Taste of Vietnam: That's a Wrap

Taste of Vietnam: That's a Wrap

Nước Chấm 

made by Brandon Nguyen 

OVERVIEW

As I had said before, cooking is no easy task. I wanted to prep something simple, so I decided to try out a nước chấm recipe in Ân: To Eat. 

Nước chấm is a dipping sauce Vietnamese folks use on mostly everything. I most commonly eat spring rolls with nước chấm. However, I wanted to prepare broken jasmine rice, accompanied with a fried egg, sliced tomatoes, and glazed beef. I enjoy this sauce for its versatility. It can be enjoyed on almost anything. As stated by Helene and Jacqueline An, "We use it as a dip for spring rolls, to brighten seafood, to add tang to protein as a dressing for noodles and rice, and as a marinade for meat" (An Helene & Jacqueline 274). 

PREPARATION

Cooking the beef was probably the hardest procedure. To give it flavor, I first had to glaze it, using my mother's recipe. For the searing, I referenced the book. In the section "Basic Techniques," Helene and daughter Jacqueline An explains to readers how to add protein. Most helpful was when they said that, "To sear quickly and correctly, food needs enough room. Don't overcrowd the pan, as that can lead to food steaming instead of searing" (An Helene & Jacqueline 35). Frying an egg was rudimentary, and slicing the tomatoes was not difficult at all; these were things I had done before and have mastered. 

For the nước chấm, I added sugar into warm water and stirred until everything was dissolved. I then added fish sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic. To balance all the flavors, I put in some chili paste. 

Making this was not a hassle. This is something I can make on my own. I am glad I chose to make this, for it is straightforward. After making the fried rice and noodles, I found that I was overestimating myself. It became manifest that I was doing more than I can bear. 

TAKEAWAY?

My takeaway is that mastering the art of cooking is not something that happens overnight. A book cannot simply make you a better cook; only you can do that. I advise all beginner cooks to start with basic recipes. Also, follow all the instructions. Later on, you can alter the recipe to best suit your taste, but make sure to do what the book tells you to. You will find that by taking baby steps, you will eventually grow.

Creating these recipes has given me a chance to explore my culture. Vietnamese cuisine is something that means a lot to me, especially since it reminds me of my grandmother. Though I may be American, I will never forget my Vietnamese roots. I thank you all for reading these posts! I hope I had taught you all something new. Has anything given you a hard time? How can you improve?

Works Cited: 

An, Helene, and Jacqueline An. Ăn: to Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen. Running Press, 2016.

Taste of Vietnam: Helene's Wok Noodles

Taste of Vietnam: Helene's Wok Noodles

Made by Brandon Nguyen 

I wanted to make something special; something different and unique. I decided to try chef Helene An's wok noodles with stir-fried vegetables, a recipe she shares with us in Ăn: To Eat, and also a featured dish that has been a menu item at her restaurant, Crustacean Beverly Hills. 

Bok choy is a spinach-like vegetable.

I have stir-fried before when I made fried rice. The process is the same with the noodles; it is nothing more than pouring canola oil into a wok and stirring in the vegetables. This was great review. Helene An says that "this preparation will work with any vegetable; feel free to try it with your favorites" (An, Helene & Jacqueline 143). I was amused to find out because this gives me a chance to experiment. I got to work with bok choy (right) and snow peas, vegetables that were new to me. 

I had a little bit of help from my mom. Okay, I had a lot of help from my mom, but you cannot just hop into a kitchen and expect to be Gordon Ramsay. Cooking is something that takes time and practice, and learning from my mom really helps me. 

Snow peas are not easy to cut!

No fingers were cut when shaving the carrots.

The snow peas (left) were difficult for me to cut. I became afraid of the big, sharp knife I was using. This is when my mom really stepped in. She cut all the snow peas. However, having experience with doing it for the fried rice, I managed to shave and grate the carrots (right).

Garlic is added before anything else.

Before putting in any vegetables, I added cloves of garlic to the oil (left), told by Helene An that, "As in Italian cooking, where the garlic and onions are added first to help flavor broth, in stir-frying we do the same, adding shallots, garlic, onion, and ginger first" (An, Helene & Jacqueline 34). Garlic is an aromatic, and helps enhance the flavor of any dish. The trick is to constantly stir and flip the garlic so that it does not burn. 

Next, now that the vegetables are all dry, I tossed in the vegetables, occasionally stirring them so that they fully cook. When the vegetables are cooked, I added the noodles, which have been soaked in warm water.

The final touch is the sauce, which consists of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste (bottom-right). The sauce is what gives this dish flavor. It is savory, yet with the chili paste, gives a spicy kick. The dish comes to life as I pour the special sauce over the hot noodles. I am finished!

Flavor comes from the sauces.

I may have overestimated myself. Stir-frying noodles is not the same as frying rice. My mom's assistance really changed the outcome of this dish. Without her, this would have been a major flop, and my post would have been about me failing. My advice to you? Have someone experienced by your side when you are cooking. They can act as your guide, and their advice will help you grow as a novice. I guess my mom and I make a great team.

This dish was definitely something else. It was simplistic yet sophisticated. I like how it was non-traditional. That really gave me a chance to play around with different flavors and ingredients. What can I say? This dish truly broke boundaries! I learned that following four easy steps from a book cannot help you become a better cook. They are only there for reference. Cooking is not revolved around a book teaching you the right or wrong ways. What challenges you as a cook? How can you overcome that challenge? 

Works Cited: 

An, Helene, and Jacqueline An. Ăn: to Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen. Running Press, 2016.

Taste of Vietnam: Wok 'n Roll

Taste of Vietnam: Wok 'n Roll

Fried Rice - Brandon Nguyen

Rice has become essential to Vietnamese diet. Originated in China, rice has made its way downtown and has shaped our culture ever since. For this next dish, I am making fried rice, stepping it up to the next level and will be following the recipe and procedures directly from Ăn: To Eat, by executive chefs (as well as mother-daughter duo), Helene and Jacqueline An. 

Fried rice made in a wok. 

Fried rice has always been the "go-to" dish for my family. It was the ideal dish for when we were in a hurry and had little time to cook. Chefs Helene and Jacqueline An describe the dish as "easy and quick, this dish is a weeknight favorite. . ." (An Helene & Jacqueline An 62). 

For the best result, it was extremely important to follow the recipe and procedures accordingly. I added onion and cloves of garlic for a "fragrant kick" (An Helene & Jacqueline An 62) and salt, sugar, and Maggi seasoning sauce to bring out all the flavors. In addition, I put Chinese sausage (lập xưởng), fried egg, carrots, peas, corn, and shrimp. I also decided to modify the An's recipe and added some squid.

Typically, fried rice is made in a wok (left), a bowl-shaped frying pan. As a Vietnamese, I can proudly say that we use woks for everything; from frying egg rolls to whipping up chow mein noodles (mì xào). 

The rice turned out to be perfect, but in reality, I was nervous. Everything was fast-paced, and I had to work quickly in the kitchen. The rice was not too dry but moist, and the squid gave the dish an interesting texture, making it "fun to eat." 

The carrots were shaved and then diced. 

Probably the most challenging procedure for me was cutting the vegetables (right). Fried rice requires you to either mince or dice vegetables into small, easy-to-eat pieces. To be completely honest, I have never cut anything smaller than an apple. The good news was that I did not lose any fingers and that I gained a bit of experience; however, I will never lose the fear of being around sharp objects, such as knives. 

My tip? Get creative and let your imagination roam free; don't always rely on the recipe. What was the first dish you made? How did it go? If you haven't made anything yet, what do you plan on making? Do knives scare you as well?

Resources: 

An, Helene, and Jacqueline An. Ăn: to Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen. Running Press, 2016.

Betty Crocker's Cooky Book - How to Make the Perfect Drop Cookies

I made Coconut Kisses from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book using the directions on how to make the perfect drop cookies.(All of these quotes are from page 7) "If dough is soft, chill,"(I was not able to do this because my cookies where more of a meringue than a dough.) "Spoon up dough as recipe directs," (I spooned the dough with a cookie scoop about 2" apart.) "Bake minimum time in preheated oven," (I baked my cookies for a little less than 20 minutes.) "Test cookies by touching lightly with finger. If almost no imprint remains and cookie is golden brown, it is done." (Since my cookies were more like meringues my cookies were slightly darker in color but not golden brown and were hard but flaky to the touch.) "Perfect drop cookies have: Fairly uniform mound shape, delicately browned exterior, and good flavor." (My cookies were around the same shape, they were not golden brown but more of an off-white, and they had an amazing coconut flavor.) I think that if I were not to have known the put them in the oven for the least amount of time I might have over cooked them, and I now know not to take them out of the oven to early or else the middles fall in because the outer shell is not fully cooked.

My ingredients

The recipe

Beating the egg whites

Mixing sugar into the beat egg whites

Mixing the coconut into the egg and sugar mixture

The cookies in the oven

The cookies about 5 mins before they were done

The final product

If you guys made these would you make them differently? Would you add different things or make them different flavors?