Moving down the coast to tropical South East Asia!
These warm Asian countries are full of colour, flavour, and freshness.
We chose 3 countries to focus on and made a BIG meal (which ended up getting broken up in to lunch and dinner) out of some of the highlights.
First from Vietnam - fresh spring rolls.
These delicate rice paper rolls are layered with veggies and herbs.
No added seasoning lets these fresh flavours speak for themselves
.
For our filling we used rice noodles, carrots, bean sprouts, garlic chives and cilantro. The outer layer of the roll shows off a row of shrimp and mint leaves.
We made our own peanut dipping sauce which turned out really well.
We made our own peanut dipping sauce which turned out really well.
Also from Vietnam we tackled Pho.
Pho (pronounced 'fuh') is a noodle soup with various toppings added, but it's no simple feat.
Pho is a labour of love, and making a proper traditional broth from scratch can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours. This is a staple meal in Vietnam, with families passing down their broth recipes, and restaurants and street vendors having it available everywhere you go.
Pho is a labour of love, and making a proper traditional broth from scratch can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours. This is a staple meal in Vietnam, with families passing down their broth recipes, and restaurants and street vendors having it available everywhere you go.
We found a recipe for 'easy' pho broth.
Over and over I read that although just using beef broth would get the job done. it in no way compares to the complexity of flavours in the real thing. The recipe we had got us to infuse the flavours in a pre-made beef broth, instead of starting from scratch.
We charred onions and ginger in the oven and added them to a pan with toasted star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and coriander.
Over and over I read that although just using beef broth would get the job done. it in no way compares to the complexity of flavours in the real thing. The recipe we had got us to infuse the flavours in a pre-made beef broth, instead of starting from scratch.
We charred onions and ginger in the oven and added them to a pan with toasted star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and coriander.
To this we added the broth, carrots, soy sauce, and fish sauce and let it simmer for almost an hour.
Afterwards we strained out the 'bits' and brought the broth back to a low boil.
The broth is then ladled over cooked rice noodles and strips of raw beef. The hot broth cooks the beef just enough to eat, but remains very tender.
The broth is then ladled over cooked rice noodles and strips of raw beef. The hot broth cooks the beef just enough to eat, but remains very tender.
This is then brought to the table along with a plate of toppings and sauces for you to dress yourself.
We had a selection of bean sprouts, green onion, lime, cilantro, mint, basil, and chili flakes (because I couldn't find a fresh chili)
The verdict?
I was reminded of this scene from Kevin Can Wait a few years ago.
(appologies for lousy quality, I couldn't find a better one)
I was reminded of this scene from Kevin Can Wait a few years ago.
(appologies for lousy quality, I couldn't find a better one)
Just.... wow. It's no wonder people hunt down Vietnamese restaurants wherever they go. If it didn't take so long to make I would eat this every day. Even to the point where I'm debating making a ton of broth and freezing it so I can have pho whenever I want.
Next, another soup - this time from Thailand.
Gaeng keow wan gai, or chicken green curry, is a surprisingly simple dish with a lot of flavour and maximum heartiness level.
Green curry is a blend of light herb flavours - nothing like the spices we usually think
Gaeng keow wan gai, or chicken green curry, is a surprisingly simple dish with a lot of flavour and maximum heartiness level.
Green curry is a blend of light herb flavours - nothing like the spices we usually think
of when we hear 'curry'.
Coconut cream is cooked with green curry paste, and then veggies, cooked chicken, and coconut milk are added. And that's it! When served with fragrant jasmine rice and topped with fresh herbs and lime it adds yet another layer of complexity to the flavour.
Coconut cream is cooked with green curry paste, and then veggies, cooked chicken, and coconut milk are added. And that's it! When served with fragrant jasmine rice and topped with fresh herbs and lime it adds yet another layer of complexity to the flavour.
And of course we can't visit Thailand with out having pad thai.
Many restaurants and frozen dinners (and even me) often make pad thai as more of a stir fry with a ton of veggies mixed in with the noodles. This is NOT the traditional way!
Much like the pho, pad thai is noodles and sauce which you add your own toppings to.
The flavours of garlic, tamirand, and fish sauce dominate the sauce that the noodles are todded with. We added cooked chicken and shrimp as well, and topped it with toasted peanuts, cilantro, and lime.
Much like the pho, pad thai is noodles and sauce which you add your own toppings to.
The flavours of garlic, tamirand, and fish sauce dominate the sauce that the noodles are todded with. We added cooked chicken and shrimp as well, and topped it with toasted peanuts, cilantro, and lime.
For dessert we tried a unique treat from the Philippines - Ube ice cream.
Ube is a purple yam that retains it's amazing colour after cooking.
Ube is a purple yam that retains it's amazing colour after cooking.
I tried to hunt down a tub of it, but the only Flilipino store near us just had Ube jam.
I did end up finding purple sweet potatoes at the grocery store (which, according to several recipes is NOT the same thing, but close enough) and we decided to make our own ice cream.
I did end up finding purple sweet potatoes at the grocery store (which, according to several recipes is NOT the same thing, but close enough) and we decided to make our own ice cream.
I forgot to take pictures of the process because I was doubting the whole time whether it would work or not. First we grated and steamed a cup of sweet potato by placing a bowl in a pot of water with the lid on and allowing the steam to cook it for half an hour. Not cooking it right in the water is key for retaining the colour. A few flakes dropped in the water almost immediately turned a light blue.
After it was cooked and mashed we mixed it with steaming cream and sugar. We used a mix of almond milk and lactose free whipping cream.
After the mixture was blended and strained for chunks we left it in the fridge until it cooled off completely.
We don't have and ice cream maker so we used the good ol' bag method.
Fill a large zip lock bag with ice cubes and 1/3 cup of coarse salt. In a smaller bag pour the ice cream mix and seal tightly. The small bag is placed in the larger bag and shaken for 10 minutes until firm.
10 minutes is a long long time when you are trying to not stop using your arms.
The end result was still softer that i wanted so I transferred the mix to and empty ice cream container we had and put it in the freezer.
And a few hours later, success!
After it was cooked and mashed we mixed it with steaming cream and sugar. We used a mix of almond milk and lactose free whipping cream.
After the mixture was blended and strained for chunks we left it in the fridge until it cooled off completely.
We don't have and ice cream maker so we used the good ol' bag method.
Fill a large zip lock bag with ice cubes and 1/3 cup of coarse salt. In a smaller bag pour the ice cream mix and seal tightly. The small bag is placed in the larger bag and shaken for 10 minutes until firm.
10 minutes is a long long time when you are trying to not stop using your arms.
The end result was still softer that i wanted so I transferred the mix to and empty ice cream container we had and put it in the freezer.
And a few hours later, success!
This ice cream is fragrant and sweet and has an amazing purple colour. A few recipes I read added violet food colouring to enhance the colour even more, but I wanted to see how well it turned out without.
So far I think this has been my favourite 'stop' on our trip. I love that everything was fresh and bright and deeply flavoured without using salt at all.
Next stop, India!
Happy Eating!!
