I don’t cook much in Saigon, but these gorgeous squid inspired me to get into the kitchen and whip up something fresh and delicious. During Tet, The Astronomer and I won some noodles at the Saigon Times New Year’s celebration and they’ve been sitting in the cupboard since then. Not wanting them to go to waste, I decided to make mi xao muc (pan-fried noodles with squid).
The ingredients included two good-sized squid, salt, pepper, scallions, two tomatoes, half a pineapple, okra, green beans, fish sauce and dried egg noodles. This dish was made to my taste, so I don’t have exact measurements.
And here’s the final product. I call this dish Traffic Stopping Squid Noodles due to the red, yellow and green color scheme. Cheesy, I know, but totally delicious too!
This simple porridge with braised sausage is commonly eaten for breakfast in Vietnamese households.
For chao (porridge)
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 3 ½ cups water
For cha kho (braised pork sausage)
- ½ dong cha lua
- 1 shallot or ¼ onion
- Vegetable oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons nouc mam
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ tablespoon salt
- Black pepper
- Water
Make chao
Bring rice and water to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook until the porridge is of the desired consistency. Cook longer for a thicker porridge.
Make cha kho
Dice cha into bite sized pieces and set aside. Slice shallots thinly and sauté until golden brown in a bit of vegetable oil. Add cha, nouc mam, sugar, salt, pepper, and a dash of water to the shallots over medium heat. Cook until all liquid has been absorbed. Serve with hot chao.
Banh Gio is a savory breakfast food traditionally wrapped in leaves or aluminum foil, steamed, and eaten with nouc mam. My grandmother updated her banh gio recipe to exclude steaming and include microwaving after listening to a Vietnamese radio program where this shortcut was introduced.
For pork filling (gio)
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1/8 pound dried or fresh Wood Ear mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nouc mam
For banh
- 1 cup corn starch
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Prepare pork filling
If using dried mushrooms, reconstitute in warm water until softened. Slice mushrooms into thin, small pieces and set aside. Sauté ground pork in a saucepan over medium heat and season with salt, pepper, and nouc mam. Add mushrooms to pork and cook until pork is well-done and all liquid has been absorbed.
Prepare banh
In a different saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, salt, and vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Constantly stir the mixture until thickened (approximately 10 minutes) and remove from heat.
Assembling and cooking banh gio
Fill 1/3 of a microwave-safe bowl with the banh mixture, followed by a layer of pork, and another layer of banh. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 2.5 minutes. Repeat for the remainder of the banh and pork filling. Serve with nouc mam either in the bowl as is or inverted as pictured above.
Makes 4 servings.
These shrimp toasts are my Aunt Phuong’s signature appetizer and are served at large family gatherings. This recipe yields enough to feed a small army.
- 4 pounds shrimp (size 36-40)
- 1 bunch green onion
- 2/3 bulb garlic (5-7 cloves)
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 ½ tablespoons black pepper
- 10 tablespoons nouc mam
- 2 ½ loaves white bread
- Vegetable oil
Prepare shrimp
Thoroughly wash shrimp in salted water 3-4 times, changing the water after each washing. Devein and peel shrimp and let drain. Pat shrimps dry with a paper towel before marinating.
Prepare marinade
Finely mince green onions and garlic cloves and place in a large mixing bowl or container with a lid. Add sugar, egg white, pepper, and nouc mam to the onions and garlic. Mix well with shrimp, cover with plastic wrap or lid, refridgerate, and let marinade for 30 minutes minimum—overnight is best.
Assembling shrimp toasts
Cut each slice of bread into six rectangular pieces and lightly toast in the oven at 200 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
Chop marinated shrimp in a food processor until a thick paste is formed.
Spread a thick layer of the shrimp paste atop the toasted bread and lightly brush with vegetable oil (see below). Repeat with remainder of bread and shrimp paste.
Deep fry shrimp toasts with the shrimp side down first. When both sides are golden, remove from oil, drain, and serve.
For marinade
- 15 chicken wings and drummettes (30 pieces total)
- 1 shallot
- 1 large garlic clove
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
For coating and frying
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs or Panko
- ½ cup white or whole wheat flour
- Vegetable oil
Prepare chicken
Separate wings and drummettes and set wings aside. For the drummettes, using a paring knife, cut around the thin tip of each piece to loosen the meat around the joint. While holding the base, push the meat down gently to expose the bone and form a “chicken lollipop.”
Make marinade
Mince shallots and garlic and place in a bowl large enough to fit 30 pieces of chicken. Pour fish sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper into the bowl as well, then add the chicken. Make sure the chicken is well coated in the mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit overnight to marinade.
Coating and frying
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Coat chicken first in flour and then in the bread crumbs; it may be necessary to push the meat up on the drummettes once more. Once oil is ready, fry chicken until golden, drain, and serve.
