This was one of the great dishes of my life; certainly it was one of the most interactive. First, a little Chef Mark burner was brought to the table with a bowl of vinegar with sliced onion. The vinegar was mild enough so that when the burner was lit there were no obnoxious vinegar fumes wafting over the table. Next came a plate of thinly sliced beef and a plate of fresh produce: lettuce leaves, mint, cilantro, cucumber, pineapple pieces, and marinated julienne of carrot and daikon radish. Then came a plate of dried rice wrappers and a bowl of warm water for rehydration. Lastly there was a bowl of cold noodles and a bowl of dipping sauce and some hot sauce. The chef showed me what to do. You basically make spring rolls to your liking, or you can also do lettuce wraps. For a spring roll, you take a rice wrap round, dip it in the warm water, and put it on your plate. You then add fresh stuff to your liking and throw some beef into the simmering vinegar. You cook the tender beef to your liking, which only takes seconds, and put it on your dish along with some noodles. You then roll up the rice paper, sealing it at both ends, and dip it in the sauce before eating. This was a fresh, tart, and crisp dish with some sweetness from the pineapple, and you could keep going back for more, adjusting ingredients to suit your taste. I tended to over stuff my rolls so that sealing them wasn't an option; I was a bit of a messy eater, but so what!
Location: Que Huong Restaurant, 4134 University Avenue, San Diego, California. Date: July 30, 2019.
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AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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