Many of you are probably familiar with the ubiquitous green-lidded bottle of chili-garlic sauce that is sold at most Asian grocery stores. With its trademark rooster image stamped on the front, it’s a common sight in many Viet (and non-Viet) homes. Our family always had a jar of this sitting in our refrigerator door, right next to the ketchup and mustard bottles.

Combined with lime, sugar and fish sauce, it made for an easy nước chắm (Viet dipping sauce) or a quick topping to stir-fried noodles and soups whenever fresh chilies were out. Up until recently, I had not considered making my own. The stuff in the bottle was not quite as good as fresh chilis, but it was convenient and handy to have around.

I came across a method for a raw version and a cooked version on Andrea Nguyen’s blog and it seemed easy enough. Also, I had recently purchased a 3lb crate of fresh cayenne at the farmer’s market.

With that ample supply, I decided to make both versions. It was actually pretty easy and quick to put together. Most of the work was cutting up the chilis and peeling the garlic. From there, adding the rest of the ingredients into the food processor took little time.

I’m very pleased with the results. They, of course, have a fresh taste that is far better than the store-bought jar. Both sauces have a heady aroma and a heck of a kick to them. I thought that the cooked version would be slightly tamer, but I find the chili flavor to be even sharper and the garlic a bit more pronounced in that one. The raw chili sauce, however, has an earthy quality and less of a sweet edge than the cooked sauce (it had less sugar added).

I’m sure this is something I’ll be able to do from now on. So, adieu, little rooster!

TƯƠNG ỚT TỎI - VIETNAMESE CHILI-GARLIC SAUCE

adapted from VietWorldKitchen

INGREDIENTS: (raw version)

• 1 1/2 lbs. red, hot chilis (cayenne, thai, serrano, jalapeño, etc.), roughly chopped with stems removed & discarded
• 12 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbl. sugar
• 6 Tbl. white vinegar

STEPS:

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly blended but still coarse in texture.
• Taste the sauce and add salt/sugar if needed.
• Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate.
• Makes approx. 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS: (cooked version)

• 1 1/2 lbs. red, hot chilis (cayenne, thai, serrano, jalapeño, etc.), roughly chopped with stems removed & discarded
• 15 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbl. sugar
• 6 Tbl. white vinegar

STEPS:

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly blended but still coarse in texture.
• Transfer the mixture to a sauce pan on med. heat and bring to a rolling boil. Then, adjust the heat to low and simmer for approximately 5 minutes - or until the sauce loses its raw smell. Taste the sauce and add salt/sugar if needed.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
• Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate.
• Makes approx. 2 cups.

This is a dish that reminds me that less can be more. With a few ingredients and some light chopping, you’ll have a simple and elegant dish that allows the delicious flavor of crab to shine. Known in Vietnamese as Miến Xào Cua, I enjoy having this for lunch or as part of a dinner meal. You can purchase good-quality lump crab meat or steam a fresh crab as I did, and pick apart the meat.

I used baby leeks instead of shallots or green onions this time as I love the color and subtle onion flavor they lend to the dish.

INGREDIENTS: (2-4 servings)

• 2 bundles of miến (glass noodles), soaked in lukewarm water for about 20 minutes
• 1 cup of black “wood-ear” mushrooms, soaked in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of baby leeks, thoroughly cleaned and thinly sliced on the bias (discard the tough green tops, or save it for use in making stock)
• 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• meat from 1 whole, steamed crab (approx. 1 cup)
• crab tomalley
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbl. fish sauce + more to taste
• fresh ground pepper
• oil, for cooking

STEPS:

• In a colander or sieve, drain the glass noodles, set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg, tomalley and fish sauce, set aside.
• In a wok or deep skillet heated to med-high, add about 1-2 Tbl. of oil.
• Stir in the leeks and cook until slightly translucent, approx.2-3 minutes
• Next, add the red bell pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes
• Now, add the glass noodles and stir-fry 1-2 minutes. The noodles should be translucent.
• Pour the egg + tomalley mixture over the noodles and quickly stir fry until the eggs are cooked, between 2-4 minutes.
• Gently fold the crab meat into the noodles and combine. Sprinkle fresh cracked pepper and serve warm.

I found fresh fava beans at a local produce market and decided to make a salad with them. While the local weather (25F) does not feel like Spring, I needed something to remind me that the cold will eventually come to an end.

Fresh fava beans are a bit of work to shuck and shell, but the results are tender, flavorful beans that can easily take the place of meat in this dish. I love all sheep’s milk cheeses and pecorino is always wonderful. I think fresh mint would also be nice here. Some recipes suggest leaving the beans raw, but I decided to warm them in some roasted garlic oil before tossing with the pecorino, flat leaf parsley and fleur de sel.

Bon appétit!

Arugula has been one of the hip, “it” greens for some time now. I do think watercress could be next. I mean, if arugula was the popular cheerleader, watercress would be the hot, artsy gal who won’t get fat after college/children. Okay, I kid. But really, watercress, with its versatility, has a lot to offer in both cooked and uncooked dishes. It’s highly elegant when blended into a silky, smooth soup and also wonderful when simply sauteéd with a little garlic.

Here it’s combined with tangy, sweet blood oranges, manchego (a sharp, nutty sheep’s milk cheese from Spain) and coarsely chopped almonds. To dress this salad, simply drizzle some almond oil or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle a little fresh lemon juice on top. It’s another simple, seasonal salad to enjoy this winter.

Bon appétit!

Every Monday, at the beginning of each work week, I tell myself that this is the day that I’ll start, once and for all, eating and living right. Of course, by mid-week, I’m like, “bacon is good for you, right?”

The citrus season is perhaps the most happy aspect of winter for me. Making this salad is a great way to use some of the wonderful citrus varieties that are now in season. To make it, simply throw together some red grapefruit segments, avocado (I used Hass), sliced shallots and serve with a basic vinaigrette [3 parts extra virgin olive + 1 part red wine vinegar + dijon mustard + S&P].

I like the contrast of the acid and tart flavors of the grapefruit with the rich, fatty taste of avocado. Blood oranges would be great as well, I think. It’s simple, seasonal and sexy. The 3 s’s.

Bon appétit!

Bò Kho is a Vietnamese beef stew that my mother made for us all the time growing up. Not as thick as American beef stew, it’s more like a hearty soup with carrots and spices. My husband says it tastes like Asian-y boeuf bourguignon. It’s quite possible to me that this dish has its origins in colonial France, particularly since it’s often served with a toasty baguette. Nevertheless, its character is Vietnamese through and through.

Fragrant with fresh lemongrass, star anise and Vietnamese cassia, it’s the perfect breakfast (next to Phở, of course). These days, however, we usually eat it for lunch or dinner.

My mother usually prepared this using beef tendon and the taste was rib-sticking good. The beef tendon, having been cooked slowly and gently for several hours, was moist and tender and its muscle fiber seemed to melt into an unctuous sauce. Whenever I can get tendon from our butcher, I use it for this dish (or also for Bún bò Huế). When they don’t have beef tendon, I’ll get their boneless beef chuck, which is a fantastic substitution. My mother sometimes used curry powder and other times, she used five-spice powder; both were equally good. I liked watching her fry the annatto seeds in oil because I thought it was so neat how these red seeds would yield a yellow-orange pigment.

We always ate this with warm, Vietnamese baguettes that we purchased in Little Saigon. It’s a must-dunk-break-into kind of thing. I’ve also seen it served with rice noodles. Either way, it’s delicious. In my recipe, I use whole, peeled shallots, which I think add a lovely fragrance and flavor. They look really cute when served as they keep their shape nicely throughout the cooking process. If cute isn’t for you, cut, regular onion also works well.

BÒ KHO - VIETNAMESE BEEF STEW

INGREDIENTS: (4-6 servings)

• 2.5 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 2 tsp. annatto seeds
• 1/4 cup of vegetable or peanut oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbl. tomato paste
• 1 Tbl. Viet curry powder or 2 tsp. five spice powder
• 2 hefty stalks of lemongrass (bottom, white part only) - lightly bruised with the back of a knife or rolling pin
• 3 star anise
• 1 stick of Vietnamese cassia or regular cinnamon
• water
• 3 Tbl. fish sauce
• 1-inch chunk of rock sugar or 2 tsp. raw sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 10-12 small-medium shallots, peeled
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch segments
• fresh cracked black pepper
• fresh cilantro (for garnish)

STEPS:

• In a non-reactive metal pot or dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the annatto seeds and cook them for about 4-5 minutes. Once the seeds have bled most of their oil/color, remove the pan from heat and discard the seeds, reserving the oil.
• Put the pot back on high heat and sear the meat on all sides. Do this in batches to avoid steaming the meat.
• Once all the meat has been seared, add the garlic and tomato paste to the pot. Use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to stir and cook for about 1 minute.
• Then, add the seared meat back into the pan along with the curry powder or five spice powder, lemongrass, star anise, and cinnamon stick. Give it a good stir and add enough water to barely cover the meat (approx. 3-4 cups of water)
• Next, add the fish sauce, sugar and bay leaf.
• Lower the heat to medium and bring the pot to a gentle boil. At this point, take the heat down to low, loosely cover with a lid and cook for about 1 hour.
• Now, the meat should be somewhat tender but still have a “bite” to it. Add the carrots and shallots and cook (covered) for another hour or so on low (until the carrots and shallots are cooked through).
• Before serving, taste and adjust with fish sauce or sugar, if needed.
• Garnish with black pepper and cilantro.
• Serve with plenty of warm,toasty bread.

One snowy Valentine’s Day, I woke up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. On the table, I found a beautiful postcard of a palm tree-lined Miami. The back of the card read, “Guess where we’re going?”

Early next morning, we were on a plane to Miami. It was my first trip to Florida and I was totally thrilled. When we arrived at the Miami airport, we stopped at one of the cafe shops and had the best food I’ve ever eaten at an airport in America. We had empanaditas filled with beef and chicken and then finished with a cafe cortado and some of these guava and cream cheese pastries, pasteles de guayaba. After scarfing down our food, we looked at each other and said, “Miami, baby.”

PASTELES DE GUAYABA - GUAVA PASTRIES

INGREDIENTS:

• puff pastry sheet, cut into approx. 2.5 inch squares
• guava paste (pasta de guayaba), cut into 1/2 inch-thick strips, approx. 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long [I often find these at Latino markets, in round tins next to the membrillo]
• cream cheese, cut into strips, slightly bigger than the guava strips
• egg wash (one egg yolk whisked with 1 tsp. water or milk)

STEPS:

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Place the cream cheese and guava a little off-center on the the pastry square. You may need to push the guava down a bit, into the cheese.
• Next, fold the sides of the square over the filling and carefully seal the edges.
• Place the pastry, seam side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the top with the egg wash. Repeat with the remainder of the pastry squares.
• Bake for approx. 18-20 minutes. The tops should be a light golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

When it comes to breakfast, I am a die-hard fan of McCann’s Irish Steel-cut Oatmeal. Its nutty flavor and toothsome texture are far superior than the quick oats that cook in 2 minutes. It’s oatmeal that actually gives your teeth something to sink into. I find a small cup of this satisfies my hunger in the morning and keeps me from reaching for that evil stash of Snickers in the office lounge.

The drawback with making this oatmeal is the time it takes. It usually takes about 30 minutes to cook on the stove top. If I have to stand over my stove top and wait 30 minutes for my breakfast in the morning, I will have already eaten last night’s leftovers along with any sweets within a ten-foot radius. Not a good thing if I’m trying to retain what is left of my figure. I tried cooking the oatmeal in the slow cooker and the results were marvelous. I was able to circumvent the stove top cooking (and unnecessary snacking) AND I had breakfast for the whole week already made. Woohoo!

So, before you go to bed tonight, pour a cup of the steel-cut oatmeal into your slow cooker. Add a roughly chopped pear or apple (mine happened to be sitting on my counter because it was too ripe for eating), a small pinch of salt, two whole star anise (or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon) and five cups of water. Turn the temperature to the lowest setting and go to bed. In the morning, enjoy a fantastic bowl of Irish oats.

The oatmeal keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator. Re-heat leftovers for approximately 2-3 minutes.

*Note: If you cook the oatmeal on the stove top, the ratio of oatmeal to water is 1:4, not 1:5 as with the slow cooker.

Bon appétit!