Tofu with Eggplant (meatless)

I love to make the eggplant-tofu-pork dish that my mom made when we were growing up.  Here, I’ve turned it into a nice and hearty vegetarian main dish and you won’t even miss the pork with the use of tofu and mushrooms.

Tofu with Eggplant (meatless)

(Serves 4-6)

• ¼ cup oil
• 1 package of extra firm tofu (14 oz)
• 2.5-3 lb eggplant
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups of  sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce (optional)
• 1 cup of water

1.  Remove tofu from package and pat dry.   Place tofu on cutting board with the longest side facing towards you and cut 6 even vertical slices still keeping it as a tofu block, turn the knife horizontally and cut 1 horizontal slices into the tofu block.  Now you should have about 12 tofu squares.  Blot the tofu strips dry with paper or dish towel – this limits some of the grease splatter.

2.  Cut eggplant lengthwise in to quarters.  Slice the quartered eggplant into ½ inch thick slices.

3.  Heat oil in large frying pan on medium high heat.

4.  Place tofu into the oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.  Be sure to space out the tofu in the pan, or else they will stick together.   Place the fried tofu on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

5.  Pour off the remaining oil except for 2 tbsp and sauté the chopped onions until translucent.  Add to the onion the chopped garlic and give it a quick stir.  Add the sliced mushroom and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

6.  To the sautéed mushroom mixture, add sliced eggplant and a cup of water.

7.   Season the mixture with the fish sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper.  Cook with lid on for 15 minutes on medium to medium low heat, occasionally stirring the contents.

8.  Once the eggplant is cooked then stir in the fried tofu.  Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes to incorporate the tofu.

9.  Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve with rice.

Eggplant and Tofu (meatless), originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Stir-fried Kale

I’ve been on a kick with greens as you may have guessed…

No doubt you have heard about how good kale is for you, full of nutrients.  Here is my Asian concoction with kale.  I’ve used lacinato kale but you can substitute with whatever kind is available at your local grocer.  Although kale does some cooking to become tender, this dish still comes together in 20 minutes or less.  Remember that kale will cook down quite a bit so don’t be put off by the mound of chopped kale!

Stir Fried Kale
(Serves 4)

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chopped cloves of garlic
• 2 bunch of lacinato kale, roughly chopped
• 2/3 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
• ¼ cup water
• cracked black pepper to taste

1.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and slightly sauté the chopped garlic.

2.  Add chopped kale to the pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the kale is cooked down to half the amount and is bright green.

3.  Lower the heat to medium low.  Drizzle in the sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, optional oyster sauce and the water.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 8-10 minutes, occasionally stirring the kale.

4.   Top with black pepper and serve.

Stir-fried Kale, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Collard Greens and Dried Shrimp

Don’t be put off by this because of the collard greens.  It’s not the usual mushy collards of the South.  I don’t trim the stem off the collards so it takes no time at all to make this dish and it gives the dish a little bit of crunch.  Chinese broccoli, broccolini or bok choy would be good substitutes.

What makes this an Asian dish is the dried and salted shrimp, a common staple in Asian pantries.  Note that the shrimp will impart a lot of flavor and saltiness to the dish so go easy on the seasoning.  You could even skip the fish sauce.

Collard Greens and Dried Shrimp/Cai Lan Xao Tom Kho
(Serves 4-6)

• 2/3 cup dried shrimp
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 bunch of collard greens, chopped (~1lb)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
• cracked black pepper to taste

1.  Soak dried shrimp in a cup of water for 30 minutes. Drain the shrimp and reserve the liquid.

2.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chopped onion and stir-fry until wilted.

3.  Add to the onions, the drained shrimp and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add the chopped collard greens to the shrimp mixture.  Add cracked black pepper and the reserved liquid from soaking the shrimp. Optional – drizzle fish sauce over the collard greens once it has cooked down a bit.  Stir-fry for another 5 minutes until collards are bright green and the stems still has some firmness.

Collard Greens and Dried Shrimp, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Pinneapple Fish Soup

This is truly one of the easiest dish to make – very little prep and short cooking time.  Any type of fish would be good – halibut, salmon steaks, or catfish.  I’ve used steelhead fish for this particular recipe.

This is good with a hot bowl of white rice.   Traditionally, a side dish of some type of boiled greens (rau den or amaranth, rau moung or water spinach) would be served with this soup.  You would eat the greens by dipping it into the soup.

Pineapple Fish Soup (Canh Cá Kho Nước)

Serves 4-6

2 lb fish filet, cut into portion size (4oz each)

3 medium tomato, roughly chopped

¼ pineapple, roughly chopped

6 cups of water

4 tbsp fish sauce

½ tsp crushed black pepper

2 stalks of green onions, chopped.

 

1.  In a medium size pan, lay the portioned size fish into the bottom of the pan.  Layer on top of the fish, the chopped tomatoes and pineapple.  Add enough water to just cover the contents of the pan.  Add the fish sauce, crushed black pepper and  half of the chopped green onions.

2.  Bring to boil over medium high heat.   And then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

3.  Serve by placing a piece of fish into a soup bowl and ladling over it some tomatoes, pineapple and broth.  Serve with a bowl of hot white rice.

Pinneapple Fish Soup, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Red Bean Soup Dessert

A common type of Vietnamese dessert is sweet soup called ‘chè’.  Chè can be served warm, at room temperature, cold or over ice.  Bean soup or ‘chè đậu’ can be made with green, red or yellow beans.  There are red bean based desserts in many Asian cuisine (e.g., Chinese, Thai, Japanese).   You may see the red bean packages labeled in Asian markets: azuki beans.

This is relatively simple recipe except for the time needed to soak the beans and to simmer the beans.  So allow plenty of time – soak the beans overnight and about 4 hours of cooking time.

You can dress this dessert up with coconut milk and/or tapioca pearls if desired. If you prefer a nicer presentation, you can first ladle the bean soup into individual serving dishes and then drizzle the coconut milk over the top.  Serve either warm or chilled.

Red Bean Dessert Soup/(Chè đậu)

Serves 6-8

Chè:

• 14 oz dried red bean (2 cups), soaked overnight
• 12 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• coconut milk (optional)

1.  Drain the soaked beans and place in a pot filled with 10 cups of water.  Stir in the sugar.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir occasionally and continue to simmer for 4 hours – until beans are soft and the liquid is slightly thick.  You may need to add the rest of the water, depending on the preferred consistency.

2.  Remove the bean soup from the heat when the beans have reached the desired doneness.  Serve warm or chilled.  Optional, let it cool for 15 minutes and then stir in the coconut milk.  Chè can be refrigerated for a week.

Red Bean Soup Dessert, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

My brother took me to a new phở place during my visit to Mesa, AZ. If you are in the Phoenix area, I would highly recommend a stop at unPHOgettable located at the new Asian shopping center called Mekong Plaza.  They have other Vietnamese fares as well. I can attest to the authencity and cleanliness of the restaurant.  Enjoy!

I’ll be posting a recipe for pho soon, so stay tune!

Below is a link to a story about the plaza:

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/128861

Pho Bo, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Fish with Sweet Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce can be paired with most fish.  Today I came across some nice looking catfish filets.  It’s a simple Vietnamese tomato sauce that comes together quickly – great for weeknight meals.

Fish with Sweet Tomato Sauce

(Serves 4)

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 filets of catfish or your choice of fish
• chopped chives or green onions for garnish

1.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in large frying pan on medium high heat and sautee the onions until translucent.  Add the garlic and give it a quick stir.  Add chopped tomatoes to the pan.  Salt and pepper the tomatoes.   Adjust heat to medium-low and simmer the tomatoes, occasionally stirring the pan until the mixture becomes a thick sauce with chunks of tomatoes – about 7-10 minutes.

2.  In a separate large frying pan, add the rest of the olive oil, and pan-fry two of the catfish filets at a time.  When the filets are golden brown on both sides, set aside.  Continue to pan-fry the rest of the catfish filets.

3.  To the thickened tomato sauce, add fish sauce and sugar.  Simmer for another 2-3 minutes to incorporate.

4.  Plate the pan-fried filet of fish and generously top with tomato sauce.   Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately with rice.

Fish with Sweet Tomato Sauce, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

Lemongrass Chicken Stew

Traditionally, lemon grass chicken is a like a stir-fry.  My version is more like a stew because I love to have plenty of sauce to drizzle over a hot bowl of rice!  To accommodate those who do not like bones and yet have the benefit of flavor from chicken on the bone, I’ve used ½ a chicken and 2 boneless chicken breasts.  Of course you can use the whole chicken by taking the cleaver to the chicken.   I’ve kept the ingredients simple – you can add onion, shallots and/or sugar if you want a little more complexity.

Tip:  To save some chopping time, you can put the onion and roughly chopped lemongrass into a food process and give it a few pulses.  Also, I rinse the food- processing bowl with the 1cup water and then add it to the pan.

Lemongrass Chicken Stew (Ga Kho)

(Serves 4-6)

3 stalks lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

½ chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 boneless breast of chicken, sliced

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp crushed black pepper

5 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 whole red chili peppers (optional)

1.5 cup water

 

1.  Pulse lemon grass and garlic in a food processor for until finely chopped.  Set aside.

2.  Place the chopped ½ chicken pieces skin side down into a hot frying pan, medium high heat.  Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.  Fry until each side is golden brown.  Set aside.

3.  Add sliced chicken breasts to the frying pan, lightly season with salt and pepper.  Stir-fry until no longer pink.   Set aside with the first batch of chicken.

4.  In a saucepan, heat the olive oil.  Stir-fry the lemon grass mixture and red chili peppers until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

5.  Placed the cooked chicken into the sauce pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

6.  Add the fish sauce and water to the pan, cover with lid.  Lower the heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and slightly thick.

7.  Serve with Jasmine white rice. 

Lemongrass Chicken Stew, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

 

Sesame Balls

If you visit a Chinese or Vietnamese market on the weekend, you will likely find sesame balls among the pile of fresh pastries. This is one of my favorite indulgences – a crispy fried dough ball, coated with sesame, and filled with a sweet yellow bean paste.  Because it’s fried, you may want to grab a couple of napkins, wrap it around the sesame balls and squeeze off the excess grease.  It flattens the balls but still just as good and a little less greasy! 

  

Sesame Balls, originally uploaded by simpleviet.

 

Jalapeño Chicken

If you like heat, this is a perfect dish for you.  You’ll be surprised how much flavor you get from such simple ingredients.  To accommodate those who do not like bones and yet have the benefit of flavor from chicken on the bone, you can use ½ a chicken and 2 boneless chicken breasts.  Don’t be afraid by the number of jalapeño, when cooked there is not as much heat.

Jalapeño Chicken Stir-Fry (Ga Kho Cay)

(Serves 4-6)

1 whole chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp crushed black pepper

2 tbsp chopped ginger

3 cloves garlic

3-4 jalapeño sliced

5 tbsp fish sauce

1/3 cup water

 

1.  Place 1/3 of the chopped chicken skin side down into a large hot frying pan, medium high heat.  Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.  Fry until each side is golden brown.  Set aside.  Continue to fry the rest of the chicken in batches. 

2.  Return the cooked chicken to the frying pan.  Stir in the ginger, garlic, and sliced jalapeño.  Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes on medium-low.

3.  Add fish sauce and water to the pan.  Gently stir-fry for another 5-8 minutes.

4.  Serve with Jasmine white rice. 

Jalapeño Chicken, originally uploaded by simpleviet.