Vietnamese Cooking... the recipes!

I apologise for the wait....!

As promised, here are the recipes and instructions for the food we learned how to make at cafe 43.

Steamed Chicken in Banana Leaf

1 tsp smashed ginger
1/2 white onion
1/4 red pepper
bunch spring onions
small handful of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic
1 x tin foil piece
1 x banana leaf
200g chicken fillet - thin slices, no bones.

1. Add the garlic, pepper, salt and sugar to the chicken and mix together - leave for 3 minutes
2. Slice red pepper into thin slices.
3. Quarter, then halve the onion and peel each slice
3. In 2 tsp oil (coconut or olive), add the ginger and stir for few seconds.
4. Add the chicken and stir for 1 minute.
5. Add the onion slices and red pepper slices and cook for 3 minutes
6. Put mixture into the centre of the banana leaf
7. Add the spring onions and sesame seeds
8. Fold leaf from corner to centre x 4
9. Wrap banana leaf parcel in tin foil
10. Steam it for 5 minutes on top of another banana leaf/in a wicker (duck pancake) steamer.

Papaya Salad

1 cup of mint
1/2 cup of peanuts
1/2 cup of fried onion bits
1 tsp ginger
1/2 lemon
1/2 green mango
1/4 green papaya
1/2 carrot
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/4 tsp sugar
100g minced shrimp (chopped very small)

1. Add garlic, pepper, salt and sugar (1/4) to shrimp
2. 2 tbsp oil in the pan - add the shrimp mixture - stir for 3 minutes
3. Grate carrot and papaya into long slices
4. Wash and drain
5. Add 3 tsp sugar, ginger and lemon juice to carrot and papaya - leave for 3 minutes
6. Peel skin from 1/2 mango and grate like carrot and papaya
7. Squeeze excess liquid from papaya and carrots
8. Add shrimp mixture, mit, onion and peanuts to the remaining ingredients and mix together gently

• Tip - Use some prawn crackers as bowls and enjoy

and the main event!

Pork filled fried squid

1 x squid (whole, with innards removed and washed)
1/2 white onion
1/4 carrot
bunch of spring onions
100g minced pork
chopped garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
vegetable oil

1. Add garlic, pepper, salt, and sugar to pork - mix - leave for 4 minutes

• KEEP THE FOLLOWING SEPARATE*

2. Cut and dice onion into thin slices
3. Cut and dice carrot into thin slices
4. Chop small spring onion

5. 2 tbsp vegetable oil into hot pan
6. Add pork mixture and stir for 1 minute
7. Add white onion and carrot
8. Cook until soft and then add spring onion
9. Stir for 3 minutes on a low heat
10. Using a long-handled teaspoon, spoon pork mixture inside the squid and push down (tight!)

• The squid is super slippery, so nails help to grip it!*

11. Use 2 toothpicks to close (should look like $ from a birdseye view!)
12. 2 tbsp oil into pan and add squid - medium heat
13. Turns brown on cooking side, turn over to brown other side
14. Serve on bed of lettuce and cut the top of the squid (with scissors) into slices but not all the way through!
15. It should look a little like sushi rolls, as long as it was compacted enough before shallow frying.

• Tip - make a dipping sauce out of 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt, and the juice of a small lime!

Yummy!