Chả Cá Lã
Cha Ca
Vietnamese

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

For the marinade:
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-inch piece fresh ginger
½ teaspoon lemon juice (a substitute for mẻ unless you can find it at a local Vietnamese grocery store)
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)

For the sauce:
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 Thai chili
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the dish:
1 pound of lingcod, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large bunch of dill, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, sliced into strips
1 bunch of green onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
A handful of peanuts
Thin rice noodles
Fresh vegetables and herbs such as lettuce, Thai basil, cilantro, and radish


Preparation:
To make the marinade: Use a garlic press to mince garlic, shallot, and ginger, or chop everything well by hand. Mix this trio of aromatics with turmeric, lemon juice (or mẻ) and fish sauce to form a paste; add olive oil and stir. Add fish and marinate for at least two hours.

To make the sauce: Use a pestle and mortar to crush garlic and chili together into a paste, or mince well on a chopping board. Add fish sauce and sugar and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Add water and lemon juice. A perfect dipping sauce should be well balanced with savory, sweet, and lightly sour flavors. Set sauce aside.

To assemble the dish: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with. Add onions and dill and sautée for about one minute, until fragrant but not too soft.

Move the onion and dill mixture to the edge of the skillet to form a large well in the middle. If the pan seems dry, add ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Add pieces of fish to the middle of the skillet and let each side crisp up for about 3-4 minutes per side.


Cook rice noodles per package instructions. Assemble plate with noodles and fish topped with onions and dill. Add a ladle of sauce and top with peanuts and fresh herbs.

From: https://explorepartsunknown.com/seattle/recipe-cha-ca-la-vong/

Bún bò xào

Ingredients


-For the dipping sauce:

-4 tablespoons Demerara or granulated light brown sugar

-3 tablespoons rice vinegar

-4 tablespoons lime juice, from 2 large limes

-4 tablespoons best quality fish sauce, such as Red Boat

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 1-inch length ginger, peeled and minced

-1 medium-hot red chile, such as Fresno, chopped

-1 hot red or green bird chile, thinly sliced


-For the stir-fry:

-12 ounces rice vermicelli noodles

-1 pound beef skirt steak or sirloin, in thin 1/4-inch slices

-2 tablespoons best quality fish sauce, such as Red Boat

-1 tablespoon Demerara or granulated light brown sugar

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-3 tablespoons finely chopped lemon grass, tender centers only

-1 head lettuce, such as butter lettuce or Little Gems

-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

-4 scallions, slivered

-1 medium carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)

-1 small cucumber, 3-inch lengths, julienned (about 1 cup)

-1 3-inch length daikon radish, julienned (about 1 cup)

-Mixture of cilantro sprigs, mint leaves, basil leaves and small perilla (shiso) leaves, about 3 cups

-4 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts

-4 tablespoons fried shallots, available in Asian grocery stores

-Small handful bean sprouts or sunflower sprouts (optional)

Preparation

-Step 1: In a small bowl combine sugar, rice vinegar and lime juice and stir to dissolve. Add fish sauce, garlic, ginger, chiles and 1/2 cup water and stir together. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld. (May be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.)

-Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add rice noodles, stir and turn off heat. Let noodles soften (5 to 8 minutes, depending on brand), then drain and rinse with cold water. Leave in colander at room temperature.

-Step 3: Meanwhile, combine beef, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and lemon grass in a bowl. Massage seasoning into beef and let sit for 15 minutes.

-Step 4: Line a serving bowl or four individual large wide soup bowls with a few lettuce leaves and top with noodles.

-Step 5: Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. When wok is nearly smoking, add beef and quickly stir-fry until lightly browned and just cooked, about 2 minutes. Work in batches if necessary so meat browns and doesn’t steam. (If you do not have a wok, you may use a cast iron skillet and work in batches.)

-Step 6: Top noodles with cooked beef, scallions, carrot, cucumber and daikon. Sprinkle with herbs, crushed peanuts and fried shallots (add sprouts if using). Drizzle lightly with dipping sauce and pass remaining sauce at table.

from nytimes via reddit