Category Archive for ‘Family Recipes’ at gas•tron•o•my

Archive for the 'Family Recipes' Category

Cháo Chả

Published

Gastronomer

on July 30, 2007

in Chao, Family Recipes, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 0 Comments

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.

Bánh Giò

Published

Gastronomer

on July 30, 2007

in Banh Gio, Family Recipes, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 2 Comments

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.

Bánh Mì Tôm Chiên

Published

Gastronomer

on July 29, 2007

in Family Recipes, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 0 Comments

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.

Mom’s Lollipop Fried Chicken

Published

Gastronomer

on July 27, 2007

in Chicken, Family Recipes, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 0 Comments

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.

Bánh Bột Lọc

Published

Gastronomer

on July 24, 2007

in Banh Bot Loc, Family Recipes, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 4 Comments

Translucent, almost gelatinous cakes of sticky tapioca flour filled with sauteed whole shrimps and sliced fatty pork. Topped with scallions and crispy rendered pork fat and served with fish sauce.

For filling

1/2 pound shrimp
10 large shrimps (with heads)
1/2 pound pork belly or pork back
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon nouc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Pepper

For dough

30 ounces tapioca starch
Boiling water

For topping

1/8 pound pork fat
2 scallion stalks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Make filling

Cut pork into small pieces that contain meat, fat, and skin. Set aside.

Remove the small and large shrimp’s tails, legs and veins, but leave their peels intact. The shrimp’s peel adds to the dish’s flavor and texture. For the larger shrimps, do not remove their heads. The shrimp heads contribute to the filling’s intense orangey color.

Sauté the pork in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat until just cooked. Add the shrimp (large and small) to the pork along with vegetable oil, fish sauce, salt, and sugar. Cook until all liquid has been absorbed. Lastly, add a generous amount of pepper to the filling.

Make dough

Place the tapioca starch into a large mixing bowl. Add enough boiling water to the starch to form malleable dough. Start with half a cup of water and gradually add in a little more until dough is formed. Knead the dough for approximately five minutes or until the water and starch is combined. The dough should be smooth and pliable.

Assembling and cooking Banh Bot Loc

Using a small portion of the dough, form a flat circle that is approximately 3″ in diameter and 1/8″ thick. Place one shrimp and one piece of pork in the center of the dough and fold in half (see below - left). For the larger shrimps, cut into smaller pieces. Repeat with the remainder of the filling and dough.

Cook the banh bot loc in boiling water for 5-8 minutes or until translucent. Once the banh bot loc has been removed from the boiling water, place them immediately in a cold water bath for 3 minutes and then drain. Repeat until all banh bot loc has been cooked.

Make topping

Sautee pork fat on high heat. After 15 minutes, crispy pork fat will form within the liquid fat. Drain the liquid fat leaving only the crispy pork fat. Set aside. Chop scallions into thin slices and sauté in vegetable oil. Add in crispy pork fat and combine (see below - right). Spread the onion, oil, and crispy pork fat mixture atop the banh bot loc and serve immediately with fish sauce.