Chopsticks! (Week 42 - Vietnam)

We love any food that needs chopsticks, but I enjoyed this week as I got another 10! My husband loved the meatballs with broth, I did use mince turkey; which I regret as I think it spoiled the taste for me and our son. However, the broth with noodles was lovely... I had some chicken stock from a boiled down carcass and used that to make this dish with; well worth the effort. Not sure how authentic the curry was, but it tasted lovely. I did it with a side of veg, thinly stir fried carrots, leeks and peppers along with steamed rice and I cannot find the recipe again; as long as I have the meatball one, my husband will be happy!
Cooked with score (out of 100):
Spiced Chicken Meatballs with Noodles, basil and broth........……87


Wanted to cook:
Vietnamese Veggie Hotpot

 

Spiced Chicken Meatballs with Noodles, basil and broth

Ingredients

1 large onion, roughly chopped

Thumb size piece fresh root ginger

1 -2 long red chillies, finely chopped – with/without seeds

1 garlic clove, crushed

6 white peppercorns, crushed

20g coriander, stalks and leaves, chopped and kept separate, plus springs to finish

50ml milk

100g fresh white breadcrumbs

1kg quality chicken mince

Broth

1½l chicken stock

2 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp fish sauce

6 star anise

Thumb size piece fresh root ginger, sliced

½ tsp black peppercorns

8 spring onions, thinly sliced

300g egg noodles, cooked

Sliced chillies to taste (optional)

1 small bunch basil, leaves picked.

 

Method:

1. Whizz the onion, ginger, chillies, garlic, white peppercorns and half the coriander stalks, roots (if using) and leaves in a food processor until finely chopped. Mix the milk and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl.
2. Add the onion mix and chicken into the breadcrumbs, then season. Now really mix the whole thing – it should become a paste rather than lumpy.
3. Shape into small balls around the size of a 50p. Place a large frying pan or casserole over a medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and then fry the balls until coloured – about 10 minutes. You’ll need to do this in batches, adding more oil each time. Set aside.
4. For the broth, put the stock into a large saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer. Add the sesame oil, fish sauce, ginger, remaining coriander stalks and roots, star anise and peppercorns. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Add the spring onions, noodles and chillies (if using).
6. Take 6 large bowls, then divide the noodles between them (tongs are best). Drop in the warm meatballs, then ladle in the stock.
7. Scatter with coriander and basil leaves.
    
    

Vietnamese Veggie Hotpot

Ingredients

2 tsp Vegetable oil

Thumb-size piece fresh root ginger, shredded

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ large butter squash, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tsp soy sauce

 2 tsp soft brown sugar

200ml vegetable stock

100g green beans, trimmed and sliced

4 spring onions, sliced

Coriander leaves and cooked basmati or jasmine rice to serve

 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a medium-size, lidded saucepan. Add ginger and garlic then stir fry for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the squash, soy sauce, sugar and stock. Cover and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add the green beans, then cook for 3 minutes more until the squash and beans are tender.
3. Stir the spring onions through at the last minutes and then sprinkle with coriander and serve with the rice.

Fun facts...

1. Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews in the world, and the second largest exporter of rice.
2. Instead of bells, traditional gongs are used to call the Vietnamese children to school.
3. Although Vietnam is a developing country, it has a literacy rate of 94%.
4. Among all developing countries, Vietnam has one of the lowest unemployment rates.
5. You can find a B52 American Bomber Wreck in Vietnam’s West Lake.
6. An estimated ten million motor bikes travel on the roads of Vietnam every day.
7. Ruou ran (snake wine), a Vietnamese specialty of rice wine with a pickled snake inside, allegedly can cure any sickness.
8. The most common surname in Vietnam is Nguyen.
9. The Vietnamese keep potbelly pigs as pets.

The Vietnamese language has six different tones. A change in tone changes the meaning of the word. This makes their language somewhat difficult to learn. The language is not related to other languages, making it linguistically unique.

http://www.travelingeast.com/asia/vietnam/ten-interesting-facts-about-vietnam/

CUISINE

Vietnamese food is distinct and unforgettable. The cuisine relies on a balance of salty, sweet, sour and hot flavours, achieved through use of nuoc mam, a fermented fish sauce, cane sugar, the juice of kalamansi citrus fruit or tamarind and chilli peppers. Dishes use plenty of fresh herbs but tend not to be overly spicy, as chilli sauces are served separately.

 

Vietnam’s most famous dish: Goi cuon translucent spring rolls packed with greens, coriander and various combinations of minced pork, shrimp or crab. In some places they’re served with a bowl of lettuce and/or mint. A southern variation has barbecued strips of pork wrapped up with green banana and star fruit, and then dunked in a rich peanut sauce – every bit as tasty as it sounds.

 

Vietnam’s national dish and the country’s great staple is pho (pronounced “fur”), a noodle soup eaten at any time of day but primarily at breakfast. The basic bowl of pho consists of a light beef or chicken broth flavoured with ginger and coriander, to which are added broad, flat rice noodles, spring onions and slivers of chicken, pork or beef.

Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/article/10-vietnamese-foods-you-need-to-try/#ixzz3s2kawUSC