savorynotes

[savorynotes]

Vietnamese Staples and Dipping Sauces

Prepared fish sauce (nước chấm)

This sauce is the sauce in Vietnamese food. Countless dishes use this sauce either to dip or to pour over the dish. Nước chấm is the quintessential Southeast Asian sauce in that it hinges on balancing salty (fish sauce), sour (lime juice), sweet (sugar), and spicy (chile peppers/garlic).

Ingredients: 1 Tb fish sauce 1 Tb lime juice 1 Tb sugar 1 tsp garlic chili sauce (or more) or minced bird chile 1 garlic clove minced, optional water to taste

For some dishes, some people like to put very thin strips of carrot and daikon radish in the sauce. Looks pretty and also adds some crunch when you use it.

Directions: Mix to combine. I usually mix all the ingredients except for water, then add enough water to make 1 cup. You can then taste and add more of any one ingredient to adjust the balance to your taste or to better match the food the sauce is being served with.

The color of the sauce will be a light amber, a little more orange if using the prepared garlic chili sauce.

~~~~~~~~~~

Prepared hoisin sauce/peanut sauce

There are many variations of this sauce, with the base flavor being hoisin sauce. It is used for dipping rice paper rolls.

Ingredients: 3 Tb water 1 Tb peanut butter 1-2 Tb hoison sauce 1 tsp cornstarch in 1 Tb water Ground peanuts Garlic chili sauce to taste

Directions: Combine water, peanut butter and hoisin sauce and bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thick. Serve topped with chopped chili and peanuts. Instead of thickening with cornstarch, you can also try thickening with applesauce, which gives a nice bit of fruitiness to the peanut sauce. This is how I prefer it. You can add a bit of sugar to taste too. For a quick sauce, sometimes I just mix equal parts hoisin sauce and applesauce.

~~~~~~~~~~

Pickled carrot and daikon radish (Đồ chua)

This condiment is served with a variety of Vietnamese dishes, particularly grilled meats. It keeps well in the fridge for several weeks so is handy to keep around to throw together a quick Vietnamese-inspired meal.

Ingredients: 1 - 1.5 cups carrot, julienned 1 - 1.5 cups Daikon radish, julienned 2 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 1 cup vinegar 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar

Directions: 1. Toss the vegetables with the 2 tsp of salt and sugar. Let it sit in a colander for 30-60 minutes for the liquid to drip out. Rinse the vegetables, then press gently to squeeze out excess water.

2. Mix together the 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.

3. Place vegetables in a jar or your desired vessel and fill with the solution. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before eating but at least two hours is ideal. Once you make your first batch, you can decide if you like it sweeter or more sour and adjust the vinegar and sugar accordingly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Scallion oil (Mở hằnh)

This garnish is very simple but adds a really great flavor and richness to a number of Vietnamese dishes.

Ingredients: 1/2 - 1 cup scallions, sliced 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola

Heat the oil until it is very hot, take off heat, and stir in the scallions. It will sizzle a lot and settle down, and the onions should be a vibrant green. Keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, just bringing back to room temperature when using.

[savorynotes]

Vietnamese Braise in Caramel Sauce (Thịt kho)

Basically you cook down sugar until it's nice and dark which gives a rich, deep flavor to the sauce. Pork and fish are most commonly used. For fish, my family likes salmon though catfish is traditional and what you usually find in restaurants. Pork belly is traditional for Vietnamese New Year though it is very fatty.

Thịt kho - generally refers to chunks of pork Cá kho - fish Thịt băm - ground pork version

Ingredients: -2-4 Tb sugar -1 lb pork belly or side pork, or Boston butt, cut into 1 inch cubes. For everyday home cooking ground pork can also be used though it turns out pretty salty.. which is the point because then you can fill up on rice which is cheap. Plain sliced cucumber is good on the side for the ground pork. Or 1 lb fish.. steaks work better in a braise but I use filet too if that's what's on sale. -1/4 cup fish sauce -2-4 garlic cloves, slivered -1-2 shallots slivered (or red onion or even regular onion if that's what you've got) -1-2 Tb peeled, slivered fresh ginger -1 cup fresh or frozen coconut water (not coconut milk, you want the coconut juice) or water or stock -2-4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled.. you can leave them whole or cut them in half or quarters, optional and used in the versions with the larger chunks of pork

1. Marinate the pork with garlic, shallot, ginger, and fish sauce. You can actually use any combo of garlic, shallot, and ginger depending on what you have on hand. If you're in a hurry, just let it sit for 10 minutes, if you have the time or were able to start this earlier you can leave this in the fridge for a few hours.

2. When it's cooking time, caramelize the sugar with a bit of water on medium to med-high until it's a nice deep brown. You don't need water since it evaporates anyway before the sugar caramelizes, I just add a bit so that the sugar heats up a bit more evenly. It will start to bubble, then the bubbles will look bigger, than it'll start to get amber in color. Let it get to a dark brown and it will look like molasses. Do not let it burn or the flavor will be off. If you cook with caramel sauce often, you can make a big batch. Then when it's done, stir in some water, maybe about 1/2 of the amount of sugar you used and stir until the caramel redissolves in the water (this is basically so that the sauce is pourable). Pour in a glass jar and then let cool. You can keep it at room temp pretty much indefinitely.

3. Drain the fish sauce from the marinated meat into the pot, stirring. It will sizzle and bubble. Add the coconut water or other liquid, then add the meat. It should barely or almost cover the meat, you can add more liquid if necessary. If using ground pork you won't need to add much liquid.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the eggs if using and cover. Let everything simmer for 30-45 minutes, more or less depending on what meat you use.

5. Remove the cover and continue simmering until the liquid reduces to about a third way or half or so. Add some sliced bird chiles if you want some spiciness.

6. Serve with rice. For the egg/pork version, I love mashing the egg and sauce into the rice.

[savorynotes]

Tomato and tofu soup (Canh cà chua đậu hũ)

This soup is one of the common simple soups ("canh") that are served with Vietnamese meals. These soups are typically very simply flavored and are more vegetable than meat focused since meat is usually already served in a separate dish. This particularly soup has tofu and tomato. In Vietnam tofu is rarely pressed before cooking, the texture and taste of the tofu itself, while subtle, is appreciated for itself. Good quality tofu from an Asian market will taste better in these applications. A small amount of meat may be used to add flavor to the broth.

1 tsp. oil 1-2 oz. ground pork, little strips of pork, neck bones, or whatever you have on hand (optional) 1/2 cup onion sliced 2 cups chicken broth 6-10 oz firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes 2 tomatos sliced into wedges Green onion and cilantro chopped Fish sauce and salt to taste Pepper

1. Heat a little oil in your pot.

2. Saute a bit of the pork with sliced onions with pepper and salt until fragrant.

3. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and skim bubbles.

4. Add cubes of tofu and sliced tomato and bring back to a simmer. Add fish sauce to taste or just salt or soy sauce, but fish sauce will give the best flavor. Let simmer 10 minutes or until the tomato is as cooked as you like.

5. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro--plenty of it, you want to mix it into the soup. Crack on some more pepper. Serve over steamed rice.

When I'm lazy, sometimes I'll cook just this soup to eat with rice but it works better as one dish among one or two more in a family style meal, especially with some sort of meat dish that is more strongly flavored and salty. I like to start with just a little rice in my bowl and eat it with some of the meat dish alone, then spoon in some soup and eat just soup and rice, then get a little more rice and eat them both together. This time around I had the soup and caramelized ground pork.

[savorynotes]

Turmeric and dill fish (Chả cá thăng long/Chả cá Hà Nội)

This dish is a specialty of Hanoi. Dill is not used in most of Vietnam and I actually am drawing blank for any other dishes that use it.

Marinade: 1 tsp fish sauce or shrimp paste 2 Tb yogurt (my mom told me that some sort of fermented rice porridge is what is supposed to be used but it often can't be found here so yogurt is used) 4 Tb oil 2 tsp turmeric 1 Tb kosher salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp sugar 4-6 cloves garlic 3 Tb minced galangal or ginger

Fish: 2 lb white fish fillets 2-4 cups of sliced onion (depending how much onion you like): can use mixture of what you like/what you have, e.g. white onion, red onion, green onion (if green onion, cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces) 2-3 cups fresh dill, large stems removed, coarsley chopped 6 Tb - 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed

Accompaniments: rice noodles (vermicelli) black sesame rice cracker (it looks like rice paper with sesame seeds embedded and is sold in the same aisle of your Asian market

Fresh veg platter: lettuce, basil, Vietnamese balm, perilla

Shrimp Sauce: 2 Tb shrimp paste (Mắm tôm/Mắm ruóc) 1/4 cup lime juice 1 tsp sugar 1/4-1/2 cup water 1 clove garlic, minced fresh chiles, crushed

Shrimp paste is rather pungent and it is pretty strong in this sauce. Some people may mix it with less shrimp paste but I love the flavor. You can serve prepared fish sauce with this dish if you don't care for the shrimp sauce.

1. Marinate fish for 15-30 minutes. 2. Boil noodles, drain, and cool to room temperature. 3. Toast rice crackers at 400 F until it puffs up and blisters, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to burn, do not let it get any more than pale golden in color! 4. Wash and dry the veg platter. 5. Mix together all the ingredients of the shrimp sauce. 6. In a little bit of oil over medium heat, saute the onion until softened but still retaining some crunch. Do not saute the green onion at this point. 7. Meanwhile, grill the fish until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. If you just want to use one pan, set aside the onion, add more oil and pan fry the fish. 8. Place fish on serving platter, turn the heat to medium high, and add back in the onion and the green onion if using. Add the dill and peanuts, and stir-fry for just 30 seconds or so. Top the fish with the onion/dill mixture. 9. Serve with rice noodles, vegetables and herbs, and sauce. The crackers are eaten alongside for a crunchy element. The dish is typically served family style with everyone taking what fish and accompaniments they want. Cooking just for two, I just put everything in a bowl, rice noodle bowl style.

Variations: Dusting the fish in rice flour or regular flour before frying.. use more oil for frying.

[savorynotes]

Stir-fried lemongrass beef noodle bowl (Bún bò xào)

This stir-fried beef dish is usually eaten in Vietnamese rice noodle bowls though you could certainly eat it with rice, in a sandwich, or in a salad.

Ingredients: -1 lb thin slices of beef, cut across the grain -2 Tb minced fresh lemongrass -4-6 cloves minced garlic -3 Tb fish sauce -1 Tb sugar -minced chile peppers or sambal to taste -black pepper to taste -1-1.5 cups sliced onion -canola/vegetable/peanut oil

Directions:

1. Mix together the beef, lemongrass, half the garlic, 2 Tb fish sauce, sugar, chile, 1-2 Tb oil, bunch of black pepper and let sit for 15-30 minutes.

2. Heat up some oil until it's pretty hot and add the onion, stirring frequently until softened and starting to brown. Add the remaining garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Set the onion mixture aside.

3. Add some more oil, heat it up to high, and fry the beef in batches, depending on how big your pan is. You want to fry just enough at a time so that the beef browns nicely and cooks in just a minute or so.

4. After all the beef is cooked, toss the beef and the onions back in the pan briefly to reheat and add in the other 1 Tb fish sauce or a little more, to taste. The dish is a little saucy but there won't be a whole lot which is why you add prepared fish sauce to the noodle bowl.

[savorynotes]

Vietnamese grilled meat (Thịt nướng)

Grilled meats are used in a number of Vietnamese dishes that are simply variations around the same theme. There is no standard sauce though it usually involves fish sauce, sugar, and lemongrass. I like to use some oyster sauce but really this is something you tailor to your tastes.

Marinade ingredients: 2 parts oyster sauce 1 part fish sauce 2-4 parts minced lemongrass (I like a lot) 1 part sugar (or caramelized sugar) Garlic chili paste to taste

You can use this mixture on pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. And perhaps other proteins, but that's what I typically use. You can use smaller cuts and put them on skewers for grilling or even stir-fry them if you don't want to break out the grill. In restaurants when they just have "thịt nướng" on the menu it usually means pork (thịt means meat). Sườn nướng is specifically a pork chop. Just marinate whatever protein you are using and grill, pan-fry, or broil.

~~~~~~~~~~

Vietnamese grilled pork chop with rice (Cơm sườn nướng)

The first major variation of the grilled meat is the rice dish. Just assemble on a plate:

-Rice. You can use regular rice or use broken rice (cơm tấm). Broken rice is just what it sounds like, grains that were broken during processing. It gives a bit of different texture to the dish. -Grilled pork (or other protein if you wish) -Raw vegetables of your choice, at least sliced cucumber, maybe lettuce and tomato -Pickled carrot and daikon radish (see OP) -Chả trứng (Sort of like a frittata, see below) -Bì (Thinly shredded pork and pork skin tossed with ground roasted rice, see below) -Drizzle with scallion oil (see OP) -Serve with prepared fish sauce (see OP) -If desired also serve with a small bowl of broth (canh). Just a rich chicken broth with some chopped scallions would do

That line-up is what you might call "the works." You do not need every element to make this dish.

~~~~~~~~~~

Vietnamese rice noodle bowl (Bun thịt nướng)

The second common way grilled meats are eaten are with rice noodles. There are even variations of rice noodles but we'll start with the standard rice noodle bowl. To assemble, layer in a bowl starting from the bottom:

-Salad mix, any combination of: lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, herbs (basil and mint are most common, Vietnamese balm or perilla may also be used for a twist) -Boiled rice noodles that have been cooled to room temperature -Grilled meat -Drizzle meat and noodles with scallion oil -Pickled carrot and daikon radish -Sprinkle with ground peanuts -Serve with prepared fish sauce: pour a generous amount into the bowl and mix everything up

~~~~~~~~~~

Rice paper rolls/Summer rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

The last variation uses the same ingredients from the rice noodle bowl wrapped up in rice paper. Rice paper is sold as dry sheets and come in a few different shapes and sizes. The round paper about 8 inches in diameter is what you're looking for.

To use the rice paper, just wet it and wait for it to soften. I like to fill a pie plate with warm water and submerge the rice paper. Do not be impatient and soak the rice paper in water or it will become too soft and break easily. Just a quick dip for a few seconds and a couple minutes of waiting should be good. Just be sure you wet the entire surface of the rice paper or you might get a few brittle edges. In the following picture you can see how it is more translucent when wet and will look a bit wrinkly when it's soft. Do not stack them on top of each other unless you know what you are doing, they will stick! Once you have a better idea of how much water exposure is needed to soften the rice papers you can try just dipping one surface in water and both sides of just the edge and then stack the papers in a staggered manner with wet surface to dry surface. Then you should be able to carefully peel them off each other.

You can go ahead and start filling the roll before the paper softens completely. By the time you are ready to roll, it should be soft. Again, the filling is pretty much the same elements as found in the rice noodle bowl:

-Protein. Place this down first so that it is on the outside. Since the rice papers are translucent you can see what is inside. Shrimp make for particularly attractive rolls because of the color. The classic gỏi cuốn contains steamed/poached shrimp and pork. You can use grilled meats for a bit more flavor. Bì, the pork and pork skin in roasted rice powder, makes a great roll filling. -Bit of lettuce and some herbs, usually basil or mint. The classic gỏi cuốn contains garlic chive as the herb. The chive is cut so it is just a bit longer in length than the roll so that it sticks out. -Some sort of crunch, often cucumber, sometimes bean sprouts. You can even put some carrot and daikon pickle if you like that. -Boiled rice noodles

Do not fill your roll too much or it will break when you roll it. Use a generous amount of noodles. Since they are soft and pliable, they will compress when you roll, allowing the roll to be firm and have some structure.

To roll, just start from the bottom, like a burrito, rolling tightly. Fold the sides in once you've rolled up to the center and then finish rolling all the way.

Make sure the rolls are as tight as possible so that the rice noodles are compressed and the roll is firm. When you pick one up it should hold its shape well and not flop over, so that you can dip it and eat. Having enough rice noodles in the roll helps ensure that after you bite into it, the filling still stays intact enough to continue dipping and eating.

Serve with prepared fish sauce and/or hoisin dipping sauce.

Rice paper rolls are a pretty fun communal food. Put out a big spread and enjoy wrapping different combinations with friends.

[savorynotes]

Gỏi Gà - Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Make some vinegar onions (which is a condiment that's also great in pho)

-Thinly slice half a medium onion -Put in bowl, sprinkle on a bit of sugar, and cover with white vinegar -Let sit for at least 30 minutes

Mix dressing, which is the standard fish sauce dipping sauce but undiluted with water:

-1 Tb fish sauce -1 Tb sugar -1 Tb lime juice -1 clove garlic minced -chile paste or chopped fresh chiles to taste

Toss together and let sit 20-30 minutes:

-1 lb shredded cabbage -1 carrot, julienned -handful of Vietnamese basil, chiffonade (or Vietnamese coriander which gives a different flavor to the salad) -shredded cooked chicken (as much or little as you like, I think I used a pound of broiled chicken breast here) -drained onions -dressing -1 tsp of the vinegar from the onions or to taste

The additional vinegar is optional, I like a bit more tartness in the salad. You could also just use more lime juice in the dressing instead.

[savorynotes]

Chicken Curry (Cà ri gà)

This dish is a common everyday dinner in Vietnamese homes. This curry is more like a thin stew, filled with root vegetables and served with crusty bread to dip in the broth. Dipping the bread in the curry broth is my favorite part so I tend to make mine with a lot of broth.

Ingredients:

a whole chicken or 2-3 lb chicken (whatever cuts you like), cut into large chunks 2-3 Tb curry powder to start.. I usually add more salt black pepper 1-2 tsp sugar 2-3 lb potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes (sweet and/or regular) oil 1 large onion, cut into wedges 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 3-4 Tb minced lemongrass 2-4 cups chicken stock if not using a whole chicken 2-4 Tb fish sauce 1-2 carrots, cut in 2-inch chunks 2 cups (or just use a can) coconut milk

Directions:

1. If using a whole chicken, break down the chicken into the legs, thighs cut in half, wings, and chicken breast cut into thirds. Also cut off the wing tips. Simmer the carcass in water for 2-3 hours to make a simple stock. You can also simmer it in a mixture of water and chicken stock if you don't have time to get enough chicken flavor into the broth or if your carcass is small. Reduce to the 2-4 cups of stock needed.

2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and sugar. You can coat with a bit of the curry powder as well. Let sit while you brown your potatoes.

3. Heat some oil in a pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium high heat and brown the potatoes. Set the potatoes aside.

4. Pour out any excess oil, leaving enough to brown the chicken. Brown the chicken, in batches if needed. Set the chicken aside.

5. Turn the heat up and add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and lemongrass, and the rest of the curry powder stirring until fragrant.

6. Add a half cup of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom to get those good brown bits.

7. Add in the rest of the stock, the fish sauce, and add back in the chicken and potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. The amount of stock to use depends on how much broth you like in your curry.

8. Taste to see if you need more curry powder or salt/fish sauce. I like a lot of liquid in my curry so I end up using a lot of curry powder and some more fish sauce. I usually add some cayenne or drop in a few bird chiles for more heat too.

9. Add the coconut milk, bring back to a simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

10. Serve with warm, crusty bread. Less frequently it is eaten over rice like a "canh."

[savorynotes]

Sangria

1 bottle red wine (Dry, not expensive) 1 cup cognac 1 cup gin (I like to use bombay sapphire) 1 cup super fine sugar (regular works if you don't have it) 1-3 cinnamon sticks 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 lemon 1 orange

Preparation Combine the wine, gin, cognac and 1 cup sugar in pitcher and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cut the peel, including the white pith, off of the lemon and orange and cut out the individual sections of fruit. Dice into small pieces. (Make supremes of the citrus.)

Stir the diced fruit, fruit juices, and cinnamon sticks into the wine mixture.

Make it a few hours in advance and let it sit and steep in the fridge. The cinnamon flavor will get in there, and the heat from the liquor will mellow. It is potent stuff, and if you want to slow down the drunk, you can pour it with some white soda or club soda in individual glasses. Serve over ice. You can also be creative and add additional fruit of your choosing. Lime, mango and pineapple are also super tasty.

[savorynotes]

Caldo Tlalpeño

- 1 lime per serving - 2 cloves of garlic, chopped - 3 roma tomatoes, chopped - 1/4 white onion, chopped - 1 haas avocado, ripe - 1/2 cup of chickpeas - 1 chicken breast, preferably w/bone - 1 sprig of epazote, you can substitute for about 1 tablespoon of dried epazote - 1 small oaxaca cheese ball (white, string cheese) - 2 carrots, string beans - 1 small can of chipotles in adobo

salt, pepper, and some oil.

Leave the chickpeas in water overnight or when you leave for work. Cook in a pot with water until they are soft but have not turned to mush 1 to 2 hours. You could also use a pressure cooker and they are ready in 30 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

Cut the carrots in manageable pieces, I do half circles, some places use quarter circles, I prefer the soup a bit rustic. Set aside.

Boil the chicken breast and cook for about 30 minutes, add the epazote and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes.

Take out the chicken breast and let it cool a bit.

Sweat the garlic and onion with some oil for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato and cook for another 5 minutes. Let it cool, then blend.

Proceed to shred the chicken breast.

Add the pureed mixture, chicken, chickpeas, and 2 whole chipotle peppers back into the water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Season with salt to taste.

For serving:

Cut some oaxaca cheese into little squares. I do about 2 tablespoons for 1 bowl. Cut some avocado into little squares. I do a quarter or half per bowl, love this shit.

Cut a lime or two for easy squeezin'.

I put the cheese in the bowl, add the soup, add the avocado, and squeeze the lime to taste as I eat. You can get a small plate with chipotle in adobo puree that you can add for an extra kick.

[savorynotes]

Birria Tapatia

Lamb or mutton meat. Ribs, backloin, leg, chops and rump are great for this dish. 4 ancho chiles 6 guajillo chiles 5 morita chiles 8 cascabel chiles one beer, clear lager or sweet white wheat beer. Less hops, the better. 20 black peppercorns 8 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon of orégano 2 pounds of juicy tomatos shortening chopped onion (with stalk attached if possible).

open and devein all dry chiles. toast on dry pan at medium heat. grind or blend all chiles with the garlic, peppercorns, oregano, salt and some beer, to make a thick paste.

Rub the meats with kosher or sea salt, then marinade with the paste overnight. there are two options to cook the meat: baking or braising.

The most traditional way is to bake for about 6 hours at low heat, using a tray and catching the drippings to make the sauce. the meat is mopped with the remaining paste mixed with more beer and a bit of shortening.

you can braise the meat by wrapping it in agave leaves, or parchement paper, adding the paste, more beer and covering with a tight fitting lid. some people use a pressure cooker to reduce time. if braising by pot, cook for at least three hours. you can use masa to seal the lid seam, to avoid losing the juices. The meat needs to be soft enough to be pulled from the bone.

In any case, separate the drippings or cooking juices and strain. mix with the tomatos and maybe one bayleaf, and simmer at low heat until a thick sauce is produced. you can blend it for a smoother finish.

in deep dishes, or spread out bowls, add pieces of the meat, either shredded or in the bone, and add a ladle full of the birria. you can also add some cooked beans, or serve rice and refried beans in a separate dish as a side. garnish with chopped onions and lime wedges. don't forget the handmade tortillas.

A good salsa to go with this is called chile macho or also salsa de botella (bottled salsa). it is quite hot, but the flavor is a perfect match for the birria.

dry chile de arbol, puya or piquin peppers garlic cloves allspice berries coriander seeds bay leaf salt white or cider vinegar

mix 3 parts vinegar with 1 part water. add some salt and heat until it begins to boil. remove from heat and soak the chiles in the mix. Let soak for 10-15 minutes. Add the rest of the spices and let soak a bit more. put in blender and blend at high speed. Put the mash in a glass jar and let it age for a week or so. strain the salsa away from the mash and bottle in glass. keep in fridge and it will keep forever. This salsa also improves with age.

[savorynotes]

Chiles en Nogada

Here it is. Chiles en Nogada (stuffed chiles in Walnut Sauce) It is time consuming, the sauce may spontaneously spoil into curds, and some people cannot make the filling to save their life. But all the struggle is worth it at the end if it pulls through.

to make the chiles: 12 poblano chiles 4 eggs 1 tbsp of flour oil to fry

For the filling: 1 lb ground pork or beef 1 white onion 1 cup tomato puree 3 tsp olive oil 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup almonds 1/8 cup pinenuts 2 medium chunks of crystalized or candied cactus 2 fresh peaches 2 pears 2 jonagold apples 1 ripe plantain 1 candied orange peel salt and pepper to taste

For the Nogada (Walnut sauce): 1/3 pound of walnut meat, shelled (if you or someone eating is allergic to walnuts, you can use a 1:1 mix of pecans and macadamias) 1/4 lb crumbly goat cheese 1/2 cup port or sherry 16 oz milk

To garnish and finish: 1 pomegranate cut flat parsley

roast or microwave the poblanos and skin them, open a slit on the side and remove the seeds. let the chiles soak in warm salty water to lessen the heat a bit.

Make the filling. Heat up oil in a deep pan. fry a bit of garlic and chopped onions until clear, then add the ground meat. crumble the meat thouroughly while cooking. once cooked, add the puree, then the raisins, chopped almonds, and add the fruits, all chopped into small cubes in the following order: peaches, apple, pear, and finally once everything else is cooked, the plantain. season with salt and white pepper. You can add a tiny bit of ground colve and cinnammon if you want. let simmer at med-low heat. once thick, add the chopped candied cactus and orange peel, turn off the heat and let it stand covered. you can even prepare the filling the day before cooking so the flavors mingle and intensify.

prepare the walnut sauce. The day before cooking, soak the walnuts or substitutes in just enough water to cover, and leave in the fridge. drain the next day, and add milk to soak. blend the nuts with a bit of milk, add the goat cheese, and the port or sherry, until slightly smooth but full of body. do not store excess sauce. always make fresh. Nogada does not keep well. try to make the actual sauce right before cooking the chiles.

when you are ready to prepare the chiles for cooking, beat the egg whites to almost stiff peaks, then add some drops of lemon or a pinch or cream of tartar, add the yolks, and beat a bit more to stiff peaks. do not overbeat.

fill the chiles with the cool filling, close the slit with a toothpick and dust in flour. submerge the chiles in the egg batter and fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain and serve in a nice plate. drape the chiles with the sauce on top, then sprinkle the pomegranate kernels on top of the sauc, as well as some chopped parsley. Serve at once.

[savorynotes]

Arróz a la Mexicana

your rice should be long grain or extra long grain. Less gluten than medium or round, and it will cook faster. the method is a slightly modified pilaf.

for every cup of rice, use 2 cups of water and 1/3 cup of tomato puree, or 1/3 cup of blended tomatos.

Heat up a couple tablespoons of oil in a shallowish saucepan, to medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, throw the rice in there and start stirring with a wooden spatula or similar. You want to move the rice grains so they cook evenly, until they begin to "dance" around. The color will go from plain dry rice, to clearish once it soaks the oil to opaque white, to the slightest tinge of beige. Once that color takes hold, quickly shock your rice with the tomato puree and stir quickly. This distresses the hull and will make the rice "pop" when it cooks. Now add the water and let it cook at medium heat, uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. You can season with peeled garlic cloves, chicken boullion, and garnish with carrot rounds, peas, or a combination, and obviously salt to taste. For better flavor also add a quarter of a small onion, just the piece without chopping. Throughout the cooking time, PUSH the rice from one wall of the pan to the other. Don't stir in the traditional sense, since you'll end with rice mush. Make contact with the bottom of the pan, keep your spatula vertical, then push the rice slowly, so the bottom is released, and the grains push each other. Once the rice looks dryish on top, lower the heat, and let it cook for 2 more minutes, then turn off heat and let it rest covered for 5-10 minutes. Some people like to garnish at this point with boiled egg wedges, but I tend to skip that. Notice I never used chili powder, oregano, cumin, or a season mix. Garlic, onion, tomato are the basic flavors and nothing more. Your true measure in judging a good mexican restaurant is the rice. Is it spicy? did I taste cumin? Is it giving me heartburn? If you answer yes to any of these, the cook has no idea what mexican food is and you should save the extra money by going to taco bell instead.

To vary the rice recipes, try the following: Arroz blanco use butter instead of oil, skip the tomato puree, substitute the puree volume with water, then add the onion and a deveined serrano chile while cooking.

Arroz poblano use butter again, instead of puree use heavy cream, but don't add it until after you add the water. Instead ofa serrano, add two poblano peppers cut into thin strips. add some corn kernels as well if you wish.

Arroz costeño Use oil, keep the tomato, add unpeeled shrimp, heads-on, some peas, carrots, chopped onions, chopped cilantro and serrano pieces. add 1/3 cup extra water and cook longer under medium low heat until dry.

[savorynotes]

Tamales

fresh Masa, or powdered masa harina (quaker used to sell a powdered masa harina they claimed was specific for tamales, but I really saw no difference, use whatever you can get). Shortening. Lard, or Crisco work best. don't use butter, except for flavoring. butter does not ligate firmly enough to make a good tamal. Baking powder. salt.

making the masa takes a lot of elbow grease, or you can cheat and use a stand mixer ( I do this). Mix the masa the way normally used for tortillas, like I mentioned on page 1. once it is almost ready to be used as tortilla masa, add a bit of salt, a spoonful of baking powder for each 4 cups of made masa, and about 1/2 cup of shortening per 4 cups of masa. start mixing at low speed to incorporate everything. once the ingredients are mixed in, increase the speed until you begin to aereate the masa. touch the masa every now and then: you want it to feel light and fluffy, slighty slick, but not greasy. if it feels greasy, add a little more masa and water, in very small increments. if too dry, a bit more water, etc. you want something that when you squish between thumb and index feels bubbly, smooth and not too greasy. the definitive test is to fill a glass with very cold water. roll a little ball about the size of a gumball. drop it in the glass of water. if it floats or sinks VERY slowly, you're done beating and it's ready. if it sinks quickly, there is not enough air in there and you'll make the heaviest, most difficult to digest tamales ever. you can actually choke of those suckers.

so your masa is ready. good. cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest. move on to your fillings. Fillings are almost infinite. It would be ridiculous to try and put them all, but I'll try to summarize the general classes and give an example or two. you can experiment with almost anything.

types of tamales:

-salt, with meat filling: these include picadillo, whole cooked shrimp in a chipotle sauce, and chicken leg cooked in a guajillo chile sauce.

-salty with gravy filling: the typical meat with tomato gravy, pork in green sauce, chicken in green mole, beef in red chile, sinaloan picadillo.

-salty, with cheese filling: these are tricky but tasty. panela or chihuahua cheese with poblano pepper strips, cheese and black beans.

-salty, with veggie filling: corn and zucchini, mushrooms, and pumpkin blossom are great examples.

-sweet, with fruit filling: great for supper or breakfast. strawberry, coconut, pineapple, guava, and quince are the typical.

-sweet, no filling: these have an extract and sugar right in the masa. vanilla, anise, rum and raisins, eggnogg, honey and tequila.

always aim to make your saucy fillings as thick as possible, and let them cool before dispensing.

my favorite filling for everyday tamales is chicken picadillo

chicken breast or thighs peas carrots potatos cornstarch

this is a white picadillo, no tomato sauce base. cook the chicken in just enough water to barel cover, under med-low heat. once chicken is soft, remove from pot, and cook the cubed veggies until done but firm. in the mean time, hand shred the chicken to thin strips. just pull the fibers apart until you end with a bunch of stringy strips. once you're done shredding, add the chicken to the veggies and what little stock is left. salt and pepper, and add a little bit of oregano. then dilute a tablespoon or so of cornstarch in a little bit of cold water. once it's mixed into the water, add it to the boiling chicken, veggie and stock mix and stir it continuosly for a couple of minutes, then take away from heat and let cool. then dispense it to the uncooked tamales and wrap the tamal using the second technique (sides first). don't overfill.

easiest filling is cheese and poblano strips

saute some poblano strips with some onion slices until cristalized. then let cool then slice some cheese strips. manchego, chihuahua, buffalo mozzarella, or panela cheese are best. put one strip of cheese in the middle of the uncooked tamal, then some strips of poblano and onions, and then wrap. make sure all the cheese is covered by the masa, so it doesn't melt away. the cheese may look very yellow, since it was steamed, but it doesn't affect the flavor at all.

~

once you got your filling and masa ready, get to wrapping. soak the cork husks you buy at a specialty grocer or ethnic market. soak for an hour in warm water, separate the husks into individual leaves, and clean any silk, bugs, or whatever is in between them. try not to rip them. the larger the husk, the easier it is to wrap, but don't toss any small leaves. select long, thin leaves, and make lengthwise strips of them, to tie up your tamales.

here's a drawing I made describing how to fill and fold the tamal.

spread you corn husk.

spread a moderate amount of masa on top of the husk. just enough to cover the husk. put your filling in the middle of the masa, not too much.

first fold the bottom, upwards towards the filling. 4, 5. fold one side, and then the other side. make sure the sides are snug. you can put the tamal in the pot like this, upright with the first fold as the bottom. 6(optional). if it is a chunky tamal you can use a husk strip to tie the top of the tamal, then put it upright in the pot.

you can also make them by first folding the sides then folding the bottom. I find that if I'm making thick, chunky tamales, the first method works better, because everything stays put once you tie the top. but for salty fillings usually the second way of folding works best.

to cook the tamales, you need a big steaming pot. they are not expensive, but get a big one, one that can fit at least 4 gallons. the steam pot is filled with water up to an inch below the steam grate, then put some empty husks to line the top of the steam grate, and start putting your folded tamales in. they go upright with the first fold as the bottom, just like in the drawing.

fill the pot from the wall of the pot towards the middle. once you fill a level, stack the next level until you are done. put a kitchen towel on top of the last tamal layer and cover with thepot lid. steam the tamales until you carefully open one (steaming hot :rolleyes: ). if the masa does no longer stick to the husk and you can pull the tamal in one piece, they are done.

let them sit in the covered pot for another 15-20 minutes, then serve hot. surplus tamales can be frozen in a ziploc bag for at least a month, then heated in the microewave with the husk on, or fry them a frypan with a bit of oil without the husk. that's it.

[savorynotes]

Costeño (Coastal) Guacamole

For every 2 avocados, add: 2 roma tomatoes 1 small white onion 1/2 cucumber, skinned 1-2 serrano peppers (depending on your heat preference) 1-2 sprigs of cilantro (although I like a lot!) 1/2 of a lime sea salt to taste.

Be sure to use a nice, sharp knife. Cube the avocados, tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers; I usually cube them as small as I can. Chop the serranos into tiny, tiny pieces. Be sure to wash and dry the cilantro, then chop away. Put everything together into your bowl, and then squeeze the lime into the mixture. DO NOT BLEND YOUR GUACAMOLE! The best tool to mix everything is either a fork or potato masher. As mi esposo says, the simpler the food, the tastier. Do not add spices, guacamole mix, or other foreign objects into the guacamole. The texture of the guacamole should be chunky and not pasty or smooth. Add the salt last, and for my preference, I usually let it sit for up to one hour before serving (cover it so that the guacamole does not turn brown).

[savorynotes]

Carne Asada

I'm putting here the Northern-style recipe. everywhere else it is just good lean meat thinly sliced and thrown on the grill. northern style has a marinade to it.

I like lean beef that has a slight fat rind on the edge. mexican cows never develop marbling cuz it's too hot and not enough grain feed. so lean cuts are best. round makes great carne asada and it's one of the cheapest cuts you can buy. score!!

buy it as a roast. then freeze it until its firm but not totally frozen. use a very sharp, stright edge knife and cut thin slices. like two kraft-singles-width thin.

assemble the marinade: orange juice milk olive oil black pepper salt

three parts OJ, one part milk, half part oil, lots of pepper, enough salt to taste. shake it up, then add it to the meat to cover. let it marinade for a couple hours.

get your grill going on high heat. charcoal grills rule 4 lyfe. once the grill is hot, put your slicesof meat and watch them closely. flip when the up side begins to show cooking. bring the slices out once done to your liking. serve with beans, grilled green oinoins, lots of salsa, tortillas and whatever else you'd like.

[savorynotes]

Ethiopian Collard Greens

4 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/8 tsp. black cardamom seeds 1/8 tsp. ground fenugreek 1/8 tsp. caraway seeds 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and minced 1 1/2 lbs. collard greens, stemmed and cut crosswise into 1/4"-wide strips Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste White wine vinegar, to taste

Heat butter in a 6-qt. pot over medium heat. Add cardamom, fenugreek, and caraway and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add oil; add onions and cook, stirring often, until browned, 10 minutes. add garlic, chiles, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until soft and fragrant, 3 minutes. Add collards, 1 1/3 cups water, and salt and pepper; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until collards are tender, 50–55 minutes. Stir in vinegar and serve collards hot.

*You can also use a premixed Berber spice blend in place of the black cardamom, fenugreek, caraway, chiles, and ginger