The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon
Page 5
5. Then add the ground shrimp mixture, dropping it into the soup in large teaspoon-size lumps. Continue simmering on low for another 5 minutes or until the shrimp and pork are completely cooked.
6. Stir in the sliced scallions and serve immediately.
[SERVES 6]
Canh, literally translated as “soup,” is a consommé or broth that is a necessary part of any Vietnamese meal. During the meal it’s the canh that’s imbibed to help wash down the rice and salty main dishes. Generally you can add whatever you like to a canh. Normally it begins with a basic stock—usually a chicken or pork broth—or even just fish sauce and water. A vegetable is added to complete the soup, along with reconstituted shrimp or small pieces of meat taken from the bones used to prepare the stock.
MUSTARD GREENS WITH SHRIMP TAMARIND SOUP
Canh Cái Tàn Tom
Here’s another favorite canh. It includes mustard greens, which are great in a canh because they have a mild taste when cooked and they keep their texture. Tamarind pulp is another good ingredient to use in canh, as it provides a light sweet-and-tart taste. Rice paddy flower is popular with shrimp and fish soups because its strong, perfumed fragrance covers up the fishiness that some may not find palatable. If you have the time, add some dried shrimp to the recipe. When you put just a few tablespoons of the liquid from the reconstituted shrimp into the soup, the soup will turn into something briny and magical.
6 cups water
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
½ pound fresh shrimp, peeled
and deveined
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
cup fish sauce
1 bunch fresh mustard greens, or
4 cups, leaves only
½ cup rice paddy flower
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
1. In a large stockpot, bring the water and the tamarind pulp to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, stir well to dissolve and distribute the pulp through the broth. Allow the broth to boil for 10 minutes before bringing it down to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. mix together the shrimp, garlic, sugar, and black pepper.
3. Add the ground shrimp mixture by the tablespoonfuls to the simmering broth. Let it cook for about 3 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked. Stir in the fish sauce.
4. Add the mustard greens and rice paddy flower. Cook for another 10 minutes, then add the bean sprouts and serve.
[SERVES 4]
My grandma has taught me that to get the right prices at Little Saigon markets, you need to keep your fingers on the pulse of what’s being delivered every day. She does this through her network of elderly women friends in the community. Someone must know someone who is a cousin of someone who runs the food delivery trucks.
WINTER MELON AND SHRIMP SOUP
Canh Bàu Tom
Winter melon is rather bland when cooked alone, but there is nothing quite like its deep, sweet, refreshing flavor in a canh or a stir-fry. It is easily chopped and quickly cooked. There are little whiskers on the skin of the melon, so my family prefers to lightly peel it before cooking.
8 cups water
3 tablespoons dried shrimp
¼ cup fish sauce
3 cloves garlic
pound fresh shrimp, shell
removed and deveined
½ tablespoon salt
1½ tablespoons ground black
pepper
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large green winter melon (bau),
lightly peeled, cut in half lengthwise,
and sliced into ½-inch
slices
1 scallion, chopped into rings
1. In a medium stockpot, boil the water with the dried shrimp, fish sauce, and garlic for 15 minutes.
2. While the water is boiling, pound the fresh shrimp with a mortar and pestle or process in a food processor. Put in a small bowl. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, and olive oil to the bowl. Blend well.
3. Drop the shrimp paste into the boiling water a few tablespoonfuls at a time. It will cook immediately and appear like pink dumplings in the water.
4. Add the sliced winter melon to the stockpot and boil for another 15 minutes. Serve when the winter melon is very tender.
5. Ladle all of the soup into a large bowl, add the scallions, and serve family-style with other dishes.
[SERVES 4]
ASPARAGUS AND CRAB SOUP
Xúp Mång Cua
Asparagus was introduced to the Vietnamese cuisine by the French, so it is not found in many traditional Vietnamese recipes. But today this soup is a popular item on the banquet menu. If fresh asparagus and crabmeat are not available, you can use canned, but fresh ingredients are always preferred by the Vietnamese. Look for lump crabmeat from the body of the crab. The most difficult part of this otherwise simple dish is making sure the egg whites are properly whipped into the soup. The presentation should be that of gentle clouds floating in the soup.
6 cups chicken stock (homemade
or purchased)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
¾ cup lump crabmeat
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
8 stalks fresh asparagus, white or
green, cut into 1½-inch pieces
cup finely chopped tree ear
mushrooms
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg whites
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, chopped into rings
1. Bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil in a large stockpot. Add the fish sauce and sugar and stir well. Boil for another 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer.
2. In a medium skillet, saute the garlic and shallots in the sesame seed oil for a few minutes. Add the crabmeat. salt, pepper, and oyster sauce and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add the mixture directly to the stockpot and stir well to break up the crabmeat.
3. Add the chopped asparagus and mushrooms to the stockpot and stir well. After a few minutes, slowly stir in the cornstarch to thicken the soup. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
4. Just before serving, swirl the soup in a circular motion and add the egg whites slowly so that they cook in threadlike pieces—you do not want chunks of scrambled egg in the soup. If you stir the egg whites in too quickly, they’ll blend in too much and become lost in the soup.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with the cilantro, scallions, and a dash of black pepper.
[SERVES 6J
Simple Comfort Foods
THE ASIAN GARDEN MALL AND MOM-AND-POP RESTAURANTS
Most Americans think of comfort food as macaroni and cheese, clam chowder, or meat loaf—foods evocative of good and happy times, cozy childhoods, and cheerful family meals around the kitchen table. Vietnamese cuisine has its own set of comfort dishes—rice porridge, curry, spiced beef stew, and others—all easy-to-make foods whose mere mention makes everyone happier. My grandmother remembers a time when comfort food came only from the home kitchen. But today these dishes are on the menus of many of the restaurants in Little Saigon.
Locals know exactly where to go for specific dishes and what to order without even glancing at the menu. Visitors who are not familiar with the food can ask for a menu with pictures. If they are still uncertain as to what to order, they can trust their waiter or waitress to name the best dishes at the restaurant, the chef’s specialty, or what the cook attends to first thing in the morning. Some of these mom-and-pop restaurants are so busy and popular that once in a while you will be asked to sit with complete strangers. Though these restaurants may be considered a “hole-in-the-wall,” many restaurateurs realize that Vietnamese Americans
are comfortable with the simple atmosphere. In fact, most restaurants look exactly the same as when they opened several decades ago.
The Asian Garden Mall, named Phuc Loc Tho (Luck, Fortune, and Longevity), is another place to find comfort foods in Little Saigon. This 150,000-square-foot indoor mall on Bolsa Avenue has a bustling oval-shaped food court on the ground floor. Freshly prepared snacks and simple dishes rest under bright heat lamps behind a glass enclosure. The foods mirror those sold in the market stalls of Saigon’s famous Ben Thanh Market, where scores of vendors bring their homemade dishes to sell. The Asian Garden Mall is especially busy on the weekends, as both locals and tourists hurry about the food court with their red trays, pointing or shouting for the desired food. They then eat at tables behind a brass rail separating the dining area from the rest of the pedestrian traffic at the mall. Once the meal is completed, it’s back to shopping in the mall’s 300 retail spaces for clothing, jewelry, Oriental gifts, and video and music items.
The recipes in this chapter reflect the simple dishes found in the casual restaurants in Little Saigon as well as in the Asian Garden Mall’s food court. Other comfort foods are the caramelized and braised dishes, or kho, found in the Festive Holiday Foods chapter.
Banh mi (bread) delis are found all over Little Saigon; there are three in the Asian Garden Mall alone. Banh mi thit are Vietnamese sandwiches, which are rapidly growing in popularity-it’s the next big Vietnamese food item after pho. It is hard for anyone to resist biting into a light and crispy crust (better than any French baguette) and tasting the warm bread, cool cold cuts, and crunchy vegetables. Banh mi dac biet, “the special,” is on the menu at every deli. It incorporates all the Vietnamese cold cuts. The meat may seem a bit odd, but rest assured that it’s all pork—a blend of lean and fatty parts. Other varieties of sandwiches include barbecued pork, chicken, and vegetarian. Julienned carrots and daikon marinated in vinegar, fresh cilantro, cucumber slices, and slices of fresh jalapeños provide a nice, tangy crunch to each sandwich.
CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND GARLIC RICE
Cóm Gà
This comfort food dish is generally made when certain leftovers are around the kitchen—cooked chicken, chicken stock, and cooked rice—but it’s also widely available in delis and many of Little Saigon’s more casual restaurants. This recipe may seem overly simplistic for the more adventurous. but the rice is fragrant and robust from the garlic and ginger, and the dipping sauce is a real highlight. Tofu or vegetables can be substituted for the chicken if desired.
6 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ fresh Thai bird chile, finely
chopped
3 tablespoons peeled, finely
chopped fresh ginger
4 cups cooked, dry, long-grain rice
cup chicken stock
¼ cup fish sauce
pound cooked chicken meat
(about half the meat of a
medium chicken), warmed
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh
mint leaves
Dipping Sauce with Ginger (see
recipe in Basics)
1. In a large skillet or pot, warm the oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the garlic, chile, and ginger, and cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add the cooked rice and stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Some of the rice may begin to char or become crispy, but this step is necessary to dry out the rice a little.
3. Add the chicken stock to the rice and stir. Then add the fish sauce and continue stirring. Reduce the heat and cook for another 15 minutes, uncovered, or until the liquid has reduced. Stir occasionally so that the rice does not burn.
4. While the rice is cooking, cut the warm chicken in slices. Spoon the rice into individual bowls and top each serving with a few slices of chicken, mint leaves, and a few spoonfuls of the ginger dipping sauce.
[SERVES 4]
CHICKEN CURRY WITH POTATOES AND PEAS
Cà-rí Gà
Every Southeast Asian cuisine has its own version of curry, but the Vietnamese chicken curry is my favorite because it is less stewlike than other curries and has a wonderful flavor of coconut milk and subtle spices. My grandma’s recipe here is the best example of Vietnamese curry I know. The South Vietnamese like using yams, and the curry powder meshes well with the yams’ sugary goodness.
2 stalks fresh or dried lemongrass, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 shallots
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon chili paste (less if you want a milder flavor)
5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1½ pounds skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks
1½ yellow onions, chopped into 6 pieces and separated
1 bay leaf
2½ cups water
2 cups coconut milk
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 pounds yams, peeled and sliced into 1½-inch pieces
(white potatoes can be substituted)
1½ cups frozen or canned peas
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Orchids prosper in the Vietnamese climate, growing both wild and in homes all over the country. Many of the world’s rarest and most valuable orchids can be found in Vietnam. In Little Saigon the blooms are sold in practically every color all year-round. You can find them on stands at the Asian Garden Mall, on the sidewalks, in the grocery stores, and even at a restaurant or bakery. Orchids are especially abundant during Tet, along with many other flowers and cherry blossom branches.
1. If using dried lemongrass, remove its rough outer leaves with your hands until you see fresh green layers. Soak in warm water for up to 30 minutes to soften the herb.
2. In a food processor, combine curry powder, garlic, sugar, shallots, salt, chili paste, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and black pepper. Lightly pulse and process into a rough paste. (The traditional version of this curry calls for using a mortar and pestle, but the food processor works fine here.)
3. Rub the paste all over the chicken with your hands. Put the chicken in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. In a large stockpot, heat the remaining oil over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf and lemongrass and cook for another few minutes,
5. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Add it to the stockpot and sear it with the lemongrass, onion, and bay leaf. Let the chicken cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is browned.
6. Add the water, coconut milk. carrots, and potatoes to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 5 minutes. Bring down to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. (If you want to shorten the cooking time, parboil the carrots and potatoes before adding them to the pot.) Test the carrots and potatoes to make sure they are cooked through before adding the peas. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes in a light simmer.
7. Serve hot over rice or with fresh, warm baguettes. Garnish with the chopped cilantro. If any curry is left over, refrigerate it immediately, as coconut milk tends to spoil very quickly. The curry will be even more flavorful the next day. Reheat just the amount of curry you will be eating, either in the microwave or on the stove.
[SERVES 8]
CHICKEN RICE PORRIDGE WITH LEMONGRASS AND GINGER
Cháo Gà
Chao, also known as congee, is the Vietnamese version of porridge. The soupy rice mixture can be made plain and served with a variety of accompaniments such as salted duck eggs or Chinese sausage. It can also be made with beef, chicken, pork, fish, or shrimp cooked into the porridge, and garlic, ginger, scallions, and cilantro used as flavorings or garnishes. Chao will cure whatever ails you. The blend of hot chicken broth with the medicinal qualities of lemongrass is a cure for your aches and pains. Generally, chao is not served with much meat, but you can add more shredded chicken to your likin
g.
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
(purchased or homemade)
5 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh ginger
2 stalks fresh lemongrass,
chopped in 2-inch lengths
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
½ pound chicken, poached
2 scallions, chopped into rings
cup chopped fresh cilantro
leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh Vietnamese
coriander leaves
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
½ yellow onion, finely sliced into
rings with mandoline
1 lime, quartered
1. Pour the chicken broth into a large stockpot. Bring it to a rolling boil, and add the fish sauce, ginger, lemongrass, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Stir the broth, and let it simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.
2. Add the rice and cook for about 35 minutes, covered, or until the rice is almost translucent. The consistency should be similar to that of porridge and a little watery.