Chuối Nếp Nướng (Grilled Sweet-rice Wrapped Bananas)

Ingredients:
-12 ripe bananas
-1/2 tsp salt
-200g sugar (adjust to desired sweetness)
-1kg (4 cups sweet-rice aka glutinous rice)
-1 can coconut milk (400ml)
-200g shredded coconut (optional)
-100g mung beans (peeled and split kind, optional)
-pandan leaves (optional)
-banana leaves
-tooth picks

Getting Ready:
Rinse and soak rice in coconut milk and enough water to cover the rice by about 4 inches for at least 4 hours. Roast mung beans in a pan, stirring constantly until brown. Peel bananas and gently mix with salt and 100g sugar. Wash and wipe dry the banana and pandan leaves. Cut banana leaves into 12-15” long pieces. Cut pandan leaves to the length of the bananas. After 4 hours drain the rice and mix with 100g sugar, roasted mung beans, and coconut.

Wrapping:
Lay 2 pieces of banana leaves on a flat surface, add about 4-5 tbs of the rice. Lay a banana on top and cover with more rice. Top with a pandan leaf before folding the top and bottom sides over the rice to completely cover it. Secure the ends with toothpicks.

Steaming and Grilling:
Steam on high heat for about ½ hour, broil for about 10 mins (or grill) or just until the leaves begin to brown. Serve warm.

Note:
Serve with coconut milk and crushed toasted peanuts for more pleasure. Can add 2 tsp pandan extract to rice if pandan leaves are not available. If banana leaves are not available; use foil instead. However, remove the foil before grilling. These can be made ahead of time through the steaming process. Freeze thaw and grill right before serving. If done correctly the banana should have a redish-violet color.

Cà-ri Gà hay Vịt (Chicken or Duck Curry)

Ingredients:
-1 ½ lb chicken
-2 cloves of garlic
-Thai chilies (optional)
-2 tbs curry powder
-2 bay leaves
-1 stalk of lemongrass
-2 carrots
-1 medium onion
-2 medium yams or potatoes
-1/2 can coconut milk or yogurt (200ml)
-1/2 can milk (measure using coconut milk can = 200ml)
-salt to taste

What to Do:
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Peel carrots and potatoes and cut them into bite size pieces also. Cut onions into wedges. Crush lemongrass with the back of a knife and cut into 2 inches long pieces. Mince garlic and chilies. Add about 1 tbs oil into a pot and fry garlic and chilies until fragrant. Add chicken, carrots, potatoes, curry powder, bay leaves, and lemongrass, stir fry for about 5 mins. Add in fresh milk and enough water to cover the goodies. Simmer for 20 mins, add onions, coconut milk and salt to taste. Remove lemongrass and bay leaves before serving.

Note:
The curry should have a “thick and creamy” texture (liquid shouldn’t be too watery). All flavors (i.e. curry, coconut, lemongrass, bay leaf) should be balanced. Serve how with either indian rice (recipe follows), bread (for dipping) or over noodles (rice vermicelli) bean sprouts and fresh herbs.

Indian Rice: (Cơm Nị)
-2 cups rice
-coconut juice or water
-1 tbs coconut milk
-1/2 tsp curry powder or turmeric powder
-1/2 cup golden raisins
-1 bay leaf
-1 clove

**Rinse rice and mix with curry powder, raisins, bay leaf, and clover. Add enough coconut juice or water (amount depends on rice). Cook rice as usual, add coconut milk just before serving.

Vegetarian Lor

Ingredients

A packet of kailan
2 cakes of beancurd
1 packet of tao po
1/2 sachet xiang liao
1 tbsp 5 spice powder
5 tbsp dark soya sauce
a dash of pepper
water

Method

1. Cut and rinse the kailan, separating the stalks and the leaves. Coarsely cubes the beancurd, and halved the tao po diagonally.

2. Heat a pot with little oil, put in the xiang liao and fry till aroma. Stir fry the kailan stalks for 2 minutes and add in the leaves.

3. When the kailan leaves have shrunked, add in the beancurd cubes and tao po. 5 spice powder, pepper and dark soya sauce with water sufficient for gravy.

4. Mix well and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. Off fire and simmer further.