Rock That Wok!

Don’t be shy.  To get this week’s ingredients to work for you, to come alive, it’s necessary to keep that wok moving.  Make the contents jump.  That’s the whole idea behind Shaking Beef, a workable translation of the original Vietnamese Bo Luc Lac.  “Diced Beef” also fits, though it doesn’t tantalize the imagination in the…

Easier Done than Said

Today’s recipe is labeled Southeast Asian Beef and Rice-Noodle Soup, at least that’s what Gourmet called it when it showcased the dish in February 2009, but in reality, it’s phở. The ingredients list is unmistakable; this is the deeply flavored and intensely aromatic Vietnamese soup that is perhaps its country’s most famous culinary treasure.  Thanks…

A Bit Off the Curry Trail

Curries of varying sorts are prevalent in the Southeast Asian kitchen, testament to the cultural influence India has had in the region.  However, not so much in Vietnam, which borrows more heavily from the Chinese, before adding its own unique twist.  Every once in a while, though, curry finds its way into Vietnam’s kitchens. Today’s…

Where to Begin?

There’s so much happening in a soup like Cháo Bôi it’s difficult to decide how exactly to classify it.  Sure, broadly speaking, it’s Vietnamese, the recipe found among the pages of a great gift one of you sent a few years back, Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. What kind of soup is it, though? …

Take Another Look

At a glance, today’s entry looks to be an omelet, doesn’t it?  No eggs were involved this week, though.  Instead, we have a rice-flour crepe, lightly thin and pan-seared to crispy perfection, barely able to contain all the goodness within its grasp.  This is Bánh Xèo (in English, pronounced “bun sale”), a street food made…

Please…Try This at Home

After all, Charles Pham, chef at The Slanted Door in San Francisco, does.  Among the many wonders he helps create in the restaurant kitchen, Mr. Pham chooses to make Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken for himself, his family and his friends when he’s at home.  If it’s good enough to top an award-winning chef’s own menu,…

C) Both of the Above

“Fusion” cuisine takes quite a few hits, admittedly on these pages, and elsewhere.  Perhaps this dismissal is too hasty when cooks offer inspirations like today’s effort, Bánh Mì.  Though the sandwich was developed in Vietnam and is among that cuisine’s most prominent preparations, bánh mì claims at least one French grandparent. It’s only natural, of…

Ah, but What Leftovers!

Last week brought duck, though the entire bird wasn’t used to prepare the entry.  What to do with the remainders, then?  Not wishing to be wasteful, and being of a culinary bent, this journal’s future path was clear – make soup!  Specifically, Vietnamese duck soup, or pho, elevates the leftovers to stardom and beyond. Today’s…

Afternoon at the Improv

Sometimes, when things don’t work quite as planned, it becomes necessary to improvise to reach the goal.  Such was the case recently, when I attempted to prepare the dish pictured above, Ji Si Chang, or Chicken and Vegetable Rice Rolls, from Andrea Nguyen’s latest cookbook, Asian Dumplings. The filling, a mixture of chicken, shitake mushrooms,…

OK, You Like Soup, We Get It

The latest entry is a Vietnamese staple, măng tây cua, a crab and asparagus soup.  This is the perfect time for soup making in general because a persistent cold snap has left May feeling more like March.  How welcome would a nice warm bowl of tropical-glistened shellfish be right now? Moreover, the chilly weather can’t last forever,…