Pho Cuon

  Finding the translation for Pho Cuon has been a top priority the last few days. I have the basics down:Pho- soup with rice noodlesPho Bo- soup with beefPho ga- soup with chickenPho Ca- Soup with FishPho Cuon- ?????Three Vietnamese dictionaries had no mention of this word, yet the area around my hotel was filled with Pho Cuon. Finally I googled the term and found this definition:Unlike the traditional noodle soup, which requires a large pot of broth to be poured over a bowl of rice noodles and sliced chicken or beef, pho cuon is made of banh pho – a thin sheet of rice paper – some beef and a handful of fresh herbs.To cook up a delicious meal of pho cuon, thinly sliced beef is stir-fried in a hot pan. The meat is then put onto a bed of herbs and rolled up in the rice paper sheet.Soup in a rice paper roll. Sounds good to me, I am ready to try it.

The Folding Fork

Low on money in Vietnam, I walked down to the food stand a few strides outside of my house. I stocked up on the orignal version of cup-o-soup. The noodles were the same, the salty seasoning was the same, but inside was a genius invention that I have not seen anywhere in the states. I present to you, the folding fork.

Tea and Fried Beef

  On my own in Hanoi today, I took a walk around charming Truc Bach Lake. The shops in this area are quaint and seem to specialize in Pho Cuon, which I have not figured out the translation. After the walk, I settled into a cafe for tea and a snack. I ordered a pot of green tea, and fried beef. This beef dish appeared to be the only food item on the menu, and it sounded similar to a divine dish I had a Ladybug cafe on Saturday, “Fried noodles with beef”. Hoping for a repeat, I ordered the fried beef.Suprisingly, fried beef is more like beef jerky than the delicious plate of noodles, beef and vegetables I had at the other cafe.

Spring Rolls

Fresh spring rolls are a popular item in many Vietnamese restaurants. Vegetables, shrimp and chicken are wrapped in delicate rice paper rolls. The dipping sauce was delicious, a light sweet and spicy sauce complemented the flavor of the rolls. Here is a recipe from epicuious for the dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fermented fish sauce (nam pla)*
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño chili with seeds

Cooking in Vietnam

Up Next: Culinary Therapy on the streets in Vietnam.Vietnam may be best known for their Pho and Spring rolls, but there are many more culinary delights available from street vendors. I am looking forward to duck intestines, monkey on a stick, frogs, bugs, and an array of small animals.I received this cookbook for Christmas to help navigate the unknown world of Vietnamese cooking.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Once every three or four months, my husband travels to Southeast Asia for work. Sometimes he will bring a culinary item back for me to add to my collection at home. I now have 12 sets of chopsticks and this adorable condement holder. I decided it was time to use the chopsticks and the sauce dish, so chicken lettuce wraps it was.

I shredded a rotisserie chicken, shredded a carrot and cucumber, and placed it with a half of an iceburg head. Soy sauce, sweet and sour, and peanut sauce filled the condement cups. Rice and Edamame complemented our wraps.

Peanut Sauce was the best part of this dinner. I have never been satisfied with store bought peanut sauce, so tonight I made my own. This recipe is from Amy, and it is a spoonful of heaven. Here is the recipe:

Perfect Peanut Sauce
From Cooking with Amy

1/4 cup peanut butter (natural, no sugar added kind)
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk (lite is fine, if you prefer or substitute water)
1/4 cup water
red chili flake to taste
chili garlic sauce to taste or 1 clove crushed garlic

Optional:
sesame oil
curry paste
rice wine vinegar
fish sauce
grated ginger
shallots sauteed till brown in oil
Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients with a whisk in a small bowl, adding the water last. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Experiment with this sauce adding a teaspoon at a time of one the optional additions and tasting as you go. Serve hot or cold.

I didn’t use any of the optional ingredients, and it was still divine.

Let me know if you like it too.