Dau Sot Ca Chua (Tofu in Tomato Sauce)

Dau Sot Ca Chua (Tofu in Tomato Sauce)

Since my chinese mother grew up in Hanoi, I was blessed with both homemade Chinese and Vietnamese food during my childhood.  Dau Sot Ca Chua over a fluffy bowl of steamed rice was one of my favorite comfort foods growing up.  The tofu acts like a sponge and soaks up all the flavors of the sauce.

Dau Sot Ca Chua
1 lb. medium-firm tofu
5 large ripe tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil for pan-frying
minced scallions for garnish, optional

Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.  Drain tofu pieces on paper towels to remove excess moisture and minimize spatter.
While tofu is draining, julienne the onion.  Remove the stems and seeds from the tomatoes and dice.
In a large sauce pan, pan-fry the tofu cubes for 1-2 minutes on each side to a golden yellow.  Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
Add onions to pan and cook until translucent.  Add tomatoes and cook until soft.  Add a few tablespoons of water if too dry or if you want more sauce.  Stir in fish sauce and sugar.  Do a taste test.  If needed, add salt to taste.  Add tofu and let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Sprinkled with minced scallions.  Serve over steamed rice.
The flavor really soaks into the tofu if made one day prior to be reheated the next day.

Bun Rieu Tom with Fried Tofu

Growing up, my mom always had a big pot of jook (rice congee or porridge), bun (round rice noodles) or chicken pho (flat rice noodles) simmering on the stove on the weekends.  The components were always made ready to be on hand for the perfect steaming bowl of breakfast and/or even lunch.  She'd wake up before everyone else to start the broth. 

I always buy whole shell on shrimp so that I can save the heads and shells for shrimp stock.  Once I saved up enough for a nice shrimp stock, I decided to make Bun Rieu Tom with Fried Tofu.

There are many variations of Bun Rieu.  The traditional Bun Rieu Cua is made with blue crab.  Bun Rieu Tom is made with shrimp.  Bun Rieu Cua Tom Oc is made with crab, shrimp and snail meat.

The fried tofu soaks up the savory, tangy flavors of the broth.  The delicious egg mixture has a light, pillowy texture.

Broth for Bun Rieu Tom

5 cups shrimp heads & shells, packed

1 lb pork bones
10 cups water

1 tsp oil
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 onion, halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the onion halves, pork bones, shrimp heads and shells on a baking sheet.  Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Transfer the pork bones, shrimp heads and shells in a stock pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Place lid on pot, slightly propped up.  Reduce heat to a low simmer.  Simmer for 3-4 hours or overnight.  Remove pork bones, shrimp heads and shells.  Skim broth.
Heat a small frying pan with oil.  Sautee chopped tomatoes for 30 seconds.
Add onion, sauteed tomatoes, tomato paste, shrimp paste and fish sauce to broth.  Stir well and simmer for at 2 hours.  Makes about 9-10 cups broth.

Bun Rieu Tom (per serving)

2 cups broth for Bun Rieu Tom

1 tbsp crab paste

1 egg, slightly beaten

6 pieces fried tofu

4 shrimp

1 cup cooked bun noodles

wedge of lime

2-3 sprigs mint (garnish)
1/4 cup finely shredded cabbage (garnish)

Bring broth to a simmer.  Add fried tofu and shrimp.  Mix crab paste and egg together.  Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the simmering broth.  Ladle on top of bun noodles in serving bowl.  Add juice from a wedge of lime.  Add more shrimp paste and/or fish sauce to taste.  Mix in mint leaves and shredded cabbage.

Point Loma Pho and Grill

Pho is one of my all time favorite comfort foods.  My parents grew up in Hanoi and I used to wake up on the weekends to a big pot of chicken pho that my mom has prepared for us kids to serve ourselves.  It seems that pho has become the new sushi or thai food.  

Point Loma Pho and Grill opened last year near my work.  That means I don't have to far for a pho fix during lunch.  I usually get the #4 Pho with rare steak, brisket, tendon and tripe.  It's an okay bowl of pho that satisfies my cravings.  The steak is thinly sliced and still pink in the center when the bowl arrives to the table.  By the time my sprouts and basil were mixed in, the steak's completely cooked in the hot broth.  Well-done steak is an option, but the meat would overcook in the hot broth and become tough by the time you mix everything together.  The reason for ordering rare steak for your pho is so it would cook in the hot broth right before you dig in.   I enjoyed the tendon, which is tender and a good amount.  The brisket's nice.  The amount of tripe is always disappointing.  I don't think I've ever gotten more than two small pieces of tripe.  Too bad, I like tripe.  The broth is a little too sweet for my taste and lacks the beefy flavor.  It's americanized vietnamese food.  The shrimp pho is a good start for someone who has never had pho before and is put off about trying things like tripe and tendon.   Although chicken pho or pho with just steak are also good newbie options.

Broken rice dishes and boba drinks are also on the menu.  There is also the sizzling beef platter served in a hot cast iron plate.  Marinated beef, onions, and green peppers with a bowl of steamed rice.  Have you ever seen that commercial with the waiter walking through the restaurant with the fajita platter?  Yeah, it's like that.  

The service is quick and efficient as with all pho places.  The staff is friendly and always makes sure our water glasses are filled.  It's not the best bowl of pho I've ever had, but it's a good place to take your friends for their introductory bowl of pho.  I'd still go back for a weekday lunch time pho fix.

Point Loma Pho and Grill

2788 Midway Drive

San Diego, CA 92110

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Wings

Since my lemongrass has been growing rampant in my little container garden, I decided to thin it out and do something with it.  My mom used to make a fish sauce marinade for pork that went with her bun thit nuong.  Bun thit nuong is a cold Vietnamese noodle dish that consists of marinated grilled pork, vermicelli noodles, an assortment of thinly shredded lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, pickled carrots and daikon, coarsely ground roasted peanuts, mint and a nuoc mam cham vinagrette.  It's a really refreshing rice noodle salad that replaces my pho cravings in the summer.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a restaurant in San Diego that measures up to my mom's bun thit nuong.  The grilled pork is just never quite right.

My mom's marinade for her grilled pork was savory, citrusy and slightly sweet.  I didn't have all the ingredients for bun thit nuong, but I did have a huge bag of frozen chicken wings. While the wings defrost in a bowl of cold water in the sink, I began pounding together the ingredients for my marinade.  Unfortunately, I didn't pay that much attention to what my mom threw into her marinade or even the measurements for that matter.  So I kinda winged it.  I tasted and adjusted until I finally got it close enough.  So here's the recipe for my Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Wings, which is inspired by my mom's Bun Thit Nuong.  My measurements are not exact, but hey, it's close enough.

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Wings

10-12 chicken wings

2 cloves garlic

4-5 stalks fresh lemongrass, white parts only and minced

1 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp nuoc mam (fish sauce)

1 tsp sesame oil

juice from 1/2 lime

With a mortar and pestle, pound together the garlic, lemongrass, and sugar.  A food processor will do if you don't have a mortar and pestle.  

In a small bowl, combine the lemongrass mixture with the nuoc mam, sesame oil and lime juice.  Rinse the chicken wings and pat dry.  In a large bowl or freezer bag, toss the chicken wings with the marinade until completely coated and marinate for at least 4 hours.  Re-toss the wings every hour or so to get them to marinate evenly.

Fire up the grill and cook the chicken wings for about 15 minutes each side or until the meat closest to the bone is no longer pink.