I thought I would add a recipe I got from a Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An. It is very easy and quick to make, and tastes great.
Oil
2 Lebanese Egg plant, sliced
Handful or two mushrooms, sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered
500g chicken, sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, white section finely chopped, stalk reserved
Chillies, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh basil, coriander and scallions, to garnish.
1. Heat a small amount of oil in pot, lightly brown chicken in batches on a high heat. Set aside.
2. Add a little more oil and lightly fry garlic, chilli and chopped lemongrass until fragrant.
3. Add egg plant, mushrooms, tomatoes and green lemongrass stalks, and approx ½ cup water. Cook till vegetables begin to soften.
4. Add fish sauce, turmeric, sugar, pepper and chicken. Cook for around 10 minutes.
5. Garnish with torn basil and coriander, and chopped scallion
6. Serve with rice or crusty bread.
Notes:
This dish goes well with any meat and many vegetables, so the chicken, eggplant and mushrooms are all interchangeable with things like carrots, pumpkin, tofu, beef, seafood etc. I'm thinking of trying it with prawns next.
Shiitake mushrooms are excellent if you can find/afford them.
When slicing lemongrass, use only the white and purple sections at the bottom of the stalk. The green section can be added for cooking and then later removed, as you would for bay leaves or cinnamon sticks.
Fish sauce is a very dark, pungent liquid made from fermented fish and salt, so add sparingly until you know the flavour. It tastes much better than it smells though, so don’t be put off.
| It doesn’t have to be fun to be rewarding - Jessie Israel |
