Tag: East Asian
Snow Fungus Salad
Snow Fungus Salad
Snow fungus are a type of white fungus that grows on trees in the winter. They come dried in packs that can be found in every Asian market. The snow fungus can be turned into the ultimate salad of flavors and textures. In addition to the fungus, the salad contains shallots, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, Chinese celery, mint, and cilantro. The salad also has 3 types of protein: Vietnamese ham roll, fermented sour pork sausage, and shrimp. While nothing is very difficult in making this salad, it has a large amount of prep work.
Ingredients
Snow Fungus Salad
- 4 dried white fungus soaked in water for 30 minutes; boiled for 5 minutes
- 1/2 English cucumber sliced
- 1 small carrot grated
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mint
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 Vietnamese ham roll julienned
- 1 fermented sour pork sausage sliced
- 1 cup small cooked shrimp
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup Chinese celery chopped
Dressing
- 1 cup water
- 2 oz palm sugar crushed
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 head pickled garlic sliced
- 2 tbsp pickled garlic juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp sambal
- 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 2 tsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Place the crushed palm sugar in a small pot with a cup of water. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat, then turn off the heat.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.
- Prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix all of the salad ingredients together. Pour over the dressing and toss.
Hmong Poached Chicken with Mint Cilantro Pepper Dip
Hmong Poached Chicken with Mint Cilantro Pepper Dip
I’ve seen many recipes for poached chicken as well as being on numerous menus at Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hmong restaurants. Honestly, it has always sounded underwhelming to me. Boiled chicken. So what. How wrong have I been. While this Hmong recipe is simply that; boiled in lightly salted water with a couple stalks of lemongrass, the mint cilantro dip is what accents the chicken. The chicken turns out unbelievably tender and flavorful. The bones pull completely out. I like to save the bones from the carcass and return them into the pot of stock you just created. The chicken gets arranged on a platter with the dip served on the side. The other way the chicken is served is to completely shred the chicken and mix it with the dip.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 gallon water
- 3 tbsp salt
- 2 stalks lemongrass
Mint Cilantro Pepper Dip
- 2 cups mint
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped
- 6 Thai chilies
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- Bring a gallon of water to boil. Add the salt and lemongrass.
- Add the whole chicken to the pot. Cover. Simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before assembling.
Mint Cilantro Pepper Dip
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor.
- Process into a paste.
- Refrigerate until ready for use.
Poached Chicken Assembly
Mushroom Soup
Mushroom Soup
It was -30 degrees out at the time I made this Hmong mushroom soup. It was definitely soup time and this just hit the spot. This simple soup consists of a variety of mushrooms simmered with lemongrass, chilies, cilantro, and culantro. Once you bring the pot of water to boil, the soup is ready in 10 minutes.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 2 lbs mixed mushrooms wood ear, enoki, shiitake, shemiji, seafood
- 2 stalks lemongrass finely chopped
- 3 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 6 springs cilantro chopped
- 6 sprigs culantro chopped
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the mushrooms. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemongrass and salt. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
- Add in the chilies and simmer for a minute.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and culantro.
