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!

Mi Xao Xa Xiu - BBQ Pork Lo Mein

I had some leftover ingredients from making Mi Ga last weekend, half a bag of bean sprouts and a bunch of Chinese chives. I marinaded some xa xiu last night so it will be ready for lunch today. I ate something similar to this at a Cantonese restaurant I used to go to except they used chow fun noodles. It was extremely greasy but so so good. The spiciness of the chives really go well with the crunchy bean sprouts. Such an easy lunch to put together, I must do this more often!

Ingredients:

1 bag of egg noodles
a handful of bean sprots
a small bunch of Chinese chives
1/2 sweet onion sliced
xa xiu (BBQ Pork)
minced garlic
soy sauce
sugar
fish sauce
oyster sauce
cooking oil

1. Prepare xa xiu like in my earlier recipe, sliced thinly.
2. Boil the noodles until it slightly cooked, you will finish the cooking process later on. Rinse with cold water, drain, and let dry in colander.
3. Cut chives into 1-2 inch section.
4. Combine 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, a couple squirt of fish sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to make a sauce.
5. Heat up a good amount of cooking oil in a wok or pot. Add garlic to oil and stir until fragrance.
6. Add the noodles, stir fry the noodle making sure the noodle is coated with the oil.
7. Add the sauce to the noodle and make sure it evenly distributed.
8. Add the xa xiu and slice onions.
9. Add the green sprouts and chives at the very end so yo don't over cook them.

Serve and enjoy!

Bi - Shredded Pork Skin

If you ever ordered a Broken Rice Platter at a Vietnamese restaurant you may have come across Bi. It looks like a pile of noodles but it's actually pork. It is a mixture of shredded pork skin and pork meat coated with roasted rice powder. Whenever my mom makes this at home she has to guard it with her life or else I will snack on this stuff like it's dried squid. Bi is great with rice or noodle, just add some prepared fish sauce. You can roll it up into a spring roll or stuff some in a baguette. If you are like me, Bi by itself is more than sufficient!

You can buy fresh pre-shredded pork skin usually in the frozen section of the Viet market. I have also seen dehydrated pork skin but I have never used or eaten those before. If you want to be able to control how thin or thick your shredded pork will be you can use a slab of pork belly and cutting everything up yourself. We usually just stick with the frozen kind. Bi is not all skin, but a combination of pork skin and meat. If you use pork belly you can make use of everything except the fatty part. For the meat portion I usually just pan fried a piece of boneless pork chop.

Ingredients:

1 package of frozen shredded pork skin
1-2 boneless pork chops
1 package of roasted rice powder
fish sauce
1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1. Place frozen shredded pork in cool water with plenty of salt. I change the water 4-5 times to make sure it is clean.
2. Marinade the pork chops with a couple squirt of fish sauce and let it marinade.
3. Drain the water from the shredded pork skin and let air dry.
4. Cook the pork chops by pan frying.
5. Cut the pork chops into thin strips.
6. This step is optional. My mom likes to spread out the pork skin in a plastic colander. Put it in the microwave on 1010 second intervals until it's soft. Don't over due this step because pork skin will melt together into clumps. Let the pork skin air dry again.
7. Combine pork skin, shredded pork meat, minced garlic, and a couple squirt of fish sauce. Mix everything together. Add the roasted rice powder and make sure all the ingredients are evenly coated.
8. Enjoy!

Canh Bun - Ricefield Crab Noodle Soup

Meet Bun Rieu's sister, Canh Bun, which also originated in Northern Vietnam.  During the short time I lived in Saigon, Canh Bun was my breakfast of choice. It is called "canh" because you cook the noodles and vegetables in the broth the same way we use the term Banh Canh.  Canh Bun is a tad lighter than Bun Rieu, but made in a similar way with smashed rice field crab (cua dong).  The usual suspect we find in Canh Bun are tofu, blanched morning glory, and pork blood.  All the ingredients are cooked in the broth with the noodles, which add their own flavors to the broth.

It may appear similar to Bun Rieu but definitely have some difference.  The crab mixture in Bun Rieu is sturdy and becomes almost like a cake. Canh Bun's crab mixture is fluffy and easy to break apart. To achieve that fluffy texture fresh rice field crabs are smashed, shell and all, into a paste.  The paste is use to flavor the broth, the cooked crab paste then floats to the top of the pot similar to bun rieu.  I use frozen ground rice field crab to flavor the broth, no Canh Bun is complete without the aroma and bits of rice field crabs in every bowl.  I use a jar of crab meat in soya bean oil instead of the jar we use to make bun rieu, there is less seasoning because it's just crab meat in oil.  Some canh bun vendor does not use tomato, I like tomatoes in mine so it's your call.

I also included rice paper (banh trang) in the ingredient list.  I'm not sure if vendors still sell Canh Bun with rice paper nowaday but it's a must for me.  Rice paper was used as another form of noodle.  Since rice paper is cheap, vendor would add it to Canh Bun to make it more filling.  I personally love it because the rice paper absorb all the flavor and the texture is just amazing. 

Ingredients:

pork bones (1 lbs)

1/2 cup of dried prawns (tom kho)

1 container of frozen rice field crab paste

1 jar of crab meat in soya bean oil

2 eggs

salt

mushroom seasoning

fish sauce

shrimp paste (mam tom)

rock sugar

3-4 large tomatoes (quarterd)

1 large bunch of morning glory

tofu 

pork blood (cubed)

large rice noodle (use for Bun Bo Hue)

Vietnamese chive

lime

herbs of choice (optional)

rice paper (optional)

1. Par boil pork bones.  Rinse bones well under cool water.  Transfer clean bone to a 6 quart pot and fill with water.

2. Let bone simmer in pot.

3. Soak dried prawns in warm water until soften, and add dried shrimp to the pot.

4. Season the broth with 4 tablespoon of salt, 1 chunk of rock sugar, and 2 tablespoon mushroom seasoning.
5.  Sauteed the crab meat in soya bean oil in a smal sauce pan and then add it to the pot.

6.  Combine the ground rice field crab with 2 eggs, and blend them together in a blender.
7.  Pour the crab mixture into a microwave safe container.  Wrap the container with plastic wrap and cook this crab mixture for 10-15 in the microwave.  Let the crab mixture cool. There might be excess liquid in the crab mixture, drain as much of it as you can add it to the pot.  Set the crab mixture aside for later.

8. Wash morning glory and then blanch, drained and let dry.

9. Cook the noodle until al dente, drained and then let dry.

11. Transfer 1 cup of the broth to a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoon of shrimp paste and let it cook.  Once the shrimp paste dissolved completely, add the shrimp paste liquid into the pot.  This will help flavor the broth.

12. Add tomatoes, tofu and blood cubes.  

13. Add more sugar, and fish sauce if needed.
14.  The broth is ready for eating.You can put noodle and morning glory right into the pot and start cooking it. I like to use a separate smaller pot to prepare each bowl. Cook a little bit of everything in the broth.  Since the crab mixture is very delicate, keep it on the side until the very end when you are about to transfer the soup to the bowl.  Since it is already cooked, I just scoop a little bit of it into the bowl.  Enjoy!