The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon

by Ann; Julie Fay Ashborn Le

  Cornstarch (bt bp): Used as thickening agent in many cooked dishes.

  Cucumber (da leo): Besides being shredded, julienned, chopped, and thrown into goi and served in salad platters, it can be cooked, becoming velvety and refreshing.

  Cumin (ku min): Most common in dried form. Seeds are often crushed with a mortar and pestle to be added to soups, curries, and other skillet-cooked dishes, It has a characteristically strong, musty, and earthy flavor.

  Curry paste (tng cà-rí:) Available ready-made (Mae Ploy is a good brand), which will shorten your cooking time, but many prefer to put together their own spices for curry dishes. All versions have garlic, salt, onion, and chile; they vary in such spices as tamarind, lemongrass, or shrimp paste.

  Curry powder (bôt cà-rí): Powder does not actually come from curry leaves but from ground roasted cumin and coriander seeds, black pepper, and chiles. Turmeric is also added. The powder is used not just for flavor but also for the yellow coloring of turmeric. Madras is a good brand.

  Daikon (c ci trng): White radish that looks like a gargantuan carrot: it’s often sold in cut pieces. It’s used to sweeten soups and broths; also julienned and added to salads for its slightly pungent taste.

  Durian (su riêng): Grows so large with a thorny shell, it can be mistaken for an armored animal. Husk opens to a sweet, yellow fruit with custardlike consistency. The smell can be unbearable to some. Often made into ice cream, a shake (sinh to), or a fruit drink.

  Eggplant, Asian or Japanese (cà tím): Less rotund and bitter than globe eggplant. Commonly salted before being cooked to break down proteins and acids and to sweat out bitterness.

  Fish sauce (nc mm): Fermented, clear brown sauce, found in varying grades. Asian markets often stock more than fifty varieties. Used in virtually every Vietnamese dish.

  Five-spice powder (ngu v huong): From the Chinese, a powdered combination of fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and star anise. It can be used as a rub for meats, especially duck and pork.

  Galangal (riêng): Similar in look to gingerroot, but more sour and peppery, and pinkish in color. It’s used in curries and soups or to season meats and seafood. When served fresh, it’s mildly spicy with a refreshing odor. Much spicier in its dried form.

  Garlic (ti): Often minced and used in sautéing; also pickled to eat with snacks and main dishes. When cooked with ginger, it makes a great complement for many dishes.

  Ginger (gng): Acidic in taste when raw. Peeled roughly and cooked in many dishes for its heat and pungent taste. Because of its fragrance, it’s often added to soup stocks or caramelized into syrup.

  Guava (ôi): Pear-shaped with edible, green skin and grown from a bush. It’s most often enjoyed when unripe and not too sweet, with a bit of salt and Thai bird chile.

  Hoisin sauce (tng): From the Chinese, a sweet condiment made from soybean, chili, salt, and sugar. It has a thick, black consistency and is used for cooking and as a dipping sauce, especially with pho.

  Jackfruit (mít): Gourdlike fruit that grows quite large with rough texture. The thick skin is broken through to reveal a fruit with a chewy, yellow flesh and strong fragrance. Ripened jackfruit is mixed into beverages and shakes.

  Jicama (rú sn): Sometimes used in sauteed dishes; more commonly julienned and served in salads, banh cuon fillings, and soups. Its crunchy, juicy texture and subtle flavor make it a very popular snack. The brown skin is inedible and needs to be peeled.

  Lemongrass (x/s): Wonderful fragrance and flavor. Usually diced very fine and then cooked in meat dishes. The outer layers of the stalks must be removed, their ends trimmed, and their layers unraveled. Flatten each layer with a knife and very finely chop it, or diners could feel they are eating shards of metal. Whole stalks, without outer layers, can soak in curries and soups to add a bit of “lemony” zing; remove the stalks before serving. If fresh lemongrass is unavailable, soak dried lemongrass stalks for about 15 to 20 minutes in tepid water after removing the outer layers.

  Lime (chp, chanh xanh): Originates in Southeast Asia. Used in marinades and dipping sauces and on salad platters. Vietnamese enjoy a squeeze of lime over soup.

  Longan (nhan): Similar to lychees in taste and texture, but half the size and much sweeter and juicier. Predominantly found in the Mekong Delta, they have much lighter and thinner skin than lychees.

  Long coriander (mùi tu): Very popular garnish, especially for pho. It’s also chopped and used for stir-fries or wrapped around foods. Fragrant, but less pungent than cilantro.

  Lotus seeds (ht sen): Popular, fragrant seeds used for che desserts and in beverages. The seeds are purchased in dried form and soaked overnight before use.

  Lychee (trái vi): Available fresh or canned. Often served in chê desserts and beverages. Peel the dark red, lumpy husk to reveal a fragrant, soft, whitefleshed fruit.

  Maggi Seasoning Sauce (Mag-gi): As common to the Vietnamese as soy sauce is to the Chinese; it’s kept at every kitchen table with salt and pepper. Made from vegetable proteins. The taste is a cross between dark Chinese soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. It’s added to steamed rice, used as marinade, put in salad dressings—anything requiring some salt. A Swiss product manufactured by Nestlé, it’s imported to Vietnam by the French.

  Mango (xoài): One of the sweetest and most popular tropical fruits when ripened. It’s served in shakes or fruit drinks, and also used unripened in salads.

  Mangosteen (mng ct): Purple-skinned fruit, quite rare in Western countries. The flesh is much like lychee but with a more sweet-and-sour taste. Popular complement to durian.

  Mint (bc hà): Vietnamese mint is rounder than the Western variety and has a hint of spearmint.

  Monosodium glutamate/MSG (bt ngt): Popular in some Asian foods as a “flavor enhancer,” but not recommended in this book. It’s a product of the fermentation process of molasses and sugar. For some, MSG in foods results in migraines, dizziness, nausea, and more. Best to avoid while its safety remains open for debate.

  Mung beans (đu xanh): Small, cylindrical beans with a bright green skin. Used whole, but the split and hulled version is more common and yellow in color. They do not require presoaking. Cooked beans are often spread over rice flour pastas; packed into a savory, sticky rice mix with meat; or used in che and other sweet desserts.

  Mung bean sprouts (gía): The most popular, most common bean sprouts in Vietnamese cuisine. Subtle flavor. Valued for crunch. Generally they’re used fresh as a garnish in soups, or in salads or spring rolls (goi cuon). Occasionally steamed when served with hu tieu or more Chinese-style dishes, or even sauteed as a side dish.

  Mustard greens (ci tàu): Popular name for the Chinese mustard cabbage, It resembles a head of lettuce, but its leaves are much more fibrous with uneven edges and thick stalks. A popular green in Vietnamese dishes, such as soups and stir-fries. It’s so tough that it doesn’t wilt quickly. When cooked, the taste becomes milder.

  Noodles, cassava (miên, nho = thin): Made from cassava root. Very long, thin threads are cut into smaller pieces when served. The texture is much chewier than rice vermicelli, so it’s best served in soup broths or as a stir-fry.

  Noodles, cellophane (min, ln = thick): Fine, string-like, transparent, and slippery noodles made from green mung bean paste. Similar to cassava noodles (both are called mien), but much thicker. Much firmer than rice noodles. Also called glass noodles.

  Noodles, egg (mì): Chinese. Yellow in color, they come flat and wide or thin and curly. When long and extra-thin, they’re more popular for soups; the wide are common for stir-fries.

  Noodles, rice (bánh ph or bánh hu tiu): Made from rice flour and water, these are the most common noodles in Vietnamese cooking. When thin, long, and round, they’re called rice vermicelli (bun). (Bun is also the name of herb noodle salad, always made from rice vermicelli.) Banh hoi is the thinnest version, resembling fine hair, and is most commonly steamed into banh hoi squares. Two thick rice noodles are bun rieu and bun day. Thin, flat, and wide rice noodles are known as rice s
ticks, or pho and hu tieu noodles. Though banh pho and banh hu tieu are similar in texture, hu tieu have some tapioca flours that make them a bit tougher than pho noodles. Depending on their thickness, rice noodles are either soaked in hot water or boiled for a minute or two to cook. Transparent when cooked.

  Noodles, udon (bánh canh): Not often used in Vietnamese cuisine, udon noodles are most common in banh canh gio heo soup. They’re made from wheat flour, salt, and water. Round and much thicker than other noodles, they are white in color and chewy in texture.

  Olive oil (du ô liu): Now replaces lard and vegetable oil in many Vietnamese dishes, making foods lighter and healthier. Recommended for any recipe in this book where oil is called for.

  Onion (liành): Essential in all cooked Vietnamese dishes and enjoyed equally in raw form.

  Oyster sauce (du hào): Introduced by the Chinese, this thick, black sauce made from ground oysters, salt, flour, sugar, and water has the consistency of ketchup. It’s used most often in stir-fries and sautés. often to add a sweet and umami flavor.

  Palm sugar (đùng thé): Made from boiled-down sugar from the sap of palm tree flowers. Not as sweet as sugarcane, it’s preferred in savory dishes such as soups, dipping sauces, and curries. It has caramel and molasses flavor, and can be used instead of granulated sugar in recipes.

  Papaya (đu đ): When ripened, this gourd fruit is popular as a snack. When green and unripened, its hard flesh is shredded into a tangy salad. It can be pickled and served with salty dishes.

  Peanuts (đu phng): The Vietnamese enjoy boiled peanuts as a snack. They’re often crushed and served as a final touch in salad and beef dishes. Peanut oil, when available, is popular for frying, but more expensive than other oils.

  Peas, green (đu): Valued for their color and texture. peas are added to fried rice and curries for a lift

  Peppermint (bc hà, ran thm): Not to be confused with Vietnamese mint, this menthol plant is more popular as a garnish and on a salad platter.

  Perilla (lá tía tô): Used as garnish for noodle soups and on salad platters for wrapping around food. The purple variety is more common in Vietnamese food than the green, and appreciated for its complex and subtle flavor. The leaves are fragrant and resemble mint in shape; they’re green on one side and reddish purple on the other. The taste and aroma combine hints of cinnamon, licorice, and anise.

  Persimmon (trái hông): A reddish orange seasonal fruit. Soft and creamy when ripened, but also popular as hard fruit. It makes a great spiced fruit, with a cinnamon fragrance.

  Pineapple (trái thm): Most common in South Vietnam; served as a snack with some salt and a little bit of chile. Pineapple juice (nuoc thom, meaning “perfumed liquid”) is essential in canh chua (sweet-and-sour fish soup) and other seafood broths.

  Pomelo (bi): Giant version of the grapefruit. The skin is extremely thick, but the fruit is much sweeter and less acidic than a typical grapefruit. Regarded as a sign of good luck, it often adorns altars and shrines in homes, businesses, and Buddhist temples. Like other sweet fruits, it’s enjoyed with a sprinkle of salt and eaten as a snack.

  “Pork patty” (ch la): Best described as lean pork cold cut, like a Vietnamese bologna. Found in almost every Vietnamese fridge. Rarely homemade. Processed meat is bundled tightly with banana leaves, and then boiled or steamed. It’s made into a sandwich, eaten as a snack, or sliced thin and served over bun.

  Potato starch (bt khoai): Popular as glue or thickener for many meat and seafood dishes in which food is cooked in its juices. It provides a nice crunch to the items it coats when lightly fried.

  Rambutan (chm chm): Found only in the tropics. The rind is bright red with sparse red hairs. Under its thick skin, the fruit is similar to the lychee, to which it is related.

  Rice (go = uncooked; cm = cooked): Steamed, white jasmine rice is served with almost every meal. Necessary with salty Vietnamese dishes.

  Rice, glutinous (bt np = uncooked; xôi = cooked): Also known as sushi rice or sticky rice, this short-grain rice with a sticky, starchy consistency serves as the base for many creamy rice puddings. It’s most common in che, but also found in other sweet treats.

  Rice flour (bt gao): The only flour the Vietnamese know. It’s used for frying foods, making crepes and breads, and more.

  Rice noodles: See noodles, rice.

  Rice paddy flower (ngô (om, rau ngô): Soft herb with a citrus fragrance. Popular in fish-based soups like canh chua or bun rieu. Also good in salads.

  Rice paper (bánh tráng): Most commonly used for spring rolls; it’s also eaten with grilled meats and fish and salad platters, similar to a tortilla. Complicated to make. Sold dry in packages, it’s paper-thin and can easily crack. Before use, it must be briefly soaked in warm water to become pliable. If it’s too hard, it will crack; too soft and it won’t hold anything together.

  Rice vinegar (gim): There are three types—red. black, and white. The black and red are much sweeter but more popular in Chinese cooking than Vietnamese. The red is not often used in Vietnamese cooking but is found as a table condiment. White rice vinegar is used in cooking and to prepare salad dressings.

  Rock sugar (đng phèn): Crystallized form of sugar mainly used for stocks like pho or hu tieu. Made from white sugar, brown sugar, and honey, it’s richer in taste but more subtle and mellow than granulated sugar. Gives soup stocks a nice sheen. Crush with a hammer or in a mortar and pestle to break apart.

  Scallions (hành xahn): Also known as green onions. Immature onions with mild flavor, and more popular in Vietnamese cuisine. They’re often chopped and eaten raw or cooked in sautés or stir-fries.

  Sesame seeds (mè): Most often used as garnish for desserts and some family-style main dishes. Sesame seed oil is extracted from seeds and used for salad dressings, sautéing, and frying.

  Shallots (hành hng): The offspring of spring onion and garlic parents, shallots are used as much as yellow onions in Vietnamese sautés, stir-fries, and stocks. They’re often fried and used as a garnish.

  Shallots, pickled (c kiu chua): Often purchased at the grocery store in a simple jar. To make at home, pickle young, spring bulbs with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Great contrast to salty dishes and served with most salad platters and plates of garnishes.

  Shrimp, dried (tom khô): Special shrimp specifically harvested for drying and curing. Sold in packages. Usually reconstituted and added to stir-fries or thrown directly into the beginnings of a stock or broth. If reconstituted, save the liquid that accumulates and add it to sauces, stir-fries, or soups. It can be finely chopped when dry and used as a topping over rice dishes, soups, and goi.

  Shrimp paste (mm ruc): Sold as pink- or brown-colored fermented paste in Asian markets. Packed with sodium and the taste of shellfish. Just a little bit should be added to soups like bun rieu or to sauteed seafood.

  Soybeans (đu nành): The basis for many products, including soy milk, tofu, and bean curd. They’re also good in some desserts, or can be boiled and used for sticky treats wrapped with banana leaves. Delicious dried as a snack.

  Soy sauce (nc tng): Less popular in Vietnamese cuisine than fish sauce (nuoc mam). The best liked are those that are thick and dark, with the pungent flavor of mushrooms.

  Sriracha chili sauce (tng t Sriracha): A smooth, almost liquid chili sauce sold in convenient squeeze bottles. Made from ripe red chiles and garlic, it’s a popular condiment at every noodle house, and often added to soups, sauces, marinades. Not as flavorful or dense as chili paste, but equal in heat.

  Star anise (hi hng): Aromatic, with a sweet taste similar to fennel or licorice. Very popular in soups, and fundamental to pho. Its shape is an eight-pointed star. The seeds and pods are used for stocks and sometimes sautés but must be removed before serving.

  Star fruit (khê): Shiny-skinned fruit with five points, usually cut to highlight its star shape. It’s available in different colors and known for its sweet but slightly tart taste.

  Straw mushrooms (nm rm): Tiny yellowish brown mushrooms w
ith umbrella-shaped caps. They’re generally used from the can, in which they are soaked in brine. Their slightly milky and pungent flavor is popular in stir-fries and soups.

  Sweet rice flour (bt np): Also called glutinous rice flour. Most common in che desserts and other sweet treats.

  Tamarind (me): Sweet-and-sour fruit inside a dry, brown casing; when fully ripe, it’s often eaten raw as a snack. Like lemon, tamarind gives an acidic or tart taste to food. The pulp of tender, immature, very sour pods is boiled and ground into a paste that’s often sautéed with meat and shellfish dishes. Popular in canh (consommé).

  Tapioca beads or pearls (bôt báng): Necessary for many Vietnamese desserts such as che. When cooked, they expand and form a thick starchy syrup. Also used in soups.

  Tapioca flour (bt nng): Derived from cassava root. Used as thickener like cornstarch, it gives a nice sheen to prepared dishes.

  Taro root (khoai môn): A starchy, tuberous vegetable similar to the potato in taste and use, but starchier and stickier in texture. Most common in desserts and tapiocas. The hairy brown skin must be removed; boil first. The center of the root has concentric circles with a bit of purplish coloring.