Vietnamese Recipes

Ingredients

• 400 g Water spinach
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Rice wine for Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Salt for Seasoning

Instructions

1. Remove the young leaves of the water spinach and snap the stems into sections, rinse off the dirt, soak in salt water for 10 minutes and drain.
2. Crush the garlic.
3. Add some oil to a pan and swirl to coat the pan with oil. Then heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and stir fry the garlic.
4. Stir fry the water spinach over high heat until cooked.
5. Add the Seasoning, stir well and serve.

Ingredients

• 500 g Water convolvulus
• 1 tablespoon Red fermented bean curd
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 Red chili, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Cooking oil
• 1 clove Garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Wash water convolvulus and break into short lengths.
2. In a small bowl, add fermented bean curd, sugar and chili and mix well.
3. Heat cooking oil and sauté garlic until fragrant.
4. Add water convolvulus and sauté.
5. Stir well for 5 minutes.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Cooking oil
• 2 Fresh red chilies, halved, seeded and finely sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely sliced
• 2 slices Ginger, finely dices
• 1 Spring onions (scallion), finely diced
• 1/2 head Head round white cabbage, cut into 2 cm square
• 2 cakes Dried tofu, cubed
• 65 g Roasted peanuts, shells and membranes removed
• 1 Small stalk fresh celery, tough fibres removed,finely diced

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons Fermented hot bean sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Wine
• 1 tablespoon Water

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok until smoking hot, then fry the diced chopped chilies, garlic, ginger and spring onion, then add the chopped cabbage and diced tofu. Stir fry quickly for 1 minute.
3. Add the sauce, and continue to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the peanuts, stir fry another 30 seconds more or until peanuts are heated through, then turn off heat and transfer to platter.
5. Garnish with the chopped celery and serve.

Winter gourds, such as pumpkins, bitter melons, luffa squash and variety of other squash that come under the kabocha umbrella, are popular vegetables for soups and braised dishes. Any of these vegetables can be used for this side dish, but luffa squash – aslo known as ridged gourd is easy to work with and is available in most Asian markets. It resembles a long courgette, usually lighter in color and with ridges from one end to the other.

Ingredients

• 750 g Luffa squash, peeled
• 30-45 ml Groundnut (peanut) or sesame oil
• 2 Shallots, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 115 g Button (white) mushrooms, quartered
• 15 ml Mushroom sauce
• 10 ml Soy sauce
• 4 Spring onions (scallions), chopped into 2 cm pieces
• 25 g Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

Instructions

1. Cut the luffa squash diagonally into 2 cm pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan,.
3. Stir in the shallots and garlic and once they begin to color, add the mushrooms.
4. Add the mushroom sauce and soy sauce, followed by the sliced squash.
5. Reduce the heat and cover the wok or pan, allowing the squash to soften in the steam for a few minues.
6. Add the spring onions and coriander and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 4 Eggplant
• 1/2 tablespoon Chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon Chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon Hot bean paste
• 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Brown vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Soup stock
• 1/2 tablespoon Sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons Oil
• 1 tablespoon Chopped green onion

Instructions

1. Choose firm purple eggplant, remove stalk and without peeling, cut into thumb size pieces.
2. Heat oil in frying pan until very hot. Put eggplant in, turn heat to low, stir fry until it’s soft for about 3 minutes. Then press eggplant, to squeeze out the excess oil. Remove eggplant from pan and set aside.
3. Into the frying pan, add chopped garlic, ginger and hot bean paste, stir for a few seconds. Add soy sauce, sugar, salt and soup stock and bring to a boil. Add eggplant, cook about 1 minute until sauce is gone.
4. Add vinegar and sesame oil. Stir until heated through.
5. Sprinkle with chopped green onion. Mix carefully and serve.

Ingredients

• 200 g Beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Corn flour (cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon Cooking oil
• 500 g Chinese kale, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 1 tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Fish sauce

Instructions

1. Marinate beef with rice wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt and corn flour. Leave for 10 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of water to the boil then add some salt and cooking. Blanch Chinese kale and drain.
3. Heat a wok with cooking oil and stir fry garlic until fragrant.
4. Add beef and stir fry for 5 minutes. Season with sugar, fish sauce and salt to taste.
5. Add Chinese kale and mix well.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Oil
• 1 medium White or yellow onion, halved then thinly slices
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 300 g French beans (string beans), tops and tails removed, cut into 3 cm lengths
• 2 slices Ginger, thinly shredded
• 3 large Fresh red chilies, halved lengthwise, seeded then cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Rice wine
• 200 g Fresh mung bean sprouts
• 2 teaspoon White vinegar
• 2 teaspoon Sesame oil

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a wok until smoking hot and quickly stir fry the onion, garlic, French beans, ginger and chilies for 30 seconds.
2. Immediately add the salt, soy sauce and wine and fry for another 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the bean sprouts and stir fry 1 minute, then add the vinegar and cook another 30 seconds.
4. Finally, add the sesame oil, stir t mix, turn off the heat.
5. Transfer to platter and garnish with Chinese parsley.

Ingredients

• 30 ml Groundnut (peanut) or sesame oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 to 2 Green or red Thai chilies, seeded and finely chopped
• 500 g Fresh, asparagus, cut in 1 inch length
• 45 ml Nuoc cham
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a wok or large pan and add the oil.
2. Stir in the garlic and chilies and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the asparagus and toss around the pan.
4. Once the asparagus leaves begin to wilt, add the nuoc cham, making sure it coats the spinach.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 1 cake Soft tofu (300 g or 10 oz)
• 5 Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, stalk removed and finely diced
• 3 pieces Wood ear fungus, finely diced (if using dried wood ears, soak in hot water for 20 minutes)
• 5 cloves Garlic, finely minced
• 5 slices Ginger, finely minced
• 6 Spring onions (scallions), finely minced
• 1 sprig Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped for garnishing

Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Wine
• 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Sesame oil

Instructions

1. Set a steamer to boil.
2. Meanwhile, wash the tofu, drain well, and pat dry with paper towels (or let tofu drain on rack for a few hours before preparation).
3. Use fingers to break up the tofu into a medium-sized heat-proof bowl.
4. Stir seasoning into the mashed tofu. Add also the diced mushroom and wood ears as well as the minced ingredients. Stir until evenly blended.
5. Set the bowl of tofu mixture on a rack, cover steamer tightly with lid, and steam for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from steamer, set the hot bowl onto a plate, and serve, garnished with chopped coriander.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Chinese cabbage, washed and cut into big pieces
• 200 g Shrimps, shelled and washed
• 100 g Crab meat
• 4 Mushrooms, soaked and sliced
• 50 g Green peas
• 3 Young ginger, finely chopped
• 3 Shallots, finely chopped
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 4 tablespoons Oil
• 1 tablespoon Corn flour (mixed with 2 tablespoons of water)

Mixture

• 1 1/2 cup Water
• 1 tablespoon Anchovies stock powder
• 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Soya sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

1. Arrange Chinese cabbage neatly into a big bowl.
2. Steam on high heat for about 40 minutes till soft.
3. Remove and pour out the water.
4. Invert vegetables into deep serving plate.
5. Heat up oil, sauté chopped ginger and garlic till fragrant.
6. Add shrimps and mushrooms.
7. Pour all the mixture ingredients and bring it to boil.
8. Add crab meats, green peas and simmer for another 5 minutes.
9. Thicken the liquid with beaten egg and corn flour which have been mixed with 2 tablespoons of water.
10. Pour onto the vegetables and serve hot.