Sunday Nite Dinner » tomatoes

Vietnamese Steak and Watercress Salad

Chuck — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:06:22 +0000

I'm not sure how traditional this salad is, but I grew up eating this Vietnamese steak and watercress salad. It's a colorful salad with tomatoes and eggs, but the star of the dish is the stir-fried beef and onions. It's a great combination of savory and sweet.

The marinade for the beef is commonly used in Viet stir-fries. It's just a simple mix of fish sauce, soy, sugar and black pepper. As a kid, my mom would lightly dress the watercress in a vinaigrette. This time, we dribbled a little nuoc cham (Viet dipping sauce) over it. It's good either way.

The salad is delicious on its own, but we like to eat it with jasmine rice. Give it a try the next time you want a salad as a meal.

Vietnamese Steak and Watercress Salad Recipe

SND Note: The watercress can be lightly dressed with your favorite vinaigrette or Vietnamese dipping sauce. For some heat, add a fresh chili pepper or chili garlic sauce to the marinade.

Beef Marinade Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

Salad Ingredients

1 pound flank steak, skirt steak or sirloin
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 bundles of watercress
6 large eggs, medium or hard boiled, quartered or sliced
8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) or vinaigrette

Directions

Trim excess fat and gristle from steak and thinly slice against the grain. In a medium bowl, mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, sugar, black pepper and garlic. Add the beef and toss to evenly coat with marinade.
Trim the stems of the watercress, wash and dry. Set aside.
Heat canola oil in a wok over high heat. Add the onions and stir-fry until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and stir-fry until just browned, but still medium rare, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly dress the watercress with a vinaigrette or Vietnamese dipping sauce. Arrange the watercress on a plate and top with beef, onions, tomatoes and eggs. Enjoy as is or serve with a bowl of jasmine rice (optional).

Makes 4 servings

Tags: easy, eggs, flank steak, onions, skirt steak, tomatoes, vietnamese

Curry Tofu Noodle Stir-Fry

Chuck — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:57:02 +0000

After making fried eggs and shrimp, I needed to do something with the extra tomatoes and red onion. I looked in the fridge and saw some tofu and fresh egg noodles that we often pick up at the local Asian supermarket. With a few other ingredients, I whipped up this super easy curry tofu noodle stir-fry.

We enjoyed the dish so much, I made it again a few days later. The first time, I added a little too much hot curry powder for Hungry Bear's taste. My heat tolerance is off the charts, so it was mild for me. The next time I made it, I threw in a little coconut cream to soothe the heat and sweet petite peas for some color.

The main flavors of the dish came from the curry powder and a little sweetness from the tomatoes and coconut cream. If you like a sweet heat, add the coconut cream. We actually preferred it without the cream. At the store down the street, we can find a plethora of fresh egg noodles. I've made the dish with thick, round noodles and thin, flat noodles (pictures 3 and 4 in the slideshow). We liked the thin, flat noodles better.

It's a simple but flavorful dish that can be prepared in less than 20 minutes. And it was a great way for us to clean out the fridge.

Natural Light versus Lowel Ego Light

Another thing I want to point out in the slideshow is the last three pictures. I picked up a set of Lowel Ego lights after Jaden of Steamy Kitchen recommended them. The third to last picture is a shot of the noodle dish with natural lighting (kitchen window). I use the Lowel Ego lights in the last two pictures in the slideshow.

The pictures with the Ego lights are decent, particularly the close-up shot (last picture). The Ego lights are a little harsh compared with natural light, which is softer and more pleasant. This was my first time using the lights, so I'm sure I can improve the picture quality with better light placement. Overall, I'm pleased with the Ego lights, but I need to play with them a little more.

Curry Tofu Noodle Stir-Fry Recipe

SND Note: Soft or medium tofu can be used. We prefer soft tofu, which breaks down and almost becomes a sauce for the noodles. Medium tofu will remain in small chunks as seen in the pictures. If you don't have hot curry powder, substitute 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder with 1-2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper. Any type of noodles (ramen, spaghetti or rice noodles) can be substituted for the fresh egg noodles.

Ingredients

28 ounces (2 packages) soft or medium tofu, cubed
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
10-12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon Indian hot curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons coconut cream (optional)
1 pound (16 oz) fresh thin egg noodles, cooked

Directions

Drain tofu and blot dry with paper towel. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch square cubes and set aside.
In a large wok, heat oil over high heat. Add onions and stir-fry until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir-fry until softened, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar, fish sauce, curry powder, salt and coconut cream. Add tofu and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, allowing flavors to penetrate.
Add egg noodles and mix all ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

Tags: curry, easy, noodles, peas, red onions, stir fry, tofu, tomatoes

Fried Eggs and Shrimp (Trung Chien Tom)

Chuck — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:33:21 +0000

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 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

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, soy sauce and pepper together. Mix in red onion, green onion and shrimp.
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.
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

Tags: easy, eggs, fried, nuoc cham, red onions, shrimp, tomatoes, vietnamese, watercress