The fun bit about not making sushi in a bajillion years is the ongoing inner monologue of “Oh no, how much rice do I need? How did the rolling work? Oh no, rice sticking everywhere”. It worked out in the end, but there’s two failed rolls that didn’t make the picture.
Veering off my taco trip a bit, the ingredients are technically the same, but this time I put the braised beef into the dough and rolled it like scallion pancake, creating a nicely layered savory pastry.
I know, I know, I’m wondering myself, will there be an end to it? Will there come a day where I’ll get fed up with this? No more rolling tortillas, no more braising a big chunk of meat low and slow for hours until it’s fall apart tender? The careful arrangement of ingredients? You know what? The day hasn’t come yet. I’m sure to let you know when it does. Until then, nom.
I was in the sudden mood for gyoza. Which is silly, because making gyoza, especially when you are hand rolling the dough, is not sudden at all. But the crunchy bottom made it worth it.
What is Bánh Xèo if not a Vietnamese Taco? The thing that bothered me about my past versions of Bánh Xèo was that I was worried it would fall apart or wouldn’t get crispy enough, so I resorted to a mix of flours and the texture never ended up being quite right. Turns out just rice flour works just fine if you are patient enough to get it crispy.
A change from the usual pulled pork fare, this one consists of slowly roasted cauliflower, the caramelized onions from the pork sauce, a simple spicy mayo and yogurt cole slaw and parmesan crisps on top. I could have roasted the cauliflower a bit longer, but the crunchy combination of the cole slaw and the parmesan crisps was pretty phenomenal.
Woe is me, even after my friends ate their way through my servings like a swarm of locusts, I still am burdened with the deed of having to eat delicious tacos as leftovers. What a fate.
The quest to find more ways to serve roasted pork continues, this time in the form of the classic Cubano sandwich. Yellow mustard, pork shoulder, ham, cheese, pickles. I don’t have a sandwich press, so the heaviest objects in the kitchen needed to suffice. Is layering pork on top of pork excessive? Maybe. Is it delicious? Definitely.
Taking yesterday’s leftovers, this one’s still not proper bún cha, but very close to it. It’s been quite a bit since I had that sort of dish, but the combination of well cooked pork, the noodles the fresh herbs and vegetables and the sweet and sour fish sauce is so good, it’s almost criminal.
Oh wow, this was interesting. The pulled pork, lettuce, cilantro and onions are your usual trappings (and even lettuce is sure to upset some purists), but this cucumber salsa made with sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and chili, essentially some crazy version of Vietnamese nước mắm, made it into a dish that is harfway between a taco and Vietnamese bún cha. I am culturally confused and delighted.
