Home Is Where the Heart Is Cooking When You're Homesick ANH TRAN
Home is Where the Heart Is
Home is Where the Heart Is Cooking When You're Homesick ANH TRAN
Thank you Mom for teaching me just about everything I am sharing in this book.
The design and production of this book was completed by Anh Tran in 2021. This book is set in Gopher and Halyard Display. The illustrations were created digitally.
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My Essentials for Vietnamese Cooking Spring Rolls Corn and Cauliflower Soup with Chicken Slaw Clear-broth Vegetable Soup Egg and Green Bean Stir-fry Wings Glazed in Fish Sauce Pork and Egg Braised in Coconut Juice
If you are also feeling lost between two cultures, I hope you may peacefully find your way to who you are. Cooking and eating has always been a big part of my life. Whether everyone is gathering for a Nebraska football watch party or honoring the death day of our elders, food is always a main part of a get-together. Now, living away from home and where I grew up, cooking Vietnamese food for myself has become about grasping familiarity, trying to recreate the tastes and smells that I once shared with others. Through learning more about Vietnamese cuisine, I have learned more about Vietnamese people. I've observed that Vietnamese cuisine is all about making the best of what you have to balance flavor, nutrients, and satiation. When I see how Vietnamese people can make so much out of such simple ingredients and techniques, I feel so much respect for my culture and proud to be part of it. Many of the ingredients are estimates; I grew up cooking without measurements, only being told by my mom to put “vừa vừa,” enough of what I needed. And often, it's up to the preference of the cook anyway. If you taste as you go, you will be fine. Good luck!
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My Essentials for Vietnamese Cooking These ingredients show up in not just these recipes, but all throughout Vietnamese cuisine. Some may be available at your standard supermarkets as international ingredients become more accessible, but you will find larger varieties and more options at your local Asian markets with the bonus of supporting local, minority-owned businesses.
Jasmine Rice
Rice is the main staple of Vietnamese cuisine; the crop thrives in Vietnam's tropical climate, and it provided the most substance in times when other ingredients were limited. When perfumed with jasmine, the rice becomes very aromatic. The longgrain variety has a soft and flexible mouthfeel. Rice is the perfect complement to the savoriness of main entrées.
Fish Sauce
Dried Shrimp, Dried Bouillon
This condiment is one of the main flavoring ingredients of Vietnamese cuisine. It is notoriously smelly to those who are not familiar with it, but the sharp aroma often mellows out, giving the dish even deeper umami and saltiness. I think fish sauce literally runs in the blood of Vietnamese people—there is no substitute!
These are quite different things, but they have the same purpose of bringing extra flavor, often used to reinforce stocks, braises, or stir-fries. My mom bulk-chops the dried shrimp for me in the food processor, and it keeps well in the freezer. When using the shrimp, I like to fry them in the beginning so they can release their flavor into the oil with the rest of the aromatics. My preferred bouillon is a mushroom powder seasoning.
Fresh Herbs
Herbs are the best way to bring brightness to a meal. Even just one torn leaf can make a bite of rice, salad, or phở really pop. My favorites include Thai basil, mint, perilla, shiso, rice patty herb, and Vietnamese coriander. They come in much bigger bunches at the Asian markets than normal supermarkets often at the same price, so go get your bang for your buck.
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jasmine rice mint Thai basil fish sauce mushroom bouillon dried shrimp perilla e
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Spring Rolls gỏi cuốn (gawyee cooin) To me, spring rolls can be the ultimate bonding food. Once everything is prepped, everyone can sit around the table and assemble their rolls together. Spring roll fillings can get pretty fancy, but this is a classic, simpler combination with a sauce so amazing that, I won't deny admitting, I would drink from the bowl. You can make as many as you want, but here are some recommended ingredients and quantities for three spring rolls: 3 sheets rice paper 1 cup cooked rice vermicelli 6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined. 3 leaves of lettuce 1/2 cucumber, cut lengthwise into thin ribbons Any assortment of fresh herbs: Thai basil, mint, perilla, shiso, etc. Optional, though essential to some: 1/2 cup bean sprouts 1. Prepare the sauce: in a small pot, heat garlic in oil until aromatic, then add hoisin sauce and sriracha. Stir for a couple seconds then add water, mixing to dissolve the sauces. Add peanut butter, and stir until melted evenly. When sauce comes to a boil, add the slurry and stir immediately until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer sauce to a bowl, and set aside to cool. 2. In another pot, boil salted water and cook shrimp until pink. Set aside to cool, then cut shrimp lengthwise down the middle.
For the sauce: 1 tbsp cooking oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 1 tsp sriracha 1 tbsp peanut butter 1/2 cup water 1 tbsp crushed peanuts Slurry - 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water
3. In a wide, shallow pot or pan, heat water over medium heat. When small bubbles appear, wet the rice paper by dipping it in at an angle, then spinning the sheet around until all parts of the rice paper have been wet. Carefully lay flatly onto a wide plate. 4. To assemble rolls, place ingredients at the side of the rice paper closest to you, leaving about half an inch of room. Use this flap to roll forward twice, fold the sides over, then roll the rest of the roll. 5. Enjoy with the dipping sauce, and maybe even lick your bowl clean.
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Corn and Cauliflower Soup with Chicken Slaw The fragrant, gingery aroma stirs memories of weekends and my mother feeding my sisters and me when we were young: a Saturday morning when she was home, cartoons on the TV, my sisters and I squirreling around while my mom urged us to come back for a bite. Sometimes it was rice and leftovers, and sometimes it was congee; I would always get the last satisfying scrapings of the rice that got stuck to the bottom of the pot. This soup, with its creamy corn and cauliflower puree and chicken-y warmth, reminds me of that. For 2 servings. 2 medium sized cuts of chicken (breast, thigh, leg), skin trimmed and optionally reserved 1 1/2 inch section of ginger, sliced 3 stalks green onion 1 cup cauliflower, cut into florets 1 cup corn 1 tsp fish sauce Water, as needed Salt and pepper, as needed 1. For the stock, place the chicken, ginger, and green onion in a pot. Pour over water so it covers the chicken by about one inch. Add needed salt to season the chicken. Simmer over medium-low heat, making sure to skim and discard the foam, until chicken is cooked through. Set chicken aside to cool and discard aromatics. 2. Bring broth to boil, then add cauliflower, cooking until fork-tender. Add corn and heat until warmed through. 3. Shred cooked chicken and combine with slaw ingredients. You may soak the onions in water beforehand to remove its strong bite.
For the slaw: 2 cups cabbage, thinly shredded 1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced. 1 lime, juiced 2 tsp fish sauce 2 tsp sugar Salt and pepper, as needed Optional: reserved chicken skin
4. Reserve a quarter cup of corn, then blend the rest with the cauliflower and broth. Back in the pot, season to taste with fish sauce and pepper. 5. To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls and top with slaw. Optional: For a crispy topping, slice reserved chicken skin into small pieces, and fry over medium high heat until the fat has rendered and they are crisp.
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Clear-broth Vegetable Soup canh (kaaun) We almost always eat everything family style at home, but canh was always pre-portioned out by my mom so we wouldn't skimp on the vegetables. Now, I think a bowl of canh is the most refreshing way to end a meal—somehow the perfect balance between warming and cooling. For 2 servings 1–2 cups choice vegetable; keep in mind some vegetables will "shrink" more than others. Here are some of my favorite options: • spinach • Malabar spinach, cut into half inch strips crosswise • cabbage, shredded into thin strips • watercress, cut into one inch sections • butternut squash, cubed
1 tbsp cooking oil 2 1/2 oz ground shrimp or ground dried shrimp 2 tbsp minced shallot, onion, or white part of green onion 2 cups water 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp dried mushroom seasoning 1/2 tsp salt
1. Heat cooking oil on medium high heat. Add aromatics and cook until golden and aromatic, then add shrimp.
3. Add mushroom seasoning and salt, and cook until vegetables are tender. Add fish sauce, then turn off heat.
2. Cook for about another minute, then add water. Bring to boil, then add vegetable and reduce heat to simmer.
4. Enjoy as a side or poured over your rice.
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Egg and Green Bean Stir-fry đậu cô ve xào trứng (dough ko ve ssow truung) A plate of boiled, steamed, or blanched vegetable makes sense as a side sometimes. But when you want something a little more jazzed up, these green beans will do. When I try to pinpoint why this dish is so comforting to me, the thing that keeps coming back to me is the egg. It brings such softness to this dish. For 4 servings 1/2 pound green beans 2 oz ground dried shrimp 2 tbsp cooking oil 2 stalks green onion, white and green part separated 1. Thinly cut washed green beans on a bias. 2. In a pan, heat garlic and white part of green onion in one tablespoon of oil. Once aromatic, add dried shrimp. 3. Cook for 1 minute then add green beans to pan. Stir to coat in oil then add water to pan and cover to steam. 4. When green beans are bright green, uncover and make sure they are slightly tender. Season with fish sauce.
2 cloves garlic 1/2 cup water 1 egg 2 tsp fish sauce Pepper to finish 5. Push green beans to the edge of the pan. Pour remaining oil and crack egg, scrambling to break it up then mixing it to coat the green beans. 6. Add green part of green onions, stir to combine, then remove and plate.
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Wings Glazed in Fish Sauce gà chiên nước mắm (gaah cheeng nook maam)
Fried chicken is classic party food, and these wings made plenty of party appearances. But you don't have to be at a party to enjoy these! To me, the perfect fried chicken is juicy yet crispy yet saucy at the same time; this one checks all the boxes. For 4 servings. 2 lb party wings (flats and drumettes) 2 tbsp fish sauce 4 cloves garlic 2 tbsp water Pinch of salt 1/4 cup cornstarch or potato starch Cooking oil 1. Mince garlic and combine with salt. Pour over water, mix well, and strain garlic, being sure to extract the garlic's juice. Set garlic aside. Marinate the chicken in the garlic liquid and fish sauce for a minimum of 30 minutes in a covered bowl or Ziploc bag. 2. When ready to fry, add the starch to bowl or bag, shaking to evenly coat each piece of chicken. 3. Pour enough oil in a large pot to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch up. Shake off excess starch from chicken, then place in the pan while oil is cold, and turn heat onto medium high.
For the glaze: 1/4 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1 tsp chili garlic sauce Reserved minced garlic
4. While chicken is frying on one side, baste the other side with oil to ensure even cooking. Cook each side for 10 minutes, then transfer to paper towel-lined plate. 5. In another pan, combine glaze ingredients and heat over medium high, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn't burn. When the fish sauce bubbles and caramelizes, deglaze the pan with a bit of water to help it easily coat the wings, then add the chicken to the pan. Stir until evenly coated, then plate and serve.
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Pork and Egg Braised in Coconut Juice thịt kho trứng (tit caw truung)
I think this dish is the ultimate reminder of home for me. Something about the tender, fatty pork and the egg which both have soaked up the sweet broth is just so familiar and comforting. It's often eaten around the Lunar New Year, but I could honestly eat this every day. Don't forget to spoon that delicious, golden liquid over everything! For 2-3 servings. About 1 lb pork belly or shoulder 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 shallot, minced 1/4 cup fish sauce 3 eggs 1 can coconut juice/soda 1. Cut pork into large 1-1 1/2 inch sections, each piece having a layer of skin, fat, and meat. 2. Boil water in a medium pot. Add pork and a pinch of salt and boil for five minutes to clean the pork. Drain and rinse well. 3. Transfer pork to a bowl. Marinate with garlic, shallot, and half of the fish sauce for at least half an hour to overnight. 4. Cook your eggs until hard-boiled, cool and peel. 5. In a large pot, heat oil and sugar over medium high heat to create caramel coloring. Swirl, rather than stir, to avoid sugar
1 can water (measure using coconut juice can) 1 tbsp sugar Cooking oil Salt and pepper, as needed
crystallizing. When sugar reaches an amber color, add the pork and marinating liquid, stirring well to let the pork make contact with the bottom of the pot. 6. When the outside of the pork begins to reach golden brown, pour coconut juice/soda and water into the pot. Add your eggs and the remainder of the fish sauce and reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered, being sure to skim any more foam that floats to the surface. Simmer until meat is tender and sauce reduces for at least hour. 7. Enjoy over rice and vegetables of choice.
For online viewing of these recipes including pronunciations and animations, visit http://anhtranart.com/home-is-where-the-heart-is.