How to serve Nem Nuong / Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patty

My previous post was about how to make Nem Nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork patty). This post is about how to serve and eat Nem Nuong. My favourite ways to eat nem nuong are:

• rice noodles with salad
  
• salad rice paper rolls or
• banh mi (in a baguette or crunchy bread roll)

The following explains how to do it all :)


For the Nem Nuong with Rice Noodles and Salad

Nem Nuong with Rice Noodles and Salad

(for 2 to 4 people) you will need:

• about 8 nem nuong patties sliced 2 cm thick
• herbs/ salad (for me I just use mint/coriander/chives etc)
• 4 noodles from an 8 rice noodle pack
  

Instructions:

Firstly cook the noodles according to instructions and drain well with cold water. This is to make sure the noodles do not clump together because of the starch build up. Make sure to wash well under cold water to prevent this. Put aside. Slice the nem nuong into thick slices. Prepare plates with equal amounts of noodles, herbs/salad and nem nuong. Serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce or just plain light soy sauce with chili sauce with granulated peanuts if you like.


For the Nem Nuong with Salad Rice Paper Rolls (for 2 to 4 people) you will need:

• about 10 nem nuong patties sliced 2 cm thick
• 20 rice paper sheets
• water
  
• herbs/ salad (for me I just use mint/coriander/chives etc)
• 4 noodles from an 8 rice noodle pack

some of the ingredients

Instructions:

1. Firstly cook the noodles according to instructions and drain well and put aside.
   
2. Cut the nem nuong up into thick slices. Put aside.
3. Have some herbs and other salads ready
   
4. Boil a water enough to fit into a wide bowl so you can just dip the rice paper sheet into.
5. Lay out the ingredients in order so it will be organised and easy to roll (hot water, rice paper sheets, herb/salad, noodles, nem nuong)
6. Okay the fun part! Dip the rice paper sheet into the water (make sure the whole sheet is wet so you won't get any dry bits when rolling (it will break) ) and out straight away. You do not want your rice paper sheet to be soggy and it will be sticky!!
7. Place equal ingredients in order. You don't have to but I prefer to do it that way. It should look like this:

Laying out the ingredients

8. Then neatly fold the bottom edge of the rice paper roll over the filling. Then fold each side of the rice paper inwards (do i make sense lol...i should make a post about this hehe). And then gently roll up the rice paper roll to form a neat roll. Repeat this until you make about 20 rolls or until you have used up all of the ingredients.

9. Now arrange the rice paper rolls neatly on a plate and serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce or just light soy sauce with chilli. However you prefer.

Yeah not neat rolls but you get the picture! lol

For the Nem Nuong in Banh Mi (crunchy bread roll) (for 2 to 4 people) you will need:

• 1 crunchy french stick cut into 4 or 4 crunchy long rolls
• 4 nem nuong patties cut into thick slices
  
• salad - mint/coriander/chives....anything you have
• pickled carrots
• cucumber
• chilli and soy sauce

Instructions:

1. First place the bread under the grill or a toaster until the bread goes nice, warm and crunchy
2. Then with a knife cut the bread in the middle and butter each side (this is optional)
3. Lay all the ingredients inside the bread roll
4. Drizzle some chilli and soy sauce (how much you like)
5. And then enjoy!!!!

Nem Nuong in Crunchy Bread Roll

How to make Nem Nuong or Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties

Hello again. I am so addicted updating my post to make it look pretty lol. This post is going to be on "How to make Nem Nuong or Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties". Vietnamese people love to eat this. It's usually made for family gatherings, parties and other special events and always always cooked and sold at Vietnamese/Chinese New Year. My mum makes nem nuong heaps and since I have moved out of home I have been asking mum to make it for me too much so I decided to make my own >_<. It can be in a patty form, sliced or in meat balls on a skewer. It's nice in colour, moist and tastes so caramel-y savour-y and delicious! You can have these in banh mi thit, in Vietnamese salads and in salad rice paper rolls which I will be explaining how-to as well in my next post.

I went to friend's dinner party a few weeks back and this was on the menu too! It wasn't bad for her first attempt. Well this was my first attempt and it turned out pretty okay. I used curing powder (omg it has msg in it but thankfully I am not allergic to this stuff - I recommend you not to have this if you are afraid of allergic reactions) - I know it's cheating but next time I will make it the authentic way with fish sauce, salt and sugar like Wandering Chopsticks did. She has so many good posts...I have been going through her posts nearly every day :P. I recommend using her recipe since it's authentic and no short cuts lol.

This woman uses baking powder. I guess it's to make the meat moist and firm. The video is Vietnamese :P.




I have taken a few photos. Okay, here we go :D

Recipe For NEM NUONG: Makes about 35 patties (approx. 10cms in diameter and 2cm thick)

You will need:

• 2kgs of minced pork
• 1 pack (350g) of curing powder (you can buy this at your Asian Market like Inala lol) (update: i used Tusino Curing Powder and it contains - sugar, salt, palm oil, caramel and dun dun dun MSG 4% >_<)
  
• 1 medium minced onion
• 3 long chillis chopped/minced (use 2 if you don't want it that hot)
  
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 8 cloves of garlic minced

Got my supplies from the Asian Grocer at Inala lol. I like going to the one where the owner is Thai/Viet. I don't know but he is mixed! lol. Um don't use the whole bag of garlic lol. Use one - should be about 8-10 cloves

Method

The method is super easy. Just put everything together and incorporate well with clean hands or with a glove. You can't do this with a big spoon it won't do it properly. Wandering Chopsticks has suggested to take a tiny piece of the mixture and microwave it until it is cooked for tasting. Taste it and adjust if it needs more pepper or salt.

Ingredients

When I mixed it for about 5 minutes (well maybe longer) the colour of the mixture turned pink to red. I think this is from the curing powder.

Mixture will turn this colour after incorporating the ingredients together.

After the mixture has turned to that red colour I recommend to put the mixture into the freezer for about half an hour just to marinade until firm so you can easily roll it into balls or shape them into meat patties. You can leave this in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavour can develop deeper. The mixture felt nearly mushy when I tried to roll them into balls and when I tried to put them on bamboo skewers. So I was so disappointed. First time...first time! lol. Putting it in the freezer helps it to hold it's shape.

Okay after 30 minutes or so the mixture should be firm and can easily hold shape. I made mine into patties cause it's easier and it doesn't take a lot time to do. I just put the skewers aside for next time (make sure to soak the skewers for half an hour before putting balls on it). My patties were about 2cms thick and 10cms in diameter. You can make bigger ones if you like but it will take a bit longer to cook. No rules! I hate following recipes lol.

My patty shapes. Ugly I know. But hey you gonna eat it after :P.

Now for the fun part! Grilling them!!! Since I did not have a grill I had to fry them on a pan. Works the same way. My mum usually grills nem nuong on the barbeque! Grill for about 3 minutes each side I think? To check cut and look. That's what I do to make sure.

This is what the Nem nuong patties look like after grilling or pan frying it! So caramel-y. So you noticed I got alfoil lined on my stove top? Yeah I am lazy. I hate cleaning the stove top up every time I make a mess.

Now that you are done all you have to do is eat it! I cut mine up into strips and eat it with noodles, with salads or with rice, rice paper rolls and in bread rolls. Versatile it is!

CLICK HERE - I will show you have to serve these yummy patties!

Citrus Coconut Cakes

I felt something really coconut-y last night and I searched through the internet and this little easy number came up. I got this Citrus Coconut Cake recipe from taste.com.au. and I tell you what it tasted so yummy! It was light and fluffly and I loved the aroma of the lemon and orange rind coming out from the oven. It was divine but it sort of lacked sweetness to it. I am pretty much a sweet tooth so next time when I make it I will make with lemon icing on top!

I am not a huge fan of baking since every time I bake it will turn into a big disaster but I love anything that is sweet and baked and bread-y. I can still remember the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg from the bakery I used to work at. I did pick up a few skills here and there but I was not the baker. I was just the girl who sold the bread hehe. I did get free bread rolls, sweet breads and cakes whenever I finished my shift but from time to time I got sick of it......sometimes...lol. I had a good time working there for like 3 years. The baker did not expose any of his recipes. Selfish! Maybe he was scared that one day I will open up a bakery and sell Vietnamese Pork Rolls and sell him out or something lol. Noooo.......lol.

Anyway enough rambling. I kind of altered this recipe a bit because I just did? I am bad like that. I never follow recipes. I am not scared of putting other things in it. I like trial and error. The recipe said to sprinkle the coconut on top but i put some into the mixture too and I made double the batch.

Mixture in the patty cases. I don't have a patty pan so I had to do that

out of the oven. nice and golden. smells delicious.

Here is the recipe.
Citrus Coconut Cake From Taste.com.au

Chicken Rice

This is suppose to be Hainanese Chicken Rice but it's not since I did not have all the ingredients on hand so unfortunately it's not authentic :( hence the name chicken rice. Well at the end it did taste really lovely. So nice and fluffy and aromatic because of the poached chicken infused with the spices and the soup tasted really really heavenly lol. This recipe is pretty easy to make and really really filling. You would want to have seconds!

Not so Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice

My recipe is as follows - Serves about 3 to 4 people

I don't really measure because I am a trial and error person. I taste for seasoning a long the way of the cooking process. This is an approximate :). Dare to try? lol

You will need

Chicken

• 8 drum sticks or thighs (traditionally you will use a whole chicken which takes ages to cook and too much cutting up. I know I like taking short cuts lol)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 6 pieces of fresh ginger (julienne)
• 2 cloves of garlic whacked and chopped roughly
• 2 shallots cut up into 2cm pieces
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1\2 tsp salt

Chicken Stock

• You will achieve the stock from the boiled chicken (don't use pre made chicken stock!)
• 4-5L water (add more if you want more stock / soup to drink)
  
• 3 pieces of ginger
• 2 shallots
• 1 small or medium onion (whole do not chop)

Chicken Rice

• 3 cups of jasmine rice
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2cm ginger chopped finely
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped very finely or grated
• pinch of salt (to taste) - you can leave this out
  
• 3 to 1/2 to 4 cups chicken stock according to rice instructions. Depending how you like your rice.

Ginger & Chilli Sauce
I don't really measure when I make the sauce. Here are the approx. ingredients I used.

• 3 fresh red chillies or 1 tsp of minced chilli from jar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 cm fresh ginger minced or grated
• lime juice
• 1 piece of shallot cut in 2cm pieces
• 4-5 tbs of light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp of chilli oil
• 1/2 tsp of sesame oil (not too much just about 3 drops)
  

***If you are lazy (like me) you can buy those minced ginger tubes, garlic tubes and hot chilli sauces. Mix equal quantities up and add some lime juice and a bit of chili and sesame oil. Tastes really good! You don't need all of this. If you like just soy sauce then just eat it with soy. If you want to add other ingredients to it then do so. I know not authentic I know lol.

Chicken Soup

• Chicken stock (from the boiled chicken)
• Chopped shallots and half of Chinese cabbage (wombok)
  

Instructions

Bring water to boil in a big pot. While that is boiling chop up the ginger, garlic and shallots and place the mixture into the water along with the whole peel onion. Turn the heat down to medium high. Then place the chicken drumsticks/thighs into the water. After about 15 to 20 minutes check the chicken to see if it's cooked. Keep on checking by cutting a piece of a chicken with a knife. It's nicely cooked when the meat looks juicy and tender. You do not want it to look dry and worse taste dry. When the texture is right remove the chicken from the pot and run it under cold water. I do this so it will stop the cooking process. Pat dry with paper towel or clean towel. Then rub the chicken with soy sauce, sesame oil and a bit of salt and leave aside.

For the chicken stock you can add more flavour by adding more ginger or salt. You do not have to do this!! If you think it's salty enough then don't add anymore. The taste really depends on the chicken. Taste the stock accordingly.

Next for chicken rice - wash the rice and drain. If you still have water in it still that's okay - doesn't matter. In a fry pan add sesame oil, ginger, garlic and shallots and stir fry for at least a minute. Don't let it burn. Then with a ladle add 2 spoonfuls of the chicken stock into the pan and simmer for about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and then gently pour the mixture into the rice pot or electric rice cooker (with the drained rice). Then gently ladle the chicken stock. Follow normal instructions for cooking the rice.

While the rice is cooking add the wombok cabbage into the chicken stock on medium. The cabbage can be cut roughly into small to big pieces. However you like.

Okay next is the chili and ginger sauce. Chop up the chillies, garlic and ginger until roughly minced and then ad a bit of lime juice. Add light soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli oil and mix. Do taste it. I prefer you to have it the way you like according to your taste. Some like it hot and overpowering and some like it not very hot.

For chicken soup, ladle a small amount of hot stock into serving bowls. Add the cooked cabbage and finely chopped shallots.

Finally add the rice to large plates and chicken onto the sides. I added the cabbage on the plate too. You can also add pickled carrots on the side as well.

I hope it's okay lol. Enjoy cause I always do.


Okay if you want the real thing from a chef check out POH's recipe for Hainanese Chicken Rice from Masterchef http://www.masterchef.com.au/hainanese-chicken-rice.htm.

Rum Balls

Rum balls!! Yummy!! So yummy and chocolaty! I made these about last week and my partner couldn't get enough of them. It's so quick and easy to make! You can have it with the rum or without the rum. It's entirely up to you.

I initially got this recipe from exclusivelyfood.com.au so props to them for sharing a wonderful recipe.

Rum Balls!

This recipe will make about 20 balls.

You will need:

• 250g of sweet biscuits or cake crumbs (2 1/2 cups)
• 3tbs of cocoa powder
• 1/2 to 1 cup of dessicated coconut
• 395g can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon of rum (I used Bundaberg Rum. You can ad more if you like)
• an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of dessicated coconut for rolling/coating
  

Optional: You can also add in sultanas, apricot pieces, marshmallow pieces, chocolate buttons or even peanuts for this recipe. I say be creative!


Instructions

1. Place biscuits in food processor until crushed. (if you have the biscuit crumbs go to step 2). I like my crumbs to be rough so when you bite into the ball it has that nice crunchy texture to it. So leave some rough biscuits. You can crush these with a mortor and pestal but that takes ages.
2. Transfer the crushed biscuits into a mixing bowl and mix in the cocoa. Add the condensed milk, coconut and rum and coconut into the mixture and incorporate until it's well combined. If it's too soft add more coconut into the mixture. This depends on what condensed milk you are using. Some may be thick or a bit thinner.
3. Place the mixture into the fridge (about 1 hour) or freezer (half hour) until firm This makes the rolling process easier because the mixture won't be too soft or sticky to roll.
4. In another bowl or plate sprinkle the coconut into the bowl and start rolling heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and then roll into the coconut.
5. Store balls in fridge in an airtight container.
   

Minced Pork on Steamed Rice

I was pretty much out of ideas what to cook for myself a couple of days ago. I only had minced pork and other little things in the fridge. I wanted to make san choy bow but I did not have lettuce cups. So I thought I would be creative and make minced stir fry pork instead over steamed rice. It was so delicious and so filling! I love pork!

This recipe will serve about 4 people. All you need is:

• 2 cups cooked steamed jasmine rice
• 1 tsp of sesame oil or peanut oil
  
• 500g of minced pork
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 capsicum cut into julienne
• 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
  
• handful of cut shallots
  
• 1 onion diced/chopped
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
  

Instructions:

1. Cook rice according to packet instructions. Leave on warm.
2. Scramble eggs and cook onto hot pan. Slide the cooked eggs off the pan onto kitchen board or a large plate. Once cool, roll the egg and then cut into 2 cm strips. Leave aside.
   
3. Heat peanut/sesame oil over high heat. When hot, add the pork and onion and stir fry for 5 minutes until cooked through. Add the carrots and capsicum and stir fry for 3 minutes then add the fish sauce, oyster sauce and light soy sauce. Taste the seasoning accordingly!!
   
4. Cook for a further 3 minutes and then toss through the shallots and egg strips. The bottom of the wok should be saucy.
   
5. Prepare bowls with the steamed rice and then put the stir fry mince and sauce over the rice. Enjoy.

When I served this to friends they wanted seconds!! It's nice, salty and saucy.

White Wings Creme Caramel

I think this is my third time making these White Wings Creme Caramels! It's as good as the ones you make from scratch! With these pre mixed ones it takes less than 30 minutes and just an hour to set. It's so yummy!!! I love it

ugly how it came out

The packaging is very tasteful and the instructions are really easy to follow. The box contains 2 packs - one for the sauce and one of the custard mix. All you need is water and 3 and half cups of milk! You can be creative too with the recipe. What I do is add one tablespoon of coffee into the custard mix so I can get a coffee flavour into it. Very nice.

You can get White Wings Creme Caramel at Woolies or Coles for under $3! It makes about 6.

Free: Apron when you enter Laminex Kitchen competition

Laminex® is giving you the chance to win a $20000 KITCHEN!!! By entering you will receive a FREE APRON! I don't really want a new kitchen since mine's already new and massive but I want my bathroom to be renovated cause I hate the spa in the main bathroom! I entered this cause of the APRON...looks cool and its BLACK! lol

To enter the draw is easy, simply click on the entry link onsite and follow the 4 simple steps;

http://winalaminexkitchen.com.au/#/Prizes

1) Fill in your details to receive your free apron,
2) Take their quiz to determine your design style: mine was contemporary chic :)
3) Create your kitchen based on your design style colour palette, and
4) Tell them in 25 words or less why you should win a $20,000 kitchen.
5) Once you’ve finished all these steps you’re in the competition and you will be receiving your apron in the coming weeks!

note: entry is for only Australian Residents only.

Free: MOOO Thank you cards! SO CUTE!!!

I think this is my favourite freebie so far!!! Mooo is offering you a Free Gift Pack of Thank you cards worth up to $29 including postage and handling! IT'S ALL FREE!! All you have to do to receive a BOYS or GIRLS thank you card is register your name and email address onsite with names and email addresses of 2 of your friends. If you invite 5 or more friends Mooo will double your free pack from 12 cards to 24 cards! I am so excited! lol. "THANK YOU MOOO FOR MAKING MY DAY!". Now all I have to do is sit back and wait by the mail box for 2 weeks lol.

Please note this is for only Australian Postal Addresses only!

Head to http://www.mooo.com.au/promotions.php and join up to get your free pack!

Free: Jacki O Vegetarian Cook Book

Here is an opportunity to go Vego! LOL. Yet another free recipe book I found that I would like to share! National Vege Week has joined up with Sanitarium to give you the chance to go vegetarian with Jacki O's free VEGE BBQ recipe book! The radio dj shows you how to make a mean Aussie BBQ without meat. It has information about how to go to vegetarian and the benefits of being a vegetarian. The ebook looks really tantalizing - I think I will try the recipes this week.

If you would like this Free Recipe Book, simply fill in the request form onsite.

http://www.vegetarianweek.com.au/RecipeBook/

Free: Nestle Cafe Menu Samples

Nescafe are giving away 2 free Nescafe Menu samples. Send a coffee invitation to your friend and receive 2 free Nestle Cafe Menu moments. I have tried it before and it tastes just like coffee from a cafe! Smooth, rich and delicious flavour. My favourite has always been vanilla latte.

Go to http://cafemenu.com.au/ to get your free samples!

Sorry, only for Australia.

Free: Greenseas Recipe Ebook Download

If you are finding something nutritious and delicious and at the same time something for under $10 -Greenseas (tuna brand) has produced a new and free down-loadable recipe ebook! You will find lots of recipes including Tuna bake and tuna cakes.

Go to their website and download it now at http://www.greenseas.com.au/cookbook.asp

Spring Roll Fail!

Now these were left in the freezer for about 1 month. It was the only batch left. I had so much trouble taking each spring roll out individually to deep fry. It was so frozen! Some of the pasty broke *tear drop*. They were all stuck together! So I did the no no - I defrosted them for the whole day. So what did I get at the end? Broken cold pastry. Not good. When you deep fry defrosted pastry it becomes all broke and UGLY!

If you want a really crunch spring roll I recommend to really tightly roll it and then deep fry straight away otherwise the pastry becomes dry and it breaks. And when the spring rolls are coming from the freezer you better put them in the deep fryer straight away to maintain that crunchy bite goodness :).

Apricot Balls

Yummy! Apricot balls! I used to buy a packet of apricot balls wrapped in baking paper in primary school for 50 cents back in 1990 lol! Now days you can find apricot balls already made in packets at the supermarket but they are shaped in cubes! They sell for about $4 at Woolworths last time I saw them.

Here is the most easiest apricot recipe but I added in granulated peanuts to give it that oomph lol. I just buy the home brand packet for about $1 at Woolworths. It does the same thing as the dearer packets. You can ad any kind of nuts you want to just chop them up in pieces.


Apricot Balls with Peanuts
Makes about 35 small balls or 20 medium balls. Roll however size you like.

You will need:

• 200 grams of dried apricot
• 3/4 of cup of condensed milk.
  
• 1 cup of granulated peanuts
  
• 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
  
• extra 1 cup of desiccated coconut for rolling
  

Method

1. Chop up the apricot until fine or 'minced'
   
2. Add the nuts and coconut
   
3. Mix them both together with condensed milk. If you feel that it's not the right consistency for you sprinkle some coconut over the mixture again.
   
4. Place the mixture into the fridge for an hour or half an hour in the freezer until firm. I find it easier when its firm so I can roll the mixture better. It will hold a better shape and not too sticky.
5. Take the mixture out of the fridge/freezer and then put the extra coconut onto a dish or a mixing bowl. Roll the mixture into balls (whichever size you like) and roll it around in the coconut. Then store in fridge until set.
6. Enjoy!
   

Ann's Vege Noodle Soup

A few months ago I brought my very own Vegetable Noodle Soup to work. I thought it looked quite bland but hey it tasted really really good! The corn, mushrooms, cauliflower and the carrots I only used in the soup tasted really sweet and warm to the tongue. When I finished heating the soup with the noodles one colleague of mine goes "Oh that looks so simple but it looks so good! No wonder why you are so skinny!!!". I looked over what she was having - it was a microwavable Aussie meat pie. And I thought "that is why you are a bit fat? lol". She asked "How did you make it?". I said "Um just chucked the spare veges I had all in with water with a pinch of salt and pepper". That is how easy and simple it is and so healthy for you cause there is no fat or oils!


What you will need:

• 2L - 3L of water
  
• 1 cob of corn
  
• 1 carrot chopped thinly however you like (the thinner the quicker it will cook)
• 1 cup of cauliflower chopped in quarters
• 1 cup of mushrooms sliced
• 4 pieces of rice stick noodles cooked and drained
  

Method:

1. First have a pot of boiling water (2 litres to 3 litres depending how much soup or broth you want).
2. With the corn, shuck it and then under running water remove as much of the silk. then break or cut into half. When the water is boiled put the corn in gently. It will take about 10 minutes plus to cook depending how soft you want your corn to be. I like my corn soft.
3. Then take the corn out with tongs or chopsticks. Be careful because it's really hot! Place it on a plate
   
4. Now place the carrot and cauliflower into the corn broth and then the mushrooms. Add the salt and pepper. Taste it accordingly to how you want it. For me about half a teaspoon of salt is enough. Cook for about 10 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are cooking - cook the noodles in boiling water until soft and then drain well. Place them in individual bowls.
6. Then with the cooked corn cut the kernels off the sides and place it with the vegetables.
7. Finally the vegetable soup should be ready! All you have to do now is ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodle bowls
   
8. Enjoy!

Banh Mi Thit

Banh Mi made with crunchy long roll

Banh Mi Thit or Vietnamese Sandwich/Pork Roll is a traditional Vietnamese street sandwich usually made with a toasted crunchy long roll. The usual fillings that you would find in the sandwich are thinly sliced carrots or pickled carrots and daikons, onions, cucumbers and peppers. Other fillings are either grilled or roast pork, pork roll ham (chả lụa) and liver paste/mayonnaise.

You can find these ingredients at your local Asian Market. If you are residing in Brisbane QLD, Australia you can find these Asian grocers at Inala or Sunnybank. They supply everything from kim chi to roast duck. Or if you are finding a place that sells Banh Mi Thit - I recommend Ba Minh at Darra and Inala. She has been making the best rolls however she doesn't fill them up as she used to. They cost about $3.50 for a roll.

The photos I took are about 3 years old. I used to work at a local bakery and I usually went home with free baguettes/french sticks and long rolls. This is my version of Banh Mi Thit. Since I did not have all of the ingredients I substituted it with other ingredients so it is not very traditional. It looked impressive tasted magnificent at the end.


Annn Tran's Aussie Banh Mi Thit







French stick and other ingredients


Ingredients:

• 4 crunchy long rolls or 1 long french stick cut into 4 (a bit smaller but you have more filling)
• pinch of pepper/salt to taste
• 1 onion sauteed or fried (however you like)
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• slices of fried bacon
• 1/2 cup of rice vinegar or plain white vinegar
• 1 to 2 carrots grated or pickled carrot
• 1 cucumber sliced (as pictured above)
• sliced pork roll ham/cha lua (as pictured above)
• cilantro
• margarine
• mayonnaise
• soy sauce and chili sauce to taste

Method

In a pan, saute the onions, garlic and pepper/salt until fragrant and put aside.

In the same pan fry the strips of bacon until crispy and brown and put aside.

If you don't have the pickled stuff already, grate the carrots and place it in a small bowl and cover it with the vinegar. This will give a pickle flavour. Then cut the cucumber into strips.

Heat the long rolls up in an oven or a toaster until warm. If you don't have this I just use a sandwich maker. It does the same trick. Slice the the long rolls down in the middle and spread the margarine or butter onto both sides.

Finally put in all the ingredients in - first the cooked onions and garlic, cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro and the bacon and pork roll ham and then drizzle with soy sauce and chili sauce. Yum! It is not the traditional style but this one is good enough for me!



(updated: 20/01/2010) WHERE in Brisbane QLD:

In brisbane you can get banh me thit at:

Minh Tan Bakery inside the Inala civic centre across from Suncorp

Bun Me outside the Inala Civic Shop....right next to the art gallery

Ba Minh at Darra Station takeaway shop

Vietnamese bakery on the Brunswick St Mall Fortitude Valley.

Pandan Sweet Rice Cake

I made this Pandan Sweet Rice Cake a couple of months ago with a little effort. You can find these rice cakes usually at Vietnamese grocers but I don't think a lot of Chinese grocers do sell them. I used to buy a packet of these early Saturday mornings when it comes in fresh and warm. You can either eat it warm, at room temperature or cold served with fruit. It's light and refreshing but I guess a bit fattening when it's made from coconut milk.

The recipe I used was from thaifood.about.com. To me the finished product was quite sweet so I cut back on the sugar when I made another.

Find this recipe at http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaidesserts/r/pandancake.htm.

Easy Viet Salad with Spring Rolls

This is my own version of an Asian 'salad'. I didn't have much in the fridge or the cupboard so I put this together with anything I had in the kitchen. It turned out great - refreshing (cause of the mint and lettuce) and very tasty.

To serve about 2 people you will need:

6 cooked spring rolls (just buy the frozen ones and deep fry them) cut up into bit sized portions
1/2 cup of Vietnamese mint
1/2 cup of shredded ice berg lettuce
3/4 cup of bean sprouts
3/4 of bamboo shoots
1 piece of golden swallow noodles cooked and drained
3 tbs of Vietnamese dipping sauce

Method:

Incorporate all the ingredients together until the noodles and salad mixes through well
Then add the sauce until desired taste. Add more if you think it's not salty enough
Enjoy :)!!!

Strawberry n Almond Cheesecake

My fiance made this cheesecake for me for my birthday a few months back. I was very impressed even though he used a packet of continental cheesecake mix by White Wings. To make it differently he folded in hulled and sliced strawberries into the cheesecake mix. When the cheesecake was firm he then decorated it with loads of toasted almonds and strawberries. It was a hit!


Recipe from White Wings Site (bold text indicate extra ingredients and extra instructions for the strawberry and almonds)

Smooth Continental Cheesecake (with Strawberries and Toasted Almonds)

Preparation time:
10 minutes
Chilling time:
60 minutes
Serves:
12

Ingredients:
Base
90g (4 1/2 Tbsp) margarine spread or soft butter, melted

Filling
375mL (1 1/2 cups) milk

Additional ingredients:
1/2 cup of strawberries hulled and sliced
1 cup of toasted silvered almonds (you can buy these from Woolworths)


Method

Bake: Empty contents of biscuit base mix sachet into a bowl. Add melted margarine spread or butter and mix with a metal spoon to combine. Press the mixture firmly over the base and 5cm up the sides of a 20cm round springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Mix: Place the milk into a large bowl. Sprinkle the filling mix over the milk. Using an electric mixer beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Increase speed to high and mix for 2 minutes until thick.

Here fold in the sliced strawberries. Don't mix or the mixture will become gluggy and not that thick.

Chill: Spread filling into biscuit base. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.

While the filling is chilling in the fridge toast the silvered almonds either in a preheated oven at 180 degrees or in a pan until it becomes a nice toast colour.

When the filling is chilled decorate with the toasted almonds and strawberries however you like :)

Tips: In place of a springform pan, use a 20cm round cake pan lined generously with cling film or baking paper such that the edges overlap the sides of the pan. Once the cheesecake has set, use the overlapping film or paper to lift out of the pan and transfer to a serving plate.