Conference turris::cooks

    
    Check out the Frugal Gourmet's latest book, "Our Immigrant
    Ancestors" for loads of Vietnamese recipes.  I'll type some
    in if I remember to bring in my copy this week.
    
    Carla
    

    This is a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern Cookery. The quote
    is as written (ie the 'I' is M.J., not me)
    
    Thit Bo Lui						Vietnam
                        Napoleon Beef on a skewer
    
            From Mrs Vuong at the Thuc Don Restaurant in Hamoi
    
    Many Vietnamese in Hanoi refer to this dish either as Boeuf Brochette
    or Boeuf Napoleon. (I suppose it is the sort of thing an army on the
    move might cook!) Thin slices of meat are marinated in a mixture of
    fried spices, skwered and then grilled over charcoal or wood. The meat
    is then taken off the skewer and put on a plate. It is eaten, as many
    other Vietnamese dishes are, in little packages. You take a soft
    lettuce leaf and put a few pieces of meat on it. On top of the meat you
    put a few fresh mint leaves, a few sprigs of fresh coriander, a few
    fresh bean sprouts, some slices of spring onion [scallions for US
    readers - /. Ian .\] some cucumber slices, some crisply fried shallot
    flakes, and some crushed roated peanuts. Next you wrap the lettuce leaf
    around to form a bundle, and dip it into fish sauce seasoned with lime
    juice, and eat it.
    
    If you do not like making packages, there is another way of serving the
    meat, a method that I use quite frequently. I put only 1/2 teaspoon of
    salt in the marinade. When the meat is cooked, I take it off the
    skewers and put it on  a plate and dribble fish sauce seasoned with
    lime juice over it generously, then csatter crushed roast peanuts and
    crisp fried shallot flakes over it. With this I serve a salad of
    lettuce, cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, fresh mint and coriander.
    
    All the cooking in North Vietnam seems to be done with lard. I have
    used vegetable oil here, but you may use lard if you wish.
    
    [footnote: we cook this over a wood fire in a wood fired stove, and use
    lard - I prefer this taste to the asceptic blandness introduced by
    using light vegetable oil and electric heat... /. Ian .]
    
    Ingredients
    
    1 stick of fresh or 2 tablespoons of dried lemon grass.
    3 1/2 oz onion
    3 oz red pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    freshly ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (or to taste)
    4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
    1 lb lean steak about 1" thick.
    
    Method
    
    If you are using fresh lemon grass slice it crossways as thinly as
    possible, starting at the bulbous end and going up for about 6",
    discarding the strawlike top. If you are using dried lemon grass soak
    it in 4 tablespoons of hot water for 1 hour.
    
    Peel the onion and chop it coarsely. Remove the seeds from the red
    pepper and chop it coarsely. Combine the lemon grass, its soaking
    liquid (if you are using the dried variety) the onion, red pepper,
    salt, black peppeer, and chilli powder in an electric blender. Blend to
    a smooth paste, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary.
    
    Put the oil in a medium sized, preferably non-stick, frying pan and set
    it over highish heat. When the oil is hot add the paste from the
    blender. Stir and fry for 6-8 minutes or until the paste has darkened
    in colour. (You may need to turn the heat down towards the end of this
    cooking time) Leave the paste to cool.
    
    Assuming you are right handed, hold a large knife at a 135� angle to
    your work surface (45� for left handers) and cut the slab of meat
    against the grain into very thin slices (in other words you are cutting
    at a slight diagonal). Cut these slices into 1" pieces and put them in
    a bowl. Add the paste and oil from the frying pan and mix well. Cover
    and set aside, refrigerating if necessary for 24 hours. (You may put
    the meat on skewers before setting it aside if that is more
    convenient).
    
    Pre heat an indoor grill or an outdoor charcoal grill.
    
    Thread the meat fairly tightly on 2-4 skewers. Grill the meat about 5"
    from the heat source for about 5 minutes on one side and 3-4 minutes on
    the other side.
    
    Serves 4.                            

    
    From Madhur Jaffrey's book
    
    Ga Xoi Mo						Vietnam
    
                    Roast Chicken with 5 spice powder
    
    This dish, very popular in South Vietnam, is traditionally made by
    first roasting a whole marinated chicken over charcoal, just to dry it
    out, and then deep frying it. Vietnamese with modern kitchens take the
    easy way out and simply roast the whole bird in the oven. That is what
    I have chosen to do.
    
    Five spice powder, a Chines spice micture, contains star anise, fennel,
    cloves, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns.
    
    Ingredients
    
    3 1/2 lb chicken
    2 cloves of garlic
    1 oz onion
    2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (you may use dry sherry as a
    					substitute)
    2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce
    2 tablespoons Chinese dark soy sauce
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1 1/4 teaspoons 5 spice powder
    2 tablespoons sesame oil
    soft lettuce leaves and fresh mint sprigs
    fish sauce seasoned with lime juice
    
    Method
    
    Wash the chicken and pat it dry. Peel the garlic and onion and chop
    them finely. Combine the garlic, onion, wine, and the two soy sauces
    sugar and five spice powder in a bowl. Stir until the sugar has
    dissolved. Put the chicken in the bowl and rub the marinade generously
    both inside and outside the bird. Pour any remaining marinade over the
    chicken and set aside for 2-3 hours. Turn the chicken every 20 minutes
    so that it evenly absorbs the flavours and colour of the marinade.
    
    Pre heat the oven to gas mark 7 [=425�F or 220 C]. Lift the chicken out
    of its marinade and lay it, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting
    tin. Roast it for 10 minutes. Brush the back with the marinade and turn
    the chicken over so that the breast is now upwards. Brush the breast
    with the marinade and roast it for 15 minutes. Then brush the chicken
    with the marinade and turn the oven down to gas mark 4 [=350�F, 180 C]
    and continue to cook for 45 minutes, brushing with the marinade every
    15 minutes. After this period brush the chicken generously with the
    sesame oil and cook it for another 2-5 minutes or until the juices run
    clear when you pierce the flesh with a fork or skewer. Let the chicken
    rest for 10 minutes before serving.
    
    Serve the roast chicken with lettuce leaves and mint sprigs as well as
    the fish sauce seasoned with lime juice. 
    
    Seves 4
    

    
    From Madhur Jaffrey's book
    
    Nuoc Cham Thong Dung				Vietnam
    
                  Fish sauce with vinegar and lime juice
    
    This is a wonderful dipping sauce for spring rolls and meats.
    
    Ingredients
    
    5 tablespoons fish sauce
    3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
    1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons lime juice
    2 tablespoons of sugar
    1-2 fresh hot green or red chillis
    
    Method
    
    Combine the fish sauce with 3 tablespoons of water, the vinegar, lime
    juice and sugar in a jug. Mix well [certainly the sugar should be
    dissolved /. Ian .\] Slice the chillis crossways as thinly as possible
    and add them too [discarding the seeds /. Ian .\]
    
    Serve in 4 small bowls as an individual side item ...
    
    Serves 4

RE: .3

You left the yellow bean sauce out of the ingredients list.  How much of it
does one use?

--PSW

    
    Thit Bo Kho						Vietnam
    
    			Aromatic and spicy beef stew.
    
                          From Biche Lombatiere
    
    Although the West may not associate hearty stews with East Asia, they
    are of course cooked and eaten there. This stew is perhaps Vietnam's
    boeuf bourguignon. Some of the seasonings, such as cinnamon
    (tachnically cassia bark, a member of the cinnamon family used in China
    and Vietnam) and black pepper, will be quite familiar. Others such as
    lemon grass, star anise, and yellow bean sauce, may not be, but it is
    these which give this stew its Eastern aroma and taste. The yellow bean
    sauce used here is the one with whole or halved beans in it, usually
    sold as whole or crushed yellow bean sauce.
    
    In Vietnam this stew is eaten either with rice or with hunks of crusty
    French bread that is sold in all markets.
    
    Ingredients
    
    2 medium onions
    5 cloves of garlic
    10-12 medium shallots or pickling onions
    1 stick of fresh lemon grass, or a 3"x1" strip of lemon rind.
    7 tablespoons of vegetable oil (note previous comment about lard being
    					more authentic)
    3 lb stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
    6 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
    1/2-1 teaspoon chilli powder.
    4 whole star anise
    1" stick of cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
    2 tablespoons of sugar.
    
    Method
    
    Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Peel the shalots and leave
    them whole. Cut the lemon grass into 2" sections, starting from the
    bottom and going up 6". Discard the strawlike top. Crush each section
    lightly with a hammer or other heavy object. (If using lemon rind leave
    it in one piece).
    
    Put 3 tablespoons of the oil in a non stick frying pan and set it on
    medium high heat. When it is hot put in the onions garlic and shalots.
    Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Add the lemon grass (but not the lemon rind
    if you are using that). Continue to stir and fry until the onions have
    browned lightly. Turn off the heat. Pick the shallots out of the pan
    and set them aside.
    
    Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, wide, preferably
    non-stick pan and set it over a high heat. When it is hot put as many
    meat cubes in the pan as the pan will hold in a single layer and brown
    them turning them as necessary. Remove all the cubes witha slotted
    spoon. Brown all the meat in this way.
    
    Return all the browned meat to the large pan. Add 1 3/4 pints (1 litre)
    of water as well as the onion-garlic-lemon grass mixture. Coarsely chop
    the beans in the yello bean sauce (if they are not already crushed) and
    add them as well. Also put in the chilli powder, star anise, cinnamon,
    pepper corns and sugar. Bring to the boil, then cover, lower the heat
    and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours. Add the reserved shallots (and the
    lemon rind if you are using it). Cover again and simmer for another
    15 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium and cook for a
    further 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a little and
    the meat is tender.
    
    Spoon the fat off the top before serving.
    
    Serves 6
    

   
    From Madhur Jaffreys book...
    
    Ga Xao Xa Ot					Vietnam
    
                Spicy stir fried chicken with lemon grass
    
       From the Nha Hang Noi Nha Be restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City
    
    This was one of the quick, very flavourful, stir fried dishes served to
    me in a floating restaurant on Saigon River. Even though the chicken
    cooks quickly, it is a good idea to let it sit in the marinade for at
    least an hour. It is importnat that the chicken (while still on the
    bone) be cut into fairly small bite sized pieces. As chicken bones,
    especially those in the leg, have a tendency to splinter, it is best to
    let the butcher cut up the chicken for you.
    
    Ingredients for the marinade:
    
    1 stick fresh, or 2 tablespoons dried lemon grass
    2 lb chicken pieces (cut small)
    1 large clove of garlic
    1/2" cube fresh ginger
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
    1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
    
    You also need:
    
    5-6 cloves garlic
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 tablespoon fish sauce (or salt to taste)
    4-8 tablespoons chicken stock
    3 1/2 oz onions.
    
    Method
    
    First prepare the marinade. If you are using fresh lemon grass cut it
    crossways into very thin slices, starting at the bulbous end and going
    up about 6", discarding the strawlike top. If you are using dried lemon
    grass, soak it in 4 tablespoons of hot water for an hour.
    
    Pur the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the fresh lemon grass, if you are
    using it. (If you are using dried lemon grass, strain it from its water
    and add it to the chicken, saving the water for later). Peel the large
    clove of garlic and crush it well. Peel the ginger and grate it finely.
    Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, tomato paste, salt, chilli and turmeric
    to the chicken. Mix thoroughly, cover and set aside for 1-24 hours,
    refrigerating if necessary.
    
    Peel and finely chop the remaining 5-6 cloves of garlic. Put the oil in
    a wok or large lidded frying pan [the type of deep saute pan called a
    sauteuse works very well /. Ian .\] and set over high heat. When it is
    hot put in this garlic. Stir and fry for 30 seconds or until the garlic
    is golden. Add the chicken and all of its marinade. Stir and fry for
    5-6 minutes, or until the chicken browns a little. Then add the fish
    sauce and either the lemon grass soaking liquid or 4 tablespoons of
    chicken stock. Stir once and cover. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes.
    Lift the lid and stir, then add another 4 tablespoons of stock. Cover,
    turn the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes.
    
    While the chicken cooks, peel the onions and cut them into 3/4" dice.
    Seperate the onion layers within the diced pieces. Remove the lid from
    the wok containing the chicken and turn the heat to high. Put in the
    onion and stir and fry for 1 minute. Lift the food from the oil and
    serve.
    
    Serves 4
    

Thanks for pointing out my typo.

I've re-proof-read my replies. Thay all look OK now.

/. Ian .\

    in the 'eating well' magazine for this month they have a huge article all 
    about tthis type of food and many recipes.  i suggest you pick it!
    
    

ah yes, but unlike this conference the magazine is a US parochial product.

Or to put that another way:... you can't buy it here!

/. Ian .\

    Thank you for the recipes, does anyone have a recipe for Boa Bia or Goi
    Cuon? They are the fresh eggrolls.Thank you
                                                 Mary
    

Madhur Jaffrey has a recipe for what are called Nem Ran in North Vietnam and
cah gio in South Vietnam.

Will this do? if so I'll find a few minutes to type it in.

/. Ian .\

    Yes Ian that would be wonderful!!!!
                                     Thank You,
                                     Mary

                                Small Spring Rolls


       Nem Ran                                                   (Vietnam)

              From Mrs Vuong at the Thuc Don Restaurant in Hanoi

              [Taken from Madhur Jaffrey's 'Far Eastern Cookery']

       Called nem in North Vietnam and cha gio in South Vietnam, these
       delicious bite-sized crab-and-pork filled spring rolls are
       usually wrapped in soft lettuce leaves and dipped into a sauce
       before being eaten. Fresh herbs such as mint and basil are put
       into these lettuce bundles as well.

       A word about the Vietnamese spring roll wrappers: unlike the
       Chinese spring roll skins, which are made of plain wheat flour,
       these are made from rice flour. When bought, they look like round
       translucent sheets of paper with the markings of the cross woven
       mats on which they are dried firmly imprinted on them. The ideal
       size is about 4" (10 cm) in diameter, but this size is hard to
       find in the West. Mrs Vuong, the chef at whose elbow I learned
       this recipe in Hanoi, used two very thin wrappers, one placed
       more or less on top of the other, to make each spring roll. Since
       the wrappers were stiff, she softened them by smearing the
       outside wrapper with a little caramel flavoured water. I find
       that the wrappers I have managed to buy at ethnic grocers' in the
       West are often much larger and coarser in texture, and need
       repeated brushings with caramel water to soften them. They may
       also need to be halved or quartered. As they crumble easily, it
       is best to wet them first, then cut them with a sharp knife.
       After they have been stuffed, you will need a little flour paste
       to stick the last end of the wrapper down firmly in place.

       Vietnamese spring roll wrappers are sold by Chinese and Far
       Eastern grocers, where they are labelled 'rice paper'. If you
       cannot get authentic rice paper wrappers, the best substitute is
       filo pastry which is sold in many supermarkets and delicatessens
       and by Greek grocers. To use the pastry, just spread one large
       sheet on a slightly dampened cloth. Brush it with warm vegetable
       oil and cover it with another sheet. Brush that with oil as well.
       Cut the sheets, in place, into 4" (10 cm) squares. As you work
       with one square, keep the rest covered with a damp cloth. You
       will not need the caramel water or flour paste. Instead of frying
       the rolls, you can arrange them, one next to the other, on a
       baking tray, brush them all with oil and then bake them in the
       oven at gas mark 6, [400�F, 200 C] for 20-30 minutes, turning
       them over half way through the cooking time.

       If you cannot find black fungus, increase the number of dried
       Chinese mushrooms from 8 to 14.


          Ingredients:

          �        2 tablespoons dried black fungus

          �        8 dried Chinese mushrooms

          �        � oz. (15 g) cellophane noodles

          �        � spring onion (scallion)

          �        1 � oz. (40 g) onion

          �        4 oz. (100 g) lean pork, minced

          �        4 oz. (100 g) cooked white crab meat, shredded

          �        � teaspoon salt

          �        freshly ground black pepper

          �        1 large egg

          �        1 large head soft lettuce

          �        1 good-sized bunch fresh mint sprigs

          �        4 tablespoons Caramel Water

          �        2 tablespoons plain flour

          �        Vietnamese rice papers

          �        Oil for deep frying

          �        Fish sauce seasoned with Lime


          Method:

       Soak the black fungus in 10 fl. oz. (300 ml) of hot water for 30
       minutes. Lift the fungus from the water and rinse it under cold
       running water. Feel for the hard 'eyes' and cut them off. Chop
       them fungus finely. You should have about 4 tablespoons. Soak the
       dried mushrooms in a separate 10 fl. oz. (300 ml) hot water for
       30 minutes or until they are soft. Lift them out and cut off the
       hard stems. Chop the caps finely. Soak the cellophane noodles in
       a large bowl of hot water for 15-30 minutes or until they are
       soft. Drain and cut them into �" (1 cm) lengths.

       Finely chop the spring onion. Peel the onion and chop it finely.
       In a bowl combine the pork, crab meat (making sure it has no bits
       of shell left in it), black fungus, mushrooms, cellophane
       noodles, spring onion, onion, salt, black pepper, and egg. Mix
       well.

       Wash the lettuce, separating all the leaves, and drain it. Wash
       the mint, break it into very small sprigs, and drain it. Make the
       caramel water (see below). Combine the flour with 3-3�
       tablespoons of water to make a paste.

       Add 1 pint (600 ml - note UK pints are bigger than American ones)
       hot water to the caramel water, which should now be warm. Brush a
       piece of rice paper on both sides with the diluted caramel water.
       If it turns soft and pliable, proceed with the next step;
       otherwise brush it again with the caramel water. If you have the
       4" rice papers leave them as they are. If you have the 9" papers,
       cut them into quarters. Work with one piece at a time. Put a
       heaped teaspoon of the pork-crab mixture roughly in the centre,
       but closer to the edge nearest you. Spread the mixture into a
       sausage shape about 1.75" long. Fold the side nearest the filling
       over it. Then fold the two adjacent sides over to the centre. Now
       roll the parcel away from you and seal the edge with a little
       flour paste. Make all the spring rolls in this way and set them
       aside on a plate. (If you find the rice paper is too thin and
       unmanageable use 2 papers, one on top of the other.)

       Heat the oil in a wok or deep fat fryer over a medium heat. When
       the oil is hot, put in as many spring rolls as will fit easily in
       one layer. Fry them until they are golden. Remove them with a
       slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen paper. Continue until you
       have fried them all.

       Arrange the Spring Rolls on a plate. Arrange the lettuce leaves
       and mint sprigs on another plate. Put a small bowl of fish sauce
       seasoned with lime juice near each diner, or place a bowl between
       2 diners for them to share. To eat, take a lettuce leaf, or part
       of one, and put a spring roll and a few mint sprigs on it; roll
       it up and dip it in the sauce.

               Makes about 50 rolls.


                                  Caramel Water


          Ingredients:               

          �        3 tablespoons of sugar


          Method:

       Put the sugar in a small cast iron frying pan and let it warm up,
       without stirring, over a low heat. The sugar will begin to
       caramelise. Tilt the pan slowly back and forth to move the sugar,
       but do not stir it. When all the sugar has turned brownish,
       slowly pour in 5 fl. oz. (150 ml) warm water. It will bubble
       vigorously, so be careful. Stir and mix. Pour the sauce into a
       bowl. Add another 5 fl. oz. (150 ml) boiling water and mix. Allow
       to cool and then store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

               Makes about 10 fl. oz. (300 ml)

               [Footnote: my wife has a 'baby' copper wok that she
               uses for this process (about 6" diameter). I
               believe these are common throughout Indo-China. I
               have seen them for sale in several Indo-Chinese
               shops. They seem to reduce the risk of the caramel
               burning or sticking to the pan. - /. Ian .\]



































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                                Small Spring Rolls































































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