Pho, Vietnamese or no?

Pho is a Vietnamese rice-noodle soup slow cooked with pieces of meat (usually pork or beef). The noodles, meat, and vegetables are usually eaten with chopsticks and then the broth is eaten with a traditional Vietnamese soup spoon. Although the pho of today is credited to the Vietnamese, it actually has French roots. The French occupied Vietnam from 1858 to 1954. During their occupation they often made pot-au-feu, a slow-cooked soup of vegetables and beef. It was not uncommon for the Vietnamese citizens to salvage any leftovers thrown out by the French kitchens, so inevitably they discovered pot-au-feu. Before this discovery, slow-cooking was not very popular in Vietnam, but pot-au-feu helped the Vietnamese realize that slow-cooking was the best method for extracting the most flavor and nutrients from food. The Vietnamese city of Hanoi was the first to reinvent pot-au-feu. Instead of beef, pork was used because that was more native to Vietnam. They also added flat rice noodles and greens to the broth and then topped it off with pieces of fried bread. They adapted the word “feu” for their creation, which is quite fitting because the French word “feu” translates to mean “fire” in English and usually the broth is so hot, chefs do not even bother to cook the meat before placing it in the soup. The broth cooks it for them.

According to Chef Corlou, the broth is “the most important part of the pho”. It must be made with strong bones and meat such as oxtail or marrow-filled shinbones. To ensure the broth is clear, Corlou advises that one blanch and rinse the bones and meat before cooking them. He also says to never cut all the fat off because the fat is what helps intensify the flavor.

The truly dedicated pho cooks will sit with the broth as it simmers for at least 12 hours, occasionally adding water and stirring as needed. The meat, vegetables, and bread are not added until moments before being served. Remember, the broth is so hot that it cooks the meat and noodles.

Here in America, our version of pho is much like Saigon, Vietnam’s version. The broth is sweetened with rock sugar and filled with bean sprouts and herbs. In American pho restaurants pho is often served with a plate of bean sprouts, basil, lime wedges, and jalepeños on the side for the consumer to choose. There is also the option to add a fermented fish sauce into the broth and (now more common) sriracha sauce.

In her book “Into the Vietnamese Kitchen” Andrea Nguyen talks about memories she has of making her favorite foods with her two Vietnamese parents as a child. She talks about how she remembers her mom starting the broth before they left for church Sunday mornings and when they all got home her and her sisters would make a line with their bowls to get their serving of pho. According to Nguyen pho is considered a “secondary dish”. It can be eaten for breakfast or lunch, but never dinner. Nguyen shares a memory she has of her family eating dinner and then her father going to get pho after dinner. Just like Chef Corlou, Nguyen says the broth is the most important part of the pho and emphasizes that it must be served piping hot in order for the pho to be any good.

A couple days ago I went to a local pho restaurant here in Woodbridge called “Vietnam 75”. It was a nice little place. I ordered my pho with flank steak. As you can see from the picture, this pho is more common to the Saigon adaption of pho rather than the Hanoi version. I put lots of bean sprouts in mine with basil and a squirt of lime. That brown stuff on top is the fermented-fish sauce I mentioned earlier. As gross as it sounds, it is actually my favorite thing to add to the pho. I did not add sriracha to my bowl this time. I usually do, but I was not in the mood for spicy. The taste was great. It was a nice, clean, flavorful broth with completely cooked noodles and tender shavings of meat. It was not too salty or too chewy. I really enjoyed it. I was unable to find out how long they cooked their broth for, but I know it was hot enough to cook the meat. As you can see from my first picture, the meat that is not submerged is still a little raw. I would definitely go back to Vietnam 75.

Contributed by: Alexandra

Eggplant Parmesan

I love Italian food, as many people do. Today we are going to look at a classic Italian dish, Eggplant Parmesan. Traditionally, it is made by layering eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, and hard-boiled egg slices in a casserole dish and baking it. The earliest known recipe for eggplant Parmesan comes from 1837 Neopolitan cookbook. It calls for fried eggplant slices baked with tomato ragù and Parmesan cheese. The name “Parmesan” refers to the cheese used, not the city of Parma, as many believe to be true. Back in the 14^th century, Parmesan cheese was traded all over Italy. Because of this, it is difficult to say where exactly the Parmesan dish made its debut. However, Clifford A. Wright believes it was most likely created in the southern regions of Italy since that is where eggplant was first discovered. Southern Italy is also where eggplant Parmesan became famous.

Not only is Eggplant Parmesan the most popular Parmesan, but it is also the original Parmesan. It gave rise to other vegetable Parmesans such as artichoke, fennel, and zucchini in the 1800s. Meat Parmesans (chicken, shrimp, veal, etc.) entered the scene with the help of Italian immigrants in American who had the money to afford meat. The addition of meat made the popularity of Parmesan soar in the 1950’s.

According to Lidia Bastianich, restaurant owner and Italian immigrant, it is now common in Italy for eggplant Parmesan to consist of sautéed eggplant dressed in warm marinara and a dusting of cheese and basil. It is a very light dish compared to the American style: heavily breaded and fried eggplant alternately layered with heaping amounts of tomato sauce and cheese.

Lisa Bamonte, owner of Bamonte’s Family Restaurant in Brooklyn, contributed to the article her own secrets to making the perfect eggplant Parmesan here in America. According to Bamonte, the sequence in which you dip the eggplant to fry is very important. Ideally the eggplant is dipped in flour, then egg, and then unseasoned breadcrumbs. It is important to shake off any excess after each dip to ensure the eggplant does not get too soggy or too breaded. It is also important to not bread the eggplant until you are ready to fry it. The longer it sits breaded and not fried, the less crispy it will fry. After breading the eggplant and before frying it, generously season it with black pepper and salt.

When I visited Pema’s Family Restaurant, I was excited to try the food. I expected it to be authentic Italian food since it was run and owned by an Italian family. The food was absolutely amazing, but I was disappointed at how American the food was. The eggplant Parmesan had its essentials (eggplant, marinara, and Parmesan cheese), but it was breaded and fried rather than traditionally sautéed. Rather than coming from a casserole dish, it was neatly stacked on the plate. It also lacked basil. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted amazing, it was just more Americanized than expected. Another feature Pema’s added that is not traditional to eggplant Parmesan was a small portion of spaghetti noodles topped with tomato sauce. This addition has become more famous and expected in America thanks to big chain restaurants such as Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill. As you can see from my pictures below, the noodles were off to the side in a separate dish rather than underneath the eggplant. Overall, Pema’s had amazing food and all the Italian favorites, but it was not the best restaurant for someone looking for truly authentic Italian food. Thanks for reading!

Contributed by: Alexandra

Canjeero: A Somali Staple Food

Canjeero is a delicious food that comes from Somalia. Canjeero is a staple breakfast food in Somalia, and it is the most common breakfast food. It is best described as fermented, crepe-like pan bread that resembles a thin pancake. Ethiopia also has it its own version called Injera.

The Somali canjeero has its own character though, and it’s different from its Ethiopian counterpart. It is much smaller in size and is not as sour. Ethiopian injero is usually fermented for several days, whereas the Somali canjeero is only fermented overnight.

Canjeeros are usually eaten three at a time and are accompanied with a cup of tea. Tea is very important with canjeero, they essentially go hand in hand and Somalis never have one without the other. It is usually sprinkled with sugar and drizzled in sesame oil or cow ghee. Occasionally some Somalis will eat their canjeero with tomato sauce rather than sugar, oil, and tea. More recently, Somalis have been using self-rising flour or a combination of all-purpose flour and baking powder to make canjeero. Yeast is usually used because in can cut the fermentation time needed in about half. Canjeeros are versatile and appetizing dishes and I believe this is because how unique they are.

For some of the facts mentioned above visit http://xawaash.com/#sthash.1dZExbe6.dpbs, a great Somali food blog.

Since I am so familiar with this specific food, I felt a review would be unnecessary. Canjeero is 

delicious and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try an authentic African dish.

Contributed By: Rahma Abdi

Samosas and Sumbusas

Samosas are a delicious food enjoyed all over the world. Samosas are fried or baked pastries that include a filling. These fillings vary from location to location. Some examples of possible filling include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, or meat like lamb and beef. Samosas are seen as distinctly triangular in their shape.

They are also seen as popular entrees and appetizers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Southwest Asia, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa. Also, because of cultural diffusion and emigration from these regions, samosas are prepared and enjoyed in other areas as well.       

The Samosa is claimed to have originated in the Middle East, and has been made popular by India. In India, like most countries Samosas are made with a flour shell. They also enjoy Samosas by filing them with boiled potato, onion, green peas, spices, and green chili. In Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan samosas are almost always baked and rarely fried. In the Horn of Africa it is quite the opposite because they are almost always fried. In the Horn of Africa samosas are actually called sambusas, and the filling is usually meat rather then it being vegetarian like most other countries that enjoy them. In conclusion, samosas are a delicious food and regardless of them having different fillings or being baked vs. being fried they will always be an international staple.

Most of the above facts were taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samosa, Enjoy!

Samosas, or rather sambusas since I am from the Horn of Africa or more specifically Somalia, have always been a favorite food for me personally. I grew up with my mom making them all the time, mostly as a tasty snack. She always fried them, and the filling was always ground beef and mild spices. For review of sumbusas I chose to get out of my comfort zone and did not review the cute, little triangular pieces of heaven I grew up eating. Instead I went out and tried a different kind of sumbusa, a samosa. I chose to review the vegetarian samosas found at Shiney’s Sweets and Restaurant, a restaurant in Annandale, Virginia specializing in authentic Pakistani and Indian cuisine. For only $1.99 I got two vegetarian samosas. I really enjoyed these Samosas even if they were not what I was used to. The outer shell was baked, I could tell by how crumbly it was. The shell was also so buttery it felt like it was melting in my mouth. The filling consisted of soft, slightly mashed potatoes and plenty of spices. Although the spices were a little hotter than I originally expected, they were so complimentary to that specific samosa. All in all, this was a great samosa. I could not believe how delicious it was. I would gladly come to Shiney’s to try these again because they were so phenomenal. In the end I was glad I had stepped out of my comfort zone, if I had not I would not have had the opportunity to enjoy such a treat.

Contributed By: Rahma Abdi