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Vietnamese Recipes

Vietnamese Style grilled pork

Aug 18th, 2008
by dave.
1 comment

One of my fixations at any of the local Vietnamese restaurants (besides Pho) is the marinated grilled pork over rice. I don’t know what’s in the marinade (well, I sort of do now) but it just was that tasty with rice and a small salad! So one day, I was able to convince a friend of mine to show me the way her mother cooks the pork chops, homestyle! And wow, the food did not disappoint!!!

As with a lot of Southeastern Asian cuisine, fish sauce is a staple. The pork is marinated along with some sugar and honey to diffuse the saltiness. Add that to some stir-fried scallions and some other veggies and you’ve got a nice meal (plus leftovers!)

This dish is also meant to be grilled but a frying pan would have to work this time.

The recipe can be halved to make slightly less

Vietnamese Style Grilled Pork

Serves 6-7 with rice and vegetables
Ingredients
2 lbs pork chops (12-14 thin sliced pork chops)
6-7 stalks scallions, chopped (whites separated, green for garnish)

Marinade
Sprinkle of kosher salt
2 tbsp black pepper
5 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1-2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup water (or stock)
white parts of the scallions
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Method
1. Marinate the pork for at least 20 minutes
2. Heat the frying pan over medium heat. Add a little oil, cook some of the pork with some of the juice.
3. When pork is close to finished, bring the heat to high to evaporate the juice and caramelize the shallots. Rub the pork in the reduced sauce to get a singed look to the pork.
4. Repeat 2-3 for as many batches as necessary.
5. In a small frying pan, heat some oil and saute the green parts of the scallions for a minute to garnish the pork.

Mini Potluck Weekend Cooking

Feb 24th, 2008
by dave.
1 comment

I don’t think I’ve had a lazier weekend yet this year. Spent roughly 14 hours of both days sleeping but I feel great because of it. Must’ve needed it.

Anyway, ended up going to Super 88 (no pics, boo!) with Linh to grab lunch and groceries and she put forth an idea that we could do a mini-potluck and invite a couple other friends. So Jason and Zac ended up over for dinner and some hearty Rock Band.

I’ve never noticed this in the Asian grocery stores but the meats are soooooo much cheaper than in the regular grocery stores. I mean, the quality (Not too sure on that word anyway based on some of the news that’s been coming out of the meat industry) doesn’t seem all that different and you get better cuts, not to mention all the special bits you’d never find at a Stop & Shop :)

And Super 88 has such awesome lunch selections. Stuffed myself with some Crispy Basil Chicken from Wisteria and a Japche Tukboki from Misono Wok. Forgot to pick up a Vietnamese Sandwich but I doubt I needed it at that point.

So I’ve actually got two recipes today, one courtesy of Linh. Pictures are at the end.

Thit Kho (Vietnamese Pork Stew)

Ingredients
1 lb Pork (Sliced, any type you want)
1/4 Medium Yellow Onion
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Crushed Black Pepper
2 tbsp Caramelized sugar
2-3 tbsp Fish Sauce

Method
1. Throw all of the ingredients into a stew pot, mix together well
2. Add water to the same level as the pork
3. Cook on high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer on medium for 20 minutes
5. Taste frequently (add more seasoning if needed), should be a salty sauce with sweet pork.

Thai Chicken with Basil – Kao Pad Krapao

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thai chili peppers (Bird chillies)
8 – 16 oz Chicken Breasts/Thighs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1/3 cup thai basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Optional:
1 small red bell pepper
1 small yellow onion
Cold cooked rice (for a fried rice-like meal)

Method
1. In a wok or large frying pan, add oil and stir-fry the garlic under medium-high heat.
2. When the garlic sizzles and turns golden, add chillies and chicken.
3. When the chicken is lightly browned, add the vegetables (probably after about a minute)
4. Mix in the sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and rice (optional).
5. Add shallots, basil leaves and cilantro. Cook about another minute or so, then serve.

Here’s the picture. The Thit Kho is on the left, and the Basil Chicken on the bottom right. Linh made some string beans as well to add a little healthiness to the whole meal. I ended up using too much chili peppers and Jason wasn’t able to handle it too well. But it still was tasty! :)

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