My New Obsession

the bun, originally uploaded by Dianthus.

My return to cooking has been admittedly a bit slow. The incredible stress of moving to Thailand and a month (or so) in hotels did not do much to inspire me in the kitchen. I’ve eaten a lot of delicious food since arriving, which has helped. Now that we’ve settled in to our new home and gotten the bare essentials for the kitchen, it’s time to cook.

Not surprisingly I’ve become enamored with Southeast Asian cuisine. The smells, the flavors, the spice, and the fact that food is everywhere in Bangkok has drawn me in. The odd thing is I’ve become fascinated, not by Thai food, but by Vietnamese (no disrespect to the amazing Thai food, which I’m sure I will be fiendishly cooking after my mom’s visit. Cooking classes here we come!). Specifically, the Vietnamese noodle dishes called Bun thit nuong. D and I have had them frequently at our trips to Food Loft, so I decided that it was time to make it at home. This way I could experiment with different toppings and meat, outside of the pork spring roll and pork ball of Food Loft. I hunted around on the Internet and found a recipe that matched what I’d had at Food Loft.

Master Recipe for Noodle Salads (by Mai Pham, Fine Cooking) Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
For the greens:
2 cups washed and shredded romaine, red, or green leaf lettuce
2 cups fresh, crisp bean sprouts
1-1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and julienne cucumber
1/3 to 1/2 cup roughly chopped or small whole mint leaves
1/3 to 1/2 cup roughly chopped or small basil or Thai basil leaves

For the garnishes:
2 Tbs. chopped roasted peanuts
12 sprigs fresh cilantro
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

For the noodles:
8 oz. dried rice vermicelli

For the Topping:
Anything goes here. Beef is an extremely popular choice. She suggests Warm Lemon Grass Shrimp, Vietnamese Grilled Pork, or Stir-Fried Vegetables.

Method:
Mix up the Nuoc Cham, and let sit for at least 15 minutes (This can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a month)

Once you’ve washed and dried all the greens, its time to start stacking. First the bean sprouts go into the bottom of the bowl.

Then the lettuce, followed by the Thai basil, mint and cucumbers. This can all be assembled in advance and kept in the fridge with a damp paper towel to keep cool.

Bring a medium pot full of water to a rolling boil. Add the rice vermicelli and, stirring often, cook them until the strands are soft and white, but still resilient, 3 to 5 minutes. Don't be tempted to undercook them, as they must be fully cooked to absorb the flavors of the dish. Rinse them in a colander under cold water just until they're cool and the water runs clear. Let the noodles drain in the colander for 30 minutes, and then set them aside for up to 2 hours, unrefrigerated.

Prepare the topping. I veered from the recipe the first time and made Vietnamese Garlic Beef instead. This time I had D grab some chicken satay from a vendor on her way home.

Final assembly. Place the rice noodles atop the greens, then the topping. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves. Drizzle on the Nuoc Cham. She suggests letting each person put as much or as little as they want to adjust to personal tastes. Toss everything together and dig in!

(Find more pictures of the process in my Flickr stream here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dianthus/)