Thit Kho (Caramelized Braised Pork and Eggs)

This dish is another one of my mother's dishes. Growing up, I particularly loved mixing my rice with the sauce. I remember I would sometimes get more rice, just to be able to mix it with the sauce. This recipe definitely evokes memories from my childhood. Hopefully, you will enjoy it too.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Pork Belly (cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces)
2 cups Water (enough to cover the meat)
2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp Black Pepper
2 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
1 Shallot (thinly sliced)
2 Bird's Eye Chilies (thinly sliced)
2 pieces Brown Candy
4 Eggs (hard boiled - you can include more if you like)
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Corn Starch
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Marinade pork with corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and 1 tsp. black pepper, then set aside.

Heat up a medium to large size pot and add oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic and shallots. Stir fry until slightly browned and fragrant, then add pork.

Once the pork has been seared in the pot for a couple of minutes, add the pepper, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and fish sauce. Allow the sauces to blend together, then add brown candy and water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the pork (may require more than 2 cups).

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Add hard boiled eggs and chilies, then cover and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you have more time, allow to simmer for longer as it will allow the pork to become more tender and the flavors to release more.

Serve with fresh hot rice!

Stir Fried Macaroni with Chả Lụa

This is another of my mom's classic recipes that I grew up with. The dish actually evokes memories of childhood. I think anything that requires adding ketchup usually does evoke such memories for me. I'm not sure if this dish is actually Vietnamese or some kind of fusion that my mom created, but the use of the Chả Lụa leads me to believe that it should have that label. Unfortunatly, hubby is not a big fan of this dish which is why I don't make it very often. Thankfully, other friends I have made it for have told me they enjoyed it though...

INGREDIENTS:

½ lb. Macaroni
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Chả Lụa (can be bought in Asian supermarkets - wrapped in banana leaves)
2 Eggs
4 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Sugar
3 tsp. Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Cook and drain the macaroni according to directions on the package.

Slice Chả Lụa into strips and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat to eggs and set aside.

Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add Chả Lụa strips. Stir fry until browned on both sides, then remove from wok.

Heat up wok again and add 2 tsp. of oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add macaroni. If macaroni sticks to the wok, you may need to add a little more oil. Once macaroni is not sticking together and warmed up, add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Taste to see if it is salty enough, then adjust as necessary.

Add beaten eggs into the macaroni and stir fry until eggs are cooked and incorporated with the macaroni.

Remove from wok and serve immediately with ketchup and/or hot sauce.

Vietnamese Beef Brisket

Mother in law's knee has been hurting for the last little while. This has made me feel quite guilty considering she has been running around trying to prepare items that I'm supposed to eat postpartum as per Chinese customs. Therefore, when she suggested that I make my mom's beef brisket tonight, I definitely could not let her down. I have to say though, that motherhood has definitely been tiring. With many other festivites coming up involving celebrating the birth of our beautiful little boy, I feel tired just thinking about the work involved although I am so grateful that there are so many people wanting to join us in celebrating his birth.

This recipe is one of my mom's specialties and a dish that I grew up with. Hopefully, you will enjoy it as well!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. Beef Brisket
2 stalks Lemongrass
1 Onion (cut into chunks)
3 Potatoes (cut into chunks)
2 Carrots (cut into chunks)
2 Tomatoes (cut into chunks)
3 cloves Garlic (sliced)
2 cloves Shallots (sliced)
2 inch knob of Ginger (sliced)
4 tsp. Oil
1/2 Package (1 oz) Oriental Beef Spices (available at Vietnamese supermarkets)
1-2 tbsp. Curry Powder
3 Star Anise
3 Bay Leaves
1 can (6 oz) Tomato Paste
1-2 tbsp. Ketchup
1-2 tbsp. Salt
2-3 tbsp. Black Pepper
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Fish Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Boil water in a large pot. Add beef brisket and allow to cook until redness has disappeared. Drain and wash with cool water, then set beef brisket aside.

If potatoes are wet, dry potatoes with a cloth or paper towels. Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add potatoes and stir-fry until browned. Remove from wok into a large pot.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add onions and stir-fry until browned. Remove from wok into the large pot with the potatoes.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp oil. Add carrots and tomatoes and stir-fry until carrots are a little browned and tomatoes are soft. Remove from wok into the large pot.

Reheat wok again and add 1 tsp. oil. Add garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant. Add beef brisket and stir-fry. Add oriental beef spice, curry powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste and mix until the brisket is coated. You may want to add a little water. Once coated, remove everything from wok into the large pot. Add bay leaves, star anise, ketchup and soy sauce. Cover with water and allow to bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for at least an hour.

When brisket is tender, add butter and fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with vermicelli and french bread.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry

I’ve always loved Vietnamese curry. I think it is probably because I grew up with it and am accustomed to the taste. This is not to say that I don’t like other curries…I’m actually a huge fan of curry in general, but I definitely go through stages. I sometimes prefer curries with sauces of thicker consistency, perhaps because I am looking for something different than the Vietnamese curry, which is more of soup base that can be served with vermicelli. I remember I was a little upset with my mom once when she didn’t realize that Japanese curry was of thicker consistency and totally watered down the sauce. I guess it also didn’t help that I was very hungry and pregnant at the time! In any case, perhaps now that I am becoming a mother, I feel the need to go back to basics and make dishes that remind me of my childhood. Dishes such as this one, have been extremely comforting. I hope you give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

2 Lbs. Chicken Thighs/Drumsticks
2 stalks of Lemongrass
1 Onion (cut into 2” chunks)
3 Potatoes (cut into 2” chunks)
2 Carrots (cut into 2” chunks)
2 cloves Garlic (sliced)
2 cloves Shallots (sliced)
5-6 tbsp. Curry Powder
1-2 tbsp. Salt
1-2 tbsp. Black Pepper
3 tsp. Oil
1 can of Coconut Milk

DIRECTIONS

Marinate chicken with salt and pepper overnight. In the morning, add about 1 tbsp. of curry powder to the chicken and continue to marinate.

If potatoes are wet, dry potatoes with a cloth or paper towels. Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add potatoes and stir-fry until browned. Remove from wok into a large pot.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add onions and carrots and stir-fry until browned. Remove from wok into the large pot with the potatoes.

Reheat wok again and add 1 tsp. oil. Add garlic, shallots, lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant. Add marinated chicken and stir-fry until a bit browned on both sides. Add 3 tbsp. of curry powder and mix until the chicken is coated. You may want to add a little water. Once coated, remove everything from wok into the large pot. Cover with water, add another 1 to 2 tbsp. of curry powder and allow to bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for at least an hour.

Prior to serving, add coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (most likely will need a little salt or fish sauce, and more pepper).

Serve with vermicelli and/or French bread. Also, have available a side dish of bean sprouts, lime/lemon, mint and bird’s eye chilies to add to bowl as desired.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties

Coordinating these fancy theme nights is pretty hard while being 8 months pregnant. I have to say that at some point during the cooking/setting up process, it does end up being a bit of a comedy for anyone watching (hopefully no one). I will inevitably forget that I’m doing something, all while I’m doing it. For example: I could place a dish in the microwave (to keep it warm while cooking something else), then I could be setting the table, and remember I should take the dish out of the microwave. While I’m heading towards the microwave, I could forget I was doing that and instead get the dog’s food ready and then wonder what the heck I was doing in the first place. Another incident could be that I would start setting the table and place something like the side plates on the table, head back to the cupboard thinking I should get the side plates, then wonder why there are so few side plates in the cupboard. Frightening…yep…I know…the joys of pregnancy…

In terms of this recipe, this is another great dish to go with vermicelli/rice and all of the Vietnamese fixings (pickled carrots/daikon, veggies…etc.). Having the patties, along with a few spring rolls in a bowl of vermicelli or a plate of rice also makes for a great combo. To top it off, if you have any leftovers, try making a sandwich! Hubby was quite proud that he created a sandwich with leftovers patties the next day. I would’ve liked to have taken a picture of that!

INGREDIENTS

1.5 Lbs. Ground Pork
1 head of Garlic – about 12 cloves (minced)
2 tbsp. Black Pepper
¼ cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Salt
2.5 tbsp. Baking Powder
1/8 cup Water
1 tbsp. caramel sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine ground pork, garlic, black pepper, sugar, and salt. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Combine the baking powder with water and whisk until you get a nice foam. Add it to the pork and fold it in with the mixture. Incorporate caramel sauce if using. This makes the patty have a nice shine after grilling.

Marinate in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours (overnight if possible). This will make it easier to form the patties.

Form patties by using the lid of a jar, a small sauce dish, a cookie cutter, or your palms. You can also form them into more of a meatball shape if you prefer.

Heat up grill and add oil. Grill about 5 minutes on each side depending on the size of the patties. If you do not want to grill all of the patties, line the patties with wax paper so they don’t stick together and freeze the remainder.

Serve with rice or vermicelli and Vietnamese dipping sauce (see Lemongrass Pork Chops recipe).

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)

One of my fondest memories of spending time with my mom was learning how to wrap spring rolls. I often joke about how my fingers would be slapped for not squeezing them in the proper way to form the perfect spring roll. After rolling about a million spring rolls in my lifetime now though, I could honestly say that I understand the exact gentle squeezing pressure needed to form the perfect round spring roll. I think my parents even will agree that I roll a better spring roll than them now (from the fear of having slapped fingers…j/k). In any case, I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is definitely a lot of work, but well worth the effort the moment you take a bite at the end of the long process (or manage to steal one during the cooking process which seems to happen very often – just checking that it’s cooked right?).

INGREDIENTS

2 Lbs. Ground Pork
½ lb. Shrimp (cut up in small pieces)
1 Taro Root (grated)
3 Carrots (grated)
1 Onion (cut up in small pieces)
1 cup Black Fungus (minced)
1 cup Bean Sprouts (cut up in small pieces)
5 oz. Cellophane Noodles
1/3 cup Fish Sauce
3 tbsp. Sugar
3 tbsp. Pepper
3 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 eggs
2 Packages of Spring Roll Pastry (6” Square)
Oil for Deep Frying
1 tbsp. Flour

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together ground pork, shrimp, taro root, carrots, onions, black fungus, bean sprouts, and cellophane noodles. When everything is incorporated, add fish sauce, sugar, pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce and mix well. Beat eggs in a small bowl and then add to the large bowl and combine. Marinate overnight.

Leave spring roll pastry in the freezer until almost ready to wrap because the pastry dries out very quickly. Prior to wrapping, if you are using, as suggested in my ingredients list, the 6” square, you may want to cut the pastry into fours, and separate the wraps to allow for quick wrapping. However, remember after you have cut and separated, put the pastry wrappers back in the bag so they won’t dry out. If you don’t want to cut the wrappers into fours, there is a smaller size of spring roll pastry that you can buy, but I think the size of the spring roll end up being a bit bigger.

In a small sauce dish, mix the flour with a little bit of water until it is a paste. Pull out the filling from the fridge and you are ready to wrap your spring rolls.

On a plate, set your wrapper in front of you so that an edge is facing you (diamond shape). Place approximately 1 tbsp. of filling on the bottom half. Take the bottom corner and fold over the filling and squeeze gently. Fold both the left side corner, then the right side corner, then squeeze gently while rolling forward. Seal the spring roll with a dab of the flour/water paste. Repeat until all the filling is used up.

Heat up oil in a deep frying or in a wok. When oil is very hot, place enough spring rolls to fill the width of deep fryer or wok without overlapping. If you are frying in a wok, you will have to flip half way through (approximately 3-4 minutes per side). It should take approximately 8 minutes in the deep fryer. Repeat until spring rolls are all cooked. (If you decide to not cook all the spring rolls, you must freeze the remainder as soon as possible)

Arrange on a platter and serve with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước chấm) (See Lemongrass Pork Chops blog for recipe).

Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

This is another recipe which I think would be great for barbecues. While generally Bo Luc Lac is simply cooked in a large pan or wok, I thought it would be fun to skewer the beef and grill it. I could only imagine that it would be even better on the barbecue. Could you tell I'm looking forward to the summer?

(adapted from the Ravenous Couple http://ravenouscouple.blogspot.com/)
INGREDIENTS

Beef Marinade
1.5 lbs. Beef Sirloin (or any cut you like) cut into 1″ cubes
2 tbs. minced Garlic
1.5 tbs. Sugar
2 tbs. Oyster Sauce
1 tbs. Fish Sauce
1 tbs. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Dark Soy Sauce
Cooking oil for frying

DIPPING SAUCE

Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prepare marinade by combining garlic, oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil with the beef for at least half an hour, preferably 1 for 2 hours.

Stick the meat cubes on bamboo skewers (about 4 to 5 pieces per skewer).

Heat up grill. Add about 2 tbs cooking oil and when it begins to smoke, add an even layer of beef and allow to sear for about 2 minutes, before “shaking” to sear the opposite sides for about another 1 to 2 minutes more to brown all the sides. Do this in batches to cook all the beef if necessary.

Transfer beef to plate. Lastly, pour dipping sauce over beef or dip beef into dipping sauce while eating.

Enjoy with some salad and rice/vermicelli!

Lemongrass Pork Chops (Suong Nuong Xa)

This recipe is one of my mom’s specialties. As I was growing up, I’m embarrassed to say that because my mom never distinguished the difference between Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, I spent a large portion of my life believing that the Vietnamese dishes that she cooked, were actually Chinese. Imagine my surprise when I finally realized it on my own later on in life. I am however very glad to have had the Vietnamese influence in the foods that I ate growing up, particularly because of their use of fresh and tangy ingredients.

I would have liked to have pounded the pork chops so they were a little thinner, but alas…I didn’t even realize we had a meat tenderizer until hubby and my mother in law told me that it was hidden in the oven drawer when we were already eating. My mom generally pounds them until they are extremely thin, and therefore, the flavors of all the marinade ingredients seem to be even more infused in the chops. I guess I will know for next time.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Pork Chops (approximately 4 slices, bone out)
2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tbsp. Sugar
2 stalks of fresh Lemongrass (minced, or use 2 tbsp. of already minced Lemongrass)
1 Shallot (minced)
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 tbsp. Oil

VIETNAMESE DIPPING SAUCE (Nước chấm)

½ cup Water
2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
2 tbsp. of Lime juice or the juice of 1-2 Limes (Vinegar can be used in a pinch)
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 tbsp. Sugar
2 Bird’s Eye Chilies (finely chopped) (Optional)

DIRECTIONS

Pound pork chops with a meat tenderizer until they are very thin. In a large bowl, marinate pork with fish sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, lemongrass, shallot, garlic and oil. Marinate pork for at least a couple of hours (preferably overnight).

These pork chops are probably best cooked on a barbecue grill, however, a pan will also do the trick.

Served preferably with broken rice, Cơm tấm (you can either buy broken rice or break your own rice by allowing the rice to soak a little while, and then crushing by hand before cooking in the rice cooker), pickled vegetables and a fried egg. Drizzle generously with Vietnamese dipping sauce before eating.