Vietnamese Food 101: Cha Gio, Com Tam, Chim Cut Quay

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

My absolute favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the area, without a doubt, is Hai Duong in Eden Center. Let me tell you a little history of this restaurant. I started going to this restaurant when I was in elementary school, almost a decade ago. It wasn’t the size or even in the same location as it is now. It used to be farther back down the hall and was so small that it could only fit five tiny tables. The notorious thing about Eden Center is that rent is really high since it is a good location for Vietnamese businesses. In fact it is so high, that many businesses end up closing within their first year because they can’t manage to generate the money needed to pay the rent. However, Hai Duong eventually made enough money to move to its current location at half the size (there used to be a jewelry shop at the window). Once the jewelry store ran out of business, Hai Duong bought that location and expanded to out to the window that it now has.

What was most memorable to me in these past years? It definitely has to be their “cha gio”, also known as Vietnamese egg rolls. When I was younger, my sister and I would order at least five orders of these for dinner instead of an actual entrée. Who can blame us? It was fried to a perfect crisp, stuffed with delicious fillings, and paired with a really good mixed fish sauce (you’d be surprised how many Vietnamese restaurants have a bland nước mắm). Now that I’m older, their egg rolls are still as I remember it, but I do order an entrée because I know I can’t live off of egg rolls alone.

One of the dishes I normally get for dinner is “com tam,” which is crushed rice that is generally served with grilled pork, shredded pork, pork meat loaf, easy over egg, pickled carrots, and sliced cucumbers. Just pour the mixed fish sauce over your rice to your preferred taste and enjoy. It’s a really simple, yet delicious Vietnamese entrée that Hai Duong manages to cook very well. I’ve been to another Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in com tam but their pork was extremely thin and hard to chew on (isn’t that a bad sign when you can’t even cook your specialty right?).

My absolute Vietnamese dish is the “chim cut quay,” or roasted quail. It’s roasted quail covered in this slightly sweet and flavorful sauce on top of a bed of lettuce, cooked onions, carrots and watercress. It is served with a salt and pepper mixture, and lime. You’re supposed to squeeze the lime over the salt and pepper, and dip the quail in it, but I find that the quail is already flavorful enough on its own.

Since I’m a creature of habit, I haven’t tried everything on their menu yet. They do serve an amazing “bun bo Hue” (Hue-style Vermicelli noodle and beef soup). It is a beef based soup with Vermicelli noodles, pork knuckles, cubes of pork blood, tons of flavorful seasoning, and is mildly spicy. Pork knuckles and pork blood? Yep, you heard me right. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, then this dish is for you. I’ve never ordered it on my own since I’m not adventurous enough to eat pork blood for dinner, but I love sipping on the soup when my parents order it.

Hai Duong
6795 Wilson Blvd. #7
Falls Church, VA 22044
703-538-5289

- Mai Nguyen

---

Rainy Day Meals: Egg Drop Soup

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Recently, the weather in Northern Virginia has been dreary and according to the weather forecasts it’s not going to get any better (thunderstorms through Friday, yikes). So what better way to escape the dreary weather than with food? One of my favorite things to eat on a rainy day is egg drop soup. It is relatively easy to cook and most of the ingredients can already be found around in the kitchen so you won’t have to venture into the rain to get them.

To cook egg drop soup, I normally use the following ingredients:
- A can of chicken broth (approximately 16 ounces)
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Scallions
- An egg
- Chinese Shaoxing Wine (optional)
- Frozen corn (optional)
- Chicken (optional)

To start, pour the chicken broth into a pot and add salt and pepper for taste. If you have Chinese Shaoxing wine, you can add it now too. Set the stove on high. In a separate container, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water for the cornstarch to dissolve. For the egg, what I like to do is separate the yolk from the egg whites and throw the yolk away since it isn’t necessary for this recipe and it also makes the soup a tad bit healthier. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork until it becomes more fluid.

When the broth is boiling, add the frozen corn and stir until it thaws. Then, gradually pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the broth to help thicken it up. After stirring for a minute, turn the heat down to medium and slowly pour in the egg while stirring. This will give the egg a stringy effect.

Personally, I think the soup itself isn’t really filling, so I always add chicken to the soup. In a bowl, mix cornstarch, egg white, salt, and pepper. Then put chicken in the bowl and mix it so that the chicken is thoroughly covered with the mixture. Boil the chicken in a separate pot and then add it to the finished pot of soup.

When serving, scoop the soup into a bowl and cut up some scallions for garnish. One can of broth usually makes about one to two servings. For a more detailed recipe of basic egg drop soup, you can use this one here.

However, if you don’t have time to cook, I definitely recommend Vinh Kee’s Creamy Chicken Corn Soup which is what my version was based off of.

Vinh Kee Restaurant
3103 Graham Rd
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 645-0118

(Image: Olli Wang/Shutterstock)
- Mai Nguyen

---

Bake Awake

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Northern Virginia breakfast

Chris Bifano
Executive chef, Elements on Level One at Dulles Hyatt

Wanna dazzle your loved ones one early morning? Elements toque Chris Bifano swears his regionally inspired repast looks and tastes great, without too much fuss. “This simple recipe can be reproduced in any kitchen and will make you look like a professional chef,” he stated.

PREP TIME: 5 min.
COOK TIME: 25 min.
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS
Spinach and egg cup
8 ounces shaved Smithfield ham
4 local organic eggs, scrambled
4 ounces local tomatoes, diced
8 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
4 ounces aged, Virginia white cheddar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Tomato chutney
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large local tomatoes, diced
4 ounces small white onion, diced
1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1 ounce fresh garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Rub sliced potato with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tender. Set aside.

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until translucent. Add tomatoes, and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste; fold in fresh basil before serving.

Meanwhile, grease 2-ounce muffin pan with butter, and arrange ham in pan to create bottom. Place spinach, tomatoes, cheese and pepper in the ham-lined cup. Pour egg on top of other ingredients. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F.

Place potato slices on platter. After eggs have rested (about 5 minutes), remove from muffin pan, and surround with potatoes. Serve chutney on the side for dipping.

(November 2008)

---

Sunday Surprise

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Surry Sausage Bread Pudding

Ed Matthews
Chef/owner, One Block West

Faced with a near-vacant fridge and needing a quickie Mother’s Day breakfast one year, One Block West toque Ed Matthews whipped up the following pork-and-dairy pleaser to rave reviews. Although he said any swine will work, Matthews prefers Surry sausage (available from: www.virginiatraditions.com).

PREP TIME: 5 min.
COOK TIME: 20-25 min.
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS
4 ounces French bread (about 3 cups), in 3/4-inch dice
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
6 ounces Surry sausage (3 sausages), quartered and diced
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450 to 500 F.

Dice the French bread and place it in a small bowl.

Thoroughly mix the cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and mix well. Let bread stand while you dice the sausages.

In a small skillet, heat a tablespoon of butter over medium flame. Add the diced sausage, and cook until browned (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat, and add to the bread and developing custard mix. Mix well.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium to high heat in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and wait for the sizzling to stop. Pour in the bread mix, and cook on the stovetop for a minute or two longer to set the bottom.

Bake in the oven until golden-brown on top and just set in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes.

Slide out of the pan onto a cutting board, and cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

(September 2008)

---