Asian

Cha gio are considered culinary treasures, delighting everyone who's tried them. Light and crispy, spring rolls are traditionally wrapped with rice paper. At Lemon Grass, however, we use a more durable type of spring roll wrapper made from wheat flour. Also used for Filipino-style lumpias, they are marketed under the Menlo brand and stocked in the frozen food department of Asian grocery stores. These 8 X 8-inch wrappers seal the filling so well that no oil can seep through during frying; this is not the case with rice paper.

Nuoc Cham Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This recipe originally accompanied Crispy Spring Rolls. Nuoc cham is a must at every Vietnamese table, no matter what is served. You can use this condiment for dipping meat, seafood and vegetables, and for drizzling on rice. When serving it with steamed meats (such as steamed chicken), I often reduce the water by half so the sauce is more concentrated. You can often determine a family's roots just by looking at and tasting their nuoc cham. If it's clear and dotted with chopped chilies, the cook is probably from the central or northern regions, where a simple and straightforward version is preferred. But if it's diluted with water and lime juice and sweetened with sugar, one can surmise that the cook is from the verdant south. Although it will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator, nuoc cham is best when freshly made. I prefer the intense flavor of the tiny Thai bird chilies, but any hot chilies will do.

_(Te Uchi Udon) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Andoh's book_ At Home with Japanese Cooking. _Andoh also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This recipe originally accompanied Thick White Noodles in Soup, Topped with Eggs and Scallions and Cold Noodle Salad with Ponzu Sauce._

Rau Song Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This recipe originally accompanied Crispy Spring Rolls. In Vietnam, a table salad is used in two main ways — as an accompaniment to meals in which little pieces of meat and seafood are wrapped in the lettuce and eaten out of hand and as an all-purpose salad. When eaten as a salad, diners tear off a piece of lettuce with some herbs and add to their bowls of rice or noodles, or fold the leaves and herbs into little packets to dip into a sauce. A nice table salad can include any combination of rau ram, Asian basil, red and green perilla and slices of starfruit or green bananas.

Ca ri ga Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. True to the Vietnamese style of curry-making, this recipe is milder and lighter than Indian or Thai curries. You can make this with chicken stock, but the coconut milk adds body and enhances the overall flavor. Depending on my mood and the time of year, I sometimes serve this with a warmed baguette (a French influence) instead of steamed rice. Other times, I just make the curry with more broth and serve it with rice noodles. Like other curries, it's delicious the next day.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee and are part of our story on Lunar New Year.

Khao Neeo Mamuang — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. You need sticky rice (also called sweet rice or glutinous rice) for this classic Thai-Lao sweet. The recipe for making it at home is very simple. As with most of the sweets in Southeast Asia, you can eat Coconut Milk Sticky Rice as a snack or serve it as dessert.

Khao Neeo See Dam — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. Since black rice is a big favorite of Tashi's, over time we've developed a quick version of black rice pudding, aromatic, sweet, and satisfying. You can prepare it and have it in bowls for impatient rice pudding fans in under an hour, with no presoaking of the rice. Serve it for dessert or as a snack, or even for breakfast. The rice is moist, almost soupy, when first made, but if it's left to stand in a cool place, it firms up into a pudding-cake texture and can be eaten in slices (see Note below). Eat it on its own or topped with sesame seeds, coriander leaves, or fried shallots, or a combination.

This scrambled egg dish in the style of the Parsi of India is known as akuri or akoori. The Parsis are an old Zoroastrian community located in the western part of India, especially around Mumbai, who were originally from Persia, hence their name. They revere, but do not worship, fire, and maybe that is evidenced in this dish with its own kind of fire. Clarified butter does not need to be store bought. You can easily make it at home by melting some butter and spooning off and discarding the white milk solids separate from the yellow butter. Store the clarified butter in the refrigerator.

Baechu Kimchi _ Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. This is the mother of all kimchi. When Koreans say "kimchi," this is the kind that comes to everyone's minds. Good either fresh or fermented, it goes with everything from meats to noodles. You will need a one-gallon glass jar or four 1-quart jars. _

Banh chung Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. Almost synonymous to Tet, the lunar new year, banh chung is a highly regarded food in Vietnam. It's said to have originated centuries ago when King Hung Vuong VI challenged his many sons that whoever came up with the best recipe for Tet would inherit his throne. The eldest one, eager to impress his father, traveled far and wide to procure the most exotic recipes. But the youngest son, the shy and quiet one, stayed close to home and cooked a dish based on a dream. A genie had told him to take sticky rice (which symbolized earth), wrap it around a ball of mung bean paste (which represented the sun), then boil it for one day and one night. Upon tasting the dish and hearing the story, the king was so impressed he proclaimed his youngest son the heir to his throne and ordered the recipe to be shared with all commoners. Since that day, banh chung has enjoyed a central place in Vietnamese culture — at the family table and on the ancestor worship altar. Since it's considered taboo to work or cook during the first three days of Tet, these cakes are usually made before the festivities begin. Serve this dish at room temperature with a side of salt and pepper or reheat slightly in the microwave and serve as part of a meal.

Dau hu xa ot Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. While traveling on a train one time to the coastal town of Nha Trang, I sat next to an elderly nun. Over the course of our bumpy eight-hour ride, she shared stories of life at the temple and the difficult years after the end of the war when the Communist government cracked down on religious factions. Toward the end of our chat, she pulled out a bag of food she'd prepared for the trip. It was tofu that had been cooked in chilies, lemongrass and la lot, an aromatic leaf also known as pepper leaf. When she gave me a taste, I knew immediately that I had to learn how to make it. This is my rendition of that fabulous dish. Make sure to pat the tofu dry before marinating it and use very fresh lemongrass. I always love serving this to friends who think tofu dishes are bland.

Dduk Gook Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. Eaten especially during Korean New Year (Soll), Dduk Gook can also be made with dumplings.

Tori Soboro This gingery soy-simmered chicken is a popular topping for rice and stuffing for omusubi. Less soupy than a Sloppy Joe, the texture is similar to a dry curry or stiff chili con carne. It freezes well, so do not hesitate to double the recipe.

Pho Bo Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Pham and Vietnamese cuisine, click here. This beloved noodle soup is a complete meal in itself and is best served for breakfast or lunch on a weekend. Because the simmering takes at least two hours, I like to prepare the broth a day ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator, where it will last for three days. Many cookbooks call for it to be made with oxtail bones, but I prefer marrow bones and beef chuck, which is what pho cooks in Vietnam use. A good pho broth needs to be clear, not muddy and dark, certainly fragrant of beef, anise and ginger. You can serve this soup with several toppings, but the easiest ones to prepare at home are cooked and raw beef. To use broth that has been made in advance, bring it to a boil, then add fresh ginger to refresh it. Come serving time, get friends or family to help cook the noodles and assemble the bowls. Make sure that the broth is boiling hot and the bowls preheated. Allow about 1 part noodles to 3 parts broth for each bowl.

This is our version of chai-shop chai, flavored with a little cardamom and mellowed with hot milk and sugar.

China The most challenging part of this recipe is cutting the pork into thin shreds; freeze the meat for 30 or even 60 minutes first, which will make it easier.... (If you want to serve rice with this, which you should, cook it beforehand and keep it warm.) Don't mince the garlic; you want its flavor to be strong in this dish. Serve this with white rice.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking. Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Pham and Vietnamese cuisine, click here. If you get invited to a traditional Vietnamese dinner, chances are you will probably be treated to this ca kho to. It is so basic and popular that in many homes (mine included) it is served almost every other day.

One of the most beautiful and inspired cookbooks of the year was The Breath of a Wok. Grace Young's stories and recipes make us want to set off in pursuit of wok hay, the special taste of wok-cooked food. But if the wok itself is too much to tackle, Young gives us permission to stir-fry in a skillet, as her parents did when they emigrated from China to San Francisco.... Young tells us that the Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like the words for "growing fortune," which makes this an auspicious dish to serve for the lunar New Year.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking. _Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Pham and Vietnamese cuisine, click here. This recipe originally accompanied Mom's Catfish in Claypot. Somewhere along the way, the forefathers and foremothers of Vietnamese cuisine decided that a bottle of fish sauce and a jar of caramel sauce were indispensable in the kitchen. Caramel sauce is indeed handy. A little spoonful gives our stews, ragouts, and even grilled dishes a nice color, as well as adding a slightly nutty sweetness. Consider setting aside a small jar for spontaneous use. Molasses and other store-bought versions are not good substitutes._