Chicken with Lemon Grass (Thit Ga Xao Dam Gung Sa
— Vietnam)

6 chicken thighs
1 stalk lemon grass or 3 thin strips lemon peel
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 scallions (with tops), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger root
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Hot cooked rice

Remove bones and skin from chicken thighs; cut chicken into
1-inch pieces.
Bruise the stalk of lemon grass by hitting it with a
mallet.
Mix lemon grass and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in glass or
plastic bowl; stir in chicken.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1
hour.
Remove lemon grass stalk.

Heat oil in wok or 10-inch skillet until hot.
Add sliced onion
and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute.
Add chicken and scallions; stir-fry
5 minutes.
Reduce heat; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 2
minutes.
Mix vinegar and ginger root; reserve.
Mix remaining
ingredients except rice; stir into chicken mixture.
Stir in
reserved vinegar mixture.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly;
cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute.

Serve with rice.

Yields 4 servings.

Tom Kha Gai Soup (Galanga Soup - Vietnam)

6 ounces sliced white chicken meat
6 ounces sliced white onions
2 or 3 medium pieces galanga (Thai ginger)
3 (1-inch) slices lemon grass
1 ounce chopped green onion
24 ounces water
1 (2 ounce) package coconut milk concentrate
4 ounces fresh lime or lemon juice
4 ounces fish sauce
1 tablespoon ground red chili

Start heating the water.
Add coconut milk concentrate, galanga
ginger and lemon grass.
Add sliced chicken.
Bring to a boil.
After
the soup has boiled for 2 minutes, add the onions.

In a serving bowl add the lime juice and fish sauce.
Do not add
this to the boiling soup! When the chicken is cooked, place the
soup in the serving bowl with the sauces.
Garnish with the green
onions, spice to taste with red chili and serve.

Yields 4 servings.

Vietnamese Lemon Chicken Skewers

Don’t marinate the chicken too long or the acidity will “cook”
it.

2 scallions, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nuoc mam)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 bamboo skewers

Combine the scallions, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, pepper,
sugar, fish sauce and oil in a medium-size bowl.

Slice the chicken crosswise on the diagonal into wide strips.
Place in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Soak the skewers in warm water for 1 hour.

Preheat broiler or grill.
Thread the chicken strips onto the
skewers.
Broil 5 inches from the heat source for about 4 minutes
per side, or until done.
Alternately, grill the chicken for about 4
minutes per side.

Serves 4.

Vietnamese Banana Fritters

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
5 small, firm bananas
Peanut oil (for frying)

Mix together the flour, sugar, egg, and milk to make a smooth,
paste-like batter.
Let rest for one hour.

Peel the bananas and slice each one in half lengthwise, then
across into chunks about three inches long.
Dip the banana pieces
into the batter and shallow fry in hot oil for a few minutes or
until golden brown all over.
Drain quickly on a wire rack or paper
towel, and serve warm.

If you like, serve them with confectioners’
sugar or honey for extra sweetness.

Vietnamese Steak Salad (Shaking Beef)

This is the ideal one-dish meal.
But don’t serve it to guests
who are squeamish about spicy, zesty food.

3/4 pound strip or porterhouse steak
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
Freshly-ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups watercress, cleaned, with heavy stems removed
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Fresh mint

Rub the steak with 4 cloves of the garlic.
Sprinkle on the fish
sauce, sugar, salt and olive oil.
Rub it again.
Let it marinate for
at least one hour.

Fire up the grill.
Marinate the scallions and the remaining
clove of garlic in the vinegar.
Grill the steak for 5 minutes on
each side.
Remove it from the grill and let it cool for about 8
minutes.
Slice it into thin cubes.
Toss it together with all
remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and serve it with rice.

Serves 4.

Pork Riblets Simmered in Caramel Sauce (Suon Kho -
Vietnamese)

Source: Los Angeles Times - February 6, 2002

Traditionally, the riblets were grilled over charcoal to sear in
the flavors before simmering.
Ask a butcher to cut the ribs, as
this is not an easy home project.
To remove the fat, the ribs may
be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.
The congealed fat can be
easily lifted off the surface.

2 pounds meaty pork spareribs, cut crosswise through
the bone into 2-inch-wide strips
1/3 cup minced, grated or puréed yellow onion (about
1/2 small onion)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fish sauce, divided
1/4 cup Caramel Sauce (in this section)
1 green onion, green top only, chopped
Steamed rice, for serving

Cut each rib strip between the bones or through the cartilage
into individual riblets.

Combine the onion, sugar, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the fish
sauce in a bowl.
Add the riblets, cover with plastic wrap and
marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

If necessary, adjust your broiler rack so that the ribs will
cook as close to the flame as possible.
Heat the broiler for 30
minutes to get it nice and hot.

While the broiler heats, take the ribs from the refrigerator and
let them sit at room temperature to take the chill off.
Place them
on a baking sheet and broil until they’re tinged brown, about 4 to
6 minutes per side; a little charring is fine.
(You’ll hear a
pleasant sizzle as this happens.) Alternatively, cook the ribs over
high heat on a gas or charcoal grill, which imparts deeper flavor.
The point here is to sear the riblets to obtain a roastiness and
intensify the overall color.

Place the riblets in a saucepan with the Caramel Sauce, the
remaining 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and enough water (about 2 1/2
cups) to cover most of the riblets.
Bring to a boil and reduce the
heat to simmer.
Cover and let cook for 40 minutes; the ribs should
simmer vigorously, sending steam out from under the lid.

Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the ribs are tender
(you can easily pierce the meat with a fork or knife tip), about 20
to 30 minutes.
If there’s cartilage, you should be able to bite
through it, with a slight crunch remaining.
This latter phase of
cooking allows the sauce to reduce and concentrate in flavor, and
deepens the color to dark reddish brown.
In the end, there should
be a fair amount of sauce left.

Turn off the heat, tilt the saucepan so the liquid goes to one
side and use a spoon or small ladle to skim the fat from the top.
Adjust the flavors with extra fish sauce, if necessary.
Garnish
with the chopped green onion and serve with lots of steamed
rice.

4 servings

Each serving, without rice: 429 calories; 773 mg sodium; 104
mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 20 grams
carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 0.36 gram fiber

Low fat tip: Use nonstick spray for sautéing the
vegetables, substitute reduced fat sour cream and mushroom soup,
and use 1 1/2 cups broth for the topping.