Cha Gio Bun

Cha Gio Bun (with Caramel Chicken)

I bought some minced pork for a Thai Mung Bean Vermicelli Salad, but of course Hub had to tell me that he didn't want to eat minced pork like that when I announced the menu to him. I had to disguise the minced pork (like when it comes to vegetables for the kids) and decided to make Cha Gio Bun or Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls on Rice Vermicelli. He was the first to turn up at the dinner table as he likes this dish, ate loads of it when we were in Saigon last Summer.

Nuoc cham

rice vermicelli, caramel chicken, nems, salad, crushed peanuts, cucumber/lemon, nuoc cham

Peanuts crushed in my mortar

It is a very simple dish, just prepare and fry the cha gio/Imperial Nems, soak some dried rice vermicelli in salted hot water, prepare a nuoc cham sauce (recipe provided with the nems') and prepare the garnishing (e.g. cucumber, salad leaves, mint leaves, coriander leaves, laksa leaves, lemon wedges, crushed roasted peanuts...). Put everything together in a bowl and pour the nuoc cham sauce over it. It makes a very nice one-dish meal.

One dish meal

However, I have my own personal way of doing the rice vermicelli : I usually brown some fresh lemongrass and sliced onions in a little oil and quickly toss my soaked and drained rice noodles in it. This way the rice vermicelli has a lemongrass taste and can be served with the fragrant fried onions.

Hub also wanted a soup to go with his Cha Gio Bun. Since he would be away for a week starting tomorrow, I indulged him, making a quick soup with half a fresh fennel bulb, onion, garlic, ginger and whole spices like star anise, cloves, cinnamon bark, cardamoms and a bay leaf. Not to forget a chicken stock cube.

Maybe I'll take the opportunity to cook less this week. Actually what I meant is hurray, I'll be able to eat junk food, snack in front of the computer all evening etc. While Hub dines in nice restaurants, stays in 5* hotels and gets driven around in limousines. When all he really wanted is to sit in front of the TV watching TV5 Monde and have the Babies climb all over him. Of course.