What the Phở!? Puntastic.

A Phở-tastic Vietnamese dish that triggers your appetite. The flavor of the roasted ginger, onions, and a few chilies gives a kick to the broth of this soup. Just the smell of the broth will make you crave for it. Every sip makes you want more. A scrumptious noodle soup that is served with raw but thin slices of sirloin, bean sprouts, chilies, lime, coriander and onions. It tasted like a star anise soup but eventually as you sip, you’ll feel like it's medicinal because it makes you feel better after eating it.

For those who are reluctant in eating raw meats, don’t fret! The slices are really thin so by the time the broth has been poured into the bowl, the meat should have already been cooked!! Be patient in making the broth because the flavors won’t come out immediately. The longer it is simmered, the more flavorful it will be. I suggest that you avoid using broth cubes as it may not taste natural. Just be patient and it will taste wonderPhở!!

PHO BO (Beef Noodle Soup)

Ingredients:

Broth:

5 pounds beef marrow or knuckle bones

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2 pieces

2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, cut in half lengthwise and lightly bruised with the flat side of a knife, lightly charred (see Note, below)

2 yellow onions, peeled and charred (see Note, below)

1/4 cup fish sauce

3 ounces rock sugar, or 3 tablespoons sugar

10 whole star anise, lightly toasted in a dry pan

6 whole cloves, lightly toasted in a dry pan

1 tablespoon sea salt

NOODLE ASSEMBLY

1 pound dried 1/16-inch-wide rice sticks, soaked, cooked and drained (see Tips, below)

1/3 pound beef sirloin, slightly frozen, then sliced paper-thin across the grain

GARNISHES

1/2 yellow onion, sliced paper-thin

3 scallions, cut into thin rings

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 pound bean sprouts

10 sprigs Asian basil

1 dozen saw-leaf herb leaves (optional)

6 Thai bird chilies or 1 serrano chili, cut into thin rings

1 lime, cut into 6 thin wedges

Freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1.) In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Place the bones and beef chuck in a second pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the bones and beef to the first pot of boiling water. Discard the water in which the meat cooked. (This cleans the bones and meat and reduces the impurities that can cloud the broth.) When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat. Add the charred ginger and onions, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer until the beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove one piece and submerge in cool water for 10 minutes to prevent the meat from darkening and drying out. Drain, then cut into thin slices and set aside. Let the other piece of beef chuck continue to cook in the simmering broth.

2.) When the broth has been simmering for about 1 1/2 hours total, wrap the star anise and cloves in a spice bag (or piece of cheesecloth) and add to the broth. Let infuse until the broth is fragrant, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard both the spice bag and onions. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, until you're ready to assemble the dish. The broth needs to cook for at least 2 hours. (The broth will taste salty but will be balanced once the noodles and accompaniments are added.) Leave the remaining chuck and bones to simmer in the pot while you assemble the bowls.

3.) To serve, place the cooked noodles in preheated bowls. (If the noodles are not hot, reheat them in a microwave or dip them briefly in boiling water to prevent them from cooling down the soup.) Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil; ladle about 2 to 3 cups into each bowl. The broth will cook the raw beef instantly. Garnish with yellow onions, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, inviting guests to garnish the bowls with bean sprouts, herbs, chilies, lime juice and black pepper.

-Nickolai Bravo

Vietnamese Spring Rolls!

These rolls are one of the famous dishes from Vietnam known world wide. It is known from its rice paper prepared by grinding rice with a little water, laying them out, and then drying them. It takes only a small amount of water to bring the sheets back to their soft pliable form! If you want to do it yourself, you might want to try it out with some friends. It can be a really interesting activity for everyone! But be warned, take too long, and the rice paper will become too sticky and soft so you better move fast!

Ingredients:

For the Spring Rolls:

6 sheets rice paper

2 large leaves of green lettuce, cut into small pieces

3 ounces rice vermicelli, cooked

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

12 mint leaves

Shrimps, cooked, peeled, deveined and cut in halves

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons warm water

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3/4 clove garlic, minced

1 1/4 tablespoons white sugar

1/3 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (Chirashi)

2 3/4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

Procedure:

1.) Bring the water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.

2.) Dip the rice paper in a large bowl of warm water so it will become soft

3.) Place the rice paper on a flat area, then stack small amount of lettuce, rice noodles, cilantro, mint leaves, and 3 shrimps

4.) Roll the rice paper

5.) In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce together. Another bowl, mix hoisin sauce, peanuts, and chilli sauce. Serve the rolls with these two sauces.

Vietnamese Crepe

Vietnam has had plenty of influences from France. The country was colonized during the mid-19th century. Going around the area, you'll see baguette in baskets just placed on the streets for the vendors who sell sandwiches called the banh mi. It might have been discovered by the locals through the French who brought their breads to the country. Just like the bread, the French crepe was also adapted by the Vietnamese and their own version was made. Their own crepe is made with spices and ingredients indigenous to Asian countries! If you compare, the differences is already very apparent, from the crepes texture, to its color! Read on and learn just how these crepes are made!

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water

Oil

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 large clove garlic, chopped

6 green onions, sliced

2 cups bean sprouts

1 head lettuce, leaves separated

* fresh herbs such as cilantro, mint, basil

Procedure:

1.) Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

2.) Mix the flour, sugar, salt, coconut milk, and turmeric. Rest the batter for about 30 minutes.

3.) Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and saute the green onions (white part), garlic, mushrooms, and shrimp until the shrimp's flesh are almost cooked. Set aside.

4.) Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium fire and pour 1/2 of the batter in.

5.) Sprinkle bean sprouts over half of the crepe followed by a fourth of the shrimp and mushrooms. 

6.) Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil at the edge of the crepe.

7.) Reduce your heat. Cover and cook until the edges begin to brown for about 4-5 minutes. 

Nuoc Cham (Dipping Sauce)

Ingredients:

4 red chilies
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 limes, juice
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp vinegar
5 tbsp fish sauce

Procedure:

1.) Remove the stalks from the chilies.

2.) Pound your garlic using mortar and pestle and then add the chilies one by one. Pound until you get a fine paste.

3.) Add your sugar and the lime juice.

4.) Transfer into a sauce bowl and add your fish sauce, vinegar, and water.

5.) Mix well and serve.

Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia:

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam are countries with very interesting and enticing cuisines. With influences from the French, Indian, and the Chinese, the flavors coming from these three countries are surely notable to culinary enthusiasts.

            Vietnamese cuisine is known to have a blend of creativity, presentation, freshness, texture, and color that everybody is guaranteed to appreciate. There is said to be 5 fundamental taste elements that are always present in Vietnamese dishes and these are spicy, sour, bitter, salty, and sweet.

            Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese cuisine is abundant in the usage of fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, ginger, lemongrass, mint, coriander, cinnamon, lime, chili, and many others. These cuisines are known in using fresh herbs and spices for food preparation, and that is why Vietnamese cuisine is recognized as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Through the freshness of their food and the complexity of balancing the flavors, these cuisines are now increasing its number of advocates throughout the world. 

- Justine Roxas

Bengali-style Fish: It might remind you of the Life of Pi

The culinary style of cooking from Bengal, found in the east region of India and home of the famous Bengal Tiger (in which the name Richard Parker from the Life of Pi comes to mind) is called the Bengali Cuisine. Since the place has freshwater rivers, its main protein is fish.

BENGALI-STYLE FISH

Measurement	Ingredient	Method
4 tsp. 4 tsp. 2 kg	Salt, Iodized Turmeric Cream Dory Corn Oil	1.      Mix together the turmeric and salt in a small bowl 2.      Spoon the turmeric and salt mixture over the fish pieces 3.      Heal the oil in the frying-pan (skillet). Add the fish to the pan and fry until pale yellow. Remove the fish with a perforated spoon and set aside.
16 pcs. 4 tsp. 4 tsp. 5 pcs.	Chili pepper, green Ginger, finely chopped Garlic, crushed Onions, finely chopped	4.      Place the chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, mustard oil and tomatoes in a mortar and pestle and grind to form a paste. Alternatively, you can work the ingredients in a food processor (Robot Coupe) 5.      Transfer the spice paste to a saucepan and dry-fry until golden brown 6.      Remove the pan from the heat and gently place the fish into the paste without breaking the fish up.
8 C	Water Fresh Cilantro leaves, chopped, to garnish	7.      Return the pan to the heat, add the water and cook the fish, uncovered, over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes.      8.   Serve garnished with chopped coriander (cilantro)

- Jose Malonzo and Paula Martinez

Lamb Curry!!

Curry is one of India’s well known dishes throughout the world. Its name originating from the Tamil word ‘kari’ which means spiced sauce and true to its name, the dish is full of different spices all used in the Indian cuisine which uses 36 different kinds of spices.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg Lamb, diced

1L Chicken Stock

500 g Yoghurt

3 T Garam Masala Powder

5 t Pimenton Dela Vera

6 t Chili Powder

5t Cinnamon Powder

3t Nutmeg

3t Oregano Powder

4t Coriander Powder

5t Cardamom Powder

3t Marjoram Powder

5t Turmeric powder

8 t Curry Powder

1  T tomato paste

1 medium sized Ginger, finely chopped

3 bulbs Garlic, minced

3 large pcs onion, finely chopped

8 pcs green chilies, chopped

800 ml coconut milk

3 pcs fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Oil, as needed

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F.

2. In a braising pan sear lamb and sauté with onions, ginger and garlic and add stock just enough to cover the lamb, cover and braise in oven for 3 hours.

3. While waiting for lamb to soften, mix together powders and roast.

4. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger, add in tomato paste and add powder mixture. Cool for 5 minutes, add stock and puree in a food processor until it turns into a paste mixture. Mix half of the mixture into yoghurt and leave half for the lamb.

5. When lamb is ready, bring it out of the oven and separate meat from the stock. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger, chilies and lamb, and add the spice puree. Sauté for about 2 minutes and add the stock. Reduce stock. Add yogurt mixture and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add Cilantro and adjust seasoning as desired.

6. Serve in a soup platter w/ cilantro leaves and chilies on top.

Paratha/Parotha/Prantha, it's the same thing.

Paratha  is an unleavened and pan fried Indian flatbread. It's very thin and flaky but the best characteristic of this bread is that it melts in your mouth. Once you discover how to make the basic paratha (which will be taught in a steb-bystep guide below) you can add your own fillings to it! You can even knead in your herbs or ingredients into the dough to create your own version of paratha!

This flatbread is very delectable but it is pretty tricky to get it right. It will take you some practice to be able to get the flakiness and the layers right but when you do, you will know what it takes to create the correct Paratha! Get it wrong and it will become like the usual roti, another indian flatbread.

Ingredients:

400 g Whole wheat flour
½ tsp Salt
3-4 tbsp Sunflower
200-300 ml Oil

100g Warm Water

Procedure:

1.) Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl and gently rub the oil into the flour. 

2.) Pour in the water a little at a time to make smooth, supple but firm dough.

3.) Rub butter on your palms and knead the dough for 10-12 minutes. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

4.) Knead again for 2-3 minutes.

5.) Divide the dough into 8-10 even balls

6.) Roll them in your palms until smooth

7.) Pin out the ball to approximately 12.5 cm in diameter, making sure that the rolled dough is evenly pinned out, but do not worry about it being perfectly round. That will take some practice.

8.) Apply a thin layer of the softened butter all over the rolled sheet and lightly sprinkle some flour over it.

9.) Now fold the chappati into a concertina, apply butter again and sprinkle flour.

10.) Now twist the narrow end and press down onto the palm to form a twister yet circular dough ball. Roll out again.

11.) Do not knead or handle too much as body heat will disperse the butter inside and the layers will not separate.

12.) Griddle on a medium griddle. If too hot, the outside will burn and the inside will not cook well.

13.) When griddling, you must apply the oil or butter to the surface a little at a time until you get a beautiful golden brown color and you can see the layers separating.

-Nikko Matute