Cookbook club - February - Good Morning Vietnam

[Catinthecorner]

Back up and running the cook book club. This month it’s Vietnamese cooking from any book/website you fancy with a general focus on Mai Pham’s recipes from New flavours of the Vietnamese Table.

A couple of links to get us started (shamelessly stolen from the previous thread)

Recommended Blogs:

www.theravenouscouple.com/

www.uyenluu.com/recipes/

Recommended Recipes:

ww.epicurious.com/contributors/mai-pham

shadowcook.com/2008/03/10/mai-pham-ginger-lime-dipping-sauce-and-warm-beef-on-cool-noodles/

www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pad-see-yew

I've had something of a Vietnamese feast this evening. I made a tom rim, which is a caramelised prawn dish, and a bun bo xao, It's a lemongrass beef, served on a vermicelli salad. I also did Asian fried shallots and a Nuoc Cham to go with the salad. All from the book "the red lantern" but there are many recipes online

Unquestionably, one of the best meals I have ever made. The flavours were so well balanced, not too spicy, not too sweet- not "too" anything in fact- just right. The flavours were fresh and vibrant, and this being the first time I've tried Vietnamese, I got more flavour out vs the effort put in. It was just wonderful and I'm raring to cook more now; it wasn't as challenging as I'd thought it would be.

Photos of it

Vermicelli salad and beef

Wow that all looks amazing @whatareyoueatingNOW
I've not cooked vietnamese before so your posts have really encouraged me!

That looks gorgeous! Monday is going to my day to experiment, I have the house to myself until 3 so I can shop and prep, hope mine turns out as good!

I made trung chien Thit bam (pork and herb omelette) for brunch today.

Another amazing dish. Easy to make and The flavours were balanced and mellowed, with a lovely fresh feel.

I’m going to cook something tomorrow, not sure which recipe yet.

Made my first only okay recipe for half time snacks- Crisp garlic chicken wings (Cánh gà chiên toi) the flavour didn't come through after frying. They were nice, but not as good as I wanted them to be. Nor did they seems as "Vietnamese " as the other dishes I've made.

Thanks FeedingFrenzy that 's a good list of favourite from the Pleasures book; I'm still waiting for mine to arrive but I'll definitely look those up! While I'm waiting for that to come from Amazon, I cooked a JO recipe - are we doing the Jamie ones at the same time as Vietnamese?
So I chose the Broccoli and Anchovy Orecchiette which is in the Happy Days book and also in 30 Min Meals book (only slight difference as one version includes capers and one doesn't). I chose it because it's one I've never tried yet, but you can use any pasta really (I used penne rather than the orecchiette) and then store cupboard bits plus the broccoli - so tin of ancho's, dried chillies, garlic, butter and parmesan. I usually have all these in so it's quick and easy. Really tasty and although there is only a tiny amount of anchovy sauce it's a very powerful flavour and lovely with the broccoli. I'd definitely cook this again and can see it becoming a mid week easy pasta dish, especially as the purple sprouting broccoli on my allotment is about to explode into a glut.

mattikaarts.com/blog/beef-mushroom-and-rice-noodle-salad-goi-bo/

My last Vietnamese dish of the weekend "goi bo ". I feel like a broken record repeating how lovely and well balanced the flavours are, but I'm reeling at how lovely all the recipes are! I thought it would be so much harder to achieve than it is.

That said, I'm planning to cook through Jamie in the week, and have made note of the 7veg tomato sauce, and the smoky chilli from the website. More "at home" flavours that the dc will definitely eat.

Knotted - I used to eat the broccoli and anchovy orecchiette so much that I (eventually) got sick of it - but loved it. Haven't eaten it for years but I love anchovy and pasta dishes and you've reminded me to retry the JO recipe - teenage dd is currently all about broccoli (but must be the tree stump not the purple flowering ones) so will make it for us all this week - thank you!

whatareyoueating - you're a phenomenon! I've been taken with your posts on Vietnamese cooking for a first timer - I've not bought the Mai Pham book - but saw that Luke N has a book that is downloadable to kindle which I may buy - but am keen for a Vietnamese meal in next week!

I made Jamie Oliver's superfood burgers for lunch today. I had to use pork not beef, so didn't strictly follow the recipe. I wouldn't repeat these as they are in the book.

Why does he not mash the beans? They ended up whole, hard and dry within the patties. If anyone makes these please mash the beans so that they are incorporated into the meat. I'm on board with adding in beans to make the burgers healthier and the meat go further so will do that again.

The slaw was nice, so were the onions.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/italian-super-food-burgers-balsamic-onions-mozzarella-and-slaw

Tonight I did Sweet Potato Fishcakes, Chopped Salad and Red Pepper Salsa from JO Super Food Family Classics.

The fishcakes were quite nice but nothing that special really. We used cheap white fish which is perhaps why the potatoes were the overriding taste. It was quite nice to have sweet potato in them too as it was an extra way to sneak a 1 of your 5 a day in. I did peel the potatoes however rather than leave the skin on as JO suggested as knew my DS would not touch them if he found potato skin in there. TBH the idea of sweet potato skin in there put me off too.

Red pepper salsa was nice. I've never blistered/charred a pepper before and liked the flavours that were brought out.

The salad was simple and OK but DH was not a fan.

All in all I'm not sure I'd overly bother again other than the red pepper salsa. The fish cakes were a bit bland for the amount of hassle.

whatareyoueating good to hear your thoughts on the burgers. I was thinking of making those too.

These all look beautiful!

I have also decided I want to make Canh Cà Chua Trứng - tomato egg drop soup, so I am on the hunt for a good recipe.

Hairspray- the Vietnamese Foody blog does why looks like a nice version here
http://vietnamesefoody.com/egg-drop-soup-with-tomato-canh-ca-chua-trung

I tried another JO family classics recipe- the chicken Kiev. It was a great success, but as the filling is actually cream cheese not garlic butter I'm not certain it's a Kiev. I think it's a stuffed breast- but as it was a particularly good stuffed Brest, I will not complain

I also made the seven veg sauce- sort of. I omitted courgettes, and used only 2 tins of tomato, topping up with water because I feel that 4 tins is just adding them for the sake of it, with no flavour benefit. It took hours to get all the veg soft. Simmered away for 2+. But it's now blitzed and seasoned, and it is nice. No one would serve it for a dinner party, but to use up the veg box/ get some more veg into children- it's spot on. I've frozen 4 500mls for future quick pasta and served the rest to the dc for tea. Recipe linked below

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/seven-veg-tomato-sauce/

Thanks for the details on the 7 veg sauce whatareyoueatingNOW I was thinking about making it, so now I know to set aside plenty of time!

I think if you grated the carrots you could definitely save time. I'll grate the carrots and squash in the food processor next time. The children love it (pictured on pasta here)

Thats a good idea, I'll definitely grate them. I assume its not too lumpy then? My DS has sensory issues and won't touch anything in sauce especially lumpy stuff. I get away with a fine coating of pasta sauce on pasta but he'll spot it if its lumpy!

Mine was blended with a stick blender and has come out quite smooth. I could get it smoother if I put through a blender in batches I think 🤔

I’ve made the sausage and broccoli pasta from JO SFFC, all the family liked it.

I’ve got some lemongrass coming so will be doing the stir fried chicken with lemongrass and chilli from Mai Pham at the weekend

Where is everyone getting the vietnamese ingredients from? Has most stuff been available in supermarkets?

I live in the back of beyond so couldn't get everything I wanted for Vietnamese- I had a tube of easy lemongrass paste that I have been using in place of fresh (Sainsbury's) and used the herbs I can get in place of shiso/ perilla/ rice paddy herb (I used mint, basil, Thai basil, coriander)I know that it's not 100% authentic, but it worked well for me. Fish sauce, chillis, limes, garlic and ginger have made up the rest of the components- of which I can get all in the supermarket.

If anyone finds a supermarket selling spring roll wrappers- alert me I've tried Asda, Morrison's, Tesco and Sainsbury's all to no avail.

what - Waitrose do some Blue Dragon spring roll wrappers and if anyone is doing a bulk order of asian ingredients then I think online theasiancookshop.co.uk is supposed to be good - I've also bought from sous chef and found them reliable...

I’ve prepped my Vietnamese dipping sauce and my marinade for tomorrow’s dinner, hope it’s as nice as everyone else’s sojnds