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Flavours from Vietnam

From this week, we will feature dishes from the Vietnamese cuisine, which is not alien to Pondicherrians

This month we will be featuring South Vietnamese recipes. Vietnam, like Pondicherry, was a French colony. Many Pondicherrians who headed the list of the "concours colonial' were posted in Vietnam in the 1930s. Vietnam was also the prime destination for many physicians, magistrates, lawyers and teachers.

A few Pondicherrians who married Vietnamese women came back to their hometown after Vietnam came under the Communist rule. Hence, Pondicherrians became quite familiar with Vietnamese cuisine.

The mixed noodles vegetable fry is easy to make and the best way to make children eat vegetables, well hidden in the noodles. This dish can be served with pirkangkai mushroom soup.

Mixed noodles vegetable fry

Serve 6

Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Noodles- 300 gm
Prawns - half kg chicken
Carrots - 100 gm, cut fine, lengthwise
Chowchow - 2, cut fine lengthwise
Cauliflower - 1 small, cut the flowerets fine lengthwise
Cabbage - 100 gm, cut fine lengthwise
Celery - 1 small, cut lengthwise
Spring onion - 1 small bunch, cut one inch lengthwise
Onion - 2 big, cut fine
Oil - 3 tbsp
Fish sauce - 1 tbsp *
Soya sauce - half tbsp*
Pepper - half tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, cut fine

Method

Cook the noodles in water, strain when vegetables are half cooked. Set aside

In a big frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté one onion, add all vegetables and the fish sauce. Cover pan and cook till they are crunchy.

In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, sauté remaining onion and add prawns. Half cook and set aside.

In another big frying pan, heat remaining oil. In successive layers, arrange vegetables, prawns, noodles, add soya sauce, fish sauce and pepper. Add coriander leaves and spring onion. Cover pan and cook for five minutes serve very hot with fish sauce. Vegetables should be crunchy.

Pirkangkai mushroom soup

The Vietnamese are fond of soups, which are served at the end of the meal. A Vietnamese soup is light and contains all the nutrients to help digestion. This column will feature recipes of Vietnamese in the next few weeks. I will begin with the recipe of a light soup that is often served in summer because pirkangkai is known for its cooling qualities.

Serve 6

Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
Pirkangkai - 5 peeled, cut very fine
Mushrooms - half a pack
Spring onions - 4
Onion - 1 big, cut fine
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Prawns or chicken - quarter kg
Oil - 1 tbsp
Pepper - half tsp
Fish sauce - 2 tbsp
Egg - 1 flip, optional
Water - 350 ml

Method

In a big vessel, heat half tbsp oil, sauté onion, add water and bring to a boil. Remove from fire; add pirkangkai, mushrooms, fish sauce and pepper.

In a deep frying pan, heat half tbsp oil, sauté one onion and add prawns. Cover and cook till half done. Set aside. Just before serving, bring soup to a boil, add prawns, egg flip and coriander leaves. Serve piping hot with fish sauce.

Fish sauce

Ingredients

Fish sauce - 2 tbsp, available in stores

Lemon - 1 juice
Sugar - 1 tsp
Red fresh chilly - 1 or 2*
Garlic - 5 pods *
Water - 2 tbsp
* crush together

In a bowl mix all the ingredients. And serve with all Vietnamese dishes.

KETHARI SRIVANJIAM

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