My favorite Vietnamese dishes

There are some comfort food that I go to when I feel a bit homesick.  My parents would often fix these dishes 2-3 times a week.  One of my favorites is called Bun Thit Nuong.  My dad's favorite is beef but I think the rest of the family would say pork is their favorite.  You could substitute this pork recipe for either chicken, beef, or shrimp.  My parents would often add cha gio, or Vietnamese egg rolls, which is in another post that you could go to for the recipe within my blog.  Enjoy and take some pictures of your work!!

BUN THIT NUONG

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds pork, sliced
• 1 package rice vermicelli
• 4-6 egg rolls (optional)

Marinade

• 3 tablespoons onions, minced
• 1.5 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Vegetables

• mint or cilantro
• Vietnamese perilla – tiá tô
• cucumbers, sliced

Garnish

• Pickled daikon and carrots
• Scallion in oil 
• crushed peanuts

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 chilies peppers, thinly sliced

Bake the pork at 375F for 10-15 minutes


MI QUANG
Mi Quang is a noodle dish that is very popular in Da Nang, where I was born.  The best way to make Mi Quang is to buy the noodle fresh.  Luckily, we have Viet Wah here in the Seattle area where I could get the noodles freshly made the day of.  The noodles you use makes the biggest difference in this dish.  I have made it before with dry packaged noodles that I added tumeric to when I boiled but it did not even compared to fresh noodles.  This noodle dish does not require a lot of broth and for my husband who does not like soup very much, this is one of his favorites also. 
 
Ingredients

• Half a chicken (best chicken is free range chicken but you may use any) 
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tbspTurmeric and paprika
• 2 oz fish sauce
• 1 oz peanut oil
• Pearl onions (củ nén) or garlic 
• Spices: fish sauce, salt, chicken stock, pepper, sugar, chilli sauce
• lettuce, radish leaves, cilantros
• Toppings: green onion, roasted peanut, grilled rice cracker, lemon, green chilli

Directions:
– Chop chicken into small pieces, marinade with 1tsp of fish sauce, chicken stock, sugar and pepper. Cover and leave in fridge for several hours or overnight.  When ready, smash củ nén and fry until it turns golden. Then add in smashed turmeric and 1tsp fish sauce and mix them for about 1 min.
Add in marinated chicken, mix and leave it for 10 mins. Then add in water to approx. the level of chicken.
Cover the lid, turn to low heat and leave it there for 20 mins.  Add chicken broth and cook until it boils.
Serve up!

BANH XEO (Vietnamese dinner crepes)

My memory of eating banh xeo is this:  It's rainy outside, time to crush up some rice and make some banh xeo.  My aunt will tell you that there is no need to buy the banh xeo mix or rice flour, just put the raw rice in a bowl and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 3 to 4 hours. Drain rice and transfer to a blender.  There are 3 ways to make this.  If you want to do it from scratch, here is the recipe for the batter:

Ingredients

Crepe batter with regular jasmine rice

• 1 cup raw jasmine or regular long-grain rice
  2 tablespoons firmly packed leftover cooked rice
  1 tablespoon firmly packed ground steamed mung bean*
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  1/4 cup coconut milk, canned or freshly made*
  1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
  1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced 
  
  
  Crepe Batter with Rice flour 

• Rice flour -- 1 cup
• Sugar -- 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt -- 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric -- 1/4 teaspoon
• Coconut milk -- 1 cup
• Water -- about 1/2 cup

 Or you could buy the packaged batter mix and follow the instructions on the bag
Filling
3/4 pound ground pork or thinly sliced boneless pork shoulder
1/2 pound shrimp
1 can (15 ounces) whole or broken straw mushroom or cabbage
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup oil

Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 cups Basic Dipping Sauce made with garlic

Vegetable Garnish Plate

2 heads leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce
1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch Thai basil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high flame and add shallots or scallions and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes without browning. Add the shrimp and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the fish sauce and salt to season. Remove shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
2. Wipe out the sauté pan and reheat over medium flame. Add a small amount of oil. Stir the crepe batter well and pour 1/2 cup batter into the saute pan. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Lay 3 or 4 of the cooked shrimp over one half of the crepe and then sprinkle a small handful of sprouts over the shrimp. When the the middle of the crepe looks cooked through and the edges of the crepe begin to brown, fold the crepe over to cover the filling and side onto a plate. 
3. Serve with lettuce or wrap up with spring rolls wraps