For those of you who know me, I apologize that since vacationing in Vietnam,  the only post I’ve done about it concerns fruit. 

Amazing fruit, mind you, but fruit nonetheless.

Every time I think about doing a post, I start to miss being there.  And as Edmonton’s winter still seems to be leaving its trace, remembering moments in tropical heat makes my current discontent all the more worse.  As we cannot stop mentioning the longer Alberta days, I thought our obsession with the sun would twin nicely with posts on Vietnam.  And as the days are just going to get shorter again (too) soon, I should get in while the getting’s good.  Like Kramer and Newman with the Mackinaw peaches.

I don’t have to go much into why a foodie would want to go to Vietnam.  Culinary stars such as Tony Bourdain and Dorie Greenspan have made recent journeys to taste the vast landscape of Vietnamese cuisine.  More sweet in the South, more bitter in the North.  City air that is as heavy with the smells of rice and cilantro as it is with scooter exhaust.  The best baguettes I’ve had outside of France.  Right now I’m craving a deep-fried pumpkin flower stuffed with catfish that I had while in the Mekong Delta. *sigh*

Green papaya salad with shrimp, Mango Rooms, Hoi An

Green papaya and green mango salads quickly became an obsession.  Few things seemed more perfect on a hot afternoon than a cold salad of crunchy fruit in a salty dressing.

Green papaya salad, Hoa Sua School, Hanoi

Hoa Sua School

KOTO

Banana flower salad, KOTO, Hanoi

Banana flower salad, Red Bridge Cooking School, Hoi An

The salads were what I wanted most when I came home.  An inspired bowl of cold-spicy and salty-sweet to offset the persistence of dry radiator air.  Something that would be kind to my waistline after one too many baguettes and cones of “young rice” ice cream.  For a quick fix, I headed to Lucky 97 to get some ingredients to go with the rotisserie chicken I had at home.   

With the exception of the dressing, I didn’t really follow a recipe.  For two girls who were to stay in and paint their nails, I bought two mangos and one green papaya.  Purple basil, cilantro, and mint.  Shredded carrots.  One diced chili.  Scallions.  Sesame seeds.  The chicken.   A super simple dressing c/o Red Bridge:  juice of one lime, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 garlic clove crushed, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. 

It was too cold for a cold beer, but that’s what was then needed.
And as they say in Vietnam:  Yo!

The Matsuhisa dressing on this signature dish has become a kitchen staple that is simple, delicious, and immensely versatile. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and is packed with flavour. Add that to thinly sliced, crisp, ice bathed vegetables, like radishes and turnips, with a side of perfectly seared tuna, and you have Nobu at home.

The recipe can be found in Chef Matsuhisa’s cookbook “Nobu Now” or at:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/10/nobus-tuna-tataki-sashimi-salad-matsuhisa-dressing-recipe.html

For the dressing, I have found that Keen’s Hot Mustard powder is also quite successful if you are unable to track down the Japanese style mustard powder. And of course the salad can be adapted to any and all vegetables that you fancy, and in this sub-zero weather, perhaps best enjoyed with a bowl of hot miso?