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Thursday, May 3, 2012

"SWEET AND SOUR FISH SOUP"

Do you like soups, especially fish soup! Today, I will show you how to make one kind of Chinese soup which is tasted a little bit of sweet and a little bit of sour. It is also very famous in Vietnam. People like to eat it with rice and fish sauce. Sometime, they make it as a hot pot.

Ingredients:





  • tablespoons tamarind paster or tablespoons lime juice
  • cups water or cups fish stock
  • tablespoons palm sugar or tablespoons white sugar
  • large tomatoes, skinned and sliced
  • thick celery rib, chopped
  • tablespoon fish sauce
  • 10 ounces cod or 10 ounces white fish fillets, cut into bite size pieces
  • ounces bean sprouts
  • teaspoon finely chopped red chile
  •  mint or sweet basil or fresh coriander leaves.

  • Directions:

    1. 1) Steep tamarind paste in cold water from allowance and strain into pot.
             
    2. 2) Or if using lime juice, add it to the water or fish stock.

    3. 3) Combine liquid, sugar, tomatoes, celery and fish sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes.

    4. 4) Add fish, bean sprouts and chilies and simmer for 3 minutes.
                         
    5. 5)  Serve in individual soup bowls and garnish with plenty of mint, sweet basil or coriander, or all three.
      6) Serve with a side dip of Fish Sauce and Rice

      THANK U!!!



    "NINH BINH SNAILS COOKED IN LAMONGRASS AND CHILLY"





    Ingredients:
    2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and sliced into 4cm lengths
    6 lemon leaves
    2 chillis, bashed
    1 knob ginger, pounded
    300g snails, washed in salted water 3 times


    Dipping sauce
    2 tbsp fish sauce
    2 tbsp sugar
    1 tbsp vinegar
    1/2 cup water
    1 chilli, diced
    1 tsp diced garlic
    1 tsp sliced lemongrass
    2 lemon leaves, finely sliced


    Preparation:
    To make the dipping sauce, mix and combine ingredients well.


    In a saucepan, add 2 cups of water, lemongrass, lemon leaves, chilli and ginger.


    Bring to the boil, then add snails. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes.


    Transfer to a bowl and serve with the dipping sauce.
    this is a very native vietnamese tradition dish, it tastes good with fish sauceand especially when eating like a family.
    THANK YOU!

    "SQUID FILLED WITH PORK AND NOODLES"





    Ingredients


    4 dried Chinese mushrooms (Vietnamese pantry)
    25g cellophane noodles (Vietnamese pantry)
    8 small squid (about 1.5 kg in total)
    300g pork shoulder, minced
    2 red Asian shallots, finely diced
    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    1 handful coriander leaves, chopped
    2 tbsp fish sauce
    ½ tsp caster sugar
    1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    Vegetable oil, for frying
    Dipping sauce, to serve


    Preparation


    Soak the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Chop the mushrooms, discarding the tough stems.


    Prepare the noodles by immersing in hot water for 1 minute, then refresh in cold running water. Cut the noodles into 2 cm long pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors.


    Clean the squid by holding the body with one hand and the head with the other. Gently pull, taking care not to burst the ink sac, and the head and tentacles will come away. Remove the clear cartilage, rinse the squid inside and out, then pat dry. Remove and discard the head. Finely chop the tentacles or mince in a food processor.


    To make the filling, combine the minced tentacles, mushrooms, noodles, pork, shallots, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, sugar and pepper and mix well. Firmly pack the squid tubes two-thirds of the way, ensuring there are no air pockets. Secure the ends with skewers or toothpicks.


    Heat a layer of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the squid for 5 minutes, then pierce the squid several times to release any trapped liquid. This will cause the oil to spit, so take care. Cook the squid for a further 10 minutes, turning them on occasion so they colour evenly.


    Take the squid out of the pan and remove the skewers. Slice into 2cm discs and drizzle with the cooking juices. Serve with dipping sauce.

    "CHARGRILLED HONEY AND SPRING ONION PORK CUTLETS"

    • Ingredients:
    80ml (⅓ cup) oyster sauce
    80ml (⅓ cup) fish sauce
    1 tbsp honey
    1 tbsp white sugar
    1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped
    12 spring onions, white part only, bruised
    1 garlic clove, crushed
    125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
    1kg pork loin chops (about 1cm thick), tenderised with a meat mallet
    2 tbsp spring onion oil*
    1 red bird’s-eye chilli, thinly sliced
    ⅔ cup coriander leaves
    Steamed jasmine rice and nuoc cham, to serve
    • Preparation:
    Combine oyster and fish sauces, honey, sugar, lemongrass, spring onions, garlic and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add pork and coat in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.


    Heat a chargrill pan over high heat. Cook pork, in batches, for 2 minutes, then turn 90 degrees and cook for a further 2 minutes to create a crisscross pattern. Turn pork over and repeat on the other side. Cover with foil to keep warm while cooking the remainder.


    Place pork on a chopping board and, using a cleaver or knife, cut into 1cm-wide pieces. Place on a platter, drizzle over spring onion oil and scatter with chilli and coriander. Serve with rice and nuoc cham.

    "CHICKEN SALAD WITH CABBAGE"



    Ingredients:
    1.6kg whole chicken
    300g white cabbage, thinly sliced
    1 small white onion, thinly sliced
    ⅓ packed cup perilla* (shiso) leaves
    ¼ packed cup mint leaves
    1 packed cup Vietnamese mint leaves*
    2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
    2 tbsp fried Asian eschalots
    2 red bird’s-eye chillies, thinly sliced


    Master stock
    250ml (1 cup) light soy sauce
    60ml (¼ cup) dark soy sauce
    4 cinnamon quills
    6 star anise
    6 green cardamom pods


    Dressing (nuoc cham)
    60ml (¼ cup) fish sauce
    60ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
    2 tbsp white sugar
    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    1 red bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped
    2 tbsp lime juice


    Fried garlic and garlic oil
    250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
    6 garlic cloves, finely chopped


    Preparation:
    To make master stock, combine 6L water, light and dark soy sauces and 2 tbsp salt in a large saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil. Place cinnamon, star anise and cardamom in muslin, tie with kitchen string to make a pouch, then add to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes for the flavours to develop. Turn off heat and cool. If not using immediately, store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6L.


    To cook chicken, bring master stock to the boil, then add chicken, making sure it is fully submerged. Cover with a lid, return to the boil, then turn off the heat. Leave chicken for 45 minutes to ‘cook’, then remove from stock and set aside.


    Meanwhile, to make dressing, place fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and 125ml (½ cup) water in a pan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring mixture to just below boiling point, then set aside to cool. Add garlic, chilli and lime juice, and stir to combine.


    To make fried garlic and garlic oil, heat oil in a wok or large, deep frying pan to 180°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Add garlic and fry for 45 seconds or until golden. (Be careful not to overcook the garlic as it continues to cook once it is removed from the wok.) Strain into a bowl and drain on paper towel. Fried garlic will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days and the garlic oil in a jar for up to 1 week. Makes 2 tbsp fried garlic and 1 cup garlic oil.


    Remove meat from chicken and discard skin and bones. Shred chicken into a large bowl. Add cabbage, onion, herbs, 2 tsp fried garlic and 1 tbsp garlic oil, and toss gently to combine. Place salad on a platter and drizzle with dressing to taste. Scatter with peanuts, fried Asian eschalots and chillies to serve.




    Maintaining the master stock
    After using the stock once, add 1 tbsp salt and return to the boil. Skim scum from the surface, then strain into a clean saucepan and cool. Store stock. Each time you use the stock, you will need to adjust the water level and seasonings. Top with more water to make up 6L, add 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 2 tbsp light soy sauce, and replace the aromatics about every third use. It is good practice to always taste your stock to see if the seasoning and aromatics need adjusting.
    Hope you enjoy it