main course – Page 7

bún riêu – vietnamese seafood noodle soup

Published on September 10, 2015February 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

lately i’ve been thinking a lot about
vietnamese food
specifically the foods i ate growing up.
it’s that weird, icky, emo
feeling,
akin to nostalgia,
an emotion that is so foreign,
and unwelcome,
to me
that i would like to punch it in the face.

instead, i think i will attempt to feed it
because starving is just not our thing.

bún riêu – vietnamese seafood noodle soup
loosely adapted from wandering chopsticks

*note: i seem to recall seeing snails in this dish growing up. that’s an ingredient that i cannot locally source and if i’m to be honest, it’s something that i like to consume when prepared by professionals. i’m not there yet to make it myself. instead, i made do with local maryland crab and csa tomatoes – hooray for in-season AND local. alas, the fish cakes were purchased frozen and already prepared. this is when dw will turn a blind eye, conceding that some things just cannot be helped.

this makes a lot. like, an ass clown amount. we’ve have it for leftovers for a week, and we shared this with cousins who recently welcomed a baby boy, leaving them with portions too.

i won’t post the full recipe, because ~~it’s fucking long~~ WC does a great job of writing it all out. below are my short cuts and methods that worked for me.

i used two 32 oz boxes of organic seafood stock. i wasn’t about to make crab stock. i did use shrimp shells though.
i purchased backfin crab meat from whole foods, because lump meat would’ve been a waste of good meat and money.
i did not use canned tomatoes, instead, we’ve been drowning in csa tomatoes and so i diced up 15oz worth of tomatoes and rough chunked 4 big tomatoes.
spare ribs were also purchased at whole foods, and i think may have been dw’s favorite part of the dish.
i added two extra eggs to the rieu, because i like it extra eggy. i did not bother with keeping it whole, i just free formed balls with spoons and dropped into the broth.
if you can’t get your hands on banana blossom, shredded cabbage is fine.

last, this dish was just ok on the first day, in fact, i was a little disappointed. but the following days were so much better.

BAM!

1 year ago: quinoa sushi rolls
2 years ago: blueberry breakfast cookies

other vietnamese goodness:
homemade bánh cướn chay
vietnamese bò kho – beef stew
phở gà
tôm rang muối – vietnamese salt & pepper shrimp
vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl – bun thit ga nuong
chả trứng thịt hấp – vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf

chả trứng thịt hấp – vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf

Published on September 2, 2015September 9, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

by all counts we’ve had a good summer:
vacation
nephews!
on a national level: one love
the heat this week has made us turn on the AC uh-gain
and made me secretly relieved for the inevitable return of autumn
which means i will be forced to hit the kitchen
and cook again
taking advantage of the bay’s haul
i grabbed a half pound container of crab
and made something comforting
something so easy
something that’ll ease me back into the comforting rhythms of the kitchen

chả trứng thịt hấp – vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf
*note: the way my dad sent me the recipe it was all a bunch of words with guesses on measurements. i’ve made this a few times and the measurements below are what i generally stick with. i use 5 ramekins (like, individual creme brulee dishes) and 1 double sized ramekin, as shown in the picture, so the steam time is slightly abbreviated and done in batches. using a bamboo steamer is ideal but i use a steamer insert in a regular big pot, which works perfectly for me. alternatively, you can do it bain marie style in the oven, 350F for same amount of time, just make sure you cover with foil.

1 lb lean ground pork
8 oz crab meat, i bought from Whole Foods, but in a typical vietnamese household they use canned with liquid drained & discarded
1-2 cups worth of vermicelli noodles that’s been softened by submerging it in hot water for 15 minutes, rough chopped
2 good sized pieces of black fungi, submerged in hot water and then julienned
3 stalks of scallions/green onions, diced
4 eggs, reserving 2 yolks
3 TBL fish sauce, we use red boat
2 TBL sugar

in a mixing bowl, mix the ground pork, eggs, fungi, vermicelli noodles, fish sauce and sugar. seriously it’s like meatloaf, don’t over do it but make sure everything is well incorporated.
gently fold in the crab meat. don’t break the lumps up tooooooo much, but you want it to be nice mash up.
in a heat proof bowl or dish, smear a smidge of oil along the bottom and along the sides.
put the meat mixture into the prepared bowl or dish and steam for about 20-25 minutes.
top with scattered chili and spread a layer over the surface of the bowl or dish and steam for an additional 2-3 minutes.

(this is just for looks) serve with white rice and cukes, or between bread, sandwich style…
BAM!

one year ago: spiced poach pears
two years ago: meyer lemon bars

pulled pork taco

Published on June 16, 2015June 25, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

tacos are having a moment in our lives right now
(and it’s not just because i’m featuring a recipe today)
it’s an easy meal to put together
each person gets to choose what goes in and doesn’t
it’s a meal that can repeat
but doesn’t feel repetitious
due to the change in seasonal staples:
shredded cabbage or leafy kale or spicy arugula?
crunchy radish or cooling cukes?
fatty cheese or luxurious avocado?
ALL OF IT!

lime spritz — SOOC shots. dw makes the best hand model

pulled pork
recipe for the preparation of the pork only. the filling/filler is entirely up to you!

*note: we buy our tortillas, chips and salsa at a local mexican restaurant. we purchase our pork from a local farmer, Farmer Steve, who used to do poultry and is now in the pork business.

*note: as stated before, how you stuff/top your tacos is up to you. i’ve seen fruit (think mango) salsa as a topper, you can add cheese (try queso fresco), do a cabbage slaw, but may i suggest stick to the season. whatever is fresh and new at your farmer’s stand is best. what we eat in our tacos in june is different from what our tacos look like in january.

1 bottle of ginger beer (this is flexible, we had a spare bottle in the fridge, beer would’ve been fine, or stock)
4-5 lb fresh ham roast (whatever hunk of pork you want to use), fat trimmed
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 onion rough chopped
3 TBL alton brown’s #19 taco potion

rub pork with the taco seasoning.

put the seasoned pork into the crock pot and fashion the onions and garlic cloves around it.

pour the bottle of ginger beer. (85% of the meat was covered)

cover, set on low and ignore for 4-6 hours.

shred the meat using two forks.

assemble your tacos to your heart’s content!

BAM!

1 year ago: intense strawberry + coconut ice cream and homemade almond waffles (gluten free)
2 yeas ago: crunchy celery salad

another taco version: lentils

seaweed sushi bites

Published on March 5, 2015March 4, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

in lieu of our staple winter soup/stew/chili this week
i made a finger food for our lunch
it was not warming
or even thoroughly filling
(though, it’s not like it left us starving after consumption)
it made me realize that
i apparently harbored some kind of
HOPE in my heart for spring,
seeing as how it’s MARCH.
but no.
the sky is still shitting.
you know what henry rollins said about hope:
“Hope is the last thing a person does before they are defeated.”
i’m pretty much defeated,
friends,
with this cold weather.

seaweed sushi bites
adapted & inspired by thirsty for tea
makes about 27 balls. i have a 1.5 TBL ice cream scoop, whereas bonnie used a 2 TBL cookie dough scoop

*note: bonnie has a great recipe write up so head there for detailed instructions. i just winged it and it worked out.
**note: i made this sunday night with the intent of it being our lunches for monday and tuesday. monday was fine, but by tuesday the rice had gotten hard and dried, despite being covered. so ideally, halve the recipe if you’re not able to eat right away or just be pigs and eat it all at once.
***note: i call these bites, when you wait for the last second like i do to have lunch you shove stuff in your mouth cus you’re hangry, no matter how big. if you’re a civilized person, it’s actually two bites.

2 cups of sushi rice, cooked according to package or machine instructions, and cooled slightly
2 TBL seasoned rice vinegar, i use the marukan brand
furikake: homemade mix of shredded seaweed, sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and salt

topping options:
thin sliced avocado
thin sliced cukes
smoked salmon

cook the sushi rice according to package or machine instructions. we’re a lazy folk and we rely on our rice maker to do the measuring and cooking for us. i know.

allow the rice to cool a smidge before drizzling with the seasoned rice vinegar. also sprinkle on the fuikake. gently mix through . (honestly, i wasn’t very gentle…just make sure the rice doesn’t break)

lay out a piece of plastic wrap. lay your sushi topping in the middle of the wrap.

wet your hands with a little bit of cold water. you may want to keep the ice cream scoop in the cold water too, it keeps the rice from sticking.

scoop out the rice and mold into balls. lay it on top of your topping that’s on the wrap. gather the plastic wrap around the ball tightly.

remove from plastic wrap and finish the rest.

garnish with a bit of the fuikake, for a kick.

serve immediately or as soon as possible, with soy sauce.

BAM!

other sushi option:
quinoa sushi rolls – vegan and gluten free

soy sauce egg noodle bowl

Published on February 19, 2015February 18, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

today is the first day of
the Year of the Sheep.
if that means nothing to you,
it just basically means
it’s the Lunar New Year.
these noodles are a symbol of
long life (hopefully).
may this year be a good one:
health
wealth
luck
happiness
happy new year friends!

soy sauce egg noodle bowl

*note: i didn’t include serving amount etc because that is at your discretion. the yaki soba noodles that i buy come already portioned out and normally dw + i can put away 3 portions. oink. or rather, baaaah. (that’s the sound of a sheep right???!)

4 medium-hard boiled eggs, peeled
3 TBL dark soy sauce
3 TBL thin soy sauce
1 TBL sugar
2 star anises
3 cloves
water

fresh yaki soba noodles
chinese broccoli, cut in thirds
hot chili oil, store bought or homemade
green scallions or chives, to garnish
fried shallots and garlic, to garnish, very optional (and not pictured)

soy sauce eggs:
prepare your eggs, or medium or hard boiled, peel. set aside.

this is the most unscientific way: in a pourable glass measuring cup add the soy sauces and add enough water to equal 1 cup. add to a small saucepan along with the sugar, star anises and cloves. bring to a gentle boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. remove from heat and cool to room temp.

using a tall jar that would fit the 4 eggs and submerge them fully in the soy sauce mix. ignore at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

noodle bowl prep:
halve the eggs

in a pot boil some water. loosen the noodles for less than a minute in the hot water. portion out. add a tablespoon or so of the egg soy sauce to fully coat the noodles. if you’re feeling fancy, add some of the hot chili oil and coat.

par-boil the chinese broccoli and portion out accordingly. top bowl with egg halves, garnish with chives or green scallions (and fried shallots and garlic, if using) and hot oil.

BAM!