Dinner last night, photos & recipes
Nigella Lawson's Rice Paper Rolls
(adapted from Forever Summer, p. 13)
Makes 48 rolls
* 100g/4 oz. rice vermicelli
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
* bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
* bunch fresh Thai basil (I couldn't find any so I used cilantro), roughly chopped
* half a cucumber, cut into thin batons
* 6 spring onions, finely sliced
* 12 rice pancakes
* soy sauce (I used ponzu with chili pepper flakes sprinkled in) for serving (optional)
Soak the vermicelli according to the instructions on the packet, and drain once the translucent threads are rehydrated.
Flavour the vermicelli with the rice vinegar, soy and fish sauces.
And then add the chopped herbs, cucumber and spring onions. Mix gently with your hands to try to combine the noodles, herbs and vegetables.
left: thinly sliced scallions & cucumbers; right: rice noodles with chopped cilantro & mint.
Soak the rice pancakes (again, according to packet instructions) in a shallow bowl of hot water and then lay each one on a tea towel to pat dry.
Run a fairly narrow strip of noodle mixture down the middle of the pancake, fold over one half and then carefully roll it up as tightly as you can.
Slice each roll into four and then arrange them on a plate (I sliced them into 2). If you want, pour some soy sauce into a few little bowls for dipping the rolls into as you eat. (I used ponzu, like I mentioned above)
Pearl Balls
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Hors d'oeuvres, p.83)
* 3/4 cup sweet rice or glutinous rice
* 6 dried brown dried Chinese mushrooms
* 1 lb lean pork, finely ground
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced ginger root
* 8 water chestnuts, finely chopped, fresh if possible (I used canned, whole)
* 1 scallion, finely chopped
Soak the rice in water to cover for 4 hours (I didn't do this, and they still came out all right). Drain and pat dry. Soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup warm water for 1 hour. Drain and discard the tough stems.
Scallions, water chestnuts & fresh ginger in the mini-chop.
Rehydrated Chinese mushrooms.
Mushrooms go in the mini-chop, too, to be finely minced.
Mix together all the ingredients, except the rice, until well blended. Your hands are best for this job. Form balls 1 inch in diameter.
Spread the rice on a baking sheet (I used a small bowl). One at a time, roll the pearl balls in it, coating completely.
Set the balls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper (I used a plate). Refrigerate. The balls can be frozen at this point.
To steam pearl balls, put steamer in a pan or wok and add water so that it comes to within 1 inch of steamer bottom. Put balls on steamer racks. Bring to boil. Cover and steam for 30 minutes.
Serve hot. (I served them with tonkatsu sauce)
Gà Xào Me | Chicken Thighs with Tamarind and Sesame p.307
(adapted from Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes From The Heart by Pauline Nguyen with recipes by Luke Nguyen & Mark Jensen)
* 500 g (1 lb. 2 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* 3 tablespoons fish sauce
* 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
* 1 tablespoon oil
* 1/2 small onion, cut into wedges
* 123 ml (4 fl. oz./ 1/2 cup) tamarind & plum sauce (recipe below)
* 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
* 1 tomato, sliced (I chopped 5 plum tomatoes)
* 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, sliced (I used 1/3 of a long English cucumber)
* 1/2 bunch of watercress (I used a whole bunch)
* 1 tablespoon dipping fish sauce (instead, I did this: 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon yuzu rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar & several drops of sriracha chili sauce, whisked together)
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate with the garlic, fish sauce and sugar for 1 hour. Place a wok over medium heat, add the oil, then the chicken and its marinade and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the onion and the tamarind and plum sauce and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has totally reduced and has absorbed into the chicken.
Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds and serve with steamed jasmine rice and a salad of tomato, cucumber and watercress dressed with a little dipping fish sauce.
Serves 4 as part of a shared feast.
Nu'ó'c Sốt Me | Tamarind & Plum Sauce p.207
(from Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes From The Heart by Pauline Nguyen with recipes by Luke Nguyen & Mark Jensen)
* 125 g (4.5 oz.) tamarind pulp (I used concentrate, which is ready-to-use, no straining necessary)
* 375 ml (13 fl. oz/ 1.5 cups) boiling water
* 185 ml (6 fl.oz/ 3/4 cup) plum sauce
* 185 ml (6 fl.oz/ 3/4 cup) oyster sauce
* 300 g (7 oz.) caster (superfine, or powdered) sugar (I used raw turbinado sugar)
Put the tamarind pulp into a heatproof container and pour over the boiling water. Once it is cool enough to handle, break the pulp up with your hands, then pass the entire mixture through a sieve, to make a smooth sauce.
In a saucepan, combine the tamarind sauce, plum sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Makes 625 ML (21 1/2 fl. oz./ 2 1/2 cups)