Where did the week go? I’ve had a full load of phone
meetings and planning this week for upcoming work like the banh mi photo shoot
next week as well as an educational video project (I’ll let you know about this sooner than later). And, we’ve been making plans for a holiday trip to Asia.
The weekend has suddenly appeared and in the United States,
it’s a long 3-day weekend holiday. For many folks, it’s the last summer hurrah
before kids go back to school, the last opportunity to enjoy food cooked
outdoors. If you’re in need of inspiration, here are some from past VWK recipe
posts. I’ve added some notes and ideas for you to change things up too.
Chicken thighs
are my favorite all around cut of chicken. It’s what I most often buy at the
butcher counter. Use boneless, skinless ones to cut down on work and calories. Or, bone your own. Keep things
on the bone (buy leg-thigh quarters) for the most succulent results.
- Thai
Grilled Chicken – Use deboned thighs, if you like. It’s pictured above. - Grilled
Lemon Basil Chicken – Vary the herb according to what you have on hand. It
just needs to be super fresh. Combine herbs, if you like.
Lemongrass is
sold fresh in many supermarkets and is easy to grow. Summer is its peak so go
wild. Freeze trimmed lemongrass for the cooler months.
- Viet
Restaurant-Style Lemongrass Pork – A favorite of VWK folks and CHOW.com.
Try the marinade on chicken. - Grilled
Goat Chops with Lemongrass and Galangal – When you can’t get goat, use
lamb. Try this as a kebab. Ground lamb would work well for grilled patties.
Grill a one-dish meal
by cooking a whole fish or sliced meats and serving them with lettuce,
herbs, and a dipping sauce. It’s a one-dish meal to be eaten with hands.
- Singaporean
Grilled Whole Fish – Let people pick the bones themselves. Serve lots of
beer. - Grilled
Korean-Viet Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps – A cross-cultural meal that’s hard to
beat if you love rich pork. - Fine Rice Noodles with Grilled Beef (Banh Hoi Thit
Bo Nuong) – A favorite Vietnamese nosh dish. More beer but maybe enjoy it
over ice for extra authenticity.
Have a great weekend! What are you going to cook this weekend?
Robyn says
Hi Andrea
Used your Thai grilled chicken recipe tonight, thanks - highly recommended.
I always have coriander roots on hand, but always wonder how best to prep them. I wash them thoroughly but depending on how I am using them, sometimes I feel like scrapping any hard scaly outside off (when they are fresh from my garden I don't worry so much). But I wonder what people who use these roots regularly do? I peel some carrots too, and figure similar judgement works with the coriander roots.
btw how do you distinguish between coriander/cilantro?? Be it stems, leaves, roots or seeds here in NZ they're all coriander.
Know it will be a lot of work, but hope you have fun at the photo shoot.
Dorrie - Spaces and Spices says
I love grilled chicken, pork, and fish, but my favorite is chicken this way: http://spacesandspices-dorrie.blogspot.com/2009/10/thailand-auf-dem-teller-thailand-on-our.html
Why is this dip not well known? I don't understand why everybody goes for the sweet one.
PhilipB says
Hi Robyn--
Cilantro is a Spanish word for coriander, adopted in North American English. In English, it always refers to the leaves & stems, not other parts, though they may also be called "coriander leaves". The seeds and root are always called coriander. The whole plant goes by both names.
Andrea Nguyen says
Hi Robyn, glad you liked the Thai chicken. It's a good one.
I think that for the most part, people who are lucky enough to get coriander roots are getting them from a pretty clean source, either home grown or farmers' market grown. My sense is that people scrub them to get rid of dirt and then move on with the prep work. There's not much there.
Coriander and cilantro mean the same. In the U.S., we mostly refer to it as cilantro because of the Mexican/Latin influences on American foodways.
Thanks for the good wishes next week. It will be lots of fun and work.
Andrea Nguyen says
PhilipB-- You are SO right. It didn't dawn upon me that we refer to the seeds and roots and coriander. I should have had a V-8! It's funny though because I just made an amazing Mexican salsa that was perfumed by coriander seeds.
Andrea Nguyen says
Dorrie -- I imagine that people go for the sweet chile sauce because it's what has sold well at Thai restaurants. Nam jim is catching on in the US but alas, it's not yet sold in a bottle or relatively easy to make at home.
Your bilingual recipe looks fabulous. I'm going to try it! Thank you for sharing.