Vietnamese Promotion @ Link Restaurant, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

I've always been a huge fan of Vietnamese cuisine, so when we were invited to Link All Day Dining Restaurant in Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar to sample their latest Vietnamese Food Promotion, I had to say YES!

Vietnamese cuisine is known to food lovers as a cuisine featuring the harmonious combination of five elements of taste - spicy to represent metal, sour to represent wood, bitter to represent fire, salty to represent water and sweet to represent Earth. There is so much to love about Vietnamese food, from the abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables to fresh ingredients and pleasing presentation.

In conjunction with Vietnam's National Day on 2 September, Link is having a 10-day Vietnamese Food Promotion from 19-28 September 2014 (except Fri & Sat), with invited chefs from Vietnam, Chef Viet Anh Nguyen and Chef Van Son Nguyen who will prepare an authentic Vietnamese experience for guests. The buffet is priced at RM90 nett per person (includes the international spread available at LINK) and is available for both lunch and dinner.

Iconic Vietnamese dishes such as pho, fresh and deep fried spring rolls as well as bo lu lac (shaking beef) are some of the dishes you may find at this promotion. The Vietnamese items are clearly marked out with a Vietnam flag on the dish label.

On our visit there were 3 Gỏi (Vietnamese salads) available to try - chicken and onion salad (nom ga xe phay), grilled squid with beansprouts and starfruit salad (gui muc nuong khe and gia do), and carrot and green papaya salad (nom du du ca rot rau thom). Appetizing and delicious, great for whetting our appetites.

Chicken and onion salad

Grilled squid with beansprouts and starfruit salad

Carrot and green papaya salad

Next, we visited the live station to watch Chef Viet Anh Nguyen prepare the fresh spring rolls (nem cuon tuoi and nuoc cham chua ngot). The delicate rice paper rolls are softened in water then filling of rice vermicelli, lettuce, chicken and herbs are placed on and then rolled. Dipped in nước chấm, we loved this light salad roll.

The making of.. Vietnamese fresh rice rolls

Hubby's favorite dish of the afternoon was the braised fish and ginger in caramel sauce (ca kho to). The sauce is both salty and sweet, really comforting and yummy.

Chicken & Lotus Vietnamese Soup (Sup Ga Hat Sen Cung Dinh)

Bo luc lac aka shaking beef - French-influenced dish of beef cut into cubes and marinated, served with sautéed onions and peppers

Beef and salted vegetable fried rice (com rang dua bo)

Vietnamese-style vegetables

Chef Van Son Nguyen at the live cooking station, preparing the Vietnamese crepes (banh beo)

The making of... fried spring roll

These two items were my favorite, especially the fried spring roll (cha gio) that has just come off the fryer. Little rolls of deliciousness. Definitely had several helpings of this. :)

And the most famous of them all, the Vietnamese pho - available with traditional beef or chicken broth (on a daily rotation basis). I enjoyed the rich, flavorful, clear broth with lots of freshly chopped coriander.

Vietnamese drip coffee, sweetened with condensed milk (ca phe sua) can be ordered separately for RM18nett.

This Vietnamese Food Promotion runs from 19-28 September 2014 (except Fri & Sat), and is priced at RM90 nett per person. Available for both lunch and dinner.


Opening times: 12.00pm - 3.00pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.30pm (Dinner).

Service: Good.

Location: LINK All Day Dining Restaurant, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, No 1 Jalan Pantai Jaya, Tower 3, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2298 1888

GPS Coordinates: 3.115850, 101.6632

Website: http://www.pullmanhotels.com/gb/hotel-7962-pullman-kuala-lumpur-bangsar-/index.shtml


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Recipe: Vietnamese Fresh Pork Sausage (Chả lụa)

I was browsing through the Vietnamese Bible again for more inspiration, and came across this recipe for fresh pork sausage, also known as Chả lụa. In the book, there is also another version of chả lụa, which refers to "Vietnamese pork roll or terrine", a type of sausage traditionally wrapped in banana leaves. I made the fresh pork sausage version, cos it's easier and sounds more like the type my kids would like to eat :)

All you need to do is mix the minced pork with the seasonings and herbs, then shape them into sausage shapes and wrap in cling firm. The sausages are then gently poached until cooked. You can have this either cold or warm by browning it in a pan before serving.

The flavours for this cha lua is quite mild, with hints of chilli and fish sauce coming through. The kids loved this a lot (maybe the cute colorful toothpicks helped?) and were eating this non-stop, dipping it in the sweet chilli sauce as they ate.This is one sausage I am happy serving to my kids, since I know it's made from scratch from natural ingredients.

Vietnamese Fresh Pork Sausage (Cha Lua)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Vietnamese Bible
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

500g minced pork

2 tbsp fish sauce

3 tsp rice flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp fresh coriander, freshly chopped

1 small hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1. Place the minced pork in a large bowl, then add fish sauce, rice flour, sugar, coriander, and red chilli and mix well. Using your hands, form into 3 sausage shapes.

2. Wrap each sausage tightly in cling film, twisting the ends to keep the roll firm. Refridgerate for 2-3 hours, then poach in very gently simmering water for about 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove from water and set aside to cool, then refridgerate for a further 2 hours, until firm.

4. You can serve this sausage cold (slice and serve with toothpicks or in lettuce wraps with mustard, chilli sauce or Vietnamese dipping sauce). Alternatively, you can serve it warm - remove from cling wrap, then brown in a pan with some oil, then slice and serve.

Note: You can also use lean pork + pork fat, and place it in the food processor to grind to a sticky paste.

* I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest- Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks and to "Cook-Your-Books #13" hosted by Joyce .


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Recipe: Suon Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Ribs)

Today, I made another fantastic recipe from the Vietnamese Bible - Sườn nướng, also known as Vietnamese grilled pork ribs. 

For this recipe, I bought 10 pork rib bones to feed my family of 4. The ribs are marinated (preferably overnight) in a paste made from fresh ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander and seasoned with dark soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. It is usually cooked on a charcoal barbecue, or hotplate, but you can also cook it in the oven, which is what I did. I first oven-roasted it for 30 minutes, then switched to grill mode so that the ribs are crispy and charred in places.

The ribs were tender and full of flavour - they're so delicious, and so easy to make. A huge hit with my family, I can foresee myself making this again real soon!

Finger-licking good!

Vietnamese grilled pork ribs (Sườn nướng)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Vietnamese Bible
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
10 pork rib bones, about 1.5kg

2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 hot red chilli, deseeded

4-5 sprigs coriander

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil

1/8 tsp salt

1. Place ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander in a food processor or spice grinder and grind to a paste. Mix with soy sauce, fish sauce, soft brown sugar, oil and salt. 

2. Spread over the pork ribs, cover and leave to marinate in fridge overnight, or at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

3. Preheat oven to 180C (roast mode). Line baking tray with foil, then arrange ribs in a single layer. Place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes, then increase temperature to 200C and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until cooked through and crisp on the surface and charred in places.

Note: You can also cook the ribs over a charcoal barbecue or hotplate or grill.

Suon Nuong

* I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest- Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks and to "Cook-Your-Books #13" hosted by Joyce .


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Recipe: Vietnamese Prawns Stir-Fried with Lemongrass & Chilli (Tôm riem xo voi)

My boy's latest food love are prawns. For example, whenever we go for char koay teow, he would ask for all the prawns on the plate. The other day, I cooked Vietnamese-style stir fried prawns with lemongrass and chilli (tôm riem xo voi) and he loved it! He kept asking for more. :)

For this dish, I used medium-sized fresh prawns, which have been shelled and deveined. Other ingredients include large onion, thinly sliced lemongrass and red chilli, and seasoned with fish sauce, light soy sauce and sugar. I didn't have any red chilli, so I used some jalapeno peppers (you can also use cili padi (bird's eye chilli)). The lemongrass is homegrown, from our garden.

This is a simple stir-fry dish, which literally takes minutes to cook. Fragrant, sweet, savoury and spicy, the flavours are simply delicious. What a wonderful, quick weekday meal this makes. I would definitely cook this again!

Vietnamese Prawns Stir-Fried with Lemongrass & Chilli (Tom riem xo voi)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Vietnamese Bible
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1-2 plump stem lemongrass, trimmed and finely sliced
24 medium fresh prawns, shelled and deveined (about 250g)
1 large hot red chilli or jalapeno, deseeded and sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp caster sugar


1. In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and lemongrass and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the prawns and chilli and cook for a further minute, until prawns are cooked through. Season with fish sauce, light soy sauce and sugar and mix well.

2. Serve immediately with rice vermicelli, rice-stick noodles or plain white rice.


Note: Not very sure of the Vietnamese name for this dish, book states tom riem xo voi, but it may be tôm xào sả ớt - enlighten me if you know the correct name! Thanks :)

* I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest- Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks and to "Cook-Your-Books #13" hosted by Joyce .


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Recipe: Vietnamese Stir-Fried Pork & Beansprouts (Giá Xào Thịt)

A couple of months ago, I bought a Vietnamese cookbook (we love trying new cuisines!) but I did not have the time to try out the recipes. This month, Kelly is hosting Asian Food Fest - Indochina, which includes Vietnam, giving me the incentive to take the book out and start flipping the pages for a recipe which I can try making. Just the push I needed :)

Vietnamese Stir Fried Pork & Beansprouts (Giá Xào Thịt)

Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide and this stir fried pork and beansprouts recipe that I chose to try is exactly that. Xào means stir frying, and this is a simple and quick stir fry recipe. The lean pork is first marinated in fish sauce, sugar, cornflour and black pepper for 15 minutes, then stir fried in a hot wok for a mere 7 minutes. The meat is tender and flavorful, and the beansprouts lend a nice crunch to the dish.

Very flavorful!

A fantastic and delicious one-pan dish for a busy weekday evening!

Vietnamese Stir-Fried Pork & Beansprouts (Gia Xao Thit)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Vietnamese Bible
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 6-7 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
350g lean pork, finely sliced

For the marinade
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornflour
3/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
4 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
3 thin slices fresh ginger, cut into fine shreds
300g fresh beansprouts, cleaned

For seasoning
1 tsp fish sauce, to taste
Salt



1. Place pork in a bowl, and add the fish sauce, sugar, cornflour and pepper. Using your hands, mix well. Marinate for 15 minutes.

2. In a wok, heat the oil over high heat, then add the sesame oil (if using). Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the pork and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, until barely cooked. Then, add the spring onions and cook for further 30 seconds. Finally, add the beansprouts and stir fry until cooked, about 1 minute. Taste seasoning, and add more fish sauce/salt as necessary. Serve immediately with rice.

Note: Do slice the pork against the grain, this ensures that the cooked meat is more tender.

* I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest- Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks and to "Cook-Your-Books #13" hosted by Joyce .


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Recipe: Vietnamese Bo Kho (Beef Stew) + WORLDFOODS giveaway #1

My family loves eating beef stew very much. Although beef stew takes a couple of hours to cook, it is in fact very simple as all you need to do is simply place all the ingredients into the pot and cook away until tender and flavorful.

For my beef stew this time, I made it using WORLDFOODS Vietnamese five spice bo kho sauce. This sauce can also be used for stir fries. Vietnamese beef stew, also known as bo kho is a popular Vietnamese dish which can be served with banh mi (baguette), steamed rice or noodles.

The WORLDFOODS sauce is a delicious tomato-based sauce combined with fragrant lemon grass, ginger and chillies with heady notes of spices. This is said to be medium heat, however for us this is quite mild tasting hence great for kids to enjoy too. I also added in some carrots, making this a great one-pot meal for dinner.

I am delighted to announce that I will be collaborating with WORLDFOODS for a few months to bring you some recipes created using WORLDFOODS products. WORLDFOODS products are convenient and with these available, I believe everyone can easily and quickly put a delicious meal on their table. What I like about WORLDFOODS products is that it is food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring, as well as being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims. In KL, WORLDFOODS products are available at Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong) and Hock Choon @ Ampang.

GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to WORLDFOODS, I have 2 bottles of this Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce to giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment below stating "I want to enter this giveaway" with your name and e-mail address. This giveaway is open to Malaysia only. 2 winners will be drawn (1 bottle each) at random on 12 February 2014 and notified via email.



Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves 4-5

Ingredients
400ml water
1 jar (200g) WORLDFOODS Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce
800g stewing beef
3 carrots, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into 1/8ths
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fish sauce

To garnish
Thai basil leaves
Red chillies, sliced (optional)


1. In a large pot or casserole, heat the oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the beef to quickly sear, until the meat is browned.  Repeat for remaining beef.

2. Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.Then, add water and WORLDFOODS Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce, stirring well to mix and bring to the boil.

3. Once boiling, cover with lid, and cook for approximately 1 1/2 hours over low heat until meat is fork-tender. Add the carrots 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Season with salt and fish sauce. Serve hot with banh mi (baguette), steamed rice or noodles. Garnish with Thai basil leaves and red chillies.

Fantastic one-pot meal

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Obanhmi, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Bánh mì is a popular Vietnamese sandwich which is made of a Vietnamese-style baguette and native Vietnamese ingredients, such as cilantro, fish sauce and pickled carrots. Having heard a lot of good things about OBanhmi in Damansara Uptown, we made a date with our friend to meet here for breakfast.

Long wooden tables and high steel chairs make up the interior of this establishment. Obanhmi is opened by two Hanoian best friends Daniel Nguyen and Chris Bui. We quickly study the blackboard menu on the wall and place our orders for an O School (RM10.70), O Sunny (RM12.20) and O BBQ (RM11.20) sets which come with a drink. They have recently added a couple more new sandwiches to their menu - O-Ga with chicken teriyaki and O-Roasted Pork.

O School

My first thought was that the bánh mì looks good - love the vibrant colours and fresh cilantro that tops each sandwich. I took a bite and was relieved that Vietnamese-style baguettes are crisp yet light and airy, and not at all hard. Each bánh mì is packed full of ingredients, including pork pâté, homemade mayo as well as pickled carrot and radish.The O School (the original Vietnamese baguette) is made up of lemongrass chicken, chilli and ham,while the O Sunny, which was my favorite is basically the O School with an added fried egg - tastes so good!  The O BBQ is served with BBQ pork, a sunny-side up egg and Vietnamese chilli sauce - this was Hubby's favorite (a really meaty one, this is!) but I found the meat to be on the dry side. 

There is also a O.M.G which is twice the load of O Sunny (only RM11.20) - great value if you're a big eater. We also ordered a O Susu for the kids - which is a baguette served with condensed milk. Our friend also ordered some O Rolly (RM7), deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls with minced pork, mushrooms, shredded carrots and mung bean noodles.

O Sunny - my fav!

O BBQ

Vietnamese Iced Lemon Tea

Cold Vietnamese iced coffee

O Rolly - Vietnamese fried spring roll

Sit at the back of the restaurant and watch the baguette making session 

The menu

Verdict: Really tasty banh mi!


Opening times: Tue-Fri 8am to 8.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am to 9pm. Closed on Mondays.

Service: Fast.

Location: Obanhmi Shop, 33, Jalan SS 21/56B, Damansara Uptown, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7732-8540

GPS Coordinates: 3.137934, 101.621903

Website: https://www.facebook.com/OBMshop



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