Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad

I have never had Vietnamese food before I came to St Louis. It sounded a bit funny considering how close Vietnam is to Singapore and Malaysia. We are neighbors who have never met one another before.

I blame it on the scarcity of Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore. And the polite Vietnamese colleague whom I worked with for not trumpeting the delicious-ness of her country cuisine. Only after I travelled a zillion miles to United State have I been exposured to the amazing cuisine. Still, better late than never right?

Being an absolutely unadventurous eater, I usually steer myself to the safe side when comes to ordering. "A beef pho for me please" is what I order. Oh and a cup of Vietnamese coffee of course. How could I not get a cup of this addictive stuff. It's almost therapeutic to see the coffee slowly dripping down onto the condense milk. Until the incessant nag and complaint comes from OCT. "Yike, this is too sweet!You shouldn't order this next time,it's not good for your health....." All I could think of, is where can I buy the coffee press. So that I can have it everyday. If you know, please drop me a line.

Oh, I really shouldn't be telling this boring and unrelated story. Because this entry is about a Vietnamese recipe I made a couple of nights ago. It's a crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad. I like recipe with name like this. It preps you for what you are expecting.

Except, it's better than I envisaged. The dressing was flavorful and distinctly Asian. What with the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and thai basil, I almost felt like sitting in a shaded table somewhere along a burstling street; Eating and sweating at the same time at a roadside hawker stall.

Because I don't normally keep chile, cilatro and mint at home, I omitted them and replaced with some thai basil. It worked for me and I am delighted to find a new recipe to bring to the next dinner party.

Curiously the dressing reminds me of the green mango/papaya salad I had in Thailand. I guess as far as Southeast Asia cuisine is concerned, we are influenced a lot by our neighboring countries. I would try this dressing with green mango if lady luck handed some green mango on my lap.(which is fat chance) But I am equally happy to use green cabbages, which are abundant and cheap here.

Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad
adapted and modified from Eric and Sophie Banhs via Foodandwine.com

Chef Way- The Banhs like to poach the chicken for this vibrant dish, then toss the salad with a homemade scallion oil.

Easy Way- To save time, use store-bought rotisserie chicken and skip the scallion oil; the salad already gets plenty of flavor from the spicy, vinegary dressing and abundance of fresh herbs.

ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (I used 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon water
1 serrano chile with seeds, minced (omitted)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 cup vegetable oil, for frying (I used just enough oil to shalow fry the shallot, maybe three/four tablespoons)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
Salt
4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (from 1/2 small head)
2 carrots, finely shredded
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (omitted, and replaced with a palmful of shredded Thai Basil)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint (omitted)
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from 1/2 chicken)(I roasted 6 drumsticks in a 400F oven until cooked to make the shredded chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, water, chile and garlic and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let the dressing stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the shallots on paper towels; reserve the oil for another use. Sprinkle the shallots with salt and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, carrots, red onion, cilantro, mint (if using) and shredded chicken. Add the olive oil and the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with the peanuts and fried shallots and serve the chicken salad with lime wedges.

Serves 4 -6 people.

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Give me something cold for dinner

I saw this simple recipe from the Southern Living magazine, and it immediately captured my attention. I have been wondering what to do with the fresh tomatoes I got from the farmer's market the past weekend. Normally, they would inevitably end up in pasta,my usual and not-so-creative salad or sandwiches. I mean, what else can you expect a humble tomato to do in spite of its many supportive roles in various cuisines.

Perhaps everyone deserves to be put under the spotlight once in awhile. And for the same reason, tomato was put on the spot, at the center of our dining table not many nights ago.The vines that bear all these tomatoes would be proud,if only they could see how pretty the bright, succulent tomatoes was, basking in the equally delicious peach and basil vinaigrette. And the smile and satisfaction they brought to their eaters' lips. It was a new taste to our palate, but a welcoming one. We ate simply that night, with only this salad and some sliced sourdough. The bread was the perfect vehicle to soak up all the remaining juice on the plate. Do we miss the meat? Not me. But I guess OCT probably thinks that another meat dish won't hurt...

I am submitting this anti-oxidant packed recipe to Cate's weekly ARF 5-A-Day. Be sure to check out the roundup later tonight!

Tomatoes with Fresh Peach and Basil Vinaigrette
adapted from Southernliving

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large peach, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Whisk together first 5 ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in olive oil. Stir in chopped peach and basil. Serve immediately.

Yield
Makes about 1 1/4 cups (serving size: 1 tbsp.)

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A Berry Simple Lunch

After a dose of healthy smoothies in the morning, I decided to have something light for lunch. The smoothies is so filling that I didn't feel hungry comes lunch time. But my biological clock sent a signal to my mouth, and told her to munch something eventhough the stomach protested that she was feeling pretty ok and didn't need to be fed yet. Rather than reaching for potato chips or something equally unhealthy, I made myself a simple fruit salad. It's actually the leftover salad from last night with a few strawberries thrown in for color. Surprisely, it was pretty tasty.

I would have added some raspberries if I had gotten them from the farmer market last weekend. But we went a bit late, so there wasn't a single punnet left. What a disappointment! We bought a lot of strawberries though. So much that I have enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, snack and desserts. In as short as three days, three pounds of strawberries are gone. Most of them went into the dessert, which I will blog about shortly in another entry.

This post is about the berry simple salad. It is basically a combination of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and sliced strawberries. I mixed a teaspoon of raspberry perserve and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar to make a simple dressing for the salad. The dressing is pretty much up to personal taste. But I like the interplay of something sweet and something tangy in my salad. I am sure any balsamic vinaigrette will work here too . Also, any mixed salad green can substitute the romaine lettuce.
A figure friendly salad that will surely help my thighs and hips. This berry simple salad will be my entry for Lisa and Kelly's Salad Stravaganza. Do check out the roundup on July 1st for other yummy salad ideas!

A Berry Simple Salad

1 1/2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup hulled, sliced strawberries
1 roma tomato, chopped

dressing:
1 teaspoon raspberry preserves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.

Serves one girl who needs to lose weight.

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A light summer lunch

As much as I love to eat, I find myself skipping lunch most of the days. Not that I am trying to go on a diet, although I probably should, judging from my escalating weights. The actual reason though, is because I snack all the time! There's always cookies, muffins, tarts or cakes lying around. There's no real incentive to make lunch for myself. Not even a simple sandwich.

I am simply too lazy to make myself lunch. Last week however, after flipping through the April 2007 Gourmet magazine, I found myself craving for one of the recipe - the shrimp and mango salad with glass noodles. Other than the basil that the recipe required, I had everything on hand. So, I got up and make myself this light summer lunch. Obviously, I have a soft spot for anything that has mango and shrimp in it.

After making the salad exactly the way the recipe described (except that I replaced flat leaves parsley for basil), I find it to be unbearably pungent and soury. Too much vinegar! Some adjustment was required. I added sugar, but it didn't help much. Perhaps I could add the avocado that had been sitting forlornly in the fridge for a long time? With a stroke of luck, the creaminess of the avocado saved the fate of the miserable salad. At least it was edible after that. And I happily devoured my plate of summer salad in front of other yummy blogs. Secretly hoping that I could sneak into their kitchen and steal some of the fantastic leftover for lunch instead....



Shrimps and Mango Salad with Glass Noodles
adapted from Gourmet April 2007

4 ounces very thin bean thread noodles (also known as cellophane, glass, or mung bean noodles)
1 pound cooked, peeled, and deveined medium or large shrimp
1 large mango (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (I used chopped flat leaf parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh serrano or jalapeño chile, including seeds, or to taste
1/3 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Cover noodles with boiling-hot water in a large bowl and let stand 8 minutes.
Drain noodles in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain well, then return to bowl.

While noodles are soaking, combine shrimp, mango, scallions, basil, and chile in another large bowl.

Stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a measuring cup until sugar is dissolved, then toss half of sauce with noodles and half with shrimp salad.

Serve noodles topped with shrimp salad.

Note: I add one chopped avocado to the salad.

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Something healthy

Like a salad, is perfect for a lazy Sunday night when I don't feel like cooking up a storm. Besides there are too many distractions from TV on Sunday night!

So, here's what we had on Sunday night: Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Salad.


Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Salad
Adapted from CL Jan 07

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon onion flakes, crushed
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
7 teaspoons canola oil, divided
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 425º.
Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet lined with foil; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. Sprinkle strips with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes or until crisp, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, onion flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt; dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl. Combine juice, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 4 teaspoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over lettuce mixture; toss gently to coat. Place 1 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Place 1 fish fillet on each salad; top with 5 tortilla strips.

Yield: 4 servings

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Salmon with Sweet and Sour Pan Sauce and Warm Potato Salad

I should have posted this entry earlier. Because after I uploaded the photos of what we had on Wednesday night, I can't remember much about the dish. Except that the salmon was easy to prepare, its sweet and sour sauce was wonderful. And for the potatoes, I love it, though not as much as the roasted one. But I generally like potatoes, so whether it's smashed, fried, roast or boil doesn't really matter. Potato could easily win me over rice, anytime. Looking at the photo almost make me want to roast another batch of mustard roasted potato tonight. Maybe I should..... It would be perfect for the cold weather.

Coming back to the Warm Potato Salad, the original recipe called for new potatoes, but I only have Russett (which is excellent for roasting, by the way). So, I proceed with Russett. The dressing was made with 2 type of mustards: Dijon and Grainy which is weight friendly compared to mayonaise and other wholesome stuff. (see recipe below). I wouldn't mind making it again for picnic come Spring, since it can stay at room temperature.

As for the salmon, I didn't expect it to be so nice! The sweet and sour flavor combination striked a great balance in this dish. And I am sure it would taste nice with rice too.

Warm New Potato Salad with Grainy Mustard
Adapted from Gourmet

2 lb small (1- to 1 1/2-inch) potatoes, preferably new potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (about 2)
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cover potatoes with water by 1 inch in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, then bring to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then drain.

Whisk together shallot, mustards, vinegar, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve them, then add to vinaigrette along with parsley and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Salmon with Sweet and Sour Pan Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.
Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through garlic).

Increase heat to medium-high, and heat 3 minutes.

While pan heats, sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Add fillets to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan.

Drain fat from pan, and discard fat. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Serve sauce over fish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Note: The sauce is quite thin. To thicken, add some cornstarch dissolved in water to the pan, and bring to a boil together with broth mixture.

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