Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Grilled Pork

I have to say, this salad is everything and more I have grown to love about Vietnamese cuisine. It's got garlic up the yin-yang, a bit of heat, and is probably the best tasting summer Vietnamese Noodle Salad I've ever eaten, including my favourite restaurant that I compare all others to.

I got this Vietnamese Noodle Salad recipe from Mai Pham at Fine Cooking and the Nuoc Cham sauce from Thai Moreland at Fine Cooking. Truly delish!

The Vietnamese-ification of my fridge. Dipping sauce, caramel glaze, salad, cilantro, and the ubiquitous fish sauce.You should have smelled my fridge when you opened it! Heavenly...

I quadrupled the caramel glaze, as it took quite a bit of time to make. I'm sure it will keep for quite some time. This 'glass' teardrop is actually crystallized sugar. It took forever to caramelize. Next time I have to make it, I just might buy it and jazz it up. (Did I just say that?! I'm sure the memory of the time it took will fade, like memories of giving birth, and I'll go scratch again next time. What was I thinking?)

The very quick recipe for the nuoc cham sauce easily made enough for 8 salads, so I'm good for a while.

The marinating pork strips. 

And after grilling. We cut them into thin strips for the salad. This is from one gigantico pork loin steak and was more than enough for two people.

I love that this was less about the noodles and more about the veggies. Green leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, green onions, red bell peppers, cilantro and mint (next time I'll only use cilantro, or perhaps a cilantro/basil combo, as I found the mint tasted much better in my Thai salad. 

Simply pour the sauce over top, toss and dig in. What else can I say but that I plan to make it again, this time with shrimp, as early as tomorrow?!

Tonight, as it turns out...

The shrimps, with their delicate flavour, allowed a new, tangier taste to erupt like hot lava on my tastebuds. Oh so good!

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Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Grilled Pork

Adapted from Mai Pham’s recipe:http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/vietnamese_grilled_pork.aspx

This cool, refreshing Vietnamese salad is a staple in the hot summer months. Also great with chicken, beef, or shrimp. Consider doubling the recipe so that your next salad will be super fast. (There will definitely be a next time!)

Serves 4

8 oz.                                          rice vermicelli

Pork glaze:

1/4 cup                                     sugar

1/2 cup                                     water

5 tbsp                                        hot water

2 large                                       shallots, finely diced, or 5 green onions (white parts only), chopped

2 tsp.                                         fish sauce

2 tsp.                                         soy sauce

                                                   pinch salt

2 tbsp                                        vegetable oil

1-1/2 lb.                                    pork loin or sirloin, sliced into pieces about 1/4-inch thick

Salad:

2 cups                                       washed and shredded green leaf lettuce

2 cups                                       fresh, crisp bean sprouts

1-1/2 cups                               peeled, seeded, and julienned cucumber

1 cup                                        thinly sliced red pepper

1/3 cup                                    Thai or regular basil, chopped

1/2 cup                                    fresh cilantro, chopped

4                                                green onions, chopped                  

1/2 cup                                     chopped roasted peanuts

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Adapted from Thai Moreland http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/vietnamese-dipping-sauce.aspx

Serve it with Vietnamese Noodle Salad.

Makes 2-1/4 cups.

3 large                                      cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp                                           red chili flakes (or to your heat preference)

1 cup                                          water

1/2 cup                                     fish sauce

1/2 cup                                     red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup                                     granulated sugar

Stir all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Keeps for about 2 weeks.

Noodles: Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the rice vermicelli and, stirring often, cook until the strands are soft and white, but still resilient, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not undercook, as they must be fully cooked to absorb the flavours of the dish. Rinse in a colander under cold water just until they're cool and the water runs clear. Let the noodles drain in the colander, and then set them aside, unrefrigerated.

Pork: Combine the sugar with water in a small saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir a few times and allow to simmer until the sauce turns deep red-brown, about 15 minutes. Once the sauce reaches the desired colour, carefully add hot water to slow the cooking and thin the sauce. (Be sure to hold the pan away from you so that none of the hot caramel splatters on you when you add the water.) The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.

Mince the shallots; transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with the fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, vegetable oil, and cooled marinade. Stir well to blend. Add the pork slices and let marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the grill to hot, cook the pork until just done, about 2 minutes on each side. Let the pork rest for 10 to 15 minutes, and cut into thin strips.

Assembly: Fluff the noodles with your fingers and divide them among the prepared salad bowls. Divide the lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, basil, and cilantro between four large bowls. Put the grilled pork on top and garnish each bowl with the peanuts and green onions. Pass the dipping sauce at the table; each diner should drizzle about 4 tbsp over the salad and then toss the salad in the bowl a few times before eating.

Printable Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Pork

Thai Noodle Salad with Grilled Chicken

When it gets hot outside, I don't turn on the oven, and I barely use the stove. That's how I survive without air conditioning (for the few weeks of the year we actually could use it). So when I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen for Cold Rice Noodles with Peanut-Lime Chicken I knew I had to try it. I love that Deb simplified it so that it's manageable, but realistically, any Asian recipe is all about cutting, dicing, slicing with only a small amount of actual cooking. That's why they taste so good and so refreshing.

I love Thai food. The limey/gingery heat of it all. And the cilantro! So refreshing. So, I immediately went out to buy rice vermicelli noodles and the stuff I needed to make this salad. You may notice that instead of buying rice noodles I bought glass noodles (made with bean flour). And there were no directions on the package, so I just did what I normally do with rice noodles, which is to soak them in hot water until they get soft. But a word to the wise, glass noodles need to actually be boiled to soften (if you choose to use them). The recipe below is based on using rice vermicelli, which is, in my humble opinion, much tastier.

Hubby is a big dark meat love, I prefer white meat. The fact that you grill the chicken whole made it possible for both of us to be happy. I did miss the bean sprouts (which you can find in any grocery store here), so my recipe also reflects this.

The peanut, ginger and lime flavour is gorgeous! I know it's a lot of limes (probably 8 to 10), but the dish would not taste the same if you used reconstituted lime juice, so I encourage you to use the real deal.

I made individual plates of this dish, because that's how I'm used to having it served to me in a restaurant, but you can also serve it on a platter and dish it out. But oh the mess! Oh, and I also combined the sauce and dressing and divided so that each person could pour how much they wanted over their salad before tossing.  

YUM!

Next up: My fave... Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Pork

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Thai Noodle Salad with Grilled Chicken

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/06/cold-rice-noodles-with-peanut-lime-chicken/

The classic Thai tastes of peanut, ginger and lime make this is a wonderfully refreshing salad on a hot summer day. Equally good with pork, beef or shrimp.

Serves 4

Dipping sauce

1/2 cup                                     Asian fish sauce

1/3 cup                                     brown sugar

1/2 cup                                     fresh lime juice

2 cloves                                    garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp                                      hot chili flakes (or to your heat preference)

Peanut dressing

3 tbsp                                        Asian fish sauce

3 tbsp                                        rice vinegar

3 tbsp                                        soy sauce

1/2 cup                                     lime juice

1-1/2 inch                                chunk ginger, grated*

1/2 cup                                     natural peanut butter

1 tbsp                                        toasted sesame oil

                                                   Pinch of cayenne

2                                                 boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 6 thighs

Noodle salad

8 oz.                                           rice vermicelli

1                                                  long English cucumber, sliced and quartered

2                                                  carrots, cut in thin julienne (or shredded)

1                                                  red pepper, thinly sliced

1-1/2 cups                                 fresh bean sprouts

1 cup                                          combination of fresh cilantro, basil or mint leaves, roughly chopped

4                                                  green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup                                      chopped roasted unsalted peanuts

Dipping sauce: Whisk ingredients in a small serving bowl. Set aside.

Peanut dressing: In a blender or small food processor, puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce. Set aside.

Chicken: Stir together about 1/2 the dipping sauce and 1/3 the peanut dressing) into a plastic zipper bag. Add the chicken to the mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 15 minutes. Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill on high, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let cool slightly; roughly chop.

Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rice vermicelli and cook for about 3 minutes. Noodles should be soft and white, but still resilient (don’t be tempted to undercook as the noodles need to be fully cooked to absorb the flavours of the dressings). Drain into a colander, and cool under cold running water. Set aside to drain.

Assembly: Combine the remaining sauces and divide into 4 small bowls. Divide the rice noodles between 4 large bowls. Top each bowl equally with vegetable mixture and chopped chicken. Add the herbs, peanuts and scallions to each bowl and serve with dressing on the side to toss into salad before eating.

* I keep my fresh ginger whole in the freezer and simply break off a piece as I need it. Grating it while frozen, leaves the peel behind. Super easy and no more spoiled ginger!

For best taste, use fresh lime. Each lime should net about 2 to 3 tbsp of juice (4 tbsp is 1/4 cup).

Grilling the meat elevates it to sublime, but you can also broil or panfry. 

Printable Thai Noodle Salad with Grilled Chicken

An eggsperiment in sugar-free lemon meringue cups

I wondered why the sugar-free package of lemon meringue pie didn't have any meringue on it. After all, what's lemon pie without the meringue? Unless of course it's homemade, but that's another kind of lemon pie.

But, I can easily do without the pie crust and did so happily here.

I've been craving lemon meringue pie for weeks now and I just so happened to have a mix for the sugar kind, but poor hubby is diabetic, so I went ahead and bought a sugar-free mix too. Normally I don't use mixes, this being a commitment I made a few years ago, but I also did not want to turn on the oven for any longer than absolutely necessary. Like 12 minutes necessary and the house is still sweltering.

So back to wondering... "Why couldn't I make a meringue with Splenda?" I asked myself. So I did. I'm not sure if I overbeat the egg whites, or if the Splenda made it look like cottage cheese, but oh well. The ones on the right are made with sugar. And then it dawned on me... it's the sugar that makes the egg whites caramelize.

The sugar-free egg whites did get a bit brown, or rather yellow. I'm really hoping they taste okay. And I'm really, really hoping they cooked okay and I don't poison the hubs. He's very happy to be able to enjoy some lemon meringue cups without guilt.

And I'm sooooo excited to finally be having my special treat too!

Perfect Almost Whole-wheat Bread

It's officially official... I can make bread! On my third recipe and ninth attempt, I finally hit the perfect storm of ingredients, rising, baking and texture. {cue choir} Hallelujah!

So, how did I do it? Well, I finally succumbed and added some white flour, but I also learned how to tell when the bread has been kneaded enough and is ready to rise. Whole-wheat bread is different from white bread because there isn't as much gluten (those long stringy strands that you see when white bread has risen and you "punch it down" by taking it out of the bowl to form loaves). Gluten forms the bubbles in the bread that hold it up and make it light and fluffy.

Here's how to tell if your dough is ready to rise:

 I was under-kneading my bread by about 4 minutes because I was following the recipe instructions.

 I am completely and absolutely impressed by this bread!

Hubby sliced it thin this time and I kinda like it. This bread toasts up crunchy, just as I like it. I honestly can't tell the difference between this loaf and in-store baked bread. And that my friends, is the whole reason I decided to make my own bread: to replace the chemicals, but not the taste and texture.

I tell you, it's the holy grail, the mecca, the nirvana of bread! More than a month later I'm still thrilled (and still eating the last loaf).

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 Almost Whole-Wheat Bread

Adapted from Cooking with Candra – http://www.cookingwithcandra.com/blog/2010/09/20/hearty-and-healthy-homemade-whole-wheat-bread-recipe/

Makes two loaves

4 cups                                       whole-wheat bread flour

1 tbsp                                        Fleischman’s traditional yeast

1/4 cup                                     vegetable oil, room temperature

2 tbsp                                        agave syrup (or use sugar, honey or molasses)

2 to 2-1/2 cups                        all-purpose white flour

2 tsp                                           salt

2 cups                                       110 to 115°F water* (for best result, use a candy thermometer)

Using a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook at lowest speed, combine 3 cups of whole-wheat flour, oil, sweetener and yeast in large mixing bowl. Blend together, scraping down the sides.

Add water and final cup of whole-wheat flour. Blend together, scraping down the sides.

Add 1 cup of white flour and the salt. Blend together, scraping down the sides.

Add 1 cup more of white flour. Blend together, scraping down the sides.

Knead dough at lowest speed for 10 minutes or until you have a nice smooth ball that is no longer sticky (continue to scrape down the sides until all the flour is picked up). If after a few minutes of kneading, the dough is still sticky, add final 1/2 cup of white flour, scraping down the sides and continue.  (Note: all above can be done by hand as well, but using a mixer or bread machine is much easier.)

Place in large oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until double in size (about 1-1/2 hours). (I use the oven with the light turned on for a nice, even temperature.)

Remove dough from bowl (this will “punch it down”) and shape into loaves. Place in greased 8-inch loaf pans, cover with clean towel and allow to rise in warm, draft-free area for another hour or so, until the dough forms a nice 1-inch dome over the top of the bread pan.

Remove towel and place in preheated 400°F oven, center rack, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pans. Brush crust lightly with butter if desired, and cool on wire racks.

Hint: Watch this video to know when your dough is kneaded enough and is ready for rising –  http://www.cookingwithcandra.com/blog/2010/05/04/ask-candra-the-window-pane-test/

Printable Almost Whole-wheat Bread