My New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have had a chance to share your precious time with your family and friends and have drawn up and laid out your resolutions for the New Year. As for me, another year had just passed and I have yet to fulfill one of my lifelong goals. 

A while back, one of my blog readers sent me an email asking me a few questions in Vietnamese: "Mục đích của Loan đăng trên blog về ẩm thực là có mục đích gì? Và ước nguyện của Loan sẽ làm gì sau này về ẩm thực?" Translation: " What is the purpose of your food blog? And what do you wish to pursue with your food blog?" I recall writing back to him a long note. I told him that I wanted to use my blog Vietspices to create the Spices of Life (Hương Vị Cuộc Sống) Foundation to help others. I envision something that extends beyond my daily bread to encompass the basics of daily living – food, clothing, shelter - for those less fortunate. 

My goal is to reach out to the less fortunate in third world countries with the main focus being Vietnam. It has been on my mind constantly for the past 12 years. Seeing the children and elders laboring on the streets without a home to live, eating other people's leftovers at the restaurants and hoping to make enough money to survive from day to day just tore me apart. There is hardly a day that passes by that I don't think about it. I yearn to help them so badly but didn't have the financial means nor the connections to get this up and running.

Many years have passed and I just can't sit idly by and wait until I have enough money. That day may never come. I need to start this mission in whatever capacity I have. Time is just too precious to let it pass by. Recently I shared my thoughts with my cousin who currently resides in Saigon. What a wonderful joy it was to hear that she and a group of her friends have been doing this good cause for some time. They raise money to buy food and collect used clothes to pass out to the orphans and the poor. She's willing to help me fulfill my goal when I am ready. 

Well, 2015 is here. My resolution is to take actions that will propel me towards achieving this goal. To start, the focus will be on providing meals and items for basic personal needs on a monthly basis. But to expand and grow to where supplies and food can be provided on a more frequent basis, I will need your help and support. Anything you can do to help will make a difference in their lives. I have over 2000 Facebook page readers, not including my blog readers. Assuming each person gives $1 per month, imagine how many lives we can transform. 

I am going to create a donation link on my blog. All the money that I collect from donations and generate from ads posted on my blog will go towards the Spices of Life Foundation for charity. I like to invite you to the table to partake in this wonderful, life-enriching mission.

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Bò Lúc Lắc (Shaken Beef)

Bò Lúc Lắc  is such an interesting name. Bò means beef and Lúc Lắc refers to the way you shake the wok or pan to cook the beef. Hence, you'll see it referred to as Shaken Beef.

Bò Lúc Lắc is the small cubes of beef that is coated with savory seasonings and hinted with the fragrance of five heavenly spices (pepper, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel). This is then cooked by shaking the wok until the beef is charred beautifully browned on the outside, keeping it perfectly rare on the inside.

I love serving this dish with lettuce and assorted vegetables especially in the spring and summer time. This dish is as tasty as it is beautiful. The charred cubes of beef are arranged on top of a bed of green lettuce or watercress surrounded with gorgeous red tomatoes. To add more protein and color, you can - like I sometimes do - scattered some slices of  hard-boiled eggs.

The other day, I served my family this Bò Lúc Lắc on a bed of garlic egg noodle mixed with asparagus and mushroom for dinner. I know a dish is good when I don't have to constantly remind my girls to finish their plates.

Bò Lúc Lắc is a popular Vietnamese dish. This is an easy shaken beef recipe that's delicious and simple to make.

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RECIPE: Bò Lúc Lắc

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

1 pound Rib Eye or Beef Sirloin

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
1 tablepoon Oyster Sauce

1 tablespoon brown or white Sugar

1 teaspoon Five-Spice Powder

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

3 cloves of Garlic
1 red or white Onion, wedged

2 Tomatoes, sliced

1 bunch Lettuce or Watercress

3 hard boiled Eggs, optional, wedged

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Directions

Cutting Beef

Cut beef into small, about 2/3 inch cubes.  Set aside.

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Marinating Beef

Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, five-spice powder and garlic in a bowl.

Add the beef and stir to coat. Cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes to marinate.

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Preparing Vegetables

Arrange lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and eggs if used on a serving plate.  Set aside.

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Cooking Beef

Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant and charred.  Transfer onion  bowl.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in the same pan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the garlic and beef and shake the pan.

Cook for 1-2 minutes until the beef is charred but still pink in the center. Transfer to a bowl.   If you double the recipe, make a small batch at a time to ensure the beef is charred. Repeat with the oil, garlic and beef.

If serving with garlic noodle, click here for the recipe. Add a little less soy sauce mixture than the recipe calls for since the beef is already packed full of flavor. If adding mushroom and asparagus to the noodle dish, heat a pan with butter and garlic.  Add sliced asparagus and mushroom.  

Saute for a couple of minutes then add the soy sauce mixture.  Turn of heat.  Mix in the noodles and finely chopped cilantro.  

Saute garlic and onion and use it as a garnish for the Bò Lúc Lắc noodle dish.

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Presentation

Mix beef and onion together. Place it on top of a vegetable serving plate.  Serve on the side with  a dipping salt mixture made with a dash of salt, ground black pepper and fresh lime juice.

Another way of presenting Bò Lúc Lắc is combining 11/2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 2/3 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the beef plate. Serve immediately.

Enjoy Bò Lúc Lắc on a bed of garlic noodle for dinner. Don't forget to drizzle on some sirracha sauce to give it a kick. Open up a bottle of your favorite red and it will pair wonderfully with this dish.

Bon Appetite!

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Dưa Cải Chua (Pickled Mustard Greens)

What's a woman to do on a rainy day especially with the forecast of a storm looming on the horizon? How about cozying up with a nice hot cup of matcha green tea on her couch and blogging away about mustard greens? Doesn't that sound sour and delicious all at once?

Dưa Cải Chua (pickled mustard greens) is one of the recipes that I've been blogging on and off for some time but remains unfinished due to the busy holidays season. Thanks to inclement weather, it shall be done today.

This Dưa Cải Chua is simpler to prepare than you may imagine. It's a Vietnamese staple and should have in your lovely kitchen; It serves as a great to contrasting taste to many salty home-cooked dishes such as braised catfish in claypot (cá kho tộ), caramelized pork and hard boiled egg (thịt kho trứng), caramelized pork belly with lemongrass and shrimp paste sauce (thịt kho ruốc sả) or fried fish (cá chiên) - you can finish off the list. The irresistibly crunchy and tart  dưa cải chua is perfect with almost any rich and savory dishes. On a cold day like today, instead of eating it straight from the jar, I like to saute it with diced garlic for a nice warm dish; make soup or curry out of it, or braise beef shank with it. One of my favorite dưa cải chua dishes is sauteing it with diced garlic and scrambled egg.

The main ingredients to ferment the mustard greens are just salt, sugar and the omnipotent sunlight. It is simple and allows the natural flavor and color of the greens to come through. It's effectively preserved the greens as well. The preparation of dưa cải chua takes no more than twenty minutes but the process of fermentation takes about a week before it's ready to serve. This fermentation process can be sped up by sun drying.  Dưa cải chua can be kept in the fridge for a few months.  

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RECIPE: Dưa Cải Chua
Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

2 bunch Mustard Greens, about 4 pounds

1 medium Onion

4-6 cloves of Garlic

1 bunch of Spring Onion, optional

12 cups Water 

3 tablespoons Salt 

3 tablespoon Sugar 

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Directions

Clean and dry jars or glass bowls and lids thoroughly. Set aside.

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Preparing Water Mixture

Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Let it cool. It's okay if the water is still a little bit warm.

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Preparing Mustard Greens

Cut off ends of the mustard greens and discard. Trim the parts that are bruised, and yellow. Wash the greens with cold water, then shake off the excess water.  Cut greens into sections about 1 inch long.  

Shake off the excess water one more time.  I like to place the bottom of the coriander on top of the other one and shake off the the excess water.  Set aside.

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Preparing Onion and Garlic

Slice onion and garlic. Set aside. If used green onion, cut it into 2 inches segments. Set aside.

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Fermenting Mustard Greens

Pack greens, garlic, onion, or spring onions into the jar. Pour the liquid into the jar covering the greens.

Press the greens down with the back of the soup spoon to submerge them in the liquid. It's okay if the liquid doesn't cover the greens completely right away since the greens will continue to expel liquid as they ferment. But make sure the liquid covers the greens in the same day. If necessary, make more liquid to fully cover the greens.

Secure the mouth of the jar with a tight lid. Place the jar in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow to ferment for 4-6 days. The warmer the room is, the quicker it will ferment.  You can speed up the fermentation process by leaving the jar in the sun.

As the greens start to ferment, they will turn a beautiful shade of yellowish green. Properly fermented greens should smell like pickles. They are crunchy and have a sour, salty, and spicy taste.

You can keep it refrigerated for at least a few months. Drain the greens well before serving.

Here's to your sour and salty cravings!

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!