Fish sauce is the cornerstone for Vietnamese cuisine the way soy sauce is for Chinese or salsa for Mexican. Not only is it heavily used in cooking, but the prepared sauce is used as garnish and dip for almost all Vietnamese appetizers. Now I’ll admit, its pungent aroma made me avoid it like the plague growing up, munch to the discontent of my parents. Not liking fish sauce was the most un-Vietnamese statement I could ever make. Only recently when I became a foodie did I realize its strong flavor is absolutely essential in tying together the fresh ingredients in Vietnamese cooking. Take note of this recipe – it will be featured extensively in other posts.
Classic Fish Sauce (Nước Mắm) (Serves 4)
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 5 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chili paste
1. In a small bowl, mix together water and fish sauce. Add sugar, lime and chili paste.
Even though I currently reside in Wisconsin, home of the deep fried cheese curd, my Jersey roots still dictate that pizza is the ultimate comfort food. It brings coworkers together after a long day in the office and its aroma on Friday night brings joy to kids everywhere. It’s versatile, affordable, and just plain delicious. Growing up in a single-income immigrant family, it helped me fit in with the other American kids and was cheap and easy for my parents to obtain (especially through that Pizza Hut reading challenge). Looking back on my pizza eating career, the fact that nowadays the idea of an Asian pizza is not only unforeign but actually sought after is quite a testament to how we are becoming more globalized and culturally open-minded. I salute the pizza by featuring some yummy Vietnamese ingredients I once turned my nose up at. Enjoy!
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil chicken breasts for 15 minutes. 2. Remove boiled chicken breasts and let dry for 5 minutes. 3. Using a fork, scrape the chicken breast into long strips.
4. For hoisin sauce, saute minced garlic in oil for 2 minutes until crisp. This step is my favorite – your kitchen will smell AMAZING. Make sure you are constantly stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn. Scoop aside 2 tablespoons of fried garlic for garnish.
5. Remove from heat and add hoisin sauce and sriracha. Add water to help thin out sauce.
6. Stir in shredded chicken and cook on low heat for 5-7 mintues.
7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon chicken mixture evenly onto naan bread. Top with sliced onion and mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
9. Garnish with fresh chopped thai basil and remaining garlic crisps from step 4.
Move over kale – brussel sprouts are the new black. These days I can’t seem to frequent any restaurant, from fast casual to five star, without espying these delectable little buds on the menu. I’m so glad the brussel sprout has rebranded itself from childhood horror to gourmet underdog. Here’s my super simple Asian take on the vegetable of the year with honey, sesame, and Sriracha.
4. In a bowl, evenly drizzle halved brussel sprouts with sesame oil, honey and sriracha. Add Chinese five spice, salt and pepper. (Chinese Five Spice is easily one of my favorite spices to use around the kitchen. Its fragrant combination of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and fennel gives a rich salty yet sweet kick to any dish.) Toss all ingredients together. I recommend using a spoon to mix everything together. I tried to toss them up in the air like a master chef and lost some good sprouts out there. 🙁
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
I used to resent the concept of crab rangoon. There’s almost no dairy in traditional Asian cuisine so to put cream cheese in a wonton – what nerve! To put it frankly, we Asians don’t milk our cows, we eat them. However, after mistaking these deep fried cheesy dumplings for regular ones at an $8.95 all you can eat Chinese buffet (I forget the exact name of the restaurant but feel free to mad lib it by choosing two from the following word bank: lotus, jade, imperial, lucky, golden, garden, kitchen, lucky, dragon, palace) I had an immediate change of heart.
What could be better than a crunchy melt-in-your-mouth snack? Light yet creamy crab rangoon crepes for breakfast!
Crab Rangoon • 1 package 8oz cream cheese • 1 cup cooked crab meat • 1/4 cup chopped green onions • 2 tbsp chopped red pepper • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce • 1/4 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp black pepper
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Important: Make sure any liquid from crab meat is completely drained, especially if you are using canned crab meat! If there is too much liquid in the mix, your crepe filling be watered down and soggy. Set aside while preparing the crepe.
Basic Crepe • 1 cup flour • 1 cup milk • 2 eggs • 2 tbsp melted butter • 2 tbsp sugar • 1/4 tsp salt
Whisk flour and eggs together. Slowly pour in milk and melted butter. Add sugar and salt. Whisk until there are no more lumps and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On the lowest stove setting, slowly spoon crepe mixture into a small nonstick pan, spinning the pan in a circular motion to create an even, thin crepe. Let cook for 1 minute. Spoon 2 tablespoons of crab rangoon in center of crepe. Fold sides of the crepe over the crab rangoon. Secure with a chive ribbon or toothpick. Place crepes close together in a casserole dish and cover with an aluminum foil; this process cooks the crab rangoon while keeping the crepes moist. Bake for 10 minutes.
