When I was little, I used to love eating canned sardines in tomato sauce. Dad did most of the cooking and he was never a good cook. This meant canned sardines were on frequent rotations. We simply reheat it in the microwave and have it with steamed white rice. On fancy days, we would reheat it on the stove-top with a sprinkle of green onions.
Fortunately, my palette has gotten more sophisticated. Now if I want fish with tomato sauce, I opt for fried fish with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes (Ca Chien Sot Ca Chua). I love the combination of crispy savory fish and sweet-yet-slightly-tart tomato sauce. However, sometimes I still find myself reaching for those canned sardines in tomato sauce at the supermarket. Somethings are just hard to change =)
Vietnamese Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce Recipe (Ca Chien Sot Ca Chua)
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
2 large fillets of preferred fish (here I used salmon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons corn starch
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large shallot (slice thinly)
2 large garlic cloves (mince)
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 cup fresh tomatoes (whole cherry or chopped tomatoes)
Sliced green onions (optional)
Instructions
Season the fish liberally with salt and pepper. Then coat the fish with corn starch. Dust off excess.
In a large frying pan, heat up vegetable oil. Pan-fry both sides of fish until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with table towels to absorb excess oil. Remove excess oil from pan, leaving a thin layer.
Add garlic and shallots to pan and saute until fragrant.
Add canned crushed tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for 2-3 minutes for all the flavors to come together.
Season with sugar and fish sauce.
Add chopped or whole cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook until slightly wilted.
Ladle tomato sauce onto fried fish and garnish with green onions.
Vietnamese Egg Rolls are marinated ground pork rolled in wheat wrappers and deep fried. It can be eaten as a main dish with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham) or as a component to a main dish like Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Noodles (Bun Thit Nuong). Vietnamese egg rolls filling may also include ground shrimp, chopped jicama, shredded carrot and cabbage. This recipe is a basic traditional recipe of ground pork, minced woodear mushroom and thin rice vermicelli noodles.
General Tso’s chicken (also known as General Tao’s or Tsao’s chicken) is an iconic Chinese-American takeout of deep-fried chicken coated in a thick sweet sauce. It is practically served in all Chinese takeout restaurants here in the States but you won’t find it anywhere in China. This dish was specifically made for the Western palate.
The Holidays are around the corner and that means one thing. Gaining weight with lots of good food.
One of my favorite dishes to make during the Holidays is Vietnamese shrimp and pork egg rolls (Cha Gio Tom Thit). It’s a combination of traditional Vietnamese egg rolls (Cha Gio) and whole shrimp. Carry a basket of these bad boys to a dinner party and you’ll be the life of the party… or at least until the egg rolls runs out.
Fried rice (Com Chien) is the most beloved food of many Asian kids and a favorite comfort food of many adults. My very first attempt at making fried rice many moons ago was ... interesting to say the least. My teenage- self thought the word "fried" in fried rice meant that it had to be crispy. So being the bright-minded and good-looking girl that I was, I deep-fried the rice in a large pool of oil. I even squished the rice down with a spatula so that it could get even more crispy.
It wasn't until much later (sadly) that I realized I had it all wrong. With a bit of practice, I can now say I make a mean wok of deliciously fluffy fried rice.
Fried Fish with Lemongrass or Cá Chiên Sả is the simplest way to have fish in everyday Vietnamese home cooking. The marinade is a simple mixture of lemongrass, garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of ground turmeric for color. Red pepper flakes are added for a spicy version.
Fried tofu in tomato sauce (Dau Hu Sot Ca Chua), is a very common Vietnamese side dish that goes great with steamed rice. Add ground pork and you have a hearty, delicious meal.
In a previous post, I showed how to make a traditional Banh Tieu. In this post, I thought it would be fun to reinvent the Banh Tieu recipe. Instead of the traditional sesame seed outside crust, I rolled the donut in cinnamon sugar. The result? Not surprisingly, sinfully delicious.
Chef Charles Phan is the Chef and Owner of one of San Francisco's famous restaurants, Slanted Door, and an award-winning author of Vietnamese Home Cooking. My husband gifted me his cookbook a few years back for inspiration and it has been a staple in my kitchen ever since. I've pretty much done all the recipes in Vietnamese Home Cooking, and my all-time quick favorite is Chef Phan's version of lemongrass chicken.
Fried fish in fresh tomato sauce (Ca Chien Sot Ca Chua). The combination of crispy fish and sweet-yet-slightly-tart tomato sauce is simply divine and a taste of childhood.
Chả Cá Lã Vọng is Hanoi's famous fried fish with tumeric and dill. This dish is also known as Chả Cá Hà Nội, Chả Cá Thăng Long, or or just Chả Cá for short.
Deep-fried quails are known in Vietnam as street food. Street vendors would pre-fry the quails and stack them on the small window of their push carts for display. The vendor would fry the quails again to order until golden brown and serve them with a side of pickled or fresh vegetables, and a peppery lemon dipping sauce. They are cheap, quick and delicious.
Fried bananas, or Chuoi Chien, is a popular street food in Vietnam. Here I did a take on this traditional Vietnamese snack.The bananas were crispy on the outside, and warm and sweet on the inside. The caramel sauce and toasted shredded coconut transformed this traditional Vietnamese snack food into a beautiful and decadent dessert.
Salt and pepper prawn is deep fried with a light corn starch coating. The crispy prawns are then quickly tossed in a hot wok with garlic, jalapenos, and shallots then sprinkled with salt and pepper.
With a few cloves of garlic, a bit of honey and a bit of mustard, honey mustard garlic chicken was what's for dinner. The chicken came out extremely tender and moist. The honey mustard glaze beautifully coated the chicken with sweet and tangy flavors.
Banh Khot, or Vietnamese savory mini pancakes, is made from a batter of rice flour, corn starch, tumeric powder and coconut milk. The batter is fried on a cast iron Banh Khot or Aebleskiver frying pan to crispy perfection on the outside and fluffy on the inside. These mini pancakes are topped with shrimp, brushed with scallion oil and sprinkled with a dash of toasted minced dried prawns. They come with a plate stacked high in Vietnamese herbs and a small bowl of spicy and sweet dipping sauce.
Shrimp Egg Roll, Cha Gio Cuon Tom, is a super simple Vietnamese appetizer. It is whole shrimp, marinated in a quick sauce, rolled in egg wrappers and deep fried. It comes with a side of a sweet chili dipping sauce. It's fancy. It's delicious. Best of all, it's super simple to make that is guaranteed to impress a crowd.
This post requires little introduction. Fried chicken in cupcake form. For the love of everything holy why I would create such a monstrosity? Simple. Because I can. Mwahahaha!
Sugar cane shrimp skewer or Chao Tom is a traditional Vietnamese appetizer. It is typically served in dinner banquets at Asian weddings and other special occasions and also one of the many offerings at Dim Sum. You can eat them directly as finger foods, or remove the shrimp from the skewer and wrap it in lettuce and dip with a Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce.
Banh Tieu is essentially a Vietnamese donut. What sets it apart from traditional Western donuts is a hollow inside and a sprinkle of sesame seeds on the outside. Plus, it's not too sweet. It has a hint of sweetness, which makes it very easy to consume a bunch at once...something I frequently do and not too ashamed to admit.
There's one thing I always have in my refrigerator: homemade Vietnamese dipping fish sauce. With that always on hand, a quick meal to whip up is Vietnamese Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce. You simply deep fry your favorite chicken pieces in a mixture of corn starch/tapioca flour, salt and pepper. Then dunk it in dipping sauce. It sounds so simple but trust me, it's full of flavors.
I've been trying to perfect Banh Cam (Vietnamese Orange Sesame Balls with Sweet Mung Bean Filling) for the longest time. This would be attempt #5 and now I feel confident to post the recipe. Banh Cam or Banh Ran is a deep-fried Vietnamese dessert. The filling is sweet mung bean paste with shredded coconuts. It is rolled into small balls and encased in a dough of glutinous rice flour. The balls are then rolled in sesame seeds then deep-fried. The result is a crunchy outer layer with a sticky and sweet inside. It's the perfect dessert, snack or breakfast.
If you've ever been to a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant, chances are you tried the salt and pepper chicken and fell in love with it. Who wouldn't? It's crunchy fried chicken coated in a seemingly boring yet flavorful salt and pepper mixture.