Recipe
24 Jul 2007

Bánh Bột Lọc – Clear Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

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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. 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

Saute 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. Spread the onion, oil, and crispy pork fat mixture atop the banh bot loc and serve immediately with fish sauce.

Restaurant Review
24 Jul 2007

J.K's Greek Cafe – San Diego (La Mesa)

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July 10, 2007
Cuisine: Greek

7749 University Avenue
La Mesa, CA 91941

Phone: 619-464-1915
Website: http://www.jksgreekcafe.com/

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Gyro Plate – a perfect blend of ground beef and lamb broiled rotisserie-style served with two sides ($8.95)

Gyro – Thin slices of gyro meat rolled in pita bread served with tomatoes & onions with Tzatziki sauce on the side ($4.65)

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I tasted my first gyro in 1998. It was the summer before my junior year of high school and I was taking Drivers Ed at Helix High School. One day after class, my high school BF surprised me with the Greek treat for lunch. We enjoyed our gyros from J.K’s on a picnic table outside the adult education classes, which was super romantic at the time. Since that fateful afternoon, I’ve consumed a lot of Greek food in a number of different cities, including Athens, and have developed an affinity for the cuisine.

I returned to J.K’s the other day with my cousins Michael and Jimmy to see if their gyros were still delightful after all these years and fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Jimmy, Michael

Located on University Avenue, J.K’s doesn’t boast the prettiest interior (or exterior for that matter). For that reason, I highly recommend getting food to go, which is exactly what we did. Although the restaurant’s space is dark and dated, the service is always polite and friendly.

Michael and I both ordered gyro sandwiches, while Jimmy went with a gyro plate. The gyro sandwiches were stuffed to the brim with savory slices of lamb and beef, tomatoes, and red onions. I feel that the tomatoes are negligible, but the onions are essential for an outstanding sandwich. J.K’s gyro meat is well-seasoned and its texture is the perfect combination of charred and moist thanks to hours of slow roasting on the rotisserie. The Tzatziki sauce served on the side is cool, mild, and creamy—it cuts through the meat’s saltiness beautifully. The toasted pita bread is fragrant, thick, and effortlessly holds everything together. J.K’s gyro sandwich is truly as spectacular as it was nearly a decade ago.

Jimmy’s gyro plate contained the same meat as the gyro sandwiches with the addition of a small Greek salad and stewed green beans in a tomato broth. Jimmy enjoyed each component of the plate and ate every last morsel. I had a bite of the stewed green beans and found them mushy and flavorless. I’ll stick with the gyro sandwich.

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Recipe
21 Jul 2007

Đậu Hủ Xả Ớt – Fried Tofu with Chilies and Lemongrass

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Deep Fried Tofu with Chilies and Lemongrass

  • 14 ounces tofu
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Chili flakes
  • Vegetable oil

Mince* lemongrass in a food processor. Add salt and chili flakes to the minced lemongrass and combine. For extra spice, add in a generous amount of chili flakes.

Cut tofu into 6 rectangular pieces and butterfly – slice tofu down the middle three-quarters of the way through.

Stuff the tofu with lemongrass, salt, and chili flakes mixture.

Heat vegetable oil and deep fry stuffed tofu until golden on both sides. After frying is complete, strain the oil and sprinkle the remaining lemongrass on top of the tofu because some lemongrass will fall out of the tofu.

Serve warm with rice.

*Asian grocery stores often sell containers of minced lemongrass in the freezer section, which can be used here. Store lemongrass in freezer to preserve freshness.