Text 20, 65 rader
Skriven 2007-12-30 00:28:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av CAROL SHENKENBERGER
Ärende: Tapioca noodles 4
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MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Phnom Penh Noodle Soup W/Pork, Shrimp, Shallots 3
Categories: Vietnamese, Noodles, Soup, Pork, Shrimp
  Servings: 8

           con't

For me, the definitive bowl of hu tieu noodle soup is hu tieu Nam
Vang. The Phnom Penh version that I was introduced to as a kid by
our family friend Uncle Su, a wonderful Chinese-Vietnamese cook, has
a deep, umami-filled broth made of pork bones, dried squid and dried
shrimp. There's a touch of golden rock sugar to give it sweetness
and to round out the flavors. The toppings are similarly a 
surf-and-turf combination of cooked pork, sliced pork liver, poached
shrimp, sauteed ground pork, fried garlic and caramelized shallot.
But wait, there's more! The essential garnishes are important here.
Delectable hu tieu needs lots of pungent Chinese celery and Chinese
chives (flat chives that have a slight garlicky bite); lettuce is
also a common garnish but not my favorite for this noodle soup
because there's enough to distract already and it doesn't add much.

However, I'm a freak for the Chinese celery (can Tau), which pops
its intense raw flavor in the soup. (Chinese celery looks like
gigantic Italian parsley but tastes like strong celery.) When it's
not readily available or not looking good at the Asian market, I
substitute leafy celery tops, which is much stronger tasting than
the fat ribs below. Most grocery stores have already trimmed that 
'unwanted' portion of the celery plant, so hunt down a nice deep
green bunch of celery at the farmers' market. Celery tops can be
tough so you may have to halve them lengthwise. In the bowl above, I
used celery tops.

I also love using the chewy tapioca noodles for hu tieu. They're
fat, chewy, and fun to slurp on. To find them, you'll have to head
to a Vietnamese grocery store and look for packages of "Hu Tieu Dai"
(chewy hu tieu noodles); despite what the label says, there's no
rice in the noodles, but rather tapioca. These noodles are not
commonly stocked at Chinese markets. On the other hand, a 
medium-width flat rice noodle that's like a fettucine or what you'd
use for pad Thai works just fine.

There are many steps here so take your time and know that one batch
feeds many people. If you're hoarding it all to yourself, you can
dole the bowls out over the course of 4 or 5 days. Just refrigerate
the broth and toppings. Of course, you may also freeze the broth and
meat toppings too. For the squid and shrimp, head to a Chinese or
Vietnamese market and check the refrigerated section for the dried
shrimp. Dried squid, sold whole in plastic packages, is often near
the dried mushroom, snacks, or dried shrimp.

http://vietworldkitchen.typepad.com


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Cheers

YK Jim


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