VIETNAMESE PHOENIX RECIPES

Steps:

• Slice chicken into 5 thin strips, about 5 per breast.
• Flatten with a Chinese cleaver or mallet.
• Mash shrimp; add onions, lemongrass, salt and pepper and blend into a thick paste.
• Lay ham strips on the chicken pieces; add a tsp of shrimp to each, and roll.
• Secure with toothpicks.
• Dip in cornstarch, then fry in oil in a skillet until golden brown.
• Serve with my recipe for"Nuoc Cham- Vietnamese Spicy Fish Sauce" (recipe#25375).

Steps:

• Combine the beef with the garlic, fish sauce and a small pinch of salt. For the stir-fry sauce, mix ingredients in a small bowl. For the pepper salt, mix the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for later. Finely slice the pale part of the spring onion and set aside along with the sliced red onion. Slice the green part of the spring onion into batons and reserve for later. Scatter watercress over a large plate. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef mixture and spread the beef pieces out in the pan. Allow to brown for 1-2 minutes before flipping and stir-frying. Add the red onion and the pale part of the spring onion and stir-fry for another minute. Then pour over the stir-fry sauce and mix through. Add the cornflour mixture and simmer for barely a minute or until the sauce is thick and glossy. Toss through the green part of the spring onion. Spoon out on top of the watercress. Serve with a little dish of the pepper salt and a lime wedge to squeeze into the salt before dipping the beef into it. Serve with steamed rice.