Hey Young Chefs!

Tonight I ate at Nine Roses, a Vietnamese retaurant. An old family friend treated us to a marvelous meal. Above, you see Bo Nuong Vi, a sizzling beef dish. You spread butter on the portable burner. Then you place the thin slices of marinated beef on the burner and cook it. Next you take the rice paper and dip it in warm water to make it flexible. Finally, you make a wrap with the beef, lettuce, cilantro, mint, basil, noodles, and pickled cucumbers and carrots. Yum! Yum!

For an appetizer, I ordered Vietnamese egg rolls. They are hot, crunchy and delish!

Here I am, happy and full! Maybe Mommy and I will be inspired to cook Vietnamese!

Cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Chicken Satay Wrap n Rolls & Asian Veggie Delight Soup

Hey Young Chefs! Today, Mommy and I went shopping at Hong Kong Market for tonight’s dinner. That’s me hitching a ride in the basket.

We had so much fun in the kitchen preparing (and eating!) this dinner. Remember the Thai spices Mommy gave me the other day? I promised you I would post a recipe using the spices so here it is (these are Mommy’s recipes)…

Chicken Satay Wrap n Rolls
Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken breast strips
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. coconut milk
Large Vietnamese rice paper wraps (may use tortillas if rice paper is unavailable)

Directions
In a sautee’ pan, sautee’ chicken over medium heat with sesame oil, garlic, and dry spices. After chicken is thoroughly cooked (about 15 min.), add coconut milk. Cook for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens and chicken is thoroughly coated. Let rest. Roll chicken in dampened rice paper wrapper with lettuce, cilantro, fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts, and pickled bamboo shoots. Dip in satay peanut sauce. Serves 4.

Satay Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/8 c. light soy sauce
1/2 c. coconut milk
1 tbsp. chili garlic paste (optional)

Directions
In small sauce pan, combine first three ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when sauce is thoroughly blended and creamy. Add chili garlic paste if spice is desired.

Here I am getting the vegetables ready for the Asian Veggie Delight Soup. Mommy says you can add any “Asian” veggies you like. Here is our recipe:

Asian Veggie Delight Soup
Ingredients
5 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp. sesame oil
5 thin slices (1/2 in. long) fresh ginger
1/2 c. baby bokchoy
1/2 enoki mushrooms
1/2 c. bean sprouts
1/2 c. fresh green beans
1 whole dried mace flower or dash nutmeg (optional)

Directions
Bring broth to low boil. Add sesame oil and stir. Add remaining ingredients. Salt to taste. Cook over medium heat for 20 min. Serve hot in small bowls. Serves 4. Note: Do not eat ginger or mace – for flavor purposes only.

Above, Mommy is dipping the rice paper in warm water. Rice paper wrappers are stiff and dry. When you dip them in warm water, they become flexible so you can wrap your food. They’re fun to roll but they can be a little sticky. This is what my wrap looked like. I topped my chicken with mixed greens, cilantro, basil, bean sprouts, and pickled bamboo shoots. Yum! Yum!

My wrap n roll was HUGE! Here is a close-up of Mommy’s wrap.

Since Mommy and I cooked, Daddy had kitchen duty. He didn’t mind because dinner was sooo delicious.

Mommy said our dinner was “Asian fusion.” That means that our food represented different parts of Asia. The wrap style of food is Vietnamese. The satay sauce is from Thailand and Indonesia. The soup is Thai with Japanese mushrooms (enoki).

We hope you enjoyed your trip to Asia! It’s always fun to travel to other countries through food. It’s even more fun when you take your family with you. Grab a spoon and…

Get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana