Asian mango salad

Adapted from cooking class with Ms. Vy in HoiAn, Vietnam    March 2016

See Asian chicken BBQ recipe for more details

This mango salad was meant to be prepared with prawns.  I can't remember if we had tofu or chicken or nothing in it's place.  At home, I tried it again with 1 cup of napa cabbage instead of prawns.  For the HoiAn chili sauce, I found one at Great Wall that was Yeo's chili with garlic sauce, moderate heat, from Malaysia, which worked perfectly.

I was unable to get the shallots nice and crispy like they did at the cooking class.  I probably had to bread and deep fry them.  Instead, I stir-fried them until they were dark, then blotted the oil off.  Not quite the same, but a drop healthier.

This salad was excellent - I brought it to our recent inaugural LadyDocs book club session about The Lotus and the Storm by Lan Cao, which featured Vietnamese food.  It took me a while to get all the various parts of this salad together, but my group LOVED it!  Plus, I got to use my new slicing tool that was given to us at the end of our cooking class.  Fingers, beware!!   The salad was even better the next day, as most slaws are, although there was just a paltry bit left.   I served it alongside a mild dish of Mahi Mahi with a green sauce, as well as stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 4 - 6 as appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 green mango, sliced
1 cup onion, sliced finely
1.5 cups mixed Vietnamese mint and mint
1 cup Napa cabbage, sliced
1.5 Tbsp salad dressing (ingredients below)
2 tsp sesame seeds, roasted
1/2 tsp HoiAn chili sauce
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of coarse black pepper
1 Tbsp shallot oil - optional
2 Tbsp fried shallots - excellent, crispy - if you can figure out how to make them
4 rice crackers

Salad dressing:
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp fish sauce - I used vegetarian fish sauce
1 tsp garlic and red chili pounded - or substitute a very light sprinkle of garlic powder for the latter.

Directions:

1) For salad dressing, put lime juice and sugar in a bowl, stir to dissolve.  Add the fish sauce and garlic and chili, then mix.

2) Put oil in sauce pan.  Slice shallots thinly.  Then sauce until toasted, but do NOT burn.

2) For the salad, put mango, cabbage, onion, 1 cup of mint, 1 tsp of sesame seeds and dressing.

3) Add to mango.  Mix and toss.  Season to taste.

4) Serve on 4 small plates and garnish with remaining mint, sesame seeds and fried shallots.  Serve with rice crackers, if you choose, or as a side with fish or chicken.

Asian BBQ chicken and lime leaves

From cooking class at Ms. Vy's in HoiAn, Vietnam   March 2016

When we were in Vietnam, we spent a few days in HoiAn, a town known for its silk and for its  tailors who can create a dress or suit to your liking overnight.  There's also a very successful chef and entrepreneur, Ms. Vy, who owns 5 restaurants.  In any tour book, you can find information about her market tours and hands-on cooking classes.

Before the cooking class, we visited the market where many of the residents and restaurant employees shop.  It was a huge open air market - table after table that in total is probably about the size of one of our supermarkets.  The chicken and fish are so fresh that they're often still moving.  There were pig's ears and other body parts that we don't usually see here.  And the adjacent streets were lined with vendors selling beautiful fresh produce - the staple of the Asian diets.  Although most dishes do contain shrimp, pork, beef or chicken, the plate is usually predominantly filled with veggies.

After our market tour, we also toured inside Ms. Vy's market/ cooking school.  I was daring enough to try silkworms and grilled frog (which tasted just like chicken, as expected!).  We saw how rice paper is made for spring rolls, and learned how to roll our own rolls for Bahn Mi.

Eventually, we moved on to our actual cooking class.  Our chef-instructor told us, fish sauce is her best friend.  It is used in almost every Vietnamese recipe.  Five spice powder, used in the recipe below, is another very commonly used ingredient, which I favor over fish sauce.  Of the other commonly used ingredients, one that is missing from this chicken recipe is ginger.

Five spice powder is a blend of spices that can vary, but it usually contains at least cinnamon and anise or star anise.  The one I have from McCormick, for instance, has anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and ginger.  Other versions might substitute fennel, Sichuan pepper, nutmeg or turmeric.  Star anise, by the way, is one of the flavorings in pho, or Vietnamese noodle soup.  It also happens to be the basis for Tamiflu, the medication we give to shorten the course of the flu.  It could be better than grandma's chicken soup for nursing you back to health!

It's often said that you should date your spices and dried herbs when you open them, and should replace them every 6 months.  With as many as I have, and occasionally use, that just isn't practical.  But in the past week, I realized how much of a difference this could make.  I brought home fresh five spice powder from Vietnam and bought fresh star anise from one of the Asian markets locally.  Whereas the ones I had in small jars at home barely had any scent, the new ones were VERY fragrant and tasty.  So, it may be worthwhile dating your containers and replacing at least some of them for special occasions, new recipes, or cooking for company.

The recipe below for Asian BBQ chicken does involve some preparation.  I wish I could always cook at Ms. Vy's.  As with most cooking classes, all of the ingredients were prepared in advance and our workplace was cleared as soon as we were done - no fuss, no muss!  But, if you're cooking on your own, as most of us do, it helps to be organized, especially to prepare recipes with many ingredients.

To be most efficient, gather all of the ingredients, knives, other tools, measuring spoons and cups in one place.  Keep a bowl or bag at your work area for all the odds and ends to be tossed or composted afterward, and, my favorite, have a paper towel under the area where you measure or mix.  It makes cleanup a cinch!  Maybe even more important, have some good rock and roll (or music of your choice) going.

In this recipe, if you're using fresh turmeric, you may want to wear plastic gloves to stop your hands from turning yellow.  Even for the prepared powder, be aware that like curry or tomatoes, it can stain light surfaces or clothing.


Asian BBQ Chicken and Lime Leaves

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, skin off
1/3 cup fresh turmeric or 1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1/3 cup lemongrass, pounded
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp course black pepper
1/2 tsp five spice powder
4 lime leaves, sliced finely
2 Tbsp garlic, pounded
2 Tbsp shallots, pounded
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp fish sauce

8 wooden skewers soaked in water 1 hour

Directions:

1) Cut thighs into 16 pieces.  Place in a bowl.  Add salt, sugar black pepper and five spice.  Mix well.

2) Pound turmeric, add to chicken with garlic, shallot, lemongrass, chili, lime leaves, sesame oil and fish sauce.  Mix well.  Marinate for 30 minutes.  Thread 2 pieces onto each skewer.  Grill 4-5 minutes on each side on a low heat.

http://msvy-tastevietnam.com/cooking-classes/

Asian Beef Stew

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/asian-beef-stew

Looking for a stew to try to duplicate what Jerry ordered at Cargo Club and Morning Glory in Hue, both restaurants of the industrious Ms. Vy.  We took a cooking class / market tour with her while we were there in March, 2016.  The most adventurous taste tests were of silkworms and frog.  We deferred on the pigs ears and other delicacies.

ACTIVE: 45 MIN  TOTAL TIME: 3 HR 30 MIN  SERVINGS: 4
This brothy stew is succulent and soothing, but sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley invigorate it with fish sauce, Asian spices and lemon juice. "We both just love sour flavors," says Jasmine Hemsley. "It's our Filipino mum's influence."

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons coconut oil  ( no health benefit to this - used canola oil)
5 pounds English-cut short ribs  (1.3 pounds beef, 5 baby bellas)
Sea salt
Pepper
1 red onion, finely chopped (1/2 onion)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped  (1-2 cloves)
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (1.5 Tbsp)
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (1 tsp fresh 5 spice plus 1 tsp cinnamon plus 1 stick)
3 whole star anise pods  (2 whole star anise)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (4 carrots)
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 celery rib)
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce  (1 tsp)
One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice  (14.5 oz diced tomatoes with juice)
2 cups beef stock or broth  (1.5 - 2 cups vegetable broth)
4 cups stemmed curly spinach (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

(from restaurant, added soy sauce 1 tsp, sugar 1 tsp
Get Ingredients
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the coconut oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the ribs over moderately high heat, turning, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a large plate. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the five-spice powder, then add the star anise, carrots, celery and fish sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stock and short ribs to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning the ribs every hour, until they are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Discard the star anise. Stir the spinach and lemon juice into the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Divide the stew among serving bowls and garnish with cilantro.
MAKE AHEAD
The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
SUGGESTED PAIRING
Peppery, fruit-dense California Syrah matches all the spices in this stew.

Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing

Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing
From Veganomicon - The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Courtesy of Amy Rosen

Use this recipe for Portobello burgers or as the 'meat' in your salad.  “It’s got everything a vegan needs to feel healthy and happy: chickpeas, greens, avocado and mushrooms.  The mustard makes the dressing nice and creamy with just a little kick.  The roasted portobello recipe is for two mushrooms, but ..., you can make four for a more elegant presentation …"


Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/4 cup prepared spicy, smooth mustard
3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Salad:
8 cups mixed greens - romaine, radicchio, arugula (my favorite)
1 avocado, peeled, halved, pitted and sliced thinly
1 small red onion, sliced into very thin half-moons
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 recipe of roasted portobellos

Roasted Portobellos
2 large or 4 small Portobello caps
1/2 cup cooking wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2) Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside
3) Combine all ingredients fro the marinade in a glass pie plate or small casserole.
4) Place the mushrooms upside down in the marinade and spoon the liquid into each cap to form a small pool.  Marinate for 20 minutes.
5) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, use tongs to flip the caps over and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
6) IF you're using your Portobello as a burger, just put that puppy between a bun with some lettuce, tomato, Veganaise, and avocado and call it a day.  If using for a salad, let it cool a bit and then slice the mushrooms very thinly on the diagonal to make nice meaty slices.
7) IF you're using the Portobello in a salad, mix salad as noted above, toss with just enough dressing to coat lightly, and toss in the Portobellos.  Makes for a filling and delicious dinner.

Enjoy!