Stir-fried Chicken with Lemongrass and Chiles

This was the last dish we made before heading off for vacation in Cambodia and Thailand. I had low expectations for it because it was one of those low effort dishes just to have something to eat before leaving. But quick and easy doesn't mean a dish isn't delicious and the sauce on this dish is outstanding with its pairing of onions, lemongrass, and chilies. I have a vague recollection that we added something green to the mix so I wouldn't have to bother with a side dish and that it worked really well, but I don't recall what it was (maybe bok choy). Happy New Year!

One year ago: (on hiatus)
Two years ago: Loin lamb chops with apricot sauce
Three years ago: Boiled Beef Slices in a Fiery Sauce
Four years ago: Spiced Braised Nyonya Pork
Five years ago: Greek Style Penne with Lamb, Parnsips, Cinnamon and Feta
Six years ago: Spinach and Cheese Strata

Stir-fried Chicken with Lemongrass and Chiles (from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table)

Ingredients
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
2/3 lb boneless, skinless chicken (thigh or breast), cut into thin bite-sized strips
3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh chilies or dried flakes
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped (~1/4 cup), divided
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (1 cup)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp caramel sauce OR 1 tsp light brown sugar
5 sprigs cilantro, cut into 2" lengths

1. Combine cornstarch, water and chicken in bowl. Toss to coat and marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir until edges turn white, ~ 3 minutes. Transfer to plate.
3. Wipe pan clean and add remaining 1 1/2 tbsp oil and heat over moderate heat.
4. Add garlic, chiles, and HALF of lemongrass and stir until fragrant, ~10 seconds.
5. Add onion and chicken stock and cook until onion is soft, ~10 minutes.
6. Stir in chicken, remaining lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, and caramel sauce and cook until chicken is cooked through, ~ 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Transfer to a plate, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Tamarind crab

It's Dungeness crab season here which makes for some very easy, but tasty dinners. The sauce on this is sweet, salty, and sour. It absorbs nicely into the meat (and on your fingers while you try to get meat out of those little legs) without overpowering the crab.

One year ago: Pureed Beets with Yogurt and Za'atar
Two years ago: Butternut Squash Pie
Three years ago: Pad Thai
Four years ago: Spinach Quiche

Tamarind Crab (from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table)

Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, minced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 fresh Dungeness crab, cleaned, cut into 4 or 6 pieces, tomalley reserved
2 - 3 tbsp tamarind pulp, juiced
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 scallions, cut into 2" lengths
5 sprigs cilantro, cut into 2" lengths

1. Place oil in a large skillet and heat over high. Add shallots and garlic and stir until fragrant, 10 seconds.
2. Add crab tomalley, reduce heat slightly, and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add crab, tamarind juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir so crab is well coated.
4. Simmer until crab is cooked, ~10 minutes.
5. Stir in scallions, transfer to serving plates, and garnish with cilantro.

Grandmother's Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

It's funny what a difference the right cookbook can make. This isn't my first cookbook from Mai Pham, but her other one (The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking) wasn't deemed good enough to make the move. Nothing quite turned out properly and I think I was even convinced that I just didn't like Vietnamese food that much. But given my experience at restaurants, I knew that wasn't the case. Knowing the other book wasn't really authentic Thai food and that I'd been unhappy with the quality of those recipes, I decided to give Vietnamese another chance. Somehow I ended up back with a Mai Pham book, but this time around? I'm so much happier with the results. This is a great weeknight dish. Simple to pull together, but full of rich unami. The dried mushrooms do call for a 30 minute soak, but the dish cooks up very quickly and the rest is just chopping. Don't forget the rice. We both thought the dish was just a bit on the salty side (even homemade stock without added salt), so you might want to reduce the salt in the mushrooms further if you tend to go light on salt like we do.

One year ago: Slow Braised Beef with Potatoes
Two years ago: Roasted Beets with Cumin-Mint Vinaigrette
Three years ago: Mashed Brussels Sprouts
Four years ago: Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin

Grandmother's Chicken with Wild Mushrooms (from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table)

Ingredients
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts of things, cut into thin bite-sized strips
3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 shallots, sliced
8 dried black mushrooms (or cloud ear), soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained, stemmed, and halved
1 cup white or brown mushrooms, cleaned and halved
1 cup oyster mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp salt (see note)
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup fresh chicken stock
5 sprigs cilantro, cut into 2" lengths

1. Place soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl and stir.
2. Add chicken to sauces and toss to coat.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in large skillet over moderate heat. Add shallots and stir until fragrant, 20 seconds.
4. Add black mushrooms, white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft, 3 - 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
5. Add remaining 1 1/2 tbsp oil to pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chicken and stir-fry until meat turns white, 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Add chicken stock and mushrooms and cook until all ingredients are cooked, 3 minutes.
7. Transfer to a plate, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Lemongrass-Grilled Beef with Noodles and Salad

As a general rule, I don't post recipes that August cooks, but this one was too good not to share. The seasoning on it was just right and reminded me of a Vietnamese restaurant I used to frequent for lunch when I lived in Austin. It requires a bit of planning ahead for the marinade, but the effort is well worth it.

One year ago: Chicken Stuffed with Garlic and Coriander
Two years ago: Asian-Inspired Porcini Risotto
Three years ago: Spring Time Risotto

Lemongrass-Grilled Beef with Noodles and Salad (from Planet Barbecue!)

Ingredients
Marinade and Beef
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
1" fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 small hot chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 1/2 lb beef, sliced paper-thin across grain
Noodles
8 ounces rice vermicelli
Salad Plate
1 large head Boston lettuce, separated into whole leaves
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 - 4 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
2 - 3 cups bean sprouts
1 bunch Thai basil, torn into sprigs
1 bunch fresh mint, torn into sprigs
1 bunch cilantro, torn into sprigs
Serving
1/2 cup finely chopped salted roasted peanuts
Vietnamese dipping sauce

1. Place garlic, lemongrass, shallot, ginger, chiles, sugar, pepper, and salt in a mortar and pound to a paste. Work in fish sauce, sesame oil, and citrus. Stir in sesame seeds.
2. Arrange beef in baking dish. Spoon marinade over beef, turning to coat. Marinate in refrigerator, covered, for 1 - 2 hours, turning one or twice.
3. Place rice vermicelli in large bowl and add hot water. Soak for 30 minutes or until pliable. Drain. Transfer to bowl and cover with damp towel to keep soft.
4. Prepare salad plate by arranging ingredients on platter. Cover with damp towel.
5. Drain beef, discarding marinade. Preheat grill to high.
6. Arrange beef on hot grate and grill until golden brown on both sides, 1 - 3 minutes. Transfer to platter.
7. To eat, spread vermicelli on top of lettuce leaf. Add cucumber, chiles, bean sprouts, and herbs. Top with grilled beef and sprinkle with peanuts. Roll into a tight cylinder. Dip in dipping sauce and eat.

Vietnamese Braised Scallops

When we had dinner in Carmel, we were served the most perfectly cooked steamed scallop with a hint of meyer lemon. While I don't think I can ever hope to perfectly cook a scallop like that, the dinner did remind me how much I enjoy scallops. Since I don't think we're ever going to get scallops in our seafood CSA, I decided to hunt them out at the farmer's market where $11.50 will buy you a pound of beautiful dry large sea scallops. Overall, this recipe is fairly simple, but it does require a bit of patience and trust that the caramel will turn out. That's the hardest part though and well worth the risk for slightly sweet scallops with just a touch of heat. I recommend serving with rice to soak up a bit of the sauce.

One year ago: Chicken Curry with Whole Spices, Cream, and Tomatoes
Two years ago: Beef Enchiladas with Chipotle-Pasilla Chili Gravy
Three years ago: Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

Vietnamese Braised Scallops (from All About Braising)

Ingredients
1/2 cup water, divided
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 shallots, minced
1 1/2 lb sea scallops, muscle removed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and fish sauce.
2. Put sugar in a heavy-based skillet just large enough to hold scallops in a single layer. Pour remaining 1/4 cup water over it and let sit for a minute to soak in.
3. Heat skillet over medium heat until sugar liquefies. You can stir once or twice, but don't stir constantly and most importantly be patient! The sugar will liquefy and begin to darken. If it's boiling unevenly, you can swirl the pan, but for the most part, just leave it alone. Let it get very dark, but not black, 8 - 10 minutes. When it begins to smoke and smell toasty, it's done.
4. Carefully, pour water and fish sauce into the caramel. Stir and let it boil until you have a smooth, thick sauce, 4 minutes.
5. Add shallots, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Stir in red pepper flakes and white part of scallions.
7. Add scallops in a single layer, partially cover, and simmer for 4 - 5 minutes.
8. Turn scallops and simmer until cooked through, 3 - 5 minutes.
9. Transfer scallops to warm plate and spoon over some of the sauce. Garnish with scallion greens and serve.

Pork Meatball Banh Mi

It's that magical pre-vacation time when the last thing you want to do is go grocery shopping. With no vegetable box this year, our options for dinner are more limited than usual. I found this recipe while looking for something different to do with the ground pork sitting in the freezer. This came together incredibly quickly (after I skipped on marinating the veggies for an hour!) and was remarkably flavourful. I made some changes I'd recommend (reducing the sugar), some I'm on neutral on (using cucumber slices instead of daikon), and some I'd recommend avoiding (using the last of our slices of bread instead of baguette).

One year ago: Baked Green Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Pork Meatball Banh Mi (adapted from epicurious.com, originally Bon Appetit)

Ingredients
Hot Chili Mayo:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)
Meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Sandwiches:
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon (Japanese white radish)
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
4 10-inch-long individual baguettes or four 10-inch-long pieces French-bread baguette (cut from 2 baguettes)
Thinly sliced jalapeño chiles
16 large fresh cilantro sprigs

1. Hot Chili Mayo: Stir all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt.
2. Meatballs: Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
3. Sandwiches: Toss first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally (I just had them sit while the meatballs were cooking.)
4. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes.
5. Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally in half. Pull out enough bread from each bread half to leave 1/2-inch-thick shell.
6. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves. Fill each with 1/4 of meatballs.
7. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

Gooey Ginger Chicken

I continue to be less than completely impressed by the recipes in this book. This one is no exception. It's good, just not amazing. It seems to be missing something that I can't put my finger on, but maybe it's just me!

One year ago: Pearl Couscous with Olives, Roasted Tomatoes, and Feta

Gooey Ginger Chicken (from The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking)

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh chili (I doubled ... or quadrupled)
2 lbs chicken thighs and breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tbsp caramel sauce (recipes can be found online)
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 green onions, cut into 1/2" pieces
6 sprigs cilantro for garnish (I skipped)

1. Heat oil in frying pan over high heat.
2. Add shallot, garlic, chili, and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
3. Add chicken, reduce heat, and saute in seasonings for 3 - 5 minutes.
4. Stir in caramel sauce, chicken stock, and fish sauce.
5. Reduce heat to low and cook until meat is tender and sauce clings to chicken, 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Stir in green onions.
7. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.