Bò Thăn Vai Quay (Prime Rib Eye Roast)

Every major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, my girls have no desire of traveling anywhere but being comfortable, enjoying the holiday decorations inside our home, and helping me cook a traditional meal. My little girl Ân-Hy loves the magical feelings of the holidays so much that she said it's the coziness that "keeps her warm and happy throughout the cold season." 

A few days ago as we were heading out to the airport to visit my family in Texas, they again expressed how much they wanted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner instead of a Vietnamese version and requested me to prepare the meal no matter where we will be. 

Usually when we're at home on a holiday, I like to invite friends who don't have families nearby to spend the holiday with us. I spend the day before on my feet prepping the food so that early the next morning I can start cooking to get the feast ready by lunch time. It's certainly no simple task but just simply satisfying. We would gather around the table to give thanks for what we have, enjoy the feast and each other's company, converse and laugh. We'll take a short break from eating and resume in a few hours to finish out the evening. Last year, Akiko, a good friend of mine since high school flew in to spend Thanksgiving with our family. My girls and Akiko were in charge of desserts while I cooked a few dishes. We stayed up pass midnight and got up at 6 am to finish up the dishes. I love the variety of aromas fighting for space in my kitchen. By noon, the dinning table was replete with a feast.

caramelized pecan sweet yam

honey roasted baby carrots

every year they're in charge of mashed potatoes

grilled lemongrass ginger quails

my older daughter Nhã-Hân's center piece creation :-)

Is it just me or is the table never quite big enough? While we were all gazing at the beautiful, mouthwatering turkey, grilled quails and ribs, the colorful vegetables, fruits, desserts, the sparkling drinks, and the smiles on everyone's faces, I was oblivious to all the spasms in my neck and the aches in my feet - at least until the next morning. But it was worth every bit of it. 

black rice with Chinese sausage, mushroom, carrot, and preserved black egg

dessert table

flan

time to rest and digest after a feast

end the evening with s'more and dried squids?!! 

One of the main dishes on my holiday menu is the roast beef which I turn to every holiday season for the last several years and it's still a big hit. I always buy my prime rib eye roast from Costco. The beef is marinated overnight with several spices, garlic, and herbs. Then, cook it to a medium rare. Every slice of the beef is tender and packed with fabulous flavors satisfying your every taste buds. This is absolutely a wonderful centerpiece to a holiday table and to enjoy with your family and friends.

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RECIPE: Prime Rib Eye Roast 

printable recipe

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Ingredients

1 rib eye roast, bone-in or boneless, about 5 to 6 lbs

1 whole garlic, peeled, slightly smashed

about 6 prigs of fresh thyme

1 onion, sliced 1/4 -inch thick

1 tablespoon freshly black pepper, cracked

for Mixed Spices

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

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Mixing Spices

It is less expensive when purchasing spices from bulk bins and you can buy just what you will need. I usually buy them from my local Winco store. 

Combine all the mixed spices and mix well.

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Preparing Rib Eye Roast

I like this piece of rib eye roast as it's easy to create a pocket.  Use a sharp knife to make a slit  to create a pocket between the top fat layer and the meat. Rub the entire roast generously inside out with mixed spices. Place the garlic, thyme, and onion slices in the pocket.

This piece below is a little bit harder to create a pocket.

Cover the fat cap with with cracked black pepper. This fatty layer is what gives this cut it’s distinct and juicy flavor. Tie around the roast with cotton butcher's twine. This step is to ensure it holds its shape during the cooking process, which ensures it cooks evenly, and keeps it nice and tight so the juices are more prone to staying in instead of running out. I skipped tying my roast just because I ran out of twine.

Marinate it overnight in the fridge. Before cooking, bring the roast to room temperature

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Cooking Rib Eye Roast

If your rib roast is bone in, there is no need for a rack as the bones are the rack. If cooking a boneless roast, use a roasting rack to elevate the roast from the bottom of the pan. Place on a rack set inside the roasting pan. Place the roast with fat cap up on a rack. You can accent with some of your favorite vegetables around the roast.

Place the roast in the oven on the center rack. Roast for 1 1/2 until reddish-pink and juicy in the center, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125 degrees F. Remove the roast from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and  allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes before slicing. Cutting into the meat too early will cause a significant loss of juice.

Approximate Cook Time Internal Temperature:

2 ribs (4 to 5 pounds) – 60 to 70 minutes 

3 ribs (7 to 8.5 pounds) – 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours

4 ribs (9 to 10.5 pounds) – 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 hours

5 ribs (11 to 15 pounds) – 2-1/4 to 3 hours

6 ribs (15 to 16 pounds) – 3 to 3-1/4 hours

7 ribs (16 to `8.5 pounds) – 3-1/4 to 4 hours

Beef Roast Cooking Internal Temperatures:

Rare – 120 to 125 degrees F. – center is bright red, pinkish toward the exterior portion

Medium Rare – 130 to 135 degrees F. – center is very pink, slightly brown toward the exterior portion

Medium – 140 to 145 degrees F. – center is light pink, outer portion is brown

Medium Well – 150 to 155 degrees F. – not pink

Well Done – 160 degrees F. and above

If your roast gets done an hour before the guests arrive, just remove roast from oven, turn off the oven and leave the oven door open for about 15 minutes to reduce the heat temperature. Cover roast with aluminum foil, keep roast in the oven and close the door. The roast will rest and still be tender, moist and ready to carve. Large roasts can be held for up to 2 hours this way.

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Presentation

Transfer rib eye roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Slice the beef to serve. If your rib eye roast has bones, save them to make beef stock. 

If there are any fat and juice that drip down from the roast, take advantage of this luscious beef fat drippings to make some savory pastry known as yorkshire pudding to serve with the roast. This could be called the quintessential British dinner.

Left over roast can be used to make sandwiches or panini.

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Eat well.  Stay healthy.  Happy Holidays!

Sườn Bò Nướng (Flanken Style Grilled Beef Short Ribs)

There is no denying that grilling is one of the rites of summer. However, I love grilling year round - regardless of the weather - especially when the cool temperature and the beautiful colors of the fall call for a night to cozy around the fire pit, grilling a nice meal, and sharing with friends and family.

Grilled beef short ribs is an item you can't leave out of any grilling event. The meat is so tasty and rich. As you know, I enjoy and encourage cooking with the seasonal fruits and vegetables grown in your garden. For this recipe, I incorporated Asian pear in the marinade for the short ribs. For me, eating seasonally makes food much tastier and more satisfying. A friend of us didn't have enough and has been asking for the recipe.  It's  long overdue so I'll dedicate this recipe to her.

What makes this beef short rib finger licking good is the natural sweetness from the Asian pear which helps tenderized the meat. 

There is a few cuts of short ribs available in the market, but the one you want is the flanken cut which is best for grilling. Flanken cut is a popular cut for Korean style short ribs. It can be found at most Asian markets. However, I usually buy beef short ribs at my local Sams' Club. The flanken cut is about half an inch thick, length-wise across the bone contains a few pieces of bone with fat, muscle, and tendon, but once you grill them, the fat will drip off, the meat is deeply flavorful while it's a bit chewy.

In this post, I am sharing with you two great tasting recipes of grilled beef short ribs. One is sweet and savory which my husband and I like.  The other one is a bit salty and sweet which my daughters and their grandma prefer.  Try both recipes to find out which version you prefer.  

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RECIPE: Grilled Beef Short Ribs

Printable Recipe

broiled short ribs

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Ingredients

5-6 pounds beef short ribs, flanken style

for sweet and savory marinade version 1

 2 Asian pears, pureed, make 1 1/2 cups

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

1/2 sweet onion, pureed

4 green onion, finely minced

1/4 cup sesame oil or olive oil
1 cup yoshida sauce

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

for salty, sweet and savory marinade version 2

 2 Asian pears, pureed, make 1 1/2 cups

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

1/2 sweet onion, pureed

4 green onion, finely minced

1/4 cup sesame oil or olive oil

1 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine) 

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Directions

Preparing Meat

beef short ribs available at Sam's Club

Rinse short ribs under cold water to remove any bone fragments. Put them in a colander to drain off the water.

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Pureeing Pears

Peel the pears, cut in quarters and remove the seeds. Puree pears in a blender or food processor, then transfer to a bowl.  You can also puree onion, garlic, green onion with the pears at once.  

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Preparing Marinade

Combine marinade ingredients, stirring well until sugar dissolved.

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Marinating Short Ribs

Pour the marinade over the short ribs, combining well to cover all the meat pieces. Cover and let the short ribs marinate for at least two hours or over night to allow the marinade to penetrate.

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Grilling or Cooking Short Ribs

pan-grilling short ribs

broiling beef short ribs

line a pan with parchment paper or foil to catch the drips

Throw short ribs on a hot outdoor grill or pan-grill, or under the broiler for about 3 minutes per side, until nicely browned but juicy. Brush them with some of the sauce while cooking.  This style of short ribs need to be cooked quickly over high heat to avoid the meat from becoming dry and tough.

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Presentation

outdoor grilled beef short ribs

Serve immediately for the best taste, alongside rice. lettuce, and pickles, if desired.

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Eat well.  Stay healthy. 

Bắp Cải Brucxen Trộn Gạo Chiên Giòn (Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Popped Rice)

A few weeks ago, I craved for tea leaf salad at Burma Superstar Restaurant in San Francisco, so we returned to the restaurant for dinner after a long few years. The waiting list was extremely long; our kids were hungry and cranky. It's a good thing the receptionist sent us to their sister restaurant B Star Bar which is just a block away. The food was great, but I find this fried brussels sprouts irresistible. I enjoyed this dish with mindfulness - observing the taste, texture, flavor, smell - and all-the-while thinking to myself, "How can I replicate this?"

These cute mini brussels sprouts are not many people's favorite but when you fry them, their outer leaves turn crispy and charred, rendering a tender inside with a mildly sweet, nutty aroma. It's the quintessential taste of fall. To create a delectable Asian flare, add popped rice and fish sauce. It's simply irresistible!

When I told my girls that I was making brussels sprouts for dinner, they immediately expressed dislike. Well, after a few forced bites, my girls uttered, "Um...it's so good!".

RECIPE: Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Popped Rice

printable recipe

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Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup cooked rice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

a pinch of fresh ground pepper

cooking oil, for frying

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Directions

Dehydrating Cooked Rice

Spread cooked rice out on a tray and dry the rice at 250° for approximately half an hour.

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Preparing Brussels Sprouts

I purchased a 2 lb bag of brussels sprouts from Costco. They're already pre-washed. Cut off the brown ends of the brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Cut each into halves. Make sure they are dry and at room temperature. Brussels sprouts are cold or damp will bring the oil temperature down and the sprouts won't be crispy. 

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Deep Frying Brussels Sprouts, Rice and Garlic

Brussels Sprouts - line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels. In a pot or deep pan, heat oil on medium high. When the oil is hot or reach 400°F, add brussels sprouts. Oil temperature will drop, so adjust heat to maintain this temperature. Be careful, as the oil can splatter.  Fry and stir with a slotted stainless steel spoon until brussels sprouts have a nice golden brown color; usually takes about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.

If you prefer to bake brussels sprouts, preheat oven to 450°F. Mix brussels sprouts with the olive oil on a baking tray. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.

Rice - fry the dried rice. Once the grains of rice are popping and turns golden brown, carefully use a strainer to remove the popped rice from the hot oil. Place the popped rice on a paper towel to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.

Garlic - fry the garlic pieces until they are slightly golden brown in color. Remove the toasted garlic pieces and place them on a paper towel to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.

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Tossing Brussels Sprouts

Toss brussels sprouts, popped rice, and fried garlic back in the empty pan and turn the heat on to  medium high. Drizzle fish sauce and a pinch of fresh ground pepper; toss evenly. Transfer to a serving plate.

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Presentation

Sit back, relax and enjoyed this delicious, crispy fried brussels sprouts with popped rice.

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Eat well.  Stay healthy.