What to do with leftovers

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday and kids were hunting for eggs in my in-law's jungle backyard while I was BBQing.  Everyone had a great time enjoying all the great food.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of leftovers.  Normally, I would just microwave the leftovers but this time I decided to spice it up a little by sauteing it with whiskey and butter.  I hope you enjoy the video.

Creme Brulee

The first time I ever had Creme brulee was when I was at my sister's house for dinner.  Her husband took out this torch and started to torch sugar that was sprinkled on the creme brulee.  Boy, that first bite was amazing!  So creamy and rich.  Thanks sister.  It's time to make my own.   Now here is my recipe on how to make creme brulee.

Ingredients:

- 6 large egg yolks

- 1/4 cup and 2 tbs of sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- 3 cup heavy cream

- 6 to 8 (5 to 6 oz) ramekins

- don't forget the torch

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 325 degrees.  On medium heat, pour the heavy cream in a saucepan.  Once you see bubbles on the edge, turn off the heat.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar.  When you think you've blended all the ingredients, slowly pour little by little the heavy cream while whisking everything.  Then, fill the ramekins with the mixture.  Place the ramekins in a large cake pan then pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Before you put it in the oven, my friend Jimmy recommended that I use the torch to get rid of any bubbles.  Now place it in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the ramekins from the pan and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours. Here comes the best part...

 

Tuna crunch roll and Sardine roll

 

Sardine roll

 

Tuna crunch roll

What to eat on a Friday?  No meat.  Somehow I decided to make tuna crunch roll (can tuna) and sardine roll.  Sounds weird right?  Well, it turned out good.  Here is the video that I worked on.  I'm still experiencing how to show people to cook on video.  Please bear with me and I will try to improve my video.  

 

Chinese Mustard green

Nothing fancy today,  I just want to make Chinese Mustard green (Gai Choy).  CMG is another vegetable that I enjoy eating.  All you need is 5 cloves of garlic, salt, sugar, chicken stock from the soup I made and CMG.  It's that simple.  Drizzle some EVOO and garlic on high heat, once the garlic slightly turn brown add in the CMG.  Add salt and sugar and stir it.  Then add in some chicken stock and cover with lid for a minute.  Then stir until done.  Yes! It's that simple.  I served this with rice, caramelized chicken with ginger, and CMG soup with ginger.

 

 

 

Yes! With chicken and CMG, I ended up making 3 dishes.  Having soup, salty dish, and veggie dish is a Vietnamese tradition.  It's about balance.

Pea sprouts

Pea sprout is one of my favorite vegetable.  It's inexpensive and easy to make.  All you need is pea sprouts, 3 cloves of garlic, salt and oyster sauce (mushroom is optional).  Yep, it's that easy.

Tofu soup

 

 

 

 

 

Stuffed squid with pineapple glazed

Squids were stuffed with pineapple, squid head, tomato, sausage, onion and celery.  I've also seasoned my rice with parsley, smoke paprika and nutmeg in the rice cooker.

 

Thit bo luc lac

The direct translation of "thit bo luc lac" is shaking beef.  It might sound funny but it sure tastes good.  I attempted my first short video to demonstrate how to "shake" the beef.  It's not that easy to cook in front of a camera so I hope you will enjoy it and give me some feedback to better my videos in the future.

Ingredients:
-1 lb of beef tenderloin
-3/4 tbs soy sauce
-1/4 tbs fish sauce
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp sugar
-2 cloves of garlic
-1/4 chili pepper (optional)
-shot glass of bourbon

Directions:
I recommend using beef tenderloin if you like your beef soft.  Cut the beef into cubes about 3/4 inch.  In a bowl, mash some cloves of garlic and add in soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper, sugar, and chili pepper.  Mix the sauce, add in the beef and let it marinate for 5 minutes.  Using a wok on very high heat (try not to burn your home) add in cooking oil.  When you feel that the wok is hot, add the beef and start shaking.  Once all corner of the beef are nice and brown, add in the bourbon.  When the flame is out then the beef is cooked medium rare.  If you like your beef well-done, cook it a little longer and reduce the heat.  Have fun shaking!!