CHA GIO- Vietnamese Spring Rolls

These are the classic, deep-fried Vietnamese spring rolls, also referred to as Imperial Rolls.
Stuffing:

• 1 lb (500 g) lean, ground pork
• 8 oz (200 g) peeled shrimp (prawns), minced
• 4 oz (100 g) crabmeat
• 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 or 3 wood ear mushrooms, soaked in water 1½ oz (45 g) cellophane noodles, soaked in
  water
• ½ medium carrot, cut in julienne 1 egg white (optional) Pinch pepper 1 teaspoon sugar Pinch salt 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Wrapping:

• 25 pieces dried rice paper
• Water
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Garnish:

• 1 cup (40 g) fragrant leaves (basil, cilantro/coriander and mint)
• 1 small head iceberg lettuce ¼ cup (20 g) bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce Dip (see page 37)
• 2 tablespoons Carrot and Radish Pickles (see page 36) ½ cup (50 g) rice noodles, softened
• In a large bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients; mix thoroughly.

Cover rice paper with banana leaf or sprinkle with water until flexible. Put a heaped teaspoon of stuffing on the rice paper. Start folding the left and right side of the rice paper into the center, then roll up from the bottom edge away to the far end. Do not roll too tight, as this will cause the rolls to split. Deep-fry over medium heat until golden brown.
Serve with fragrant leaves, lettuce, bean sprouts, Fish Sauce Dip, Carrot and Radish Pickles and fine rice noodles.
Helpful hints: The leaves and the lettuce are wrapped around the rolls and then dipped into the sauce. This is a fun recipe to experiment with. Try using different ingredients, such as chicken or duck

SHRIMP AND GREEN MANGO SALAD
This is essentially a variation on the traditional Vietnamese shrimp salad - using tart, unripe mango instead of lotus root. Green papaya may also be used.

• 12 medium shrimp (prawns)
• 1 cup (150 g) finely sliced green mango
• 1 tablespoon chopped rau ram (polygonum)
• leaves ¼ cup (60 ml) Fish Sauce Dip

Garnish:

• 1 small red chili, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots 2 tablespoons chives

POMELO SALAD
This is a relatively new creation, employing the deliciously sweet Vietnamese pomelo, which is similar to grapefruit, but not as sour.

• ½ cup (60 g) crabmeat
• ½ cup (50 g) cooked and cubed chicken breast
• ½ cup (50 g) julienned carrot
• ¼ cup (45 g) sliced cucumber
• 1 medium pomelo, peeled and crumbled
• ¼ cup (60 ml) Fish Sauce Dip
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground peanuts 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (coriander) 1 tablespoon fried shallots

Combine all the ingredients except peanuts, cilantro and shallots. Toss gently in a large mixing bowl. Serve slightly chilled, garnished with peanuts, cilantro and shallots.
Helpful hints. Grapefruit can be substituted for pomelo, but should be used more sparingly since it is more sour and bitter. Since fish sauce (and the various dipping sauces it makes) has such presence, it's always a good idea to adjust the amounts used in the recipes to suit the flavor of a particular dish.

PHO BO- Beef Noodle Soup

You'll find this soup everywhere in Vietnam - from street stalls to fancy restaurants. It is the classic breakfast meal, but it is just as delicious served any time of day or night.

• 1 medium piece of fresh ginger
• 1 large onion
• 10 cups (2½  liters) water
• 2 lb (1 kg) beef bones
• 12 oz (400 g) beef brisket Pinch of salt
• 3 pieces star anise 1 cinnamon stick Salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup (80 g) bean sprouts
• 8 oz (250 g) rice noodles
• 8 oz (250 g) raw beef sirloin, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• ¼ cup (35 g) finely cut baby leeks or scallions (spring onions)
• ½ cup (20 g) chopped ngo gai (saw-leaf herb)
• leaves ½ cup (20 g) chopped cilantro (coriander)
• leaves

Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons Yellow Bean Sauce
• 2 small red chilies, sliced 2 limes, cut into wedges Mint leaves
• gai leaves
• tro (coriander) leaves

Grill ginger and onion until the skins are burnt. In a deep pan, combine water, bones and beef brisket. Bring to a boil, skimming frequently, to remove residue. Add salt, grilled ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon. Cook for 1 hour or until tender, then remove the cooked beef and slice it very thinly. Strain the soup into a separate container, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Wash and drain bean sprouts. Quickly blanch rice noodles and bean sprouts in boiling water, to soften, but do not overcook. Arrange in a soup bowl. Top with sliced beef brisket, raw beef sirloin, sliced onion, chopped baby leeks, ngo gai and cilantro leaves. Pour the boiling soup into the bowl and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. By that time the raw beef should be medium-cooked.
Serve with chili and Yellow Bean Sauces, sliced chilies, lime wedges, mint, ngo gai and cilantro leaves.
Helpful hints: Grilling the ginger and onion can be done either over an open flame or simply in a pan. Chicken is a delicious alternative to beef, and most Vietnamese restaurants offer both versions.

CANH CHUA CA LOC- Tamarind Snakehead Soup

Also known as Vietnamese sweet and sour soup, this dish is a light and refreshing, fragrant soup, making use of fresh herbs and pineapple. The recipe calls for the firm white-fleshed snakeheaded mullet, also called mud-fish, which has a strong "fishy" flavor.

• 1 lb (500 g) snake-headed mullet, sliced 1 in
• (2½ cm) thick
• 4 cups (1 liter) fish stock or water ½ cup (150 g) pineapple, peeled and sliced
• 1 small red chili, seeded and sliced
• 2 pieces okra (lady's fingers), sliced ½ cup (75 g) sliced taro stem
• ½ cup (65 g) tamarind pulp, soaked in 1 cup
• (250 ml) water ¼ cup (20 g) bean sprouts 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots
• ¼ cup (10 g) mint leaves, chopped
• Cilantro (coriander) leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped rau ram (polygonum)
• leaves 1 tablespoon ngo am (rice paddy herb), chopped
• Fish for about 5 minutes in boiling stock, then remove from the heat and strain, keeping both the stock and the fish.

In a large pan, bring stock to a boil again. Add the pineapple, chili, okra and taro. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the tamarind pulp juice, bean sprouts and tomato. Bring to a boil again. Skim the top and season with fish sauce and sugar. Place the fish in a large soup bowl, ladle the vegetable stock in, and garnish with fried shallots, mint, cilantro, and ngo om (rice paddy herb). Finish with freshly ground pepper.
Helpful hints: Red snapper is a good substitute for snake-headed mullet. If using canned pineapple, drain the syrup and reduce the amount of sugar used.

CA TIM NUONG- Grilled Eggplant with Crab

This recipe is common to Cambodia and southern Vietnam and makes surprising use of eggplant, one of the many vegetables grown in central Vietnam.

• 6 long (Japanese) eggplants (aubergine)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) cooking oil
• 11/2 cups (180 g) cooked crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots
• 1 tablespoon scallions (spring onions), finely
• sliced Cilantro (coriander) leaves

Sauce:

• 1 medium red chili, minced 11/2 tablespoons crushed peanuts ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce ½ teaspoon sugar or honey
• 3 tablespoons water

Cut eggplants in half and brush with some of the oil. Grill over an open flame or under a broiler, turning regularly, until the skin turns a darkish brown and the flesh is soft. Peel off the skin and discard. Fry the shallots in the remaining oil until light gold in color. Remove and drain on paper towel. Combine the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the eggplant. Serve garnished with the fried shallots, spring onions and cilantro leaves.
Helpful hints: Cooked, small shrimps are a good substitute for the crab. Fried shallots are available in most Asian supermarkets.

CUA RANG VOI SOT ME- Crab with Tamarind Sauce

This is what they're eating at those crowded tables on the sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City - a taste sensation.

• 4 whole medium crabs Peanut oil for deep-frying
• 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp 1/4 cup (60 ml) rice wine
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup (60 ml) chopped baby leeks or scallions (spring onions), white part only, cut in 1-in (2½ -cm) pieces
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed white pepper

Clean the crabs, take off the tops, rinse thoroughly, cut in half and break the claws. Heat peanut oil in wok until very hot, deep-fry crabs for 30 seconds, or until color changes. Set on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Dissolve tamarind pulp in rice wine. In a large pan or wok, saute garlic in vegetable oil until soft, add crab and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes on a high heat. Add tamarind mixture, fish sauce and pepper. Reduce for another 2 minutes, then add baby leeks. Remove from heat. Place crabs on a platter and pour tamarind sauce over. Serve with steamed rice.
Helpful hints: Although this dish is traditionally prepared in a wok, the use of a deep-fryer might make the cooking easier. You can also substitute freshly ground black pepper, although white pepper is often the preferred ingredient of Vietnamese cooks.

BO LA LOT- Grilled Beef in Wild Betel Leaves

The Vietnamese are famous for their hand rolls and almost every dinner features at least two or three different versions at the start of the meal.

• 1¼ lb (600 g) ground beef
• 10 oz (300 g) pork fatback
• Salt
• Sugar
• 21 wild betel leaves
• 7 wooden skewers
• Vegetable oil

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Garnish:

• 2 starfruit, thinly sliced
• 3 unripe bananas, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup (250 ml) Fish Sauce Dip
• Lettuce leaves for wrapping

Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the beef for 30 minutes.
Fry pork fatback, allow to cool and then cut into fine slices (vermicelli size). Marinate with salt and sugar and set aside for 15 minutes. Soak wild betel leaves and drain.
Combine beef and pork fat, mix thoroughly, then wrap portions in wild betel leaf, with the shiny side of the leaf outermost. The rolls should be roughly 2 in (5 cm) long. Place 3 rolls on each skewer. Brush with oil and grill on both sides for 5 minutes, until the leaves are slightly charred. Serve with garnish and Fish Sauce Dip.
Helpful hints: You can also try adding fresh rice noodles into the wrap. Grape leaves may be substituted for the betel leaves. Use large leaves if possible; otherwise use two leaves together.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Quickly steam in a pan with very little water until bright pink and tender. Remove from pan and cool. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, mango, rau ram and Fish Sauce Dip. Toss well. Arrange on a platter. Top with garnish.