One of the aspects that I appreciate most about Vietnamese cuisine is that nothing goes to waste. From bones to meat to blood and guts, each and every part of an animal is put to good culinary use. Cháo lòng turns piggy odds and ends that most butchers would toss out with the garbage into hearty and soothing rice porridge.
Cháo Lòng is one of the rare offerings in Saigon that is served from morning until evening. The dish is hot, satisfying and easy on the pocket at only 6,000 VND a bowl. Street vendors dishing up cháo lòng can be easily spotted with their giant metal vats and glass display cases filled with piles of offal and stacks of golden fried dough (giò cháo quẩy).
How much does Grace love the popular Vietnamese sandwich, banh mi? She declares, "If I could marry a sandwich, I would marry a banh mi." After staring at her photo of her sandwich's innards, I might have to agree with her.
At first glance, I thought the woman was frying up some bánh tôm tây hồ—battered and deep fried julienned sweet potatoes with shrimp. Upon closer inspection, I came to realize I did not recognize what was bubbling away in her oil-filled wok.
It is truly a red letter day in Saigon when I stumble upon a food that I have not heard of or tried before, and my encounter with bánh cóng on Vuon Chuoi Street (toward Dien Bien Phu Street) in District 3 was no different.
Barbara Fisher of Tigers and Strawberries on Nuoc Mau, the essential Vietnamese sauce: "It is what gives depth of flavor and color to kno dishes, which are earthy, homey braises of meats, tofu or seafood. Salty with fish sauce, these dishes are meant to be eaten with plenty of rice, but the salt flavor is balanced by the smoke-tinged sweetness of this home made, darkly browned caramel sauce." She provides both a recipe for Nuoc Mao and a step-by-step walkthrough with photos, to make preparation of this "simple, but not easy staple of the Vietnamese kitchen" as painless as possible.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, February 23, 2007 at 11:58 AM
The An family runs three restaurants in California: Thanh Long and Crustacean in San Francisco and another Crustacean in Beverly Hills. Each restaurant has a a Secret Kitchen, "a completely enclosed kitchen within the main kitchen, off limits to all employees except An Family members. Here, Chef Helene and the Ans prepare their secret family recipes: An's Famous Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodles. These dishes are the key to the restaurants' success." I'm sure the dishes are delicious, but is it just me or is the whole secret kitchen thing a little nutty?
