Goi Xoai Ca - Mango Salad w/ Cod

I went a little mango crazy this past week, the local grocery store was having a sale and the mangoes looked very promising. I love eating mangoes by itself but decided to switch things up as a salad. The mangoes were a tad bit unripe and very firm, perfect for a salad. It was till very tart which I like, but I know if I had made this for my mom she would be squirming. If you can't handle the sourness then I would suggest marinading the mangoes in a lot of sugar. For proteins I used some left over cod, it would have been great if I had some sashimi grade fish to make a mango ceviche but maybe next time. For little time and effort, you can take dinner to a tropical paradise!

Ingredients:

2 firm mangoes (julienned)

1 red bell pepper (julienned)

2 small carrots (julienned)

1 red onions (thinly sliced)

1 lb of cod

a bunch of Thai basil (rough chopped)

a bunch of Vietnamese coriander (rough chopped)

1 lime

Thai chili to your liking

fish sauce

sugar

olive oil

1. Marinade the mango, carrot, bell pepper, and onions w

ith 3 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit int he fridge for about 1-2 hours.

2. Heat up some olive oil in frying pan. Pan-fry the cod but

try not to over cook it. Remove from and let cool.

3. Removed the mango mixture and drain all the excess liquid.

4. Break the cod into large chunks with your chopstick and add squeeze half a lime on it.

5. Add 1-1.5 tablespoon of fish sauce to the mango mixture, 1/2 a lime, and chili to your liking. Mix together well. Add more fish sauce if the mango is still too sour for your taste.

6. Add the cod chunks and the chopped basil and coriander.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Bo Tai Me - Tamarind Beef Salad

I saw a friend posted a picture of his Bo Tai Chanh on Facebook last night. I literally stared at the screen in a dazed, it looked amazing! I could not stop thinking about it all day, all I want is some of that fresh tender sliced beef marinated in that tangy dressing. I could taste the spicy coriander leaves, sweet juicy onions, and fresh roasted crushed peanuts just thinking about the dish. I wasn't going to fight myself so off to the grocery store I went.

Since I already posted a recipe for Bo Tai Chanh, I decided to make something very similar. A while ago I had a dish at a local Vietnamese restaurant called Bo Tai Me. It tasted very similar to Bo Tai Chanh but with a hint of Me (tamarind). Even though it was called Bo Tai Me, I could taste the lime juice and it somewhat overpowered the tamarind flavor. For this recipe I really want the tamarind to be the star, I used less lime and a lot of tamarind. I hope you enjoy this refreshing dish as much as I did.

Ingredients:

2 lb of thinly sliced beef (eye round will suffice)

1 jar of tamarind concentrate

1 can of tamarind juice

3-4 pods of fresh tamarind removed from outer shell

1/2 large red onion thinly sliced

your choice of hot chili diced

a bunch of Vietnamese coriander leaves roughly chopped

crush peanuts

1/2 lime

fish sauce

sugar

vinegar

1. In a pot, bring the tamarind juice, fresh tamarind pod, and a 1/3 of the jar of tamarind concentrate to a boil.

2. Dip the 4-5 pieces of thinly slice beef into the tamarind boil for 5 second, remove and place in a mixing bowl. Repeat with the rest of the beef. I like my beef a little rare but everybody is different so how long you cook the beef is up to you.

3. Squeeze excess liquid from the beef, and have it ready in a mixing bowl.

4. Marinade the red onions with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar.

5. Mix 1 tablespoon of tamarind concentrate and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar together. This will be your dressing.

6. Add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce and all of the tamarind dressing to your sliced beef, mix well.

7. Add the red onion and chili to the beef and mix again.

8. Taste and add additional fish sauce and tamarind concentrate if needed.

9. Right before you serve toss in the chopped coriander, and the juice of 1/2 a lime.

10. Top your salad with crushed roasted peanuts and more coriander leaves you like.

Serve and enjoy!

Bun Mang Vit - Duck and Bamboo Vermicelli Noodle Soup

My dad is a major hoarder! Everyday he would come home with bags and bags of goodies or junk. Most of the time it's just whatever cheap he can find from Big Lots or K-mart. One day he drag home five frozen ducks from Aldi, yes I'm talking about the discount supermarket chain. Apparently they were only $6 for a whole duck! That weekend I came home for a visit and sure enough my mom put out the duck to thaw. She boil the duck in water to make a broth for Bun Mang Vit while I used the meat to make Goi Vit. Yes we were all skeptical but it turn out fantastic. The meat was tender and juicy, so much better and cheaper than what we would find at Meijer or even the Asian store. My dad was very happy that we all enjoyed the duck, in fact early the next morning he went back to Aldi to buy whatever was left. Since my mom had enough duck to last the whole winter I couldn't help snatching a few to take back with me.

Bun Mang Vit is one of my mom's favorite soup, my mom is a soup person so she has a lot of favorites. I consider it to be an easier soup to make because there is less ingredients to work with and less preparation. The hardest part about making this soup is probably working with the duck. Whole duck have a lot of fat, it's best that you trim most of it out or the soup will be very heavy to eat. I don't have much experience butchering a duck either as you will see in my pictures. The broth is made by simmering a whole duck with smashed ginger root and sliced bamboo. Since duck alone will not give enough natural sweetness to the broth, you can use additional pork bones or a can of chicken broth.  I prefer using dried bamboo from Vietnam over fresh bamboo from the States. I compare dried bamboo to pasta because you can achieve a chewy "al dente" texture. The smell of fresh bamboo can be really strong and I don't want it to overwhelm the broth. The broth to this soup is very simple, similar to a chicken broth with hints of ginger and bamboo. I always make a bowl of gingered fish sauce for Bun Mang Vit, it's great to dip the meat in and a teaspoon in every bowl enhances the soup.

Ingredients: (Makes about 4-5 bowls)


1/2 duck
1/2 lb of dried bamboo (don't use too much because it will expand)
1/2 lb of pork neck bones
1 large ginger
1 whole onion
water
salt
mushroom seasoning
rock sugar (the size of your thumb)
fish sauce
vermicelli rice noodle
green onions
cilantro
bean sprout

1. Rinse the dry bamboo with cold water.  Transfer to a pot and cover the bamboo with water.  You will need to boil the bamboo until tender.  Dry bamboo will give out a yellow/orange color.  If you want to achieve a clear broth, you'll want to change the water a couple time until the water doesn't turn too much color anymore. When the bamboo has soften, you'll want to discard any parts that are too chewy and then cut them into small strips.
2.  Par boil the pork bones and then rinse with plenty of water.  Set aside for later use.
3. Wash the duck with some salt and cut out as much fat as you can. Place duck in a 6 qt. pot (or a bigger pot if you are planning to use a whole duck)  and then fill with water.
4. Add some salt and let it come to a boil. Remove as much scum as you can.
5. Roast the ginger and onion in the oven.  Peel the skin after roasting. Smash the ginger in a mortar and pestle, this will bring out a lot of the juice. Add the smashed ginger and onion to the pot and let the duck cook fully.
6. Once the duck is fully cook, remove and let it cool down.
7.  Add the pork bones to the duck broth and fill the pot with more water.  Let pork bones simmer.
7. Add rock sugar , salt, and mushroom seasoning to the broth.  Continue to taste and add more salt if necessary.
8. Cut the duck into smaller section. You can throw meat back into the broth but I like to have them separate so I can eat it with the ginger fish sauce or eat it as a salad. I usually throw the bonier piece back into the pot.

9. Add the bamboo to the broth.  Taste with fish sauce if necessary.
10. Mince the green onions and cilantro.
11. Wash the bean sprouts.
12. Prepare gingered fish sauce.

Ginger Fish Sauce:

1/2 lime
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/4 tablespoon of sugar
chili
1 section of ginger

1. I like to smash the ginger and chili together with a mortar and pestle.
2. Add the sugar, fish, sauce, and lime juice and mix.

Goi Cuon Thit Ba Roi - Vietnamese Summer Roll w/ Pork Belly

I'm sure many of you are already familiar with Goi Cuon so I won't write too much about it. Like I have said before I love just about anything roll in rice paper. This particular Summer Roll has thinly sliced pork belly, shrimp, vermicelli rice noodle, lettuce, cucumber, and Chinese chives. Most Vietnamese restaurant serve Summer Roll as an appetizer along with a hoison-peanut sauce, I always ask for nuoc mam cham (diluted fish sauce) instead. I'm one of those people that really appreciate a good batch of nuoc mam cham. I actually base restaurant on how well they prepare their nuoc mam cham. I really do see a correlation between how well restaurant cook their food and how well they prepare their fish sauce. Making the perfect fish sauce for dipping require a balance between sugar, lime, chili, water, and fish sauce, and if you can master that you definitely can balance the flavor in other food. I sure have a lot to say about nuoc mam cham therefore I will save that entry for another time.

Ingredients:

pork belly
tiger shrimp
vermicelli rice noodle
rice paper
lettuceEnglish cucumber
Chinese chives
nuoc mam cham

1. Boil a portion of pork belly in water until it is fully cooked. Remove, let it cooled, and then slice thinly.
2. Boil the dry vermicelli rice noodle in water.
3. Cook shrimp the shrimp, in water or microwave, and then cut in half.
4. Wash the lettuce and chives and let it dry.
5. Thinly slice the cucumber into flat strips.

To Roll:

1. Have a bowl of hot water ready.
2. Reconstitute the rice paper in hot water and wait until it's flexible again.
3. Add the remaining ingredient be careful not to over stuff. Fold the two side toward the middle and then roll foward.

Serve with nuoc mam cham and enjoy!

Com Tam Suon Bi Trung - Broken Rice w/ Pork Chops, Shredded Pork, and Egg

My room mate mistakenly brought a bag of broken rice instead of the regular jasmine rice. I took it as a sign to finally write an entry about Com Tam. While I was in Vietnam, I love waking up to the smell of grilled pork chops. One of my grandparent's neighbor actually sells Com Tam for a living. Com Tam is a plate of broken rice topped with grilled pork chops amongst other things. The usual suspects for Com Tam is usually bi, cha, and trung opla but I have seen grilled shrimp, tofu, stuffed bean curd, and Chinese sausage. Whenever we are making Com Tam we like to set up a buffet of toppings and then you would just go around the table and build your Com Tam platter the way you like it. I like mine with just pork chops, bi, cha, and lots of good fish sauce.

Ingredients:

broken rice
4-5 pork chops (don't get them too thick)
bi
eggs
tomatoes/cucumber/lettuce (optional)
pickled vegetables (optional)
prepared fish sauce
cooking oil
2 stalk green onion
minced lemongrass
minced garlic
brown sugar
honey
oyster sauce
vegetable oil
mushroom seasoning


1. Marinade the pork chops with 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass, 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/3 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/4 tablespoon of brown sugar, a pinch of mushroom seasoning, 2 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil.  Marinade over night if you can.
2. Make the bi.
3. Cook a batch of broken rice the same way you would make regular rice.
4. Finely minced the green onions.
5. Heat up 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the green onion and sauteed until fragrance but do not let it burn.
6. Pan fry your pork chops and eggs to your liking.
7. Place some broken rice on a plate, brush some of the green onions and oil on the rice. Add the pork chop, bi, eggs, slices of tomatoes and cucumber, and lettuce. Brush on additional green onions and oil. Serve along with a bowl of prepare fish sauce, enjoy!

Vietnamese Herbs

Herb is a very important element of Vietnamese cuisine. Herbs are not just for garnish but it enhances the taste and smell of each dish. A bowl of pho is not the same without a couple leaves of Thai basil. You simply cannot replace Vietnamese coriander with any other herb when you make Goi Ga. Each herb has a specific aroma and taste that compliment and complete a dish. In this entry I will only reference the best usage for specific herbs when preparing Vietnamese food. I do not have pictures for everything yet but will continue to update. Please visit Vietherbs if you would like more detailed information and pictures.

Hung Que (Thai Basil)

Soup: Pho, Bun Bo Hue
Salad: Goi Du Du, Bo Tai Chanh, Goi Ngo Sen, Goi Xoai Xanh
Others: Banh Cuon, Cha Gio

Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander)

Soup: Banh Canh Cua, Canh Ca Chua
Salad: Goi Ga, Goi Vit, Goi Do Bien, Hen Suc Banh Trang, Ga Xe Phay
Others: Seafood, Hot Vit Lon, Tiet Canh

Tia To (Vietnamese Perilla):
Usually an accompaniment for soups with seafood and it does goes very well with blood cubes.

Soup: Bun Rieu, Canh Bun, Bun Oc
Others: Doi Tiet

He (Chinese Chives)
Soup: Canh Dau Hu, Hu Tieu, Mi
Others: Goi Cuon, Gia Xao, Mien Xao, Mi Xao

Ngo Gai (Sawtooth Cilantro)
Soup: Pho, Mien Ga, Chao Long
Salad: Goi Do Bien, Tiet Canh

Ngo (Cilantro)
Chopped cilantro is often mixed together with green onions to topped off most soups

Ti La (Vietnamese Dill)
Soup: Canh Ca Ca Chua, Canh Khoai So
Others: Cha Ca Thang Long

Goi Ga - Shredded Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Goi Gai is one of my favorite salad, it only comes in a close second to Goi Vit(Vietnamese Duck Salad). I always have to have some when I'm back in Vietnam. Vietnamese chicken, often refer as walking chicken, is so much better than chicken from the States. The meat is firm and more fragrance. The skin, my favorite part, is chewy not mushy. My mom would buy live chicken around the holidays, slaughtering them is a hassle but so worth it. Whenever I visit home, I would turn the outside freezer inside out hoping there is still some left. You can also use Cornish hen at the American supermarket, there is some firmness to their meat. They are quite small so you might have to use two. Goi ga is often made with shredded cabbage but be creative. I like to add lotus roots and shredded banana blossom if I have some lying around. The herb is especially important for this salad, it's just not the same to me if I did not use Vietnamese coriander. Each bite should have a tang from the lime, the aroma of the ground pepper, and finally the spiciness of the coriander leaves. Every single ingredients makes a difference!


Ingredients:

1 Cornish hen
1/2 head of cabbage
1 medium sweet onion
Vietnamese coriander
limes
fresh chili
sea salt
ground pepper
fish sauce
sugar
vinegar

1. Shred the cabbage into thin stripes.

2. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of vinegar and then pour over cabbage. Let it soak in the fridge.
3. Boil the chicken in a pot of water. When chicken is fully cooked, remove and cool. You can use the broth to make soup.
4. Thinly sliced the onions, set aside for later use.
5. Rinse the coriander, and let dry. Once dry, rough chop and set aside.

6. Once the chicken has cooled, begin to shred the meat and skin. You want to have a good size bite so don't over shred. Don't strip the bones clean, leave some meat. The bones goes in the salad as well.

7. Drain the excess liquid from the cabbage. You don't have to squeeze it so it stays crispy.
8. Combine cabbage, chicken, and onions in a mixing bowl. Add a couple dash of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, and the juice of 1 lime. Mix thoroughly and then taste. Add more lime juice if needed as well as salt or pepper.
9. Minced some fresh chili and add to the salad.
10. When the salad is to your liking, add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve and enjoy!