Custardy French Toast (Bánh Mì Rán)

Tower Cafe in Sacramento is known for its famous French toast. Once in a while, my husband would show off his romantic side by taking a few hours off work to take me there for breakfast. He knows I like this place best for its relaxed outdoor garden ambiance and the famous French toast, of course. I usually don't care much for French toast, but the setting sure lends itself at Tower Cafe.

Their French toast is slightly crisp on the exterior, silky, custardy, and  luscious in the center. It's addicting.  All these years, I had never bothered to figure out their "secret custard recipe" that they use for their famous French toast until I tasted Shokupan that I bought at my local Japanese bakery a couple weeks ago.  Shokupan is literally translated as "eating bread". The bread is about an inch thick, white, much fluffier, and softer yet resilient but not too chewy.  It would make really good French toast, I thought. 

So I whisked up a can of condensed milk and fresh eggs and soaked Shokupan slices in the egg custard. When thick slices of bread are soaked in sweet, creme anglais custard, fried in butter and oil, doused in syrup and served along fresh fruits, what could be better?

The French toast recipe I am sharing with you is inspired by Tower Cafe. They use French baguette for their French toast and people use a variety of different breads to make it. However, it's essential to use the right bread and the right thickness. The sandwich bread will not give you the same texture and delicious result as the bread is too soft and the size of the slice is too thin. Day old French baguette, challah, or brioche would also make delicious French toasts if you don't have Shokupan. 

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RECIPE: Custardy French Toast

printable recipe 

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Ingredients 

about 4 Shokupan slices or day old French baguette, cut at least 1-11/2 inch thick slices 

4 eggs

1/2 cup condensed milk 

1 cup hot water or milk 

fruits 

butter

oil
1 teaspoon vanila extract, optional

whipped butter, optional

powdered sugar, optional 

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Directions

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Preparing Fruits

Wash fruits thoroughly. Drain and set aside.

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Making Whipped Butter, optional

Beat 2 tablespoons of milk with 1/4 lb softened butter together on low speed for 1-2 minutes, or until the butter and milk combine. Then, mix on high for 2-4 minutes, or until the butter is light and fluffy.

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Preparing Custard 

Whisk condensed milk and hot water or milk until combined. Add eggs and whisk until blended. Strain the mixture to remove any egg that has not been fully incorporated.

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Preparing Bread 

Take your pick at cutting the bread slices into half, quarter, or leave it as whole. If used French baguette, cut bread diagonally into at least 1 1/2-inch for extra-thick slice.

Place bread slices in the custard bowl and give it time to soak, about five minutes. Flip bread slices and let soak for another five minutes until custard has been absorbed. The soaking time depends on the type, the size and the thickness of your bread slice. Extra-thick slices can be soaked overnight. 

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Pan-Frying French Toast

Heat equal parts butter and vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Using both butter and oil will help prevent the butter from burning.

Fry bread until golden brown on both sides. After each batch, be sure to wipe out the pan with a paper towel, then add fresh oil and butter. Otherwise, the butter will burn and brown bits will stick to the next batch of French toast.

If your bread slice is too thick, the outside of your toast is golden brown but the inside might still cold and soggy. To get the best result, you need to finish cooking the pan-fried bread in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. It results in a crispy on the outside, and luscious on the inside.

day old French bread

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Presentation

Sprinkle the toast with some powder sugar and serve with whipped butter, and assorted fruits.  The buttery sweetness in this toast is just right for me so I don't even need to douse it with syrup, and top with whipped butter, but you can indulge yourself.   

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Eat well. Stay healthy.

Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry)

There's just something magical and cozy about autumn that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe it's joy of seeing these two rascals having a good time.   I am still hanging on to the pile of dry brown, yellow leaves laying on the ground waiting for a strong winter wind to scatter it all away.  

As autumn comes to a close, it welcomes in the Thanksgiving holiday.  Cà ri gà would make a wonderful dish to usher in the holiday season.  It's a beautiful looking dish. The rich and vibrant colors of this dish that's composed of purple, and yellow sweet yams, curry, and orange carrots is a reflection of the season's colors. This rich and hearty cà ri gà is incredibly aromatic with curry, coconut milk, lemongrass, shallot, and garlic.  

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RECIPE: Cà Ri Gà

printable recipe
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Ingredients

10  pieces Chicken Thighs or a pack fresh Chicken Tenderloin (about $19 at Costco)

4 tablespoons Curry Powder

3 tablespoons  Salt

4 tablespoons Sugar

6 medium Shallots, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons finely chopped Garlic

4 stalks of Lemongrass

9 cups Water

2 - 2 1/2 cups Coconut Cream 

6 medium Sweet Yams

6 large Carrots

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Directions

Preparing Meat

Chicken tenderloin also makes wonderful curry.  The tenderloin is the small strip on the underside of the breast.  It is much more tender and juicy than the breast.
You can also use chicken thighs with skin on and bone-in for more flavor.  If using skin-on chicken thighs, trim off excess fat. Chop thigh into large chunks.

Place chicken in a large bowl.  Mix chicken with curry powder, salt, sugar and shallot.  You can cook it right away or marinate for half an hour or overnight.  

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Preparing Vegetables

Cut sweet yams into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Cut carrots into 1-inch chunks.  You can also use potatoes if preferred.  I am not a fan of potatoes, so I leave it out.  

Add cooking oil in a hot frying pan, fry the sweet yams at medium heat until slightly golden on both side. Set aside.

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Preparing Lemongrass

Cut lemongrass stalks into 5-inch segments.  Smash with the flat blade of knife to release the aromatic oils.  Set aside.

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Cooking Chicken Curry

Use the same frying pan to saute garlic and lemongrass until fragrant. Add chicken and saute until slightly cooked.

Transfer lemongrass to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add chicken and bring it to a boil again. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Add carrots and sweet yams. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften.

Add 2 cups of coconut milk until it hits a boil, then turn off the heat.  Avoid cooking chicken curry with coconut milk too long to preserve the vibrant colors.
This curry broth has a mild taste but if you prefer a richer taste, add another 1/2 cup of coconut cream.

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Presentation

Chicken curry goes well with toasted French bread, noodle, or even naan bread. Break toasted bread into big piece then dunk it into the sauce and gobble up.  You can also enjoy it by itself.  It's guarantee to make your taste buds and tummy quite happy.

Happy Holidays!

Thịt Giò Bó (Red Pork Roll)

It's almost the end of The Year of the Rabbit and I have been making ông Táo (the God of the kitchen) work so hard before he gets sent back to the heaven to report to the King of Heaven about all that has happened in my kitchen. This is according to the Chinese folklore.

I hope I scored well.

Thịt Giò Bó (Red Pork Roll) is my last savory dish for Tet The Year of Dragon. For the last week, I have made pate gan (chicken liver pate), cha lua (Vietnamese ham) and now Thịt Giò Bó to complete the main fillings for banh mi thit (Vietnamese sandwiches). Supposedly, Thịt Giò Heo Bó made of pork front hock has a thick layer of fat which makes it very rich and fatty but tasty . . . just how I like it.  But since my new year's resolution is to be fit and eating a well-balanced and healthy diet, I used pork belly which contains a lot less fat than pork front hock.  

Thịt Giò Bó recipe is similar to Thịt Xá Xíu (Cha Siu). Instead of making it from scratch, you can get a bag of Cha Siu seasoning which contains the primary ingredients and red food coloring that turn the exterior layer of the meat dark red.  Lately, I have read about the dangers of artificial food coloring and the dangerous food and products imported from China, I try to limit or avoid buying food or supplies that are made from China. Instead I used beet to make  my own natural red food coloring for this Thịt Giò Bó as its skin has to be red.  If you got nothing else out of this recipe, it would still be quite a fun experiment on making natural food coloring. 

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RECIPE:  Thịt Giò Bó

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

a piece of Pork Belly or Pork Butt, washed, dry pat

1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground Pepper

1 teaspoon Five Spices

1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns

4 tablespoons minced Shallot (2 whole shallots)

Twine, to tie meat

2 large Beets, peeled and chopped each into 16 pieces
(make about 2 cups red beet coloring)

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Making Red Food Coloring

In a pot, bring beets with just enough water to fully cover them to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour or until beets are soft.  Add more water during simmering as needed.  Strain the beet liquid and preserve about 2 cups of liquid.  Set aside.   Make sure to use gloves when handling beets as it will stain your hands and it's hard to clean off.   I also covered my cutting board so it wont get stained.   

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Marinating Meat

Combine all the ingredients. Rub the pork belly with the marinade mixture.

Roll it up and tie it tight with twine. Marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

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Cooking Meat

Place meat in a pot and pour 1 1/2 cups of red beet color over the meat.  Bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer with cover on for about 30 minutes.  During the simmering process, turn the meat and coat it with red color occasionally.  

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Presentation

Thịt Giò Bó can be enjoyed with banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) with or without pate, and cha lua (Vietnamese ham).  Remove the twine.  Thinly slice the meat and insert it in the baguette sandwich.  Garnish it with pickled carrot and daikon, julienned cucumber, a few sprigs of cilantro, sprinkle some fresh ground pepper and a dash of good soy sauce.  

Chúc ông bà 1 tô như ý. 

Chúc cô chú 1 chén an khang. 

Chúc anh chị 1 dĩa, 1 dĩa...tài lộc!

Here's to the Year of the Dragon . . .

Chả Lụa (Vietnamese Ham aka Vietnamese Pork Roll)

There is something special about Tết that every year around this time, I tend to work a lot harder just to maintain the house and keep it nice,  fresh, and presentable.   A day after the Solar New Year, I swapped things out to welcome in the new season. I spruced up my front hall with pots of hoa cúc vàng (chrysanthemum flower) and a vase of hoa anh đào (cherry blossom). The red envelops are hanging happily on the lucky tree.

My day is usually packed full of my two girls’ activities and chores around the house. But I always try to squeeze my cooking in between.  Therefore, I usually get my cooking done by the time the sun sets. So today after being my girls' chauffeur, I managed to get a new recipe Chả Lụa (Vietnamese Ham aka Pork Roll) done so I can post it in time for the new year. 

If you hear someone mentions about Giò Lụa, it is another name for Chả Lụa. The term Giò Lụa is part of the northern Vietnamese's dialect while Chả Lụa originates from southern Vietnamese dialect.

My experiment on Chả Lụa turned out beyond my expectation. I usually don't enjoy Chả Lụa as much but if I do eat Chả Lụa , I like it with lots of peppercorns and packed with flavors. So now that I make my own, I wanted my Chả Lụa to taste exactly as I would have imagined it, wrapped in the fragrance of banana leaves and accented by the spiciness of peppercorns.  I must admit there was one problem - it lack adequate banana leaves to contain and shape the Chả Lụa, leaving the center exposed after steaming.

However as soon as the Chả Lụa was off the steamer, my husband and kids devoured all the small Chả Lụa rolls. Hearing their enjoyment and compliments sure made my day.

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RECIPE: Chả Lụa

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

2 pounds Ground Pork (bought mine at Walmart Superstore)

2 tablespoons good Fish Sauce (prefer 3 crabs brand)

2 tablespoons Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon fresh Ground Pepper

1 Shallot, minced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 cup ice water 

2 tablespoons Tapioca Flour (Bột Năng) 

1 bag Alsa Baking Powder or any single action Baking Powder brand (2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon Peppercorns

Banana Leaves (available at any Asian markets in the frozen section), rinsed and pat dried
Twine, to tie chả roll (plastic twine would work best)

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Preparing Pork Paste

do not add peppercorns at this step.  I made a mistake

Mix pork, fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, shallot and garlic in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, add ice water, tapioca flour and mix it well. Then add baking powder and mix.  Baking powder causes a rapid expansion of the liquid and has a tendency to foam over.  

Pour the water mixture into the pork bowl and mix it well. Cover and place it in the freezer for about 3 hours until the pork paste is really cold or frosty but not yet frozen. You can also place it in the frigde overnight instead freezer. This process will help the meat to bind together.

Remove from freezer or fridge then place it in the food processor with half of the pork at a time; do not overload the work bowl. Process to a completely smooth paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. Transfer the pork paste to another bowl.  Add peppercorns and mix well.  Place it back in the fridge until you're ready to wrap it up.

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Wrapping Pork Paste

It was hard to tie with this type of twine.  Using plastic twine would be easier.

Wrap pork paste in at least 3 layers banana leaves. Make sure to keep your hands moist with cooking oil and also brush oil on the leave to prevent pork paste from sticking.

Tightly wraps into a cylindrical shape then fold the two ends in.  Use the twine to tie it tightly.

fold into a cylindrical shape

fold in the four sides of the two ends

trim the top if it's too long then fold in

tie it up with twine

mini Chả Lụa rolls

2 lbs of pork produces 2 big rolls and 4 mini rolls

Steam for about 20-25 minutes.

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Presentation

Chả Lụa tastes wonderfully when pan fry over high heat until the skin is golden brown. 

Enjoy Chả Lụa as appetizer or served along with nem chua (fermented beef), banh chung (square sticky rice cake), banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake). 

Chả Lụa is a versatile recipe, therefore, it served well with anything from banh mi (Vietnamese Baguette), banh day (sticky rice cake), banh cuon (Steamed rice rolls), and variety of noodle dishes such as bun bo hue, bun thang.

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Chúc mọi nhà luôn ấm no !