Vietnamese Pork Chops, Fried Eggs and Rice

We're sure all you recently engaged or married folks out there know what it's like to be drowning in a sea of wedding invitations. Enter our world: dozens of bows to tie, labels to print, wax seals to impress. It's maddening. We've licked so much envelope glue, that it wouldn't surprise us if we turned up dead tomorrow like George Costanza's fiancee.

The good news is that all the big wedding stuff has been taken care of--the caterer, the dresses, the flowers, the engagement photos. You name it. Now all Val has to focus on is her last round of law school finals, graduation on May 21, and the Texas State Bar Exam. And Mani of course gets bar results next week. *gulp*

The end is in sight at least? Let's think positively!

Here's one of our favorite pictures from our engagement photo shoot with the ever-talented Sadia Zubair:

Now on to Vietnamese pork chops.

We thank the food gods daily that we are fortunate enough to live in a place like Houston, a city whose culinary scene is, in our estimation, the nation's best-kept secret. We have it all: from Tex-Mex to Cajun/Creole, southern cooking to Gulf Coast seafood. And we have numerous ethnic dining options to boot: Latin American, Korean, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and South East Asian.

Our recent obsession has been everything Vietnamese. We live smack-dab in Midtown, which is literally a stone's throw away from some of the city's best pho/bahn mi sandwich joints, as well as a few of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants. 

Indeed it was a sad day to witness billowing smoke and dozens of firetrucks surrounding Mai's from our apartment building just over a year ago. Mai's officially reopened its doors in early April, and we have yet to go back for a try. But when one dining door closes (or burns down), others open. Since that fateful day, we have ventured out from our Midtown confines to satiate our craving for Vietnamese food. Best yet, we began learning to cook our favorite Vietnamese dishes at home.

Our first attempt, we are proud to say, was a smashing success. We made Vietnames pork chops with fried eggs and rice. It's an inexpensive dish; we spent roughly $4 per serving. 

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 large Ziplock bag

1 lb (4 thin slices) center-cut loin pork chops, bone-in 

4 tbsp of Asian fish sauce to taste

4 tbsp oyster sauce 

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp granulated sugar 

2 shallots, minced 

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

juice of 1 lemon

1 jalapeño, sliced (optional)

1 cup of cucumber, large dice

4 tbsp green onion, chopped

Sriracha sauce (optional)

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 

 You can find all the ingredients for this dish in your neighborhood grocery store. Check the international or Asian sections for the fish and oyster sauces.

 Salt and pepper the chops on both sides and place them in a large Ziplock bag. Marinate the chops in the fish/oyster sauces, jalapeño, shallot, garlic, lemon juice and sugar for at least two hours. We threw our chops in the refrigerator in the morning before work and cooked them up for dinner. 

 Begin by cooking a pot of white rice (one cup per person should suffice). Dump the contents of the Ziplock bag onto a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat, along with a couple of tablespoons of oil, and cook until golden brown. Next, fry up a sunny side egg to put atop a steaming mound of white rice.

Serve with cucumber, green onions and Sriracha. Enjoy!

Spring Break 2011, Part 1: Dublin

Phew! It's a been a few months since we last updated, but it's great to be back. How are y'all?

A few updates on us: Mani finally has the Texas State Bar Exam behind him. Results aren't posted until May, so we've have quite a while of anxious thumb-twiddling ahead of us. Val got measurements done for her cap and gown, and can't wait to get through her last few weeks of school. Other than that, we've been busy wedding planning and recovering from our trip to Europe. 

We celebrated Val's last Spring Break ever in Ireland and Liverpool, England. Coincidentally, St. Patrick's Day happened to fall within the break, so there was extra merriment to be had on the Emerald Isle. We both have always wanted to travel to Ireland for a few reasons: its inspiring revolutionary history, famously friendly natives, lively beer-drinking culture, breathtaking natural beauty, and because it's home to one of Mani's favorite bands--U2. ($800 for roundtrip tickets and hotel for a one-week stay didn't hurt either! Thank you, Expedia.) 

Making the musical pilgrimage to Liverpool has been a lifelong dream for the both of us. The one band that has remained a constant for us from the cradle into our adult lives is the Beatles, easily the greatest band in music history. That band has had a profound effect on us as people, and the greatest tragedy of our lives is being robbed of the opportunity to share the planet with all four Beatles when John Lennon was shot dead in New York in 1980. Until we met one another, neither of us thought we'd step foot in Liverpool, which made that leg of the trip truly a dream-come-true.

And now we'd like to share some of our adventures, culinary and otherwise, with you all:

Dublin: Guinness Storehouse and The Brazen Head

On day one of our trip, we met up with two recently-engaged friends from America for a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. The storehouse is laid out over seven floors and is in the shape of a pint of Guinness. 

Along the tour, we learned the story of Arthur Guinness, the creator of the beer, who was inspired by the popularity of London's porter-style beers in the early 1700s. After inheriting £100, he took on a 9000-year lease on the 4 acres that is now the Guinness Brewery.  The tour also introduced us to the beer's four ingredients--yeast, hops, water and barley--and to the beer's distinct brewing process. 

The Irish definitely love their Guinness, as they export 2/3 of their annual product and consume the remaining 1/3! 

On the top level of the storehouse, we got to sample a freshly-poured pint. We ran up several flights of stairs, only to be greeted by disco music, a packed house and a beautiful view of the city. Believe us when we say that the best pint of Guinness you'll ever have is in Dublin. It's crisper and creamier than anything you'll get in the States. 

After the tour, we had dinner and drinks at the Brazen Head, which is the oldest pub in Ireland. Established in 1198, the pub was a safe haven for Irish revolutionaries including the likes of Daniel O'Connell and Robert Emmett. Prior to our trip we watched watched a PBS documentary (hosted by Angela's Ashes author, Frank McCourt) on the historic pubs of Dublin. In fact, many of Dublin's pubs served the same function as the Brazen Head in Ireland's revolutionary history. Likewise, Dublin is home to many of the world's literary greats including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and W.B. Yeats, all of whom frequented the very same pubs.

Dublin is notoriously one of the most expensive cities in the world, so we opted for pub food the majority of our stay. It was a cheaper way to experience traditional Irish fare. However, on average, even a plate of pub grub ranged from €10-€15 (roughly $14-$21). And an average pint of beer cost €5 ($7). Having to budget our money was a definite bummer to say the least, but we still managed to sample just about every dish we set out to try.

The Brazen Head had fantastic food. Irish fare is very meat-and-potato heavy. You'll find a lot of stews, pies and protein-and-starch dishes. Ireland produces some of the world's tastiest lamb and beef after all, but interestingly enough, the Irish have a historic aversion to seafood in spite their being an island! More on that later...

Val ordered the steak and Guinness pie, which had cuts of tender Guinness-marinated steak, onions and mushrooms in a rich broth, served in a homemade bread bowl. 

Mani had the fish and chips, which were crispy and juicy, but the chips were a bit limp. Honestly though, the fish and chips at Red Lion here in Houston are still tops in our book! (Apologies for these awful food photos. We need to invest in a better lens for nighttime food photography!)

Dublin: Historic Sites, Leo Burdock's and The Old Storehouse

Trinity College: the oldest, most prestigious university in Ireland. It was founded by Queen Elizabeth I as a Protestant institution intended to rival the Catholic universities on the continent and to stop Irish students from gathering "revolutionary" ideas and from being influenced by the Pope. Catholics had to get special permission from the bishop to attend the school or face excommunication. Frank McCourt, a Catholic, was allowed into a Ph.D program, but Trinity refused to award him a degree. Other notable alum include Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker and Edmund Burke, among others. 

The famous River Liffey

One of the many foot bridges across the River Liffey.

The General Post Office

The GPO was one of the sites of the failed 1916 Easter Rising. Val took some Irish History courses in college, so it was very exciting for her to finally see the GPO.

Downtown Dublin

Europe's answer to McDonald's :(

Leo Burdock's

Leo Burdock's is the oldest fish-and-chips establishment in Dublin. We ordered ours with a side of curry sauce. The portion was huge enough to split between two people and was very affordable. The fish was crisp and flakey, but like at the Brazen Head, the chips seemed like they'd been sitting out for a while. During our entire trip to Ireland, we never had a fish-and-chip dish that could rival Red Lion's, but then again, we only tried two dishes. And we didn't get a chance to try them at O'Neill's pub (more on O'Neill's later). They looked amazing there. Ah well, next visit.

The Old Storehouse

If there's anything the Irish love as much as their beer, it's song and dance. Here in America, when we think of bar bands, we generally think bad Led Zeppelin cover band. But in Ireland, there is real talent in pub entertainment, whether it be traditional Irish music or music with a more contemporary bent.

Our favorite place for live music was the Old Storehouse. We went there a couple of times for drinks during our stay, and the musicians were phenomenal. They did their own renditions of songs spanning King Louie's (of Disney's The Jungle Book) "I Wanna Be Like You" to U2. Both nights, the entire bar sang along and patrons near the stage danced. The electric fiddle never sounded so good! 

The Old Storehouse also had great food. We split the bangers and mash, which was excellent. Irish sausages are unlike anything we've had in the States. They're much creamier in texture. They're typically made with finely-ground pork, seasonings and breadcrumbs in a natural casing that has a nice snap to it.

More on the rest of our trip later! 

Tyler Florence Cooking Demo at Macy's - Memorial City Mall

We received an invitation to attend Tyler Florence's cooking demonstration at Macy's - Memorial City Mall on November 13. Tyler has been zipping around the country to promote his sixth cookbook, Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bringing People Together Never Tasted Better, in which he shares his rendition of family-style cooking with local ingredients. He is also introducing a line of red and white wine that he collaborated on with Robert Mondavi. If you're interested in purchasing a bottle, head to Central Market. We tried the red, and it was fantastic.

Over 200 people were in attendance. Not surprisingly, the majority the seats around us were filled with salivating, starstruck women equipped with sharpies for the book-signing to follow the demo. Tyler's culinary expertise, fast-talking charm and baby face went a long way with this demographic. But we were most impressed by Tyler's genuineness--him being a veteran celebrity chef with 12 years at the Food Network under his belt. 

 His cooking demo was conversational and fun, and his passion for food was evident in his Q&A session with the audience. We've always appreciated Tyler's southern-fried sensibility. His southern roots, and by extension, appreciation for abundance and bold flavor, cut through his classical French training. He was entirely gracious toward audience members and seemed genuinely excited to impart his culinary knowledge and love for seasonal cooking. As we've mentioned in prior entries, our favorite city in the U.S. is San Francisco, and Tyler made us green with envy with stories about his backyard herb garden, lemon/orange trees and his home's proximity to Muir Woods. 

His cooking tips were helpful, and if it weren't for his handlers' prompting to wrap it up, he would have chatted with us about brining and infused oils all afternoon. Tips we'll keep in mind for next Thanksgiving:  Deconstruct your turkey before cooking. You can even ask your butcher to do it for you. Why cook the whole bird at once when white and dark meats have different cook-times? Contrary to what Alton Brown will tell you, skip the brining. (Yes, we watched the Good Eats turkey episode). What's the point, he said. Your end goal should not be salty turkey. "I'll put my turkey up against Alton's any day," he quipped.

After the demo and Q&A came the book signing. A never-ending line snaked around the kitchen section in what seemed like a matter of minutes. We thought it might take at least a couple of hours before the blogger meet-and-greet. Sadly, we decided to skip the meet-and-greet to get back to our book. We're bitter about it, but we still had a great time. To celebrate Val's last final on December 13, we're going to pick up a bottle of Duckhorn and Tyler Florence Cab to celebrate :) 

Out for Lunch

Greetings, blog world!

We realize that it's been quite a while since we've posted, but life has been keeping us away from our beloved food blog as of late. Mani is preparing for the Texas Bar Exam, and Val is studying for finals, along with the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). We are putting the pedal to the metal to knock these babies out of the park on the first go-around. We know you all are just green with envy......or not. 

We've got a huge backlog of material just waiting to get posted, but it will have to wait for now. In the meantime, please wish us the best of luck. We're going to need it! 

We'll be back soon enough. We bid you adieu for now.

P.S. If any of you are Food Network fans, drop by Macy's Memorial City Mall (Home Store Level 2900) next Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. We just got word that Tyler Florence will be doing a cooking demo and book signing. RSVPs are recommended but not required. Call 877-884-3751 to reserve your seat. For more info, click here. We're going to take a quick study break to make it out, so hope to see y'all there!  

Home-cooked Hatch Green Chile Fest

Get your flu shots, people! The sickness is upon us. Val brought home a few bugs last week and infected our entire household. Why does the plague always happen to strike you when you have a million and one things on your agenda? Thank God for homemade chicken soup, antibiotics and H-E-B's Redi Clinic. Four days of delirium and five Beatles Anthology episodes later, we are back on the road to health, world! 

And don't forget about Yello Echo's first official coming-out party at Walter's tomorrow night! Mani and the band have been rehearsing almost every day in preparation, so we guarantee that you won't be disappointed!

Here's a shot from their show at Bohemeo's on Saturday. They brought the mother-*bleeping* house down. People were gathered around the stage screaming and waving their arms from side-to-side. We were surprised too, it being a smaller show with a lot of bands and people we'd never met before. I guess you can say that Yello Echo passed its first true test before an audience of unbiased spectators. We have our fingers crossed that Wednesday's gonna rock. Also check out Val's Houston Press interview with local diva Karina Nistal on her upcoming album. It'll be both in the print edition and online tomorrow.

Putting music aside now, this entry is a long time coming, but it's better late than never. We went a little Hatch-crazy at the Central Market Hatch Chile Festival this year. It's a pity that these green little New Mexico treasures have such a short season because we do look forward to the mind-boggling variety of chile products that both Central Market and H-E-B have to offer each year. Among the more interesting items we picked up was a Hatch chocolate granola that's pretty tasty on vanilla ice cream. The hot and cold element is really nice.

On the menu for our home-cooked Hatch party that night was chicken tacos with a Hatch green chile sauce on Hatch tortillas with Hatch tortilla chips and guacamole. We know that was a mouthful of a menu, but it truly was a Hatch-tastic meal! 

We grilled up two chicken breasts for our tacos, shredded some Oaxaca cheese, added in some corn and then ladled our Hatch green chile sauce over the top:

Chile Verde Sauce 

 (makes two cups)

 2 Tbs vegetable oil or olive oil 

1/4 to 1/2 small onion, diced 

1 large garlic clove, minced 

2 Tbs flour 

1/4 tsp ground cumin 

1/4 tsp black pepper 

1 1/2 cups chicken or pork broth 

1 cup roasted, peeled Hatch green chiles or (if you don't have fresh chiles) 8 oz canned green chiles

1/4 tsp oregano 

1/2 tsp salt (optional: 2 tsp or more chopped, canned or fresh jalapenos if you want it hotter) 

1. Heat the oil in a 1-2 qt saucepan over medium heat. 

2. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes to wilt the onions. Don't let them brown. 

3. Raise heat to medium, stir in flour, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring about 2 min. 

4. When the onion/flour mix just begins to color, remove from heat and add broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. 

5. Add rest of ingredients. Return pan to heat, bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat another 30 min. 

6. The finished sauce should not be too thick; dilute with more broth or water if needed. You can puree it if it's not smooth enough. Will keep in fridge for a week; heat before using.

Guacamole

2 avacados

1/4 yellow onion

2-3 garlic cloves (we love lots of garlic)

Juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime

Salt, pepper, cayenne and chopped cilantro to taste

Val's Birthday Weekend

As per usual, we have been busy.  But new jobs and music gigs are never a bad thing, even when it pains us that our food blog has gotten a bit dusty. (Sorry, food blog).

I am officially 28 years of age. Yup, I'm getting up there. Interestingly enough, I was born on Labor Day, so I got to spend the long weekend swept up in a whirlwind of one celebratory event after another. 

Best yet, I started the weekend off with terrific news: the federal agency I've been working at since the summer hired me permanently! That of course means that I'll be employed there as an attorney as soon as I graduate in May and pass the Bar *knock on wood* 

Considering the state of our economy and the legal market, I am certainly counting my blessings.  I enrolled in law school in order to help those in need, and this is nothing short of a dream job for me. A 40-hour work week, public service, great benefits, a laid-back work environment and a cushy starting salary is all I've ever dreamed of and more in a career. I no longer have to worry about job-hunting during the school year, paying back the mountain of student loans I've accumulated, or financing my upcoming wedding.  

It's amazing that Mani and I both managed to land government gigs in our hometown. Most state and federal agencies are headquartered in either Dallas or Austin, so we worried about having to relocate and be separated from our families. Our parents are thrilled of course :)

BestBirthdayGift.com

-China Bear-

Okay, everyone has guilty pleasures. Some people watch Jersey Shore, others listen to Creed--we like Chinese buffets. Seriously, where else can you get a plate of french fries and frozen yogurt? So for my birthday bonanza we decided to take our families to China Bear.  Growing up I remember it being one of the largest Chinese buffets in town. But upon revisiting this once magnificent restaurant, I was reminded that things aren't always as you remember them as a kid. We left the place with a bad case of food regret.   I venture to say that past the age of 10, one should never eat a plate on which french fries and frozen yogurt coexist. It was great to see our families nonetheless :) We'll find a tastier buffet at which to fulfill our every artery-clogging desire soon enough. Oh, and do see Machete. We did, and you won't be disappointed.

Why?

-Making Lasagna For Jill's Potluck-

Our dear friend Jill was in town from New York during my birthday weekend. As part of the festivities, she threw a potluck/surprise birthday get-together for me. We decided to make one of our best dishes--the Awesomesauce Lasagna. Truth be told, we lifted this recipe from Mani's dad. Legend has it that he and Mani's uncle spent over a year perfecting the recipe while in Italy. We can neither confirm nor deny. All we know is that this lasagna kicks absolute ass! After mulling it over for a good while, we've decided to share this recipe with the rest of the world. So with an open heart and empty stomach, we present to you the Awesomesauce Lasagna:

Ingredients:

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 large can of petite diced tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

2 cups of heated half and half

1 tablespoons of flour

1 pound of lean ground beef

3 tablespoons of unsweetened butter

1 zucchini 

1 squash

1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms

 1 box of lasagna pasta

4-6 cups of grated oaxaca cheese

1 pinch of fresh oregano

7-10 basil leaves

1 pinch of thyme  

Directions:

In a mid-sized pot sweat the chopped onions and garlic until lightly brown. Add ground beef and season with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Once the meat is fully cooked add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Make sure all of the water is fully drained from the can before adding the tomatoes. Add chopped zucchini, squash, and mushrooms. Cover the top of the pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, keep covered, and let it simmer for at least one hour. Right before you are ready to take it off the heat, add finely chopped fresh herbs and a splash of red wine. 

In a separate small sauce pan, start the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter, add flour and slowly stir in the half-and-half. Stir until it is thick and there aren't any clumps of flour. At that point take it off heat. 

Begin layering lasagna in a baking tray in following order: (1) pasta, (2) meaty red sauce, (3) white sauce, (4) cheese. Layer all the way to the top of the tray and top with a liberal serving of cheese. Place tray in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until nice and brown on top (see below). 

Notes: 

Mani's dad uses oaxaca cheese instead of mozzarella. Oaxaca has a bit more flavor although it is very similar to it's Italian cousin. You can use either.  

When applying the sauces in between layers make sure to have a very light hand. Otherwise it'll come out soupy at the bottom of the tray. 

Make sure to add lean ground beef. You don't want oily fat rising to the top of your red sauce.  Not tasty.

-Jill's Potluck-

L-R: Mani, Jill, Raven, Annie

Caprese skewers.

Dave & Crystal. Bump it.

Annie's baked mussels. A real crowd-pleaser.

Crab Salad. Yum.

Jamey's pulled pork sandwiches with Budweiser BBQ sauce. Yes, you read that right. He cooked that swine for 13 hours, and we were all in hog heaven.

Our lasagna. There wasn't a morsel left by the night's end.

A surprise cake for Val!

-Mo's BBQ with Our Nieces-
Our original plan to hit up Jasper's in the Woodlands fell through, so we opted for Mo's BBQ,  another childhood favorite of mine. Unlike China Bear, Mo's did not disappoint. Of course, nothing lives up to the Salt Lick in our eyes. But that spicy sausage and tender, smokey ribs certainly hold their own. The prices are reasonable too. A half-rack plate is $11. And a two-meat plate with ribs is just under $16.

Afterwards, we took our nieces shopping. Mani was a good sport through it all. Hanna and Leah were in and out of dressing rooms the entire day, and he patiently offered his best fashion advice to the tiny tweens.

Hanna and Leah probably bit off more than they could chew. *ba-dum-pish*

Yeah. We ate our weight in food that weekend. This is us deciding which detox plan to enroll in over the next few weeks.