Dinner : Tiny Bites

Rouxbe Cooking School Series: fun with pho, part 2 of 2

7 Comments Karen HamiltonJuly 26, 2009

I took the pho that I made from scratch (care of Rouxbe’s recipe, featured in Part 1 of this topic) on a little road trip to The Workspace, where several Blogathon 2009 participants were happy to volunteer as taste testers.

A few notes about how I prepared the final soup for my tasters:

I had trouble sourcing certain ingredients from my immediate grocers, so not all of the garniture matches the recommendations from Rouxbe. Bruce helped me to find substitutions to create a “poor man’s pho” – re-purposing of the broth meat instead of getting sliced tenderloin, bean thread (glass noodle?) vermicelli that proved too difficult to find at H-Mart, and a abstinence from the recommended serrano chilies, since they were nowhere to be found.
Because I made the broth last night and finished it this afternoon moments before heading to the Workspace, I didn’t do the extra step of chilling the broth in order to remove most of the oils and fat. This makes my broth oilier than it should probably be; I will update you on any differences once my husband and I complete this step for the broth that remains in our kitchen.

Feedback from my fellow Blogathoners

Four Blogathon participants that neighbour me here at The Workspace have this to say about my pho attempt:

Victor, in support of the Developmental Disabilities Association:

The pho was great. The broth was lighter than the usual pho I’ve had, but the flavor was a little bit different. It was a bit oilier, but didn’t have the MSG flavor to it (a good thing). Unlike other pho, I didn’t feel very thirsty immediately after drinking the broth.

The noodles were different than regular pho, but I actually liked the difference. It was a refreshing change.

Only thing I would change is a little bit more flavor to the broth, but overall it was very yummy!

Lorraine, in support of the Federation of BC Writers:

The Pho was delicious, especially the broth, which was rich with subtle flavours without being heavy. I enjoyed the noodles too.

Raul, in support of the BC Cancer Foundation:

This Pho tastes a tad too delicate, almost too light. The flavors are smooth but not characteristic of a Vietnamese pho. My belief is that there is a lack of richness and complexity of flavor (something we would expect in a Vietnamese pho).

Karen, in support of the Vancouver Public Space Network:

The broth meat and sprouts added great texture. The soup was very tasty and rich with tendon taste, and the herbs perked up every bite.

Thank you all for your donation of your tastebuds and stomachs, and best of luck with your Blogathon efforts!

Giveaway time – 1 more annual Rouxbe premium membership

Another sponsored gift from Rouxbe for the Tiny Bites Blogathon effort, this time going to Raf A. (YaletownYuppie). Congratulations, Raf!

Feel sad that you’re missing out on all of these giveaways? Donate to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society before 5:30am on July 26th to qualify for the $450 Tiny Bites Grand Prize. Every $10 you donate gets you one entry to the draw.

Of course, you can also go for the gold and top Dawn D.’s $175 donation to win Top Donor bragging rights and an incredible 3-restaurant progressive dinner for two.

You decide.

Categories: Blogathon 2009, Blogging for Social Change, Culinary Resources, Dinner, Food, Recipes, Savoury

My recipe for Lumpiang Prito (pork and vegetable spring rolls)

4 Comments Karen HamiltonJuly 25, 2009

Lumpia is one of my favourite Filipino foods to eat in the summertime. There are several types of lumpia, ranging from the fresh lumpiang sariwa to the meat lover’s lumpiang Shanghai. I myself am partial to lumpiang prito, which typically comes in the format of vegetables (and optionally pork) stir-fried, stuffed, and deep-fried in large egg roll wrappers.

You can get creative with the vegetables you choose. Sometimes we put in potato matchsticks, diced water chestnuts, chopped celery, green beans sliced on the diagonal…but the recipe below is our standard base and the one that our guest prefer.

Ingredients

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ matchsticks
1 head of chinese cabbage, shredded
600g of bean sprouts
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
30 large egg roll (wonton) wrappers, thawed
Oil for frying (canola, grapeseed, sunflower)
1 lb of ground pork

Directions

In a large wok, sweat garlic and onions over low heat until fragrant.
Increase head to medium-high and sauté ground pork until meat is no longer pink.
Add soy sauce to taste.
Toss in carrots and stir-fry for at least 5 minutes or until slightly softened.
Add shredded cabbage and stir-fry for at least 5 minutes or until colour perks up.
Rinse and drain bean sprouts and add to wok, stirring until incorporated. Taste mixture and season with soy and/or fish sauce till you are satisfied with the flavour.
Drain mixture of excess moisture and transfer to a storage container. Refrigerate until cool. This will be the filling for the lumpia.
Wrap 1 tablespoon of cooled filling in each egg roll wrapper. Place in a single layer on a large flat surface and let dry. If you are going to cook them right away, let them be; if you will keep them for later, store them in a single layer in the freezer until you’re ready to cook them up.
In a deep fryer or pot, heat oil to 180C and maintain at this temperature.
Drop a single layer of lumpia into the oil and cook 3 minutes on each side or until a very light golden brown (they will darken to golden brown as they dry).
Drain on a plate of paper towel and serve promptly.

Makes 25 – 30 lumpia.

Categories: Blogathon 2009, Blogging for Social Change, Dinner, Filipino, Food, Lunch, Recipes, Savoury

Rouxbe Cooking School Series: fun with pho, part 1 of 2

3 Comments Karen HamiltonJuly 25, 2009

As the end of my Rouxbe cooking school membership approached, an irresistible recipe for pho cropped up to test my newly acquired broth-making skills. I am a fiend for pho, but to date, I’ve been more than willing to commute to East Vancouver and fork out $6 for a bowl that has been made with mastery. (Indeed, pho is one of the few things that will cause me to drive anywhere – I prefer to walk.)

Until Rouxbe stepped up to the plate, Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen had been my go-to person for learning how to cook Vietnamese fare. He guided me through the process of making rice paper rolls during April’s Social Bites dinner, and has described his preferred ratios for the ideal nuoc cham over many a meal together (one of these days, I must remember to write it down!).

Now that Bruce has shared his family’s pho recipe, let’s see whether Rouxbe’s version passes for the real deal. The guinea pigs: my husband, the Tiny Bites team, and the various blogathoners that volunteer their mouths here at The Workspace.

The Rouxbe recipe

Head on over to Rouxbe and take a gander at their pho recipe. Before you attempt either of the pho recipes we’ve presented, I highly suggest that you sign up for a trial run of Rouxbe’s cooking school and get yourself brushed up on stock and broth 101. Don’t worry – it’s free.

My cooking commentary

I posted all my live cooking notes on Twitter, so here it is for your reviewing pleasure:

Tossed beef bones, beef ribs, and oxtail into a 20 quart stock pot. Covered in cold water to blanch over med-high heat.
Wow, this aluminum stock pot gets super hot! Definitely need oven mitts before touching those handles again.
1hr later: stock pot still hasn’t come to a boil. Upped the temp to maximum heat. Started on onion, ginger prep while I wait.
Water at a boil. Transferring meat to next size pot in order to pour blanching water out. Trying not to burn myself.
Stock pot insides lined with goop. Husband donned oven mitts to scrub it out in sink before we start the proper broth.
10″ of ginger peeled. 4 large onions peeled and quartered. Put under broiler on high to char.
Meat returned to cleaned stock pot and filled with ~12 quarts of cold water. Bringing back up to a simmer.
Cut off blackened bits of broiled onions + ginger and sliced ‘em. Setting out cinnamon, cloves, garlic, peppercorn, star anise.
12 quarts of water in stock pot. That means correct salt ratio would be 1/4 tsp x 12 quarts water = 3 teaspoons.
Broth made ~10qts. Seasoned 8 quarts of it with 8 tablespoons of fish sauce, 4 teaspoons of sugar, tasting after every 2 tablespoon / 1 teaspoon addition, respectively.
The broth is most of the work – adding the garnish and putting the pho together is almost an afterthought.

In short: the recipe was easy to follow, required little babysitting, and makes a ton for your freezer if you’re willing to dedicate an evening for broth-making every now and then.

Rouxbe Cooking School Series: fun with pho

The verdict? Keep an eye out for Part 2!

Check back later to see what our taste testers at The Workspace say about this pho.

Giveaway alert: premium access to Rouxbe.com

Anyone that has donated to our fundraiser to date was entered for this unannounced prize: a 1-year premium membership to Rouxbe’s online cooking school.

Please help us congratulate Mojgan for winning this sponsored membership from Rouxbe!

Are you sad that you didn’t win? Don’t worry – we have one more Rouxbe membership to give away tonight and another is part of the Tiny Bites Grand Prize. If you haven’t donated yet, you still have time to earn chances to win.

Categories: Blogging for Social Change, Culinary Resources, Dinner, Food, Recipes, Savoury

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