Saturday, March 17, 2007

Just in time for Saint Patrick's Day today (it's an Irish holiday in the United States during which green things, such as clothing and food are popular) -- I've posted a piece on com, a special Vietnamese green rice. It was in response to Gail, who requested a recipe for fried shrimp coated in green rice. Piqued your interest? Learn more about what com is and get the recipe . . .

I love to receive comments from readers of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Here's what some folks had to say about how they're using the book:

Judy, who is in Washington, DC, at Voice of America and does a weekly broadcast to Vietnam, reported that she didn't have time to soak rice for sizzling crepes (banh xeo) so she cleverly used the pre-packaged stuff sold at Viet markets and whirred it in the blender with leftover rice. Then she followed the recipe to make the crepes and they were terrific! (In the Note part of the recipe, there are instructions for a short cut batter using rice flour so you can try out Judy's trick.)

Amy in Rhode Island sent in photos along with her report and suggestions/adaptations. It was a lengthy message so I posted it on the site. Read Amy's insights.

One of the payoffs of being an author has been making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. That's how it was a few weeks ago in Southern California, when I had taught cooking classes at Let's Get Cookin', Gelson's and Simply Cooking. I also gave a talk to students at the Culinary Academy in Pasadena who were so excited about the rise in popularity of ethnic cuisines like that of Vietnam. There was a broad representation of race and ethnicity, with a number of students being Viet! (So cool.) They'll all be cooking your meals in the future, and their interest bodes well for bold, tasty flavors.

In Northern California, I'm participating in the San Jose Public Library's VietReads series on Vietnamese American authors. The free events are fun with lots of conversation and food tastings. Last week at the Hillview library in a Mexican-Viet neighborhood, I spoke to a group of mostly middle-age and senior Viet Americans. Councilwoman Madison Nguyen attended. Tomorrow, it's at Tully library in the heart of the Viet community in San Jose. In late April, I'm scheduled for the Martin Luther King library in downtown.

If you were left dangling last time about what happened to Mike in Illinois and his first batch of pho . . . he succeeded with the help of his Viet-American neighbors and me! We went several rounds more on email and Mike had Revelation at the end - that his ideal bowl is crafted from good broth and all the garnishes he adds at the table. Viet cooking is the "have it your way" cuisine. Mike's enthusiasm and persistence thrilled me to bits.

This past Thursday, Seattle NPR affiliate 94.6FM KUOW has a one-hour call in show on the best pho joints in the Seattle area. I participated along with Hsiao-Ching Chou Seattle Post Intelligencer food section editor as the experts. Pho-sure, listeners had their favorites, which included Pho Bac, Pho Cyclo, Pho So 1, and Pho 900. Access the taped broadcast (scroll to bottom for pho segment).

Speaking of Seattle, Eric Banh, who co-owns Monsoon restaurant in the Emerald City with his sister Sophie, told me that they'll be opening a casual Viet eatery in the near future. Their restaurant Monsoon is lovely, hip, and delish.

One of my pet peeves is a colander that doesn't drain quickly. I can't stand the pricey stainless steel ones that have cutesy patterns. What my mother taught me was that you're looking for lots of holes. Otherwise, you can't drain the hot water out and flush cold water through fast enough to quickly cool ingredients like just-cooked noodles.

Well, the answer is at an Asian market or Asian restaurant supply shop where you'll find excellent, CHEAP ($5 or less!), colander-and-bowl sets. The ones I picked up are made of sturdy plastic in Taiwan, they come in all sizes and shapes. The nesting colander-and-bowl set allows you to conveniently drain food without having to take up sink space. (Smarty Asians!) Some come with lids to keep food fresh but that's an extra implement to store. I got wind of them from food stylist Karen Shinto who spotted them and bought three sets in a varying Martha Stewart/Pottery Barn shades.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend,

Andrea