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.

Gỏi Đu Đủ Lào - Lao style Papaya salad

When I was in college, I had several Lao girls as roommates.  Almost everyday, we would eat "tom ma hoong" or "tom ma tha-et" (papaya or cucumber salad).  I had adapted the recipe and adjusted it for a more Vietnamese palate.

Diffculty: Medium

Papaya salad

2-3 cups shredded papaya
4-6 cherry tomatoes/ 10-15 grape tomatoes/ 1 regular tomato
Thai bird chilis
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 tsp organic sugar/ 1-2 disk of palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp thick anchovy sauce
1/2 tsp finely ground shrimp paste
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp of salted crab sauce (optional)


Prepare the papaya.  You can use a sharp knife, box grater, or a specialty peeler.  The knife version should only be used if you have SUPERIOR knife handling skills.  I think this method offers the best texture and makes the salad taste better.

Please do not use this method if your knife skill isn't great.

The specialty tool is the easiest and the method I strongly recommend for everyone.  You can get this tool at most Asian markets.  There are two brands that I use and they both come come Thailand.  

Goi Du Du Lao

The orange handle tool, KOM KOM, has multiple function and is made for decorating.

This tool only shreds.

In a mortar and pedestal, add the sugar.  If you are using the palm sugar disk, break up the clump or shave it with a knife.  Add the garlic and chilis and pound it into a paste.  Add the lime, thick anchovy sauce, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and cut the tomatoes into the paste.  If you can find salted crab sauce, add it.  Press on the tomato lightly and taste the sauce.  Adjust the sugar to your liking.  You want to achieve a balance of , spicy, salty and sweet. Once you get it to your liking add the papaya and stir to even coat the papaya. This dish goes very well with grilled or fried anything.

Try it with lemongrass wings.

Vietnamese Frittata

Difficulty: Easy

Growing up, my mom would make this all the time.  As kids we all love eggs.  It was something so easy to make that even my little siblings could make their own eggs at 8 years old.  Here is my healthier version of mom's recipe.

1/2 lbs of ground chicken, turkey, or pork

1/2 organic diced onions

1 stalk chopped scallions

1 tsp organic black pepper

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 diced organic tomato

1 bunch mung bean thread/ cellophane

1/2 cup of black fungus or 1/2 cup of sauteed button mushroom

1/2 cup finely shredded organic carrots

1 box frozen spinach 

1 dozen brown or organic eggs

Start off by soaking the black fungus and mung bean thread  in hot water to reconstitute it and prepping the onions, scallions, tomato, and carrots.  Add the dozen eggs into a large bowl and lightly beat the eggs. Squeeze any excess water from the frozen spinach and roughly chop it.  Add all the ingredients but the meat into the bowl and mix well. 

Preheat the oven at 375.  With a deep pan that is oven safe, heat until the pan on the stove top before adding some oil to lightly cover the bottom.  Add the ground meat and cook to add some color.  You don't want to mixture to be fully cook or it will be too dry.  Add the egg mixture to the pan once the meat has some color. Cook on the stove until the bottom is somewhat firm to give texture to the bottom of the frittata.  Move the pan to the oven and bake until the center is firm.  Allow to cool a little before serving.

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.