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.

Bò Kho - Vietnamese Beef Stew

Bo Kho is great with a French bread

Bo kho is a beef stew made in Vietnam.  This dish has a heavy French influence.  If you were to look at the recipe for boeuf Bourguignon,  you would definitely see the similarities.  The red color comes from the spice blend that mimics the color from the red wine.

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes.  He loves how his mother makes this dish.  Below is the Vietnamese bo kho, but I prefer adding the pearl onions and root vegetables favoring the French influence of my mother's side of the family.

2-3 lbs of beef chuck cut in 1 inch cubes or buy the stew beef

2 beef tendon (optional)

1 lbs organic carrots
2 lbs sweet potatoes or a pound each of sweet and regular potatoes

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 stalks of lemongrass (white parts only, minced and halved)

1 pkg beef stew seasoning from Asian market (blend of paprika, anise, garlic, chili, ginger, onion and cloves)

.5 tsp Madras curry powder

2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 diced fresh organic tomatoes or 1 standard can of diced tomatoes or 1 Tbsp of paste

Water or broth (chicken or beef)
Thai Basil

Optional veggies:

Frozen peas

Pearl Onions

Daikon

Mushrooms

Cut the beef if you didn't buy it that way.  In a deep bowl, add the beef with the beef stew seasoning package, garlic (setting aside about one clove) , fish sauce, half the lemongrass, and curry powder.  Set aside for at least 30 mins.  

Prepare the veggies by cutting them into large 1-inch segments or cubes.  If you plan on using the beef tendon, clean the tendon and boil them until it is soft all the way through. In a medium stock pot, heat up some oil, and sauteed the garlic and lemongrass, until fragrant.  Add the marinaded beef. Stir until there is a little color on the meat then add your water or broth and tomatoes.  Reduce heat and cover at medium heat for about 15 mins.  Add the tendon and veggies.  Cook for another 30 mins or until the veggies are tender. Add frozen peas and pearl onions at the end. Season with fish sauce to your taste.  Chop some Thai basil to finish.

You can enjoy this dish with pho noodles or a nice crusty loaf of French bread.