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Recipes from Vietnam
Vietnamese cooking has become
increasingly well-known in the United States as more people have immigrated to
the United States and shared their culinary traditions. Spring roll wrappers and
fish sauce show up in mainstream supermarkets across the U.S., and many of us
live in communities with Vietnamese restaurants and Southeast Asian markets. In
Vietnam itself, it has taken many years for the country to recover from the
effects of the war. The people there rely on fish as a main source of protein,
saving pork and chicken for special occasions. Other main foods include rice,
beans, cassava, peanuts and various fruits and vegetables.
Vietnamese Meatballs
(Vietnam) makes about 25 meatballs
Thit Nuong Cha - Meatballs are popular in Vietnam, and can be made
with pork, chicken, beef and even shrimp. They are eaten at breakfast,
lunch or dinner.
(Reminder: if you are preparing these with
children, remind them to wash their hands well after handling raw meat,
and supervise this if necessary)
1 pound ground pork
½ small onion chopped, ½ cup chopped scallions
1 teaspoon fish sauce* and 1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon sugar
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large
mixing bowl and mix well.
- Wet your hands and roll the meat
mixture into one-inch balls. Place in a 9 x 9 baking dish and bake
uncovered 30 minutes. Make sure they are cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve
warm, with extra soy sauce or fish sauce for dipping.
(*If you cannot find fish sauce, you can
substitute anchovy extract, or even Worcestershire sauce in a pinch)
This can be part of a meal, served with
cooked rice and the salad below, with fresh fruit like pineapple and
bananas sprinkled with toasted coconut for dessert.
Recipe from Make a World of
Difference: Creative Activities for Global Learning, Friendship Press,
1989, p. 218 |
| Shrimp and Chicken Salad (Vietnam)
½ pound shelled shrimp, cooked 1 carrot
grated
½ pound lean cooked chicken, cut into small cubes 1 medium cucumber
thinly sliced
4 cups mung bean sprouts handful of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
1-2 teaspoons sugar Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Pour in just enough water to cover
the bottom of a saucepan. Bring to boiling and throw in bean sprouts
for a few seconds only, removing almost immediately. Drain bean
sprouts and allow them to cool.
- In a bowl, mix the lemon juice with
the sugar, fish sauce, salt and pepper.
- Arrange the bean sprouts, carrot and
cucumbers in a pleasing manner on a serving dish. Pour the dressing
over.
- Place the chicken and shrimp on top
of the salad and garnish with cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts.
Recipe from The New
Internationalist Food Book by Troth Wells, Second Story Press, 1995,
p. 135 |
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