Beans, peas and egg are all very satiating ingredients in a salad. They also complement each other well taste wise. It is also a salad that is very easy to make. Furthermore, I got a weak spot for salads that uses a white dressing instead of a vinaigrette.
The regular large Chinese-inspired spring/egg rolls we typically eat in Denmark are just fine, but they can not measure up with the Vietnamese. It is small, juicy and crispy at the same time. The filling tastes like a mix of meatballs and fish cakes, and the dipping sauce is filled with acid, sweetness and umami. It is also gluten free, for those who do not like the glutens.
Most people knows the spring roll. A fried pancake filled with force meat and cabbage. It is good. But surprisingly, the Vietnamese spring roll is at least as good. Even thoigh it is the diametrical opposition of the spring roll. Rice paper instead of pancake. Raw instead of deep fried. Raw vegetables and a light meat filling instead of roasted force meat.
It is the perfect starter or a nice "light" breakfast. It's also a good way to cheat the kids to eat some vegetables. The rolls can be varied with just about any filling that suits your taste. Yet another of my favorite Asian dishes.
Gateau marcel is a chocolate mousse where a portion of it being baked and the other part continues life as a chocolate mousse. So from the same dough you get both the bottom and topping. It's the only cake I can remember where that happens. So it's easy to make and it only tastes of the chocolate you're using. Use a really good chocolate. The cake is worth it.
I have changed the quantities a little bit from the original recipe, and then I have added a little grated orange peel as well.
Pho is the Vietnamese version of the classical chicken meat soup. The difference is that it is more used as a "pho principle" than as a single recipe. The basic soup itself is very simple, but the content can be varied indefinitely.
When you do something often, it's important that it's easy to do, and if you are only to use a stock for soup, this is a good shortcut. The simplest stock you can make is this, and it contains only chicken and water. Usually, there are meat, bones, vegetables and herbs in a stock. But with soups, you will put vegetables and herbs in soup itself, so it does not have to be in the stock too.
I know I've got a lot of recipes and videos with stocks, but for me it's an essential element of the food I'm making. In the winter, I typically make a batch every week for soup and sauces, and I do not always want to peel and clean a lot of vegetables for it. Then I just use this recipe.
Crispy chicken is some of the best meat you can eat. I should know, as I do it often. Especially when there is a busy week ahead and I prepare food for several days for Asian dishes. Then it only takes 10 minutes to prepare the meat on the day itself.
When ordering an Asian dish with crispy chicken, it is usually the breast you get. But in fact, the thigh is even better to fry. You use almost the same technique for thighs and breasts, but there is still a slight difference, so I will make two different recipes.
One of the things we all have a bad conscience about, is eating too little vegetable. When you finally remember to buy the vegetables, you get overly optimistic and buy too much. Then they just lie in the fridge and become soggy. My way of solving that, is by preparing a lot of vegetables at the same time, for example, on Sundays, so I have enough for a whole week, or at least for several days. It makes it much easier to just take out a serving of vegetables and use in a soup, or in a stir fry or other Asian dishes. In this video I describe what I do and why.
When you know you have a busy week coming, it's a good idea to prepare in advance so that the individual dishes can be simple and quick. I usually cook chicken dishes in those weeks. Therefore, I prepare enough chicken for as many meals as I need.
I often make the same kind of food for a week at a time. Asian, Indian, French, etc. Chicken prepared in this way is especially suitable for Asian week.
There are 4 servings per chicken, so it's just a matter of multiplying how many meals you need. If you are four in the family then it is a chicken a day.
Deboning chicken thighs is a very handy technique to know. It makes it much easier to fry the thigh on a pan. You can fill the thigh with eg mince meat, chopped mushrooms or herbs. The bone can be cooked for a long time for a stock without destroying the meat. Making for a stronger stock. I myself use it mostly to make
crispy
Asian chicken thigh. It is also nice when chicken thigh sous vide, that you do not have to have the bone in the vacuum bag.
It's a recipe I have copied from my local Vietnamese restaurant, where I've been coming for many years. It i suitable most meals and is incredibly easy to make. 15 minutes from start to finish if you are a little efficient. It has a really good strong taste and satiates well.
Normally, white potato salad is made with mayonnaise, but I prefer a white sauce made with yoghurt and cream. It is easy to make and equally well suited for everyday dining and parties, red meat or barbecue sausages. Also, you often have all the ingredients in the fridge, so it's faster than ordering a pizza.
Green potato salad is a good recipe if you are note able to make a gravy to go with your potatoes, or if it has to be quick meal. Oh yeah, it is also a good dish simply because it taste fantastic. You can also make it in as large portions as you have pots for cooking potatoes, and the potatoes can even be cooked the day before and put in the fridge, so it's great for parties. The recipe can be varied indefinitely depending on which seasoning and herbs you like.
Vinaigrette is a very simple dressing. It is one of the recipes you must be able to make. It can be used for: tomato salad, lettuce salad, potato salad, pasta salad, bean salad and any salad you can think of. OK, maybe not fruit salad, but it can be varied indefinitely with spices, herbs and other condiments.
