Charles Phan vs. Cat Cora on Iron Chef America: Battle Almond

Any of you catch Charles Phan on Iron Chef America last night? He duked it out with Cat Cora in a battle of almonds. It was a tough ingredient to employ for making Vietnamese food.  Chinese-Vietnamese Phan pointed out during the judging that he wanted to highlight the cooking of Vietnam. He and able team of women chefs (Lien Ho and Justine Kelly have worked with Charles at Slanted Door in San Francisco for about 15 years) turned out:

• Snow (white) fungus with almond
• Steamed almond banh beo cakes topped with mung beans shallots and toasted almonds (note the misspelling on TV – bahn bao??!)
• Claypot grouper poached in almond milk
• Stir-fried chicken with almonds, gingko nuts, and jujubes (a Slanted Door classic)
• Almond cake with almond cream

Cat Cora presented a number of things including fish encrusted in crushed almonds, duck confit atop almond polenta. The judges – Jeffrey Steingarten (journalist, author), Sunnee Lee (food editor), and a blond actress whose name escapes me now – sparred quite a bit over when and whether or not they tasted almonds.

Almonds are a hard ingredient to highlight in a dish as they’re quite delicate in flavor, unless you punch it up by toasting them or adding a little almond extract. I thought that Phan and his two right-hand chefs – Justine and Lien (you two rocked,  gals!) were quite clever in their use of almonds. They also used 'exotic' Asian ingredient such as the snow fungus and gingko nuts on television -- which is such a refreshing departure from the norm. They didn’t have to foam it like Iron Chef Cora did a couple dishes. (I only need foam in one dish per meal as to me, foam turns into spittle when overused on a menu.)

The judges deemed a number of Phans preparations to be not almondy enough, too subtle in flavor. I woke up this morning and thought – what CAN be done with almonds in Vietnamese cooking? It’s hard, but maybe this:

• Replacing toasted almonds for peanuts in a Vietnamese salad – maybe one featuring pomelo, shrimp, chicken and fresh herbs
• Encrusting catfish with almonds, frying it up and serving it with a little relish of ginger and shallot
• Making almond milk ice cream and serving it with almond cookies and Vietnamese-style almond brittle (with sesame seeds and a rice paper bottom)
• Some kind of che sweet soup or pudding that features almonds

Did you watch the episode? (Check for rebroadcasts) What did you think of the dishes submitted, the judges comments? What would you have done differently?

Comments

[Vi]

I saw the episode last night and would have to disagree with the judge's score. I thought Chef Phan was quite clever with his use of almonds. And I love that he brought out the rau muong! Although it's like comparing apples and oranges, I didn't think Cora's dishes were anymore original than Phan's, so how there was such a difference is beyond me. And to lose when they gave him a higher score on taste. Eh...And yes, ditto on the misspelling of banh beo!? Come on! But how cute of Alton Brown trying to pronounce it?

On the plating of the banh beo though, I thought they plated it too soon with the nuoc mam. Maybe it's the editing but it seemed to me like from the time they plated and getting it to the judges, that it was a long time for the banh beo to soak in the nuoc mam?

Great idea with the almond brittle! I think that would be fantastic. As far as almonds in asian cuisine...it's hard! The only thing I can think of is the almond jello dessert?

[Susie]

I tried to make my dipping sauce for goi cuon with almond butter instead of peanut butter once... and vowed never to do it again. It just didn't have the right taste in my opinion. :)

[Andrea Nguyen]

Vi -- you're right. The rau muong (water spinach) was also great. Yeah, I was wondering about the texture of the bahn bao/banh beo.

Alton Brown tried with the pronunciation but... spelling -- no can do.

Susie -- Oh my. Thanks for the heads up on almond butter for goi cuon sauce. Yuck.

[weight loss pills]

I have read the article based on the Charles Phan Vs Cat Cora.I like post very much as it contain informative knowledge.I agree with the point that almonds are a hard ingredient to highlight in a dish as they’re quite delicate in flavor, unless you punch it up by toasting them or adding a little almond extract.Great idea with the almond brittle! I want to know suggestion from others.

[Jessica Lee Binder]

Oh no! I forgot to watch it! The dishes Phan's team did sound really awesome though. I wish I saw it. I think foam is over-rated too.

What about an almond flavored Vietnamese Coffee? I might have to try to make that now...

[Natashya]

I haven't seen this one yet - looking forward to it!
Sometimes the shows come later in Canada. I love almonds, and generally use them in place of pine nuts in Italian cooking. I think they go with just about every food culture. Your ideas are very creative.

[Xuuxuu]

It's unfortunate that the merit of a dish is often solely judged on 'taste' alone, especially when in Vietnamese cuisine, flavor is the synergy between a balance of taste, texture, temperature, and many other nuances of food. If Charles competed in Iron Chef Japan, I'm sure the judges would have been more appreciative.

[Andrea Nguyen]

I think they'll repeat the battle almond episode so just keep your eyes out for it!

[Jai]

Andrea,
The re-broadcast is usually on Thursday night, the following week. At least that's when I get it in Dallas.
Almond is kind of a lame ingredient for an Iron Chef battle, don't you think? How bout a battle Durian?

[chris]

I vote for almond-crusted fried chicken thighs in a banh mi.

[phao cao]

i like to suggest something real vn cooking:chicken stir fry with almond.
anybody want to try

[Andrea Nguyen]

Can we open a Viet restaurant featuring almonds or what? Thanks for all the ideas!

[LifeDust]

Vietnamese red snapper or hamachi Ceviche infused with Almond extract, anchovy citrus served with rau ram and mint chiffonade, fresh julienne ginger, Vietnamese chili and oven roasted Almond with almond creamy citrus sauce.... garnish with almond shrimp cracker could be a nice dish for the show.... where on earth can one get almond shrimp cracker??? that's up to the chef I guess... one needs to learn how to make cracker from scratch.....

[Amie]

Sorry this is a little late, I just saw this post now. I too have to applaud Charles Phan for sticking to his guns and showcasing Vietnamese food on Iron Chef. Almonds really are a tall order against bold Vietnamese flavors. Love all your ideas, especially almond brittle/cookie/ice cream dessert & breaded catfish. Along the same lines as your suggestions, Andrea, maybe toasted almonds on top of goi du du bo kho (papaya salad w/dried beef) or on top of cha ca (Hanoi fish w/turmeric & dill) and a banh ran dessert (deep-fried glutinous rice balls) but with almond paste in the center, and even crushed almonds embedded in the ball with the sesame. Also, in contrast to Susie's results, I've had great success using almond butter instead of peanut butter in goi cuon sauce. It's not as bold as PB, so you have to up the aromatics. I added coconut milk, a homemade hoisin made with tamari (I'm gluten-intolerant), tuong ot toi, and I added minced cilantro and scallions for extra flavor (unconventional but delish!). I might have even blended in a clove of raw garlic. In any case, it was for a party and everyone loved it. My Viet mom has also added toasted sliced almonds to her own version of a favorite snack she remembers from vendors in Saigon: Indian-style jasmine rice boiled with raisins and turmeric. I forget what she calls it, but she actually just made it on New Year's Day and it was sooo good!