Food- Vietnam and Cambodia.
Most people wonder about food when they are contemplating a trip away. " Will I like it ? Will it be so different from the food I know, that I may go hungry?" . These are common comments. But, in relation to Vietnam and Cambodia-our answers are: " You'll find the food delicious- so fresh, so healthy!" We are often queried further : " But you are travellers- you probably like strange food!". No. no, no. The cuisines of Vietnam and Cambodia are truly wonderful.
Here are just 2 recipes for you to demonstrate that fact.
CAMBODIAN RECIPE from Nyum Bai! A Cambodian Cookbook edited by Yvette Elliott. Green Gecko.
Vegetarian Fried Spring Rolls ( Bunlay Chayor Bompong)
Ingredients:
20 sheets of spring roll wrappers 3 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups mushrooms, finely diced 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup bean sprouts 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup shredded cabbage 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots pinch black pepper
1 egg beaten , 1 cup clear rice noodles, soaked and drained.
How to prepare
1. Lightly fry the garlic in a little oil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the garlic does not burn.
2. Add the carrots and cabbage and cook for a furthere 3 minutes. Toss into the pan the mushrooms & bean sprouts for a final 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and mix in clear noodles and the salt, sugar and pepper, then set aside.
4. Place a spoonful of the stir fried mixture on each spring wrapper. Roll up tightly, tucking in the edges and brush with a littele egg on the final edge to seal the roll.
5. Deep fry until golden and drain on a paper towel prior to serving.
6.Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping and drizzling.
From : Nyum Bai! A Cambodian Cookbook edited by Yvetter Elliott. Published by Yvette Elliott, 2077. Green Gecko Project.
Vietnamese Recipe from Luke Nguyen, in the book Secrets of the Red Lantern.
Cha Ca Sai-gon ( Southern Vietnamese fish cakes)
500 Spanish mackeral, taylor fillet or red fish fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fine white pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 bunch dill, chopped
vegetable oil, for deep frying.
Method:
Blend the fish, spring onion, salt, pepper and garlic in a food processor untill it forms a thick paste. Scrape the fish paste out into a mortar, dip the pestle into the fish sauce, then pound the fish. Keep dipping the pestle into the fish sauce, then pounding and dipping until you have used all the fish sauce and the fish doesn't stick to the pestle. When the fish no longer sticks, you have achieved the right texture for the fish cakes. Place the fish paste in a bowl, and, using wet hands, fold the dill through the mixture. This process takes a while and gives your arm quite a workout, but the result is worth it. Alternatively, you can add the fish sauce to a food processor with the fish and then add the dill at the last moment and pulse it through the mixture.
Form the fish paste into 5 x 2 cm ( 2x3/4 in patties) and fry in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until golden. Serve wrapped in lettuce, with Viertnamese herbs and vermicelli, with dipping fish sauce, or serve in a salad of snake ( yard-long) beans and Vietnamese herbs.
From : Secrets of the Red Lantern: stories and Vietnamese recipes from the heart by Pauline Nguyen with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen, Murdoch Books Australia, 2007.
The top left photo is taken at the famous Cargo Club in Hoi An. The meal about to be consumed is Green Mango Salad.
Bubble tea, Hanoi.
River-side bar, Hanoi.
Fresh coconut milk, Mekong Delta.
Small cafe, Hoi An.
Pineapple, Mekong Delta.
