For this week’s Signature Saturdays, I’m sharing a popular dish that has one too many versions among the Vietnamese. This version in particular is taken from Andrea Nguyen’s book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen:
Bo Kho (Beef Stewed with Tomato, Star Anise and Lemongrass) 
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, well trimmed and cut into 1½ -inch chunks
1 hefty stalk lemongrass, loose leaves discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife
3 tbsps fish sauce
1½ tsps Chinese five-spice powder
2½ tbsps peeled and minced fresh ginger
1½ tsps brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely …read more

Another one of many flavorful ways to cook prawns:
Ingredients:
500g medium raw prawns
6 spring onions
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps caramel sauce*
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 red pepper, cut into fine strips, to garnish
Procedure:
1. Remove the prawn heads and, using a fine needle, devein prawns, leaving the tails, shells and legs intact. Rinse the prawns under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Finely chop half the spring onions. Cut the rest into 4 cm long pieces and then finely shred the pieces into thin strips.
3. Heat the oil in …read more

Here’s one of the secrets (not so secret anymore, obviously) for making the fragrant, full-flavored broth used in Vietnamese Pho. Andrea Nguyen teaches this technique in her book Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors. Slightly different from another technique I learned from a Vietnamese friend (and also used by other Vietnamese cookbook authors) where the aromatics, mostly commonly onion and ginger, are roasted in the oven or browned in oil before using. Roasting them stovetop brings about a complexity in flavor that doesn’t come through quite as brightly using the other techniques. And I …read more

They come in all sizes, to suit the dish, and your preference. Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, just like shirts, only yummier! Mostly used in Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine, but adaptable for most Asian cuisines and even non-Asian cooking. And if you’re trying to avoid gluten or wheat, these are perfect substitutes. Do check the ingredient list, because some rice noodles are not made with only rice flour, so if you have allergies, don’t assume it’s safe just because it says “rice noodle” on the packet. On the other hand, if you want to …read more

Many a recipe in the Asian repertoire contains a secret ingredient — sometimes so subtle it may be hard to detect — in pandan. Used in cooking rice, wrapping meat, flavoring cakes, etc., pandan is an indispensable item in the kitchen, be it Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, or Malaysian.
More information from AsiaFood
From Wikipedia
And a recipe from Apple of My Eyes for Buko Pandan

from Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Recipe tomorrow!

A really easy way to add flavor and crunch to your Asian dishes. The oil itself can be used for stir-frying, or to drizzle over food right before serving. You can cook the shallots until they’re golden and crunchy and use it as topping for noodle dishes like mee rebus, or over your rice, or over Asian-marinated and grilled fish. So many things you can do with just two ingredients.
1 cup oil
1 cup shallots, sliced thin
Heat oil over medium heat in wok. Add shallots and cook. If planning to use oil for stir-fry, take …read more

Catfish with Caramel Sauce
1 1/3 cup (approximately) sugar
2/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/3 cup water
1 pound catfish fillet
2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon sliced green onion
1 cup cucumber slices
Make the caramel syrup:
Put 1 cup sugar in dry, heavy-bottomed saucepan (4 quarts or larger). Combine 2/3 cup of the fish sauce and the water in a measuring cup and set aside. Place the pan of sugar over medium heat and turn exhaust fan to its maximum setting. When sugar begins to melt around the edges, swirl the pan …read more

1 1/2 pounds flank steak or London broil, trimmed of fat and gristle
For the marinade:
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, outer leaves removed, ends trimmed, and stalks cut into 1-inch sections
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons safflower or corn oil
2 medium-size red onions, cut into thin julienne strips
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2 heads Boston lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated, rinsed and spun dry
Vietnamese Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce …read more