My wife is number one (20.01.13)

A gameshow from Vietnam.
Helpful for family

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Fried breadfruit with sesame seeds

Breadfruit is a tropical tree related to Jackfruit. Breadfruit flesh is an excellent staple, rich in proteins and with a range of amino acids. It is low in saturated fat and Cholesterol and Sodium, and very high in Vitamin C.  It also contains lots of starch and fiber. When ripe, the breadfruit’s flesh will be sweet and the fruit has a nice fragrancy. With a large amount of nutrients, breadfruit has been considered as a nutritionally beneficial fruit. It’s a great option for children and vegan.

Ingredients: serves 3-5 people

-          1 breadfruit (400- 600g)

-          100g white sesame seeds

-          50-70 g flour

-          ½  teaspoon of turmeric powder

-          1 teaspoon of table salt

-          A cup of water

-          cooking oil ( for deep frying)

-          lightly saltwater solution for soaking.

Method:

1.      Wash and cut the breadfruit into four sections lengthwise. Remove the hard center core and peel. Slice them into the desired size ( thin pieces).

2.      Soak breadfruit pieces into lightly salt water about 5-10 minutes. Dry well in a colander.

3.      Combine the flour, turmeric powder and a cup of water in a large bowl. Toss to mix well. Then add salt. Mix to make a smooth paste.

4.      Dip breadfruit pieces, one by one, into the flour paste to make a light coating.

5.      Then roll them in the sesame seeds several times to make sure that they are well coated.

6.      Heat oil in a saucepan or a deep fryer over medium hight heat.

7.      When oil is hot, add breadfruit pieces in batches and deep fry until soft inside and golden both side.

8.      Remove from oil. Keep oil hot. Flatten each breadfruit piece in a flat bottomed bowl.

9.      Then return breadfruit pieces in batches into the oil pan. Deep fry, turning and submerging until they are crispy and golden brown on the outside, about 2-3 minutes.

10.  Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

11.  Serve hot. Bon appetit !

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Grilled scallops on the half shell

Scallop - a shellfish with sweet dedicate flavor and pratically fat-free, found in all the world’s oceans. Scallop meat is so tender and succulent . It is an excellent source of protein, has many of the vitamins and minerals in good nutrition, and is low in fat.

Scallop with scallion oil is a stunning combination. Scallion oil has a strong fragrance, will help improve the smell of scallop meat and make the appearance look better. This recipe is a best choice for your family in weekends. Forget the stressful days, let your body and mind relax with this delicious scallop.

Ingredients: serves 4 portions

-          20 fresh bay scallops

-          500 g scallion

-          200 g laksa leaves

-          1 teaspoon of kosher salt

-          2 teaspoons of granulated sugar

-          3 tablespoons of cooking oil

-          100 g unsalted dry-roasted peanuts.

Method:

1.      Wash the scallops: remove any remaining side muscles from the scallops. Rinse under running cold water.

2.      Clean the scallion. Cut off the white ends. Finely chop the green parts into tiny pieces.

3.      Clean laska leaf. Tear off and discard the root of laska leaves .Drain and place them to a bowl for serving.

4.      Pulse peanuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

5.      Make the scallion oil: Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When hot, add the scallion, salt, sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir and remove the saucepan from the heat. Set aside.

6.      Place the scallops on hot grill and let them cook for 4-6 minutes, or until just cook through.

7.      Spoon the scallion oil on top of each scallop and grill for another 2 minutes.

8.      Finally top each scallop with a teaspoon of peanut.

Serving:

-          Using tongs, remove the scallops from the grill and place them on a flat platter.

-          Serve hot immediately with laksa leaves and sweet sour fish sauce.

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Sweet potato pudding

“Chè” is  tradional Vietnamese sweet soup or sweet pudding..It’s a perfect dessert for you to enjoy summer days . Use with a spoon, serve hot or cold by adding ice on top.
In a tropical country like Vietnam, sweet potato is a friend of people, especially in rural areas,  just after rice. So, there are a lot of meals made with this plant. This reciple is very simple, but the taste will not disappoint you. The combination of  sweet potato and palm sugar, coconut milk  will bring us an unforgettable flavor.
So, try cooking it and invite your friends to enjoy together.

Ingredients: serves 8 portions

-          200 g sweet potato

-          200 g cassava

-          100 g taro

-          100 g yam

-          50 g tapioca pearls

-          200-250g palm sugar

-          1 can 400 ml coconut milk, divived in half.

-          A pinch of salt ( for soaking)

-          2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-          1.5 liters of water.

Method:

1.      Prepare sweet potato, cassava, taro, yam: wash, peel, and dice them into small cubes about ½ - 3/4 inch in size. Soak in the salt water for 15 minutes. Rinse under running tap water and drain in a colander.

2.      Put yam in a pot and bring to a boil. Steam for 10 minutes. Set it aside.

3.    Prepare tapioca pearls: Place tapioca pearls in a bowl. Pour cold water over it. Soak it in water for 30 minutes until expand in size. Then drain and set it aside.

4.      Pour 2 liters of water into a pot. Bring to a boil.

5.    Add sweet potato, cassava, taro into the pot. Be patient and wait until they start becoming soft. Just 10 minutes. Don’t wait until they are cooked through or too soft.

6.      Add palm sugar. Stir with a spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved.

7.      Lower the heat . Add tapioca pearls. Stir gently and cook for another 5 minutes.

8.      Add half of coconut milk. Stir to combine well.

9.      Finally add yam and vanilla extract. Stir and turn off the heat. 

Serving:

-          Spoon hot sweet soup into each serving bowl.

-      Pour  half of coconut milk into another bowl.  It’s for people who like sweet and fat , by simply adding more coconut milk.

-          If you prefer cold, you can add ice cubes on top. Enjoy it by following your way.

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Steamed termite mushroom with pork and egg pie

Termite mushroom is very famous among Asian cuisine, but to Western – it seems like a strange wild name. Some Western people wonder if it’s poisonous. No, this mushrooms can’t kill you. It’s edible. Besides that, it contains amino acids necessary for human body, protein, fat, as well as a variety of vitamins and calcium, phosphorus,… The mushroom is chewy and soft, and meaty like chicken.

You should enjoy this tasty mushroom recipe with your family. It will bring you all together.

Ingredients: serves 5 people

-          400 g fresh termite mushroom

-          200 g pork butt roast

-          4 duck eggs

-          3 cloves of red shallot, peeled and finely chopped.

-         3 stalks of scallion, washed and cut off the roots and the white ends, finely chopped

-          2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

-          1 tablespoon of fish sauce

-          2 teaspoons of sugar

-          ½ teaspoon of salt

-          ½ teaspoon of ground pepper

-          2 tablespoons of cooking oil

Method:

1.   Soak mushrooms into cold water with a little salt about 15 minutes. Trim off any damaged spots, dirty stems. Transfer mushrooms in a colander, rinse under running water, and let them drain. Chop into small pieces.

2.    Finely chop the pork. Transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with the red shallot, scallion, garlic, salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground pepper.

3.      Put 2 eggs and 2 egg whites into. Combine well.

4.     Spare about 10 mushrooms, place the rest  into the mixing bowl. Toss to combine together.

5.  Prepare a crystal or china bowl for containing. Pour 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into it.

6.      Then put the mixture into the bowl.

7.      Top the mixture with 2 egg yolks and the remaining mushrooms.

8.      Put the bowl into a steamer. Cook for 10 minutes.

Serving:

Eating hot with warm rice and soy sauce.

Bon appetit !

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Congee with lotus seed

 

Lotus seed is very popular in Asian. It’s a nice choice to make tea, soup and congee. It can keep beauty and young. It’s also thought to strengthen memory. It benefits the heart, tone the spleen and kidneys, prevent insomnia, and calm the nerves. The old people like it very much because they always have problems sleeping.

This recipe is so simple that you can make at home for your parents, easily and fast.

Ingredients: serves 4 people

-          50 g fresh rice

-          200 g fresh shrimp

-          100 g dried lotus seed

-          ½ teaspoon salt

-          1 teaspoon sugar

-          ½ teaspoon ground pepper

-          1 ginger ( 20 -30 g)

-          2 stalks of coriander

-          2 stalks of scallion

Method:

1.     Clean and rinse shirmps under cold running water. Peel and devein the shrimps. ( cut the head off).

2.      Wash and drain lotus seed.

3.     Wash and peel ginger. Put ginger on a chopping board, cut it into julienne-style matchsticks. Put into a small bowl for serving.

4.      Wash and drain coriander, scallion. Mince them and put into a small bowl for serving.

5.      Wash the rice : Add the rice into a mixing bowl. Pour nearly double amount of water to rice. Use your hand gently make circles around. Don’t rub the rice grains together so hard. Drain the water off.

6.      Put rice into a pot, or a rice cooker. Pour the water in the rice. The ratio of rice and water is 1: 4. Start the power to cook.

7.      When the rice comes to a rolling boil, add lotus seeds. Continue to cook. Occasionally open the lid and stir the contents slowly to prevent sticking and burning.

8.      As the rice is cooked very soft and the soup turns milky, just place shrimp in the pot.

9.      Season with sugar and salt.

Serving:

-          Spoon the congee into individual serving bowls.

-          Sprinkle with ginger, pepper, coriander and scallion.

-          Serve hot with soy sauce or fish sauce.

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Japanese-style grilled beef ribs with soy sauce.

Ingredients: serves 5 people

-          600 g beef ribs

-          200 ml Japanese soy sauce

-          50 g granulated sugar

-          1 apple

-          1 pear

-          1 onion

-          3 garlic cloves

-          3 tablespoon sesame seed

Method:

1.      Wash and rinse beef ribs. After well drained, cut beef ribs into 5 smaller pieces (2-3 inch in length).

2.      Roast sesame seed in a small frying pan.

3.      In another pan, cook Japanese soy sauce with sugar . Stir to combine well. When it’s done, turn off the heat. Stir and let the sauce cool naturally.

4.      Mince apple, pear, onion, and garlic. Put them into the pan of soy sauce. Simmer with low heat for about 8- 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. When it’s nearly done, add seasome seed. Turn off the heat and stir quickly. Wait for the sauce cool naturally. Divide to half.

5.      Put beef ribs into a mixing bowl. Pour  half of sauce over meat to marinate. Toss to combine well. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

6.      Remove beef pieces from the marinate and grill over a medium heat. Keep basting the beef with marinade.

Serving:

-          Transfer the beef pieces to plate garnished with some vegetables ( some slices of cucumber and tomato, green lettuce…).

-          Eating with the remaining half the soy sauce as dip.

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