Chả Phụng (Phoenix Roll)

Traditionally this dish was only served to the royal family. Over the years it made its way into menus for formal events such as weddings and new years. There is really nothing special about the ingredients, what make this dish standout from the rest is the food arrangement to creation an image of the mystical phoenix.

For the Phoenix Rolls (Main Part of the Dish):
-1lb shrimp
-4 cloves garlic
-3 tbs fish sauce
-1 tbs tapioca starch
-1/2 tsp pepper
-pinch of salt and sugar
-2 green onions
-3 eggs
-1/2 tsp oil

What to Do:
Pell and clean shrimp. Put everything except the eggs in a food processor and process into a smooth paste. Beat the eggs with the oil. Using a non-stick pan add a few tablespoons (amount depends on size of your pan) of egg mixture, tilt and swirl the pan to create a thin sheet (like making crepes). Cook the eggs completely, remove and repeat the process until all of the eggs are used up. Divide the shrimp paste to equal the number of egg wrappers created. Spread on portion of the shrimp paste onto on of the egg wrappers. Roll as you would a Swiss roll and steam the phoenix rolls for about 15 mins or until done.

For the Phoenix (Garnish):
-1 tomato or apple
-daikon radish, and carrots
-1 tbs vinegar
-3 tbs water
-1 tsp sugar
-1 Thai chili
-2 toothpicks
-creativity ;)

What to Do:
Cut carrots and daikon into thin long strips, mix with sugar, vinegar and water (can add food coloring too). Marinate until the veggies are wilted, then drain and squeeze out excess juices. To create the phoenix, cut the tomato in half then slice into the tomato at an angle, evenly at both sides so the cuts meet at the center and create V shaped layers that stack on top of each other. Lightly push the layers back a little to create the body. Cut a slice off of the other tomato half remove the seeds, this will be the bird’s neck/head. Make a small slice on one of the ends and bend the tomato flesh slightly to create a beak. Using tooth pick ends, pin on eyes (carrots) and a chili on top to give the head some “character”. Pin the “neck” into the center of the body. Cut the remaining tomato into 2 slices, these slices will be the wings of the phoenix, carve whatever designs in them as you please. Arrange the wings to the left and right of the neck to create a bird.

Cut the phoenix rolls diagonally into thin slices. Arrange the slices behind the bird to make its tail. Arrange the daikon and carrot slices marinated earlier in vinegar around the tail and body of the bird to represent the phoenix’s elegant feathers.

Lân Thủ Hầm Tịnh Vị - Giò Heo Nấu Chao (Pork Hock Braised in Preserved Beancurd)

Ingredients:
-1lb pork hock
-3 pieces preserved bean curd, red verity
-2 tbs preserved bean curd liquid
-3 cloves garlic
-fresh coconut juice or water
-1/2lb ong choy (approx)
-salt and sugar to taste
-1 tbs oil

What to Do:
Fry pork hock in oil until golden remove and add mince garlic. Fry garlic until fragrant, add back in the pork hock along with the preserved bean curd. Stir fry for a few mins before adding liquid from preserved bean curd and enough the coconut juice to cover the pork. Simmer until the pork is tender, add salt and sugar to taste. Pick ong choy into small pieces, wash, blanch, drain and arrange on a plate. Arrange pork hock in the center and ladle on some braising liquid before serving.

Bào Ngư Xào Nấm Đông Cô (Braised Shitake Mushrooms with Abalone)

Ingredients:
-1/2 head lettuce (aka iceberg lettuce) or gai lan (Chinese Broccoli)
-10 shitake mushrooms
-1 piece of ginger about 3 inches long
-broth or water to braise mushrooms
-1 can abalone
-1/2 tsp cooking wine
-1 ½ tbs oyster sauce
-6 tbs water from braising mushrooms.
-4 tbs water
-1 ½ tsp tapioca starch
-salt and sugar to taste

What to Do:
Hydrate mushrooms in water, wash and cut off stems. Braise mushrooms for at least ½ hour with sliced ginger and enough broth or water to cover the mushrooms and salt to taste. Meanwhile cut lettuce or gai lan into bite size pieces, blanch, drain and arrange on a plate. Wash abalone then slice and mix with wine. Arrange mushrooms around the lettuce, and abalone in the center. Mix together tapioca starch with water to make a slurry. In a pot boil together, oyster sauce, 6 tbs braising broth, salt and sugar to taste. Add slurry and stir until thickened. Pour “sauce” over the mushrooms and abalone. Garnish a fresh pepper and serve.

Tép và Chả Viên Rim với Saté (Spicy Prawns and Fish Balls)

Ingredients:
-1/2 each: prawns, fish balls
-1 tbs fish sauce
-1 tbs sugar
-1/2 tsp pepper
-3 green onions
-3 cloves garlic
-1 tsp sate sauce (or any other spicy pepper sauce of you choice).
-1/4 cup water (approx.)

What to Do:
Wash and drain prawns. Mince garlic and cut onion into 1 inch long pieces. In wok add prawns, fish balls and water. Boil, string occasionally until the water almost completely evaporates. At this point add fish sauce, pepper and sugar. Continue to cook over high heat until all of the liquid has evaporated. Add garlic, onion and pepper sauce. Cook for a few mins more until fragrant.

Gỏi Rau Muống Trộn Bò Tái Chanh (Ong Choy Salad with Beef Tartare)

Ingredients:
-1 1/2lb rau muống
-1/2 large onion
-1 tbs sugar
-1 tbs vinegar
-rau răm
-1lb tender beef
-2 tsp fish sauce
-juice from 2 limes + sugar
-fried shallots

What to Do:
Pick leaves off ong choy and cut stems into approx. 3 inch long pieces. Wash, drain and shred into thin strips (use a sharp knife or special tool for shredding this veggie…which you by at most Vietnamese grocery stores). Slice onion into thin slice and marinate in sugar and vinegar for 15 mins, then squeeze out excess juice. Chop rau răm and fried shallots. Fry beef in a pan over high heat until golden but still rare in the center (like a steak). Afterwards, slice beef into thin slices and marinate with fish sauce, and lime juice and sugar (all flavors should be even) for 15 mins. Mix together shredded ong choy, marinated onions, marinated beef, rau ram and fried shallots, serve immediately.

Chè Bắp (Corn and Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk)

Ingredients:
-200g sweet rice (aka glutinous rice)
-5 large ears of corn
-water
-1/2 tsp salt
-200g sugar
-1 can coconut milk/cream
-3/4 tsp tapioca starch
-4 fresh pandan leaves (optional)

What to Do:
In a large pot of water boil corn with pandan leaves and salt. Once corn is cooked remove and cool, retain water to make the pudding. Meanwhile, wash and soak rice in water. Once corn has cooled enough to handle, use a knife to remove the kernels. In a pot, add rice and enough corn water (reserved from boiling corn) to cover the surface of the rice by approx. 1 ½ -2 inches. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add sugar and immediately after the rice is tender. Simmer for about 15 mins or until mixture thickens but the rice grains are still whole and not broken into a mush (this is why sugar is added immediately after the rice is tender, sugar will help the rice hold its shape). In a different pot mix together tapioca starch and coconut milk, cook over medium heat until starch thickens. Serve pudding with a generous topping of coconut sauce.

Canh Khoai Mở (Fat Potato Soup)

Literally translated this root vegetable means Fat Potato or Fat Yam. There are 2 types, white and purple. Most stores here call it Chinese yam. The flesh is translucent white (or purple) in color and is very soft and slimy. To make the soup the “yam” must first be peeled. Afterwards, a spoon is used to scrape the flesh into a smooth paste. Sound like a lot of work? It’s actually not… the flesh is very soft and easy to scrape… only takes a few mins.

Ingredients:
-1 khoai mở about ½ lb
-1/4 lb each: shrimp prawns, ground pork
-ngò gai, ngò om, lá quế, green onion (sawtooth herb, rice patty herb, thai basil)
-1 green onion
-1 tsp oil
-1 tbs fish sauce
-1 tsp sugar
-salt and pepper to taste
-5-6 cups water

What to Do:
Peel and mince shrimp with pork. Wash and crush onions. Heat oil in a pot, fry onion until fragrant, add shrimp and meat. Add fish sauce and water and wait for the soup base to boil. Meanwhile, wash peel and scrape the khoai mở using a spoon. After most of the yam’s flesh has been scraped, cut whatever is left behind (to small to scrape) into small bite size pieces and add to soup base. Once the soup comes to a boil, skim the surface and stir in the scraped yam flesh. Bring the soup back to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and green onions (mentioned above) before serving.

Note:
Due to the starch from the yam, this soup should have a smooth yet thick texture, somewhat like Chinese style soups or congee.