1 fresh Thai bird chile, finely
chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
pound fresh small or medium
shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails
intact
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 6 parts and
separated
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into ¼-inch
slices
½ cup fresh or canned straw
mushrooms
¼ cup cashews
Fresh cilantro
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch the snow peas for 2 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water and immediately place them in a bowl of ice water.
2. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce, chopped chile, black pepper, and sugar. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the raw shrimp to the bowl and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking for another 3 minutes.
4. With the skillet still on medium heat, add the sliced carrots and cook for several minutes, stirring quickly so that they cook evenly. Stir in the mushrooms and continue cooking and stirring for a few more minutes.
5. Then add the shrimp and marinade and cook for another 5 minutes. Follow immediately with the snow peas. Cook for another few minutes, just until the peas and shrimp are warm.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cashews, and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with steamed rice.
SPICY SHRIMP WITH TOFU AND EGGPLANT IN COCONUT AND GINGER YELLOW CURRY
Cà-rí Tom Đu Hú
Not for the faint of heart, this spicy curry dish requires that you slowly cook its ingredients in a clay pot or saucepan. Take a heaping spoonful of this curry with the shrimp, tofu, and eggplant, and pour it over your bowl of steamed rice or rice vermicelli. Then shred a variety of herbs from the salad platter on top and enjoy. If you are averse to the heat of the dish, decrease the chili paste by half or do not add it all.
1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant,
peeled and sliced across
4 tablespoons salt
6 ounces (1 package) firm tofu
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh ginger
2 scallions, chopped into rings
1 teaspoon chili paste
½ tablespoon ground turmeric
½ pound fresh medium shrimp,
peeled, deveined, tails intact
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into 6 pieces
½ cup chicken broth or water
½ tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
1½ cups coconut milk
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and salt them generously; set aside for 20 minutes to sweat out bitterness and impurities.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes, a minimum of 1 inch in size.
3. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, ginger, scallions, chili paste, and turmeric. Blend thoroughly and then add the shrimp. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
4. In a clay pot or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Separate the pieces of the yellow onion and cook for a few minutes. Rinse the eggplant cubes, pat dry, and add them to the pan. Cover and let cook over low heat for 25 minutes or until the eggplant is extremely soft.
5. Add the shrimp and its marinade and the chicken broth or water to the eggplant. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
6. Slowly stir in the cumin, curry powder, and coconut milk, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tofu and peppercorns and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. The curry should be soupy.
7. Serve hot with steamed rice or noodles and a salad platter.
FRIED SQUID IN RICE FLOUR BATTER
Mc Chiên Lang Bt
To be truthful, fried squid is not the most popular dish on a Little Saigon menu, though it’s often served at nhau (a night of food and heavy drinking of beer and rice wine). If you are a calamari lover as I am (the American in me can’t say no to the tastiness of fried foods), this is an easy dish to make at home. The rice flour coating becomes lightly crispy and is delicious with the sweet tang and saltiness of the dipping sauce.
1¾ to 2 pounds fresh squid
cup fish sauce
1 fresh Thai bird chile, finely
chopped
1 cup rice flour
½ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup olive oil
Scallions, chopped into rings
1. Begin by cleaning the squid, separating the head and the body, and removing the pen, head, and membrane. Cut the bodies lengthwise into 1½-inch strips or into rings. Reserve the tentacles for frying as well. Rinse the pieces of squid and pat them dry.
2. Put the squid in a medium bowl. Add the fish sauce and chopped chile. Coat the pieces of squid evenly. Let them soak in the sauce for 15 minutes.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, and sugar. Stir to completely blend the dry ingredients together.
4. Pour the olive oil into a medium skillet to a depth of about 1 to 1½ inches. Heat the oil over high heat until it reaches 345 degrees. Line up the dish of squid and fish sauce right next to the dish of dry ingredients.
5. Remove each squid piece from the fish sauce and dredge completely in the flour mixture. Transfer immediately in small batches to the hot oil and deep-fry for 5 minutes, or until the coating has turned golden brown. Drain the fried squid on paper towels.
6. Put the squid in a serving dish and garnish with the chopped scallions. Serve with nuoc cham.
MUSSELS SAUTEED WITH CHILES AND THAI BASIL
Nghêu Xào Lá Quê t
When it comes to mussels or clams, we prefer to just steam or boil them before eating them over a newspaper spread on the table. But once in a while, it is a treat to make this Chinese-style dish. The meaty mussels have a nice sweet and salty sauce, with a little bit of a kick from the heat of the chiles. Clams can certainly be substituted for the mussels.
2 pounds fresh mussels
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped
onions
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
1½ teaspoons ground black
pepper
¼ cup oyster sauce
¼ cup fish sauce
2 fresh Thai bird chiles, finely
chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1½ cups chicken broth
1 cup roughly chopped fresh Thai
basil leaves
½ tablespoon cornstarch
2 scallions, chopped into rings
1. Clean and scrub the mussels thoroughly. Discard any with shells that are already open or broken.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Saute the onions and garlic for several minutes until the onions are translucent.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, black pepper, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chopped chiles, and lime juice. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add the mussels to the skillet. Let them cook for 2 minutes, and then drizzle the fish sauce marinade all over them. Stir the mussels with the marinade for a few minutes and then add the chicken broth. Add the chopped basil and toss. Cover the skillet and cook for another 8 minutes.
5. When the mussel shells have opened, add the cornstarch to thicken the liquid, being sure to evenly blend it in. Toss in the scallions.
6. Place the mussels and sauce in a large shallow bowl or on a large serving platter, an
d serve hot with steamed rice.
FRESH CRAB SAUTÉED IN SALT AND PEPPER
Cua Rang Mui
Served at practically every restaurant during a wedding reception or family gathering, cua rang muoi is a popular item simply because it is a fantastic dish that many think is too laborious to make at home. Cua rang muoi should be served as one course among many other courses. This recipe requires that the crab be served with its shell still on but broken, so that the flavors will permeate the meat; that also makes it easier for your diners to eat. The recipe calls for a lot of salt and black pepper, but because you’re cooking the crab in the shell, it’s not overpowered by the salt or pepper. Cua rang muoi is a hands-on dish and therefore is not served with utensils. If possible, try to get the freshest crab possible rather than a frozen one. There is a popular variation of this dish made with lobster, called tom hum (lobster) rang muoi. Feel free to simply replace the crab in this recipe with lobster.
2 large Dungeness crabs (approximately
2 pounds), freshly
cooked
6 tablespoons rice flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup salt
¼ cup ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
3 large shallots, diced
10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 fresh Thai bird chiles, finely
chopped
2 tablespoons butter
3 scallions, finely chopped
1. Begin by taking apart the cooked crabs. Remove the claws and legs from the body. Open the body by either cutting the crab in half with a cleaver or pulling the cap from the shell. Discard shell, gills, and so on. The body of the crab should be kept within the cartilage. Rinse the body of the crab. Break the shell of the crab legs and claws with the back of a cleaver or mallet. Place all the crab parts in a shallow dish or on a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir until thoroughly blended.
3. Sprinkle the flour mixture all over the crab legs, claws, and body to give them a nice even coating. Use your hands to make sure everything is well coated.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat. When hot, throw in the shallots and stir quickly for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chiles, and butter over high heat.
5. Toss in the flour-coated crabs and stir quickly for 5 minutes, then add the scallions. Lower the heat to medium and let cook for 10 minutes. The crabs will be a golden brown from the flour mixture.
6. Garnish with more black pepper and serve hot.
DRUNKEN CRAB
Cua Nu Bia
Here’s an easy and imaginative approach to boiling crab. Ideally, when it comes to cooking any shellfish with beer, you should use flat beer, because fresh beer tends to give the shellfish a metallic taste. Do not bother washing the crabs, as this will make them lose their briny taste. Spread some newspapers over the table and enjoy eating the crabs with a blend of salt, pepper, and lime. Salt and pepper are for flavoring, and the acidity of the lime helps to cut the crabs’ richness. Hint: I think it makes for a more comprehensive and holistic cooking experience if you are drinking some of the beer involved in preparing this dish. I encourage drinking a cold one as an excellent counterpoint to boiling the crab in the boiling beer. I discourage drinking a cold one while driving home after purchasing your fresh crab.
3 12-ounce cans beer
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons ground black
pepper
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 shallots, halved
1 tablespoon coarse salt
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
3 limes, halved
2 live large Dungeness crabs,
approximately 2 pounds
6 cups water (more or less to
cover crabs with liquid)
1. Pour the beer into a large stockpot. Put the pot on medium heat. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, 1½ tablespoons of the black pepper, the onion, shallots, ½ tablespoon of the salt, the garlic cloves, and 4 of the lime halves to the pot. Stir until the salt and oyster sauce are dissolved.
2. Bring the liquid to a boil. Just as it begins to boil, add the live crabs. Add additional water if needed to completely cover them. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat. The crabs will be cooked after about 15 minutes, or when their shells have turned pinkish orange.
3. Remove the crabs from the pot and let them cool a little.
4. Prepare a salt and pepper dip by combining the remaining ½ tablespoon of salt and ½ tablespoon of black pepper and the juice of 1 lime. Stir until well mixed.
5. Split the crabs in half. Serve your guests with half a crab each, and give them the proper crab utensils. Place the salt and pepper dip alongside the crabs.
Vietnamese Celebrations and Feasts
THE LAZY SUSAN
If you are in Little Saigon on any given Friday or Saturday evening, peek into one of the banquet-style restaurants and you are sure to notice lively groups crowded around big round tables in a great big dining room. Waiters hurry back and forth, carrying large platters of steaming food to every table. Take a closer look and you will observe that on every table is a round, spinning platform covered with food. It’s the lazy Susan, a primary symbol of the Asian feast.
For the Vietnamese, these feasts at fine-dining, lazy Susan-whirling establishments are one of many practices that exemplify our culture and traditions. Family feasts and gatherings are required for weddings and funerals and death anniversaries as well as holidays, such as Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, and Tet Trung Thu, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. But even work or school successes are reason enough for a party. Sharing food is the traditional way family and friends celebrate, so naturally a round table is the only shape befitting a group of equals, an important reflection of the Vietnamese culture. Vietnamese beliefs follow yin and yang, and the lazy Susan gives balance to the meal, making it possible to serve all the guests at the table quickly and proportionately.
While typical Vietnamese meals consist of three to five dishes served with large amounts of steamed rice, the salad platter, and dipping sauce, more feasting dishes are served on the lazy Susan. Banquets generally feature three courses with a total of seven or eight dishes—lucky numbers for the Vietnamese. (The numbers seven and eight are symbolic of luck and wealth.) The Chinese believe that the number nine is a good number for relationships; the Vietnamese agree and generally serve nine dishes at a wedding reception. Cold dishes and a sumptuous soup start the three-course meal; the last course is dessert, usually just a plate of cut oranges or a wedding cake. There is some order to how the food is served, but dishes are served so quickly, it seems almost simultaneous. This is done to give a sense of abundance and generosity, putting the host or guest of honor in a good light.
Only the best foods are served, as fine food is a direct reflection of status. You won’t find bun, or simple steamed fish, or anything in a clay pot. Beef, poultry (duck is more popular than chicken), and pork are served. Seafood dishes are elaborate and expensive, such as lobster, crab, and an incredibly large whole fish. Fried rice dishes are served in lieu of steamed rice and usually include expensive goodies like dried mushrooms and crabmeat. The feast is also the proper place to incorporate new ingredients and new dishes, so it is only at these restaurants where innovative dishes should be introduced.
A number of the recipes in this chapter will give you an idea of some of the celebratory dishes the Vietnamese enjoy in Little Saigon. Many of the recipes are more traditional, Chinese-style dishes of the Vietnamese feast, but together with some choice dishes from the seafood chapter, you will be ready to prepare your own Vietnamese party at home, based on long-term favorites served on Little Saigon’s lazy Susans.
At any large, banquet-scale Vietnamese restaurant, a sign of freshness is the large tank, usually by the front door. It is not a pr
etty tank, but it is filled with crabs and lobsters. When ordered, a crustacean is taken out of the tank and brought to the diner’s table as proof of freshness. This is the kind of pride Vietnamese cooks and restaurateurs take in their ingredients.
PAN-FRIED SPICY CHICKEN WITH MINT AND GINGER
Gà Chiên
In some cuisines, recipes often instruct you to leave the cooking juices behind while you serve the finished product, but this is not the Vietnamese way of doing things. Here’s an easy recipe where the chicken is cooked in the marinade and then served with the pan juices instead of with nuoc cham or Maggi sauce. You marinate the chicken overnight to achieve a full, robust flavor, but because the marinade is so potent, you can get away with just 4 hours. Choose breasts or thighs—any part of the chicken you want to cook with. The dish is versatile, so you can grill or bake the marinated chicken, but pan-frying certainly gives it a nice, crispy finish.
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ tablespoon ground white pepper
½ onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh Vietnamese
The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon Page 13