Instant Pot Pho Ga

I joined an Instant Pot group on Facebook after seeing a foodie friend speak praises of her love for her pressure cooker.  I honestly didn't think I would like it but I am always open to the idea of making life a little easier.  I finally got one and after boiling my first egg, I became motivated.

I remember my friend Anneka made pho ga and I told my husband that she made it in 30 mins.  He said that I should give it a go.  I didn't want to go my usual pho ga recipe, which is delicate with a hint of star anise and cilantro.  I was looking for something a little more bold because of the shortened cooking time, thinking that I couldn't get the flavors.  But the final product was so amazing, I didn't even add very much at the end.

Serves at 4-6

Stock:
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 onion, cut into quarters
3 inch chubby knob ginger, peeled and sliced
4 cloves
1 pinch who cumin seed
1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod
1-2 points star anise
2 leg quarters or 4-5 chicken thighs or drumsticks, with bone and skin attached
8 cups of hot boiling water
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Bowls:
1 package banh pho/pad Thai noodles (soaked in boiling water for 15 mins)
1 lime, quartered
1 cup blanched mung bean sprouts
Chopped green onion and/or cilantro
Thai basil


Hit the saute button on your instant pot.  Scrub your chicken pieces, making sure to rub the joint part well, especially any bones exposed.  Pat chicken dry.  Add the oil to the pot insert and drop the onion and ginger when the oil is hot and saute it for about 1 minute.  Drop in the spices and saute until they start to smell.  Add the chicken and water.  Close the lid and set to manual for 30 mins and use a quick release.  Pull out chicken and strain, if you desire.  Finish the broth with fish sauce and kosher salt.  Adjust to your taste if needed.

Thuy's Wanton Soup - Sup Hoanh Thanh

Filling:
1/2 lb ground pork/chicken
2 stalks chopped green onion
2 Tbsp dried chopped onion (or 1 small onion diced and sauteed until translucent)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp sugar

Soup:
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp kosher salt, optional
2 tsp fish sauce
3 cups roughly chopped bok choy
1-2 drops of sesame seed oil

wonton wrappers
chopped green onions and cilantro


Mix all the filling ingredients and place 1/2 to 1 tsp of filling per wrapper.  Seal edges with water and set aside.

In a soup pot, sautee the garlic until fragrant and add the broth.  Throw in the wonton and bok choy.  Cook until bok choy is wilted.  Add in the remaining ingredients for the soup.  Taste and adjust to your taste.  Add the cilantro and green onions at the end.

Gà Kho Gừng - Ginger Chicken

Difficulty: Medium

Ginger has medicinal properties known to calm a upset stomach and settle cancer patients' stomach after a round of chemotherapy. It also helps with blood circulation and believed to have anticancer agents.  Ginger has been part of Asian cooking for over 4000 years.

I can remember eating this dish as a child and hating it because of the pungent and spicy components of the dish.  In college, a Laos guy from Sanford, FL made their version of this dish and I was in tears.  It was so spicy and bitter.  I can remember him sitting there making 2 or more cups of julienne slices to add to a half pound of chicken.  When I look back on the dish, it was very delicious.  So I made my own version of the recipe.

1 lb chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into bit size pieces
3 to 4 pieces of 1 inch nubs of ginger, cut into little match stick pieces
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
Water

Start off by heating up a pan and adding enough oil to cover the bottom.  Add your minced garlic and ginger matchsticks.  Saute until fragrant.  Add the bite size chicken pieces.  Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes. Add the water, salt, pepper, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir it well then cover.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until when the ginger is soft but still have a crunch.  Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors.

Xôi Gà - Sweet Rice with Roasted Chicken

There is 2 ways to make sticky rice: steam or in a rice cooker.  The steaming process produces a drier texture and makes it more for eatting with your hands.  The rice cooker version makes a wetter version.  Above is a healthier version of this dish.  Normally you would have this dish with the Chinese sausage lap chuong.  If you choose to make the more traditional version, just slice the sausage on the diagonal, render some of the fat out, and serve with the rice.


Difficulty: Medium

1 whole chicken, trimmed and cleaned well
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp black pepper
         or purchase a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket deli and shred


2 cups sweet rice
Water

2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp oil


Steam method for rice:
Soak rice overnight or for at least for 2 hours.  Drain rice and pour into a steamer.  Cook until the grain is tender.

Rice cooker method:
Rinse rice well and pour rice into colander to remove extra water.  Add to the rice cooker pot with 2.5 cups of water.

Chicken:
Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Mix honey and soy sauce and rub on the chicken skin.  Pour any remaining sauce into the cavity of the chicken.  Ground some black pepper into the skin and cavity.  Place the chicken on a rack so that the bird doesn't sit in its own juice.  Bake for about 45 mins.  Take the chicken out and allow for it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  Slice it however you choose.

Onion oil:
Heat up the oil in a small saucepan and add the onions when the oil is hot.  Stir the mixture until the onion is wilted by still retains it green color.

Place some sticky rice on a plate and add some onion oil to the rice.  Eat with the chicken.

Korean Fried Chicken

Difficulty: Easy to Medium

If anyone has gotten to really know me, knows that I am a bit of a scatterbrain. Becoming a mom made it worse with my children distracting me. Googling pandan waffle recipes made a right turn to fried fish, which lead to Malaysian style fried fish, which lead to a Malaysian fried chicken, which lead to Southern fried chicken, which made me think of Roscoe's chicken and waffles, which lead to Korean Fried Chicken. Oh I have left over coconut that taste good with pandan. Yes, Korean fried chicken with coconut pandan waffles.

For the fried chicken (inspired and adapted from Maangchi's seasoned and sweet and crispy)
20 pieces wings
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
1 large egg

For sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp ginger powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp of hot pepper flakes


For sauce:
Add all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until thicken.


For chicken:
I know that there is a proper method to breading chicken, but I found for this recipe, you get extra crunchiness from breading ignorance. I threw the wing pieces into a large bowl. I combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Threw it on the chicken and mix well. Then I threw a beaten egg in and mixed it all up. It was clumpy and just a plain ol' mess.

I heated up a deep frying pan or wok. Added some oil, just enough to cover the chicken when frying in the pan. Fry them for about 10-12 minutes and pull them out of the pan. Allow 2-3 minutes to rest. Scoop out any free floating pieces and fry the wings an additional time to get it to be extra crispy. Place them on a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Toss the wings with the sauce or have sauce on the side.

Gỏi Cuốn - Spring Rolls

Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Goi means salad mixture and cuon means rolled.  As you can see in the picture, it is a pork and shrimp salad. The great thing about goi cuon is that you build your own.  You can put as much or as little as you like of something. The majority of people who have eaten Vietnamese food have tried goi cuon and know this is a classic dish served in every Vietnamese restaurant in America.  This post will serve as an introduction to people who have never eaten goi cuon before.  The post will also show people how to roll it in a nice and tight fashion. I hope you enjoy.


1/4 lb large size shrimp, peeled, deveined,  cut in half lengthwise
1/4 lb boiled pork or chicken, sliced thinly
1 pkg rice paper
1 head soft large leaf lettuce or iceburg cut into strips
1 cucumber
1 bundle rice sticks / noodles (not banh pho noodles)
Garlic chives, optional
Mint, optional
Perilla, optional

Peanut Sauce


Boil your pork and/or chicken until cooked.  Allow for it to rest before slicing it thinly.  Boil your shrimp before cutting lengthwise, otherwise the shrimp will curl up into a tight wad.

There's usually 2-3 bundles in pkg.

Heat up some water in a kettle. Take a bundle out of package and place it in a large bowl.  Pour boiling water of the noodles and cover your large bowl so the noodles can cook.  After about 10 minutes, check the noodles.  You want the noodles to be soft and not al dente.  Rinse the noodles in cold water and set aside.

Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and slice it to 3-4 inch long strips.

Prepare your lettuce and allow to dry.












Prepare the table with a bowl or large pan of warm water to dip the rice paper in.

Dip the rice paper in water.  You don't want it to be soft and limp.  It will become soft and pliable as you make the roll.

Add noodles first if you are using iceberg (other lettuce would be first)

Add iceburg lettuce (otherwise the noodles would sit in the soft leaf lettuce)

Add cucumber

Add your pork and/or chicken

take the bottom up and fold it up. pull back towards you if needed to keep it tight

add shrimp with the pretty facing the bottom

roll up sides so it is straight

fold the sides towards the center. if you are using the garlic chives, this is the stage you would tuck it in

roll it up

Cánh Gà Chiên Xì Dầu/Nước Tương - Cambodian Chicken

Difficulty: Medium

I was introduced to cánh gà chiên xì dầu in college by my roommates. We called it Cambodian chicken because the girl that introduced it to us was Khmer Krom.  Cánh gà chiên nước tương is another name for the dish.  Xì dầu is Cantonese and nước tương is Vietnamese for soy sauce. Who knew I spoke some Cantonese.

I am going to share the version I learned in college.  But I will also share the link for the recipe from a true Khmer Krom.

10 whole wings
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sambal oelek
Oil

Cut wings at the joint.  Wash and drain well.  In a large saucepan, heat up some oil and fry the wing portions. It should take about 12 minutes for it to be cook through, about 15 minutes to be crispy.  When done, place the wings on some paper towels to remove any excess oil.

Mix the soy sauce, sugar, and sambal oelek.  Toss the wings in the sauce.  Allow for the wings to sit in the sauce for about 5 minutes before serving.

Gà Rô-ti - Roasted Chicken or Braised Chicken

Difficulty: Hooker Easy

There is three ways to make ga roti.  The ones who can afford an oven in Vietnam, make a roasted version.  You can grill it over charcoal. My preferred method is the braised version.  It offers a sauce and the chicken can be very tender if you braise it at a low enough heat for a longer period of time. This is an adaption of my mother in-law's version.

For the braised version of this recipe, leg quarters is the preferred cut of chicken to use. The dark meat offers the fattiness that lends to a tastier dish.  I personally don't like drumsticks, so I use thighs.

8 thighs

6-8 cloves garlic, minced finely

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

Ground black pepper, preferably freshly ground for sweetness

Sugar

Water

First you want to prepare the chicken.  Start by trimming off any excess skin on the thighs and bits of visible fat.  You can go skinless also.  Marinade the chicken with the garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.  Allow for marinade for about 2 hours or more.

Heat up a deep pan or wok with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle in about 1 Tbsp or enough to have a thin layer of sugar covering the bottom of the pan and allow for it to develop color.  You want the sugar to be almost black but not burnt.  You want a very rich dark color.  Add the chicken and turn the chicken so that the caramel coats the chicken.  Brown it on both sides.  Add 1-2 tsp of water and cover the pan.  Simmer the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Add the freshly ground black pepper and fish sauce.

If like a more tender chicken, braise for about 30-40 minutes on low with the lid on.

Phở Gà - Chicken Pho

Light and healthy. It makes a great hangover cure.

Difficulty: Easy to Medium

Pho ga is a less popular version of the pho that everyone loves.  It is simple, mild, and delicate.  I think the dish is ugly because there is no way to make chicken pretty for this dish.  What it lacks in outward appearance, it makes up in flavor.  For pho ga, I find that a free range chicken (gà đi bộ) or a chicken feed a vegetarian diet offers the best flavor.  Like in most Asian cooking, you want to aim for a clear broth. You will achieve this by washing the chicken thoroughly, a slow boil, and removing any impurities that comes up when cooking.

Broth:

1 whole chicken

2 chicken leg quarters

2 inch knob ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 large onion, peeled and halved

2 whole star anise

1 bunch of cilantro stems or 1 tbsp coriander seeds

1-2 cubes of chicken bouillon, optional, Maggi brand

1 tbsp size yellow sugar

1 stick Saigon cinnamon

2 tbsp fish sauce

3-4.5 qts Water

Bowls:
1 pkg pho noodles

1/2 onion (red or yellow) sliced thinly

Chopped green onions/scallion, green parts only is preferred but you can use the whole stem

Chopped cilantro leaves, or the whole stem if you want more of a cilantro kick

Lime wedges

Mung bean sprouts, optional

Thai bird peppers

Culantro leaves

Fried garlic and shallots

Lemon basil (aka Thai basil)

Split the chicken into 11 pieces (2 drums, 2 thighs, 2 wings, halving the 2 breast, and backbone).  Wash the individual pieces well, concentrating on the backbone more since this piece is where a lot of the scum will come from.  Do the same to the leg quarters.  You can split the drum and thighs more to expose more of the bone to get more of the chicken flavor.  Add to a 6-qt stockpot or larger and use enough water to cover the chicken.  Bring water to a boil, but don't allow for the water to come to a rolling boil.  If that happens, it will incorporate the "scum" into the broth and cloudy up the broth.   Peel and skewer the onion with toothpicks (to prevent it from falling apart in the broth) and add to the pot.Split the chicken into 11 pieces (2 drums, 2 thighs, 2 wings, halving the 2 breast, and backbone).  Wash the individual pieces well, concentrating on the backbone more since this piece is where a lot of the scum will come from.  Do the same to the leg quarters.  You can split the drum and thighs more to expose more of the bone to get more of the chicken flavor.  Add to a 6-qt stockpot or larger and use enough water to cover the chicken.  Bring water to a boil, but don't allow for the water to come to a rolling boil.  If that happens, it will incorporate the "scum" into the broth and cloudy up the broth.   Peel and skewer the onion with toothpicks (to prevent it from falling apart in the broth) and add to the pot.Dry toast the star anise, Saigon cinnamon, and coriander seeds. Wrap in a cheese cloth or add to a large tea infuser.  Smash the ginger or slice it to get a large surface area.  Tie up the cilantro stems. Add to pot.  Skim any "scum" that surfaces. Allow for the broth to simmer for about 1.5 hrs on low heat offers the best flavor but 45 minutes to 1 hr on medium heat will produce a nice broth.Always remove the chicken about 40-45 minutes and set aside to cool before shredding.  You can remove the tea ball or sachet at this point if you like.  Add the remaining ingredients.  The bouillon cubes can be used if there isn't enough "chicken-ness" to your broth.  (Happens more when you use a conventional chicken.) Adjust the level of saltiness with fish sauce or kosher salt.Shred the chicken by hand to give texture and contrast to your bite.  I like to mix the dark and white meat together, but some people only enjoy the white meat, so you can separate them.  Arrange each bowl with a handful of pho noodles, thinly sliced onions, chicken, sprouts, and green onions.  Ladle the hot broth over it to soften them.  Add the herbs and lime at the end.  You can dress your pho with hoisin and sriracha if you like.

Canh Chua Gà - Tamarind Soup with Chicken

Difficulty: Hard (knife work) 

This is my absolute favorite canh recipe.  My 10 month old nephew and 3 year old son loves this canh too.  It has a lot of fruits and vegetables in it.  You can mix and match different combination to get the flavor profile you like.  The recipe I am sharing with you is my way of doing it.  There are many different variations and they differ from region to region, country to country.

It is very similar to the Thai tom yum soup.  I am unsure of the origin of this soup but I think I can safely speculate that the Vietnamese immigrants introduce this dish to Thailand.  Pad Thai and fish sauce is so common in Thai cuisine and you can thank the Vietnamese immigrants.

3 qts water
20 okra cut into 1 inch segments
3 organic tomatoes cut into wedges
1/2 lb bean sprouts
3-5 stems bac ha/alocasia odora/taro stem or celery sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 whole fresh pineapple cut into chunks (please avoid Del Monte Fresh brand, it's a GMO)
1 Tbsp tamarind powder
4-5 cloves garlic smashed and minced
1 medium shallot minced
3 sprigs ngo om/rice paddy herb
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 lb chicken, catfish, salmon
2 tbsp oil like peanut, vegetable, canola (I use peanut because it isn't a GMO)
1 stalk chopped green onion
5 sprigs chopped cilantro

Heat up a large stock pot, at least 5 qts, with the water.  In another pot, heat up water to a rolling boil to parboil your choice of protein.  Allow the protein to boil for at least 3 minutes.  Remove the protein and rinse under cold water to remove any foam or impurities (especially with the chicken) and place it into your cooking pot.  Add the pineapple chunks to tenderize the protein.  Add the tamarind powder and simmer for 15 minutes for the chicken or 10 minutes for the fish.

While the protein is cooking, heat up a small sauce pan with 2 tbsp of oil.  Add the garlic and shallots.  Sauteed until you achieve a nice golden brown color to them, usually 2-3 minutes.  Set aside, off the heat.

Add the okra into the stockpot after the 10 or 15 minute mark, depending on your protein selection.  Allow to cook for about 2 minutes before adding the bean sprouts and tomatoes.  Simmer for another 2 minutes and add the fish sauce.  Spoon the fried onion and garlic oil into the pot and stir well.  Add the rice paddy herb leaves, chopped onions and cilantro.  Adjust to your taste by adding more fish sauce.

The soup should have texture to it.  The sprouts should still have a bite even though it is wilted.  The bac ha or celery should be soft and almost spongy like.  The tomatoes should still have it shape but soft. The orka should be soft but not mushy.

Nui Gà - Chicken Noodle Soup - Nouilles avec poulet

Difficulty: Easy

My 3 year old son loves nui ga, more so when mommy makes it.  It is one of his favorite dish.  This French influenced dish is a wonderful one pot meal and it can freeze easily.  I used orzo in this dish, which "bloomed" from sitting in the broth, making it a hit with many small children.

1 cup orzo
2 qt water
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups diced carrots small optional
1/2 lb ground or sliced thinly pork or chicken
2 stalks green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp mushroom seasoning optional
2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 cup minced onions

Heat up a large stock pot and add oil to cover the bottom.  Have your meat mixture nearby before you put the garlic in the pot.  Saute the garlic until a light brown color then add your meat.  Brown the meat to bring some color.  Add your minced onion, bouillon powder, mushroom seasoning, and carrots. Add your water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat so you don't have a hard boil.  Skim off any foam that rises to the top, to ensure you have a clear broth.  Add orzo and cook until it is soft.  Add fish sauce and turn off heat.  Add the chopped onions and cilantro and taste.  Adjust with more fish sauce if too bland.

Gà Kho Xốt Đậu Đen - Chicken with fermented chili black bean sauce

Difficulty: Easy

When I was in college, I was introduced to dim sum.  One of my favorite little dim sum dish was the steamed ribs with black bean.  The salty fermented taste of the black beans was very pleasant to my palate and I wanted to replicated it but had no idea where to start.  I stumbled on a prepared jar of black beans and came up with this dish.  Kho is better know in the western world as braising, a French cooking technique.  You would cook/sear the meat at a high heat and then you simmer in a liquid.  This dish is served over rice with a platter of sliced cucumbers, tomato, lettuce/leafy herbs.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp oyster sauce or XO sauce

1/4 tsp mushroom seasoning

2 cloves garlic minced finely

1 stalk green onions cut

1 tsp of fish sauce

1.5 tsp chili black bean sauce

2 tbsp of water or chicken broth

Lee Kum Kee Brand is the best of all that I have tried.

Prepare chicken by cutting it into bite size pieces and set aside.  In a pan, heat up enough oil to cover the bottom.  Make sure the chicken is close by before you brown the garlic.  When the garlic is a light golden color, add the chicken and saute with mushroom seasoning, salt and pepper.  When you chicken is browned, add the water or broth and cover. Cook on a medium heat until the chicken has tighten up, usually about 7-10 minutes.  Remember to stir occasionally.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 additional minutes or until it is tender to your liking.  Add the oyster sauce, chili black bean sauce (picture of the jar below), and fish sauce.  Taste and adjust to your liking.  You can add 1/4 tsp of sugar if you find it too salty or one dimensional.  Finish the dish with the green onion.

Bánh Bao - Vietnamese Style Steamed Buns

Difficulty: Hard

Many will recognized this bun from the dim sum restaurants, filled with sweet red BBQ meat.  The bun has many different variations as the Chinese migrated out and settled in different parts of the world.  In the Vietnamese variation, pork still takes main stage but takes on a more savory flair.  The addition of peas and carrots may have it's roots with the French colonization.  I love the big fluffy pastry with a hint of sweetness in contrast to the earthy-savoriness of the shiitake mushroom in the filling.

I can imagine wives packing their husbands many little buns for lunch while they work in the rice paddies.  They are easily eaten with one hand.  The modern family can benefit from freezing these buns.  You can individually wrap each bun and freeze them for up to 3 months.  Just zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on your equipment).

pastry:
4.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp oil
1.5 cup room temperature whole milk

filling:
1 lb ground pork or chicken
8-10 medium or 6-8 large shiitake mushroom diced
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup frozen or canned peas
2 links Chinese sausage
3 or 6 eggs hard boiled eggs

Parchment paper cut into rounds or torn into squares
1/2 cup vinegar (optional)

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk and oil.  Incorporate the dry mixture and work the dough until it comes together.  Pour the mixture out on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it come to a smooth texture.  Shape into a ball and place it back into a bowl, cover, and place aside to rest for 1 hour.

Boil eggs until they are hard.  Cut into 4's or 8's depending on how much egg you like in each bao. Reconstitute the shiitake mushroom if you are using the dried version in warm water.  Dice the mushroom and onion in small pieces.  The Chinese sausage can be cut into two ways:
1. slice thinly on the diagonal
2. dicing into small cubes
The traditional way is cut on the diagonal.  I discovered that dicing them into cubes taste better to me.  The smaller cut allows more Chinese sausage per bit and keeps the filling moist because of the fat content.  If you like the taste of the sausage but not the fat, you can render the fat from the sausage first before adding it to the bao.  Mix everything together for the filling, minus the eggs.

After the dough has rested, pour it out of a floured board and knead the dough some more.  Half the dough and then roll it out into a log.  You can cut anywhere between 8-12 pieces depending on how big you like your baos.  You want to cover any pieces you aren't currently working on so it doesn't dry out.  With the piece of dough in your hand, you want to roll it between your palms to make a ball shape.  Flatten the ball and stretch the circular shaped dough by hand or with a rolling pin.  You want to aim for a thick center and thinner edges because you will be gathering the edges together.  Take a tablespoon of filling and place it in the center then top it off with a piece of hard boiled egg.

With the bao in your non-dominate hand, cup the edges of the dough upwards.  With the dominate hand, pinch the dough, like you are closing a taco.  Do the same on the opposite side, like you are making a hobo bag.  You now should have 4 corners on the bao.  Take the opposite pointy corners and pinch them together until you have a rounded pouch.  Twist the top where all the edges meet and were pinched together.  Place the finished bao on the parchment paper.

Heat up a steamer and add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water when it starts to boil.  Steam the buns for 20-25 minutes.  When opening the steamer, please make sure that the lid isn't dripping water in the bao.  Or you can place a towel under the lid while steaming to catch any evaporation.

I steam them anywhere

Profile of deliciousness.

Cánh Gà Nướng Xả - Lemongrass Grilled Chicken

Difficulty: Easy to Medium

The smell of lemongrass brings me back to my childhood on the Mississippi gulf coast.  The smell of the lemongrass when it hits the heat of a grill makes my mouth waters.  When I went to Vietnam, I remember the smell of it in the air as I drove down Hwy 1.  There is no other seasoning that comes close to the lemony, grassy smell.  My favorite dish using lemongrass is the grilled wings.

10 wings, cut into two pieces or three and disgarding the tips
1-2 stalks of lemongrass mince white parts only or 3 Tbsp prepared lemongrass from the freezer section
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 medium shallot
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp of neutral oil
2 tsp of brown sugar
1-2 Thai bird chili, more or less depending on how hot you like

Wash and cut your chicken wings in sections as desired. Pat wings dry.  In a large bowl or zip top bag, add all your ingredients.  Place the wings into marinade and allow to marinade for at lease 2 hours or overnight.

Heat up grill until about 400-degrees on a gas grill or hold your hand over a charcoal grill for no more than 3 seconds.  Grill for about 10-12 mins on each side.  It maybe shorter, depending on how hot the grill gets. You want to look for shrinkage at where the joints are at.

This dish goes great with a papaya salad and some rice.

My lunch for 3.

Stir-fried basics

Chicken and organic zucchini served with rice and beans

What can be more perfect than a stir-fried dish.  It is almost a full meal all in one pan.  If you take the time to prepare, it can freeze nicely and be heated up in a pinch.  Like most Asian meals, rice is served with stir fries.  Add a clear soup and it is a very healthy and hydrating meal.  Here is the components of a basic stir-fry.  You can build on these stir-fries once you start to understand what taste best for you and your family.  Here is the parts that go into a stir-fry:

-1/2 lb any meat of your choice
-selection of vegetables that compliments well with your meat choice
-1/2 sliced onion into small wedges
-Fish sauce or soy sauce to taste (depending if you prefer Viet or Chinese food)
-1 tsp of oyster sauce
-2 cloves garlic, mince and halved
-1 tsp shallot
- pinch of salt
- black pepper

 For the meat, you want to freeze the meat until it is stiff but still pliable.  It allows you to cut the meat very thinly, across the grain.  Crush and mince one clove of garlic and mix with shallot into the meat to marinade the meat.  Let sit for a few minutes.  If you want to use beef, the Chinese restaurants use a cornstarch slurry to tenderize their beef.  I learned this technique from a former friend in college from Hong Kong.  You would let the meat and mixture sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking it.

You should cut your vegetables into small bite size pieces.  It aids in the cooking process and the same time trick your mind into thinking your are eating more.  If you plan to freeze your stir-fry, always blanch your veggies to keep them crispy and crunchy. (I strongly believe that texture saves colons.)  Blanching is an option when eating immediately.  Have everything near by when you are ready to cook.

In a very hot pan or wok, add a little oil.  When you see the oil smoke a little take the pan/wok off the heat and add the half of the garlic to the pan and swirl the oil around, making sure that the garlic doesn't burn.  If it does, snoop out the garlic, then add the shallots and stir.  Add the meat mixture.  Quicky cook the meat with a pinch of salt to remove any moisture from the meat.  If you are using veggies that take a while to cook, removing your proteins, like beef and shrimp, so that it doesn't overcook.  Add the fish sauce and oyster sauce.  Add your sliced onion and allow them to soften a little before adding your vegetables.  Stir and mix well. Top off with the black pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking.  If you want it a tad bit more sweeter, add a pinch of sugar at a time and taste until it is to your liking.

Vegetables good with beef and pork:  broccoli, snap peas, green beans, kai lan, bok choy, asparagus

Vegetables good with chicken: zucchini, crook neck yellow squash, kai lan

One breast

makes for a lot of food

chicken sliced thinly

this is what was remaining after I made two plate

Thai inspired Grilled Wings

Difficulty: Easy

One of my high school friends has a blog on her Thai inspired dishes.  I am a sucker for some wings and I had to give this recipe a try.  It is very inexpensive to make and it is very addictive.  Of course, I never follow any recipe to the tee and I modify recipes to what I have available at the house and adjust taste to my liking. Here is a link to the original recipe.  I hope you enjoy it.

20 whole wings, cut up however you prefer
8-10 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
2 Tbsp minced lemongrass, the light parts or already prepared from the frozen food section
1-2 Tbsp of finely chopped ginger
2-4 Tbsp of sambal olek, more or less depending on heat level
1 Tbsp of palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp of honey
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 small gumball size piece of wet tamarind (minus the seed) or a 1/2 tsp of powdered version

Prep your wings and make sure they are nice and dry before adding the marinade.  Mix the remaining in ingredients into a gallon zip top bag or a large mixing bowl.  I usually use a food chopper and chop everything at one time.  Let it sit for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.  If you placed it in the fridge, please take them out and let them sit for 15 minutes before grilling.  Depending on your gas or charcoal method, cook until there is a little bit of shrinkage.  It usually take a total of 15 minutes.

Nem Nướng̣ - Grilled Vietnamese Sausage

Nem is a ground pork mixture.  Roll it up in a wrapper and fry and it is called an eggroll/Imperial roll.  Grill it and it is called nem nuong.  Flatten it out and cook it and it is called cha. Roll it in rice paper and it is a fresh roll.  It is very inexpensive to make and if you plan it out, you can make several days of meals with different spices and seasonings.

The following recipe is one of my family's favorite.  We grab a couple of loaves of crusty baggettes, toast them up, spread some mayo and pate, sprinkle on some soy sauce and fresh cut peppers, stuff them fat with pickled julienne carrots and daikons and add the nem and dress it up with some cilantro on top.

Nem Nuong:

1 lb all-natural ground pork/chicken
10 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
1/4 cup of organic sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp freshly ground organic black pepper
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp oil

With the side of your knife, whack the garlic to remove the paper.  Finely chop and mince the garlic.  Finely dice the shallot bulb. In a large bowl, add your pork, garlic, shallot, sugar, salt, black pepper, oil, and fish sauce.  Dissolve the baking powder by adding a few drops of water into the baking powder, just enough to easily mix into the meat mixture.  Add all the ingredients together. Allow the mixture to rest for about 30 minutes.

Before grilling, shape the mixture into little patties, any shape of your liking.  I like to shape them depending on what I am using the nem for: long wide and flat shape for banh mi, little round meatballs for noodles, log shaped for fresh rolls, etc.

Heat up the grill, grill pan and make sure that the cooking surface is hot before putting the nem on.  Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Cháo Gà Và Gỏi Gà - Rice Porridge with Chicken Slaw

Difficulty: Medium

Rice porridge is usually the first meal that parents introduce to infants as their first solids.  It is a rice dish boiled in large amounts of water to produce a soft silky texture.   Rice porridge is universal in all East and Southern Asian countries.  Brown Asians call this dish congee or a variation on the word.  Yellow Asians call this dish jook or a variation of it.  It is feed to young and old, sick or healthy.  Some people would reminisce about the comfort it brings.

This recipe makes use to the water that is left over when boiling a chicken to make the porridge.  Vietnamese people love to mix texture when eating, so the crunchiness of the cabbage and carrots is a wonderful contrast to the soft silkiness of the porridge.

1 whole chicken
1 cup of rice
1/4 cup of Vietnamese coriander
1/2 organic onion
1 bag of Cole slaw or you can shred cabbage and carrots by hand
Salt
Ginger powder
Chicken bouillon cubes or powder
1 stem of chopped green onion/scallion
1/4 cup of cilantro

Nuoc Cham


Clean and pat whole chicken.  If your chicken comes with gizzards, you can used them if you like.  Split the chicken in half, down the breast  and flip chicken over.  I like to discard the backbone because I think it makes the broth cloudy, but you can use it if you like.  Add the chicken into your stockpot and fill up the pot to the chicken is submerged.  Boil on a low heat, making sure that it doesn't come to a rolling boil to keep the broth clear.  Occasionally skim to remove any impurities and scum that floats to the top.

Once the chicken is done, remove the bird and set aside to cool.  Skim any impurities and scum from the broth and add the rice.  Cook the rice at low to medium heat.  Stir occasionally to make sure that rice doesn't stick to the bottom.  When you see that the porridge is thicken and the rice has bloomed, you would seasoned it to your taste.  Start off with the chicken bouillon.  I like to use just enough to get a nice aroma of chicken.  Then add the ginger powder.  (If you don't have access to ginger powder, you can always add a piece of ginger about an inch long into the water when boiling your chicken.  Make sure to cut the ginger into small enough pieces to get the essence of the ginger out but not too small that you can't scoop out the pieces before adding the rice.) Then add salt to your taste.

In a large bowl, add your Cole Slaw, Vietnamese coriander leaves, thinly sliced onion, and cilantro.  Mixed together.  I like to have large chunks of chicken add to my slaw, but you can have it on the side.

When you are ready to eat, garnish the porridge with some chopped green onions and dress it with the nuoc cham (recipe below).