lindaofthelakes
09-27-2005, 10:18 AM
I happened to eat at the Slanted Door in SF a couple of weeks ago and thought it was FANTASTIC.
I was really pleased when I finally got around to looking at my September Food and Wine and saw a whole feature with recipes from there.
WE had the Eggplant last night (first of several I'll be making from this article) and it was wonderful. (Even DH, an avowed eggplant hater, loved it.) Here's the recipe:
Quick-Braised Eggplant with Coconut Milk and Scallions FAST
MAKE-AHEAD
TOTAL TIME: 25 MIN
SERVES: 6
Phan created this quick wok-braised dish by chance when he ran out of cooking space on his restaurant grill. Adding unsweetened coconut milk (a staple in southern Vietnam) to the eggplant after it's stir-fried keeps the texture silky.
ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds Asian or Italian eggplants (about 4), cut into 3-by-1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake or water
1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred just before using
2 teaspoons Asian chili paste
4 large scallions, white and tender green parts only, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
directions
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or a wok until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry over high heat until the onion is just crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add the eggplant and stir-fry until browned in spots and just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the Chinese cooking wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, water, coconut milk and chili paste. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes longer. Add the scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Serve the eggplant hot.
MAKE AHEAD The eggplant can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving.
SERVE WITH Steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe by Charles Phan
From Vietnam à la Cart
This recipe originally appeared in September, 2005.
Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
FAST
MAKE-AHEAD
TOTAL TIME: 10 MIN
MAKES ABOUT 1 3/4 CUPS
Phan uses this unbelievably simple, three-ingredient sauce in almost every stir-fry. Its key ingredient is a fish sauce that lends a faintly nutty, richly pungent and quintessentially Vietnamese character to the dish.
ingredients
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
directions
In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the fish sauce and sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
MAKE AHEAD The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Recipe by Charles Phan
From Vietnam à la Cart
This recipe originally appeared in September, 2005.
I was really pleased when I finally got around to looking at my September Food and Wine and saw a whole feature with recipes from there.
WE had the Eggplant last night (first of several I'll be making from this article) and it was wonderful. (Even DH, an avowed eggplant hater, loved it.) Here's the recipe:
Quick-Braised Eggplant with Coconut Milk and Scallions FAST
MAKE-AHEAD
TOTAL TIME: 25 MIN
SERVES: 6
Phan created this quick wok-braised dish by chance when he ran out of cooking space on his restaurant grill. Adding unsweetened coconut milk (a staple in southern Vietnam) to the eggplant after it's stir-fried keeps the texture silky.
ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds Asian or Italian eggplants (about 4), cut into 3-by-1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake or water
1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred just before using
2 teaspoons Asian chili paste
4 large scallions, white and tender green parts only, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
directions
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or a wok until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry over high heat until the onion is just crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add the eggplant and stir-fry until browned in spots and just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the Chinese cooking wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, water, coconut milk and chili paste. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes longer. Add the scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Serve the eggplant hot.
MAKE AHEAD The eggplant can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving.
SERVE WITH Steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe by Charles Phan
From Vietnam à la Cart
This recipe originally appeared in September, 2005.
Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
FAST
MAKE-AHEAD
TOTAL TIME: 10 MIN
MAKES ABOUT 1 3/4 CUPS
Phan uses this unbelievably simple, three-ingredient sauce in almost every stir-fry. Its key ingredient is a fish sauce that lends a faintly nutty, richly pungent and quintessentially Vietnamese character to the dish.
ingredients
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
directions
In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the fish sauce and sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
MAKE AHEAD The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Recipe by Charles Phan
From Vietnam à la Cart
This recipe originally appeared in September, 2005.