Cuốn Diếp

Lettuce Roll

Bún Thang

Rice Vermicelli Soup with Assorted Toppings

2 lbs chicken bones
1 chicken half-breast
1 duck leg portion with thigh attaching
3 dried baby squids
2 eggs
2 salted eggs, hard boiled
4 ounces Vietnamese lean pork sausage (giò lụa), julienned
1/2 lb head-on shrimp
1 cup Vietnamese corriander leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup Vietnamese pickled daikon (dưa món, củ cải dầm)
few drops of belostomatid essence (dầu cà cuống)
10 oz fine rice vermicelli
2.5 quarts cold water
1/2 T vegetable oil
3 T fish sauce
salt,sugar, pepper to taste

Beat together the eggs, 1/4 t fish sauce, 1 T water, pepper to taste in a bowl. Add oil into a non-stick omelet pan over medium high heat until hot. Pour in half of the egg mixture and tilt the pan to spread evenly over the bottom. Cook until the egg set, about 30 seconds, turn and cook on the other side for another 15 seconds. Remove the egg pancake to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining egg mixture. Allow to cool and cut into thin strips.

Shell and devein the shrimps but leave the butter (viscera). Pan fry over medium heat with some salt and pepper until cooked, about 3 minutes. Pound the cooked shrimp until flossed. Pan dry a little more over low heat, the shrimp floss will be nice and fluff.

Put chicken bones + dried baby squids+ duck + chicken breast into a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off foam. Lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken breast. Set aside. Simmer for 5 more minutes, remove the duck meat. Set aside. Continue to simmer the broth for another hour. Discard the bones and squids, strain broth if you wish, add salt, sugar and fish sauce to taste.

Shred the chicken breast by hand.
Slice the duck meat into thin strips.
Cut hard boiled salted eggs into 1/2-inch slices crosswise.

Put rice vermicelli in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for 2 more minutes. Rinse over water.

Place noodle in a bowl, top with lean pork sausage, egg strip, chicken, duck, shrimp and salted egg. Sprinkle some Vietnamese coriander leaves on top. Ladle the hot broth over, drop some belostomatid essence, ground some black pepper. Serve with some daikon radish pickle on the side.

Bóng

Assorted Vegetable Soup with Pork Rind


2 carrots, sliced
1 chayote, cubed
1/2 head cauliflower, cubed
1 cup snow peas, trimmed ends
12 small shiitake mushrooms, soaked and stemmed
1/2 lb pork paste
1/2 oz pork rind
6 cups home made chicken stock
10 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
ginger and cooking wine
fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste

Soak pork rind in warm water+ white wine + ginger until soft, wash thoroughly, cut into 1/2-inch squares.

Squeeze off any excessive water and stuff the mushroom with pork paste. Cover and microwave for 1 minute.

Bring chicken stock to boil, add pork rinds and stuffed mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.

Add vegetables and cook for few more minutes, add fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro and fresh grounded pepper when served.

Giò Thủ

Hog's Head Cheese





2 pork's ears
1 pork's snout
1 pork's tongue
2 wood ear mushrooms, julianed
1/4 cup shiitake mushroom, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1/2 T whole pepper
1 T vegetable oil
fish sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Chân Giò Ninh Măng

Pork Hock and Dried Bamboo Shoot Stew



1 lb pork hock (or trotter)
4 ounces dried bamboo shoot
10 Wood Ear Mushrooms
1 T crisp-fried shallot
5 stalks green onion
1 can chicken broth (10-12 ounces)
fish sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Clean and cut pork hocks into bite pieces.

Soak dried bamboo shoot overnight in warm water, remove wooden ends and cut into 3-inches length.

Boil the bamboo shoot in water for 3-4 times (change new water each time). Leave bamboo shoot in water until put in the stew.

Quarter the green onion's white heads and thinly slice the green.

Add pork hocks and water in a medium pot and bring to boil. Drain and wash the hocks one more time. Put the hocks back in the pot, cover with water and simmer for an hour. Add chicken broth, cooked bamboo shoot and simmer until they're all nice and soft. Add salt, fish sauce, pepper to taste. Add mushroom, crisp-fried shallot and turn heat to medium for 3 more minutes. Top with green onion when served.

Thịt Đông

Pork's Trotter Cheese


It's usually made around Tet (New Year Festival) when the weather is cold, back then we didn't have refrigerator so the weather would help the mixture set.

1 lb pork's trotter or ham hock(fresh)
6 wooden ear mushrooms
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Place trotter in a medium pot cover with water.(*) Bring to full boil then reduce heat to slow simmer. Skim off scum and keep adding boil water to keep meat covered. Cook until fork penetrates easily.
(*)Soak wooden ear mushroom in warm water for 30 minutes then put in the meat pot to cook for couple minutes, remove.
When the trotter's skin is nicely soft, place the trotter on dish to cool off, strain the stock to another pot, set aside. Remove all bones and fat, dice meat and skin to the strained stock bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Make sure the amount of stock is equal to the amount of meat. Add fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Place each wooden ear mushroom in 6 small bowls, laddle the mixture on top, saran wrap and refrigerate until served. Slightly press on the mold, it will loose off easily.