Ga Roti - Vietnamese Inspired Roasted Chicken

I was re-introduced to this dish by a friend of mine. I was staying with her for the summer and she offer me food that her parents pack for her from home. My first thought upon trying her mom's ga roti is confusion. It tasted so familiar yet I can't seem to remember if I had it before. It looks like ga kho (braised chicken) but it has a sweet soy flavor to it. I was instantly a fan! I called my food guru right away, my mom, and asked her why she never made us this tasty chicken. Apparently she makes this very often but just not the same style. Instead of braising, my mom choose to pan fried her chicken. Awesome I no longer feel like I was cheated out of this dish.

I gather a couple recipes from my friend's mom, my aunt,and my mom. It took a couple of practice round but I am finally satisfy with this recipe. I much prefer my ga roti braised in the soy sauce until it becomes a rich glaze. Drizzling that sweet glaze over hot steamed rice is just heaven. Like the way my mom makes Ga Ragu, I too put coconut juice in my Ga Roti. The end result is just amazing, the meat is so tender that it falls off the bones.

Ingredients:

12 pieces of chicken (thighs and drumsticks)

2 shallot minced

2 garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

1 teaspoon of five spice
1teaspoon of chili powder

2 tablespoon of fish sauce

2 teaspoon of chicken boullion

4 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon of brown sugar

1/2 can of coconut soda (coco rico)

1. Rinse and dry the chicken.

2. Combine all the ingredients except for the coconut juice. Add the mixture to the chicken to marinade for about 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat up cooking oil in a pan/pot. Pan seared the outside of the chicken, save the marinade for later.

4. Add the rest of the marinade and the coconut juice. Let chicken cook in sauce on medium heat for about 30 minutes or until sauce thicken into a glaze.

5. Ocassionally turn the chicken from side to side so they sauce will coat the the chicken evenly.

Enjoy!

Kona Grill

Kona Grill
14395 Clay Terrace Blvd # 180
Carmel, IN 46032
(317) 566-1400

Kona Grill is the first restaurant I tried in Indianapolis, way back in high school. I was visiting a friend who loves sushi and Kona happen to be one of his favorite. Even though it was years ago I still remember my unforgettable experience, seared swordfish that was oh so moist! Now that I live here, I occasionally go to Kona for their happy hour specials and sushi. On my most recent visit I decided to try something off the dinner menu, something i rarely do anymore. It was a satisfying meal for me but a bumpy ride for my friends.

Kona is located at Clay Terrace outside mall in Carmel. It offers American cuisine with an edge, exciting Asian fusion, fresh seafood, and award-winning sushi. The ambience is very chic. You have the option of sitting in the dining area, patio, or at the bar. I highly recommend the bar area because you have front row seats to the gigantic fish tank filled with exotic fish. The prices can get expensive depending one what you order, especially steaks and seafood. Don't worry you are not just paying for the service and atmosphere, the food is actually really good.

We went during the happy hour special so we just couldn't pass up the $5 calamari. The calamari is fried in a light batter and serve with a spicy mayo sauce. It is crispy on the outside yet still tender on the inside. I order the calamari on every visit and it just doesn't get old!

Next up is the happy hour sushi roll for just $3. You can choose rolls with crab, shrimp, salmon, tuna, or some vegetarian option. The happy hour sushi are tasty for the money but I much prefer the sushi off the regular menu. I like big rolls filled with all sort of seafood that you can barely get into your mouth.

For the main course, I ordered the fresh seafood linguine with mussel, scallop, and shrimp. The linguine is toss in a creamy tomato sauce, very subtle in flavor but in a good way. The mussels were grilled separately and added to the pasta before serving. I'm usually not a fan of mussels but the sweetness made them my favorite part of the meal. I expected a lot of pasta and a few shrimp here and there but as you can see you get plenty.

My friends shared the pork tenderloin topped with a shitake mushroom sauce. It also came with a nice helping of white cheddar mashed potatoes and sauteed baby bok choy. Unfortunately, the baby bok choy was the best thing about the dish. The tenderloin was drenched in the mushroom sauce which is such a turn off because it really take away the natural flavor of the meat. After trying a bite I was a bit glad for the sauce because the pork was dry and bland. I guess we came on a bad night for the pork tenderloins because my friends have had them before and loved it.

The pork tenderloin certainly did not scare me away. I have had so many good experiences at Kona that I will return for more. If you are ever in the north side, give Kona a try or at least come for the happy hour. Happy hour specials include appetizers, sushi, pizzas, and drink specials. Check website for for hours.

Bo Tai Chanh - Rare Beef Lime Salad

J

When other little girls love eating cupcakes and brownies, I like man's food. What I mean by that is "mon nhau", the Vietnamese term for food eaten while drinking. My dad often took me along to his friend's house to drink when I was little. Before you start judging my dad, I was there because there are always other little kids for me to play with. I love asking my dad for whatever they have availabe to eat because they are all so great. Common "mon nhau" are roasted beef, steamed offals with shrimp paste, blood sausage, and just about everything deep fried. When you are a kid and in the middle of playing, the last thing you want to do is waste 30 minutes of your time trying to finish your meal. I rather have something quick and have little bit of everything.

One of my favorite is the Rare Beef Lime Salad, introduced to me by my cousin. It was tender and so flavorful with the lime, fish sauce, and spicy herbs. I can eat that all day while listening to my dad talk with his friends. My cousin's specialty was "mon nhau" so he gave me some pointers to preparing this dish. To get tender meat, try cooking small portions of the sliced beef in pineapple juice or coconut juice.  Bo tai chanh can be eaten with different sauce, nuoc cham.  If you have access to soy bean sauce, I highly recommend that but a simple chili ginger fish sauce would be great as well.

Ingredients:

2 lb of thinly sliced beef (any lean cut is fine)

1/2 medium onion (thinly sliced)

2 lime

2 cup of pineapple juice

1/2 cup of Vietnamese coriander (rough chopped)

fish sauce

vinegar

sugar

fresh chilies
crushed peanuts
1/2 red bell pepper (optional)
1 large can of pineapple juice

Sauce:

ground soy bean sauce
minced garlic
minced chilies
lime
sugar

Sauce:

4 tablespoon of soy bean sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 of lime
1/4 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced chilies

1. Boil pineapple juice.  You want to dip the sliced beef in the hot pineapple juice and remove right away.  I like to use a small strainer.  

2. Drain the beef liquid.
3. Squeeze 3 whole lime in a bowl. Add the beef to the lime juice. Wrap up the beef and let cool in the fridge while you work on other steps.

4. Add about 2 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the sliced onions.

5. Rough chopped the Vietnamese coriander. Thinly sliced the red bell pepper.
6. Prepare the peanuts.

7. Add some fish sauce to the beef and mix.
8.  Add the bell pepper, fresh chilies and sliced onions to the beef and mix.
9.  Move the beef salad to a clean plate. Top off with crushed peanuts and coriander.
10. Enjoy!

Tegry Bistro

I used to love sushi but now not as much. I guess I encountered a few disappointing places that makes me want to steer clear of sushi sometimes. When I do have a sushi craving, I know exactly where to go! I was introduced to Tegry Bistro located in Brownsburg when I joined my friend's family for dinner. Since there were several of us we ordered a little bit of everything. I love just about everything I put in my mouth that night, even Uni (raw Sea Urchin eggs). It's a bit far from my apartment so I haven't gone back since. That has now change since there is also location in Indianapolis.

Tegry Bistro

6010 W 86th St # 140

Indianapolis, IN 46278-1412

(317) 802-9770

Dress: Casual

Reservation: No, but from what I heard the Brownsburg location can be extremely busy on the weekend.

Tegry Bistro is located in a plaza off 86th street right by Marsh. It's the size of any typical sushi place, which has a bar and a patio. The place has dark lighting and the decor is clean and modern, a great place to hang out and have a few drinks. We were very excited when reading the sushi menu because there are a lot to choose from. The smaller makis such as Unagi or California roll run from $5-$7, and the house special makis run up to about $13. They don't offer a lot of traditional Japanese entree such as Katsudon but have more westernized entrees such as grilled seafood and meat.

The sushi we ordered were all delicious! We love how Tegry Bistro adds a little bit of fresh greens such as watercress to each roll. I highly recommend the crunch roll with crispy shrimp tempura drizzled with spicy mayo for only $5. Another favorite of mine is the spider roll, so we had to try the house special roll Super Spider. It was like any typical spider roll except they use soy paper and topped it off with shredded crab meat. Our last roll to try is the Graduation roll which has raw scallop and tuna. The raw scallop was amazing because it literally melted in our mouth. We all agree that the sushi were great and inexpensive for the portion size.

In addition to the sushi we ordered two lunch entrees, grilled scallop and shrimp tempura. They were both good but didn't really wow us and they were expensive for such a small portion. I would probably pass on both next time and just order more sushi. I will definitely come back again for the sushi and will recommend Tegry to any sushi lover in the Indianapolis area.

Sup Do Bien - Seafood Soup

Would you like soup or salad? Soup please! Indeed I am a soup fanatic! I could be sitting in 90 degrees weather and I'd still order a steaming hot bowl of soup. Not only are they delicious but I just love the whole soup concept. You don't need the best cut meats or the finest vegetables. Just use what you have and throw it in a pot. Soup is about slowly cooking the ingredients and extracting all the unique flavors. Cooking with love :)

Seafood soup is often serve as a starter for wedding banquet. You can find them on most Chinese menu but most of the time you don't get actual seafood or very little of it. This soup reminds me of Sup Mang Cua but more subtle. The crab flavor just stand out more in a soup. Since it's home made I just had to use whole scallops and shrimps! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shrimps peeled
1/2 lb bay scallops
1/2 cup of peas and carrots mixture
1 cup of tofu cubed
1 cup of mushroom quartered
1 cup of white fungus rough chopped
2-3 chicken legs (you can also use 3-4 can of chicken broth instead)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of minced scallion

egg whites (or whole eggs)
salt
fish sauce
sugar
chicken bouillon
ground pepper
corn starch

1. Cook the chicken legs in 6 cups of water to make a stock.
2. Taste the stock with salt, sugar, fish sauce, and chicken bouillon. It's ok if it is a little bit salty because once you the vegetable and corn starch it should balance it out.
3. Heat up a pan with cooking oil, scallion, and garlic. Add scallop and shrimp and saute with ground pepper, sugar, and a bit fish sauce. You don't have to fully cook them.
4. Dissolve about 1/2 cup of cornstarch with cool water.
5. Add cornstarch mixture to the soup and stir. The soup should thicken, then add the rest of the ingredients. If the soup is too thick then add a little bit of water until it's to your liking.
6. You can add more fish sauce and ground pepper at this point.

7. Add the eggs at the end and stir into the soup. You can just turn off the heat and the eggs will continue to cook.
8. Garnish with some green onions and you are ready to serve.

Banh Bao - Steamed Pork Bun

Banh Bao is a Vietnamese variation of a Chinese delicacy, Baozi. They are steamed buns filled with different meats and sweets. You often find mini steamed buns at Chinese buffets with a sesame paste or a yellow custard filling. Walk into any Chinese bakery and you can fine these beautiful plump buns filled with delicious BBQ pork, char siu. The Vietnamese version is usually filled with a seasoned pork mixture, chinese sausage, and eggs. I like eating my banh bao a certain way by tearing it in half and eating the filling first. My favorite part is the shell so I like to save the best for last.

My mom doesn't like making banh bao very often, but now I understand why. It is very time consuming because you have to wait for the dough to rise, make them, and then steam them. I used to watch my mom make these late at night so they will be ready for breakfast the next morning. I remember her making them for the very first time and they still turn out flawless. The buns are a beautiful white color and soft when you bite into them. I should have paid closer attention because I had a hard time getting them to stay close after steaming. Overall I was satisfied with the outcome and I'm begining to like playing with dough.

Ingredients:

1 bag banh bao flour
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1/2 lb of pork
1/2 medium size jicama diced
1/2 medium size yellow onion diced
1/4 cup of black fungus soften with warm water and then diced
2 chinese sausage link
1 can of quail eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
a couple dash of fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon

How to make the dough:

I used the instruction found on the bag

1. Save 1 tablespoon of flour for later use.
2. Combine sugar, flour, and milk.
3. Knead dough for 15 minutes.
4. Add cooking oil to dough and continue to knead for 10 minutes.
5. Wrap up the dough and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:

1. Combine pork, onions, jicama, black fungus, salt, pepper, and fish sauce. Taste to your liking.
2. Cut each sausage link into 10 smaller pieces.
3. Rinse quail eggs.


How to make the bun:

The bag states that you should be able to make 18 buns. I didn't really portion uniformly because I made a few mini buns, a few standard size, and some without fillings. Basically this was a trial cooking of banh bao :) I do suggest you getting a small rolling pin because it's a lot easier to work with.

1. Cut the the dough into smaller portion to your liking and roll it into a ball. Make sure you cover whatever you are not working with because they will harden.
2. Flatten the dough with your palm and then use the rolling pin to shape and flatten your dough more evenly. This is a good time to use the flour you saved from before. Rub some on the rolling pin and the surface you are working on.
3. Once you get it into a flat circular shape, you are now ready for the filling. Scoop about 1/2-1 tablespoon portion of the pork mixture. Add the chinese sausage and quail eggs as well.
4. Begin bringing the corner of the dough to the middle and scrunch them together. Twist and seal the dough together.


It takes about 10 minutes to steam a batch of 5 buns. Enjoy!

Canh Ga Chien Chua Ngot - Sweet and Sour Chicken Wing

When I was younger my mom used to make chicken wings for my brothers and I. We all loved it so much and it was so addicting to eat. The sauce was always perfect with the right amount of saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and of course it was spicy. This was the one messy thing I did not mind eating. Goes great with a bowl of rice, enjoy!

Ingredients:

20 Chicken wings/drummettes
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1 table spoon of vinegar
chili paste to your liking
1 tablespoon of garlic
cooking oil

1. Deep fried all the chicken.
2. Absorb some of the oil with paper towel.
3. In a large pan combine oyster sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and chili paste over medium heat. Constantly stir the mixture so it does not burn.
4. Add the chicken and toss. Make sure every bit of the chicken is coated in the sauce.