Caramelized pork

What differentiates Vietnamese cuisine from Chinese and Thai is its lightness in texture and lesser sweet flavours. A few Vietnamese dishes are hot and spicy and can get as hot and spicy as a hot-rated Thai dish. The caramelized pork is a typical Vietnamese home-cooked meal that is rarely found in restaurants. It's simple, but it has its certain tricks to pay closely attention to.

The trick to make a successful caramel sauce is to stay focused. Ladies (and some Gents), it's great to be able to multi-task, but for this step, I would suggest that you put that skill aside. That melting sugar will require your devoted attention. Otherwise, you'll end up with a burnt and carbonated sauce. The sauce and ginger will coat the pork, which will add a semi-sweet and lightly spicy/salty taste to the pork. It's a wonderful alternative to the ordinary pork chops.

Recipe "au pif":
1 lb of pork shoulder (cut in thin 3-4 inch slices), or 4 thin boneless pork chops also cut in about 2-3 inch long pieces (keep the fat on!)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp granulated sugar (raw cane sugar will also do)
2 tbsp canola oil (or cooking oil)
2 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
2 tsps ground black pepper

Marinate the pork in the fish sauce and black pepper, in a medium-sized bowl and mix well with your hands.

Preparing the caramel (and do nothing else). Heat oil in large pan on medium-high and add in the sugar. From time to time, remove pan from heat to make sure sugar does not burn.When sugar starts absorbing the oil and starts to melt, mix the sugar with oil evenly, until the sugar starts changing colour, to a light brown colour. When sugar turns into a darker brown colour, remove pan from heat and add in the ginger and garlic, and stir.

Place the pan back on heat and slowly add in the thin slices of pork one by one until the pan is filled with one layer of the pieces of pork. Let the pork cook for about 1 minute and turn them around to cook the other side. The meat will have a darkish golden colour from the caramel.
The meat will sweat and create a sauce with the caramel. Once that stage is reached, cover the pan and let the the pork/sauce mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

If you have no sauce, perhaps the heat was on too high or the pan was not removed from the heat to control the transformation of the caramelized sauce. In this case, you simply add a 1/4 cup of chicken broth and let the pork/sauce simmer.

Vietnamese families often add in hard-boiled eggs to the dish and eat this meal with white jasmine steamed rice. It's one of my favourite meals and easy to make, if you keep that trick in mind.

Green Tea Cheesecake

If you're like me who is content with a plain New-York-Style cheesecake, and don't care much about all the outrageous different flavoured cheesecakes that are out there, I think you would enjoy this Green Tea cheesecake. Sounds contradicting doesn't it? How different is Green Tea cheesecake from a rocky-road-cherry-mango flavoured cheesecake? Well, the cream cheese texture and taste stay prominent and are not overpowered by the additional flavours and ingredients.

Recipe "au pif":
Graham-cracker crumb crust
3 packages (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup raw cane sugar
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsps of matcha green tea (don't be shy to go greener!)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare Graham-Cracker Crumb Crust in 8 1/2- to 9-inch springform pan (smaller pan will make cheesecake higher). With hand, press mixture firmly onto bottom of pan.
In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and matcha green tea until well combined.
Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk just until blended.
Pour batter into pan. Bake cake 50 to 60 minutes until set and 3 inches from center is slightly wet and cake is lightly golden and set. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Garnish with mint leaves and blueberries, if desired.

Now that's a cheesecake with New-York-Style character with a hint of Green Tea flavour.

BBQ Brunch at my cousin Lili's

A Brunch is one of the easiest meals to prepare. Because it's a combination of two meals, you can throw in anything you want - particularly foods you enjoy eating for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, my cousin and I both felt like having croissant with rillette de Mans. I feel rillettes are so much tastier than regular pâtés, as they have more fat content. As a result, they melt in your mouth. For the BBQ, we simply threw in some chicken wings, marinated in a bit of fish sauce (nuoc mam - in vietnamese) and lemon grass. Refreshing asian flavours bursted in our mouthes as we savoured the chicken wings. We had also put a couple of duck sausages on the grill. And what a surprise, my cousin bought these sausages at Costco. They were not too salty and very yummy. But this meal was not complete without a nice tossed salad made of Arugula (aka Roquette salad -has a nutty taste), bocconcini cheese, Boston lettuce and nice bright red plump flavourful tomatoes, accompanied by a very simple balsami / olive oil vinaigrette. What a wonderful way to spend your mid-day with someone who loves eating as much as I do! We toasted this meal with a nice glass of Perrier mixed with apple juice. Our version of apple cider (without the alcohol).

And of course, we couldn't end our fine meal without dessert! Two crème brûlées from a local pâtisserie, were slowly savoured til the last bite. And of course our excuse to eat more, we couldn't leave our Washington white cherries to waste. After all, their main purpose was to help us digest this amazing brunch. Simple and easy meal to put together, with a gourmet-satisfaction.

Dining experience at Montreal's hip spot Rumi's

The first time I ever heard of Rumi's was from a local Montreal tv show called "Culture Shock". What intrigued me the most were the owners of this charming eatery, who are two brothers (Todd and Anthony) and who, at first glance, exuberate a joy of living life in the moment and of eating good food. When seeing them, I just feel like smiling. This Turkish/Persian-style restaurant is located at the heart of Montreal's hippest districts, where an endless number of exotic-cuisine restaurants, boutiques and interesting-looking apartments capture the attention of inquisitive local Montrealers and even tourists.

After hearing so much about Rumi's restaurant, a bunch of friends and I voted to go there for our annual "Lazer Blazer" reunion dinner last fall 2006. We had worked together for two years back in 1999 and had clicked right away. We remained very tight as a group, even if a few of us had gone separate ways, and felt like a family ever since. "Lazer Blazers" comes from the days when we were a bunch of engineers working for a telecommunications company, putting up fiber optics networks around the world. Having not been close, we never would have named ourselves such a silly name! I'm definitely digressing here... so, to get back to my point, Rumi's is an ideal place for a family or friend gathering. It is a jewel.

The first thing that impressed me, the minute I walked in, was the warmth and the vibrant colours of the decor. I had this sudden hunch that the food was going to be fantastic, I could just smell it. And it certainly was! The service is impeccable and amicable, especially for big groups. They really don't lose track of your orders. One of the highlights of our dining experience at Rumi's is the moment when Todd and Anthony, bearded and dressed in long tunics, greeted and welcomed everyone of us as soon as we were seated, which made us feel right at home. Without a doubt, THE highlight of the evening was the exquisite food.

And so this Friday, for one of our "Lazer Blazer" friends who was leaving for Singapore for a new and exciting work experience overseas, we wanted to grant his wish to have a last group meal with his friends at none other than Rumi's. We had ordered their fabulous Mezzes, which are appetizers consisting mainly of flavourful hummus, eggplant dips and roasted red bell peppers, all pleasantly savored with a hot naan bread.

A main dish we all fought over for the last piece was their "Koresh Épaule d'agneau braisé", mainly a braised lamb shoulder that just simply melted in my mouth as I relished it. A Koresh chicken with mushroom was also on the menu. The plate was emptied in no time, especially the rich creamy sauce which the chicken was slowly simmered in. There are no pictures of these wonderful dishes, as I thought that my description would already trigger a mouth-watering reaction and imagination to my readers.

And finally, one of the two men behind the extraordinaty delectable dishes is our sympathetic host Todd. Todd and Anthony seldom fail to please their guests.

Rumi's is a rare gem that I am most certain you will appreciate as much as I do.

Bon appétit!

Spinach and Watercress smoothie

I know a lot of people who skip breakfast for reasons that I can sometimes relate to...not hungry, no time, or just simply bored with the habitual bowl of cereal and plain toast. Not too exciting.

Breakfast doesn't have to be exciting. It needs to be fulfilling and give you a kick-start to your busy day ahead. Forget about those protein bars and shake supplements that only fill your body with chemicals and artificial flavours. Here's a smoothie that is not only nutritious but it's also delectable. Blended spinach and watercress may not sound appealing to your taste buds, especially for a smoothie, as you may think it would predominantly taste like greens. Surprisingly, this high-iron and vitamin c smoothie is not only gratifying but is luscious and savory.

Recipe "au pif":
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 cup frozen chopped watercress
1/2 cup vanilla-flavoured yogurt
2 1/2 cups sweetened soy milk (Natura)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp liquid honey
Mix all ingredients in blender until velvety

Now you can enjoy your plain toast with this great booster.

Mediterranean grilled fish

My inspiration for this dish came from a magazine that was published in 1985! You can tell when your dentist is close to retirement and doesn't really give a hoot about updating reading material in the waiting room for his clients. But that's beside the point...some of the best recipes we find are passed on from our grandmothers, or grandfathers.

This was a simple dish, except that chicken breast was the main ingredient in the original recipe, instead of fish. That's what's great about cooking, you can let yourself go with your imagination and create a 'pièce de résistance' that is pleasing to you and your guests.

A white-meat fish is best for this recipe, with a relatively good amount of fat. Unlike the Talapia, which is dry and dense when cooked, the Sea bream (Dorade) or Striped bass (Loup de Mer) are good choices. They fall apart when cooked and melt in your mouth when savored.

Recipe "au pif":
One whole fish with head
1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt
1 tsp of red chili flakes
2 yellow zucchinis cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 handful of red cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 stems of coriander or parsley
salt and pepper
flour (optional)

Preheat oven at 350 F.
Rub the fish with coarse sea salt, 1/2 tsp chili flakes inside and out, and coat with little bit of flour (optional).
Heat 1 tbps of olive oil in skillet and grill the fish on both sides until the skin is crispy, but the flesh is still pink.
In a pan mix zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, remaining amount of chili flakes, olive oil, wine, pinch of salt and pepper.
Lay the fish on top of vegetable/wine mix and bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes until meat of fish is white. and vegetables lightly roasted.
Serve with coriander and parsley.

It's even better when BBQ'd! Only the vegetable mix would have to be baked.
With a glass of white wine and a salad, it's a mouth-watering dish.
Bon appétit!

Stuffed tofu with pork

This meal is so easy and quick to make. Even my brother who doesn't enjoy cooking as much as I do, can do this. In fact he prepared this dish in the photo!

Tofu can be stuffed mainly with pork and shrimp. For this recipe, we went with pork only. Although it is usually eaten warm, its ingredients and sauce makes it refreshing to eat during hot summer days. The fun part is that you can buy the tofu already pre-fried. which saves you half the time in preparation!

Recipe "au pif":
Pre-fried tofu (comes in packs of about 15 pieces, in Asian local grocery stores)
2 tomatoes cut in quarters
3/4 cup of chopped green onions (scallions)
1/4 lb of ground pork
1 tbsp fish sauce (local Asian grocery stores)
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 stems of fresh coriander (cilantro)

In small bowl, mix with your hands, ground pork, fish sauce, black pepper and 1/2 the amount of prepared green onions, until well blended together.
Stuff each tofu cube with about 1/2 tsp of the pork mixture.
In a medium saucepan, throw in the tomatoes, the stuffed tofu and the chicken broth.
Set stove to medium heat, and cover pan for about 10 minutes, until the pork is cooked from the steam.
Serve in a nice dish and sprinkle on top of tofu the rest of the onions and fresh coriander .



Savoury meal with a light broth eaten well with white jasmine steamed rice.

Vietnamese Omelette

The first word that comes to mind for a non-Asian when you mention the word 'fish sauce' (nuoc mam, in Vietnamese) is, "Ugh, that thing smells!" It does have a pungent smell when you have a whiff directly from the bottle. But it sure does wonders for the simplest foods, like scrambled eggs and omelettes. A Vietnamese omelette is very easy to prepare and bursts with flavours that are a delight to the palate.

Recipe "au pif":
4 large eggs
1 small onion cut in thin slices
1 tbsp of fish sauce, to taste (any Asian grocery store)
1/2 cup of minced crab
3/4 cup of ground pork
1 tbsp of finely chopped dill
2-3 tbsp Canola oil

In medium-sized bowl, mix all ingredients, except for onions and oil, with a fork or whisk.
Heat oil in pan. Amount of oil will add crispiness to the outside edge of the omelette.
Add in sliced onion in hot pan and cook until almost soft and almost caramelized.
Slowly pour in egg mixture in the pan over the onions and fry until edges are getting crispy.
Cover the pan until the top raw part of the omelette is lightly cooked from the steam.
Flip the omelette to cook the other side.
Once golden and crisp, serve the omelette with coriandre leaves and white steamed rice.
This tasty omelette can be eaten as a side dish for lunch or dinner with steamed rice, or simply for breakfast.

Refreshing Green Tea afternoon

After work, I lied down on my long chair on my balcony, on this warm summer day, reading one of my favorite author's books. Suddenly, my stomach started to growl... I had a "petit creux" as the French would say so well. And the perfect remedy for this little hunger-strike, just before dinner, is a nice glass of Green Tea smoothie.
Recipe "au pif":
1/2 tsp of matcha green tea (local Asian stores)
2 scoops vanilla ice cream (or vanilla frozen yogurt /tofu)
2 cups lightly sweetened soy milk (or 1% milk)
Mix all ingredients in blender
Makes 2 servings

Tastes like Green Tea ice cream, "shaken not stirred".
A refreshing treat on a hot summer day.