VIETNAMESE NOODLE (BUN) SALAD

(RECIPE SHARED BY SHEILA BELL MCKAY)
Bun (often translated as "rice stick" on labels) are simply vermicelli made with rice flour, often sold in organized nests wrapped in plastic. Cooking these is utterly simple -- a quick soak off the stove in boiling water is all you need.

1 package bun (aka rice sticks or rice vermicelli)
1 red pepper, julienned
2 cucumbers, seeded and cut into matchsticks
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 package fresh bean sprouts
scallions, diced
basil, fresh
mint, fresh
several limes, cut into wedges
handful of shredded lettuce
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
marinade (recipe below)
nuoc cham (recipe below)

1. A few hours before you plan to serve, combine chicken and marinade in a plastic bag, toss to combine, and refrigerate. Cut vegetables and set aside. Prepare nuoc cham. Start soaking wooden skewers in water.
2. About an hour and a half before you plan to serve, add shrimp to bag with chicken.
3. Thirty minutes before you plan to serve, light grill and prepare for medium heat. Remove chicken and shrimp from marinade. Skewer shrimp. Grill chicken for approximately 15 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely caramelized. Remove chicken and grill shrimp for a scant couple of minutes per side, until just firm.
4. While grilling, boil water and pour over noodles to cover in a large bowl. Cover bowl and let steep for five minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Drain water and place noodles in serving dish. Bunch the garnishes around the noodles.
5. Roughly chop chicken and place atop noodles in serving dish. Arrange shrimp skewers around noodles. Serve with nuoc cham on the side.

NUOC CHAM
juice of two limes
2 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. fish sauce
8 cloves garlic, minced
chile-garlic paste to taste (or use finely sliced hot chiles of your choice)
Whisk together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

MARINADE
You can use just about any combination of salty, sweet and acidic ingredients for this, but I used a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar. Be careful, though, since soy sauce and fish sauce are both potently salty. Since the meat will only be in the marinade for a relatively brief time, it shouldn't matter too much, however.

VIETNAMESE SALAD ROLLS

(RECIPE SHARED BY SHEILA BELL MCKAY)
"A nice light appetizer. Delicate rice wrappers are filled with noodles, shrimp, carrots, lettuce and basil. Cooked chicken or beef may be substituted for shrimp."
Yield:  8 salad rolls

1 (8 ounce) package rice vermicelli
8 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
8 rice wrappers (6.5 inch diameter)
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
water as needed

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat.
Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft.
Drain, and rinse with cold water.
Fill a large bowl with hot water.
Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for 1 second to soften.
Lay wrapper flat, and place desired amounts of noodles, shrimp, carrot, lettuce and basil in the center. Roll the edges of the wrapper slightly inward. Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly wrap the ingredients.
Repeat with remaining ingredients.
In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce with water until desired consistency has been attained.
Heat the mixture for a few seconds in the microwave.
Serve the spring rolls with the warm dipping sauce.

NOTE:
Hoisin sauce, also called Peking sauce, is a thick, reddish-brown sauce that is sweet and spicy, and widely used in Chinese cooking. It's a mixture of soybeans, garlic, chile peppers and various spices. It can be found in Asian markets and many large supermarkets. Look in the Asian or ethnic section.

VIETNAMESE PHO: BEEF NOODLE SOUP

  
(RECIPE SHARED BY SHEILA BELL MCKAY)
Sometimes, I omit the 1lb of beef meat in the broth (you'll see I've made it optional) - as I've found that as long as I have good bones, the broth will have enough flavor to not need the extra beef meat.

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat - chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp. coriander seeds, 1 tbsp. fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) - or 1oz of regular sugar

THE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha hot sauce

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.
Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.
Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you'll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - this is a crucial step. If the broth's flavor doesn't quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.
Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will "assemble" their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that's needed. The package that I purchased (above) - needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.
Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.