Danang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected Pham Huong, Miss Universe Vietnam 2015, as the face of a promotional video for the landmark event of APEC 2017. In the video, Pham Huong presents a showcase of sightseeing spots, places, and resorts in the city. Danang will receive 10,000 delegates from 21 member economies.

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After all that hands-on, real life testing, I can safely say that I'd be happy to cook with any of them. I'd be thrilled if anyone gifted me one of them, though I don't need one because I already own them all. But you don't own one of these yet. Each of these carbon-steel woks have their personalities but they share three characteristics that make them excellent for wok cooking:

• You don't have to stress much to season the wok
• Heats up extremely hot and stays that way so home cooks can satisfying wok away
• Is naturally nonstick so there is no teflon coating to be concerned about as you're cooking on high heat or your biggest burners

Wok quick comparison chart

But one may work better for you than the others. Use this chart for an at-a-glance look at how the three pre-seasoned carbon steel woks compare. Beyond that are my notes to summarize their pros and cons.

Yosukata blue carbon steel wok review

Weighing at 4.6 pounds (2.3kg) when empty, the Yosukata wok is heavy. The name sounds Japanese but it is made in China, where woks were invented thousands of years ago. The Yosukata has virtues as well as limits so it may be for you (or not).

• Pros: The Yosukata wok arrives pre-seasoned so there is little time wasted; Yosukata advises a brief seasoning before using the wok. It heats up super hot and with a flat bottom that is wider than most woks, the heat radiates broadly (you can use it like a medium-skillet for pan-frying steaks, tofu, etc.). This wok retails heat exceptionally well. In fact, if you are not carefully, food may scorch. When cooking food in this wok, you will hear the thrilling swift sizzle of good wok cooking. On my wok burner, I cook at a lower heat than normal when using this wok. Easy to wash and re-seasoning, when needed.
• Cons: When containing food, the wok is heavy so picking it up to toss food can be difficult. The handle is at a steep angle (see photo at right) so if you are relatively short, it may be hard to comfortably pick up. (I'm 5'5" and it can be a beast to pick up.) The metal by the wood handle gets very hot so do not mistakenly touch it when the wok is hot. Dishing up food can be hard because tilting the heavy to scoot food out can be awkward.
• Cooking and cleaning tips: When cooking on a 20K BTU burner or more, use slightly lower heat than what a recipe calls for. The pan stays hot for a long time. If it is too heavy to lift to pour out food, use this hack: Turn off the heat prematurely and scoop food out before picking up the wok. If the wok look dry or crusty, wash and scrub it well, then do a quick seasoning with some aromatics or potato peels and salt, as detailed here.
• Who it's best for: A cook who wants/needs a broad flat bottom surface on a wok. Cooks using induction stoves will get good wok performance from the Yosukata's design. The wok is best for cooks of average or taller height, especially if the person doesn't mind heavy-ish lifting once in a while.
• Blue carbon steel vs. black carbon steel: Blue carbon steel costs more but for a good reason -- it has already been treated to be highly resistant to rust and corrosion.
• Purchase from: Yosukata, Amazon

Anolon EverLast nitrided carbon steel wok review

Shiny and looking like it's a coated nonstick pan, Anolon's EverLast carbon steel wok is one of the prettiest woks I have ever owned. That's due to its nitrided carbon steel finish, which is smoother than normal carbon steel due to a special heat treatment which makes it seasoned and ready for cooking duties. (More on why and how nitrided carbon steel pans are built to be nonstick forever here.) Here's a run down of the Anolon EverLast wok's pluses and minuses.

• Pros: The Anolon EverLast wok heats slower than most over medium heat but once heated the wok is hot all over -- up to the rim practically. Heat retention is excellent. Combine that with the depth of the wok, it allows you to easily stir-fry a bunch of water spinach with ease. Most times, the wok wall do not get as hot as it does with this Analon, which allows you to use the walls to sear and cook food efficiently. When you cook in the Everlast wok, food glides around smoothly with the swoosh sizzle sound of good wok cooking.
• Cons: This wok costs more than the others I tested. There is no extended handle to grab so tossing food in the wok is not possible. The two ear-like handles get warm but cool quickly, though I would use heat pads to grab them if the wok is hot and you want to pour out the food. Otherwise, use a wok spatula or big metal spoon to scoop and transfer food to a serving vessel. The Anolon wok's flat bottom is not as broad as the Yosukata so on an induction stove you, will not have as much of a flat surface to cook off of.
• Cooking and cleaning tips: Preheat the pan over medium heat for several minutes to ensure it's hot all over. Flick water in and it should disappear within seconds! When done, use coarse salt and a sponge to easily scrub off stuck bit. If you like, re-season with a teeny tiny bit of oil.
• Who it's best for: Anyone who wants a handsome, reliable wok to have forever.
• Purchase from: Analon, Amazon

Japan iron wok (Beijing/Peking wok, pow wok) review

What's called a "Japan iron wok" is made of carbon steel, round bottomed and very lightweight. At core, it is a Northern Chinese-style wok that's also known as a Beijing (or Peking) wok, or a pow wok. Names aside, the wok is often marketed to professional cooks and commercial kitchens. Its round bottom design and light weigh signals that it's not for home cooks. It is not labeled as "pre-seasoned" but required little effort to prepare it for cooking. It costs little money. This wok defies many home wokking assumptions. However, the affordable carbon steel pow wok is one of my all-time favorite woks. Here's why:

• Pros: The pow wok is designed to heat up fast because of its light carbon steel construction, which means you can also control the cooking process with ease too. The walls heat up well to but not as fast as the Anolon EverLast or Yosukata. The round bottom does not mean you must use it with a wok ring. The wok initially does not sit evenly but one food goes into it, it steadies itself . Making quick stir-fries in this wok is wonderful. You can easily pick up a pow wok to toss and flip food. You feel like a professional cook! Deep-frying in a pow wok bottom wok is doable so long as you are careful but you'd have to do that with any pan.
• Cons: The hollow handle vents heat but it will eventually feel hot if you have a big burner. Use a mitt to grab it, as needed. The round bottom means you cannot pan-fry so well in it. Its thin metal construction may mean it may not last as long as heavier-duty woks made of thicker carbon steel.
• Cooking and cleaning tips: The pow wok I purchased only required a quick wash with Dawn Power Wash (or as Uncle Google for guidance to use something else) and initial stir-frying some green onions to season; I road tested it by frying an egg and that was no problem! The pow wok I own is very easy to scrub clean and smooth. Anything that stuck comes off easily with water, a smidgen of dish soap, and scrubby or dish scrubber.
• Who it's best for: Cooks with gas ranges and cooking adventures.
• Purchase from: I bought my pow wok for about $45 in 2024 from MV Housewares & Restaurant Supplies in San Jose, CA, located in the Grand Century Mall. Shop "Japan iron wok" online at Japanese cookware shops like MTC Kitchen and Japanese Taste. Amazon sells Japan-made woks by Kanda and Kote2. The Wok Shop sells Beijing/Peking woks. They all look like what I bought. (Large pow woks costing $20 may not be great quality.)

How I tested these woks

I cooked with these woks and washed and seasoned them. Beyond identifying their strengths, I also learned their quirks. I used them to help others cook well too. Watch the Japan iron wok in action in this video, which I made for a great kung pao recipe at my newsletter:

Final wok verdict

Which wok is best for you? It depends on your stove (gas, electric coil, or induction) and needs (do you want a light weight or heavy duty wok? do you want to pan-fry in it more than stir-fry quickies? A summary to help you make the best choice:

• Heat source: Yosukata is best for induction. Yokusata and Anolon EverLast are great for electric coil and gas. All three are fabulous with gas.
• Weight: Pow wok is the lightest wok. The Anolon is heaviest but conduct superwell. Yokusata is heavy and sometimes hard to pick up by the handle.
• Cooking needs: If you just want to do quick stir-fries only, choose the pow wok (which also does an amazing job of frying an egg to a crisp roundness because of its shape and heat conduction!). To use a wok for stir-frying, panfrying steaks or tofu, and deep-frying, go with the Yosukata. If you're just into stir-frying small and big batches of food plus deep-frying in the wok, the Anolon EverLast is a very good choice.

I have all three in rotation in my kitchen and it is very hard to choose which I like more. Woks are not expensive and I have owned about twelve woks in my cooking life. The Yosukata, Anolon EverLast, and Japan iron wok are some of the best I have owned and used. I hope this post helps you make a decision!

The post Best Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Woks: 3 Popular Models Tested and Reviewed appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

The apricots are baked into the cake and sink to the bottom where they form a softish, tangy layer that contrasts nicely with the cake. The result is a hidden layer of fresh fruitiness that's fun to eat. It's not desiccated seeming. You don't need ice cream or any other adornments because the cake is special tasting as it is!

The batter was informed by Alice Medrich's brilliant almond butter cake in her award-winning cookbook, Gluten-Free Flavor Flours (written with Maya Klein and published in 2014 by Artisan). In that recipe, she made a spiced apricot topping from dried apricots. I wanted a slightly different cake that (1) celebrated fresh apricots, (2) was made effortlessly and quickly, and (3) was gluten-free without compromising flavor or texture.

A French moelleux of summer fruits, a thin cake studded with stone fruit that David Lebovitz wrote about inspired me to add fruit directly into the batter. When making the batter, I took a chance and prepared it in the food processor. In less than 2 minutes, the batter was done. There's no risk of the batter getting tough or weird because it is gluten free! The processor batter baked up beautifully. This almond apricot cake doesn't require much to impress and satisfy eight people. Here are some pointers to keep in mind before you dive into this keeper of a recipe.

Choosing and prepping apricots for this almond apricot cake

Don't use overly ripe apricots for this cake. Those are suitable for making preserves, like the stunningly good apricot ginger jam! The fruit needs to be firm-ripe. A little softness is ok but when you cut the fruit open, it needs to eventually keep its wedge shape.

To cut nice apricot wedges, use a knife to cut the apricot perpendicular to its natural cleft. The fruit is easier to twist apart. Then you can halve the halves to pry apart the wedges. Quartering an apricot should get you the wedge size you need. I threw a plum into this cake but honestly, it's too watery of a fruit for this cake.

When is the butter soft enough?

Leave the butter out at room temperature until you can press a spoon into it and with little resistance, you make a dent and perhaps push the sides of butter out a bit. I used Kerrygold butter so the cake was extra flavorful. You need the butter to be very soft so you can easily scoop it with the spoon and conveniently plop it into the processor. Whirl away to make the batter pronto.

Flour and binder tips for this almond apricot cake

How to select the rice flour? What rice flour you choose depends on where you grocery shop. This batter recipe works with white rice flour. At a supermarket or health food market, select stone-ground white rice flour (such as Bob's Red Mill brand). If you shop at an Asian market, use Thai rice flour, but make sure it's the regular rice flour sold in red labeled plastic bags, such as Erawan (look for the 3 headed elephant logo). You can buy Thai regular rice flour online, if an Asian market is not nearby. Look for "bot te tinh kiet" (Vietnamese) to indicate the flour is made from long-grain white rice, the kind you'd regularly use for daily meals in Southeast Asia. Weigh the flour because rice flour do not weigh the same by volume.

Almond apricot cake baking tips

When arranging the fruit in the batter, go for a circular pattern. When you cut the wedges of cake, they'll be more or less uniform. Remember to maintain about ½-inch (6mm) distance from the fruit to the wall of the cake pan. The batter will rise up around the fruit to sort of seal it in. This cakes bakes up to a deep golden brown. To ensure the cake bakes to a finish, that's why I lower the heat during the last 15 minutes of baking. You can cover the top with foil, if you fear it browning too much. Be vigilant during the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking!

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Almond Apricot Cake

Tender and oh-so flavorful, this recipe was inspired by Alice Medrich's almond butter cake in Gluten-Free Flavor Flours (2014, Artisan). If you don't have a processor, use a blender.

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ pounds | 570g firm ripe apricots
• 6.34 ounces | 180g stone-ground white rice flour or Thai white rice flour
• 1.8 ounces | 50g almond flour/meal
• 6.34 ounces | 180 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 4 ounces | 113g salted butter, very soft
• ½ cup | 60ml plain yogurt (any percent fat) or slightly watered down Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, or a combo

Instructions

• Ready the oven and pan: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan well with oil or butter, then line the bottom with parchment. (If unavailable, use a removable bottom cake pan or regular high sided cake pan of the same width.)
• Prep the fruit: Halve the fruit, remove the pits, then cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) wedges.
• Make the batter: In a food processor bowl, combine the rice and almond flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Using a small spoon, scoop the butter and then drop it into the processor as small chunks. Run the processor until the mixture resembles the texture of brown sugar, pausing to scrape the sides as needed, about 1 minute. Add the yogurt, eggs, and extract. Blitz the processor until the batter is very smooth and thick, about 30 seconds.
• Assemble the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scraping it all from the processor bowl. Smooth the top and shimmy the pan to level the batter. Arrange the fruit wedges on their side in circles over the batter. Let them snuggly sit against each other and press them gently into the batter as you work. Leave about ½ inch (1.24cm) of space between the fruit and the wall of the pan so the batter will rise and encase the fruit without juices leaking out.
• Bake, cool, and eat: Bake the cake for 30 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 325°F and continue baking until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Expect the top to finish deep golden brown. (Total baking time is 45 minutes.)
• Let the cake cool in a rack for 1 hour or so, then run a knife around the edge and release the cake. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Notes

If you do not have salted butter, use unsalted butter and add ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt.

The post Almond Apricot Cake: An easy gluten-free dessert with a 2-Minute Batter appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

Vietnamese Culture is one of the oldest culture in the World which has undergone changes almost four thousands of years.
Some people said Vietnamese culture has influence from Chinese culture but there is a study shows Vietnam culture has its own characters and has parallel development to Chinese culture.
Along the history of Vietnam from the Dynasty of Trieu, Dinh, Ly, Tran & Le. In the pretty much same time with Chinese dynasty of Han, Duong, Tong, Nguyen.
According to scholarly sources, the culture of Vietnam originated from ancient Nam Viet, an ancient kingdom of Giao Chi people which shared characteristics of Han Chinese cultures and the ancient Dong Son Culture, considered one of the most important progenitors of its indigenous culture, during the Bronze Age. Nam Viet was occupied by Northern evaders in 111 BC, leading to the first Chinese domination of Vietnam lasting over thousand years that propelled Chinese influences onto Vietnamese culture in terms of Confucian philosophy governance, and the arts.

Tra Su bamboo bridge - the Vietnam’s longest bamboo bridge has been set a record on 15 January 2020 in the most beautiful and famous Tra Su cajuput forest, An Giang Province. It contributes to the promotion and development of An Giang tourism.

Tra Su Bird Sanctuary, also known by other names like Tra Su Cajuput Forest, Tra Su Melaleuca forest is a special place for nature lovers and especially photography who love birds and wild animals. Tra Su Bird Sanctuary is located in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province, just about 30 kilometers west of Chau Doc and 10km from Cambodian border.

Vietnam is a country with a long and fascinating history, and its cultural and natural attractions are a testament to its past. From ancient temples to modern cities, Vietnam has something for every type of traveler. Explore the magic of Vietnam with our comprehensive guide to its top tourism destinations and activities.

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Regardless of thickness or cuisine, egg sheets are made the same way, in a nonstick skillet and flipped over to cook both sides. I've made them for many iconic East Asian dishes.

Egg sheets in East Asian cuisines

Egg sheet tips for success

So, it makes sense for you to know how to make these well. Here are my pointers:

• Use a nonstick skillet for easy release.
• At first, make a double batch to practice. My recipe is very basic but some cooks add mirin or Shaoxing rice wine.
• I don't strain the beaten eggs but if you like do it for an even batter.
• Heat the pan up until it is hot but not scorching hot. You want the eggs to delicately set, not burn.
• Don't worry about wrinkles. They disappear in dishes.
• Make egg sheets in advance so you don't have to hassle or hustle to do something new in the middle of an unfamiliar recipe.

Watch me make egg sheets

I'm making thin egg sheets in this video. When making a thicker version that's more like a thin fluffy omelet, use more oil and a smaller skillet. See the variation below for extra details. The main recipe contains troubleshooting tips.

How to make thick egg sheets

To make a thick egg sheet, use 2 eggs and the salt for the "batter". Increase the oil to 2 teaspoons. You need the extra oil to yield a fluffy, thick texture. Pour the oil into a small or medium skillet, depending on how thick you want the egg sheet. Heat over medium heat until hot. Pour in all the egg, swirling to cover the pan bottom. Wait for the edges to pull away from the skillet before flipping the egg sheet over with a spatula - not your fingers - because there's extra oil and higher heat. Cook the second side for 15 to 20 seconds and it's done.

Print

Egg Sheets

One batch yields 2 thin egg sheets, typically enough to garnish dishes. Feel free to use 1 egg to make a single egg sheet.

Course Basic pantry

Cuisine Asian

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• Fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil, such as canola, rice bran, or vegetable

Instructions

• Prep the egg batter: Beat the eggs in a small bowl with 2 pinches of salt. If you like, strain the eggs through mess strainer to ensure a fluid batter.
• Make thin egg sheets: For each egg sheet, heat ½ teaspoon of oil in a 10 inch (24cm) nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When the skillet is hot (flick water in and it should sizzle gently for a few seconds before evaporating), pour in some of the egg, swirling to thinly film the bottom. Swiftly return any excess egg to the bowl.
• When the edges start to separate away from the skillet, use your index fingers and thumbs to pull up the egg sheet and flip it over. (It's not that hot.) Cook for 15 to 20 seconds to dry the other side (or turn off the heat or slide the pan to a cool burner for the egg sheet to finish cooking). Lift and transfer the egg sheet to a plate or cutting board to cool. Repeat with the remaining egg, stacking up the sheets. The total number of egg sheets you make depends on the skillet size and how thin they are.
• Cut the egg sheets: When finished, cut them up to whatever size you need. Save time by preparing egg sheets several hours in advance, keeping them at room temperature covered by plastic wrap. Egg sheets can be store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature to use.

Notes

If you use an 8-inch (20cm) skillet, you'll make 3 egg sheets. Lower the oil a smidgen.

Troubleshooting: If your egg batter doesn’t swirl and adhere to the skillet, the pan isn’t hot enough. If the egg sticks in a thick film and immediately starts to brown, your skillet is too hot. Wait for the pan to heat up or lower the flame. You want the egg to quickly adhere yet gently cook.

The post How to Make Egg Sheets, Crepe-like Omelets for Sparking up Asian dishes appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

I've offered lots of fried rice tips in the Japanese curry fried rice recipe but to be honest, when I want a 'special' fun rice that's also easy and healthy, I make cơm trộn (mixed rice). The Vietnamese-Chinese dish is simply hot cooked rice tossed with a handful of ingredients and accented with a little quick pickle. There's minimal cooking involved to yield a cheerful, confetti-like mixture. It looks and tastes festive and you can make it from whatever you have on hand. That said, a well composed cơm trộn contains varied flavors plus eye-catching colors, shapes, and textures.

When my family lived in Vietnam in the early 1970s, there were cơm trộn shops in Chinatown set up for customers to select from a wide range of add-ins that the staff would toss together in a big bowl for you to takeaway. The light rice dish was a departure from plain boiled rice. Better yet, it can sort of be a one-dish meal if you load it up with veggies. In America, my mom regularly threw together the rice for an easygoing lunch or dinner.

My mixed rice playbook

Nowadays, when I make this confetti rice at home, I use leftovers, prepping them as the rice cooks (reheated precooked rice is swell!). As the rice cooks, prep the add-in goodies: get the pickle going and then make the egg sheet and cut egg strips first before reheat the skillet used for the egg to ready the meat, tofu and any other veggies. Put them in a bowl as you're working. Once the rice is done, I add it to the bowl, mixed it up, and serve in the bowl or transfer to a serving bowl.

Some questions you may have:

• What kind of rice to use? Any kind of rice - white, brown, or haiga (partially milled) will work. Here's my recipe for a perfect pot of jasmine rice, which will work with any long-grain white rice.
• Can you use leftover rice for mixed rice? Yes! You'll need 3 cups (720ml) or so of rice. Warm it the microwave oven then toss away with the other ingredients.

How to make vegan mixed rice

Skip the egg sheet strips and animal protein! Here are some ideas:

• Use tofu and make sure it has some character. For richness, use my easy pan-fried tofu recipe at my newsletter. Or, use extra firm tofu and cut it into ⅓-inch (8mm) cubes or crumble it into chunks. Toss with some soy sauce and salt to coat. Heat a small splash of oil over medium-high heat in the skillet, then add the tofu and let sear, stirring once in a while, until lightly seared here and there, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Sear fast cooking veggies like summer squash and or mushroom, cutting them up as ½-inch (1.25cm) pieces. Season with salt and a little soy sauce for flavor then sear like the tofu. If you have grilled leftover veggies, use them instead!

A mixed rice essential

Whatever meats, or veggies, you use, do not skip the quick sweet pepper pickle. It adds tang, crunchy streaks of color, and a fruity pungency to brighten the rice.Without the pickle, the rice is lacking a certain something that makes it taste special. Beyond the pickle, the sky's the limit for playing around and crafting endless versions of cơm trộn. Here's a skeleton of how to prepare mixed rice.

Print

Mixed Rice | Cơm Trộn

This recipe is easily scaled up. Just toss in a bigger bowl. Serves 2 to 3 as a light main course, 4 with two or three other dishes

Course Main Course, rice, Side Dish

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings 2

Ingredients

Pickled sweet pepper

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• ½ small red bell pepper or 2 mini sweet peppers cut into 1-inch matchsticks (½ cup total)

Rice

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 large egg made into 1 thin Egg Sheet quartered and cut into narrow strips (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil, such as canola, rice bran, or vegetable
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked meat, seafood, or tofu cut into pea-sized pieces
• Salt
• Fish sauce, soy sauce, and/or Maggi Seasoning sauce, for serving

Instructions

• Make the pickle: Combine the water and vinegar in a small bowl. Add the bell pepper and set aside to marinate while the rice cooks.
• Cook the rice: Rinse and cook the rice to yield separate chewy, firm, 'dry' grains. You want the grains to mix well with the other ingredients so the rice shouldn't be too soft or gummy. For guidance, see the Perfect Rice recipe.
• Ready the add-ins: While the rice cooks, use the egg and a smidgen of oil to make one thin egg sheet in a medium skillet. See the Egg Sheet recipe for assistance.
• Reheat the skillet over medium heat with the remaining scant 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and green onion, and sauté until fragrant and soft, about 15 seconds. Add the chopped protein and continue cooking for a few minutes just to combine the flavors and warm things up. Season to taste with salt, and then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the egg strips and set aside.
• Assemble and serve: To serve, drain the bell pepper and add to the bowl of meat and egg strips. Use chopsticks or a fork to fluff the rice before adding it into the bowl. Mix the ingredients together well. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl or platter and bring to the table. Because the rice is lightly seasoned, invite guests to use the condiments to add their own final touches.

Notes

Notes:

Make the Egg Sheet using my recipe here. 

Check the main post for tips for using tofu and other veggies. 

The post Mixed Rice (Cơm Trộn) is easy breezy and healthier than fried rice appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

The espresso dark brown, sometimes ebony greyish fungus grows on logs. They look like ears sprouting from trees and their texture evokes cartilage, hence the moniker wood ear mushroom in English. But in Chinese, they are often simply called black fungus mushroom: 黑木耳 (hēi mù ěr). In Vietnamese, wood ear mushroom are called nấm mèo (cat ear mushroom) or mộc nhĩ đen. Japanese cooks know them as kikurage and Korean cooks call them mogi-beoseot.

Why cook with wood ear mushrooms?

Because they are one of the most useful mushrooms to keep in your East Asian and South East Asian pantry for Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai dishes. They are really second to dried shiitake. Wood ear mushrooms rehydrate fast so you can toss them into stir-fries, soups, stuffings, salad, and banchan. They're also low calorie: a serving of 3.5 ounces (100 grams) has 25 calories! The black fungus often plays a supporting role in foods to add textural and dark color accents. They don't change much during cooking too.

Vietnamese cuisine uses wood ear mushroom in soups and fried imperial roll (cha gio) stuffings, among other dishes. But I've used them in modern Vietnamese salads as a vegan substitute for pig ears. Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine has myriad ways to use wood ear mushroom as an accent note, like in hot and sour soup, and as the main feature. Ditto for other Asian cuisines. You may have seen wood ear mushroom in Korean japchae stir-fried noodles and Thai glass noodle salads.

Buying wood mushroom can be confusing when you're looking at all the options at Chinese and Vietnamese markets, for instance. This post is loaded with information and tips for you to make the right decision at the store. And, once in your kitchen, the prep tips will help you confidently cook with the little wondrous fungus.

Wood ear mushroom health benefits

The fungus is loaded with beneficial nutrients including pantothenic acid, selenium, riboflavin, thiamine, magnesium, zinc, B6, folate, calcium, potassium, and manganese. They also contain antioxidants and polyphenols to potentially protect cells against oxidative damage and thus help us deal with lowering cholesterol and avoiding cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. In Chinese medicine, wood ear mushroom has been used to improve the gut-brain connection, assist circulation and cognition, and support Yin. Who would think that such a little wood ear would be so powerful! As with any "healthful" food, eat a moderate amount and not too often!

How wood ear mushroom impacts food

These are not thick, meaty mushrooms. They are more cartilage-like because they deliver crisp crunch. Flavor-wise, they have little to offer. However they will absorb a modicum of flavor from dressings like in this easy Taiwanese wood ear mushroom salad.

In Vietnamese cooking, we may combine shiitake and wood ear. The latter contributes aroma and umami. The latter lends color and texture. You can use them separately or together. You see the two mushrooms combo used in Chinese hot and sour soup too.

Should you buy fresh or dried wood ear mushroom?

Fresh wood ear mushroom look like adorable tiny velvet berets. They are easily cultivated fresh but are mostly sold at Chinese markets in the fresh produce section on styrofoam trays. In Asia, they're super fresh and my understanding is they only last about 2 days. In the States, I've kept fresh wood ear mushroom for about one week. What's cultivated here is grown for durability.

No worries. Most people used dried wood ear mushroom. If you shop right, you'll find dried wood ear mushroom to be just as good as fresh. Seldom is the case that fresh mushroom is as good as their dried version. But in this case you'll be fine. One bag of dried wood ear mushroom lasts indefinitely too.

How to shop and wood ear mushroom

Up to now, I've used the terms interchangeably but you need to know this: they are kin but not quite the same. There are four common kinds (listed below) but in the main, what you see sold at Chinese and Vietnamese markets are labeled black fungus, cloud ear, and wood ear. It's fine and correct to call them all wood ear!

• Black fungus (Auricularia heimuer)
• Cloud ear fungus or wood ear (Auricularia cornea)
• Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)
• Silver ear fungus (Tremella fuciformis)

What are the difference between these? Labels may confusingly indicate "black fungus", "fungus", or even "black wood ear mushroom fungus"! So, look at the mushroom in the packaging. Usually greyish on one side, black fungus is thinner and more delicate than wood ear mushroom, which often sports one tan side but tends to be thicker. The difference is nominal to most cooks. They are interchangeable. Cloud ears tends to be very small and thinner than black fungus, hence its name.

What do I select? My go-to is "black fungus" because it tends to be of medium thickness and nice texture. Wood ear mushroom with one tan side tends to be thicker and chewier -- nice for when you want extra texture and rusticity. Suggested brands of wood ear mushroom include: T&H Trading, Richin Trading. If those brands are unavailable buy at the mid to upper end of the price spectrum at the market.

Should you buy whole or sliced wood ear mushrooms?

Select Buy the fungi as whole or odd-shaped pieces. Avoid pre-sliced strips which hamstring your prep options. Why let someone else determine the size of your food? Wood ear mushroom is very easy and fast to slice, chop, and mince.

How to store dried or fresh wood ear mushroom?

Fresh wood ear mushroom should be refrigerated and used within the week. Dried wood ear mushroom last nearly forever in a canister or airtight container stashed in a dark cupboard. They don't have an aroma to dissipate so you don't have to worry much!

How to measure dried or fresh wood ear mushrooms?

Measuring the frilly dried fungi can seem cumbersome but your recipe won't be dramatically altered if you're slightly off. A weight measurement helps so know this: ½ cup (120ml) of dried wood ear mushroom weighs .67 ounce (20 grams). So, 1 tablespoon should weigh about 2.2 grams; using ounces for this quantity is sort of pointless. Metric is better.

What if you're starting with fresh wood ear mushroom? ½ cup (120ml) dried yields a good 2 cups (480ml) soaked -- about 4 times! When a recipe soaks 1 tablespoon of dried, you will need about ¼ cup (60ml) fresh. If you're slightly off, the recipe will not be ruined.

Wood ear mushroom and black fungus prep and cooking tips

During rehydration, dried wood ear mushrooms expand to be four to five times their original dried size. It's remarkable so be prepared: Always woak dried wood ear mushroom in a large enough bowl with hot water to cover by 1 inch (2.5cm). In about 15 minutes, they will plump up, be soft and dark. Below is a before and after of the same amount of mushroom -- dried and after soaking.

After rehydration, drain and inspect the mushroom. If you spot super hard knobs, cut them off. That use to be the case years ago but it appears that nowadays, the hard knobs have been pre-trimmed my the producers and packagers. Use the rehydrated wood ear mushrooms soon or refrigerate for up to a week (discard or repurpose the mild tasting soaking liquid). If you've got fresh wood ear mushrooms, just keep them chilled until you need them.

Also note this: To prep in advance, slice, chop or mince wood ear mushroom and keep it in the fridge for up to a week, until you need it! It is hard to ruin wood ear mushroom and they can add alot to Asian food.

The post Wood Ear Mushrooms and Black Fungus: A Beginner’s Guide to Buying, Prepping, and Cooking appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

Why this wood ear mushroom salad rocks

Most wood ear mushroom salad lack flavor but Wei and Chen have a great technique for getting bright tang and umami into the crunchy little fungus. Their boiling and icing method does wonders and their dressing has just enough punch. It's so easy, I made it twice in one week.

The other beautiful thing about this salad is you can prep it up to four (4) days in advance of serving. Then toss in some green onions and dish it up. Bring it to a pot luck or on a picnic! Below are ingredient tips, substitution pointers, plus the recipe.

Wood ear mushroom tips

Purchased at Chinese and Vietnamese markets, dried, wood ear mushroom do not look like much but they give a lot. In fact, you don't need much for a batch of this healthy salad. Choose a medium bowl to soak them in because the do not remain dainty! If you're new to these mushrooms, check my beginner's guide to wood ear mushrooms for pointers on buying, prepping and cooking them.

Young ginger substitute

This Taiwanese wood ear mushroom salad also uses young ginger. When mildly zesty young ginger is unavailable, use mature (regular) ginger. For the 10grams, you'll need a chubby section about ½ inch (1.25cm) long. Peel and cut it into fine matchsticks. Put it in a small bowl and pour very hot (or just boiled) water over it to cover. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes to mellow, then strain and drain well to use in the salad. Sip the soaking liquid as a light ginger tea, if you like.

If you're using this ginger hack, do while the mushroom soak so both ingredients are ready for putting into the dressing. If you forget, then just let the prepped wood ear mushroom sit in dressing while you ready the ginger. They both will chill together for a while anyway.

Soy sauce tweaks for great salad

If you were making this salad in Taiwan or if you want to fully cook Taiwanese style, you'd use Taiwanese soy sauce. It has a lighter flavor and a touch of sweetness so it differs from East Asian soy sauces from China, Japan, or Korea. I made two batches -- one was with Heydoh soy sauce, an excellent Taiwanese soy sauce made with black soy beans that Wei imports to the United States. (Learn about soy sauce and Heydoh from my conversation with Wei.) The other batch of salad was prepared with my usual go-to Pearl River Bridge Golden Label Superior light soy sauce.

What were the differences? After a thorough chill, both tastes excellent. The Heydoh soy sauce has lots of nuanced umami but not as much salinity as the PRB soy sauce. I ended up adding light drizzle of Heydoh to that batch and it totally sang louder with brighter savory-tangy notes. In the wood ear mushroom recipe below, taste and tweak the dressing because your soy sauce may differ from mine. Either way, your wood ear mushroom salad will be a fun year round side dish to keep on hand.

Tinker with wood ear mushroom salad

• Add heat: Instead of sesame oil, use a favorite chili oil or chili crisp.
• Boost veggie power: Double the dressing, and about 30 minutes before serving, toss in 2 sliced Persian cucumbers (seed them first!). Let the mushroom and cucumber marinate in the fridge to pick up flavor.

I'm sure you'll have many other ways to play with this salad. It's fun, easy, and healthy. It's a perfect for summer or any time, actually.

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Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

In Mandarin Chinese, this cooling, crunchy salad is called 涼拌黑木耳 (Liáng Bàn Hēi Mù Ěr). This recipe has been slightly adapted from Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen's sensational cookbook, Made in Taiwan (Simon Element, 2023).

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese, Taiwanese

Servings 3

Ingredients

• ½ cup | 20g small dried black wood ear mushrooms
• ¼ cup | 60ml unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1-inch | 10g piece fresh young ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (see swap tip in main post)
• 2 tablespoon scallion green parts only, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Instructions

• Rehydrate the mushroom: In a medium bowl, cover the dried black wood ear mushrooms with hot tap water. Soak until they're soft, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, then wash them thoroughly under running water, making sure to get rid of any sand or grit stuck in the crevices. With a knife or scissors, trim off and discard any tough, craggy bits.
• Boil and ice down: Fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring it to a vigorous boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath to the side. Drop the wood ear mushrooms into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off, drain the mushrooms in a colander, and immediately transfer them into the ice bath to cool down, about 20 seconds. This will keep them crunchy and crisp. Drain well in a colander again, squeezing out excess moisture.
• Marinate and serve: In a glass storage container with a lid, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Taste for a pleasant tang and salty hit. If needed, add soy sauce by the ½ teaspoon or vinegar by the 1 teaspoon. Add the wood ear mushrooms and ginger. Stir a few times to coat, then cover, shake to combine even more. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or to 4 days. Mix in the scallions right before serving. Include some of the liquid, if you like.

The post Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Liáng Bàn Hēi Mù Ěr) appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

How does this vegetable stir-fry work? It features a green veggie that's cut on a steep diagonal to ensure the pieces cook quickly and absorb flavors well. One or two other vegetables play supporting roles by adding contrasting color, flavor, and texture. To allow their natural quality to shine, I simply season them with ginger, garlic, and salt. There's a steam-cooking process that ensures everything cooks to a crisp tenderness.

Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry Pointers

Use my bonus tips as you tinker with the stir-fry:

• Choosing vegetables to stir-fry: Choose what's freshest and/or in season to produce a winning dish every time. Cutting them with lots of exposed surfaces ensures fast, even cooking.
• Peel or not peel? Peel the watermelon radish if its skin is tough. Kohlrabi may be used instead of carrot or radish; peel and quarter it before slicing. Carrots can keep their skin on.
• Don't want to do a mixed-vegetable stir-fry? Use this recipe to cook 1 ¼ pounds (625g) asparagus or green beans. The seasonings and cooking time remain the same.
• Streamline stir-frying: Line up all the ingredients near the stove because the cooking happens fast.
• What to cook the stir-fry in? A large carbon steel skillet or wok heats up well to cook this dish up in a flash. Whatever you choose, have a suitable lid handy. 
• How to scale up the recipe? Stir-fry in single batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and slowing the cooking. Unite your batches in as one at the end, reheating as needed.
• Serving suggestions: Present this vegetable stir-fry as a side dish or as a starter, like my friend Susan does. It's casual elegant cooking that's attractive too.

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Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry

This recipe was original published in my cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese (Ten Speed Press, 2023).

Course Side Dish, starter

Cuisine Asian American, Vietnamese, Vietnamese-ish

Ingredients

• 1 pound | 450g asparagus or other green vegetable (such as celery or green beans)
• 4 ounces | 120g carrot, watermelon radish, kohlrabi, and/or fresh mushrooms (such as white, cremini, or shiitake), or a combination
• 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or peanut)
• 3 slices ginger, unpeeled, smashed
• 1 large garlic clove, gently smashed
• ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Prep the veggies: Trim the ends of the asparagus, then slice the stalks on a steep diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces and put them into a bowl.
• Cut the carrot into slices a scant 1⁄4 inch thick and 2 inches long; this ensures they'll cook at the same rate as the asparagus. If using mushrooms, cut the stems and caps into 1⁄3-inch-thick slices or tear into large bite-size pieces. Add to the bowl of asparagus.
• Stir-fry and serve: Set a 14-inch wok or 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet over high heat on one of your largest burners and swirl in the neutral oil. When the oil ripples, toss in the ginger and garlic. Rapidly press down and stir them to release their aroma. Dump in the vegetables and sprinkle with the salt. Stir and toss for about 1 minute, until the vegetables look glossy with brighter color.
• Spread out the vegetables to cover the pan bottom, add the water, cover, and then turn the heat to medium-high. Let the veggies steam-cook for 2 minutes, stirring midway and spreading them out again. When the boiling sounds start turning into a crackling noise (which signals water evaporation), uncover and quickly flip and stir the vegetables, about 1 minute, until no more liquid remains. If needed, turn the heat to high to hasten cooking and thus prevent overcooking. If the vegetables are too firm, add a splash of water and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. When the veggies are done, they should look lightly glazed. Transfer to a plate or shallow bowl, discard the ginger and garlic if you spot them, and serve immediately.

The post Easy Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry Blueprint appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

Basic pointers

Here's a Peking duck countdown:

• Up to 2 month ahead: Make the Mandarin pancakes. Freeze for up to 2 months or refrigerate for up to 2 days . See the Mandarin Pancake Mini Class and recipe at my newsletter, Pass the Fish Sauce.
• 2 days before: Blow up the duck and give it a tan. Refrigerate to let it dry.
• Day 3 (the big Peking duck day):
  • 4 hours before serving: Remove the duck from the refrigerator to take the chill off.
  • 3 hours before serving: Preheat the oven, then roast the duck. Meanwhile, prep the duck sauce and accompaniments (the recipe is in the Mandarin Pancake Mini Class). Return the mandarin pancakes to room temperature.
  • 1 hour before serving: After the duck is done and has cooled a bit, remove its skin, then loosely tent the skin with foil and keep warm in the oven. Take the duck apart, remove the flesh in large piece; tent loosely with foil and keep warm in the oven. Save the bones for soup broth or another project.
  • 15 minutes before serving: Steam the pancakes, set the duck accompaniments at the table. Cut up the skin and flesh and arrange on 1 or 2 plates. Serve with the Mandarin pancakes and accompaniments.

First up, where and how to buy a duck?

I don't have a live poultry shop near me so I bought my duck at a Chinese market in San Jose, California. Such a grocery store has a high turnover of duck and they are freshly butchered with the head and feet still attached. Don't be turned off as that is how they traditionally come. Do your best to find an unblemished duck and check the packed date. Ducks by Maple Leaf and Culver are often sold at Asian markets. They are gutted and cleaned already. In 2026, at about $4.50 per pound, a 4 ¼ pound (2 kilo) duck is $18. Supermarkets and specialty grocers may carry Marys, Hudson Valley Farms, and Liberty Farms ducks for $30 to $40 each. This all may seem expensive but I assure you that homemade Peking duck will taste like a million bucks! Okay, not that much, but a lot!

Major steps to Peking duck happiness

What to expect to do for this recipe? Here's a summary of the three major steps.

• Day 1, Step 1: Blow up the duck  -- This may sound nonsensical but you do need to blow up the bird. The purpose of blowing up the duck is to loosen the skin from the flesh so the skin will crisp during roasting. If the skin is attached to the flesh then hot air cannot go through and melt the fat to crisp the skin. Cantonese ducks, in the main, do not get the blown up so the skin is attached to the flesh. The Peking duck technique is genius and required. On the blow up the duck page, you'll see my high tech and low tech options for taking care of this task. Maybe you'll have a new idea for doing it that you'll share! Get extra pointers for this step in Homemade Peking Duck Step 1: Blow up the Duck.

• Day 1, Step 2: Scald the duck and give it a tan -- This second step to preparing the duck should be done right after you blow it. That's because you're in the Peking duck zone and along with blowing up the duck you want to scald it and give it a tan. Scalding the duck tightens up the pores to facilitate drying in the fridge and later on, crisping in the oven. Tanning the duck sets the color and imparts a little spicy flavor to the skin too. Do not skip this step. For the full lowdown on how I arrived at the method and to Homemade Peking Duck Step 2: How to scald the duck and give it a tan.
• Day 2: Let the duck chill (this isn't really a step) By this point, you may need a rest and so does the duck. Let it hang out in the fridge to dry and develop rich color. If you have not, get the Mandarin pancakes recipe and make a batch. Plus, prep the sauce in the duck feast recipe that follows the mandarin pancakes. Your homemade duck will be superior to the shortcut hacks offered in that post. Trust me.
• Day 3, Step 3: Roast the duck and eat -- Home cooks have tried many methods to roasting the duck to mimic what Chinese professional cooks do. The true Peking duck shops in China use wood. I've not graduated to that level but through a series of experiments I have an exceptional method. You'll need something to stand the duck up. I use a vertical roaster but you could try a beer can chicken roaster. If you'd like the lowdown on roasting Peking Duck, check out the post titled, Homemade Peking Duck Step 3: How to Roast the Duck.

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Peking Duck

Review all the content in the main post, including extra articles on blowing up the duck, etc., so you're well prepared for this fun and delicious project. See Notes for the Mandarin Pancakes info. For an air pump, I used an exercise ball pump but you can use a bicycle pump or something like that. A vertical roaster is what I use but you could try a beer can chicken roaster is key to standing up the bird. It's a great tool to have.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword homemade peking duck, peking duck, roast duck

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 vertical roaster
• 1 air pump

Ingredients

• 1 (4 ¼ pound | 2kg ) duck, with head and feet intact
• 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• .75L | 3 cups water
• 160 ml | ⅔ cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

Sauce

• 80 ml | ⅓ cup sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil optional

Accompaniments

• 4 or 5 slender scallions cut lengthwise into thin strips about 3 inches (7.5cm) long, soak in ice water for 10 minutes
• 1 small English or 2 Armenian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise, seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 16 to 20 Mandarin Pancakes see Notes for link to recipe

Instructions

• Refresh the duck: Remove any excess fat in the body cavity near the rear opening. To refresh the duck, vigorously rub the salt into its cavity and on its skin. Rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towel. Put the duck, breast side up, on a baking sheet. Sew up the duck's abdominal cavity with a bamboo skewer; break off the protruding long section, if you like.
• Blow up/inflate the duck: To inflate the duck, use the tip of a paring knife to pierce a hole at the bottom of the duck's neck. Aim for the firm center of wish bones (like the human clavicle/collar bone).
• Wash the nozzle of an air pump (or bicycle pump or air compressor) before inserting the nozzle under the skin. Inflate the duck, directing air to one side, then the other. The duck should puff up to reveal a six-pack abs like structure. If the duck just puffs, then you may be pumping air into the cavity and not under the skin. Reposition the nozzle higher. If there is an air leak in the skin, make a new hole below the original one and retry. Flip the duck over and inflate its back side, making a hole at top of the spine. Expect the duck to lose some air once you remove the pump nozzle.
• Trim the duck: Put the duck on a cutting board and use a heavy cleaver or knife to cut off its legs, right below the knee joint. Then cut off the first two joints of its wings. Finally cut off its neck, leaving about 2 inches attached to the body. Cut off the head and discard. Refrigerate the remaining spare parts for the soup broth. Put the duck, breast side up, on a rack placed on a baking sheet and set near the stove.
• Scald the duck and give it tan: In a saucepan, combine the water, rice wine, honey, light soy sauce, and 1 ½ teaspoons of the dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Because the duck will darken more on the breast than legs during roasting, tan the duck lighter on its upper part than its lower part. Slowly ladle ⅔ of the mixture to bathe the duck from the top of its thighs to the top of its neck. Part way through flip the duck over and repeat on its backside.
• Now add the remaining 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce to the leftover tanning mixture, stir and ladle the liquid over the lower portion of the duck. It's okay if some of this darker liquid runs to the upper part.
• Chill the duck: Lift the duck off the rack and set aside briefly. Discard the tanning liquid and wash the rack and baking sheet. Replace the rack in the baking sheet, then put the duck on top, breast side up. Slide the duck into the refrigerator and let it air chill, uncovered for 1 ½ days, roughly 36 hours. Expect the skin to darken as it dries and feel somewhat like parchment paper. Meanwhile, make the mandarin pancakes.
• Roast the duck: Return the duck to room temperature before roasting. Position a rack in the lower third or bottom of the oven to allow the duck to roast upright in the middle of the oven; the top of its neck should be about 3 inches from the broiler element.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) for 30 minutes. If needed, lightly spray or oil a vertical roaster (or similar tool). Turn and pull the bamboo skewer out to open the duck's body cavity by about 3 inches. Insert the vertical roaster. It's okay if the luck leans forward or slouches a bit. Place in a roasting pan, add a good ¼ inch of water, then slide the pan into the oven.
• Roast for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue roasting for 1 to 1 ¼ hours until the skin is crisp, richly browned and shiny. Turn the pan if the skin browns unevenly. When done, tap on the skin and it should sound hollow.
• Prep the sauce and accompaniments: For the sauce, whisk together the bean sauce, rice wine, and water in a small bowl. Taste and add sugar and/or sesame oil. The sauce is ready to use.
• Put the scallion and cucumber on one or two plates. Set the sauce and vegetable garnishes at the table. Ready the steamer and Mandarin pancakes for reheating.
• Carve and serve: When the duck is done, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Twist and pull the chopstick and skewer out. To remove the skin without it getting soggy, keep the duck on the roaster. Visualize the duck skin as four long quadrants. Now use a knife to cut downward through the skin, first to split the breast, then down the two sides and the back. Pry and peel away the large pieces skin. You will have to make some additional horizontal cuts to remove the skin. Set the skin aside on a plate as you work.
• Remove the vertical roaster from the skinless duck, then disassemble the carcass, cutting and/or pulling the flesh off the bones. Hold on a plate and tent with foil, if not serving right away.
• To serve, cut the skin into pieces about 1 by 2 inches (2.5 by 5cm) big, and arrange on a platter. Include the duck meat or present it separately. At the table, invite guests to take a pancake, smear on some sauce, top with a piece of skin, piece of meat, and a few scallion and cucumber strips. Fold or roll up the pancake and eat.

Notes

For the Mandarin pancakes, check out the Mandarin Pancake Mini Class and recipe at my newsletter, Pass the Fish Sauce. This duck will be more glorious than the hacks. 

The post Homemade Peking Duck Master Recipe and Plan for Success appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

Ideas for Lunar New Year celebrations

Lunar New Year is celebrated big time by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese communities but there are many other folks who get in on the lunar calendar action. Look for celebrations wherever you are because you never know! Given the diversity of Lunar New Year, you can combine different dishes from various cuisines to make your table extra interesting. It's not simply "Chinese New Year". It's Lunar New Year. It's about moon phases. How to eat Tet? My Vietnamese table centers certain must-have dishes and these are what you'll often find on mine.

• Banh Chung Tet Sticky rice cakes are square and hefty, filled with mung bean, pork, and sticky rice. They are simple but incredibly savory and fragrant from the leaves they are wrapped in. You can make them, or buy them from a Viet market or deli. Then you want to refresh them so they're like fresh from the pot (see the video below). Cutting the cake and other info are in this post. You can fry it up into a crispy banh chung pancake too.

• Braised Pork Ribs in Caramel Sauce (suon kho) gives a nod to the notion that at Tet, the family harvests a pig and cooks up every part. Eat the saucy simmered pork with banh chung. Its salty sweetness is divine with the sticky rice!
• Char siu pork ribs can be done in the oven or on a grill, if going outside is your thing.
• Make a pomelo or grapefruit salad (goi buoi). You can use grapefruit for this salad recipe here or use pomelo for a more traditional Vietnamese salad.
• Want a feast? My family had Mandarin pancakes with Chinese roast duck. The pancake recipe is at my newsletter along with a quick duck recipe. But, you can elect to do the Full Monty by making this glorious Peking duck.
• And if you have friends or family who do not enjoy duck like I do, serve the pancakes with moo shu, a simple stir-fry that is clasically prepared with pork but you can use any meat or go vegetarian with the moo shu recipes here.

Have a pan-Asian noodle time

You cannot go wrong with noodles, a symbol of longevity. Here are some favorites:

• Beef Chow Fun is a classic and favorite at Cantonese restaurants. Get my recipe to make it at home to guarantee flavors your way. 
• Garlic Noodles are a newish Vietnamese-American dish. There many renditions to choose from. Try my basic garlic noodles recipe, the chanterelle mushrooms and garlic butter noodles, or a garlic and daikon "noodle" recipe (they're all on this website). Or, venture to my newsletter for an umami shiitake garlic noodles or the delicious crab and asparagus garlic noodles.

• Singapore Noodles are spicy and sultry. Yes, you cake a batch from grocery store ingredients from my newsletter recipe here.
• Ginger, Carrot, and Scallion Noodles  should be made with lots of young or mature ginger so they're loaded with gingery sweet heat. Get the naturlly vegan recipe at my newsletter.
• Panfried noodles with a crown of beefy tomato stir-fry is a Cantonese classic. I return to this recipe over and over and so should you. If you're gluten-free or just like rice noodles, panfry rice noodles into a pancake then top it with a saucy stir-fry. My crispy rice noodle pancake recipe and video how-to wild guide you.
• Pad Thai was influenced to a certain extent by Chinese foodways. Flat rice noodles are Chinese, for instance. If you serve me pad Thai, especially when it's prepared from the recipe at my newsletter, I would not complain.

Sweet endings

The post Recipes for Pan Asian Lunar New Year Menus (here are 25 ideas) appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

There's a certain level of technique involved but you can do it if you've folded up a business letter, rolled a cigarette, or made a burrito. This bread is best prepared with Korean all-purpose flour (more on that below) but I have a decent supermarket substitute for you. The dough is cooked in a skillet so it's fun to observe the cooking process up close. And, eating the bread with a stir-fry like cumin lamb or a bowl of soup like hot and sour soup is well . . . divine!

Tips for your sesame-scallion bread journey

Choose flour wisely. As mentioned, Korean flour sold at Asian markets works best. Ranch 99 and H-Mart carries it for sure, as do other Chinese and Korean markets. It's unbleached and has a low protein (about 10 percent) level, which means it's more tender. Many many swear by it for Asian-style breads, dumplings and the like. If you don't have it, my substitute is below using standard all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal or Bob's Red Mill) and pastry flour (unbleached or whole wheat, sold at hippie health food markets or online).

Chop the green onions int small pieces. No big chunks to get caught in teeth or not distribute well in the dough. Mix in some Chinese chives (garlic chives) with the scallion. Regardless, make the pieces very small.

Expect a soft, slightly sticky dough. It will seem like it won't behave but it strangely will. That's my experience. Don't add too much flour to firm up the dough. When you have to roll out the dough to a thin rectangle, it will seem hard to do at first. However, the dough will take to your rolling pin and get to the shape you want -- with little flour required on your board. Amazing! You can even pull on the edges slightly to get it to do what you want.

Do a trifold then roll or trifold again. The initial tri-fold helps to more randomly distribute the scallion and sesame oil. Then you can do a jellyroll and coil up the log. Or repeat that trifold to make a square. I like the coil on the far right best delivers a nice distribution of flavor throughout the bread. Check the photo further down of the cut bread; the one on the right is of the coiled dough.

Cook in a heavy skillet. You need to conduct heat well and slowly. I've made these in a carbon steel and cast iron skillet. A heavy stainless steel skill will work too. No thin, lightweight pan here. If the pan maintains heat well, then you can flip and peek and slow and hasten cooking as you want without changing the temperature too much. Also, you need a lid.

The breads end up being thick and very fun to eat. We enjoyed the first one with soup for lunch. It would be great with the stir-fried cumin lamb with green onions because well... you'll have some green onions in your fridge after making this bread!

The post Sesame-Scallion Bread, a Chinese Islamic wonder appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

Last year at a professional food service conference, I tried a hamburger that had been cooked in a Rational combi oven. The plush buns had been baked in the combi oven and the patty was seared and cooked in. It was a fantastic burger. That particular combi oven, the size of refrigerator, is for professional kitchens. Is there an affordable home kitchen equivalent? That's why I purchased Ninja's version. Let's test drive the Ninja Combi to evaluate its worthiness for your kitchen.

What is the Ninja Combi and its 14-in-1 versatility?

"Combi" refers to the combination of cooking methods that allows you to choose to cook with steam heat, dry heat, or both. The Ninja Combi oven is a smallish squareish box designed as a multi-cooker. The Ninja.com product description promises the world:

• 14-in-1 versatility: Combi Meals, Combi Crisp, Combi Bake, Rice/Pasta, Sear/Sauté, Steam, Bake, Toast, Pizza, Slow Cook, Proof, Sous Vide, Air Fry, Broil.
• Frozen to table in under 30 minutes: No need to defrost-super-heated steam will quickly thaw frozen ingredients and cook them to a safe temperature in under 30 minutes.
• Complete meals that cook in 15 minutes: Cook your proteins, veggies, and pasta or grains all at the same time and make a meal 50% faster than in a wall oven.
• One stop shop in your kitchen: With its all-in-one functionality and included accessories, the Ninja Combi is the only appliance you will ever need-no more cluttered countertops and endless piles of dishes to clean afterward.
• Easy cleanup: The Combi Cooker Pan doubles as a serving dish and all accessories are dishwasher safe to make cleanup a breeze.
• Ninja Combi™ cooker technology: HyperSteam and Air Fry combine to create juicy insides and deliciously crispy outsides all at once; super-heated steam evenly cooks and locks in juices while rapid cyclonic air crisps food to perfection.

How does a combi oven compare to a regular oven?

Conventional ovens and air-fryers usually operate with just dry heat and the difference between the two is how the hot air circulates. Steam ovens are tightly sealed, cleverly designed ovens that allow you to cook efficiently with convection dry heat and moist steam heat. The rationale for steam is this: steam helps to keep food moist while cooking it faster than dry heat. That's because steam distributes heat very efficiently to cover more surface area of the food being cooked.

Why the Ninja Combi oven? It is a compact steam oven designed for home cooking. Its size is great for small spaces and households of four or less people. Luxe combi ovens made by Miele cost thousands of dollars. Counter top ones can run $500. The Ninja Combi looks awkward. But, but at about $200, it costs way less than the competition. Size and affordability makes the Ninja Combi very attractive.

Watch how the Ninja Combi oven works

But before buy one, see how it works. In the video below, look for basic accessories that come with the oven -- a deep baking tray, perforated tray that goes inside the deep tray for air-frying and roasting, plus a baking sheet. The oven comes with a a lid too.

The instruction manual has minimal instructions. A label on top of the unit says to not operate the Ninja Combi under kitchen cabinets! You will naturally figure the machine out. I did! To easily move the oven around, I stuck these feet under the combi oven.

About the combi oven air fry function

A combi oven needs to do more than refresh bread to make it worth owning. How about air-frying? I've not succeeded in air-frying fried squid. It usually comes out of a regular air-fryer wind tunnel dry. Can the combi oven do the job better?

In the Ninja Combi, it was chewy crisp with a pleasant briny flavor that reminded me of squid that's been left to dry in the sun in Vietnam (a delicacy). Alas, the texture was not up to par, my husband said. I tried the air fry mode on a couple shrimp and they were much more successful than the squid.

Air-frying happens when you combine the perforated tray and the deep baking pan that comes with the Ninja combi oven. I coated the squid and shrimp with a little oil, then a mixture of salt, pepper, Thai rice flour and tapioca flour. In about 8 minutes on 390F, the shrimp were done with crispy outsides. The squid took more like 20 minutes. The Ninja Combi difference is this: food does not dry out as it does in a regular oven, toaster oven, or air-fryer. It has a lot to do with how it traps steam in the cooking chamber.

In the above photo, the vapors coming out is steam from the squid. I didn't put any water into the oven. (And, if you're curious, we dipped the goodies in sweet Thai chili sauce.)

After the squid and shrimp, I did something easy: roast peanuts on the Bake setting. They came out more evenly roasted than in my regular oven and were done faster than usual because the preheating time is less in the smaller oven. In a toaster oven preheating time is less but the roasting is uneven. So, on a small task like roasting nuts or seeds, the combi oven will save you time and money spent on electricity or gas. After the nuts, I moved on to baking a yeast-leavened bread in the Ninja Combi oven.

As the video showed, the hypersteam action was real. You see so much steam emanating from the top vents of the oven during the baking process. What's also cool for geeky cooks like me is the bread browned practically before my eyes because you get a very close up look at the cooking process in the Ninja Combi. It's fun for food geeks like me. At the 15-minute mark using the Combi Bake mode, I turned down the heat to 350F to slow down cooking. I actually pulled the bread out at 18 minutes because it looked cooked and the temperature signaled doneness. Meanwhile, the regular oven had just preheated to 450F, the original recipe temperature.

Baking in a regular oven vs baking in a combi oven

Here's a comparison of the oven-baked one and the focaccia that resulted from the Ninja Combi Bake mode.

The combi oven-baked bread is the lower one. Look at how the bubbles seemed to push more upwards in the combi oven baked bread. The dough was the same batch. So, you get a different bake due to the steam action that happens for about half of the bake time. When you bake certain breads, steam is help for for crisp crust but I didn't think it would do much for focaccia. Guess I was wrong!

How to clean the combi oven

Cleaning the Ninja Combi oven is easier than you think. Wash the removable parts by hand or do it in the dishwasher. The oven gets very hot so after turning it off, unplug it and leave the door open to hasten cooling. Then I wipe down the oven walls, if needed. The pans themselves, including the perforated tray was so much easier to clean than the tray for my Cuisinart air-fryer, which I have loved for many years.

Pros and cons of a combi oven

The Ninja combi oven is quirky but has potential for being an MVP in your kitchen. My evaluation thus far:

• Combi oven pros: It's affordable, compact, easy to clean, heats up faster and seems to cook faster than a regular oven. The air fry mode is good and there's plenty of space on the crisper tray to fry a nice batch of shrimp or wings for snacking. The viewing window allows you to observe cooking close up. It is easy to dial in temperature and cooking time.
• Combi oven cons: It beeps a lot, heats up very hot, and you need to operate it near a window or with ventilation. Looks wise, it is not sleek and cool. This Ninja Combi is great for anyone cooking for households of four or fewer people.

Is a combi oven worth the investment? I don't know yet. These initial experiments with the Ninja Combi oven make it a very interesting appliance to play with. Let's see what else it can do and how well it can do it. I'm interested in what "combi crisp" does!

The post What is a Combi Oven and What Can It Do? appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

So, satisfy your fast pho cravings with something much better. All you need is about 30 minutes and basic staples for my fast chicken pho recipe. Grab some canned or boxed broth, dried noodles, chicken, spices, and aromatics and get going. You'll make enough for two hungry people. Share your pho prowess or save it for your next pho meal! This is a great recipe for beginners and anyone craving a quick, delicious bowl of pho.

How and why this fast chicken pho recipe works

Know what makes this shortcut chicken pho recipe great before making a batch:

• This fast pho broth involves doctoring up the broth so it tastes "pho-ish." So choose wisely. For instance, select a broth brand that tastes like chicken. My go-to chicken broth is Swanson's low sodium chicken broth. It tastes closer to homemade than other brands. You can use two cans or one large box for this recipe.
• Keep the spices simple. Use coriander and a touch of clove here, just like in my traditional chicken pho recipe. Star anise and cinnamon are not part of the chicken pho playbook. The spices for chicken pho and beef pho are different because you're cooking with different animals proteins. They should be seasoned differently.
• Toasting spices and lightly searing ginger and green onion imparts complexity to the broth. Those techniques help to extract flavor fast. You'll smell the signature pho aroma during these initial cooking steps.
• You'll efficiently use green onion in the broth and as a topping so read the recipe carefully.
• Poaching chicken in the broth adds savory depth. The chicken livens up the pho broth so it tastes fresh. You'll have a homemade-ish flavor. Using pre-cooked chicken will won't add as much flavor to your pho broth.
• Choose chicken breast for leaner pho. Chicken thighs will yield slightly deeper flavor.

Pho add-ins

Pho is customizable and personalizable. It has evolved throughout its history as Vietnam's default national dish so feel free to play with it. For example, add what you want to your bowl. This fast chicken pho can go in many directions based on what's on hand.

• Chicken pho herbs: Hanoi-style chicken pho is presented topped with cilantro with a side of mint. There is no Thai basil involved. If you do not have mint nearby, stick with cilantro. If you have Thai basil, go for it! Italian basil does not have as much pep so you'll want to more in the bowl.
• Sriracha or fresh chile: I'm a fresh chili person. Go for sriracha if you want a heat blast.
• Ginger dipping sauce: That's advanced pho eating. Some people dip the cooked chicken into a nước chấm gừng, a gingery nuoc cham dipping sauce. I usually skip it because it's too fussy; I want a fast, quick bowl of chicken pho! A squeeze of lime will give the bowl a bit of tang, if it needs it.
• Pho noodles: Cooks in Vietnam often use fresh pho noodles for this noodle soup. They also cook dried noodles too. Abroad there are more options for dried noodles than fresh. Look around and use this guide to source pho noodles. Try new noodles like these purplish ones I found.

Let me know your feedback to this recipe and any tweaks you may have!

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Quick Chicken Pho | Phở Gà Nhanh

The original version of this recipe appeared in my award-winning book, The Pho Cookbook.

Servings 2

Ingredients

• .5 oz | 15g section ginger (a chubby ¾-inch | 2 cm section)
• 2 medium-large green onions
• .5 oz | 15 g cilantro sprigs
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 whole clove
• 3 ½ to 4 cups | 840 ml to 1L low-sodium chicken broth (use 2 cans or 1 box)
• One 8 oz | 225g boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
• About ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 to 6 oz | 150 to 180g dried narrow rice sticks or pad Thai-style noodles
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Sugar, to taste (organic works well)
• Black pepper as garnish

Optional extras:

• 2 handfuls bean sprouts
• 1 thinly sliced chile, such as jalapeno, serrano, or Fresno
• 2 to 3 bushy mint sprigs
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha

Instructions

• Prep the produce: Slice the ginger crosswise into 4 or 5 coins, then smack with the flat side of a knife. Set aside. With the green onions, cut the hollow green parts into thin rounds to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Cut the leftover solid sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.
• Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the cilantro to yield 2 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining cilantro sprigs aside.
• Cook the soup: In a 3 to 4-quart (3 to 4L) pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds until aromatic. Slide the pot to cool burner or turn off the heat. Wait 15 seconds or so before pouring in all the broth. Add 2 cups (480ml) of water along with the cilantro sprigs, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.
• While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for 10 to 20 minutes, until pliable and opaque. Drain well, rinse to remove excess starch, and set aside.
• About 5 to 10 minutes into the simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through; it should yield slightly when pressed. Transfer to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Set aside to cool, then cut or hand-shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.
• Strain and season: When the broth is done, strain it through a fine mesh strainer (line it with muslin for super clear results) into a 2-quart (2L) pot. Discard the solids. You should have about 4 cups (1Ll). Add fish sauce to create a strong savory note. Season with sugar by the ¼ teaspoon to round out flavors.
• Assemble and serve: Bring the broth to boil. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer and dunk into the hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Wiggle with chopsticks to facilitate cooking. Lift from the pot and divide between 2 bowls. Arrange the chicken on top. Add the chopped green onion, cilantro, and sprinkling of black pepper. Re-taste the broth to verify, return it to a boil, and ladle into the bowls. Serve with any extras.

The post Fast Chicken Pho Recipe appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

In his debut cookbook, Down South + East written with Hugh Amano, chef Ron admits that the casserole started out as a mistake. He was trying to make Hainan chicken and rice in the oven. The traditional recipe, called com ga Hai Nam in Vietnamese, is a splendid dish of poached chicken, delicate broth, gingery-garlicky rice plus a bunch of spicy, oniony, zippy sauces. Ron admitted that his initial experiment to tweak the classic resulted in a hodgepodge of flavorless tough chicken and rice. He kept trying and refining his recipe to land on this one, which keeps certain flavors in check, like the garlic, ginger and fatty richness of the chicken.

Cheffy pro tips for good chicken and rice casserole

Chef Ron stuck to some basics but goes rogue by deploying some of his Michelin star-chef methods, honed through decades of professional cooking. Of note, browning and roasting the chicken and then cooking the rice in the oven is not an Asian method for old school Hainan chicken and rice.

Many chefs efficiently cook rice in the oven to evenly cook the grains. It's also hands-off cooking. Aside from the oven cooking, there's mushroom and coconut milk in the mix too plus lemongrass, which are not usually in Hainan chicken and rice. In total, Ron has devised a smart way to build layered flavors with little stress. The result is a delicious casserole that's achievable for many home cooks. Ron says this chicken and rice casserole is now one of his family's favorites! I've made and understand why.

Some recipe pointers

This is a keeper recipe but do keep the following mind when selecting ingredients:

• Why use chicken leg quarters? They ensure you get an equal amount of drumsticks and thighs but if you lean one way or another, go for it. Just make sure you have the total weight amount at the end. Dark meat chicken has more flavor and juiciness than chicken breast.
• How to choose the rice? Jasmine rice cooks up to a chewy fragrance whereas other kinds of long-grain white rice may not. Jazzmen is a domestic version of jasmine rice grown in Louisiana; I've used Jazzmen instead of jasmine so you can too!
• How to prep the mushroom? Cut them thick so they'll withstand the cooking well. I cut through the cap and stem to keep them intact. If you don't want to eat the shiitake stems then discard them. Fresh shiitake stems are totally edible.
• Can I use black pepper instead of white pepper? Yes, but the flavor tends to be hotter. Whichever pepper you choose, used freshly ground pepper. It will have fresher flavor.
• What's the difference between chicken stock and broth? Stock means it's more all purpose whereas a broth is more dish specific. But, people use the terms interchangeably. Use Swanson brand if you don't have home made around.
• What does the lemongrass do? During roasting the lemongrass imparts aroma. I did not detect much flavor when eating the rice. In other words, you could skip the lemongrass, if you want. But stick to Ron's recipe for your first time out to get how his chef brain works.

Why this recipe is a keeper

Ron's approach to building flavor work to infuse the rice with aroma, umami and chicken-y goodness. While the casserole bakes, make a salad or throw some lightly oiled asparagus onto a sheet pan to roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. You'll be sitting down to dinner in about 45 minutes. Down South + East: A Chinese American Cookbook is full of solid recipes to learn from as you cook up one good dish after another.

The post Chinese American Roast Chicken and Rice Casserole appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

The Ninja Combi has thirteen functions total. For this recipes, I wanted to know more about the "Sear / Saute" and something called "Combi Crisp". Does the oven act like a stovetop and how does it make food crispy? Could I adapt Ron's recipe to test drive those Ninja Combi functions? What would happen?

What I experienced was surprisingly delicious with the added bonus of a gorgeous, delectable rice crust. The photo below does not do the rice justice. I've never had a rice crust develop so evenly and up the side of a pan like this. A number of things factored into getting that crust -- the rice and the fat, but it's the Ninja Combi that made the difference. I never thought an appliance could make such a difference.

In this post, I'll share with you what I did to adapt a conventional recipe for cooking in the Ninja Combi™ steam oven. There's also a video of the cooking process. This small countertop steam oven is a mighty but slightly quirky machine. Borrow my tips here for other rice dishes!

How to adapt recipes for the Ninja Combi

What I learned while experimenting with this recipe for the Ninja Combi:

• Capacity: The Ninja Combi has a capacity to make food for two (2) very hungry people or four (4) moderate eaters. If your recipe serves 4 to 6, scale things down to not overwhelm the machine and ensure things cook well. Ron's original recipe made enough for 4 to 6 with four medium chicken leg quarters (2 ½ pounds total). I bought two large chicken leg quarters weighing 1 ¾ pounds total, guessing that they would fit nicely in the cooker pan. By weight, I scaled the original recipe back by one third (30 percent).
• Organize ingredients: Prep ingredients to smoothly flow through the cooking process. You want to use the machine's heat and momentum to reduce wait time for the oven to heat up. You also want to focus on programing the machine, which can be confusing with all settings involved. Also, leave energy to monitor cooking and finessing cooking settings to get the Ninja Combi to do what you want it to. The last thing you need is to be whacking on a lemongrass stalk. Once you get everything in the pan (on the right) and in the oven, then have a glass of wine!

• Make ahead: The Ninja Combi has a "keep warm" function but you don't need to use it to keep something hot. This steam oven stays warm for a long time. You can just turn the heat off. However, the heat plate stays hot for a long time so for this recipe, you may burn the rice. It's better to pull the cooker pan from the oven and let it sit out, covered, to avoid drying. About 15 minutes before serving reheat the casserole in the combi.
• Check the grains for crispiness: Look at the perimeter of the pan for golden brown, crispy grains. Use a wood or silicone spatula to look. If it's not to your liking, heat some more in the Ninja Comb. Remember that the bottom will brown faster than the walls of the pan. The rice will remain crisp for a good 30 minutes!

I was jotting down notes as I used the Ninja Combi so I could write this recipe for you! We had to hold off on eating all of the casserole. Enjoy it and and please report your results and tweaks. More pointers for cooking rice are in this rice-y newsletter dispatch.

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Ninja Combi Roast Chicken and Crispy Rice Casserole

Here's my adaptation of chef Ron Hsu's chicken and rice casserole recipe that was originally prepared on the stovetop and in the oven. Cooking in the Ninja Combi yields a super tasty casserole that also comes with a crispy rice crust to boot! Use fresh shiitake mushroom with big, thick caps if you want them to stand out. Otherwise choose large cremini (aka baby bella) mushrooms.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian American

Keyword chicken and rice casserole, ninja combi, ninja combi oven

Equipment

• Ninja Combi Oven

Ingredients

• 2 large (1 ¾ pounds | 780g) chicken leg quarters, split into drumsticks and thighs
• Fine sea salt
• Ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ½ cup | 60g finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (1 tablespoon)
• 1 packed tablespoon minced peeled ginger
• 4 ounces | 140g big cremini mushrooms, cut into ½-inch (1.25cm) thick pieces
• 2 cups | 380g raw jasmine rice, rinsed and drained well
• 1 can (14.5 oz | 411ml) chicken broth, preferably Swanson
• ¾ cup | 180ml coconut milk
• 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, split lengthwise, and crushed with the side of a knife or meat mallet
• 3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion, green parts only
• ½ lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Instructions

• Season, sear, and roast the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and white pepper, lifting the skin to get some underneath to flavor well.
• Using the Air Fry/Stovetop mode, set the oven to SEAR / SAUTE at medium heat (default). When hot, add the oil to the deep Combi cooker pan. Add the chicken, skin side down. Let let sear 3 minutes, undisturbed, until pale gold. Stop the Ninja Combi and leave the pan in the oven.
• Set the oven to BAKE at 390F (default temp). Roast the chicken until golden brown, 5 minutes, then flip the chicken and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Stop the Ninja Combi. Transfer the chicken to a plate or small baking sheet. Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil and fat in the pan.
• Saute the aromatics: Set the Combi to SEAR / SAUTE on medium heat (default level). Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, translucent but not brown, about 4 minutes.
• Increase the SEAR / SAUTE temp to High, then add the mushrooms and continue to saute, stirring often, until soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stop the Ninja Combi.
• Pour in the broth and coconut milk, then taste and season with salt and white pepper to finish bold. Add the rice, stir to combine the level out. Arrange the chicken on top and add any cooking juices. Add the lemongrass pressing it down slightly into the rice. Return the pan the oven.
• Combi Crisp the casserole: Switch to COMBI COOKER mode and set to COMBI CRISP at 390F (the default level). Let cook 15 minutes, pausing midway to open the door and cover with the Ninja Combi lid.
• When done cooking, remove the pan from the oven and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes to finish cooking the rice grains. For a crisp bottom, set the oven to Combi Crisp at 350F and let cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the rice grains at the edge are richly golden brown.
• Rest and serve: Cool briefly then shower the pan with cilantro and green onion. Serve from the pan with wedges of lime, if you like. The aromatic lemongrass is inedible.

The post Ninja Combi Roast Chicken and Crispy Rice Casserole appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

In this article, I'll share my easy-to-remember rice cooking recipe and rice troubleshooting tips. I will also bust some rice cooking myths to help you confidently cook a pot of rice in practically any situation.

My 10-10-10 perfect rice cooking method

Boiling and draining rice like pasta rids the grains of too much of the sweet starches that define their comforting texture and flavor. I prefer an approach that involves a heavy pan and a gradual lowering of the heat in three (3) ten-minute increments. That's why I call it the "10-10-10" method. It works when you scale up the amount so long as you use a bigger pot.

Jasmine rice and pan selection tips

My default rice for everyday eating is white or brown jasmine rice grown in Thailand. I love with all kinds of foods, from Vietnamese restaurant-style grilled lemongrass pork and Cantonese char siu skewers to Sichuan mapo tofu and Burmese egg and okra curry. Well-prepared rice is a MVP in the kitchen.

Most people cook white jasmine rice so the recipe below is for white jasmine rice. Regardless, whether polished or whole grain, Thai-grown jasmine rice grains are uniform in shape, texture and taste. Stateside grown jasmine rice is not as aromatic or flavorful but you may opt for Lundberg or Jazzmen, if you like. When my family first came to America, we cooked Texas long-grain rice!

As for the pan, use a heavy pot with a lid that will sit tightly on top. You want good heat circulation to cook the grains evenly. My go-to pans include an 1 ½-quart saucepan, 2-quart small soup pot, and a 2 ½-quaet brasier pan.

Rice cooking myth busting

There's a lot of fear about cooking rice because there are too many "rules" about it. I break many rules to making perfect rice.

• Rice myth 1: Wash rice until the water runs clear. The water never runs clear when you're cooking Jasmine rice. I wash the grains about three times to remove surface starch and yield better flavor. Draining the rice in a mesh strainer ensures more removal of starch, if that's your goal!
• Rice myth 2: Measure water by your knuckle. How much water you use depends on your pot, the amount of rice being cooked, and your taste. Measure water with a measuring cup and cook the rice in the same pot. Over time, you'll be able to eyeball the rice.
• Rice myth 3: Don't lift the lid before the rice is done. You can lift the lid when the rice is cooked in a solid, heavy pot. In the olden days when rice was cooked in clay pots and using rice straw, the heat was harder to control. Modern pots make it easier so go ahead and lift the lid! You will not ruin the rice.

Only ½ a knuckle's worth of water!

Go ahead and lift the lid!

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Jasmine Rice, the 10-10-10 method

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Keyword jasmine rice

Servings 2 or 3 people

Ingredients

• 1 cup | 190g white jasmine rice or similar type of long-grain rice
• 1 ¼ cups | 300ml water

Instructions

• Wash the rice: Put the rice in a small (1 ½ to 2-quart | 1.5 to 2L) heavy pot and add water to cover by about 1 inch (2.5cm). Vigorously stir with your fingers to loosen surface starch then pour off the water (I save it to water our garden). Repeat two or three times, or until the water is nearly clear -- it will never be crystal clear. Dump the rice into a mesh strainer, shake to expel excess water, and return the rice to the pan.
• Cook for 10: Add the 1 ¼ cups (300ml) water to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring now and then with a silicone spatula or chopsticks to prevent clumping. Lower the heat slightly to maintain a brisk simmer for 1 to 3 minutes, stirring often to scrape bottom and circulate the grains, until glossy on top. (It's normal for a few craters to form.) Decrease the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Rest for 10, fluff, rest for 10: Turn off the heat. Leave the rice to gently cook on the burner's residual heat or 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with chopstick, a fork, or spatula to circulate the grains. Re-cover and let rest again for 10 minutes to firm up the grains and finish cooking. Keep covered and cozy warm for up to 30 minutes. Re-fluff before serving.

Notes

Making rice for fried rice: When specifically making rice for fried rice, turn the cooked rice onto a rimmed baking sheet, spreading it out to allow the grains to dry quickly so they will fry up nicely. Let cool completely, uncovered, 1 to 2 hours at room temp (or freeze for about 20 minutes), before frying. Or, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Jasmine rice storage: Refrigerate leftover rice for up to 5 days, or freeze for a good month and thaw to eat. To reheat, sprinkle the rice with a little water, cover with a microwave splatter guard (or loosely cover with a silicone lid or parchment or wax paper), then microwave on high at 30 to 60 second blasts. If the grains compress, let briefly cool and fluff to serve. Always re-fluff before serving!

The post Perfect Jasmine Rice, the 10-10-10 Method appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

The greens are cooked to a crisp very quickly and you may be skeptical as to how that happens successfully. I was too. But the key lies in how Ron cuts the beef and collards to match in size more or less. He also marinates the beef in an aggressive mixture of seasonings to amp up the beefy flavor to stand up to that of the collards. Just like with his chicken and rice casserole, which I've made here (original) and here (Ninja Combi oven), his seasonings are well balanced and bold.

Building flavor notes for collards

You'll see a hefty amount of cumin in the beef marinade. Then there's lots of garlic and ginger. If fermented black beans are handy, use them too. I didn't because I wanted the spices and aromatics to pop more. The beef needs all of that to match the flavor and texture of the collards. Don't be put off. Go for it. You can tweak this recipe too by adding veggies. There's plenty of fire from black pepper so there's no need for chile heat, unless you want it!

Meaty tips

Many people stir-fry with beef flank but I prefer top sirloin cap (picanha) or flap (bavette). The cap works well here because it's easy to cut as thickish square pieces for this stir-fry. The velveting marinade has baking soda to tenderize the beef. Everything will seem dry when you mix them together. However, once cooked, the beef does not dry out and in fact, cooks up like tiny little steaks. Remember to use your hands to massage the seasonings into the beef. That ensures every piece is well coated.

Collard greens pointers

Most people are used to cooking collard greens for a long time until they are super tender. Here, the hearty leafy green is cooked to a crisp brightness. But you don't want to be chewing too much on their earthy flavor. What is the work around?

• Choose tender young collard greens whose leafy parts feel soft and pliable. Typically, the leafy part is about a handspan long and wide. Anything too much bigger is mature and tough.
• Smartly prep collards so they stir-fry up quickly. To cut the collards for stir-frying, (1) first trim off the center rib that extends beyond the leafy part. Then (2) split the leaf right down the middle to halve the tough center rib. This ensures that you don't have too much toughness in certain pieces. Splitting the leaf is key.

• Cut the leaf into strips about 1 to 1 ¼ inches (2.5 to 3cm) wide. Then stack them in piles and cut crosswise into squarish shapes. Put all the collards into a bowl or onto your serving plate so you can dump them into the pan at the right moment.

Ideas to play with

Play around by adding extra vegetables to this stir-fry. You'll add flavor, texture and color, depending on what veggie you choose. For instance, I added asparagus cut as 1 ½ inches long (3.75cm) pieces. Or, opt for thinly sliced carrot cut on the diagonal about ⅛ inch (3mm) thick. Fresh mushrooms (any kind) that are sliced or torn as bite-size pieces would work too. Sliced mini sweet pepper will impart vibrant color. Add only 1 handful along with the collards to the pan. If you use more, you'll throw off the flavor balance of the stir-fry.

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Stir-Fried Beef and Collard Greens

Punchy with spices and aromatics, this stir-fry is slightly adapted from the excellent recipe by chef Ronald Hsu in his book, Down South + East (2026, Abrams). His original recipe required fermented black beans. Serve this stir-fry with lots of jasmine rice.

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 8 ounces | 225 g sirloin cap or flank steak, sliced as 1-inch squarish pieces, each about ¼ inch thick

For the sauce

• 3 tablespoons | 45ml chicken broth, bouillon, or stock
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (see Note)

To stir-fry

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon mince, peeled ginger
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed under warm water for 10 seconds (optional)
• ½ cup | 60 g sliced red or yellow onion
• 8 ounces | 225g collard greens, leafy parts cut as 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces (see main post for tips)

Instructions

• Marinate the beef: In a medium bowl, stir together the black pepper, cumin, sugar, salt, cornstarch, baking soda, canola oil, and soy sauce. Add the beef steak, mix well to coat all over, and let the beef marinate and velvet for at least 10 minutes or up to 4 hours (cover and refrigerate if marinating over 1 hour).
• Make the sauce: Combine the broth, cornstarch, rice, vinegar, sesame, oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing in a small bowl. Stir well then set aside.
• Cook the stir-fry: Set a large wok or skillet over medium high heat, and when hot, swirl in the 2 tablespoons oil. When it begins to smoke, add the beef, spreading it out as one layer and let sear for 30 to 45 seconds, before flipping and stir-frying until seared and dark brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Return the pan to medium-high heat. When it is smoking again, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry constantly to infuse them into the oil until they are lightly brown, about 10 seconds, taking care to not burn them. Add the fermented black beans (if using) to the pan and stir-fry for about another 5 seconds, until aromatic. Add the onions and cook for another 30 seconds, or until beginning to soften, then return the beef to the pan, stirring often to heat through, 30 seconds.
• Add the collard greens, swiftly stir-fry until hot and glistening, 1 minute. Stir the sauce and pour into the pan; bring the sauce up to a simmer and cook until thickened, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste and adjust flavor using with salt and black pepper, then serve immediately.

Notes

If you need and assist, check out the Shaoxing rice wine buying guide.

The post Stir-Fried Beef and Collard Greens appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

For my newsletter, Pass the Fish Sauce, I recently did a livestream to provide a "Fish Sauce 101" to curious cooks, eaters, and readers. As a follow-up, I'm sharing the video plus detailed information so you can understand what fish sauce is and how to make the best choices for your cooking.

Watch my Fish Sauce 101

We covered a lot of fish sauce territory in the 30-minute video, including the basics about what fish sauce is and where it comes from. When watching the video, look for content to cover these topics:

• Fish sauce ingredients
• How to choose fish sauce for your cooking needs
• Difference in major kinds of fish sauce
• Differences in major brands of fish sauce (3 Crabs vs. Red Boat vs. Megachef, for instance)
• How to decode the "N" on fish sauce labels
• Uncommon fish sauce (it's made in many places!)

What is fish sauce?

To recap, fish sauce is the liquid result of salting and fermenting fish - an ancient and practical way of preserving seasonally abundant supplies of protein. Fresh seafood is packed in layers of salt in large earthenware jugs, wood casks, or concrete vats. To keep the fish from floating up as their juices are drawn out during the fermentation process, bamboo racks and rocks are used to weigh the fish down.

Left in a hot, sunny place for months or even more than a year, the fish breaks down and turns into liquid. High in B vitamins, amino acids and protein, the fluid is removed via a spigot at the bottom of the salting container, or by siphoning. In Vietnamese, this first extraction is called nước mắm cốt (or nước mắm nhĩ) and is the most prized. Slightly oily, richly flavored, and deeply hued, it was traditionally reserved for dipping sauces and special occasions. To get more use from the same fish, salted water may be added, and after a shorter fermentation period, a lesser-quality condiment is rendered for everyday eating and cooking.

Is fish sauce actually made out of fish?

Yes and no. Fish -- anchovies, in particular, are usually employed. But as you see in the video and in the photo below, fish sauce can be made of different kinds of seafood. I would have never thought of salmon, herring, fresh water or even eel could be used for fish sauce but they can.

Through the autolytic and aging process, fish sauce develops a deep umami from a healthy amount of glutamates. That's why it tastes so good!

The fish sauces I tasted in the video included ones by Noumami (Norwegian), Hoang Gia and Red Boat (Vietnam), and Leang Leng (Cambodia). Look for them online and at Vietnamese and Cambodian markets.

You may more questions so keep scrolling. I may answer them below!

What is fish sauce made of?

At its most basic, fish sauce is made from seafood and salt plus time for the autolytic process to happen. It sounds gross but the fish digests itself to turn into an amino acid-rich liquid that tastes divine. Fish sauce producers blend fish sauce like wine. Sugar, water, and flavor enhancers like MSG and hydrolyzed wheat extract may be added to finesse the flavor. A preservative may be listed to keep the condiment stable at room temperature.

Can you make fish sauce from scratch?

Old school cooks like my grandmother made fish sauce on an annual basis. Some people do in Vietnam but in the main, people buy it. It requires time, good seafood, and the right climate. My friends on Phu Quoc and Son islands say that their locations in the Gulf of Thailand provides them good access to excellent anchovies and sea salt. Moreover, the sea breezes impact the fish sauce too. They use barrels made of local wood to prepare artisanal high quality fish sauce. At the price of less than $10 USD, that's quite a bargain!

Is fish sauce a Vietnamese thing?

The amber condiment is the most important condiment used in the Vietnamese kitchen for savory foods. Fish sauce is to Vietnamese people like soy sauce is to Chinese people. It's part of our cuisine and culture. There's even a fish sauce museum in Phan Thiet, Vietnam.

Fish sauce contains a lot of protein and has been known to be a good energy booster too. For instance, deep sea divers who go underwater without oxygen tanks are known to take a swig of fish sauce before they dive in. One fish sauce maker told me that her grandpa kept aged fish sauce to offer as a remedy for certain illnesses. And, excellent fish sauce makes a good gift, as well.

Which brand of fish sauce is best?

Choosing fish sauce really depends on how and what you like to cook. In general, I avoid fish sauce sold in plastic bottles because they tend to not be of good quality. I recipe develop with four brands.

• Three Crabs and Megachef (blue label is Viet-style and brown label is Thai-style) are terrific for everyday cooking and dipping sauces. They have sugar and other ingredients aside from fish and salt so they tend to be friendlier and easier to use.
• Son fish sauce or Red Boat fish sauce; they only contain fish and salt. Red Boat has a more neutral flavor than other brands so it is good for cooks who like to use fish sauce in lots of western dishes as well as Asian dishes.
• If you not shop at Asian markets, look in the Asian aisle of your supermarket. Use my guide to supermarket fish sauces as your shopping buddy.

Where should I buy fish sauce?

I typically shop at Asian markets. The best selection is at Southeast Asian markets. That said, Son is carried at 99 Ranch but not always at Viet markets. Red Boat is widely distributed, but Megachef and Three Crabs are Asian market finds. Order online and you will pay more but that's the price of convenience. I have ordered a hard-to-find 5-liter jug of Son from Amazon and it arrived safely, without a leak.

Will fish sauce go bad?

Not if it is left at a cool room temperature in a dark spot. Fish sauce can age well if it is premium fish sauce. If your fish sauce does not have preservatives, then keep it refrigerated. If crystals form, that's just salt and is not a sign of spoilage. There's a lot of salt in fish sauce to keep it good for a long time. Always close the lid well to prevent it from dehydrating. Check here for my fish sauce storage tips.

How to use fish sauce well

Many recipes call for using a lot of fish sauce but that lead to too fish sauce-y of a flavor in food.

• Phase in fish sauce. Fish sauce (nuoc mam in Vietnamese, nam pla in Thai, patis in Tagalog) varies in flavor. Some are salty while others are sweet. Some are bold and others are light. Use a little at a time when starting out with a brand you're unfamiliar with. You'll then know how the fish sauce impacts your food.
• Use fish sauce with salt. Hedge the power of fish sauce by combining it with salt. I do that in noodle soups like chicken pho and beef pho.
• When adding fish sauce to broth, set aside some to add at the end of cooking to finesse flavor and allow the umami in fish sauce to express itself well.
• Tinker with fish sauce. First start by making nuoc cham, Vietnam's go-to dipping sauce. My nuoc cham recipe is built for experimentation and for you to master the sauce. Then play with it. For instance, substitute fish sauce instead of anchovies in Mediterranean recipes. Start with my lazy day Caesar salad recipe. Sprinkle a few drops on sliced tomatoes that taste a bit meh. Add a bit to guacamole or salsa.

Can I skip fish sauce in recipes?

Absolutely no. When fish sauce is in a recipe, it serves a key purpose. It plays a pivotal role in the flavor and outcome of the dish because it's the source of umami and salinity. Use one of my substitutions below. If you skip fish sauce, your dish will not turn out well.

Fish sauce substitutes

Everyone needs substitutes so here are mine for your considerations:

• You cannot eat seafood or are vegetarian or vegan? Buy a vegetarian fish sauce or make one. Here's my buying guide for vegetarian fish sauce plus a basic recipe. I have an excellent vegetarian/vegan fish sauce recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese.
• Can soy sauce be used instead of fish sauce in recipes? Be careful. Don't use a 1:1 swap of because your food may taste to soy sauce-y, be too dark in color, or not be as salty.

Emergency fast 'faux' fish sauce recipe

Use this only when you have bare bones ingredients and are in a major pinch. Combine 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon agave syrup, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and ¼ cup water. Stir to dissolve the salt. You'll have a good ¼ cup.

If you have other fish sauce questions, ask away and I hopefully will be able to respond!

The post Fish Sauce: What is it? Plus, how to buy, store, use, and sub for it appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.