14 best vietnamese thai cooking books

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Quick Chicken Pho

Great for pho beginners, this recipe is also terrific for cooks in a hurry. It involves less than 45 minutes, during which you’ll doctor up store-bought broth so it says, 'I’m pho-ish'.

The keys to this streamlined approach include toasting spices and dry sauteing the ginger and green onion, which help to extract flavor fast. Poaching the chicken in the broth adds savory depth. You’ll practice some fundamental pho techniques that you can apply elsewhere, too. Choose a broth that tastes like chicken, such as Swanson brand, which is less fussed up and easy to manipulate. You need two 14.5-ounce (411 g) cans or one 32-ounce (907 ml) carton.

Recipe

Peel then slice the ginger into 4 or 5 coins. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Cut the leftover sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.

Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the cilantro to yield 2 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining cilantro sprigs aside.

In a 3- to 4-quart (3 to 4 l) pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds or so to briefly cool, then pour in the broth.

Return the pot to the burner, then add the water, cilantro sprigs, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.

While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through (press on it and it should slightly yield). Transfer the chicken to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Let cool, then cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.

When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a 2-quart (2 l) pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about 4 cups (1 l). Season with fish sauce and sugar (or maple syrup), if needed, to create a strong savory-sweet note.

Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the 2 bowls.

Lower the heat to keep the broth hot while you arrange the chicken on top of the noodles and garnish with the chopped green onion, cilantro, and a sprinkling of pepper. Taste and adjust the broth’s saltiness one last time. Return the broth to a boil and ladle into the bowls. Enjoy with any extras, if you like.

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Malvasia

Makes 6 servings

Producers to Look For

Castello di Luzzano

Burja Estate

I Clivi

Poggiosecco

Malvasia, also known as malvazija (MAHL-va-zee-ah), depending which part of Europe you’re in, is a grape that many people are unfamiliar with. Its habitat runs throughout Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, with far-flung examples from California and South America. Ever drunk Malmsey Madeira? It’s made from malvasia.It’s a particularly sweet version of the grape, but also one of the great examples. There’s a time and place for a honeyed, deeply caramelized dessert wine; this is not it. We’re hoping to turn you on to dry malvasia, with its tropical fruits, beeswax, and chamomile profile. It’s got acidity, but not too much, and an unexpected weightiness that makes it feel a bit more serious than you might expect. We’ve suggested malvasia from around Europe in hopes that you might taste a couple of different bottles side by side to see the differences in style.

Many producers make orange, or skin-contact, malvasia. They’ll be too tannic and savory for this recipe, so avoid them and grab a bottle of white.

This is a dish that’s all about few, but very good, ingredients. Make this at the height of melon season, when the cantaloupes are dripping with their intoxicating juices and their flesh is both perfectly orange and slightly yielding.

Choose a ripe avocado and watermelon radishes and really fruity olive oil. Have your butcher shave your prosciutto paper-thin. And please don’t skimp on the freshly ground pepper and flaky salt. What you’ll find with this pairing is that the salty-sweet combination of the melon and ham beautifully complements the perfumed aromatics of a dry malvasia.

Recipe

Halve the cantaloupe and scoop out the seeds. Cut the melon lengthwise into quarters and trim off the rinds. Using a mandoline, or working carefully with a chef’s knife, slice each quarter lengthwise into 1⁄8-inch-thick pliable ribbons. Arrange the ribbons on a large platter in an even layer, folding and rolling them in a beautiful tangle. Fold and nestle the prosciutto slices around the melon ribbons.

Halve the avocado, remove the pit, and cut the flesh lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise into very thin slices without cutting through the peel. Now scoop the slices from the peels. Dot the avocado around the salad, in groupings of 4 to 6 slices that are slightly fanned out.

Tuck the radish slices into the salad here and there. Tear the mint leaves if they are large, but keep the small ones whole, and scatter them over the top. Drizzle the salad with the oil, sprinkle with salt and several grinds of pepper, and serve.