Sunday Nite Dinner » nuoc cham http://sundaynitedinner.com Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:39:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Fried Eggs and Shrimp (Trung Chien Tom) http://sundaynitedinner.com/fried-eggs-shrimp-trung-chien-tom/ http://sundaynitedinner.com/fried-eggs-shrimp-trung-chien-tom/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:33:21 +0000 Chuck http://sundaynitedinner.com/fried-eggs-shrimp-trung-chien-tom/ a

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Fried Eggs and Shrimp

Sometimes the simplest food is the best food. It doesn't get any easier than fried eggs and shrimp (trung chien tom). Throughout my childhood, my mom made this dish, serving it with steamed rice. It was so simple, yet so satisfying.

This past Sunday night, I made fried eggs and shrimp for the SNDsters and Hungry Bear baked a carrot cake. We'll share the carrot cake recipe next time. In my family, we served trung chien tom on a bed of greens and tomatoes. Then we dunked it all in Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) and ate it with jasmine rice. I'm not sure how normal it is to eat it this way, but it's ingrained in me and I'm sticking with it. Does anyone else eat it like this?

The meal has a nice combination of sweet, salty and slightly bitter from the watercress. The greens and tomatoes cut down the richness and makes it a little healthier. Fried eggs and shrimp is such a comforting Vietnamese dish for me. It's super easy to make and is absolutely delicious!

Fried Egg and Shrimp

Fried Eggs and Shrimp Recipe (Trung Chien Tom)


SND Note: Don't worry if the eggs run together and overlap in the skillet. Just separate the shrimp and surrounding egg with a spatula before flipping. Since the fried eggs and shrimp is served with nuoc cham, the egg mixture is only lightly seasoned with soy sauce and black pepper.

Ingredients
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 bunch of watercress or 1 head of lettuce, washed and dried
  • 8 ounces tomatoes, sliced
  • Canola oil
  • Nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce)
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, soy sauce and pepper together. Mix in red onion, green onion and shrimp.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, add enough oil to thinly coat the surface and heat over medium heat. Ladle 1-2 tablespoons egg mixture into skillet, making sure to include a shrimp and some onions in the ladle. Repeat process to fill skillet. Fry for 1-2 minutes and flip when the eggs are lightly browned. If the eggs run together, separate them by cutting the egg with a wooden spoon or spatula, and flip each shrimp with surrounding egg. Cook for another 1-1 1/2 minutes until the shrimp is done. Transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Between batches, add more oil to the skillet if necessary.
  3. Serve the fried eggs and shrimp on a bed of watercress/lettuce and tomatoes. Dip the fried eggs and shrimp into nuoc cham and eat with a bowl of rice.

Makes 4 servings when eaten with rice

SNDsters: Jane, Mark, Hungry Bear, Chuck

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Tags: , , , , , , , , ]]> http://sundaynitedinner.com/fried-eggs-shrimp-trung-chien-tom/feed/ 10 Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) http://sundaynitedinner.com/vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham/ http://sundaynitedinner.com/vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:23:36 +0000 Chuck http://sundaynitedinner.com/vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham/ a

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Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

I have a lot of friends who love Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham). When they ask me for the recipe, I tell them it's a closely guarded family secret. However, I have finally received permission from my parents to disclose the formula. It took a lot of groveling on my part and even a few tears were shed, but I got their blessing.

Okay, I made the last part up, but wouldn't it be more special if it really was a secret? Anyway, every Vietnamese family has a dipping sauce recipe. The ingredients in nuoc cham are generally the same, but the proportions vary based on personal tastes and regions in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese cookbook author, Andrea Nguyen, "as you move south the sauce gets sweeter, hotter, and more garlicky."

This may explain why I don't like the nuoc cham made in San Francisco restaurants, which are generally too sweet for my tastes. My family is from the middle part of the country and I was born in Da Nang. It all makes sense now.

As you gain experience with this dipping sauce, adjust it to suit your preferences. There's no secret formula. It's just a simple sauce with a great blend of salty, sour, sweet and spicy. For some meals, I like adding or substituting ginger for the garlic (nuoc cham gung). The ginger dipping sauce is great with a meal of roasted duck and sticky rice.

I'm going to post the recipe for my mom's crab and shrimp egg roll (cha gio) shortly, which requires nuoc cham. To whet your appetite, I leave you with this picture.

Dipping Egg Roll

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) Recipe

SND Note: This recipe is how my family likes our nuoc cham. Adjust the ingredients to your tastes, particularly the lime since the juice varies with each fruit. To make a ginger dipping sauce (nuoc cham gung), add 1 tablespoon of minced ginger.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup fish sauce (Viet Huong Three Crabs brand)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 of a lime, juiced
3-4 cloves of garlic , minced
2-3 Thai chili pepper, minced

Directions:
1) In a small sealable jar, combine water and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice and mix. Adjust flavors to taste.

2) Add garlic and chili pepper. The sauce can be stored at room temperature, if served the same day. Otherwise, store it in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

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