thitnuong
this is a very good use for a cheap cut of pork, i find. you can take as much pork shoulder or butt as you like, then make separate frozen packets after it is marinaded. very easy.

there are many marinade recipes. oyster sauce is popular i hear. i'm adapting a very basic one from Bach Ngo's 1979 "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam".

this is marinade for a pound of pork.

grind or puree these things together:

3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 T sugar
2 T nuoc mam
1 T fresh ground black pepper
1 t vegetable oil

you want the pork to be slightly frozen so it is easy to slice it thinly. if you use a food processor then you can do several of pounds of pork with no sweat and have enough marinaded meat to cover the back of your freezer.

if you use the food processor, make sure to take out the bones, slice across the grain. if you use shoulder, slice so that each piece has a bit of rind.

marinade for an hour to a day.

to cook:

ideally, you grill it over charcoal. that failing, heat a wok on high heat with a bit of vegetable oil, until the oil almost smokes. add the meat, let it be in a layer covering the bottom. DON'T STIR IT! it needs a chance to sear. leave it for about 3-5 minutes, then you can stir once, then leave for another 3 minutes or so.

accompaniments are usually

nuoc cham, which you pour over it upon serving
pickled and fresh vegetables
crushed roasted groundnuts
grain rice or rice vermicelli

- posted by Jesse @ 1:12 PM 0 comments

 
cigarette cookies
This recipe is from Bach Ngo's 1979 "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam"

they are called Banh Sen Tan, cookies with a novel preparation technique. you put a non-stick skillet over low flame, then you paint the batter onto the skillet surface. when they are brown you roll them up and they harden.

rinse

1 lb yellow mung beans

boil

4.5c water

add mung beans, bring to a boil, simmer 20 minutes. process until smooth.

process until smooth, not too long to avoid forming gluten,

4c sugar
3.5 c flour
4c coconut milk

combine the two phases, this is your batter. get your non-stick skillet properly heated, low heat. paint on a cookie. thinner is better. once it has browned, lift up an edge and roll it with your fingers. you can use a pencil to help make the cylinder, or just roll. this is a good technique to develop calluses on your fingertips. make these cookies every day. they take a long time, but the work isn't very solicitous, and they will last for a long time.

- posted by Jesse @ 12:54 PM 0 comments

 
Leftovers
Back in college, whenever I ordered Chinese food with roomies, it was always a chore to use up the white rice that generally sprinted to staleness in under a day. Luckily one year I became semi-obsessed with rice pudding. Last week I went out for some Chinese food, where we devoured everything except the rice so tonight I whipped some up (in about 5 minutes):

Take your stale rice and put it in a pot/pan small enough that the rice covers the bottom but large enough that it is no more than an inch high. Pour in a 50/50 cream/water mix to just cover the rice. If you don't have cream, use whatever milky product you have, but the less fat, the less water in the mixture (if you're using skim, skip the water altogether). Heat on medium, adding sugar and cinnamon to taste. Take it off heat when the liquid evaporates and thickens around the rice but don't let the rice get mushy. This is probably a rice pudding best eaten warm, but I tend to only make enough for what I'm in the mood to eat.

You can substitute or mix honey, agave or brown sugar and add spices like cardamom and nutmeg. Or if you're feeling really crazy you can substitute coconut milk for the cream. Yes.
- posted by Jenna @ 8:24 PM 0 comments