Rau Den Xao Chao (Vietnamese Amaranth / Chinese Red Spinach Sauteed with Fermented Bean Curd)

When I first blogged about Rau Den (Vietnamese Amaranth) back in October 2008, I boiled it, the way my ba noi (Vietnamese paternal grandmother) taught me. I had tried sauteing it once, but there wasn't enough moisture for it to work. Or perhaps, my limited cooking skills weren't able to make it work back then.

Then in March 2009, while having dinner at my brother's house, I tried sauteing it again with good results. Actually, he had invited me and lil' sis over because he had bought some fresh smelt that he wanted to batter and deep-fry. We showed up and he hadn't even started cooking yet. I even brought over the oil, but he still had to run out to buy more. Before he ran to the store, he showed me a bag of rau den that he had bought at the farmers' market and asked if I could do something with it.

Dau Hu Chien Sot Ca Chua (Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomato Sauce)

I've always thought it odd when people cook tofu as a meat substitute. Sure. Sure. Tofu has lots of protein. But I'm talking about the taste here. I like the taste of tofu. I like it plain. I like it fried. I like it added to meats, not in place of, but simply because tofu soaks up the flavor of so many sauces.

So when Sijeleng of Javaholic, host of last month's Weekend Wokking garlic round-up, chose TOFU for this month's challenge, it was time to do this simple dish.

Last March, as in '09 and not two months ago, one of my readers asked for a recipe for tofu with tomatoes. Tomatoes or tomato paste? Fried or not? How can he recreate his mom's cooking?

Umm. He knows I'm not his momma, right?

All last week, someone kept searching for Dau Hu Chien Sot Ca Chua (Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomato Sauce). Well, sure, I've got a recipe for Dau Hu Chien (Vietnamese Fried Tofu) and another for Ca Chien Sot Ca Chua (Vietnamese Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce). An industrious person would cobble the two recipes into what he or she needed.

But I know how lazy you guys are. So I give you two fried tofu versions -- lightly battered in rice flour and deep-fried, and unadorned and pan-fried. Gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly too, just use all rice flour without corn starch and substitute vegetarian "fish sauce" or soy sauce.

Com Chien Toi Trung (Vietnamese Garlic Fried Rice with Eggs)

One of the ways in which my cooking differs from my mother's is in how much I love garlic. The more the merrier I say. Baked Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, Lemon, and Rosemary? Braised Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic? If I wasn't so set on that magic number of 40, which equivocates to about three heads of garlic, I'd go for a even 50.

So when Christine of Kits Chow, host of last month's onion round-up of Weekend Wokking, announced GARLIC as this month's secret ingredient challenge, I wanted to make something in which garlic wasn't just an ingredient, but a starring role.

Com Chien Toi Trung (Vietnamese Garlic Fried Rice with Eggs) takes me back to my college days when fresh fruits and vegetables weren't available within walking distance. Luckily, eggs and garlic lasted much longer. On days when I didn't feel like hopping on the train or felt particularly poor, this dish was always satisfying.

Banh Bot Chien (Vietnamese Fried Rice Flour Cake)

Last summer, when I was up in Oakland, I passed a Vietnamese restaurant with a huge sign declaring that they had banh bot chien (Vietnamese fried rice flour cake). Huh! I had never heard of such a dish before.

A bit of Googling turned up a post from Noodlepie about banh bot chien on the streets of Saigon and a recipe from Houston Wok. So the dish looked like simply steamed rice flour, cut into rectangles, pan-fried, then stir-fried with eggs and scallions. Seemed simple enough, but I knew I wanted to make it with banh cu cai/lo bak gou (Vietnamese/Chinese pan-fried turnip cake) for more flavor. I had made turnip cakes once before, but hadn't gotten around to making it again since.

One of students' fathers gave me an entire pan of turnip cake for the lunar new year. It was heavenly. So tender and flavorful with chopped bits of dried shrimp and Chinese sausage. I ate most of it plain since it was so good that it needed little else, but I did save a bit to make banh bot chien.

Weekend Wokking #21 (Chili Pepper)

It's no secret that I cook lots of CHILI PEPPERS, the secret ingredient for this month's Weekend Wokking challenge, as chosen by last month's host, Marija of Palachinka. It's not so much for me, but because my family can't get enough of my Tuong Ot Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Sauce).

Youngest aunt was just telling me that she was on the phone with oldest aunt, who raved about the jar of chili sauce I gave her for Christmas. Youngest aunt then strongly hinted that she needed some more too.

Cousin T was quite happy when I gave her a jar during Christmas. Apparently, her parents refused to share any of the chili sauce I had given them the year before. :P

But obviously, the chili pepper has a lot more uses than simply in sauces. The half dozen recipes for this month's challenge in alphabetical order are...

Indonesian Beef Rendang

I've been eating a lot more Indonesian food in the past year than I have ever before. Largely because of Gourmet Pigs, of course. So it was inevitable that I eventually tried my hand at cooking something. I asked her to ask her mom for a beef rendang recipe, a sort of dry curry if you're unfamiliar with Indonesian food.

GP said I needed more chili peppers to my recipe, which makes it perfect for this month's Weekend Wokking CHILI PEPPER edition, as chosen by last month's hostess, Marija of Palachinka. I had most of the ingredients already at home, except for candlenuts and galangal, which I substituted with walnuts and ginger. I also added ground nutmeg and cinnamon, which were not part of her mom's recipe.

*****

WC: What do candlenuts do for recipes? I've seen them in other Indonesian recipes but haven't tried.

GP: Hm. Oil? Or texture.
Nice aroma.

WC: I saw some at the San Gabriel Superstore. Haven't bought any yet because no recipe.

GP: The candlenut also gives it that yellowy color.

WC: I'm thinking the oil and aroma sounds right.
No turmeric huh?

GP: Not according to this recipe.

WC: My aunt makes something similar with lemongrass and coconut juice, not milk.
And only 1 stalk of lemongrass? Think, I'll have to adapt and add another. Bwhaha.

GP: Hahaha. Sure.

WC: I have everything except candlenuts and galangal. I don't much like galangal though. Maybe just stick to ginger.

GP: I've heard the next best thing to candlenut is cashew.
But I don't know... That just won't be rendang...

WC: 2 tblsp candlenuts. Think I can sub with walnuts?
Aroma? Oil? Smoothness?
Haha.

GP: But... but...
Flavor.

*****

Well, I completely bastardized GP's mom's rendang recipe and maybe my flavor is off, but I still liked it.

Caesar Salad with Chicken and Croutons

Caesar salad was something that I never thought much about until one day long ago, back when I used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I met up with a friend at a pub in the Piedmont area of Oakland. A bit of Googling turned up Cato's Ale House, which claims to be the only pub in Piedmont, so that must've been it. I haven't been back since, and the salad may well have been spectacular only in memory, but I can still recall that it was served with whole leaves with a knife for me to cut into. The dressing was made in-house, garlicky and salty and just right.

Years later, I adapted a recipe from Allrecipes that reminded me of that salad. At 588+ reviews, Karen Weir's Caesar Salad Supreme had to be good. Now, I know some people insist on anchovies (I'm one of them.), but did you know that according to Wikipedia, the original Caesar salad didn't have anchovies? The slight anchovy flavor came from the use of Worcestershire sauce. The other flavor that comes through Worcestershire sauce is tamarind so when MomGateway, host of the apple roundup of Weekend Wokking, chose TAMARIND as the secret ingredient, it was time for me to dust off my old recipe. The other must, raw or coddled egg yolks, I prefer to replace with mayonnaise for the creaminess without the salmonella scares.

I had thought Caesar salad was an American invention. Later, I found out its creator, Caesar Cardini was an Italian-Mexican, who made up the salad in Tijuana, Mexico. I bookmarked the location for a future visit, but the poor economy forced the restaurant's closure last year. :(

I guess my version will just have to do.

Fried Rice with Apples and Cubed Beef

Yes, it sounds a little weird. I thought so too when I encountered fried rice with apples and beef on the menu at Bon Marche Bistro/B Village Cuisine - Monterey Park. But I ordered it out of curiosity and it was seriously good.

Apples aren't too sweet and when charred, added a nice contrast to the beef. Hey, if pork chops and applesauce can be paired together, why not apples and beef?

Canh Bap Cai Nhoi Thit (Vietnamese Stuffed Cabbage Roll Soup)

I had made these Vietnamese stuffed cabbage rolls a while back, but again, was dissatisfied with the original photos.

*Sigh.*

I foresee a lot of recipe re-dos if this keeps up.


My mom used to make Canh Bap Cai Nhoi Thit (Vietnamese Stuffed Cabbage Soup) a lot when I was little. Instead of wrapping a scallion to hold everything together though, she shoved a toothpick through each roll. Now that my parents are older and more conscious of their health, they eat a lot more fish and fewer pork dishes. Perhaps she still makes this, but when I'm home, mom cooks more elaborate dishes.

I had forgotten how much I liked the simplicity of this dish until I made this recipe again.

Goi Mit Non Tom Thit Heo (Vietnamese Green Jackfruit Salad with Shrimp and Pork)

The nice thing about having blog friends who live nearby is always having someone to eat my food. But the nicest part about having Tony of SinoSoul and his better half, in particular, as neighbors is that he makes my food look good and she washes my dishes. And get this, they actually enjoy it! Or well, they insist upon doing it, which works for me. :P

You'll have to forgive me if I become a little vain these days. There are some recipes that have sat in the queue forever just because I've been dissatisfied with the photos. I mean, sure the recipe itself would work, and the photos were adequate for blogging purposes before, but now, my photos are looking gooood! Thanks mainly to my new (used) camera and Tony's much better photography skills.

So I invited them over for dinner recently for some Goi Mit Non Tom Thit Heo (Vietnamese Green Jackfruit Salad with Shrimp and Pork) and Hu Tieu Saigon (Vietnamese Clear Noodle Soup with Chinese Barbecued Pork and Shrimp). I had been craving hu tieu lately and really wanted to post my recipe, but didn't like my previous photos. Plus, they had never eaten green jackfruit before so it was a good a time as any to get this recipe up too.

Ca Hap Gung Hanh (Vietnamese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallions)

I'm not much for fussing with fish dishes. In my family, we either fried fish and served it with Nuoc Mam Cham (Vietnamese Fish Dipping Sauce) or steamed it with ginger and scallions.

I'd eat a lot more fish if it weren't always such a pain to gut and scale. Unfortunately, or is it fortunately, my daddy is an avid fisherman and he keeps me well supplied with perch, catfish, and sturgeon. *Sigh.* I can't avoid gutting and scaling fish forever. So when Yasmeen of Health Nut, host of last month's Weekend Wokking cheese roundup, announced GINGER as this month's secret ingredient challenge, I figured this simple preparation was easy enough to do.

Aguadito de Pollo (Peruvian Chicken Soup)

Aguadito. Aguadito. While waiting for my order of 1/4 Peruvian roast chicken and two sides at Pollo Mania - El Monte, I wondered what was in this lovely green soup. I would have ordered it, but I had a coupon for the chicken you see, and well, I can't let the coupon go to waste. Ordering chicken, two sides, and a big container of soup was too much, even if it was for the blog.

So I got home and Googled and found out that it was basically a chicken soup with potatoes, rice, and peas and pureed cilantro. Ooooh. If you're a cilantro lover, you'll know what I mean. At the time, I didn't have any chicken or potatoes on hand, so I made an Aguadito-ish Vegetable Soup and added pureed cilantro and it was lovely. Loooovely.

Crab Rangoons

When Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok, host of the cilantro roundup of Weekend Wokking, announced CHEESE as the secret ingredient for this month's challenge, I thought I'd have to go with some kind of pasta or pizza dish. Luckily, I remembered I had crab rangoons sitting in the queue.

I know they're horribly inauthentic. Imitation crab meat and cream cheese in a fried wonton wrapper. And yet, every time I hit up a Chinese buffet, I can't help myself. Especially, if I dip them into cloyingly sweet and sour sauce.

According to Wikipedia, crab rangoons are an American Chinese or more recently, American Thai, restaurant staple. It may have been created or at least was popularized by Polynesian-themed Trader Vic's in San Francisco in 1957. But wait, wasn't Rangoon (now Yangoon) a city in Burma (now Myanmar)? Supposedly the dish served at a Hawaiian-themed party in 1952 was called "Rangoon a la Jack." Who's Jack?

Maybe we'll never know the true origins of this appetizer, but there's no arguing its deliciousness, or that Tiki culture is still popular.

Weekend Wokking #13 (Lemon)

Lemons are one of my favorite fruits. I love their tartness. I love their bright sunny color. I love the flavor they add to my favorite baked chicken recipe. And I love that with Weekend Wokking, I get 10 recipes to celebrate the luscious lemon.

So without further ado, in alphabetical order by the name of the recipe...

Strawberry Lemonade

Years ago when I lived in the Bay Area, I remembered a particularly rough work week. Actually, they were all bad since I liked my job but hated my manager. I was visiting a friend in Palo Alto. We ate at some restaurant I can't remember the name of, but I certainly remembered the strawberry lemonade.

Such a simple concept, sliced strawberries into lemonade. Add carbonated water if plain tap water won't do.

A sunny day. Catching up with a friend. A refreshingly colorful drink. Perfect for Memorial Day barbecues, which signal the coming of lots more sunny days and weekends grilling outdoors.

Lumpiang Prito (Filipino Fried Spring/Egg Rolls)

When Marija of Palachinka, host of the beef round-up of Weekend Wokking, declared SPROUTS as the secret ingredient for this month's challenge, I wanted to do more than my usual preparation -- a simple stir-fry or tossing them into a bowl of soup.

I had been craving Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Rolls) for a while and figured it was a good a time as any to do a slight variation by making lumpiang prito (Filipino fried egg rolls). Of course, I turned to Marvin of Burnt Lumpia to get the basics. The Wikipedia lumpia entry was pretty useful for explaining all the different kinds of lumpia.

Boeuf Bourguignon (French Beef Burgundy Stew)

When Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok , host of the almond round-up of Weekend Wokking, said she had an *ssload of BEEF, she needed to find recipes for, I took her at her word.

Oxtails are one of my favorite parts of the cow. But gosh! They're so expensive these days. When did this throwaway part become so popular?

Maybe around the same time that boeuf bourguignon (French beef burgundy) became haute cuisine?

Green Tea Soba (Japanese Buckwheat Noodles) with Almond Butter

I know Jayne Ann Krentz's stories can be a bit formulaic. They're almost always set in either Washington or Oregon. There's usually a plucky and earnest heroine. And a slightly quirky, intelligent, and controlled hero. Controlled in the sense that they sometimes do martial arts, or aren't very emotional, or are tech nerds. Not that there's anything wrong with that because I've read and enjoyed almost all of her books. Even when she writes as Amanda Quick. Well, except I just can't get into her recent books because they seem to have lost some of the romance and focused more on the paranormal mystery. I'm getting tired of the paranormal trend in romance, quite frankly.

I can't recall which book of hers featured a vegetarian martial arts tech nerd in the Pacific Northwest. Ha! Try all of them. :P But I did remember he cooked up a mean green tea soba noodle dish with peanut butter and scallions. Well, that's what I remember anyway. Since I couldn't remember which book it was in, I couldn't double-check for sure. Nonetheless, the idea of the dish stayed with me.

Bo Tai Chanh (Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio with Lemon)

When I compiled my list of 100 Vietnamese Foods to Try, even though I listed #28 Bo Tai Chanh (Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio with Lemon), I realized I hadn't eaten this in a really long time.

Luckily, my youngest aunt was awesome enough to give me a hunk of filet mignon. Oh. My. God. It was so incredibly tender. I cut it up into smaller steaks and lil' sis and I savored it over the course of several days. I saved one small portion in order to make bo tai chanh. You don't have to use filet mignon, a good sirloin or eye round will work as well. Typically, the beef is completely raw, then marinated in lemon juices in order to "cook" it. I decided to quickly sear mine, just enough to brown the outside, while keeping the inside still raw. After the beef is "cooked" to your liking, it's tossed with herbs and Hanh Phi (Vietnamese Fried Shallots).

Mi Vit Tiem Chay (Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Chinese Five-Spice Vegetarian "Duck")

Mi Vit Tiem is a Vietnamese egg noodle soup with duck that's been seared and cooked with Chinese spices. It's not terribly difficult to make, although it does take a while to simmer until the duck is tender.

I made a quick vegetarian version instead. Mi Vit Tiem Chay (Vietnamese Vegetarian Chinese Five-Spice "Duck" Soup with Egg Noodles). But wait, did I forget I was making a vegetarian soup? It looks like I have duck in my bowl?

Actually, it's vegetarian duck.

What's that you ask? Look closely at the picture below.