Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

Are you sort of figuring out how my brain works now? I show you pictures of papaya trees with green papaya, then I present a recipe for Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky). Although, the salad actually came before the papaya. This salad was made back in January.

Green papaya is not sweet, so it's more like a vegetable than a fruit. Very Atkins, low-carb, South Beach Diet-friendly. If that's your thing.

There's actually two types of Vietnamese green papaya salad. The kind you see pictured here with beef jerky, and a shrimp and pork version that's a little bit more similar to Thai papaya salad. You can find kho bo (Vietnamese beef jerky) at most Asian grocery stores, or substitute with a good quality fresh beef jerky. I'm using the jerky I bought from Vua Kho Bo (New Jerky Mfg. Inc.) - San Gabriel. Another option is to serve this with fried liver slices, but that's never quite appealed to me.

You can peel and julienne green papaya for this dish. Or cheat, like I did, and buy some pre-shredded at most Asian grocery stores. :P If you are using fresh papaya, make sure you soak the shredded papaya in salty water for about 15 minutes to remove any lingering waxiness. Drain into a colander and squeeze out excess water before using. You don't need to do this if you buy the pre-shredded papaya as it is already soaking in water.

Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

For 2 to 4 servings, you'll need:
1 small papaya, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs., or 1 lb. pre-shredded papaya
As much Thai basil as you'd like
As much Vietnamese beef jerky as you'd like

For the dressing, you'll need:
1/4 cup soy sauce, or fish sauce if you prefer
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tblsp sugar
2 tsp chili sauce

If you're shredding your own green papaya, prepare that first and set aside in a bowl of salty water.

Prepare the dressing by mixing 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tblsp sugar, and 2 tsp chili sauce. Taste. Adjust if necessary but you want a slightly sweet sauce. Set aside.

Grill the beef jerky over a gas burner like the photo below until both sides are lightly toasted. You can also use a toaster oven, or even a toaster if you're desperate. Tear into small strips. Set aside.

Drain papaya into a colander and lightly press to remove excess moisture. Leave the papaya in the colander to continue draining while you prepare the Thai basil leaves. Remove the basil leaves from the stem. The leaves can remain whole or chiffonade if you wish.

Now it's time to add it all together. In a bowl, add in the drained papaya and basil leaves. Give the dressing a quick stir and pour in about half of it. Toss. Taste. Add more dressing if necessary but you don't want it too wet.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate. Add the beef jerky strips on top.

When you eat, the diner can toss the salad themselves like the photo below. Leaving the beef jerky on top before serving prevents it from becoming soggy.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you might also like my recipe for goi xoai xanh (Vietnamese green mango salad).

You can order this dish at most Vietnamese restaurants. If you're having a big party, I've ordered catering trays from Banh Mi & Che Cali Restaurant in Alhambra for $20. The soy sauce dressing is stored in a separate container and tightly sealed. See pictures of the trays at the family wedding last summer and my dad's 60th birthday party.

Who else made goi du du?
Christine of Hot. Sour. Salty. Sweet. And Umami. has photos of three kinds of implements for shredding papaya.
Peachy Mango Delight added rau ram (Vietnamese coriander).

I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging, a world-wide food blogging event created by Kalyn's Kitchen celebrating herbs, vegetables, or flowers.

If you'd like to participate, see who's hosting next week. WHB is hosted this week by fellow Vietnamese food blogger Anh of Food Lover's Journey.


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1 year ago today, my second-youngest uncle's com ga Hai Nam (Hainanese chicken rice).

Papaya Trees

My oldest uncle's papaya trees. Pretty cool huh?

My aunt saw me snapping photos and asked if I wanted to cut one down. I said it's OK, they weren't ripe yet. A few days later, I got a little baggy of ripe papaya. She said they weren't very sweet but they tasted perfect to me. Of course, I can easily eat a whole papaya by myself (and have!). :P

You can use ripe papaya in my sweet, sour, salty, spicy tropical fruit salad. And green papaya, of course, goes in Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky).

You can see what else my uncles grow in Garden Updates.

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1 year ago today, leftover citrus baked chicken became chicken and dumplings.

Can You Identify My Rose?

That lifeless cane? Turned into a gorgeous velvety red rose. Do you know what it's called? It was here when I moved in so I don't know its name like I do my other roses.

I liked this angle with the other bud in the background.

Two days later, it bloomed.

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1 year ago today, lil' sis made insalata caprese (Italian Capri tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad), I made citrus roast chicken and roasted golden beets.

Celery, Bleu/Blue Cheese, and Walnut Salad

Since we're on the subject of bleu/blue cheese, another simple salad that's been sitting in my queue is this celery, bleu cheese, and walnut salad.

I was initially inspired by a recipe by Russ Parsons in the Los Angeles Times, except his recipe required 1 bunch of celery, 1 cup bleu cheese, and 3/4 cups walnuts with a shallot vinaigrette. I'd link to the original recipe except the Times has a habit of moving links.

Anyway, I wasn't cooking for anyone except me so the portions in that recipe were way too much. Also, if you're not a fan of celery, bleu cheese, or walnuts, this salad won't be for you. Each of the three components comes through strongly but complement each other rather well. The original recipe called for toasted walnuts but I found that increased the oiliness of the salad and I didn't much care for that.

Celery, Bleu Cheese, and Walnut Salad
Inspired by Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times

For a meal-sized for 1, or as side salads for 2, you'll need:
4 celery stalks, sliced diagonally or across
As much bleu cheese as you'd like
As much walnuts as you'd like

For dressing:
Olive oil
Vinegar of your choice
Freshly ground black pepper

Wash celery and remove bottoms and leaves. Slice on the diagonal if you want it to look pretty, but I found slicing it straight across made the celery easier to eat and fit on the fork. Start with a small amount of bleu cheese and walnuts. It's simple enough to add more later.

Whisk together equal amounts of olive oil and vinegar. Grind black pepper over salad. Then add olive oil and vinegar and toss. The liquid should make the bleu cheese even creamier. Taste and add more bleu cheese or walnuts if need, or more olive oil or vinegar.

Chill in fridge if you want the flavors to meld more before serving, but I liked eating it right away just fine.

Enjoy!

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1 year ago today, fava beans were in season. Remember to double-shell them for bissara (Morroccan fava bean dip) and fava bean and chickpea salad.

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing

So you know I made a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, radishes and a carrot, but what did I do with the other half of the head of iceberg?

Another American classic - the wedge salad.

Now, you can be lazy and use store-bought dressing for this, but why would you do that when you can make the best bleu cheese dressing ever? (Hmm. Which spelling do you prefer? Bleu cheese? Or blue cheese?) I found a lovely wedge of blue cheese on sale for only $2. It was probably because it was close to the expiration date but blue cheese is already molded so how bad can it be? This dressing is so great, you can even use it as a dip with my Sriracha Buffalo wings. Or save a bit for my upcoming recipe of stuffed potato skins.

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing

For the bleu cheese dressing, you'll need:
8 oz container sour cream
4 oz blue cheese, cut into chunks if you bought a wedge, reserving some pieces for serving
2 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
freshly ground black pepper

To serve: 1 strip of bacon crumbles and 1/2 tomato chunks per 1/4 wedge of iceberg lettuce

Separate blue cheese into chunks if you bought a wedge. Reserve some bleu cheese for topping the salad later. In a bowl, combine the bleu cheese with 8 oz sour cream, 2 tblsp mayonnaise, 1 tblsp white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and as much freshly ground black pepper as you'd like. Add more vinegar, if necessary, until the consistency is to your liking.

Mmm. Just look at those lovely chunks of bleu cheese and fresh pepper.

Mix thoroughly. Cover and let dressing meld and chill in the fridge.

Prepare your iceberg lettuce. Remove bruised outer leaves. Cut into quarters. Cut off hard inner core. Arrange as a wedge on salad plates.

Chop tomatoes into chunks. Set aside.

Prepare bacon crumbles. For ease, I use a pair of scissors to cut my bacon strips into smaller pieces. Then I fry them crispy. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

To serve, drizzle bleu cheese dressing on top of each wedge, letting the dressing cascade down the sides. Sprinkle tomato chunks on top. Sprinkle bacon crumbles on top of that. Sprinkle the bleu cheese chunks that had been reserved separately over everything.

Serve with a fork and knife.

A close-up of that lovely bleu cheese dressing, and the tomatoes, bacon, and more bleu cheese that makes this salad so yummy.

Enjoy!

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1 year ago today, frozen yogurt at the original Cefiore in Little Tokyo.

Iceberg Lettuce, Radish, and Carrot Salad

Food blogging is great. So many foods to try. So many flavors. But really, I don't always eat like that. Sometimes, what I eat isn't really that blog-able. Or is it?

I was recently reminded of how much I liked very simple salads when I stopped off at Super-A Foods. I usually try to get my fruits and vegetables at the Farmers' Market - Alhambra to support the independent farmers, but every once in a while I need to hit a chain store for something. I had forgotten how cheap Super-A produce can be. Two heads of iceberg lettuce for $1. Five bunches of radishes for $1. Carrots, I don't remember how much but they're almost always cheap.

So after chopping up half of a head of lettuce (25 cents), slicing 3 radishes (6 cents), and shaving slices off 1 carrot (pennies really), added a few drizzles of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and I had enough salad for three meals. That's less than 10 cents a meal! Who can beat that for cheap eats?

What are your some of your favorite simple salads?

If this is too bland for you, some of my other salad recipes:
Cobb Salad
Coleslaw
Cucumber Salad
Croutons with Garlic and Seasoning
Fava and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Four Color Carrot Salad
Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad)
Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad
Insalata Caprese (Italian Capri Salad - Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella)
Waldorf Salad

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1 year ago today, old-fashioned mochi (Japanese rice cakes) pounded by hand at Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop, the oldest business in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo and possibly the inventor of the Chinese fortune cookie.

Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

The first leaves of my jungle red hibiscus came out earlier this month.

Remember the jungle red hibiscus blossoms last November? I made both a hot and cold hibiscus tea. I think most people are familiar with jamaica (hibiscus tea) when dining at Mexican restaurants, but did you know the Chinese also have a hibiscus drink? Just look at the lovely color of my hibiscus iced tea at Tea Station - Alhambra.

Too impatient to wait for the water to boil for tea, I remembered that when Barry had sent me the tree he said I could puree the petals with water and sugar for a refreshing drink. So that's exactly what I did.

I did a ratio of one blossom per cup of water. Please don't just pluck any hibiscus blossoms though. Make sure it's a variety that's edible. Many hibiscus are purely decorative and I'd hate for someone to get sick ingesting the wrong one. If you don't have fresh hibiscus blossoms available, you can find dried hibiscus at most Latino grocery stores. I've also seen sweetened dried hibiscus blossoms at Trader Joe's.

Hibiscus Tea

For one glass, you'll need:
Petals of 2 hibiscus blossoms
2 cups water
As much sugar as you'd like

Tear off petals of 2 hibiscus blossoms. Add 2 cups of water and as much sugar as you'd like. Puree until petals are finely minced. Pour over ice.

If you're finicky, you could strain out the petals, but I drank it all down just fine. And yes, that brilliant color was from pureeing the petals and nothing else.

For a hibiscus tea, steep petals or the whole buds in hot water. At first, the water might look murky and rather gray. After a while though, it'll turn bright red-purple. Serve hot, or iced with sugar added.

The hibiscus has a natural sweet-tart taste so you really don't need that much sugar.

Enjoy!

And bonus blossom pictures because I couldn't decide which of the three I liked best. The top second photo.

Or this one?

Or this one?

Which arrangement was your favorite? Or did you not notice any difference?

My other jungle red hibiscus recipe:
Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad

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1 year ago today, the perfect bowl of ramen and meltingly tender pork at Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo).

WC's Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) by Mary Ruth

Who knew my Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) recipe would be so popular? Have you made it yet? Because yet another reader has. She did a great job too.

The second submission for Readers Cook WC Recipes comes from MaryRuth of Where's the Bubbler?

"As you requested, here is some feedback on one of your recipes. I made Ca Ri Ga. This was delicious! I even had the leftovers for lunch today, and I think the flavor even improved.

This is a pretty straightforward recipe, I followed it to the letter, except for the quantities. I used 6 thighs, 3 large-cut potatoes, 1 small-cut potato and 4 carrots. I ended up using 1.5 cans of coco milk/water. That was mostly because I wanted to make sure that all the food was submerged. Next time I will stick to 1 can and just make sure the meat is covered...the other veggies can steam to cook on top of the meat.

I used 2 Tbsp Penzey's Madras curry. This particular curry is a little hot, so I didn't want to go overboard, but next time I would add another tbsp. Fish sauce...I put in 4 good "shakes", but that too could be increased.



I served it with brown rice, but the baguette option looks pretty good too. I noticed in your photo and the other posters photo you serve it with a lot of the sauce....do you end up using a spoon to get it all? I just added enough to my bowl to get everything moistened pretty well, but still used a fork to eat it.


My house smelled so good while it was cooking! Four forks! I will definitely make this again.

My photos turned out kinda crappy, but here they are anyway, You definitely don't have to post them or even use this feedback--I just wanted to let you know that yes, people DO use your recipes! =)

Thanks for a great recipe!"

Wanna hijack my blog? Check out Readers Cook WC Recipes for guidelines on how you too can participate.

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1 year ago today, my oldest uncle's wife's banh xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes).

Yong Tau/Tow Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

Don't see any tofu you say? Well, yong tau foo (Chinese stuffed tofu) was created in the 1960s in Chew Kuan restaurant as a dish of only stuffed tofu, and now can mean any of a variety of stuffed vegetables. It is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. The stuffed tofu and vegetables may also be served with a clear soup and noodles.

I had frozen the cha ca (Vietnamese fish paste) my youngest aunt had given me a few months back. For the recent death anniversary dinner of my ba noi (paternal grandmother), I decided to defrost the cha ca and stuff it. But instead of making my usual Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce), I remembered Rasa Malaysia had stuffed okra and chili peppers. It was so gorgeous that I decided to prepare it that way as well, but substituting the chili peppers with sweet baby bell peppers. I also had some Brussells sprouts sitting around, so I halved those and stuffed them as well.

I haven't made cha ca since I was 12 years old, so you'll have to wait for that recipe. Or maybe that's just as well because I remember adding baking soda to fluff up the fish paste. Then I got clever and added more baking soda because that would make the fish paste even fluffier right? Well, it did, but it also made the fish paste incredibly bitter. So for now, you can either buy from the store, or use my recipe for shrimp paste. You can find fish paste at most Asian grocery stores either in the fresh seafood counter or frozen. Depending on the variety of fish, the paste may be either pink, pale gray, or gray.

Yong Tau/Tow Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

You'll need:
Fried tofu or make your own using my recipe for Dau Hu Chien (Vietnamese Fried Tofu)
Okra
Baby bell peppers
Brussells sprouts

Use 1 lb store-bought fish paste, or for shrimp paste, you'll need:
1 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt, and adjust to taste
2 tsp sugar, and adjust to taste
a few dashes of fish sauce

For sot chao ot (Vietnamese fermented bean curd and chili sauce), you'll need:
3 cubes chao (fermented bean curd)
1 tblsp sambal oelek or any chili sauce of your choice, or less depending on your spicy tolerance
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water

Optional:
Clear pork broth, or any other broth of your choice
Fresh ramen or chow mein noodles
Baby bok choy or any other vegetables of your choice

If you're making shrimp paste, peel and devein the shrimp. Place shrimp in a colander and sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt, mix thoroughly and allow to drain. In a food processor, grind shrimp with garlic, 2 tsp sugar, and a few dashes of fish sauce, until a smooth paste is formed. You may need to add a little bit of cold water for the shrimp paste to smooth out and become "fluffy." Take a small chunk of the shrimp paste and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to cook. Taste and adjust salt and sugar if necessary. Set aside.

Clean okra. De-seed baby bell peppers. Remove bruised outer leaves of Brussells sprouts. Split vegetables in half but not all the way through. Stuff with fish or shrimp paste.

Lay the tofu and vegetables in a steamer tray and steam for about 10 minutes until the shrimp or fish is cooked. It's OK if they're not fully cooked because you're going to be cooking them further.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the sot chao ot (Vietnamese fermented bean curd and chili sauce). In a small pan on medium-low heat, mash 3 cubes of bean curd, 1 tblsp of sambal oelek, 1/2 tsp of fish sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer until sauce thickens.

By this time, the steamed vegetables should be cooked. Not so appetizing eh? I sort of overstuffed each vegetable to use up all the fish paste. Don't worry, they're gonna look nicer in a bit after I pan-fry them.

Drizzle a bit of oil into a saucepan on medium heat. Pan-fry both sides of tofu and vegetable pieces until golden.


Arrange on a plate and drizzle sot chao ot on top. Serve with rice or noodles.

If serving with noodles:
Make a light pork broth for the soup. Boil fresh ramen or chow mein noodles. Quickly blanch the baby bok choy in the noodle water, and set aside until ready to assemble. Drizzle extra fermented bean curd chili sauce and toss.


Enjoy!

Who else made yong tau/tow foo?
Rasa Malaysia gave me the inspiration with her stuffed okra and chili peppers.
Daphne of More Than Words made black bean sauce to go with stuffed tofu.

My other tofu recipes:
Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Dau Hu Chien (Vietnamese Fried Tofu)
Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce)
Dubu Chorim (Korean Fried Tofu with Soy Sauce)
Ma Po Tofu (Chinese Pockmarked Old Lady's Tofu)
Soon Dubu Kimchi Chigae (Korean Soft Tofu and Kimchee Stew)
Taiwanese Popcorn Tofu
Thit Heo Kho Voi Dau Hu (Vietnamese Braised Pork with Tofu)

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1 year ago today, Ma Po Tofu (Chinese Pockmarked Old Lady's Tofu).

Chao/Doufu Ru (Fermented Bean Curd)

Fermented bean curd, called chao in Vietnamese and doufu ru in Chinese, is a type of pickled tofu. It is sometimes called "Chinese cheese" because of its similarities in smell, texture, and taste to softened bleu cheese.

The dried fermented tofu may be pickled with salt, rice wine, or vinegar. Red fermented bean curd has chili peppers.

The fermented bean curd is sold cubed with brine, in jars or clay pots.

It is popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cooking. Fermented bean curd is very strong in flavor so a little bit goes a long way. I sometimes mash up one cube of chao to eat with a bowl of rice porridge. More likely though, I mash it up and use it to flavor sauces or vegetables.

My recipes with chao/doufu ru (fermented bean curd):
Rau Muong Xao Toi Voi Chao (Vietnamese Water Spinach Sauteed with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd)
Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce)
Yong Tau Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

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1 year ago today, egg rolls stuffed with bananas and mangoes with Nutella dipping sauce.