O-tanjobi

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Tomorrow is my birthday. "How old?" you wonder. Well...haven't you heard? A lady never tells...and a gentleman never asks.

I have always regarded my birthday as a kind of personal New Year. A time for resolutions and new beginnings. And in honor of the occasion, I have dedicated a Daruma doll to the coming year. For those of you who don't know the story or significance of the Daruma doll, here is a little explanation.

Daruma dolls are traditional symbols of determination and accomplishment in Japan. An interesting legend and significance is associated with these ubiquitous bright red dolls. The spherical papier mache figures are hand-painted in red and gold, and represent a Buddhist monk who, according to legend, sat in meditation for seven years, until his arms and legs atrophied. It is even said that he cut off his own eyelids so that he could stay awake during meditation, which is why Daruma dolls have no arms, legs or eyes. Today, Daruma dolls are a symbol of resolution and dedication to a task. When committing oneself to an important goal, the left eye of the doll is painted in, and once the goal is accomplished, the right eye is added to symbolize success.

And much like birthday wishes...I never tell my Daruma resolutions until they are a fait accompli.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

11:25 PM PDT Permalink |

Can We Have a Big Ol' Taiko Drum Roll Please...

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Many moons ago, in a neighborhood not so far away, I started reseearch on two books, one on Japanese food, and the other a directory of American boarding schools that accept international students. Since that day, I have celebrated the winter holidays, moved all my belongings to a new residence and set up some semblance of orderly housekeeping, took a two-week vacation to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Yosemite, planted a back-yard garden, made eight Asian dinners to accompany my monthly Dinner & a Movie project, and saw my son Will's school year through to the end, including two chorale concerts, six performances of As You Like It, and a bridge made entirely of spaghetti.

And at long last, I am proud, relieved and ecstatic to say that my two books are finally finished....Just in time for my birthday on Wednesday.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

02:19 PM PDT Permalink |

How the Appetizers Turned Out. and ... A Welcome Respite from the Kitchen

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Last night's Indochine Vietnamese appetizers were a delight. I filled the Summer Rolls with crab, shrimp, julienned cucumber, shredded carrot and delicate baby lettuce leaves and served them with nuoc cham, a dipping sauce made with nuoc mam fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chili peppers. The beef skewers were marinatd in soy sauce, sugar and garlic, grilled and served with a dipping sauce of fresh lime juice, sugar and garlic. The meat was tender and juicy and the lime sauce was a novel complement for a hot summer evening.

As a bonus, just to round out the meal, I grilled the leftover shrimp from the summer rolls on skewers and served them with drawn butter. For the vegetable accompaniment, I made a batch of simple salt pickles, with baby carrots, cucumbers and radishes in a sweet rice-wine vinegar dressing. A light and lovely yet simple little meal.

And after many unrelenting days at the keyboard finishing up my two manuscripts, I finally consented to take the day off with Rene for a visit with his cousin Luisa and her husband Jose in Fairfield, about a half-hour's drive east of Napa. When we arrived, we were invited on a tour of her beautiful Mexican-style home, tastefully appointed with terra cotta tile floors, Diego Rivera reproductions and classic portraits of the Madonna. Meanwhile, Jose was hard at work preparing a feast of grilled tequila-marinated prime rib, roasted corn, and a savory medley of mixed potatoes, pearl onions, and button mushrooms...And plenty of cold Corona Cerveza Mas Fina.

Afterwards, we went for a walk down to the lake with their two darling children Paulina and Emmanuel to feed the ducks. It was a lovely and much-needed respite for us both after many weeks of hard work. Thank you Luisa and Jose.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

06:48 PM PDT Permalink |

Of Shopping and Sorting, Horseraces and Hors D'oeuvres...and Shakespeare

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

It was a busy day for me that started with a trip to my favorite Mexican market to buy some limes and a jalapeno pepper for this evening's Indochine Vietnamese appetizers. When I returned, Will and I sorted through all the boxes and files in my home office, some residual work after the move last winter, a task made less onerous while watching the Belmont Stakes. As anticipated, Afleet Alex won the race, revealing Giacomo as the true spoiler for the Triple Crown.

Afterwards, it was time for the appetizer phase of my Indochine dinner, so I made Shrimp and Crab Summer Rolls, Grilled Beef Skewers and Shrimp Brochettes with two different lime dipping sauces. Will and I enjoyed them while watching The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino. Most excellent. Next to Hamlet, it's my favorite Shakespeare play, and the appetizers were equally stellar. More tomorrow on the details of how they turned out.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

02:29 AM PDT Permalink |

Revisiting My Vietnamese Appetizer Recipes

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Tomorrow afternoon, my son Will and I are going to watch the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown horseraces, even though there will be no Triple Crown winner this year, since Giacomo's chances were nixxed by Afleet Alex in the Preakness. But Will and I plan to go the distance and watch it anyway. After that, I'm going to go shopping and make my Vietnamese appetizers, Crab Summer Rolls with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce, Beef skewers with Lime, and Vietnamese salt pickles.

My shopping list is quite short, with only a few fresh vegetables, herbs and seafood on it, so I'm going to shop in the afternoon just before preparing them. The recipes call for rice paper wrappers and bamboo skewers, lots of fresh lime juice, nuoc mam, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, carrots, cucumbers, leafy lettuce, mint, daikon radish, fresh lump crabmeat, and some kind of tender beef. And since it's the weekend and summer vacation too, Will is going to be here to share them with me. Too bad Rene has to work.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

10:14 PM PDT Permalink |

Serving Dishes for My Vietnamese Dinner

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

After more than a year of preparing and presenting Asian dinners, I have several baskets of attractive serving dishes in my cupboard. But with my newly-added photo of the day feature, I still crave more, if for no other reason than the sake of variety. Fortunately I have several good sources for eclectic tableware at our two local kitchen shops, the factory outlets here in town, and several excellent thrift shops. Oddly enough, I don't particularly enjoy shopping, except when it comes to preparing for a special meal. For that I will go the extra mile.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

02:42 PM PDT Permalink |

Special Vietnamese Cooking Utensils

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

The menu I have chosen for my 'Indochine' Dinner & a Movie requires no special cooking utensils beyond the basics this time: a wok, a rice cooker, garden-variety pots, pans, utensils and knives. The last time I made Vietnamese food, I bought a little clay pot for the Five-Spice Pork Loin but didn't use it. At the last minute, I changed my mind and wrapped the pork in aluminum foil instead. It turned out so juicy and tender that I have no regrets.

Since then, I've also bought a larger clay pot at a shop in Japantown, but I've yet to use either of them, and nothing on this month's menu calls for one. So I guess I'll have to save them for another meal, and resolve to find a reason to use them at my first opportunity. Now that I've decided it's time to put them to use, no doubt something I see on a shopping trip will inspire me.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

08:37 PM PDT Permalink |

Beverages to Go With My 'Indochine' Vietnamese Dinner

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Tea and coffee are Vietnam's most popular beverages. A special coffee is grown locally in the Vietnamese highlands in the South/Central part of Vietnam. The beans are roasted French style, and a dark coffee is made by dripping, which is usually served with condensed milk. There is no specific brand, but is rather known as "cafe sua" or "coffee with milk" - served hot or over ice cubes.

Another popular beverage is bubble or pearl tea, which originated in Taiwan. Tea is mixed with various fruit juices and large pearls of tapioca are suspended in the beverage.

Vietnam has no domestic spirits per se, such as brandy or whiskey, therefore most alcoholic spirits are imported. However, Vietnam has three domestic beers, Hue, 33, and Saigon Export.

The last time I made Vietnamese food, I served two mildly sweet Napa Valley wines, a reisling and a gewurztraminer. But this time, I think I'm going to go with beer. It's summertime, and the weather is perfect for a nice cold brew. I doubt I'll have much luck finding any of Vietnam's finest in our local markets, so I'll have to settle for the next best thing, perhaps another Asian label like Tsing Tao or San Miguel.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

08:14 PM PDT Permalink |

Deciding on the 'Indochine' Vietnamese Menu

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Last year's Vietnamese menu included Appetizers of Vietnamese Rice Paper Spring Rolls with Shrimp; Lemongrass Broth with Seafood Dumplings; Watercress and Green Papaya Salad with Cellophane Noodles and Hanoi Fried Yellow Fish Nuggets; for the main course, Clay Pot Pork Loin with Papaya, Mint & Green Chili Relish, Stir-Fried Spring Vegetables and Garlic-Ginger Rice; and for dessert, Papaya-Ginger and Mint Tea Sorbet with Ripe Papaya Slices and Fresh Mint Garnish. The menu below is my list of runners-up, a selection of Vietnamese dishes that were tempting, but didn't make the first round, for the simple reason that there are only so many hours in a day, and there's only so much room on the dinner table. Can't wait to try them all.

Appetizers: Seafood Spring Rolls, Beef Skewers with Lime, Vietnamese Pickles
Soup: Chicken with Lemongrass
Salad: Golden Fish Nuggets over Baby Greens with Watercress and Papaya
Main Course: Stuffed Crabs
Side Dishes: Asian Vegetable Medley and Spicy Vietnamese Noodles
Dessert: Creme Caramel with Coconut

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Researching Vietnamese Recipes

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Although it's been a year since I made my first Vietnamese meal, I still remember the experience as if it were yesterday. I also remember all the tempting recipes that didn't make the first cut, so I am looking forward to including them on this month's menu. As always with southeast Asian food, Corinne Trang's Essentials of Asian Cuisine will be an invaluable resource, along with a mosaic of Vietnamese recipes available on the Internet.

Once the research is done, I will synthesize my findings into my own creations, while taking care to maintain the essence of the cuisine. I already have a long list of recipes in mind and will narrow them down to a five-course meal tomorrow. And as much work goes into any elaborate meal in unfamiliar cusine, choosing from among the kaleidoscope of irresistible dishes is always the hardest part.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Stocking a Vietnamese Pantry

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Vietnamese cuisine has one of the most interesting arrays of ingredients of any in the world. They include Nuoc Mam (Asian fish sauce), which is the heart and soul of nearly every Vietnamese dish, as well as Soy Sauce, Rice Paper Wrappers, Chinese 5-Spice Powder, Tamarind Paste, Saw Leaves, Pickled Vegetables, Dried Mushrooms, Rice Noodles, Tofu, Jasmine Rice, Turmeric, Anise, Annatto Seed, Cinnamon, Rice Wine Vinegar, Tapioca, Palm Sugar, Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil.

Fresh ingredients include Lemongrass, Green Papayas, Pineapples, Bananas, Tomatoes, Limes, Ginger Root, Coconuts, Daikon Radishes, Red & Green Bell Peppers, Asian Eggplants, Thai Chili Peppers, Lettuce, Bok Choy, Watercress, Bean Sprouts, Cilantro, Mint, Thai Basil, Scallions, Carrots, Cucumbers, Onions, Shallot, Garlic, Mushrooms, Roasted Peanuts.

All these inspiring ingredients are used to prepare every imaginable cut of pork, beef, and poultry, as well as a bounty of fresh seafoods in seemingly endless ways, each more delicious and exotic than the next.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

06:32 PM PDT Permalink |

About Vietnamese Cuisine

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

A little over a year ago, I made my first foray into Vietnamese cuisine, and in the process, I researched the history and the ingredients involved in the creation of an authentic Vietnamese-style meal. And since the essence of Vietnamese cuisine has not changed since then, here is what I wrote about it the first time around:

Although Vietnamese cuisine is unique, it has evolved over many centuries from Chinese, Indian and French Colonial influences. Vietnam is also distinctly regional, from the cooler northern region, the rich cultural Hue region in the center, and the tropical southern region, each with its own indigenous vegetables, seafood and wildlife, each with its own style and spice. Northern cuisine is lighter and less pungent, the cuisine of the central Hue region, once the site of the ancient capital, is flavorful and elaborate, while the southern region falls under the influence of Chinese cuisine, with more pungent spices and stir-fry techniques. The southern region is also the melting pot of French and Indian influences characterized by curries and European ingredients such as bread, potatoes, asparagus, shallots, and fine herbs.

The quality of Vietnamese cuisine relies mainly on fresh ingredients lightly prepared and beautifully presented. Many classic dishes are simple variations on a couple dozen basic ingredients, including bean sauce, chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce known as nuoc mam, 5-spice powder, ginger, ground chili paste, hoisin sauce, jasmine rice, kafir lime leaves, lemongrass, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, oyster sauce, rice noodles, rice paper and tamarind.

The preparation of Vietnamese cuisine requires remarkably few utensils. Most any Vietnamese meal can be made using only a mortar and pestle, a rice cooker, a wok, a small charcoal stove, a basic set of chef's knives and a large pair of chopsticks. The most common cooking methods are braising, stir-frying, deep frying, steaming and grilling.

With such succulent memories of my 'Scent of Green Papaya' Dinner & a Movie, I can't wait to try it all over again with a different palette of Vietnamese dishes and an evening spent enjoying them while watching Indochine.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

03:58 PM PDT Permalink |

Indochine: About the Film

This Month's Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

A novel variation on the 'Electra Complex' adds an element of tension to Indochine, as Catherine Deneuve in the role of Eliane, an iron-willed rubber plantation heiress and her adopted daughter Camille ply their feminine wiles for the affection of a handsome young officer in colonial Vietnam. The dance scene is not to be missed...

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Welcome to Dinner & a Movie for the Month of June

This month I will be revisiting both the cuisine of Vietnam and the classic French-Vietnamese film Indochine, starring Catherine Deneuve. With the delightful, delicious and unexpected success of my first attempt at Vietnamese cuisine over a year ago, when I chose it as my very first Dinner & a Movie meal for The Scent of Green Papaya, I'm looking forward to trying some different dishes that weren't included on last year's menu. And now that I'm much more familiar with Vietnamese cuisine and am on a more relaxed cooking schedule, no doubt, the results will be even better.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

The chopsticks in today's photo were a gift from my friend and award-winning videographer extraordinaire Alice Jackson, the very first contributor to my 'Call for Chopsticks' campaign. The set was a souvenir from a trip that Alice took with her husband John to the city of Suzhou, China. Thanks again, Alice, especially for parting with such a cherished memento from your travels, and congratulations on your People's Choice 'Napacademy Award'.

12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

'Raise the Red Lantern' Photos & Recipes

This Month's Film: Raise the Red Lantern
Cuisine: Chinese

My 'Raise the Red Lantern' Provinical Chinese Dinner & a Movie is a fait accompli. With this being the first month of my new, more relaxed cooking schedule, it has been a very rewarding and enlightening experience. Instead of going crazy in the kitchen making a dozen dishes in one day, I prepared each one at various times throughout the month, which allowed me to focus on each recipe in much more detail. And the wonderful thing about that is if a dish doesn't turn out perfectly, I have the option of making another attempt the next day without ruining a whole meal. Taking photographs of the finished dishes is also much more relaxed and focused [pun intended], although it does present a daily challenge.

So without further ado...Here is a link to all the Recipes and Photos.

A Call for Chopsticks Click here for details.

04:55 PM PDT Permalink |