Kale Shrimp Salad

Cut and mix all ingredients together with the citrus juices and chill over nite

• Shrimp
• Kale
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice

Topping

• Aged Parmanesan Cheese
• Cilantro
• Red Onion
• Green Onion
• season with salt,pepper, garlic powder

Hoành Thánh (Vietnamese Wonton Soup)

 DUMPLIN
wonton skins
ground pork
mushroom
onions, finely
garlic
ginger

soya sauce

cooking wine
sesame oil
salt and pepper

BROTH
Chicken Broth
mushroom, carrots, celery, brocoli, cauliflower...

Bring the Broth boil, then add vegatables and let slow boil.
Add ginger, green onions

Mix ground pork, mushroom, onions, garlic, soya sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, salt and pepper
Place center a teaspoon of filling on wonton wrapper.

Fold the wonton into a pouch. Be sure to gently press out any air pockets.

Bring water to a boil in a separate pot and place all wrapped wontons in water till cooked. Drain and place in cold water to cool. This prevents sticking and overcooking

Serve wontons in broth soup.

Bánh Tét/ Chưng

5 cups long-grain sticky rice

1 14-ounce cans of coconut juice
1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

2 2/3 cup dried, hulled, and split yellow mung beans

1 1/4 pounds boneless pork chop (or pork butt), with some skin and fat

1 medium-sized onion, minced
3 tablespoons of sea salt

3 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

Night Before:

1. Soak the banana leaves, placing them in a large roasting pan and adding water to cover. Put a plate on top of the leaves to keep them submerged.

2. Cut the pork into pieces. Add the onion, fish sauce, pepper, and pork to a bowl and mix well. Let marinate overnight

3. Soak the rice in coconut juice and let it sit for a 1/2 hour. Then, cover it with three inches of water and let it sit overnight.

4. Place the mung beans in a bowl and rinse under cold water until the water is clear. Drain, then add enough cold water to cover beans by 1 inch. Let soak overnight.

The Morning:

5. Drain the mung beans. Fill the steamer bottom halfway with water. Bring to a rolling boil.  Put mung beans in the steamer tray and spread them out evenly. Place the tray in the steamer of boiling water and cover. Steam for about 8 minutes, or until the mung beans are tender. Remove the tray from the steamer bottom and set aside until the beans cool.

6. Process the beans in a food processor until it reaches a fluffy consistency. It should look like fine cornmeal but should hold together when you pinch a small bit between your fingers.

7. Drain the rice. Gradually mix in the salt, sprinkling it over the rice and using your hands to distribute it well.

8. Drain the banana leaves, rinse, and set aside.

Assemble and Boil the Cakes

9. Put a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on your work surface then Banana leaves, shiny side up and facing you. (This allows the green of the banana leaves to dye the rice while cooking).

10.  Layering the ingredients inside the leaf.

11. Add the prepared rice. Use the back of a large spoon to distribute the rice evenly. Then mung beans and pork.

Wrapping Bánh Chưng.

12. Repeat steps 9 through 11 for the remaining 4 cakes, then wrap the rolls tightly and securely fold in the sides.  Tie twine around the rolls to secure it from unwarapping.
Bánh Chưng before cooking.
13. Fill a 12-quart stockpot half full with water. Place the cakes in the pot. Add enough water to cover the cakes. To keep the cakes from floating, place a heavy ceramic plate on top to gently weigh down.  When the cakes no longer float (about 3 hours into cooking), remove the ceramic plates.

14. After the seven hours, transfer the cooked cakes to a pot of cold water.
Banh chung after cooking.
Serve the Cakes

15. unwrap and discard the bamboo leaves (but keep the banana leaves intact).

16.  Cut the cake into slices. Because a knife drags through the sticky rice and yanks out the prized morsels within, twine is best for cutting through the cake.

Thịt Kho Nước Dừa (Braised Pork in Coconut) and Dưa Giá (pickled bean sprouts)

2lbs pork belly or shoulder (cubed)
5 boiled and peeled eggs
5 cloves garlic minced

2 green onions minced

3 tbs fish sauce

4 tbs sugar

1 tbs coconut milk

coconut juice

bamboo shoots

salt to taste

Boil together coconut milk and sugar until golden brown; add garlic and onions give it a quick stir before adding pork and fish sauce. Lastly, add eggs and coconut juice. Simmer until pork tender add salt to taste. Add bamboo a few mins before serving.

Serve with fresh herbs and Dưa Giá (pickled bean sprouts).

2lbs bean sprouts

1 carrots

1 small bunch chives or green onions

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp salt

3 tbs sugar

¾ cup vinegar

Wash and drain bean sprouts. Cut carrots into thins strips, cut chives into 2 inch long pieces. Mix together bean sprouts carrots and chives with garlic, chilies, salt and sugar.

After mixing all ingredients together, add vinegar and toss well. Toss the sprouts every hour or two. The sprouts should wilted and ready within a few hours.

Canh Khổ Qua (Bittermelon Soup)

Ingredients:


2 Bitter Melon
1lb ground pork
1 small bundle cellophane noodles
fish sauce to taste
black pepper  to taste
cilantro
green onions


Wash bitter melon and cut in thirds, remove seeds. Soak and Cut cellophane noodles into short strands. Mix together noodles, pork, fish sauce, and pepper. Stuff filling into bitter melons pieces. Bring a pot to water to a boil, add bitter melon and fish sauce. Simmer until bitter melon is tender, add fish sauce to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro.
 The Vietnamese name for Bitter Melon is “Khổ Qua”. Khổ means “hardship” and Qua means “over”. Together Khổ Qua means “hardship is over” thus, Khổ Qua is always served during new years so that all of the hardship can be swallowed allowing one to expect an easy going year to come.

Cornish Hens

Cornish hens
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, quartered
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish


Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.

Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

1 small papaya, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs., or 1 lb. pre-shredded papaya
Thai basil
Vietnamese beef

For the dressing, you'll need:
1/4 cup soy sauce, or fish sauce if you prefer
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

1 tblsp sugar
2 tsp chili sauce

shredd green papaya, prepare that first and set aside in a bowl of salty water.

Prepare the dressing by mixing 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tblsp sugar, and 2 tsp chili sauce. Taste. Adjust if necessary but you want a slightly sweet sauce. Set aside.

Grill the beef jerky. Tear into small strips. Set aside.

Drain papaya into a colander and lightly press to remove excess moisture. Leave the papaya in the colander to continue draining while you prepare the Thai basil leaves. Remove the basil leaves from the stem. The leaves can remain whole or chiffonade if you wish.


In a bowl, add in the drained papaya and basil leaves. Give the dressing a quick stir and pour in about half of it. Toss. Taste. Add more dressing if necessary but you don't want it too wet.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate. Add the beef jerky strips on top.