Viet World Kitchen

Fried Tofu and Egg Pancake Recipe (Tahu Telur)

There are a number of recipes that didn’t make it into the Asian Tofu cookbook. Why? We just did not have enough space. This remarkably easy and versatile Indonesian treat is among the recipes that I set aside to post online. If you have the book already, add this to your Asia tofu recipe collection. If you don’t, this is a recipe that highlights how tofu can be transformed as well as transformative.

Tahu telur (tahu means tofu and telur means eggs) is like egg foo yung with pieces of fried tofu. In its elemental state, a block tofu is subtle in flavor, a canvas for receiving other ingredients. However, if you fry tofu, it gets a little crunchy and nutty tasting, almost like crisp chicken skin.

For these pancakes, small flattish pieces of tofu (I use Trader Joe's firm) get fried and then mixed with egg. The tofu absorbs some of the egg while lending its fattiness to reinforce that of the egg, as if it's an egg extender. 

Then the mixture is dropped into hot oil. The amoeba-like pancakes develop crisp surfaces and edges. The delicately rich and eggy result gets crowned with crunchy vegetables and savory-sweet-spicy sauce, typically peanut sauce or chile-spiked sweet soy sauce; both sauces are in the photo above. The combination of texture and flavors is amazing.

Tasty Tofu Recipes in March Sunset Mag

From Sunset magazine. Tofu, bacon and avocado sandwich.

Over the weekend, a local newspaper reporter interviewed me about the Asian Tofu cookbook. One of her questions was: Do you see a rise in the popularity of tofu in America?

I paused for a few seconds to figure out an appropriate response, and the March issue of Sunset magazine was it. I’ve been a long-time subscriber to the magazine, which focuses on lifestyles in the American West – the region’s food, travel, gardening, and decor. Sunset has been around since 1898 and has a monthly circulation of  1.2 million plus readers. It has always been a great gauge for what’s trending in the mainstream American West. Last fall, food editor Margo True asked me to curate and develop a collection of innovative tofu recipes by chefs in the West.

Banh Mi Mayonnaise Recipe for Burgers?

Last week on the Viet World Kitchen Facebook page, Jeff Brennan challenged me to create a mayonnaise that contained the flavors of Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. It should be good enough to use for a grilled burger, he wrote. I keep a running list of recipe requests and get to them as my schedule permits. Scott’s seemed doable and quick. Plus, I had some grass-fed hamburger leftover in the fridge. So I tackled the Vietnamese-American burger over the weekend.

Best Banh Mi in America? Is Cheap Banh Mi Good?

 
I’m sure you have an answer for those questions! Yesterday, Jordan Michelman’s blog post on the New York Times magazine site, declared that the best banh mi sandwich was in Seattle at Saigon Deli in the very Asian ID (International District). Along with that one, he also gave shout outs to these banh mi hotspots in the nation:

• Seattle: Saigon Deli (1237 South Jackson Street), Sun Bakery & Cafe (658 South Jackson Street)
• Portland: Best Baguette (8303 SE Powell Boulevard)
• New York: Baoguette (61 Lexington Ave, multiple Manhattan locations), Momofuku Ssäm Bar (207 Second Ave, Manhattan), Ba Xuyen (4222 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn), Tan Thanh (5818 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn)
• New Orleans: Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery (14207 Chef Menteur Highway)
• Atlanta: Lee’s Bakery (4005 Buford Highway NE), Quoc Huong (5150 Buford Highway NE)
• San Jose: Lee’s Sandwiches (260 East Santa Clara Street)
• Los Angeles: Nom Nom Truck
• San Francisco: Saigon Sandwich (560 Larkin Street)

Do note that on HuffingtonPost.com, the drunken chicken banh mi from Seattle’s Baguette Box was given the #8 spot for the  top 10 best new sandwiches in the United States. We all have opinions like we all have belly buttons, right?

Does banh mi have to be cheap food?
There were many things that stood out to me in Michelman’s story, but one popped the most. It’s something that grates on me because I hear it so much when Asian and non-Asian people talk about Asian food: Good Asian food has to be cheap Asian food. Michelman echoed that sentiment in this sentence:

While these sandwiches, usually found in bakeries and delis in Vietnamese neighborhoods, are endlessly customizable, they should always be inexpensive — beware the banh mi over $6.

St. Paul Sandwich Recipe (Egg Foo Yung Sandwich)

Last week, I made a St. Paul sandwich featuring egg foo yung. I'd never heard of the sandwich until I read about the Denver (Western) omelet or sandwich while trying to understand 1970s egg foo yung.

I used a ciabatta type of Italian bread for my first take on the sandwich. The result was good but the rustic chewiness of the bread eclipsed the egg pancakes.

This time, I used old fashioned white bread from Whole Foods. My local grocery store didn’t carry Wonder bread, which would be perfect as its soft sweetness recalls that of white rice, the natural accompaniment to egg foo yung. The white bread I used had more character. It is probably more akin to the original version made by Chinese American cooks to appease the hunger of demanding workers. 

Here’s a recipe for the multicultural St. Paul sandwich:

Makes 1 sandwich

2 slices white sandwich bread
Whole egg mayonnaise, purchased or homemade
Sliced tomato
Sliced dill pickle
2 Egg Foo Yung pancakes, at room temperature or warmed in microwave oven
1 butter lettuce leaf

1. Lightly toast the bread so that it has a tinge of color but remains soft. In the photo above, I mistakenly over toasted the bread and it was too crisp.

2. Slather on the mayonnaise. Layer on the tomato, pickle, and egg foo yung. Finish with the lettuce. Top with the remaining slice of bread. Cut in half, if you like, or attack the whole sandwich at once.

Note

Use the master banh mi sandwich recipe to make an egg foo yung  banh mi. Or, convert the above St. Paul into a banh mi by adding a shot of Maggi seasoning sauce (or regular soy sauce) after putting on the mayonnaise. Then sprinkle on coarsely chopped cilantro. Add some thinly sliced jalapeno chiles and a layer of dill pickle or cucumber slices.

Add the egg foo yung and cover with the other slice of bread. You’re missing the pickled daikon and carrot in the converted version but the sandwich still tastes good. It has the Viet touches.

For the low down on this sandwich, read: Eating Asian in the 1970s: Egg Foo Yung, Omelet Sandwiches, and James Beard