Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Recipe

07 May 2011

Bò Bía – Vietnamese Jicama, Carrot, Chinese Sausage, Egg, and Dried Shrimp Rolls

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The second part of The Astronomer’s anniversary present came nearly two weeks after the first. I had originally planned to deliver both rice paper wrapped-delights simultaneously, but it turned out to be too much food and effort for only two mouths. Also, we had a ridiculous amount of leftovers from our ten-course banquet bonanza, so it was just as well that I held off on making bò bía for a little while.

Whereas The Astronomer loves gỏi cuốn most, I’ve always been partial to these lesser-known rolls filled with jicama, carrots, thin egg ribbons, Chinese sausages, and dried shrimp. The dipping sauce is identical in both situations, but the flavor profiles are completely different. While gỏi cuốn is mostly subdued save for the bites with fresh mint and garlic chives, bò bía brings bold flavors and interesting textures from start to finish.

This recipe comes from my aunt Tina, my family’s designated bò bía specialist. I grew up eating her rolls at family gatherings and have been meaning to learn how to make them for years. It’s true that bò bía contains a lot of different ingredients, but the only time-consuming and tedious step is julienning the jicama and grating the carrots. A finely sharpened mandoline slicer is extremely helpful, as well as a diligent sous chef. Once I got over this initial hurdle, the rolls came together simply, easily, and damn tastily.

1 large jicama (or 2 medium-sized), julienned
2 large carrots (or 3 medium-sized), grated
1 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
Non-stick cooking spray
5 Chinese sausage links
4 ounces dried shrimp
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and de-ribbed
1 package rice paper

For the slaw, combine the carrots, jicama, and salt in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the jicama and carrots have softened, but still retain a bit of crunchiness, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the egg ribbons, beat the eggs in a large bowl using a fork or whisk until they are mostly uniform in color.

Using a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, pour in 1/3 of the egg mixture and give it a good swirl so that it spreads out thinly across the entire pan. Once the bottom side has set, run a spatula underneath the omelet and flip it to cook the other side. Repeat this step two more times for the remaining eggs. Set the finished omelets aside to cool. [Note: a thin coating of non-stick cooking spray is a good idea if your pan is weathered.]

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Now Closed

05 May 2011

Pearl’s Restaurant – Monterey Park

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One night not too long ago, my friend Danny stayed up way past his bed time perusing this site’s Chinese food archives. I’m not sure what possessed him to do such a thing, but after spending a solid hour or so with my blog, he concluded that it needed more Taiwanese food representation.

Considering there are only four entries dedicated to Taiwanese food, one of which is distinctly Shanghainese, I couldn’t argue with his assessment. And that is how I found myself at Pearl’s Restaurant in Monterey Park on a recent Friday night.

While I’ve eaten at Sam Woo located a few steps away, I never paid much attention to the shoebox-size restaurant next door. The Astronomer, Danny, and I were seated at a table fit for four in Pearl’s surprisingly stark white dining room.

The menu here, which is divided into dumplings, rice, noodles, and appetizers, is all sorts of homey and priced beyond reasonably. Danny took the lead and ordered an array of dishes highlighting what the restaurant is best known for. By the way, the sign on the door states that the kitchen does not dabble in MSG.

To start, we shared a plate of pork boiled dumplings ($5.25). I slathered mine in the house-made chili paste, while The Astronomer went for a combination of soy sauce and vinegar. The dumpings’ skins were neither too thick nor too thin, while the filling was noticeably lean and well seasoned.

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Burgers

02 May 2011

Villains Tavern – Los Angeles (Downtown)

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From an eater’s perspective, it seems that the next chapter in Los Angeles’ gourmet food truck movement is just getting underway. Businesses that started by serving meals on wheels are transitioning into brick and mortar operations or popping up at established restaurants for limited engagements. Food trucking isn’t sustainable in the long run and as a result, businesses are expanding their brands and diversifying their services for a greater shot at success.

Kogi has grown its Korean taco empire to include two restaurants, Chego and A-Frame. Get Shaved has two independent shops in Northridge and Torrance. Komodo just opened a restaurant on Pico Boulevard. And in a few short weeks, Flying Pig will be serving pork belly buns in Little Tokyo.

My friends aboard the Great Balls on Tires truck have been working toward expanding their concept as well. Every Tuesday night for the past few months, they’ve been serving an “off-tires” menu at Villains Tavern . I didn’t get around to checking out their new digs until a few weeks ago when Villains debuted their spring cocktail menu. There’s nothing like the promise of well-crafted libations and the best balls in town to get me out of the house on a weeknight.

Before the parade of balls commenced, The Astronomer and I sipped on some very fine cocktails. I chose the Ma’at, which was made with Sagatiba cachaca, cantaloupe, citrus, and Chilean salt, while my partner went with the Isis made with pisco, basil, cucumber, lemon, lime, egg whites, and sugar. Created by in-house mixologist Dave Whitton, both drinks were well-balanced and delicious, in addition to being potent.

Later on in the night, we sampled the Osiris’ Punch made with rye whiskey, hibiscus, mint, citrus, spices, and bitters. It was a festive bowl of booze that packed quite a wallop.

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