Thanksgiving PS

A guest who will join us tomorrow night sent flowers for the table today. They are very pretty and they also stink. literally. The arrangement is mostly leaves and berries and the leaves stink. You can smell them all over the house, even upstairs. i am burning scented candles and may try spraying them with perfume. Any suggestions?!

Thanksgiving

Love and gratitude to everyone on Thanksgiving. Which i think Jolie just had!

of trains and trout

Planning to take the train to SLO on Friday, pick up Heather, and take the train back to Emeryville (close to my home in El Cerrito).

Our neighbors gave us some freshly caught trout earlier this year, which we've had frozen in the freezer. Thinking of cooking it for T'Giving, and wondering if you have any recipes to share?

Thanks!

Lauren

And this is REALLY good.
Jolie and i had this at a lovely Vietnamese restaurant yesterday. I think this is very close to what we had and i am definitely going to try it at home with the chicken version.
it looks here like a lot of work but my guess is, once you make it the first time, it is really easy.

Tip: do not over cook rice noodles.


Bún Thịt Nướng

Vietnam
Pastas and Noodles
Pork
Rice Noodles
Lowfat

Printer-friendly version
Pastas | Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong Image

(Vietnamese rice noodles with bbq pork and vegetables)

Bun thit nuong is a simple and favorite meal in Vietnam consisting of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with hot barbecued pork. Served with nuoc cham sauce, it is a good summer dish — light, lowfat, healthy and cool.

2 to 3 servings
Ingredients

Pork butt, partially frozen, then thinly sliced -- 1 pound
Shallots or scallions, minced -- 3
Garlic, minced -- 2 cloves
Thai or serrano chile peppers, minced -- 1 to 3
Sugar -- 2 teaspoons
Fish sauce -- 2 tablespoons
Lime, juice only -- 1
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Carrots, julienne or grated -- 3
Rice vermicelli -- 1 (8-ounce) package
Oil -- 2 tablespoons
Mung bean sprouts -- 2 cups
Greenleaf or romaine lettuce, shredded -- 1/2 head
Cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced -- 1/2
Cilantro -- 1/2 bunch
Mint -- 1/2 bunch
Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped -- 1/4 cup
Nuoc cham -- 1 cup

Method

In a large bowl, mix together the pork, shallots or scallions, garlic, chile peppers, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add the carrots and blanch for about 30 seconds. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
Place the rice vermicelli in a heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them set for 5-8 minutes until softened through. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan or wok over medium-high flame. Remove the pork from its marinade and sauté quickly until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add equal amounts of the carrots, sprouts and lettuce to each 2 or 3 deep serving bowls. Place equal amounts of rice noodles on top of the vegetables. Then place a spoonful of pork on top of the noodles to cover them about 1/3 of the way. Place the sliced cucumber neatly over another 1/3 of the noodles. Finally, lay sprigs of cilantro and mint over the remaining 1/3 of the noodles.
Sprinkle peanuts over each dish and serve with nuoc cham to pour over the noodles to taste.

Variations

Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong: add a deep-fried imperial roll to the top of the dish with the bbq pork.
Bun Bo Nuong: substitute beef for the pork.
Bun Ga Nuong: substitute chicken for the pork
Bun Tom Nuong: substitute peeled whole shrimp for the pork.
A Japanese-style mandolin slicer works well to julienne the carrots. You can also shred them with a box grater, in which case blanching is unnecessary.
Thai basil is also good as an herb garnish for this dish.
NUOC CHAM SAUCE

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 cup water

Directions

In a medium bowl combine the garlic, red pepper flakes, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and water. Mix all together, adjusting to taste. Serve with grilled lemon grass beef.

A RECIPE TO TRY

Had this or something close to it today at a Chinese restaurant. i thought it was very good and am going to try it at home. you veggie types might like it too.

Fried tofu is great on it's own or dipped in just about any kind of sauce. You can also use fried tofu in a vegetable stir-fry, fried rice or noodle dish, or just about anything. I like to add fried tofu to vegetarian soups and salads for extra protein and a bit of crunchy texture. This Chinese-inspired fried tofu recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.
Ingredients:

1 block firm or extra firm tofu
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Preparation:

Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.
In a small bowl, combine the tofu with the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and toss gently to coat the tofu well. Or, place all ingredients in a zip-lock bag or covered container and shake well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the tofu. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and lightly crispy.

YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE ROSTI?!

teach me. remember all of the "mit aig" rosti in Switzerland and how intensely Doo Dah could confuse a waiter mit our rosti orders?

cold and rainy

 Time to inspect the fireplace and the furnace.

I picked up the ingredients for the Quinoa patties, but it's hot buttered rum that has my attention now.

Meanwhile, Stella shows she doesn't even have to compete in  the "see how many Kilos we can lose by January 16 contest" that Laurie, Annis, and I have started.

check out Davies kinder...

 on the other blogs. good times in Singapore. love to all the PB klatchers.

http://joliejam.blogspot.com/...


http://www.annecam.blogspot.com/