I was very surprised to see fresh sugar cane selling at my local fruit shop recently. The first thing that came to mind when I saw the fresh sugar cane was making chạo tôm. Chạo tôm is seasoned prawn paste wrapped around sugar cane stick, then steamed to set it’s shape and finished off with grilled or deep fried. The prawn meat is cut off the sugar cane and wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs and dipped with fish sauce. I thought I could resist chewing on the sugar cane afterwards, but the sweet juice of the sugar cane is hard to resist.

Chạo Tôm – (Vietnamese Prawn on Sugar Cane)

Makes 12

Ingredients

Prawn paste
1kg prawn, peeled and deveined (net 600 grams prawn meat)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoosn ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 egg
1.5 tablespoons cornflour

oil
12 sugar cane skewers (skin removed and quartered into 15 cm lengths)

1 small lettuce (soft leaves)
2 cups Vietnamese herb leaves (mint leaves, perilla leaves)
1 cucumber, sliced in half and cut into wedges
1/2 cup fish sauce dipping sauce

Method

Roughly chopped the prawn meat and put into bowl. Add garlic, salt, sugar, white pepper, fish sauce, egg and cornflour and combine well. Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Prepare a steamer with water ready for steaming. Line the tray with baking paper and oil the baking paper.

Apply oil to one hand, then use the other hand to put 1.5 tablespoons of prawn paste in the palm of your hand, spreading it out to an even layer. Put a sugarcane stick on top and in the centre of the paste leaving the two ends sticking out. Then close your hand to wrap around the stick and continue shaping it by rotating the stick. Set on the prepared steamer tray.

Steam the prawn sticks over boiling water for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.

Preheat grill. Brush some oil onto the prawn skewers and chargrill until golden brown.

To serve, remove the prawn meat from the sugar can stick and cut into 4 strips. Wrap each in a small piece of lettuce with herbs and dip in the sauce. The prawn meat can also be wrapped with rice paper with vermicelli noodles and herbs.

This is my contribution to Delicious Vietnam, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine created by A Food Lovers Journey and Ravenous Couple.

This month’s Delicious Vietnam #4 is hosted by Bonnibella.

It’s cold and I have been super lazy. Gosh, I hope I’m not too late for this month’s Delicious Vietnam.

It’s winter in Sydney at the moment but it’s never too cold to have refreshing and healthy rice paper rolls. Mum made cơm tấm bì sườn chả (broken rice with pork chops, pork skin and steamed eggs) last week, and whenever there is bì left over I always make bì cuốn.

Bì is made with thin strips of pork, pork skin and tossed with roasted rice powder. What I love about bì is the beautiful aroma of the roasted rice powder. The strips of pork skin doesn’t have much taste but gives the dish a nice texture (my kids called them noodles). I love the gooeyness of the melted pork skin served on hot rice with spring onion oil.

Bì cuốn is rice paper rolls filled with bì, vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs, lettuce and cucumber, and dipped with fish sauce. Bì makes a delicious filling in these refreshing rolls.

Bì Cuốn (Shredded Pork and Pork Skin Rice Paper Rolls)
Makes about 25 rolls

Ingredients

200g cooked thinly sliced pork skin (available from asian grocery)
400g pork shoulder
85g tablespoons roasted rice powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
rice paper
1/2 packet of vermicelli noodles (220g)
lettuce
2 cucumber
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of perilla leaves
2 cups fish sauce dipping sauce

Method

The cook the pork in boiling water with a bit of salt. Allow the meat to cool and thinly slice into matchstick size.

Put the pork skin in a strainer and pour some warm water over it as this will soften the pork skin. Shake out the excess water and leave to dry.

In a bowl, add the dry pork skin, sliced pork, sugar and salt. Mix well. Gradually add the roasted rice powder and mix well. Taste test and add extra seasoning if required.

Cook vermicelli in boiling water for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly so that the noodles don’t clump together and stick to the bottom of the pot. To check if ready, take a strand of noodle and press against your nail of your thumb and index finger. This should break apart easily. Drain and rinse noodles under cold water.

Wash the herb leaves and lettuce. Cut the cucumber in half and then cut into thin wedges.

When ready to assemble the rolls, fill a large bowl with hot water. Wet a sheet of rice paper by dipping in the hot water and removing from water immediately, then place on a plate. Add the lettuce, herbs, cucumber, noodles and bì in the centre, then fold the two sides into the centre over the fillings, then fold the bottom up and roll over to form a tight roll.

Serve the rolls with fish sauce dipping sauce.

This is my contribution to Delicious Vietnam, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine created by A Food Lovers Journey and Ravenous Couple.

This month’s Delicious Vietnam #3 is hosted by Buddha Bellies.

I never really bothered with getting enough Omega 3 in my diet until I had kids. Having read that Omega 3 is important for brain development in children’s early years, I became obsessed with providing my two girls with enough Omega 3. I started serving them at least 3 servings of salmon a week ever since they started on solids until now. I’m also buying just about anything with fortified omega 3 in it, including bread, yoghurt, milk, butter and eggs. I’m not sure how much Omega 3 are in these products but I sure do pay a premium for them.

Salmon is just about the only fish we eat on a regular basis. I simply like my salmon pan-fried with a crispy skin and serve with a sauce vierge or a simple salad like this green apple salad. This salmon with green apple salad recipe is from a beginner’s Thai cookbook and I have made it so many times, but never with the palm sugar dressing from the recipe. I use my fish sauce dressing because I’m Vietnamese and I always have a jar of this sauce in my fridge. May be next time I will try the palm sugar dressing.

Fried Salmon with Green Apple Salad
from The Australian Women’s Weekly – Beginner’s Thai
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 salmon cutlets (680g)
2 medium green apples (300g), sliced thinly
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 medium red onion (170g), sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice
3/4 cup (110g) roasted unsalted cashews (I used peanuts)

Palm sugar dressing
1/3 cup (65g) grate palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Method

Sprinkle salt evenly over fish. Cook fish on heated oiled grill plate (or grill or barbecue) until browned both sides and cooked as desired.

Meanwhile, combine apple, onions, mint, coriander and juice in large bowl; pour over half of the palm sugar dressing, toss to combine. Divide fish among serving plates; top with salad, then cashews. Drizzle remaining dressing over fish.

Palm sugar dressing
Combine ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; strain. Cool before using.

Xíu mại is Vietnamese meatballs and it sounds very similar to the Chinese dumplings siu mai. I’m sure these meatballs are influenced by the Chinese but the only similarities between these meatballs and the Chinese dumplings are that it’s made of out ground pork and it’s steamed. These meatballs also has European influences as it’s cooked in a delicious tomato sauce. The flavours are still very uniquely Vietnamese and the meatballs has a nice crunch from the use of water chestnuts or jacama.

Bánh mì xíu mại is a very popular way of serving these meatballs in a crusty Vietnamese baguette filled with coriander, cucumber, red chillies and pickled radish and carrots. But these tasty meatballs are also delicious with rice.

Traditionally these meatballs are steamed and then added to the tomato sauce. I prefer not to take out my steamer when I can (less cleaning) so I lightly pan fry these meatballs to give it colour and to keep its shape, and then braised it in the tomato sauce.

Xíu Mại (Vietnamese Meatballs) Recipe

Ingredients

1 kg pork mince
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 red Asian shallots, finely chopped
3 green onion, white part only, finely chopped
1 small can water chestnut (220g) or 1 jicama, cut into very small pieces
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
oil for pan frying

Tomato sauce
3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons sugar

If serve with bread
4 crusty bread rolls
1/2 bunch coriander
1 cucumber, sliced
pickled white radish and carrot
1/2 bunch coriander
fresh chillies (optional)

Method

In a large bowl, combine the pork mince, garlic, shallots, green onions, water chestnuts, egg, sugar, salt, fish sauce and pepper, and mix well with your hands. Form the mixture into 4cm balls then place them on a plate or tray.

Heat up a frying pan, add oil and pan fry the meatballs so that they are brown and charred. They do not need to be fully cooked as doing this will keep their shape. Once they are brown, remove from the pan and place on separate plate.

In a large heavy based saucepan, heat a small amount of oil then add the chopped garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add the tomato paste, water, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Then add the meatballs.

Simmer the meatballs for about 25 minutes or until cooked and sauce is reduced.

Taste test and add more seasoning if required. Remove from heat.

Serve meatballs as fillings in a crusty baguette with coriander, cucumber, red chillies and pickled radish and carrots. Or serve meatballs with white rice.

I’m crazy about anything mung beans, whether they are sweet or savoury. I just love how there so many Vietnamese snack foods which are made with mung beans. One of my favourite are these sweet mung bean glutenous rice balls. The thin glutenous rice layer on the outside is very soft and chewy and is coated with fluffy mung bean powder. The filling is a delicious mung bean paste with shredded coconut. I used to buy these glutenous rice balls from a Vietnamese grocer but since my girls love it so much that I decided to make them. I find that the bought ones are too sweet so it was better to make them and reduce the amount of sugar.

Bánh Dày Đậu – Sweet Mung Bean Glutenous Rice Dumplings
Makes 15

Ingredients

1.5 cups split mung beans, soaked overnight
5 tablespoons coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt

Method

Drain the soaked mung beans. Steam the mung beans for about 20 minutes or until the grain is soft enough that you can mash it with your fingers. Place cooked mung beans into a large bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk and sugar until and stir until most of the sugar is dissolved.

Measure 2 cups of steamed mung beans add to the coconut and sugar mixture, mix well. Keep the remaining mung beans in a dry bowl and leave it uncovered to dry as it will be processed to a powder to coat the outside of the glutenous rice balls.

Transfer the mung bean mixture to a mortar and using a pestle work to a fine paste.

Add the shredded coconut and vanilla extract to the mung bean paste. Combine the mixture well.

Form the mung bean paste into 3cm balls and place onto a plate.

In a large bowl, add the glutenous rice flour and a pinch of salt. Pour in the water and mix the flour and work it into a soft dough. If the dough is dry and breaks, add one or more teaspoons of water.

Once the dough is ready, break a piece of dough the size of your thumb and roll into a ball, then using your fingers flatten the dough to a very thin layer. Place a mung bean ball into the centre and wrap the dough around. If there are holes pinch a bit of dough and patch the holes. Repeat until all the dough and mung bean are all used up.

Put the remaining of the steamed mung bean in the mortar or food processor and work the mung bean until it becomes a fine powder. A food processor gives it a finer texture and faster.

In a saucepan, heat a pot of water. Once the water boil, add the dumplings into the water and cook until the dumplings float. Remove the dumplings one at a time and roll the hot dumpling in the mung bean powder.

I love this vibrant and refreshing salad with chicken congee. This deliciously cold and crunchy salad is a perfect contrast to the hot and soft congee. It’s also makes a delicious salad on it’s own.

Gỏi Gà – Chicken and Cabbage Salad Recipe

1/2 kg cooked shredded chicken (or use the chicken meat from making the congee)
1/4 cabbage, finely sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced matchsticks
1/2 onion (red or brown)
1 cup herbs (Vietnamese mint, mint and coriander)
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fried shallots

1/2 lemon juice
4 tablespoon of white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar

1 cup fish sauce dipping sauce

Method

In a small bowl, combine, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir until sugar and salt dissolves.

In a large bowl, add cabbage, carrot, onion, herbs, chicken and vinegar mixture. Gently toss to well combined.

Turn salad to a serving platter and sprinkle roasted peanuts, fried shallots and serve with fish sauce dipping sauce.

In our family congee is always eaten whenever a family member is feeling unwell. This simple delicious dish is very easy on the stomach which makes it a great dish to have when nurturing yourself back to health.

A hot bowl of congee is also very comforting dish for a cold winter’s day. I especially love dipping fried dough sticks into my congee.

During summer we also eat congee and it’s always served with a cold refreshing chicken cabbage salad. These two dishes have contrasting elements of hot and cold but they are perfect together.

Cháo Gà – Chicken Congee Recipe

Ingredients

10 shitake mushrooms (optional)
4 litres of chicken stock (I use chicken bones and water)
4 chicken drumsticks
1.5 cups of rice
1 teaspoon oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cm piece of ginger, julienne
1 whole onion, skin removed
4 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
ground white pepper
1 cup coriander, sliced
1/2 cup spring onion, sliced
8 fried dough sticks

Method

Make the chicken stock if haven’t done so.

Soak the shitake mushrooms in water for at least 30 minutes. Then slice the mushrooms in 1cm thick.

In a large pot, add oil and fry garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken drumsticks and ginger and cook for a couple for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, mushroom and chicken stock. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Let the chicken cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is cook, skimming off the impurities. Once cooked remove the chicken from the stock and let it cook. Shred the chicken into pieces.

In a saucepan, fry the rice over the low heat until fragrant. Bring the stock pot to boil and add the rice. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly. If the congee is too thick add more hot stock or hot water. The congee will thicken up when cool. Taste test and add more seasoning according to taste. Add the shredded chicken pieces to the congee pot if not using to make a salad. Remove congee from heat.

Serve congee hot in bowls, add pepper and garnish with cilantro and spring onions. Serve with fried dough sticks.