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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 6 Issue 63 - March 31, 2004 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, You know how a recipe can bring back certain memories? Yesterday we were contacted by a gentleman named Don and he shared story with us. We asked for permission to reprint it and he gave us the green light. I hope you enjoy it. Ah, yes Nuoc Mam, brings back memories. In 1967, during TET I was a combat photographer in Vietnam. When the Viet Cong would bring something different down the Ho Cho Trail often the brass would not believe the reports and one of us photographers would have to go get pictures of it, thus I spent more time up and down the country than many people, everywhere from well above the DMZ to the Delta, two days here, a month there. It was not that bad a job you just had to learn to keep your head down, and the rest of you. Spending so much time in the field we often had to eat what the natives ate for weeks on end. There was plenty of meat but it was not generally freezer fresh, more a little rank if you will, but the natives ate it readily so we had to learn too also. They had and used a little pepper that grew wild that was truly hot with Nuoc Mam to improve the taste of most meals so we got used to these two seasonings. I would carry a small bottle of Nuoc Mam and a pocket of peppers everywhere I went because I never knew when I would get back to a U S military camp. Well the flavor of Nuoc Mam grows on you. Most Nuoc Mam has a very strong smell, in fact we learned to tell when the enemy was around by smell. You could smell them long before you could see them. A team member came in from Japan and joined me for several trips in the field. One day he asked what I was eating out of my pocket so I gave him several peppers, set him on fire, I and other members of the group just laughed at his massive consumption of water to try to get rid of the burn. The next day I introduced him gently to Nuoc Mam, he liked it. Shortly he returned to Japan and a few days later I got a letter from him asking could I send him some Nuoc Mam as it could not find it there, they had a fish sauce but it was not nearly the same. I got him a whole crate of Nuoc Mam, the best quality available cost about $3.00 for six bottles. I took it to the post office to mail. The postal clerk said I could not send it without a return said no way, and told him what was in the box if it broke open I did not want the entire fleet mail service looking for me. I can hear him laughing to the point he could not stand until today. He said they could trace it back to his office if it came open but he could play stupid but he would let me know the results. One bottle did come open in Japan, it took days of intense cleaning to get rid of the smell, he was questioned and we laughed about it until I left country. So thanks for memories I had almost forgotten. There is not much to really smile about in any war but this was an exception. Don -------------------------------------------------- Recipe Club, You can always win cool stuff at Chef2Chef.net Chefs, Caterers and Personal Chefs…No More Masking Tape! Win a New DayMark Label Applicator and 6000 dissolvable labels. A $131 value. Four winners each month. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=408 Do you need a brand new Chef Knife? Chef Revival is giving away eight 8 inch Chef Knives on March 31st to some lucky Chef2Chef.net Recipe Club members. Register for a chance to Win! http://ads.chef2Chef.net/goto.php?id=36 Register to win a copy of the Chef of the Month, Mario Batali's cookbook, Babbo. A must have for your cookbook collection http://marketplace.chef2chef.net/sweep/ Sign up for a FREE Subscription to Food Arts Magazine. The Magazine for the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry. U.S. residents only. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=242 -------------------------------------------------- Vietnamese Meatballs Serves 8 Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. Lean Ground Beef 1 Garlic Clove, crushed 1 Egg White 1 tbsp. mirin or sherry 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce 1 Pinch of Sugar Salt and White Pepper 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tbsp. Sesame Oil Bamboo skewers soaked Preparation: Blend mixture with mixer or food processor until very smooth. Mold small meatballs on skewer (about six meatballs per skewer). Broil to perfection. -------------------------------------------------- BulkFoods.com Spices and Seasoning Blends, Nuts, Chocolates, Candy, Dried Fruits, Trail Mixes, Supplements and so much more. You can also find grains and cereals, beans and seeds, pasta, sugar-free chocolates and old-fashioned candy. Free Shipping on all orders in the continental US! http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=142 -------------------------------------------------- Vietnamese Style Salad Ingredients: 1/4 lb. rice noodles, boiled and rinsed 2 cups bean sprouts 1 small cucumber, sliced 1 head lettuce, chopped or shredded mint leaves 2 cups carrots, slivered and soaked in sweet vinegar 2 cups green onions, chopped 3/4 cup oil peanuts Fish Sauce: 3 tbsp. warm water 3 tbsp. sugar 3 tbsp. lemon juice or rice vinegar 6 tbsp. fish sauce 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 tsp. hot chili pepper For the fish sauce: Dissolve sugar in warm water and add remaining ingredients. For the salad: Toss salad ingredients together, and add fish sauce. -------------------------------------------------- MaineGoodies.com Experience Maine year round. Let us send you, or a friend, the treasures of Maine. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, House warming or just to remind yourself or a friend of how wonderful Maine is! Offering over 850 Traditional and Unique items. Free shipping in continental US. Sorry, no catalog. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=136 -------------------------------------------------- Rice Noodle Dish Recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into rings 8 oz firm dried rice noodles 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tsp vegetable oil 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced 4 green onions thinly sliced 3 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped 2 tbsp. lightly salted cocktail peanuts slightly crushed Preparation Whisk vinegar and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Add onion rings and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hrs. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp. of vinegar mixture. Cook noodles in boiling water about 2 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well. Whisk lime juice, oil and crushed pepper in small bowl to blend. Stir in mint and cilantro. Cut noodles into 3-4 inch sections. Place 1/4 of the noodles into the bowl with the reserved vinegar mixture. Toss remaining noodles with the lime juice mixture. Mix noodles together with all remaining ingredients except peanuts. Sprinkle nuts over the top and serve immediately. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |