Stir-Fried Chicken with Chilies and Lemon Grass

Recipes: (Serves 4)

15 ml / 1 tablespoon sugar
30 ml / 2 tablespoon sesame or groundnut (peanut) oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 green or red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
2 lemon grass stalks (white part only), finely sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
350 g / 12 oz skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-size strips
30 ml / 2 tablespoons soy sauce
15 ml / 1 tablespoon nuoc mam
1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), stalks removed, leaves chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
Nuoc Cham, to serve

Method:
1. To make a caramel sauce, put the sugar into a pan with 5 ml/1 teaspoon water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and turned golden. Set aside.

2. Heat a large wok or heavy pan and add the sesame or groundnut oil. Stir in the chopped garlic, chilies and lemon grass, and stir-fry until they become fragrant and golden. Add the onion and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the chicken strips.

3. When the chicken is cooked through, add the soy sauce, nuoc mam and caramel sauce. Stir to mix and heat through, then season with a little salt and pepper. Toss the coriander into the chicken and serve with nuoc cham to drizzle over it.

To Prepare Nuoc Cham

There are many versions of this popular chili dipping sauce, varying in degrees of sweet, sour and chili. Some people add rice vinegar to the mix. Depending on the amount of liquid added, this recipe makes about 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup, which is plenty for all the dishes. If you don't use it all in one sitting, it will keep well in the refrigerator for about two weeks. If you are doing a lot of Vietnamese cooking, it is an extremely handy sauce to have ready-made in quantity.

Recipes:

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 red Thai chilies, seeded and roughly chopped
15-20 ml/3-4 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1 lime
60 ml/4 tablespoons nuoc mam (See below)

Method:

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic with the chilies and sugar and grind to make a paste. Squeeze in the lime juice, add the nuoc mam and then stir in 60-75 ml/4-5 tablespoons water, according to taste. Blend well.

Nuoc Mam

The principal ingredient that is quintessentially Vietnamese is nuoc mam, which is a fermented fish sauce with a pungent smell. It is a condiment that most Vietnamese can't do without as it is splashed into practically every soup, stir-fry and marinade, as well as serving as a standard dipping sauce.

To make nuoc mam, small, silver anchovies are layered with salt and left to ferment in barrels for about three months; the liquid gathered in the base is then drained off and poured back over the fish to ferment for a further three months. The liquid, which by this time is extremely pungent, is then drained and strained into bottles where it is left to mature even further. This sit the first pressing, which is of high quality, and is generally used as a table condiment. The second and third pressings are less pungent and are used for cooking.

Bottles are available in most Asian stores. Look for a rich, dark color with the words ngon or thuong hang on the label as these indicate a superior quality.

Steamed Fish with Ginger

Recipe:

1 x 750 g snapper, cleaned and scaled
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 spring onions, finely sliced diagonally
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 rasher bacon, diced and cooked until crisp, optional

Method:

Wash the snapper, removing any remaining loose scales. Pat dry with absorbent paper. Place fish on a large heatproof dish; sprinkle with ginger, sherry and soy. Leave 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Place a round cake-cooking rack in a wok and balance the dish on it. Carefully pour 6 to 8 cups of boiling water into the wok. Cover the wok and steam the fish over a rolling boil for 10 minutes.

Test for degree of cook by flaking a little flesh from the thickest part of the fish with a fork. It is ready when it flakes easily and is milky white. Turn off heat and keep dish covered.

Heat the oils in a small pan until very hot. Carefully remove fish on its dish from the wok. Sprinkle the spring onion over the fish, carefully pour on the hot oil. Garnish with nuts and bacon, if used. Serve at once with stir-fried vegetables and steamed rice.

Sautéed Lamb with Eggplant

Recipe:

2 large eggplants, ends cut off, thickly sliced
45 ml/3 tablespoons olive oil
8 lamb cutlets, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 large tomatoes, blanched, skinned and thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
2 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
150 ml natural yogurt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
1 lemon, sliced
Sprigs of mint

Method:

Sprinkle salt over the eggplant and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Heat 30 ml/2 tablespoons olive oil in a wok over a very high heat and add the lamb cutlets. When brown, lower the heat and continue cooking until the meat is tender - about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the wok, drain on absorbent kitchen paper and keep in a warm oven.

Add the remaining oil to the wok and fry the eggplant slices with the garlic until they are lightly browned on both sides. (If the oil dries out, add a little more). When they are cooked, push them up the side of the wok and add the tomato slices. Stir-fry for a few moments and season with salt and pepper.

Place the vegetables on a dish and arrange the cutlets over the vegetables. Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of mint. Prepare the sauce by stirring the mint into the yogurt. Grind some black pepper over it and serve in a small bowl.

Steamed Marbled Grouper with Ham Recipe

Recipe:

1 brown marbled grouper (approx. 750 g)
13 g ham
5 sprigs spring onions
3 slices ginger
Chinese parsley
Cooked oil
1/2 teaspoon cornflour

Soy sauce for steamed fish:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Ground white pepper
2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:

Shred the ham and ginger slices. Gut the marbled grouper. Wash and drain. Marinate with 1 teaspoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of cornflour. Put the spring onion on the plate. Put the grouper on top of the spring onion. Arrange ginger and ham shreds on top of the fish. Steam for 10 minutes over high heat. Drain the liquid on the plate. Pour cooked oil and soy sauce over the fish. Sprinkle Chinese parsley at last. Serve hot.

Barbecued Whole Fish Recipe

Recipe:

750 g (1.5 lb) small snapper or bream, cleaned and scaled
2 teaspoons green peppercorns, finely crushed
2 teaspoons chopped red chili
3 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 cm (1.5 in) piece fresh ginger, cut into very thin slices
3 cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices
2 teaspoon sugar4 spring onions, cut into 4 cm (1.5 in) pieces, then finely shredded
Lemon and garlic dipping sauce, to serve

Method:

Wash the fish inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Cut 2 diagonal slashes into the thickest part of the fish on both sides. Place the peppercorns, chili and fish sauce in a food processor or mortar and pestle, and process or grind until a paste is formed. Brush the paste lightly over the fish, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Heat the barbecue until very hot; lightly brush it with oil. Cook the fish for 8 minutes on each side, or until the flesh flakes easily when tested. While the fish is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan; add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden. Add the ginger, garlic and sugar and cook for 3 minutes.

Place the fish on a serving plate, top with the onion mixture, sprinkle over the spring onion and serve immediately with lemon and garlic dipping sauce and hot steamed rice.

Laksa Lemak

Recipe

500 g (1 lb) Raw shrimps
500 g (1 lb) Prepared fish cakes
185 g (6 oz) Crabmeat, optional
1 tablespoon Oil
10 cups Water
375 g (12 oz) Rice vermicelli
250 g (8 oz) Fresh bean sprouts
1 Cucumber
Salt to taste
Small bunch laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint)
Sambal ulek or sambal bajak
Fresh limes, optional

For the soup -
6 Large dried red chilies
2 teaspoons Dried shrimp paste (belacan)
2 Medium onions
2 teaspoons Laos powder
6 Candlenuts
2 stems Lemon Grass
4 tablespoons Peanut oil
1teaspoon Ground turmeric
1 tablespoons Ground coriander
6 cups Coconut Milk

Method :

1)Wash the shrimps well, remove shells, heads and reserve for making stock.
2)De-vein the shrimps, slice the fish cakes and pick over the crabmeat for any bony bits. Keep the seafood refrigerated until required.
3)Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, add the well-drained shrimp shells and heads and fry, stirring, until they turn red.
4)Add the water and 2 teaspoons salt and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour or until reduced by a third. Strain stock, discard shells and heads.
5)Pour very hot water over the rice vermicelli in a bowl and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain.
6)Pinch any straggly tails off the bean sprouts, wash well and drain in a colander.
7)Peel and seed the cucumber and cut into matchsticks strips.
8)Shred the laksa leaf finely.

To make the soup -

1)Break off stems of dry chilies and shake out the seeds. Soak the chilies and belacan in hot water for at least 10 minutes.
2)Put the chilies, shrimps, onions, laos powder, candlenuts and finely sliced lemon grass (use only the white part) into the container of an electric blender.
3)Add a little of the soaking water to facilitate blending, and grind to a puree.
4)Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the ground mixture, stirring to prevent burning, until it is brown and smells fragrant.
5)Add the turmeric and coriander and stir fry for a minute longer.
6)Add the strained stock and simmer for about half and hour.
7)Before serving, add the coconut milk, taste and correct seasoning.
8)Add the sliced fish cakes and crabmeat and bring to simmering point.
9)Drain the rice vermicelli and add to the soup.
10)Heat a tablespoon of oil and stir fry the shrimps for just a couple of minutes, adding a little salt to taste.
11)Serve the laksa lemak in a large bowls, topping each bowl with bean sprouts, cucumber strips, a few shrimps and shreds of laksa leaf.
12)Serve chili sambal separately for intrepid chili eaters and halved limes or lemon for those who prefer a more piquant flavor.