Lemongrass and Chile Crusted Tofu

A big thank you to my friend, Carole, who directed me to another Vietnamese chef with great recipes! She also directed me to this recipe. This is the first of Luke Nguyen's recipes that I have attempted and I've made it several times now, tweaking it here and there. I'm really excited about trying more of his recipes as I go along.

I love the texture and how the tofu takes on the flavor of the marinade/stuffing. It's also a great main protein to pair with stir-fry veggies in my stir-fry sauce! This is a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Lemongrass and Chile Crusted Tofu
Adapted from Luke Nguyen

Ingredients:

• 16 oz Firm or Extra Firm Tofu
• 1 lemongrass stem, white part, diced (if not sold at your local grocer, Whole Foods usually carries it in fresh produce. I've started growing it in a pot since it repels mosquitoes and I can cook with it...two great functions!)
• 1 T garlic, mashed
• 1 Thai or 1/2 serrano chile, finely chopped, adjust to desired heat
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Vegetable oil (enough to fill a 12 in. skillet to about 1/4 in. deep)
• Cooked white rice (follow directions on package)

Directions:

1. Open package of tofu and drain the liquid. Gently squeeze and pat dry as much as possible. Slice into 3/4 inch rectangles.
2. In a small bowl, mix lemongrass, garlic, chile, salt, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.
3. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut a shallow "x" shape (about half-way deep) into each tofu piece.
4. Using your fingertips and a spoon, gently stuff the cuts with the lemongrass mixture. Spread any excess along the surface of the tofu.
   
   
   
5. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium-hi heat. Once heated, carefully place the tofu in the oil, cut/stuffed side down (I gently place a slice on a metal spatula and ease it into the oil). Repeat with as many slices as will fit without crowding each other. Allow to fry, undisturbed, until the first side is nicely browned and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye! Flip and brown the other side as well. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels. 
   
6. Repeat with remaining tofu until all is fried. 
7. Serve over rice and with stir-fried veggies or roasted veggies. Enjoy!

Bánh mì (Vietnamese Hoagies)

I mentioned this sandwich in the previous blog post. Second only to the hoagies I grew up eating in Philly, Bánh mì (or Vietnamese Hoagie, as I like to call it) is one of the sandwich-loves of my life. There are many variations, but generally the sandwich includes a baguette-like roll that is crusty on the outside and soft and airy on the inside, meat, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrot, jalapeno, and mayonnaise and/or butter spread. 

This recipe's protein filling is a scratch-made pork meatball. Originally I used a recipe from Chef Charles Phan's cookbook, Vietnamese Home Cooking. However, there was way too much involved in that recipe to make it a practical recipe to make for my family AND live life with my kids. So I've simplified it and my husband still gives it two thumbs up, so I'm satisfied. :) 

Also, the type of bread you use is important and will probably change regionally. If you live in or around Philly, good hoagie rolls such as Amoroso's or Conshohocken will work well. Down here in San Antonio, I use the popular Mexican sandwich rolls, bolillos, which work well too. You can also try cutting a baguette to personal size and use that. 

Also, this recipe makes 36-48 meatballs. So you could half this recipe or make it all and freeze a bunch to have another time, which is what I do. Enjoy!

Bánh mì

Adapted from Vietnamese Home Cooking

Makes 36-48 meatballs, depending on size

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. minced garlic
• 1 T. red pepper flakes
• 3 c. diced onion (I pulse chunks of onion in the food processor)
• 1 c. stir-fry sauce (in Asian food aisle)
• 1 c. ketchup
• 1 1/2 T light soy sauce (I have also used regular soy sauce as a substitute)

Meatballs:

• 3 lbs. ground pork
• 1 1/2 c. jicama, peeled and dice (again, in food processor), or water chestnuts
• 2 c. onion, diced (food processor)
• 1/2 c. scallion, sliced thinly, green and light green parts only
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 T. light soy sauce

Garnishes/Spreads:
Mayonnaise
Cucumber, sliced into long 1/4 in. wide slices


Jalapeno, sliced into long 1/4 in. wide slices


Pickled carrot
Cilantro
Sandwich roll (bolillo, a good hoagie roll, baguette cut into personal size), sliced 3/4 of the way through


Directions:

To make the sauce:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until toasted for about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and toast for 30 seconds. 
   
2. Add onions, and cook until softened, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Add stir-fry sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add 4 c. chicken broth and mix well. 
4. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then decrease heat until sauce is simmering. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

To make the meatballs:

1. While the sauce simmers, make the meatballs. You can roll them by hand or use a 1-2 inch ball scoop. 
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. 
   
3. Using your hands, gently mix ingredients together. Don't overwork the mixture or it may become tough. 
4. Form into 1-2 inch diameter balls and add gently to the simmering sauce. The meatballs will be crowded in the pot, but should all be below the surface of the sauce. Cook, without stirring, for 45 minutes. So not let the liquid boil, or the meatballs may begin to fall apart. After 45 minutes, remove a meatball and cut it open. There should be no pink inside. 
   
5. Remove from heat and serve. Or you can let them cool and and reheat later in the sauce. 
6. To freeze leftovers, use a tupperware container. Fill 3/4 full with both meatballs and sauce. I like to freeze in batches of 12 meatballs each. Cover and freeze. 

Assembling a sandwich:
Lightly toast the roll in a toaster oven or oven. Spread both sides of the roll inside with mayonnaise. Layer with carrots, cucumber, and jalapeno. Add warm meatballs. Enjoy!!

Beef Pho

Pho is my husband's favorite dish, which makes it super intimidating. Mostly because I love when he loves the food I make. And who wants to screw up the dish your husband grew up eating and you only tried for the first time in your twenties? So I've shied away from attempting to make it for a long time, plus some of my in-laws make awesome bowls of Pho themselves so I haven't needed to really step up to the plate.  

Then I saw a recipe for a slow-cooker Pho on a Lucky Peach blog post. Sold! Something in me just needed to make this. It didn't hurt that when I mentioned I would be making it to my 4 year old, he started jumping up and down. This kid loves him some Pho.

I took this recipe and tweaked it based on some things I've learned from my husband's family about the dish and just having been around the ingredients for the past ten years or so. Enjoy!

Pho Tai (Beef Noodle Soup)

adapted from Lucky Peach

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into ½” rounds
• 1 piece (2") fresh ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 t vegetable oil
• 2 lbs chuck short ribs
• 1 lb sirloin, sliced very thin
• kosher salt for sprinkling
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3")
• 4 whole cloves
• 8 C beef broth (low-sodium)
• 1-2 small pieces rock candy
• 1–2 T fish sauce
• flat rice noodles (banh pho noodles) I used rice vermicelli because I was in a bind and couldn't find the correct kind locally. Definitely not as good, but you do what you can.

Garnishes:

• mung bean sprouts
• white onion, sliced thin
• scallion, sliced thin, green part only
• thai basil
• cilantro
• thai chilis, sliced in thin rounds
• lime quarters
• sriracha and hoisin sauce   

Directions:

• Heat the broiler and place sliced onions and ginger on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush foil and onion and ginger with oil. Broil until slightly charred, about 8-10 minutes.
• Season the short ribs with some salt and add to the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, onions, ginger, and beef broth on top. 
  
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs. Turn off slow cooker and let meat rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and take meat off the bone. Set aside. Pour broth through a strainer into a stock pot. Discard solids. Let broth sit and skim fat from the surface. 
• Return broth to a simmer and add fish sauce and rock candy slowly, tasting until there is a good balance of salty and a slight sweetness. 
• Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and place in bowls. 
• Slice meat into bite-size pieces. Add rib meat to the bowls with noodles. You can also add raw sirloin on top. Ladle boiling broth over meat and noodles until sirloin in cooked through. Serve with garnishes. Don't forget the lime! You'll thank me later. :) The added acidity takes the broth to the next level.
  

*This pic is of my husband's bowl.  He doesn't opt to add all the "greens".