Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite foods in the world. I can have this delicious noodle soup at any hour of the day. It's the ultimate comfort food. The recipe requires a bit of prep work but so worth it.

Ingredients:

32 oz oxtail bones (try to buy it freshly cut at butcher counter)
16 oz sirloin beef
16 cups of water
16 oz dry Vietnamese rice noodle
1 whole lime cut into 4 wedges (2 oz)
* very finely sliced raw or well-done beef slices
* fresh or frozen beef balls
* fresh bean sprouts

*optional, purchased at Oriental food markets

Procedure:

A)

4 pcs star anise
6 pcs cloves
1 tbsp fennel
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp white peppercorn
1 pc lemongrass (2 oz)
1 pc ginger root (2 oz)
1 whole onion
cheesecloth bag or cloth

B)

2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp fish sauce

C)

2 cups fresh bean sprouts
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh coriander
¼ fresh mint leaves
16 fresh small chilis, cut into rings

Roast bones in oven for 1/2 hr at 500 degrees F.

Place A ingredients on a baking tray and bake in oven until fragrant, about 15 min.

Wrap A ingredients in cheesecloth bag and seal tight (if using cloth, bind tightly with string) to prevent spices from escaping into the pot.

Sear sirloin in stock pot until browned on both sides. Drain juices.

Add water, bones, sirloin, B ingredients and cheesecloth bag to the pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer for an hour.

Continue to simmer for another hour and remove cheesecloth. Strain soup and adjust taste with seasoning of your choice.

Cut sirloin into very thin slices to serve.

Cook pre-soaked rice noodles in large pot of boiling water for 3-5 min until soft and drain.

Ladle rice noodles and soup into bowls.

Garnish C ingredients on top of soup noodles in each bowl or serve separately.

Chick Pea Curry Soup

This is a fast hearty soup for either summer or winter. It's makes for a light summer meal, with crusty bread and salad.

Ingredients:

One medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp mild red curry paste

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 c vegetable broth

1 tsp sugar

19 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed

3 c spinach leaves, torn

Preparation:

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of oil. 

Add curry paste, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and sugar. Bring to boil.

Add chick peas and spinach. Heat through.

Garnish with cheese.

Number of Servings: 5

Source: Sparks Recipes

Morocolicious at Cafe Moroc

This weekend, I had dinner at the Cafe Moroc in downtown Toronto, a very elegant Moroccan restaurant. I had heard rave reviews about the food and the live belly dancing dinner shows (at Sultan's Tent, it's adjoining sister restaurant), and was excited to finally try it. From July 20-Sept 7, they are having their Morocolicious event, which allows you to sample their best under a fixed prix menu. The decor is gorgeous, I especially loved the variety of lanterns. I had the Moroccan Beef Ribs with mashed root vegetables. Heaping portions of tender fall-off-the-bone beef, it was delicious and I enjoyed the fragrant Moroccan seasoning.

Gwyneth Paltrow: the next Martha Stewart?

It seems like this woman can do it all. I logged onto her lifestyle blog goop.com recently, only to find Gwyneth doing a cooking segment making roast chicken. Wasn't she preaching the virtues of a strict macrobiotic diet just a few years ago? Personally, I could never stick to a diet of just brown rice, tofu and nuts. Hats off to her for finally joining the rest of us common, meat-eating folks.

watch this on YouTube

Mango Coconut Ice Cream

I'm a big ice cream fanatic and mango is my all-time favorite fruit flavor. Given that, my expectation is quite high for this flavor and unfortunately, most of what I have tried in commercial parlors have disappointed me greatly. Usually either too much fruit or ice, and almost always artificial tasting. The best homemade mango ice cream I've ever had was from a small bakery in Berkeley, CA where my relatives lives and I would used to buy buckets at a time during summer visits. A perfect balance of juicy fruit and fresh cream. I was devastated when they abruptly closed! When I finally bought my long-time fantasy kitchen item, a Krups ice cream maker, there was no question what my first batch of ice cream would be.

Ingredients:

• • 1 1/4 cups fresh or canned mango purée
  • 3/4 cup well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 
    
  • Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker

Preparation:

Stir together mango purée, coconut milk, cream, corn syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl until combined well.

Bring milk just to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a large pinch of salt in a bowl, then add hot milk in a stream, whisking. Pour custard into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in mango mixture until combined well.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (to remove any strings from mango), discarding solids, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill custard, covered, until very cold, about 4 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 12 hours.

Source: epicurious.com

Dan's Tip: For an extra zap of sweetness, add half teaspoon of maple syrup along with the corn syrup. Well worth it!

Welcome To Eat This!

I love food! I enjoy all aspects of it, from studying, shopping, preparing, experimenting, and to best part...eating! I simply want this to be a place where I share my favorite recipes, eateries, markets, and stories with others who enjoy cullinery and gastronomic pleasures as much as I do. If you have any favorite recommendations of this sort to share, please feel free to post it here or submit to me (dandeewong@gmail.com) to add to this space.