What The Food Tonite on Dec 19 2011

Lemon cake

Lemon cake

Christmas is coming to town, and this is the time where people go shopping for gifts & food.  This post brings you a simple recipe of lemon cake, a type of sweet that people would love to eat during this holiday season.  Buying it outside could be another choice, nothing could be more precious than some cake that you’ve made yourself.  So please take a look at this recipe (with visual enhancement) and you can see that making this cake isn’t that really hard…

Ingredients

– 60g unsalted butter

– 100g sugar

– 3 eggs

– 40g cake flour

– 1/3 teaspoon of baking powder

– 1 lemon

– ¾ cup of milk

– Sugar

Instruction

 Step 1: Add butter and sugar in a small bowl and mix well by hand or by small mixer machine.

Add butter and sugar in a small bowl and mix well by hand or by small mixer machine.

Step 2:  Add 3 egg yolks and mix them up until the mixture is smooth.

Add 3 egg yolks

Mix it up until the mixture is smooth.

Step 3:  Add cake flour, baking powder and mix well with the mixture.

Add cake flour, baking powder and mix well with the mixture.

Add cake flour, baking powder and mix well with the mixture.

Step 4:  Take a lemon and get the lime juice.

Rolling a lemon is said to make it juicier 😀

Step 5:  Then, pour slowly the lime juice and milk into the mixture, stir them until all are blended together.

Then, pour slowly the lime juice and milk into the mixture, stir them until all are blended together.

Step 6:  In another bowl, stir egg whites until it is smooth. Add the egg white into the flour mixture and mix well.

In another bowl, stir egg whites until it is smooth

Add the egg white into the flour mixture and mix well.

Step 7:  Pour the mixture into each baking cup, then put them into the oven, bake in 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees C until they have golden brown colors.

Pour the mixture into each baking cup, toven bake in 40 minutes, 180C until golden brown

Step 8:  Take the cakes out of the oven and sprinkle little sugar powder on top. It will be more beautiful and attractive when being decorated with mint leaves or petals.

Sprinkle little sugar powder on top & decorate with mint leaves or petals.

This dessert is perfect in such breezy weather in Saigon.  We hope that you can find a fun & comfortable time making these cakes and your family would appreciate & enjoy them with you.

Happy Holidays!!!

 

 

 

 

 

What The Food Tonite on Dec 15 2011

Stir-fried Beef Vermicelli / Bún Bò Xào

Stir-Fried Beef with Vermicelli  

This Vietnamese course, stir-fried beef with vermicelli, which is usually found in our canteen’s Noodles food court is very easy to make at home.  It may take only 5-15 mins to finish.  Not only that, this food is healthy as you can eat with vegetables (any kind of veggies).  So let take a look of the instruction!!!

Ingredients (serving for 6)

600 g Beef fillet, thinly sliced

1 kg Dried rice vermicelli (or you can buy fresh rice vermicelli in any supermarkets or markets)

100 g Peanuts (groundnuts), roasted and crushed (this one can easily be found in supermarkets or markets)

Mixed fish sauce (please refer to the instruction of homemade fish sauce)

Ingredients for marinade 

2 stalks Lemon grass, bulbous portions only, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon Ground white pepper

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Fish sauce

Chicken seasoning powder

Red chili, finely chopped

Description

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 5 minutes.

Soak rice vermicelli in cold water for 20 minutes then place into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

Stir fried beef in medium flame heat until golden brown.

To serve, divide garnish equally into 6 serving bowls.

Top with rice vermicelli and stir fried beef.

Sprinkle with peanuts and mixed fish sauce.

Toss well before eating.

 

What The Food Tonite on Tuesday, Dec 13 2011

Braised Duck Noodle Soup – Mì Vịt Tiềm

Braised Duck Noodle Soup / Mì Vịt Tiềm

 [English version]

Ingredients

A Siam Duck or just duck thighs

A package of five-spice powder (ngũ vị hương)

2 seeds of star anise (hoa hồi)

Small pieces  of cinnamon (quế)

2 seeds of cardamom (Trái thảo quả)

10 shiitake mushrooms (Chinese black mushroom)

50 g dry daylily (hoa kim châm or hoa hiên)

50 g ginkgo (bạch quả)

50 g Chinese red jujube (Táo tầu đỏ)

50 g Lotus seeds (fresh or dry depending on season)

200 g Noodles

Seasonings: ginger, soy sauce, salt, sugar, oyster sauce, cooking oil, honey

Instruction

– Clean ducks & mix with salt, sugar, little honey, five-spice powder for about 1 hour to absorb the flavor of spices.

– Fry the duck until golden brown outside (not well done)

– Soak mushrooms, take off their feet; soak dry daylily, take pistil; peel ginkgo.

– Put the duck into the pot, pour water just over the duck, add salt, sugar and soy sauce, bring to boil and skim off any scum.

– Roast cardamom, cinnamon and star anise; grill ginger; put all of these in a cloth bag.

– Drop the bag of spices into the pot of duck soup, simmer about 15 minutes.

– Drop Chinese red jujube, mushrooms, lotus seeds, gingko in the duck soup, cook until the duck is soft (about 45 minutes).

– Season again, drop daylily, and turn off the heat.

Serving:
Pour the soup on the noodles, add the bok choy (đu đủ muối chua) and duck on top. 
Serve with pickled papaya and spoon pak choy (cải thìa)

Pickled payaya can be found in Lotte Mart or any other supermarkets

 

It is optional to add spoon pak choy to the bowl

 

[Vietnamese version]

Nguyên liệu:

Vịt Xiêm 1 Con hoặc đùi vịt

Gói ngũ vị hương 1Gói

Cái tai vị (hoa hồi) 2 Cái

Miếng quế nhỏ 1 Miếng

Trái thảo quả 2 Trái

Nấm đông cô 10 Cái

Kim châm khô 50 Gam

Bạch quả 50Gam

Táo tầu đỏ 50 Gam

Hạt sen (tươi hay khô tùy mùa) 50 Gam

Mì sợi 200 Gam

Thêm 1 số gia vị: gừng, xì dầu, muối, đường, dầu hào, dầu ăn, mật ong

Các bước thực hiện

– Vịt làm sạch, uớp với muối, đường, chút mật ong , bột ngũ vị hương khoảng 1 tiếng cho thấm gia vị.

– Đặt chảo lên bếp, cho dầu vào, chiên vịt vàng đều mặt ngoài (không cần chín).

– Nấm đông cô ngâm mềm, cắt chân nấm; kim châm ngâm mềm, lấy nhụy; bạch quả bóc vỏ

– Cho vịt vào nồi, đổ nứơc xâm xấp , nêm muối, đường, xì dầu , nấu sôi, hớt bọt .

– Thảo quả, quế, tai vị rang thơm, gừng nướng vàng , cho tất cả vào một cái túi vải .

– Thả túi gia vị này vào nồi nước tiềm vịt , nấu nhỏ lửa khoảng 15 phút.

– Cho táo tầu, đông cô, hạt sen, bạch quả vào nấu chung cho đến khi vịt mềm (khoảng 45 phút ) .

– Nêm lại gia vị một lần nữa cho vừa ăn, thả kim châm vào nấu sôi, tắt lửa.

– Cho mì vào tô, múc cả nước lẫn thịt và, dọn ăn kèm đu đủ muối chua và nếu thích thêm cải ngọt.