Vietnamese winter melon broth with tiger lilies

Vietnamese winter melon broth with tiger lilies

 Appreciated for their beauty and subtle flavour, winter melon and tiger lilies are available in Asian markets. When choosing tiger oilier, make sure they are light golden in colour.

550 g chicken 

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

30 g dried shrimp, soaked in water for 15 minutes, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

4 black peppercorns 

sea salt

340 g winter melon

30 g tiger lilies

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

small bunch fresh coriander, chopped

small bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped

To prepare stock, put chicken in large stockpot and cover with approximately 50 fl. oz of water. Bring  water to the boil, skim off any fat  and  add remaining ingredients.

Remove seeds and inner membrane. Slice into thin half-moon slices. Soak tiger lilies in a saucepan of hot water, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove, squeeze dry and tie in a knot. Bring stock to the boil in a deep pot or wok. Reduce heat and add winter melon and tiger lilies. Simmer for 15-20 minutes,until winter melon is tender. Season to taste, scatter coriander and mint leaves over top and serve immediately.

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Vietnamese dipping Sauce さうす

Vietnamese dipping Sauce
さうす

This popular dipping sauce varies in sweet, sour and fiery degrees, depending on the cook and the region. It can be served with everything from spring rolls to grilled meats and seafoods.

4 cloves garlic
2 fresh red chillies, with stem and seeds removed
3-4 tsp palm sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
5 tbsp water
4 tbsp Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce

Using a pestle and mortar, grind garlic and chilli with sugar, then pound to a paste. Squeeze in lime juice and stir in water and fish sauce until it is well mixed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use for a max, of 2 weeks.

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Spices, herbs and flavoring

Soy sauce or a sprinkling of spring onions, they add flavour, colour and texture.

Chinese five/ spice powder
Based on a mixture sweet, sour, bitter, hot and salty. This power is traditionally made up of star anis, cloves, fennel, seeds, cinnamon and Szechuan peppercorns.

Chillies
The chillies used are the small, fiery, red and green 'Thai bird' varieties.

Fish sauce
Fermented fish sauce is a principal ingredient particularly in soups, marinades and dipping sauces.

Galangal
Ginger family, galangal is aromatic and pungent. It is used in spicy pastes and marinades and in soups, curries.

Garlic
It is used in its raw from to flavour pickles, marinades, sauces and dips.

Root ginger
Fresh root ginger is used liberally in stirfries, stews, rice, pickles, steamed dishes.

Kaffir lime leaves
Which lend a bitter, flowery note to soups and stews.

Lemongrass
It is a woody, pale yellowish-green in colour. Lemongrass added to soups, stirfries, curries and marinades.

Palm sugar
It is golden to toffee-brown in colour. Extracted from the sap of various palm trees.

Pandanus leaf
The long, narrow leaves are tied together and bruised to released their unique flavour before being added to dishes.

Soy sauce
It is used extensively in stirfries, marinades and dipping sauces. Chinese hoisin sauce, prepared whit fermented soya beans, vinagar, sugar and garlic, or Indonesian sweet soy sauce ( used Palm sugar)

Star anise
The fruits are reddish-brown whit a seed in each of the eight prongs of the star.

Tiger lily buds
Also known as 'golden needles' as they are light golden in colour, they are regarded as both a vegetable and herb. Traditionally before cooking, the buds are knotted in the centre ans soaked in water for about 30 minutes.

Turmeric
Fresh turmeric is a knobbly root whit fingers, similar in appearance to ginger, although dark brown in colour whit a bright orange.

Geographically, the continent of Asia spreads across a vast chunk at the world, stretching from Turkey in the west to the far shores of Japan.

In Japan, which otherwise consists primarily of fish, vegetables, fruit and rice.

Rice　

In Asia, there are three main groups of rice:
Long-grain, short-grain and sticky 'glutinous' rice. Once cooked, the tender grains should turn white and fluff up easily whit a fork while retaining a bite.

Noodles

The main dish does not contain rice to provide the starch content of the meal.

Vegetables

Typical vegetables in the Asia kitchen include snake beans, daikon, bok choy, jicama, bamboo shoots, beansprouts, winter melon, small aubergines and mushrooms.


Bamboo shorts
The creamy-white, fresh shoots gave a wonderful texture and flavour and are delicious in stirfries and soups.


Beansprouts
Beansprouts can be eaten raw or added to many stirfries and soups for their refreshing, crunchy bite.


Bok choy
Green, leafy cabbage has juicy white stems and crunchy dark- green leaves. Also know as 'pak choi'.


Daikon
White in colour, this root vegetable looks very similar to a large carrot. Also know as oriental white radish.


Jicama
Resembling a large turnip, whit a crunchy texture, similar to water chestnuts and lotus roots. Slices for soups, salads and stirfries.


Snake beans
Also Known as 'chopstick beans' or 'yard-long beans'.


Winter melon
Prepared and cooking in much the same way as a pumpkin, winter melon is added to soups, stews and stirfries because the flesh absorbs the flavours of the dish.


Fruit
The variety of exotic, tropical fruits is astounding, including fresh coconut, banana, lychee, pineapple, mangosteen, mango, papaya, star fruit, jackfruit, guava, passionfruit, pomelo, dragon fruit and the pungent durian.