Loaves and Fishes - Serving the Homeless - August 2016

Just like any other mornings when we entered the Friendship Park at Loaves and Fishes, many of the homeless were already there waiting to receive breakfast, except this time I saw new faces, and the line was shorter than usual. Inside, I was somewhat happy that I didn't see the familiar faces because I was holding the hope that they may have gotten back on their feet; they found jobs, and homes, and live a more happy, productive life. At least this is our hope when we serve them.

On a good day, the homeless would receive a decent breakfast from organizations like ours. Otherwise, you would see a homeless man eating a large piece of leftover cake or up to a dozen of cupcakes that were donated by the local bakeries.

A heart-felt thank to the VSpice readers for your support and generous contributions.

There are times when my very close friends raised a legitimate point as to why I help the homeless knowing very well that some of them will use what money they have for drugs and alcohol, forcing themselves into a persistent state of homelessness. We often rationalize our negative attitude toward the homeless, and devalue them by saying they are probably drug addicts , alcoholics, and deemed them too lazy to work. I used to be that someone but my point of view changed since I've come to learn much about the state of homelessness.

There are a myriad reasons why people become homeless. There are the alcohol abusers and drug addicts who have become estranged from their families and friends. Mental illnesses can be a powerful driver as well. A recent job loss, family illness, or other kinds of misfortunate may be the trigger. Despite having a job, people still can lose their homes.

But in the midst of this, we do see the resilient human spirit. While we were getting ready to serve breakfast, for example, some of the homeless asked if they can get their food first because they have to go to work. What a pleasant surprise.

There is hope when there is faith . . . when there is love.

Life is definitely unpredictable and we never know what it will bring. At the same time, your single act of kindness could change their lives in more ways than you can possibly fathom, hopefully pulling or pushing them out of homelessness.

"You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some pictures from our recent breakfast serving on August 23rd.

freshly cooked oatmeal at 5:30 am

Dan- the egg man who is committed to cook the eggs. Thank you Dan.

I am so thankful to have these ladies who have generously given up their time, and energy, to make our breakfast event possible.

6:30 am: picking up food at Belair. Thank you Belair for letting us store our food in your refrigerator.

Our wonderful group of volunteers serving breakfast.

Xôi Bắp (Sticky Rice with Corn and Mung Bean)

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I brought home a banana plant from my local nursery last late summer. When the winter came around, it didn't look good, even after I placed it under a roof to try and protect it.  Eventually, it looked like there was no way to revive it.  When spring arrived, my mother-in-law dug a hole in our vegetable garden and put it down right next to the other lush broad leaves in our garden.  Amazingly, it's has been thriving beautifully.

Every time I look at our banana plant, I just want to cook some dishes and wrap it banana leaves. Last week, I made xôi bắp (sticky rice with corn and mung bean) to share with a few families at our Lifegroup meeting.

Xôi bắp is a popular main dish that originated in Northern Vietnam. It uses 2 main abundant ingredients of the surrounding region -sweet rice and dried corn. The lure of this dish, however comes from the aroma imparted from the fried shallots and the salted sweetness of roasted sesame and peanut that beckon our senses. If you like dried white corn cooked with sweet rice sprinkled in a spice mixture of salt, sugar, sesame, and peanut, then this dish has your name written all over it.

Xôi bắp is a great dish for breakfast, but you can indulge in it anytime. I love to eat xôi that is wrapped in fresh banana leaves; it brings out a unique scent and freshness that reminds me of the lush and raw beauty of Vietnam.

In this xôi bắp recipe, I used dried corn instead of white hominy which is a type of corn that has been soaked in lye and packed in a can. Hence, the freshness is lost, I think. If you can't find dried corn where you live, white hominy would work too. You can find the dried corn at most of the Asian supermarkets.

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RECIPE: Xôi Bắp

printable recipe

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Ingredients

4 cups sweet rice

2 bag (12 oz each) of dried white corn

or

4 cans (32 oz each) white hominy

salt

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For Garnish

1 bag (1.5 cups) split and deshelled mung beans

10 large Shallots

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Making Peanut Mixture

1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup peanuts

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

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Directions

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Preparing Sweet Rice, Mung Beans, Dried Corn



Sweet Rice - rinse a few times, soak in water for an hour or overnight. Rinse and drain.

Dried White Corn -  rinse a few times, soak in water for an hour or overnight.

White Hominy -  if used, rinse and drain.

Mung Beans - rinse a few times, soak in water for an hour or overnight.  Rinse and drain.

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Cooking Dried Corn 

In a pot, add a tablespoon of salt, dried corn and water above the dried corn. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for at least 30 minutes or until corn is soft. Stir occasionally.  Add more water if needed.  The cooking time depends on how long you have soaked the dried corn.  Rinse it with cold water and drain.

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Steaming Mung Beans

Add mung bean in a steamer tray and steam it for about 10-15 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a bowl and smash it with a spoon. Set it aside.

Another way to cook mung beans is in a pot, add water about half an inch above the mung beans.  Bring to a boil.  Once it's boiling, pour some of the water out and leave just enough water at the same level of the mung beans.  Cover and simmer until cooked, stirring occasionally.

Once mung beans are cooked and cooled down, wrap rolls in plastic wrap. When serving sticky rice, slice mung bean into thin slices to add to the sticky rice as topping.

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Cooking Corn with Sweet Rice 

Mix cooked corn, sweet rice and a teaspoon of salt well together. Add water (1/2 of the pot) into the bottom of the steamer pot. Place the top steamer tray on top of the bottom pot. Pour the rice into the steamer tray. Make a small well in the center to create convection currents to help hot steam circulate. Cover it and steam on gentle, steady boiling water for about 15-20 minutes until the sticky rice and corn are soft and clear. Occasionally, fluff it well with a pair of chopsticks so that all the rice cooked evenly.

Sometimes, I combine all three ingredients - raw mung beans, sweet rice, and cooked dried corn together, then steam it.  It's less time-consuming, and yet still tastes wonderfully.  

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Frying Crispy Shallots

Slice shallots thinly.

Bring cooking oil to a medium heat. Once it's hot, add shallots and cook until shallots slightly turn brown. 

Turn off heat. Let shallots cook for a minute until shallot is golden brown. Don't wait for shallots to turn golden brown and turn off heat as the oil is still very hot and it will burn the shallots very quickly.  Set aside.

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Making Peanut Mixture

Toast sesame seeds on a skillet over medium low heat until golden. Do the same with peanuts. When both sesame seeds and peanuts have cooled down completely, put them in a ziploc bag and slightly crush them to release the nutty flavors. In a bowl, combine sugar, salt, crushed roasted sesame seeds and peanuts. Mix well.

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Presentation

Place sticky rice on a plate. Spread mung bean on top. Drizzle a generous amount of fried shallot and fried shallot oil. This oil from frying the shallot is full of flavor, so you don't want to toss it away. Then sprinkle a good amount of peanut mixture. Enjoy!

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Eat well.  Stay healthy.

Hến Xào Sả Ớt Nước Cốt Dừa (Clams in Spicy Lemongrass Coconut Sauce)

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Since clams are one of my husband's favorite seafood and they're fast and easy to prepare, I cook clams quite often when we have guests. It's a simple dish, but leaves an impressive complex flavor on your palate. As my guests entered into the kitchen, they are welcomed by a rich, sweet, buttery, herbal, zesty,  but hardy aroma. The lemongrass, fresh chili pepper, and lemon zest gives this dish a kick that's both earthy and aromatic. The sauce itself is absolutely delicious, and it pairs delightfully with some toasted French bread or ciabatta bread.   

It's so convenient that our local Costco carries fresh clams in a bag of about 5 lbs. Last couple weeks, they had cockles instead. Clams, cockles, mussels, halibut are wonderful seafood combination for this dish if you prefer variety and complexity in flavors.

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RECIPE: Clams in Spicy Lemongrass Coconut Sauce

printable recipe

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Ingredients

5-6 lbs clams 

3 shallots

1 head of garlic

2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed

1-2 red chili peppers

2 cups coconut milk

zest of 1 lemon 

fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce 

cilantro

olive oil

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DIRECTIONS

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Preparing Clams

Rub and wash clams a few times to remove dirt. Discard any clams with broken shell, strong odors, or those that don't try to close when tapped. These are likely dead and are unfit to eat.  If shells are open, tap them, and if they respond by closing their shells, they are alive and good to cook. Leave clams clean in a sink full of water.

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Preparing Ingredients

Shallots, garlic, lemongrass - finely mince

Lemon  - juice, make 1 tablespoon

Cilantro - chop, make about 1 cup

Lemon - zest

Red chili pepper - remove seeds and finely mince

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Cooking Clams

In a large pot set over medium heat, add oil, shallots, garlic, and lemongrass.  Cook until soft and fragrance is released.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce and clams.  Mix well.  Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, until the clams have opened.  Discard any clams that remain closed.  Turn off the heat.  Toss in lemon zest, lemon juice, chili pepper, and cilantro.  Mix well.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice or fish sauce if necessary.

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Presentation

Serve with an extra squeeze of lime if desired. Use some toast to soak up all the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Eat well.  Stay healthy.