave it a whirl , found it to be a tad greasy and bland, and adapted the recipe here for you to try.

For those of you who love this rice, let me know if it comes close to what you've enjoyed in Vietnamese restaurants. And if you try the recipe, do tell us all about your personal tweaks!

Red Rice
Com Do

Like all good fried rice, cook your rice on the firm side (use less water than usual) so that the grains retain their individuality. Then let the rice dry out in the refrigerator. If you have leftover rice, here's a great way to use it up! The rice will literally fry without soaking up tons of fat. The less moisture the better for fried rice, lest it becomes soggy. That's why the tomato paste is a champ and giving the rice great color and a touch of sweet flavor. As for the Maggi Seasoning Sauce . . . I like it for some savory depth.   

Pair the rice with wok seared (shaking) beef (thit bo luc lac) or grilled or roasted meats. Something rich here is nice -- something you'd eat with knife and fork. I served mine with a pan-seared pork chop seasoned with shallot, garlic, garam masala, fish sauce, and kecap manis.   

Serves 3 to 4

4 cups cooked long-grain rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Scant 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Maggi Seasoning Sauce or light (regular) soy sauce

1. Put the rice on a baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours, until it is dry enough for you to gently crumble in your hands. Midway through, turn the rice to ensure even drying. Before cooking, return the rice to room temperature.

2. To make the rice, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the frothing subsides, add the garlic, and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, until the garlic no longer smells raw and turning blond. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the rice and turn it red. Increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until the rice is heated through.

Sprinkle in the salt and Maggi Seasoning Sauce and stir to combine well. For extra richness, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Continue to gently fry the rice for another 1 to 2 minutes, to sear in the flavors. Remove from the heat, taste and add extra salt, if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Wok-Seared "Shaking" Beef - Thit Bo Luc Lac

Some Vietnamese foods have been poorly translated into English, and thit bo luc lac is one of them. Thit bo means beef and luc lac refers to how you have to shake the skillet or wok to cook the small pieces of meat. For years, my husband expected the meat to quiver and I assured him that the dish wasn't all that dramatic. It's had its usefulness at crossover Vietnamese restaurant menus where it's presented as the meaty option for steak lovers. Let's just say it's become downright popular, despite it not being part of many Vietnamese home cook's repertoire. It's actually a celebratory dish.

In general, Vietnamese people, like many other Asian people, don't eat large piece of meat unless they're cut into small pieces. We just traditionally didn't (and people still don't) have enough meat for things like roast beef. And, if you slice anything up, it will feed people on biblical proportions! In the case of thit bo luc lac, named after the back and forth shaking of the skillet as you sear the cubes of beef, was likely a clever dish invented to deal with tough cuts of steak.  Many Vietnamese restaurants in America prepare this dish with super tender, expensive fillet but it's rather hard to find such a splendid preparation in Vietnam. And the beef you get in Vietnam is likely to be tough and from an animal that's walked plenty of miles and eaten lots of grass, not grain. The meat will have some good chew and flavor. It's not for those with weak teeth.

Abroad we have lots of good tender, flavorful  beef for tasty renditions of this dish without having to spend tons of money. When I prepare "shaking" beef, I use my favorite inexpensive cut of beef -- trip tip (bottom sirloin, cullotte steak) and have the butcher select marbly pieces. At my local grocery store, Shopper's Corner, I typically pay about$6/pound for the steaks. Once home, I trim off most of the excess fat before cutting the beef into cubes.

With its peppery bite, the watercress is a great contrast to the beef. Coating the watercress in a light dressing and then putting the hot beef over the top, the cress wilts ever so slightly and the beef juices and dressing blend together into a tangy sauce that's great spooned over rice. This is a pretty easy dish to whip up from readily available ingredients.

Wok-seared "Shaking" Beef
Thit Bo Luc Lac

Use both the light and dark soy sauces if you want a little extra deep color. Feel free to dress up the final platter with some tomato wedges.

1 1/4 pound tri-tip (bottom sirloin/culotte) steaks

Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon regular (light) soy sauce, or 2 teaspoons regular (light) and 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Dressing:
1 shallot, thinly sliced (1/4 cup total)
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 or 2 pinches salt
3 to 5 cracks black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water

4 cups watercress, use only the tender leafy parts
2 tablespoon canola or peanut oil

1. Trim excess fat from the steaks and then cut each into 3/4-inch cubes. In a bowl, combine the pepper, sugar, garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce. Add the beef and toss well to coat. Set aside to marinade for 2o minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. For the dressing, put the shallot in a mesh strainer and rinse under water for about 10 seconds to reduce some of the harshness. In large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar and water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the shallot. Put the watercress on top but hold off on tossing.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and spread it out in one layer. Cook in batches, if necessary. Let the beef sear for about 1 minute, before shaking the wok or skillet to sear another side. Cook for another 30 seconds or so and shake. Cook the beef for about 4 minutes total, until nicely browned and medium rare.

In between shakes, toss the watercress and transfer onto a platter or serving dish. When the beef is done, pile the beef on to of the watercress and serve immediately with lots of rice.

Hainan Chicken and Rice

Since we've been talking about what is authenticity in Asian food and mixing things up, it got me thinking about a great dish -- Hainan chicken and rice. The one dish wonder comes from the island of Hainan off the coast of China. Called Hai Nam in Vietnamese, the surrounding waters of the oil-rich island has been the subject of maritime dispute was disputed territory between China and Vietnam for years ago and Vietnam skill keeps its eyes on foreign oil contracts related to the territory.

Chickens are precious in Asian kitchens so take a whole one, poaching and eating it is saved for special occasions like Tet in Vietnam. For that reason, a dish like Hainan chicken and rice is a grand thing indeed. It's a resourceful dish because practically all the parts of the bird are used!

First the chicken is gently poached and then the cooking broth is cooked down a bit and used to cook the rice, which is fried in a little chicken fat. The chicken is cooled to room temp and cut up to be served with the flavorful rice.  A dipping sauce flavored with the broth and sometimes gilded with chicken fat accompanies the chicken. The leftover broth is served as soup on the side.

In Vietnam, we typically poach chicken and serve it under a layer of super finely shredded tender lime leaves. The sauce is salt, pepper, lime juice and fresh chile. Hainan chicken and rice is just a few steps further beyond that. I ate many versions on my recent trip to Asia and the best rendition was in Singapore. After returning home, I replicated it, but added my own Viet touch, a bit of nuoc mam in the broth.

Typically, there's a fresh ginger dipping sauce. In Singapura, they serve a sweetened soy sauce and a super duper spicy chile sauce. I've offered all three below for you to choose. You can make these sauces 1 or 2 days in advance to cut down on the work. In developing this recipe, Singapore food expert Christopher Tan's book Shiok!  was quite helpful.

Find a good chicken for this dish. I used a Buff Orpinton raised by Deep Roots Ranch in Watsonville, and the fat that I got was oh so yellow and flavorful. It's lean bird, what you'd say is chewy in Vietnamese terms. Chinese markets have terrific whole chickens, with the head and feet attached. Or just go to your grocer and find the best your pocketbook can afford.

And, that shocking in ice business after poaching? It firms up the skin and puts a great layer of gelatin underneath. The process is a little secret among master chicken poachers. Enjoy.

Hainan Chicken and Rice
Com Ga Hai Nam

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course

For the chicken:
1 whole high quality chicken (about 31/2 pounds)
5 quarter-sized slices ginger, peeled or unpeeled, crushed with the broad side of a cleaver or chef's knife
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce

For the rice:
2 cups raw long-grain rice, such as Thai jasmine
4 tablespoons chicken fat (take from poaching liquid) or peanut oil
1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
4 fresh or thawed pandan leaves, tied together in one loose knot (optional)
Salt, to taste

Sauce option 1: Ginger sauce
2-inch chubby section ginger (about 2 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce option 2: Singapore chili sauce
2 or 3 large red chiles, such as Fresno, cayenne, or long chile, coarsely chopped
2 or 3 hot Thai chiles, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon hot chicken poaching broth

Sauce option 3: Sweet Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon light (regular) soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 -1/2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce, such as Sriracha

Garnishes
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced or cut into wedges
4 or 5 sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Cut off the head, neck, wing tips and feet - extraneous parts that are on your chicken. Use a heavy cleaver to cut the neck and wings into halves or thirds. Aim to cut through the bone. Set aside.

2. Select a pot that the chicken snugly fits into with about an inch clearance between the top of breast and the edge of the pot. Fill it halfway with water and add the extraneous parts that you just cut up, along with the ginger, onion, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and add the chicken.

When the pot returns to a boil, lower the heat to gently simmer. Bubbles should softly dance at the surface. Basing your cooking time on the chicken's original weight, poach for 10 minutes per pound (a 31/2-pound fryer takes 35 minutes). Use tongs to rotate the chicken halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Near the end of the cooking time, get a large bowl of ice water ready and set it near the stove. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and plunge it in the ice water. Turn the chicken to expose it to the cold water. Drain and place the chicken on a plate. Let it cool completely before slicing. Leave it at room temperature if serving soon, or cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring it to room temperature before cutting.

3. Meanwhile, add the fish sauce to the broth. Boil the broth until it has reduced by one-third, or until its flavor has concentrated enough for your taste. Turn off the heat and, skim the fat - reserving it for cooking the rice. Strain the broth into another pan. Discard the solids. Cover and set aside while the chicken cools.

4. For the rice, rinse the rice and let it drain for 10 minutes in a mesh strainer positioned over a bowl. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a near simmer in a small saucepan, and then cover to keep it hot.

5. In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of chicken fat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer raw smelling, 1 to 2 minutes. Firmly shake the strainer of rice to expel any hidden water, and then add the rice to the pot. Stir constantly with a large spoon until the grains are opaque white and feel light, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly, measure out 2 1/2 cups of hot broth and add the broth and expect dramatic boiling. Immediately give the pot a big stir, reduce the heat to medium to simmer, and let the rice simmer vigorous.

Cook the rice for a few minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until most of the water has been absorbed and the surface looks glossy and thick; small craters/holes may form too. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes to firm up and finish cooking. Uncover, fluff with chopsticks or a fork, and then cover. Wait 5 minutes before serving. The rice will stay warm for 30 minutes.

6. Make one, two or all of the sauces and set at the table:

For the ginger sauce, put the ginger, oil, salt, and 1 tablespoon of hot chicken poaching broth (take it from the pot) into a small electric mini chopper and process to a fine texture. Taste and add up to 2 more tablespoons of poaching broth. Transfer to a dipping sauce dish.

For the Singapore chili sauce, put all of the ingredients, the large red chiles, Thai chiles, garlic
Ginger, sugar, salt, lime juice and 1 tablespoon hot chicken poaching broth into a small electric mini chopper and process to a semi-coarse sauce. Transfer to a dipping sauce dish.

For the sweet soy sauce, combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili sauce in a dipping sauce container, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

7. To serve, use a sharp knife to detach each wing at the shoulder joint. Separate the two wing sections and use a meat-chopping cleaver to chop them into smaller pieces. (Or, keep them whole.) Arrange them on one large serving plate or two small ones. Remove the breasts and leg and thigh quarters. Cut the meat off the bone and slice it into bite-size pieces. Add them to the serving plate(s) in a nice arrangement, skin side up for a beautiful presentation. (Guests may remove the skin while eating.) Finish by scattering cilantro on top.

Bring the broth to a near boil and taste, adding extra salt if necessary. Strain the broth into a large soup bowl and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve immediately with the chicken, rice, cucumber and tomato slices, and dipping sauces.

You may have guests eat the broth out of a rice bowl and the rice and chicken from a plate, using fork and spoon as primary utensils.

Lobster Pho a la Emeril Lagasse

Miko from Seattle worked very hard to make an authentic pho noodle soup of his own last year. He was aghast at a lobster pho recipe presented on an episode of Emeril Lagasse's show that airs on the food network.

The recipe has you simmer broth ingredients for about 15 minutes and though there's star anise, there are also lobster bodies. Strain the broth and serve over rice noodles with lobster meat. Miko says on the show, there were some sliced cooked pork and Chinese sausages too but no bean sprouts. In the online recipe I saw no Chinese sausage (lop cheung/lap suong) but the sprouts were there. It's like a quick noodle soup that he made, and not a pho. But he had to frame it in some manner that fit the episode, which was called "Lovin' Lobster" and orginally aired in 2006.

Strange... there are many kinds of inventive pho that feature seafood but I've never seen one with lobster. I don't think you'd get a big bowl for less than $20!

I've held you in suspense long enough. Here's a link to the recipe:

Emeril Lagasse's Lobster Pho

What are your reactions?

Stir-fried Very Baby Bok Choy

Today is a light eating day because I'm leaving on a business trip to Asia tonight. Before I fly anywhere, I try to consume modest fare that won't upset my stomach. For this evening -- it was brown rice (Rory cooked up a blend of  Golden Phoenix brand of Thai red and brown jasmine), seared tofu and this nice little stir-fried vegetable.

I know, the bok choy is tiny. (The photo here was taken from my 14-inch wok. ) I'm not one to fall all over mini vegetables, like mini zucchini or carrots that look cute but have no substance. However, on Clement Street in San Francisco, I found some super fresh tiny bok choy. Sometimes called "Extra Dwarf Pak Choi" (see Kitizawa Seed company's description) the 2-inch high little lovelies were chubby, compact, and full of flavor. I got a bag (about 11/2 pounds) for this simple stir-fry with garlic and oyster sauce. My last homemade meal was made spectacular by this dish.

Stir-fried Baby Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic

1 1/2 pounds very baby (dwarf) bok choy, each one halved lengthwise

Flavoring sauce:
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
11/2 teaspoons canola oil or sesame oil
2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
11/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the bok choy. When the water returns to a boil, let the vegetables cook for another minute, until just tender. Drain, flush with cold water and set aside.

2. Combine the flavoring sauce ingredients. Taste and make any adjustments needed. You want a savory-briny-sweet taste. Set aside.

3. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, ginger and garlic. Cook for about 30 to 45 seconds until aromatic. Add the bok choy, give things a stir and cook for about 2 minutes, until heated through. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the flavoring sauce and keep cooking for another minute or so, stirring, to coat the vegetables well.  The bok choy will weep a bit of water.

4. Give the cornstarch a stir before adding it to the vegetables. Cook for another 30 seconds, or until thickened, and glossy. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Fried Catfish with Ginger Lime Sauce

Vietnamese food isn't complicated stuff and often times, it's a rather simple combination of flavor and involves just a few ingredients. The other day, catfish fillet was on sale at the market and it looked good -- thick and with some slimy gloss, a sign of freshness. I bought 2 pounds to fry. Admittedly, catfish steaks would be fried if I was feeling like a purist, but I was looking for a simple home-cooked entree.

One of my favorite recipes is to panfry catfish and then make a relish of slow cooked onion and ginger with a splash of fish sauce at the end. That childhood favorite takes a long time to fry so I decided to deep fry. I was low on onion but high on lime so I opted for a classic Vietnamese. ginger lime dipping sauce (nuoc mam gung), which is often served with seafood. The result was fast, easy and delish. If you're afraid of deep frying, know that this is pretty low on the drama factor. It's very gentle and relatively fast. There was plenty of leftovers, which I refried a couple days later for another meal.

Fried Catfish with Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

Chubby 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 or 3 limes)
21/2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 pounds catfish fillet
1/4 cup cornstarch, potato starch or tapioca starch
Canola or corn oil, for deep frying

1. Make the dipping sauce first. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, lime juice, and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Taste and adjust the flavors with more lime sugar or sugar as needed. The ginger and lime should both be prominent, but not to the point that they make you wince and pucker. Add the fish sauce, starting out with 2 tablespoons and adding more as your palate dictates. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the ginger bloom before serving.

2. Blot the fish dry with paper towel and then cut each fillet into squarish pieces, each about 2 by 2 inches big.

3. Use a medium saucepan, flat-bottomed wok, deep skillet, or 5-quart Dutch oven to fry the fish in. Pour in the oil to a depth of 3/4 to 1 inch and heat over medium-high heat to about 350ºF on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if bubbles rise immediately to the surface, the oil is ready. )

4. As the oil heats up, toss the fish in the cornstarch, lightly tapping off the excess. Working in batches, slide the fish into the oil and fry for 2 to 4 minutes, flipping midway, until the fish is golden and lightly crisp. Scoop from the oil and drain on paper towel or a rack placed inside a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fish. When you're about to serve, if any pieces of fish have softened, briefly refry them to crisp them up. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.