Monday, April 8, 2019

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 2/3 cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice with pulp
  • 1/4 cup organic sugar
  • 2 tablespoons shredded carrots for garnish

Instructions

  1. Place garlic and chili paste in mortar and pound into a paste. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir in garlic chili paste. Stir in carrot slivers.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking by Mai Pham

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Shrimp (Prawn)



Ingredients
Garlic Shrimp (Prawns)
  • 12 - 15 medium shrimp (prawns), shelled and deveined (about 5 - 7 oz / 150 - 200g, excluding shells)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
Dressing
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove , very finely chopped
  • 1 tsp very finely chopped red chili , adjust to taste (I use birds eye which is spicy)
Salad
  • 2.5 oz / 75g dried rice vermicelli noodles (Note 1)
  • 3 cups iceberg lettuce , shredded
  • 1 cup carrot , cut into fine matchsticks
  • 1 1/2 cups cucumber , cut into matchsticks
  • 1 1/2 cups beansprouts
  • 1/4 cup coriander leaves , lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves (ordinary or Vietnamese), lightly packed
Instructions
  1. Combine the Garlic Shrimp ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. Combine the Dressing ingredients in a small jar, give it a shake then set aside for 10 minutes.
  3. Heat a skillet / fry pan over high heat. Add  the shrimp, scraping in the olive oil and garlic from the sides of the bowl. Cook for 2 minutes, or until browned and the shrimp is just cooked through. (Note 2)
  4. Remove the prawns from the skillet onto a plate.
  5. Prepare the vermicelli noodles according to the packet directions. I like to just soak them in hot tap water for a few minutes, this ensures they don't overcook. Then drain the noodles.
  6. Arrange the noodles and remaining Salad ingredients on a large plate (like the photo) or toss together in a bowl. Top with prawns (warm or at room temperature). Drizzle over the Dressing (or toss through), or you can serve the Dressing on the side.
  7. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:
1. You can use any type of vermicelli noodles in this, rice or bean. The bean ones are slightly more see through. You can also increase the quantity if you want, to fill it out more.
2. How to tell if prawns are cooked: raw prawns hang almost straight, perfectly cooked prawns curl into a "C" shape and overcooked prawns form a tight "O" shape.
3. This salad is also fantastic with chicken. Just omit the Garlic Shrimp completely and replace with cooked, diced or shredded chicken.
4. Nutrition per serving assuming this serves 3 people. The sodium looks very high because of the amount of dressing made. You need that much dressing to pour it all over the salad, but I'd guess around 1/4 ends up pooled at the bottom of the plate at the end.
Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/vietnamese-shrimp-prawn-noodle-salad/

Vietnamese Noodle Salad - Chicken

Source: https://liagriffith.com/vietnamese-noodle-salad-recipe/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Pinterest

Thai Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp

Ingredients
  • Soup
  • 2 L chicken broth
  • 3 tbs Tom Yum paste
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup of minced lemongrass
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves (make a little tear in each leave)
  • 3 tbs fish sauce
  • 3 tbs lime juice
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 450 g (1 pack) of cooked Thai rice stick noodles (see note below)
  • 20 shrimps (more or less depending on how many per person)
  • Garnish
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • Coriander, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • Enoki mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms, optional

Instructions
  1. Add stock to a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add your Tom Yum paste, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and cocounut milk to your broth and simmer about 2 minutes.
  4. Add your shrimps and simmer an extra 3 minutes.
  5. Place a big handful of cooked noodles in 4 big asian soup bowls and garnish each with about 2 tbs of chooped tomatoes and 1 tbs of coriander, Add some mushroom to taste if desired.
  6. Laddle the broth over the noodles and garnishes.
Cooking rice stick noodles is sometimes confusing because the instructions on the packages are not always very clear. Unlike pasta, rice noodles must be cooked off the stove. To use them in soups, just soak them with boiling water, covered, for about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring them gently every 1 to 2 minutes to help loosen them. If your noodles are very thin, they will probably cook under 7 minutes, taste often to make sure they’re ready. Drain and then you’re ready to go.
Source: http://www.valerieskeepers.com/thai-tom-yum-soup/

Three Cheese Egg Bites

Ingredients
  • 8 Eggs
  • 1 cup lightly packed shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup lightly packed shredded Smoked Gouda
  • 6 pieces cooked bacon (or real bacon bits)
  • Chopped chives (optional)
  • Non stick spray

Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F
  2. Beat all 8 eggs in large mixing bowl
  3. Add shredded cheese and cottage cheese
  4. Spray muffin tin liberally with non-stick spray
  5. Fill muffin tin, each about ¾ full
  6. Add half a piece of bacon or bacon bits on top on each egg muffin
  7. Place in oven and cook for 12 minutes or until egg bites are cooked through
  8. Remove from oven and enjoy hot
Source: https://www.pardonmypeels.com/three-cheese-egg-bites/


Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

  • 1 lb Shrimp, raw
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt, full fat
  • 1/2 Cup Almond Milk, unsweetened
  • 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, shaved
  • 1 Tbs Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Optional garnish: parsley
  • For the Spaghetti Squash:
  • 1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
  • 1 Tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbs Olive Oil

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully slice spaghetti squash down the middle and remove seeds with a spoon. Coat both halves of spaghetti squash with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes or until fully cooked. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Spray a medium sized pot with cooking spray and sauté garlic until slightly brown on medium heat. Add almond milk and Greek yogurt to the pot and gently whisk to combine. Once sauce begins to boil slightly, add Parmesan cheese and reduce heat to low. Mix periodically until cheese has fully melted then remove pot from heat.
  3. Spray large saucepan with cooking spray and add shrimp. Season with garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice and cook for approximately 5 minutes on both sides until shrimp is pink. Add Greek yogurt Alfredo and spaghetti squash to saucepan and toss to combine. Enjoy!
Source: http://www.itscheatdayeveryday.com/garlic-shrimp-spaghetti-squash/