Simply Noodles

Mike and I have been stocking up on fresh noodles. After flash-cooking them (submerge in boiling water x 10 seconds), the noodles are run under cold water to keep them from turning into a glutinous soggy mess.  Then, we basically stir fry them as per our whim, trying to mix things up night to night. Usually we employ some combination of fish sauce or soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.

We add whatever veggies we have lying around. And chopped chives and green onions go in towards the end.

Bon appetit!

Pate Chaud

I accidentally bought some ground beef the other day.  You know how it is, that ground beef just takes a tumble into the shopping cart and before you know it, you've paid for it.  At this point, there are very few options...
a) spaghetti and meatballs. again.
b) unseasoned hamburgers on the Foreman Grill.  Oh wait, that was the first time that Mike invited me over to his apartment (6 years ago!). And was it just my imagination or did he not season the meat at all before cooking it?
c) leave it in the freezer until it is frostbitten and turns tan
d) drum. roll.  PATE CHAUD!

Banh Pate Chaud is a Vietnamese meat pie with a French name.  I've always thought of it as a delicacy that can only be found after driving 5 hrs (DC) or flying 5 hrs (LA) to a Vietnamese bakery.  I've also never eaten more than 1 in a sitting because I had to share them and/or ration them over a few days because they are so precious.

3/4 lb ground beef, 2 small onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup mushrooms, and 1/2 T ground pepper later...

Oh, and 2 TBSP of fish sauce, too. Don't be scared!

While the pastry shells (I used Pepperridge Farm) were in the 1st phase of baking, I sauteed the beef mixture to brown it a little and minimize food poisoning risk (or so I was hoping).

Note to self: opening the oven frequently, especially to take photos inside, causes the shells to rise suboptimally!

Yummy as lunch, accompanied by J.Crew catalogue.

Here's the recipe!

Filling:

3/4 lb ground meat (chicken or pork or combinations work well)

2 small onions, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

1/4 c woodear mushrooms

Thaw frozen puff pastries. Then pre-bake in oven for about 20 minutes until they rise but before they turn golden. Using a fork, scoop out the soft pastry inside. 

Meanwhile, combine ingredients above to make filling. Sautee until meat is browned.

Fill pastries generously, then replace tops.

Make an egg wash (I beat 1 egg) and brush the tops of pastries.

Bake for 15-20 more minutes until golden brown.

Yield: 18 puff pastries

Thoughts for next time:

I will probably use pastry sheets, rather then the shells. With the sheets, I can cut them to size, then fill them with the raw meat mixture without having to pre-bake them. Thus, I can freeze them in their raw, unbaked state and bake a few at a time when I am ready for a pate chaud feast.

Proof that I am Vietnamese: Making Xoi

I have been anguishing over the lack of xoi in my life for some time now.  My mom makes xoi in a contraption of an aluminum pot in which a straw basket sits, mystifying me ever since I was little.

Thus, I always associated xoi with magic and, therefore, unattainable for a mere mortal like me.  Xoi comes in so many flavors and colors that I had a hard time choosing which to make.  It was certainly a no-brainer to make Xoi with Lap Xuong (chinese sausage)...but why did the 2nd xoi turn out to be green? Mystic.

  

First I had to procure a steamer device.  The chinese store nearby did not have my mom's exact contraption so I bought a bamboo steamer.  I was instructed by various internet sources to line the steamer with muslin which I also didn't have so I lined it with a cut-up pillow case...awkward.

Post-soaking for ~4 hours, the wet grains are spread out onto the steamer tray.  I was excited that I bought a double decker steamer.  This doubled my steaming capacity!

The shallots and garlic are sauteed, then the Lap Xuong is added.  Aromas of awesome fill the air!!

Why is it that shallots and garlic look so pretty on a cutting board but so sad to cut? We shall never know...


DINNER:

Xoi Man with Lap Xuong

DESSERT:

Xoi Dua (coconut) with green food coloring

Spring Roll Weekend

Here is a synopsis of the past week in outfits.

Monday was skipped because I can't remember what happened then.

1. Tuesday went to Target to buy lots of Gatorade to prepare for my on-call dehydration as well as many frozen foods (pizza rolls, anyone?). Wearing: Charlotte Russe top, shorts from Target, shoes Zigi via Ideeli
2. Wednesday dinner with friend who told me about tailor, bought the necklace pictured above which is made of clay. Necklace necklace necklace we made you out of clay...Wearing: top from Vietnam, J Crew petal skirt, Target shoes
3. Thursday went to Tailor and Chinese store to buy a boatload of coconut water and pastries...mmm  Wearing: AE dress, Benetton purse, shoes from Kohl's
4. Friday went swimming and went to the mall to buy a massive quantity of sour belts, then ate most of them while wandering around the mall, bought H&M dress pictured below.  Wearing: Daisy Fuentes T-shirt, shorts from Target, J Crew belt, Zara sandals (scored this in Madrid back in 2005!)
5. Friday night on a date with Mike.  Wearing: unknown brand dress via Gabe's, clay necklace, sandals from Dillards many moons ago.  


What next?  I guess next comes Saturday.  I awoke at some late hour on Saturday (2 pm) due to my completely scrambled circadian rhythm.  Then Mike and I attempted to go to a barbecue but we found out that he got a flat tire.  This was my first experience with a spare tire.  Then I went to work.

On Sunday, I had a very random and very brief moment of culinary epiphany.  I made spring rolls completely from scratch, without any recipe and without a single warning.  Living with me means that you have to be prepared for sudden bouts of delicious cooking that occur extremely rarely. The remainder of the time, I ruin pasta by forgetting that I put it on the stove and improperly cook every meat out there so that eaters of my cooking will definitely get food poisoning.   But this time, no one got sick and there were many a delicious spring roll to be had by all!

Wearing: Urban Outfitters dress, cupcake apron, headband from Francesca's
Oh I also saw HP7.2 yesterday and I'm really sad that it's over.  I cried during the Snape death!

Here is the aforementioned H&M dress.  It was on sale for $10 (otherwise I wouldn't have bought it) and there was only 1 left and it was in my size! Hooray.  I had to iron it when I got home but it looks beautiful ironed.  I love how well it fits and the color is very soothing.

First I wore it with its own little chiffon belt and neutral shoes (unknown brand).  I love the gold accents in the buckle and exposed zipper.  Then I wore it with black (F21 belt, booties from Shoe Carnival--what an amazing store) accessories.  I think booties kind of make my legs look super stub-stub :(! Then I decided to put a blazer on since everyone is wearing blazers these days.  I think it is a nice summer to fall transition.  I am proud of myself for wearing accessories since I am usually too lazy to accessorize: earrings from Charlotte Russe and clay rose necklace.

Until next time!