Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant Skewers

I often use a grill basket for grilling veggies in chunks, but sometimes I use skewers to mix it up. It also saves me a bit of room on the grill. Eggplant worked well here, but you could use whatever vegetables you like. If you use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them well ahead of time; I use these bendy stainless steel ones that hook together in a loop.

Nuoc Cham:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (ideally fresh)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Skewers:
2 medium Asian eggplants (the long skinny ones), in rounds or cubes (peeled or not as desired)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
Salt
1/2 cup chopped herbs: Cilantro, Thai basil, mint, or a combination

Make the Nuoc Cham first so it has time for the flavors to blend while you prepare the skewers.

Toss the eggplant chunks with the canola oil and rice vinegar. Sprinkle liberally with salt and toss. They will soak up the marinade quickly. Thread them onto skewers.

Grill the eggplant over medium-high heat for about four minutes per side, turning the skewers once.

Serve the eggplant hot, topping with nuoc cham and sprinkling generously with the herbs.

Serves 2-4.

Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls with Shiitakes and Bacon

Back in our California days, my husband and I ate a lot of Vietnamese food, especially these wonderful cool vermicelli bowls in hot weather.  If you get the noodles, veggies, and sauce right, you can put pretty much anything on top.  Here I've used flavorful shiitake mushrooms and bacon because I had them on hand, but you could just as soon use grilled chicken or steak (some nice marinated flank steak would be excellent), leftover roast pork, marinated tofu grilled or broiled...etc.

If you like, you can double or triple the Nuoc Cham recipe - it keeps well in the fridge for weeks at a time.

Nuoc Cham
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (ideally fresh)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Make the Nuoc Cham first (unless you have some from a previous batch in the fridge already) so the flavors can meld while you prepare the bowls.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar and let sit.


Vermicelli Bowls
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lb Asian rice vermicelli
1 large cucumber, shredded
A few carrots, shredded
2-3 cups shredded lettuce
1-2 cups chopped fresh mint, cilantro, and/or Thai basil

Start by preparing the shiitake-bacon topping. Heat the olive oil in a wok or large skillet.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-5 minutes, until mostly tender.  Add the bacon and stir-fry until cooked but not crispy.  Add the soy sauce and cook for another minute or so.  Pour off excess bacon fat (or remove with a baster) and set aside.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 6 minutes, until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

To assemble the bowls, place a generous quantity of noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Top with tidy mounds off cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and herbs, then add a spoonful of the shiitake-bacon mixture.  Top with Nuoc Cham at the table.

Serves about 4.

Vietnamese Green Beans

Beans of all sorts are in season now. In our garden we have Romanos, a wide Italian variety with great flavor. But at the farmer's market last weekend I saw green ones, purple ones, yellow ones, and more. Any would be fine in this recipe, which is one of my favorite ways to use them. The onions are important, don't leave them out (I used sweet yellow ones from Crabapple Farm this time). I make this most often with tempeh (from Lightlife), but you could also do it with tofu, chicken, shrimp, etc. Or leave out the protein and serve as a side dish. You can leave the beans whole, which makes for a lovely presentation and easier prep, but it does make the dish a little harder to eat. Serve this over rice. Jasmine is good. Be sure to serve it with the Nuoc Cham (see below).

Canola oil
2 medium onions, sliced lengthwise
1 package tempeh, cubed
1 lb green beans, stemmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
8 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Thickener: 1 Tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 1/2 Tbsp water

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the onions and tempeh and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the beans and garlic and cook until beans are just tender (the time will vary with the type of beans). Add the soy sauce, water, salt and pepper, and thickener and cook until it forms a nice sauce. Remove from heat and serve. Top with Nuoc Cham at the table.

Serves about 4.

Nuoc Cham
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (ideally fresh)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp julienned carrots (optional)
2 Tbsp chopped peanuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Combine all ingredients except for carrots and peanuts in a small jar and mix well. Let sit at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to mingle. When serving, if desired, top with carrots and peanuts. Leftover Nuoc Cham will keep for many weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. It's good with spring rolls, fried tofu, steamed veggies, etc. in addition to the green beans.