250g glass noodles (1/2 a packet) (potato starch vermicelli Korean)
2 onions thinly sliced
400g crab meat (frozen section)
14-16 Chinese cabbage leaves thinly sliced
oil
pepper
oyster sauce
sesame oil
coriander for garnish
Preparation of glass noodles:
Soak in cold water for 20 minutes then cook in boiling water for 6-7 minutes, drain and rinse gently under cold water.
They will appear sticky and dull when cold but once in the wok will go clear again.
Need to cut them to lengths of approximately 7cm prior to putting them in wok
In the wok add some oil, half the amount of onion and sautee, once onion is cooked then add the Chinese cabbage and some oyster sauce, a little water..simmer till the cabbage is half cooked.
They are nice when still a little crunchy. Take the leaves out leave aside.
Use the pan juice, add the noodles and some more oyster sauce.
Once warmed up take out and pop on top of the Chinese cabbage.
The noodles will soak up all the pan juice as they expand further.
Wash the wok, then start again.
Oil and onion then add the crab meat with drizzle of sesame oil, oyster sauce, pepper.
Once the crab meat is warmed then it is ready.
Add to the noodles and cabbage and mix thoroughly, garnish with the coriander..
Sautee garlic or onion in some oil, pop the vegetables in and then a drizzle of fish sauce or oyster sauce and it is done..
zucchini (garlic/oyster)
spinach (garlic/fish sauce)
water spinach (garlic/fish sauce)
snow peas leaves (garlic/fish sauce)
beans (onion/oyster)
carrots (onion/oyster)
broccoli (onion/oyster)
cauliflowers (onion/oyster)
buk choy (garlic/oyster)
I tend to add carrots to my stir fries to add bulk and colour...mushroom is nice as well :)
For 6
1.5 kg of belly pork, boiled and thinly sliced
24 prawns, cut along back to de-thread
lettuce,
herbs
chives
1 bunch of coriander
2 cucumber cut into strips
1 granny smith apple thinly sliced or star fruit sliced
Hoisin sauce diluted with a little water to taste.
rice vermicelli, boiled and drained
rice paper (soaked in hot water just before use)
How to assemble:
Rice paper
Lettuce, herbs, coriander, cucumber, apple
rice vermicelli
meat and prawns
sauce
then roll by folding the two ends in and then rolling.
Dough for dumplings
Bột :
125g potato starch (bột khoai tây)
375g glutinous rice flour (bột nếp)
1.5 cups of boiling water (375ml) approx...I used 1 litre measuring jug..so just estimated around there...as no marking...
makes about 16 medium dumplings and lots of little ones
(alternative..some pandan leaves in water..then into food processor to process..strain...then use the liquid to make dough...)
Last time I used about 350ml as per recipe...too dry..cannot judge the water as the dough is funny...not like using plain flour...need hot boiling water..also the potato starch makes it a sticky mess..
mix the two types of flour thoroughly...make a well...add the hot boiling water in...use a wooden spoon to mix...once cooled down a bit use hands to try to form the dough...
at first it feels like the dough doesnot want to come together..just keep kneading..takes awhile...
once the dough comes together...as one big ball..just pinch some..flatten in palm to add the filling in ..dough will feel smooth and soft...once flatten will feel sticky but should be okie...
from experience everything has to be ready before you make the dough...as the dough dries out pretty quick.
I had to line the bench with gladwrap before I popped the dough and dumplings on..
some recipe says to pop the dumplings straight into the syrup...I did otherwise...into a boiling pot of water, pop the dumplings in...once they float it means they are ready, then I transfer them into the syrup pot..
Filling:
175g split mung bean (đậu xanh cà ) (about 1/2 a packet)
100g shredded young coconut (dừa non bào) (about 1/2 a packet, used 1 packet ..seemed too much)
sugar to taste
a bit of salt
soak beans overnight...then put into a pot of water to cook...water should just cover beans and 1-2cm to spare (đồ đậu)
once beans are just tender ..drain them..and mash with spoon or potato masher...
don't leave them till they virtually fall apart..then it will be a big mess.. too wet cannot form balls...that was what happened to me so had to dry them off in a frying pan on low heat..
combine bean, coconut, sugar,salt to form 16 little balls size of kumquats
Syrup:
đường thẻ (sugar slabs) to taste
ginger slices
Coconut milk:
400ml coconut milk (nước cốt dừa)
1 tablespoon corn flour
a few pandan leaves (lá dứa) tied cooked in the coconut milk for flavour
dissolve the corn flour in some cold water, stir into boiled coconut milk..consistency depends on how much is added)
Garnish:
pan fry some sesame seeds to garnish..the seeds come in 100g packs..only need about 1-2 tablespoonfuls..
NB. do not use frozen pandan leaves...need fresh ones
If want softer dumplings then use more potato starch and less glutinous rice flour...
also some recipes make them with 1/4 rice flour 3/4 glutinous flour...have yet to try this combination..will try it next time and will let you know of the result..
3 zucchini sliced thinly
1 onion
6 chicken bones (from my lemon grass chicken dish)
fish sauce, sugar to taste
1 teaspoon of chicken powder (optional)
I cooked the soup with the chicken bones, onion, chicken powder.
when ready to eat I pop in the zucchini and fish sauce, sugar to taste
garnish with spring onion, I ran out today..:)
Boil the prawn heads until flavoursome to make the broth. Add a teaspoon of sugar and fish sauce to taste.
Chop the spinach 1-2cm strips.
Add the spinach in when ready to eat. Like other types of spinach these cooks quite quickly as well.
http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/mong-toi-or-malabar-spinach-with-mushrooms/
(what the leaves look like)
1kg of pork ribs.
1 can of bamboo shoots
spring onion for garnish
fish sauce, sugar to taste.
1/2 brown onion
Meat can be sliced and used for other dishes. I used the bones to make the soup.
Pop the onion and the ribs in to make the soup, should take about half an hour or so.
Drain the bamboo shoots and a quick rinse in a strainer with running water.
When the ribs are ready add in the bamboo shoots.
Garnish with spring onion.
1 pane di casa bread stick (or any dense bread)
5-6 cloves of garlic processed
1 teaspoon of fresh parsley chopped (forgot again, so added dried mixed herb instead)
butter
Combine the garlic, herb and garlic to make the garlic butter.
How much butter to add depends on how you like garlic bread mild or strong flavoured..mild add lots of butter..strong add a little butter..
Make slits in the bread about 1 inch (2-3cm) apart, spread the butter both sides of the slits.
Cover with foil and into a 180C oven for 10 minutes.
1 packet of Roast red pork seasoning
(2 sachets, each will marinate 600g of meat)
1-1.2kg of pork neck
Dissolve the 2 sachets in a cup of water, then pop the meat in.
Leave overnight in the fridge.
Pop into a 200C fan forced oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked.
Batter:
2 packets of Bánh Xèo mix (340g)
Alternative to the mix, use rice flour, corn starch and tumeric powder. Trial and error to see how many parts, would think 1/4 of starch and 3/4 of rice flour ? most recipes only use rice flour..but then it won't give you the crispness? and 2 teaspoons of tumeric. Have never tried, may be next time I might.
2 cans of 400ml coconut extract (as per batter)
1 litre of water (as per batter) (NB. reduce to 800-900ml)
2 spring onion chopped
Fillings:
2 onions sliced
500g prawns
800g belly pork sliced
bean shoots
oil for frying
fish sauce, sugar
200g mungbeans (optional)
choy sum, herbs (can substitute lettuce leaves for choy sum)
fish sauce for dipping
oil for frying
Batter:
Make batter as directed by adding water and coconut extract to the flour mix. I found it to be gluggy, ended up having to use a strainer to get rid of the blobs.
Also found 1L to be a bit too much water. May need to reduce water to 800-900ml.
Fillings:
Stir fry the fillings by popping some oil in the pan then use half of the onions , add the meat, drizzle of fish sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Do the same for the prawns.
Boil the mungbeans for 30 minutes then drain (instruction from packet) I would boil them until just tender and drain or else they will be soggy and a big mess.
Pancakes:
Use a big frying pan, turn heat on high add the batter. Wait for it to cook before adding the fillings onto one side only. Once golden brown under, flip the non-filling side over.
NB. need to be high heat or won't brown or crisp.
Serve with choy sum, herbs and fish dipping sauce.
NB. did not use mungbeans as no one like them at our place..
1/4 of cauliflower separated
1 carrot thinly sliced
chicken soup
1/2 a box of bean curd/tofu cut into 12 and deep fried then cut into smaller squares.
1 tsp of chicken powder
1 tsp of sugar
1 egg (beaten)
fish sauce to taste
Once chicken soup has boiled pop everything in. Wait for cauliflower to cook, shouldn't take long..a few minutes..
Turn heat down to low and slowly stir in egg.
Then fish sauce to taste.
1.5 litres of chicken soup
1 teaspoon of chicken powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 brown onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic sliced
4 tablespoon of butter
2 leeks sliced thinly
5 big potatoes (cut into 1.5cm cubes)
salt
125ml thickened cream
Warm up the chicken soup in a pot. Add the chicken powder and sugar.
To a wok add 2 tablespoons of butter,garlic, onion then the potato. Stir fried the potatoes until they become starchy, will start sticking to the wok.
Transfer them into the chicken soup pot.
Wash and dry the wok.
Add the remainder of the butter, then the leek. Stir fried until the leek just wilted. If over cooked the colour will turn yellowish/brown and won't be green anymore.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add the leek. I used the bamix to process the potatoes and leek to a smooth consistency.
Add the cream and lightly salt the soup.
The soup should look like it has green specks running through it from the leek.
Beautiful for a wintry day, seal of approval from hubby and all the kids and me:)
NB. Garnish with bacon crisps , chopped chives..my friend garnish hers with swirls of sour cream..
1 good size bitter melon
100-200g pork mince
3 dried fungus soaked, finely chopped
1/2 onion minced
a handful of bean vermicelli soaked and cut finely
chicken stock
pepper
fish sauce
sesame oil
Cut melon into 4-5 pieces, use a small fruit knife and scoop the inside out.
Marinate pork mince with a sprinkle of sesame oil, pepper and fish sauce. Combine all, mince, dried fungus, vermicelli, onion.
Once stuffed, the melon can be dropped gently into the chicken soup.
When ready the mince stuffing should just poke out. If the stuffing falls out then the melon is over cooked.
Add fish sauce, sugar to taste.
Bitter melon is very popular in VN as although it is bitter it has a sweet after taste.
To reduce the bitterness, blanche the bitter melon first in a separate pot before stuffing them.
