Thursday, September 20, 2012

Rice Rolls Stuffed with Pork (Banh Cuon)



Rice Rolls Stuffed with Pork (Banh Cuon)

This is Vietnamese dish with Rice paper steam or dried rice paper soak in warm water. If you choose to do the steam rice paper you need to have a stemmer with round cloth on the top to steam the rice flour mixture. I don’t have one at home so I do it the same way as banch Chev or Vietnamese banh Xeo just use none stick fry pan to cook the rice flour mixture. If you choose to do it with dried rice paper, soak the rice paper until soft and wrap like you do fresh spring rolls. To make it easy buy fresh rice sheet from the Asian market that what I did. Serve with sweet fish sauce. The rice flour sell at the Asian market.

For the filling you need

25oz dried cloud ear mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes, wash and cut it to small pieces
1 lb of ground pork
2 T of fish sauce
2 t of sugar
1 T of vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves minced
2 shallots minced
2 spring onions finely chopped
Black pepper
Half onion minced
Fried shallots (shell at the Asian store ready to use)
Mints and herbs to garnish before serve

In a blow mix ground pork and dried mushroom together
In a wok or fry pan add oil over medium heat until hot
Add garlic, shallots, and onion stir fry until golden
Add the pork mixture and stir fry until the pork is cooked
Season with pepper; sugar, fish sauce mix well, take the meat mixture out put in a blow let cool before you roll.

How to roll Banh Cuon,

Place the rice sheets on a flat surface, spoon a tablespoon of the pork mixture onto the middle of each sheet.
Fold one side over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll to enclose the filling, so that it is resembles like fresh spring rolls.

If you use fresh steam rice paper it is easy because it is stick together, all you have to do just put the filling in and roll.

To serve the rice roll or Banh Cuon,
In a serving plate lay the rice roll as many you like
Add fried shallots or garlic on top if you have herb, mint or basil garnish on the top
Then drizzle with sweet fish sauce.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Mango Salad with Dried Shrimp or Dried fish



Mango Salad with Dried Shrimp or Dried fish

This salad is basic you can add any dried fish, fry catfish, dried squid, or dried shrimps. Thai and Cambodian make this salad often during the mango season.

1 big green mango (shredded)
2 clove garlic minced
2 shallots sliced thin
1/3 cup dried shrimps soaked wash (you can use dried fish, or fry cat fish is best)
1 small shredded carrot
1 to 2 T sugar (if the mango is sweet don’t put it)
2 T fish sauce
2 T roasted coconut flake (optional)
3 Thai chilies minced
1 lime juice
Mints, cilantro, or herbs for garnish

In a big bowl combine all the ingredients together, mix well add mints or herbs before serving.
If you use cat fish it is best to fry with oil first to make it crispy then break it apart to smaller pieces then mix with the mango salad.

Adjust the flavor to your taste.

Enjoy!

Stir fry Zucchini with Pork



Stir fry Zucchini with Pork

Zucchini is like any Asian squash it is sweet when you stir fry. Most of the time I did it with fresh corn that khmer call kur Pot. If you use fresh corn make sure you slice it very thin and add it in the same time with zucchini.

1 big Zucchini cut to bite size
1/2 lb pork slice thin marinade with 2 T of oyster sauce set aside for 30 minutes
2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced
2 T of fish sauce
2 T of soy sauce
1 T of sugar
2 Thai chili pepper or black pepper
Chives or green onion for garnish
3 T of oil for stir fry

Heat oil in fry pan until hot, and then add garlic stir fry until brown.
Add sliced pork stir fry until almost done
Add sliced zucchini and stir fry until tender (if you use corn add it now)
When the zucchini is soft add the rest of the ingredients
Adjust the flavor to your taste.
Now add the green onion mix well, and then turn the heat off.

Serve hot with cooked rice.