The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon
Page 17
3. When you are ready to cook the crepes, lay out the crepe filling ingredients next to the stove: canola oil, onions, garlic, shrimp, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and sliced pork. Begin by heating 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch, nonstick skillet on high heat. Add a few slices of the onions and a pinch of chopped garlic. When sizzling, add 4 or 5 pieces of shrimp, 6 or 7 pieces of the sliced pork, and a small handful of mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through, curled, and turned pink.
4. Spread the ingredients evenly in the skillet. Add cup of the batter and swirl to evenly distribute and cover the surface. The skillet should have a light coating of batter; the sautéed ingredients should not be swimming around in the batter. Adjust the heat to low and cover the skillet.
5. After 3 to 5 minutes, the crepe should be a nice, bright yellow and look cooked, with its outside edges crispy and pulling in from the side. Add half of the bean sprouts to just one side of the crepe and cook for another minute. Check to see if the crepe is finished by sliding your spatula under part of it and looking at the crispness of the bottom.
6. Once the bottom is crisp, fold the crepe in half to cover the bean sprouts and slide directly onto a large plate. Serve immediately with the salad platter and nuoc cham.
Desserts, Savory Treats, and Drinks
BAKERIES AND COFFEEHOUSES
Little Saigon is a place that celebrates food aromas, and on a typical morning the fragrance of freshly ground coffee from coffeehouses and freshly baked bread from bakeries wafts through the air along Bolsa Avenue. It could be said that this is no different from any U.S. city street where bakeries and coffeehouses are commonplace. But there’s nothing typical about these Little Saigon destinations. The bakeries here sell baguettes, cakes, and croissants along with traditional Vietnamese che, holiday mooncakes, and the Vietnamese sandwiches called banh mi thit. The coffeehouses aren’t simply for coffee and tea and reading; they also sell drinks such as sugarcane juice and soybean milk and during the evening are transformed into cafes with alcoholic beverages, dancing, and singing. Clearly you’re a long way from Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.
The influence of the French is very strong in Little Saigon bakeries as well as coffeehouses. Using large French-made machines such as the Pavailler automated oven, bakeries are now capable of producing almost 500 loaves of bread an hour. They do make French wheat flour baguettes, but it’s the Vietnamese baguettes that sell out. This airy bread used for banh mi thit has a perfect crumbly crust that cracks open to a buttery light dough. The secret ingredient is rice flour, which makes breads that are more airy and less dense than your traditional French bread. However, the addition of rice flour also means the bread won’t last as long, and it will get quite stale when left out for more than a day.
Coffee is another import from the French. The Vietnamese have taken this staple, made it more potent, and sweetened it to their liking. They call it cafe sua da. The coffee requires a special filter that sits on top of a cup or glass filled with some sweetened condensed milk. The espresso-bean grounds or dark-roasted Vietnamese grounds are added to the filter, and then boiling water is poured over the grounds. It takes a few minutes for the strong espresso to drip into the glass. The longer you brew the coffee, the more caffeinated and potent it becomes. Many shops will have glasses of the coffee premade and ready to go.
On a typical Saturday morning in Little Saigon, the lines are out the door at the bakeries. Once you are finally inside, you find yourself in a crowded space with everyone yelling out their orders for banh mi thit, fresh baguettes, cream puffs, tapiocas, and so on. Language is not necessary; point to the displayed item, show the quantity needed with your fingers, and a price will be shouted back to you. On top of the glass display of French pastries and cakes rests a selection of Vietnamese desserts; if it’s holiday time, you’ll find all the festive treats like mooncakes (banh trung thu) and other pastries stuffed with sweet lotus seeds or red beans.
Because few of the bakeries offer any kind of seating area, most people take their purchases to the nearby coffeehouses, where they can enjoy their treats with some cafe sua da, meet with old friends, and read the Vietnamese newspapers. Elderly gentlemen spend hours sipping their strong, hot, ginger or chrysanthemum teas around a game of Chinese checkers or chess. Plain, herbal teas like tra da or iced green tea are also popular on a hot day. Fruit shakes, or sinh-tos, are especially popular. You can buy canned coconut soda (Coco Rico), guava juice, and a variety of other canned Thai teas and coffees. Nuoc mia, or sugarcane juice, is one of the most popular drinks around and very refreshing. It is not as sweet as you would imagine, but it certainly has a distinct, flowery flavor. In contrast is the Vietnamese variation on lemonade called chanh muoi, which is salted fresh lemonade. Sua dau nanh, or soybean milk, is often served hot or cold, with or without sugar.
By evening the coffeehouses become more like bars. Many have liquor licenses and can sell beer and cocktails. For the younger generation, a lack of activities in Little Saigon means these cafes are a natural destination for music, singing, and dancing. Loud Vietnamese and American pop songs and karaoke, disco balls hanging from the ceilings, and wall-to-wall mirrors are common elements. Owners are under strict ordinance, however, to send patrons under eighteen home by 10:00 P.M., ban smoking, and close at midnight.
The recipes in this chapter give you a hint of the bounty of wonderful treats enjoyed in Little Saigon. Not only will you find noted Vietnamese desserts and beverages, but you will also get a glimpse of the European influence on the cuisine of this Southeast Asian country.
A number of bakeries are not to be missed when visiting Little Saigon. For che and banh mi sandwiches and baguettes, you must go to one of the Che Cali chains. For elaborate and delicate pastries, go to Lily’s Bakery, where you’ll find pastry so light it crumbles at a glance and does an excellent job of melding Vietnamese flavors into the styles of the French—try jackfruit cake with mango frosting or pineapple and coconut tarts. Van’s Bakery and Song Long are the authority for birthday cakes and larger orders of Vietnamese delicacies; they were two of the first bakeries in Little Saigon.
FRENCH PUFF PASTRIES STUFFED WITH PORK
Pâté Châud
These are not the puff pastries of fancy Parisian bakeries; these are meat-filled pastries that are sold in every Little Saigon bakery. Pate chaud is a French creation, but it has become so popular with the Vietnamese that they have made it their own. The meat in the pastry is similar to meat stuffed in other Vietnamese treats. Just ask for the ba-tay show (the p is pronounced like b; there’s no p sound in the Vietnamese language). Over the years the pastries have gotten bigger and bigger as bakeries compete for business. After you try this wonderful French-Vietnamese pastry, you will no longer think that puff pastry dough is exclusively for desserts.
pound ground pork
¼ yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 10×12-inch puff pastry sheets,
approximately ¼ inch thick
(frozen Pepperidge Farm puff
pastry sheets work well)
2 eggs
1. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, minced onion, and garlic with your hands. Mix in the salt and pepper. Form meatballs approximately 1½ inches in diameter. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to package instructions. Sprinkle some flour on a wooden board or countertop.
3. Leave one pastry sheet in the refrigerator while you lay the other sheet on your working surface. With your eyes or a ruler, divide the pastry sheet into nine equal squares, each one 3 by 4 inches.
4. Put a meatball in the center of each pastry square. Lightly flatten the meatball with your fingers. Take the second pastry sheet from the refrigerator and gently place it on top of the meatballs, aligning it with the bottom sheet.
5. With a knife or ravioli
cutter, cut out the squares. Lightly seal the sides of the squares with your fingertips, about ¾ inch from the outside. Place the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It is important that the pastry bottom is placed flat on the sheet pan.
6. Prepare an egg wash by beating the eggs lightly. With a cooking brush, brush the top of each pastry.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and have completely puffed. Serve warm.
TARO ROOT AND GLUTINOUS RICE IN COCONUT MILK
Chè Khoai Môn
Both taro root and glutinous rice have a starchy consistency, which serves as a base for many desserts and tapiocas. Glutinous rice is like a sweet rice flour made from short-grain rice. It becomes moist and sticky when cooked, creating a chewy texture that makes it great as a base for Vietnamese desserts and snacks like che. If my family is cooking taro root for dinner, a few extra roots will always be purchased to make che in the morning to serve hot for breakfast.
½ pound taro root, approximately
5 small roots
½ cup glutinous rice
2 cups water
2½ cups coconut milk
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sweetened
condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
1. Put the taro root in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Boil for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, let cool, and peel. Dice into 1½-inch cubes. Set aside.
2. Put the rice and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Cook, uncovered, for about a half hour over medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so, as the rice may bubble over as it is cooking. The rice will be completely cooked when its starches have thickened to a sticky texture and just a little bit of water remains.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the taro root cubes, 2 cups of the coconut milk, ¼ cup of the sugar, the condensed milk, and salt. Stir thoroughly, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. In a small bowl, blend together the remaining ½ cup coconut milk and 1 tablespoon sugar for the topping.
5. The dessert can be served hot or at room temperature. Spoon into individual bowls and top each serving with a few dollops of the coconut milk and sugar mixture.
BANANA TAPIOCA IN COCONUT MILK
Chè Chui
Banana che is probably the easiest che to make, and it is also the sweetest. Cooking with tapioca pearls is somewhat tricky, so carefully follow the directions here. The first few times I tried this dish, however, I had to resort to a bailout plan. You can use another fruit or root in this recipe; just make sure it’s something that can stand up to the heat, like bananas. Berries and citrus fruits would fall apart in the cooking process.
5 cups water
1 cup medium-size tapioca pearls
5 ripe bananas
3½ cups coconut milk
3 tablespoons sweetened
condensed milk
3 tablespoons sugar
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon fresh lemon or
lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
cup shredded coconut
1. In a large saucepan, heat the 5 cups of water. When it begins to boil, add the tapioca pearls and stir. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, uncovered.
2. Stir every 5 minutes so the tapioca pearls do not clump together or burn at the bottom of the saucepan. The pearls are finished when they are translucent. (If they’re chewy, they’re not thoroughly cooked.) When cooked properly, the tapioca pearls should be reconstituted and in a thick, gooey, starchy syrup. If the heat is too hot while cooking, the water will evaporate too quickly and you will find the gooey texture appearing before the pearls are cooked through: add a little more water. If somehow there is more water and the pearls are done without the syrupy texture, then drain off the water in a fine-mesh strainer. This will retain not only the tapioca pearls but also the thick starchy substance necessary for the dessert.
3. Keeping the saucepan at a low simmer, peel the bananas, being sure to remove all banana threads. Cut the bananas in half lengthwise, and then cut into 2-inch slices. Add them immediately to the tapioca pearls, stir. and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir the coconut milk, condensed milk, sugar, salt, and lemon or lime juice into the tapioca until the mixture is well blended. Simmer for another 10 minutes, uncovered.
5. The tapioca can be served hot or at room temperature. Pour it into individual bowls or a large serving bowl. Garnish with the sesame seeds and shredded coconut.
BLACK-EYED PEAS AND GLUTINOUS RICE IN COCONUT MILK
Chè Dâu Tráng
This dessert makes it easy for children to eat their vegetables. Che dishes can be overly sweet, especially when not made at home, and many non-Vietnamese simply describe them as sweet bean soups. Black-eyed peas are more commonly used in glutinous rice che than in other Vietnamese dishes. The final product is a viscous rice and bean mixture. You can substitute black beans or green beans for the black-eyed peas.
¾ cup dried black-eyed peas,
uncooked
¾ cup glutinous rice
3 cups water
2 cups coconut milk
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
1. Put the black-eyed peas in a medium saucepan, cover them with water, and boil for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Put the rice and water in a medium saucepan. Cook, uncovered, for about a half hour over medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so, as the rice may bubble over as it is cooking. The rice will be completely cooked when its starches have thickened to a sticky texture and just a little bit of water remains.
3. Add 1¼ cups of the coconut milk, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the salt to the rice. Blend thoroughly, dissolving the sugar and salt. Then add the cooked black-eyed peas, stir gently, and continue simmering for another 5 minutes (do not mash the beans into the rice mixture). Remove from the heat.
4. For the topping, in a small bowl blend together the remaining ¾ cup coconut milk, 1½ tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla with a fork or spoon.
5. Serve the che hot or at room temperature in individual bowls. Top each bowl with a few tablespoons of the coconut and sugar topping.
The Vietnamese people—long oppressed in their homeland—relish the right to free speech. Little Saigon Radio and Little Saigon TV, as well as several Vietnamese-language newspapers, have their headquarters in Westminster and Garden Grove. Moran Street, right off Bolsa Avenue, is known as the “media street.” It’s a short street of industrial buildings housing the Nguoi Viet newspaper (which has been around since the beginning of Little Saigon), Nguoi Viet Community Center, Vietnamese Arts and Letters Association, Vien Dong newspaper, and more. These media sources are broadcast and distributed throughout California, as well as in growing Vietnamese communities in Houston and Dallas. Community-focused but non-Vietnamese language newspapers including Viet Weekly and Asia Week are also growing in popularity among the English-reading second generation.
VIETNAMESE FLAN OR CRÈME CARAMEL
Bánh Flan
This easy-to-make dessert has been a household treat since the French first introduced it to the Vietnamese. It seems like every cuisine has some kind of flan or custard variation, but this light and fluffy version is especially similar to the French crème caramel. For a Vietnamese touch, make the dish in a rice bowl or use rock sugar for the caramelization. I have enjoyed making this flan with the zest of mandarin orange or even our beloved lime added to the custard mixture. Keep the flan in the refrigerator right until you serve it. If you remove it from the rice bowls or ramekins too early, it will weep and soften too fast.
1½ cups sugar
5 large eggs
1½ cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1. The flan can be made in the oven o
r the steamer. If using the oven. preheat it to 325 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup of the sugar over low heat to caramelize the sugar. Keep stirring the sugar to prevent it from burning as it thickens. Cook until the sugar has become a light brown, caramel-colored syrup. Pour the syrup evenly into individual ramekins or china rice bowls.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, the remaining 1 cup sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve. Next fill the ramekins evenly over the caramel bottoms. Do not allow the custard and caramel to blend together.
4. To cook the flan in the oven, place the ramekins in a deep baking dish or souffle dish. Fill the dish with hot water until it reaches halfway to the top of the ramekins. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the center of the flan is firm. Remove the ramekins from the hot water and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. If using a steamer, preheat the steamer over high heat. When the water is hot. place the ramekins in the steamer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center is firm. Remove the ramekins from the steamer and let them cool for 10 minutes.