Vietnamese Coffee Pops

As the heatwave continues here with little signs of rains, I thought its better I post some desserts that i had made earlier. An easy one as well. Vietnamese coffee it seems is made using condensed milk and you pop them in appropriate moulds to get the coffee pops. Best way to enjoy the hot summer. I had bookmarked these pops from David Lebovitz and they were a breeze to make.

Ingredients:

Condensed Milk: 2/3 cup

Prepared Coffee : 2 cups strong espresso /choice of coffee

Preparation:

Prepare coffee using water and the required coffee/espresso granules to get 2 cups strong coffee.As it cools slowly add in the condensed milk and stir well. Do the taste test and add 1-2 tbsp more milk if needed. I didn't do this. 

Pour in the chosen mold and freeze.I have used kulfi molds and even cupcake containers to make mine.

Serve as a delicious dessert.

Yum yum yum. Make it and taste it.

Tomato Two Ways

What do you do when your fridge is full of tomatoes and you are about to go on a holiday?

Well,lets start from the beginning. I love tomatoes and buy them every week from my nearby supermarket.Few weeks ago,I found that the tomatoes there were not so fresh or ripe and you know what,that was the week I had planned to do tomato dishes.Naturally I gave up the idea.Then the next week there was a fresh crop and I purchased double the quantity and this happened twice.Finally,my fridge was full of tomatoes -almost 3kilos! and I was too busy  to make the planned dishes and had also planned a short vacation! But I took time to go through my bookmarked recipes and found a simple and easy solutions- a savoury homemade tomato juice and also sweet Vietnamese Tomato shake.

Homemade Tomato Juice:

This is not just the ordinary juice where you blend tomatoes and serve. This involves cooking tomatoes with onions and spices and celery and as usual blending.I had bookmarked the recipe from Elise's Simply Recipes,but I changed it a bit with the addition of cinnamon and red chillies.

Ingredients:

Dried Red Chillies:1-2 medium size as per taste

Cinnamon:1 big piece or as per taste

Tomatoes: almost 1.5 kilos (5-6 cups coarsely chopped)

Onion: 1 small chopped (around 4-5 tbsp)
Celery: chopped around 1-1.25 cup

Sugar: a pinch
Salt & Pepper :as per taste


Preparation:

Coarsely chop the tomatoes,onions and celery.Heat a heavy bottomed pan.Add dry chillies and cinnamon.As soon as they start roasting,add all other ingredients.Mix well and cook in a medium-low heat for about 25-30 minutes until the mix turns soupy.Cool and then blend removing the cinnamon piece and red chilly. Strain and serve chilled. I did not strain and served at room temp or a bit warm.This gives you about 4 cups .

 I am a sucker for savoury drinks and loved it.Cinnamon and red chilly combine beautifully with tomatoes. Adjust the red chilly with pepper.Apart from this you can also add other spices like and adapt it to your taste.

Vietnamese Tomato Shake (Sinh To Ca Chua):

This is a very simple and sweet tomato juice where tomato is blended with icecubes and sugar.I adapted it from Wandering Chopsticks.I actually got the link to this recipe from SimplyRecipes. I was surprised about the fact that the tomato shake is supposed to be a street food in Vietnam.A simple search also confirmed the fact. The recipe (if I can call it) is toooooo simple.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes: 3-4 medium

Ice Cubes:1/2-1 cup

Sugar: 1-2 tsp or as per taste

Preparation:

Blend all the ingredients together till the ice cubes are crushed.Serve it tangy or sweet adjusting the sugar.

Ripe tomatoes are to be used in this and the juice will be tangy as well as sweet.Add more sugar for sweetness.My family preferred it sweeter with more sugar while I liked mine tangy.

If you are not a tomato lover then you can avoid this.Anyway now,I know what to do when I have extra tomatoes. :). This tomato shake also goes to AWED:Vietnam hosted by Priya, an event by DK. This is first time, I am sending 4 entries to an event and 3 of them are tomato based! 

Che Dau Trang - Vietnamese Beans and Rice Pudding

It seems there are a few puddings (che) in Vietnamese cuisine which can be sered either warm or cold depending on the seasons. These are similar or same as kheer or payasam in India and are equally hearty. I have tried a hearty warm Black eyed peas and  Rice Pudding from Wandering Chopsticks and it turned out to be hearty and perfectly warm for chilly nights. In summer serve this chilled.

Ingredients:

Black Eyed Peas: cooked :1/2 cup
Glutinous Rice: 1 cup (I used Ambeh More Rice)
Water: 2 cups +
Sugar: 1/2 or as per taste
Coconut Milk: 2 cups or more

Preparation:

Presoak and cook the black eyed peas. I normally pressure cook it without soaking and this worked this time as well. Pre soaking redues the cooking time. Wash and keep the rice ready.I used Ambe more or Ambe Mohar Rice which is a variety of glutinous rice available in India. Glutinous rice is also known as sticky rice,waxy rice or sweet rice.

Boil water (2 cups) in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. If your beans is not cooked,add the presoaked beans and cook for about 20 minutes or more till soft.Then Add coconut milk ,rice,sugar,mix well and bring to boil. Reduce and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes or more till the rice gets cooked and a consistency of porridge is reached. .Serve warm in bowls.

The che thickens on sitting and you can see my che has turned thick and very creamy.I prefered it a bit thick but on sitting it turned very thick.It could also be because of the type of rice.You can add more water and coconut milk or even sugar to suit your taste and consistency and heat it through. Whatever it is it was very hearty and perfect.

This also visits AWED: Vietnam at Priyas, an event by DK.

Vietnamese Red Rice - Com Do

This is a simple dish where leftover rice is mixed with tomato paste and soy sauce.I adapted it from Viet World Kitchen. As per the author, the rice is actually a take on the Vietnamese Fried Rice made with red coloured rice mixed with fruit pulp. The modern version, put together by the migrants to US, uses tomato paste and the rice is ready in a jiffy. So we can call it Vietnamese Tomato Rice as well.

Ingredients:
Leftover long grain rice:1 cup+ cooked
Butter: 1 tbsp +
Garlic: 1-2 cloves minced/crushed
Tomato Paste: 1-2 tbsp
Soy Sauce/Nuoc Cham / Maggi Seasoning Sauce: 1 tsp +

Preparation:
 Spread the cooked rice in a baking sheet or flat plate and refrigerate it for 8-24 hours.

 This will remove the moisture from the rice and make it dry and chewy and it may crumble in hands. Make sure to turn the rice or mix in with a spoon to ensure even drying.

Once ready, take the rice out and keep aside till it attains room temp.

Heat butter /oil in a wok/pan. As soon as it melts,add in crushed/minced garlic and stir fry it till raw smell disappears and it starts to brown.Add in rice and stir to combine. Add in tomato paste and stir fry for a 2-3 minutes till the rice gets coated with it and turns red.Stir fry on high heat for 2 more minutes and then add salt and soy sauce/seasoning sauce/nuoc cham and stir fry gently for 2 more minutes.You can also add extra butter for richness.

Remove from heat,adjust salt and serve immediately.

I loved the rice. Too hearty and easy it is. I refrigerated for around 12 hours,but still mine does not look that sry.But it was very chewy and dry.Almost like when we fry rice before cooking. But wonderful -garlicky and tangy. You can add as much tom paste as you like as well.

Another recipe I referenced is Wandering Chopsticks Vietnamese  Tomato Paste Red Rice

This hearty dish also visits AWED:Vietnam at Priyas,an event by DK.

Tomato Stirfried with Onions & Pine nuts

This is a simple yet tasty recipe that I adapted from Vietnamese Recipes. I am not sure whether it is a traditional dish or just a stir frywhich ended being in the site. A google search on the Vietnamese cuisine led me to this recipe. I had previously made poached eggpplant salad from the same site and loved it.If you prefer tasty dishes that come together quickly and with excellent flavours, this one will be my top choice.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 2 big
Onion: prefereably white: 1 small
Spring Onion/Scallion: about 1/4 cup chopped
Pine nuts: 2-3 tbsp toasted

Salt
Sugar
Soy Sauce

Garnish: Cilantro

Preparation:
Cut the tomatoes into wedges,dice onions and chop the scallions. Toast the pine nuts till they start to brown and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok/pan/kadai till smoking hot. Add in the onions and scallions and stir fry for about 30 seconds,just as the raw smell disappears. I added mostly the white part of the scallions and little green parts.

Add in the tomatoes,little salt,pinch of sugar and soy sauce and stir fry continuously for 1-2 minutes.

The tomato skin may start to get wrinkly if you  cook more. The idea is to just make the raw smell of tomato disappear but retain the crunch or bite of the tomato and mix in the flavours together. The tomato should retain its shape and not get mushy or fully cooked.

Serve warm immediately as a side dish or dip or whatever way you like garnishing with cilantro.

You would not get a gravy with dish,just a thin sauce. Also normal soy sauce has both salt and is sweeter. So adjust the sugar and salt. If using light soy,you can add a generous pinch of sugar as light soy sauce is more spicier than the normal.I used normal soy and added a miserly pinch of sugar.

Excellent and quick side dish this is. It took me more time to chop than actual cooking. The dish came togeter under 5 minutes excluding the chopping time.But it was consumed under 10 minutes as well. The above estimate serve just 1 or 2 as a side. I have never stir fried tomatoes before and so kept the quantities minimum.

Another google search led me to an article which said that stir frying tomatoes is typical Vietnamese and well,this is my first entry to AWED:Vietnam,hosted by Priya,an event by DK .


                               

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are appetizers or snacks that are fried or baked and we usually associate them with Chinese.I thought Vietnamese spring rolls were same until I got hold of one packet.These can also be fried but an easier and traditional way is to eat them fresh or blanch/dip them in hot water (not boiling)for a few seconds and then add filling.They are made mostly of tapioca and rice flour -well not the normal rice,but the Vietnamese glutinous rice and other ingredients Anyway a dip in warm water is enough to cook them ,but they have to be handled with care after their dip,as they turn a bit gooey and sticky.As for the filling,authentic rolls contain bean sprouts,meat,cellophane noodles,veggies sauteed in nuom cham sauce and such things.Given below is just my version of Vietnamese Rolls.

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables: 1 cup (I used carrots,beans,cabbage,green bell pepper)

Spices and seasonings as per choice and taste
Ginger
Garlic
Soy sauce
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

First prepare the filling.Finely chop or grate all the veggies.Saute them in oil along with ginger-garlic mince/paste,salt and pepper and soy sauce.I sauteed them till they were cooked but still crunchy.You can also steam them if you want and your choice of spices and veggies.

Prepare the spring roll wrappers.

Fill a shallow tray big enough to hold the wrappers and fill it with warm water.Place the wrapper in this for a few seconds.As it gets cooked -freshens up- hold it with both hands and carefully put in another plate.As it freshens up - it will turn transparent and sticky/gooey and some uncooked parts will puff above the water.The uncooked part will be bit plasticky and gently put it back in water so that it gets cooked.Another way is to keep the wrapper in a rimless pan (tawa)and gently drizzle warm water from one side of the wrapper to the other and then gently tilt it over the sink once the wrapper is ready so that the excess water is drained off.

OR

Put the filling on the wrapper and roll it upwards in spring roll fashion.Fold the bottom over the filling,fold in the sides and then roll upwards to obtain a neat roll shape.
Now the spring roll is ready to munch on.Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

A look of the filling .....

These are very simple to make -no need to get worried about what I have written regarding their dipping in water.This takes just minutes and is super easy.Moreover the packet of wrappers comes with instructions on how to do it.You can even make spring rolls out of leftover veggies as well.These are best when served warm and /else can also be fried.

Gorging on these spring rolls,lets check out what fellow runners are enjoying:

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani

Poached Eggplant Salad

When DK of CulinaryBazaar announced A.W.E.D-Vietnamese,I was at a loss.I had never ever tried Vietnamese.Eventhough she provided the required links,somehow things did not come together.Whole last week,I was searching and searching for an easy Vietnamese dish but no luck.Two days before, when I was searching for something else,up popped Vietnamese recipes.I was so excited and made one right away from here.It is an eggplant salad and is easy to make and tastes nicely.So here's it.

Ingredients:

Chinese/Japanese/purple Eggplant: 1 big

Dressing:
Sesame Oil: 1 tbsp
Garlic salt: 1/2 tsp or {garlic+salt}
Soy Sauce:1 tsp
Sugar:1/2 tsp
Pepper:1 tsp
White/Rice Vinegar:2 tsp. [I used white]
Salt:as needed

Garnish:
Coriander Leaves/Cilantro: few sprigs

Preparation:

Cut the stems of the eggplant.In a pan boil water,and add the eggplants into it.Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.This process,called poaching,cooks the eggplants and slowly they change the colour and begin to wilt.Remove the eggplant from the pan and drain it.Once cooled ,cut the eggplant into cubes or bite-sized pieces.

In a bowl,mix together all the dressing ingredients except sesame oil.Add in sesame oil using a fork or whisk,so that all the items are well blended.You can use minced garlic and add salt as per taste.I had garlic salt and so used it.

Pour this seasoning over the eggplant and toss to blend.Garnish with cilantro/coriander.Serve with rice/breads as a side salad.

If you are a Chinese food fan,you will enjoy this sweet sour salad as well.I enjoyed it and this salad will be a regular in my table.

A Closer Look..

So this salad goes to DK's A.W.E.D-Vietnamese

And also to EasyCraft's WYF:Salad/Starter/Soup event

Srilekha of Me&My Kitchen has gifted me a Friendship Award.THANKS SRI,True Friendship strenghtens you in times of despair and also brings you down to earth when you begin to fly too high.The award is much appreciated.

I would like to gift this Friendship award to KitchenFlavours, EasyCrafts, Brindavan Recipes and Vegetable Platter. Hope you too enjoy the hot sweet cuppa of friendship!

Update on September 12,2008:This salad also goes to Fresh Produce of the Month:Eggplant hosted by Simona .