Our lazy day began with sleeping in, asking our Butler to start up our fireplace (because he kept asking what he could do for us and this was the only thing we came up with), and eating breakfast in the Evason Ana Mandara main dining room. We had Pho, lemon crepes and fresh fruit.
Pho (pronounced Fuh) is a Vietnamese staple for all their meals.It's served hot. Great on cold days. And, an even better alternative to chicken soup when you're sick. If you're feeling a little bit brave and have a day to kill, try this great Pho receipt. It's a combination of a cooking classes recipe (Eric and I took together) and Martha Stewart's recipe.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the stock
8 whole star anise
1 whole cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 piece (4 inches) peeled fresh ginger
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut in quarters
4 pounds oxtail, or Knuckle bones, beef marrow or beef shank, rinsed thoroughly
6 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces, plus 4 thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
salt (to taste)
For the soup
1 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces eye of round or sirloin of beef, sliced thin
8 ounces thin dried rices stick noodles
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
fish sauce (to taste)
For the garnish
3/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup saw leaf
10 springs Asian basil
6 Thai bird chilies, or 1 serrano chili or 1 jalapeno chili
2 lime, quartered
Directions
1. Make stock: Heat star anise, cinnamon, and cloves in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quart stockpot.
2. Preheat broiler. Broil ginger and onions, flipping once, until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to pot. Add oxtail, 2-inch scallion pieces, peppercorns, and sugar. Add 5 quarts water; bring to a boil. Skim foam. Add salt. Reduce heat. Simmer, for at least hours.
3. Pour stock through a large sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Let cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, 6 hours or overnight.
4. Make soup: Chill beef in freezer until firm, about 2 hours. Cover noodles with cold water. Let stand until noodles are softened, about 30 minutes; drain.
5. Cut beef in half. Place each half flat side down, and cut beef against the grain as thinly as possible. Allow beef to warm to room temperature.
6. Skim fat from stock; discard. Transfer stock to a pot; add shallots and fish sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until shallots are soft, about 15 minutes.
7. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until just tender, about 10 seconds; drain.
8. Divide noodles, beef, and sprouts among 4 bowls. Add simmering stock (it will cook beef gently). Garnishes with herbs and chilies. Serve.
Or, go to any local Vietnamese restaurant and order a bowl instead. I can guarantee they will have Pho on the menu and it will be cheaper than making it yourself. And probably just as good. But watch out for the cups of MSG some of the restaurants dump in. Eric constantly warns me of this. He has a supersensitive head and can detect MSG in his food within minutes after imbibing it because he gets a headache.
On a side note: to all those who want to start to cook Vietnamese, this is the cookbook I recommend.
Eric and his Dad, David, golfed eighteen rounds at the Dalat Palace Golf Club which was established in 1922. They got the royal treatment, each having his own caddy to carry clubs. Eric asked to have the same caddy he had the last time he was golfing in Dalat. Her name was Anh. She was quite a memorable characters. They had a great time.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the stock
8 whole star anise
1 whole cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 piece (4 inches) peeled fresh ginger
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut in quarters
4 pounds oxtail, or Knuckle bones, beef marrow or beef shank, rinsed thoroughly
6 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces, plus 4 thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
salt (to taste)
For the soup
1 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces eye of round or sirloin of beef, sliced thin
8 ounces thin dried rices stick noodles
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
fish sauce (to taste)
For the garnish
3/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup saw leaf
10 springs Asian basil
6 Thai bird chilies, or 1 serrano chili or 1 jalapeno chili
2 lime, quartered
Directions
1. Make stock: Heat star anise, cinnamon, and cloves in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quart stockpot.
2. Preheat broiler. Broil ginger and onions, flipping once, until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to pot. Add oxtail, 2-inch scallion pieces, peppercorns, and sugar. Add 5 quarts water; bring to a boil. Skim foam. Add salt. Reduce heat. Simmer, for at least hours.
3. Pour stock through a large sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Let cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, 6 hours or overnight.
4. Make soup: Chill beef in freezer until firm, about 2 hours. Cover noodles with cold water. Let stand until noodles are softened, about 30 minutes; drain.
5. Cut beef in half. Place each half flat side down, and cut beef against the grain as thinly as possible. Allow beef to warm to room temperature.
6. Skim fat from stock; discard. Transfer stock to a pot; add shallots and fish sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until shallots are soft, about 15 minutes.
7. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until just tender, about 10 seconds; drain.
8. Divide noodles, beef, and sprouts among 4 bowls. Add simmering stock (it will cook beef gently). Garnishes with herbs and chilies. Serve.
Or, go to any local Vietnamese restaurant and order a bowl instead. I can guarantee they will have Pho on the menu and it will be cheaper than making it yourself. And probably just as good. But watch out for the cups of MSG some of the restaurants dump in. Eric constantly warns me of this. He has a supersensitive head and can detect MSG in his food within minutes after imbibing it because he gets a headache.
On a side note: to all those who want to start to cook Vietnamese, this is the cookbook I recommend.
Eric and his Dad, David, golfed eighteen rounds at the Dalat Palace Golf Club which was established in 1922. They got the royal treatment, each having his own caddy to carry clubs. Eric asked to have the same caddy he had the last time he was golfing in Dalat. Her name was Anh. She was quite a memorable characters. They had a great time.
The Dalat Palace Golf Course. Beautiful.Meanwhile, my mother in-law, Jane and I went to the Six Sense Spa for a massage. And it was heavenly. All six of my senses were officially relaxed! Later in the afternoon we went out on the town, checked out shops and ate at a local cafe. We came home to snuggle by the fire with some hot drinks. This was a good day.
1 comments:
so if we come to Hawaii next year will you make us some of this yummy food? Hows life?
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