Vietnamese Food

[LindaK]

I'm revisiting this thread after some time away and have decided that this weekend i must try one of your recipes, Guppymo. The hard part will be deciding between one of the soups (always a weakness) or the "Com Suong Bi Cha" grilled lemongrass pork or the "Ga Xe Phay" chicken salad.

I'm especially excited because they all look relatively simple and I'll get some practice in experimenting with fish sauce.

[guppymo]

Hey good luck LindaK,

I think you might want to stay away from "Com Suon Bi Cha" for right now because it's more time consuming then the rest.

Let me know how it goes.

[aprilmei]

This is a fascinating and informative thread - thanks so much for posting these recipes. I intend to try them soon - the Vietnamese restaurants here in Hong Kong are not very good, although one advantage of living here is that it's just a 2 1/2 hour flight to Vietnam.

Would you have a recipe for Vietnamese head cheese? I'm sorry, but I don't know the Vietnamese name for this. A friend back in San Francisco gave me a recipe which I made several times. I unfortunately lost the recipe. As I remember, it was made with pig's feet, pig's ears, fish sauce and lots of sliced garlic. The meat was cooked and pulled off the bones, then the cooking liquid, sliced meat and all the other ingredients were put in a terrine mould and steamed. The gelatine from the bones made it solidify when cool. It was excellent. I can't find a recipe for this in cookbooks, although I have seen recipes for a meat "terrine" that calls for the meats to be ground and then mixed with egg and steamed.

[guppymo]

Just off the kitchen for dinner tonight.

Hot and sour stingray soup with fresh herbs and vegetable

[fou de Bassan]

Guppymo,

Thank you for identifying taro stem. I see it often but could never get a name for it. So, what do you do with it? I am loving this thread more each page.

[guppymo]

Guppymo,

Thank you for identifying taro stem.  I see it often but could never get a name for it.  So, what do you do with it?  I am loving this thread more each page.

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I used it in the soup above.

[spaghetttti]

Thanks again for this thread, guppymo. I saw whole stingray at the fish counter last night. Previously I've only had it bbq'd with chili paste on banana leaves in Singapore, but your soup really looks good. Another request for a recipe, please

[Mistinguett]

Guppymo, I'll add my thanks for this thread.

Can I add a request also?

Please, some recipe for the marinated carrots - I found out that they're marinated in a water-vinegar-sugar solution, but I'd much appreciate a ratio and also, what kind of vinegar? I'd guess rice vinegar, but I want to make sure. I'm talking about the strips of carrot and daikon that come with lettuce for a variety of dishes in vietnamese restaurants. Thank you in advance.

That stingray soup looks amazing, as does everything else - please keep them coming.

[Pan]

I've had taro root many times but have never knowingly had taro stem. Can you describe the taste? And can it be eaten raw like celery, or does it have to be cooked?

[guppymo]

I've had taro root many times but have never knowingly had taro stem. Can you describe the taste? And can it be eaten raw like celery, or does it have to be cooked?

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Pan,

Have you ever eaten shredded banana trunk before ? It tastes like that j/k. It can be eaten raw, I like to thin slice it and mix with other herbs and eat with dipping sauce. It's soft yet crunchy and it does not have any weird after taste.

[guppymo]

Thanks again for this thread, guppymo.  I saw whole stingray at the fish counter last night.  Previously I've only had it bbq'd  with chili paste on banana leaves in Singapore, but your soup really looks good.  Another request for a recipe, please 

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Spaghettti,

Yeah, I had the stingray sambal in Singapore too and it's spicy and good. Last summer I tried to imitate cooking that dish at home with banana leaves and it turned out to be not bad. It's so fortunate that not a lot people eat stingray in Boston and yet there's a market that sells stingray at cheap price

Anyway,here is the recipe

Enjoy !

[guppymo]

Guppymo, I'll add my thanks for this thread.

Can I add a request also? 

Please, some recipe for the marinated carrots - I found out that they're marinated in a water-vinegar-sugar solution, but I'd much appreciate a ratio and also, what kind of vinegar? I'd guess rice vinegar, but I want to make sure. I'm talking about the strips of carrot and daikon that come with lettuce for a variety of dishes in vietnamese restaurants. Thank you in advance.

That stingray soup looks amazing, as does everything else - please keep them coming. 

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Mistinguett,

Here is the recipe you requested

[Kevin72]

Excellent and most informative thread with stomach-rumbling pictures. Vietnamese is probably my second favorite cuisine and yet I've barely even scratched the surface, as your cooking has shown.

[guppymo]

Okie, here are some more Vietnamese dishes

Anchovy with chilli and fish sauce

Banh Beo (steamed rice flour with dried shrimp - Hue style)

Banh Nam - steamed rice flour cake wrapped with banana leaves

Bo nuong la lot - grilled beef wrapped in wild betel leaves

Be Thui - Smoked veal sashimi salad

[Pan]

I've had taro root many times but have never knowingly had taro stem. Can you describe the taste? And can it be eaten raw like celery, or does it have to be cooked?

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Pan,

Have you ever eaten shredded banana trunk before ?[...]

←

I don't think so, only bananas and banana flowers (jantung pisang in Malay).

In the bo nuong la lot (grilled beef wrapped in wild betel leaves), do you eat the betel leaves? Are they at all narcotic? And please tell us something about the provenance of the wild leaves you use. Do they actually gather them in some jungle or something, dry them, and fly them to the US?

[Bisou]

Anybody wants to take a guess what vegetable was used in this stir-fried dish ?

I had one hot bowl of Jasmine rice and worked my way through almost the entire dish for dinner tonight :)

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This looks delicious! How was this prepared? I'm a novice when it comes to this cuisine and am trying to learn more.

[guppymo]

I've had taro root many times but have never knowingly had taro stem. Can you describe the taste? And can it be eaten raw like celery, or does it have to be cooked?

←

Pan,

Have you ever eaten shredded banana trunk before ?[...]

←

I don't think so, only bananas and banana flowers (jantung pisang in Malay).

In the bo nuong la lot (grilled beef wrapped in wild betel leaves), do you eat the betel leaves? Are they at all narcotic? And please tell us something about the provenance of the wild leaves you use. Do they actually gather them in some jungle or something, dry them, and fly them to the US?

←

Pan,

La lot or wild betel leaves grow everywhere in Vietnam. Growing up there I used to go to my backyard to collect them for my mom. I have no idea of what substances are in it but our ancestors ate them and I have had any bad symptoms after eating them hehe

I think those aren't necessarily gathered in the jungle and flown here, I guess in the US they are grown in the farms somewhere in the south like Florida, Texas, California ? Maybe we should call them "Farm raised betel leaves" ?

Gup

[guppymo]

This looks delicious!  How was this prepared?  I'm a novice when it comes to this cuisine and am trying to learn more.

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Bisou -

Here is the recipe

[Jake]

Guppymo, the Be Thui looks absolutely fantastic. Would you be so kind as to post a recipe for it? Your photos and explanations are wonderful, so wonderful that I think I hall begin to try and add some of these dishes to my repretoire. I haven't had a lot of Vietnamese food, but I've really loved everything I've tried....time to expand.

[guppymo]

Jake,

Thanks ! But I need to take a picture of the special bottle of sauce used in this recipe, and the bag of roasted rice powder. Once I gather these items I will post everything. Sorry, this dish is the only dish that I have not prepared the materials for the recipe.

Gup

[guppymo]

Here are fried salmon with ginger and sauteed sweet potato leaves

Edited March 19, 2005 by guppymo (log)

[handmc]

My GOD! That looks sooo good!

[Luckylies]

wow, I found this thread today, it all looks soo good. Mo what are the pickles called? the ones with carrots and dikon? do you make them at home or buy them? you thread has been so outstandingly lovely and tasty, I'm sure! keep up the good work.

[guppymo]

wow, I found this thread today, it all looks soo good. Mo what are the pickles called? the ones with carrots and dikon? do you make them at home or buy them? you thread has been so outstandingly lovely and tasty, I'm sure! keep up the good work.

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Luckylies -

The pickled daikon and carrots is called "Cu cai ca rot chua"

I made them at home, it's very easy to make and you can make a big jar within a short amount of time. Check out the recipe here

I am glad you enjoy the thread, thanks.

[Luckylies]

neat-o thanks!