Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich, with Ray



Our favorite local Vietnamese sandwich shop changed hands? You would think we'd be on top of these things but Ray knew and we didn't (although Ray is always in the know). We did know they renovated the space last year but that the bánh mì (sandwiches) stayed constant. Today everything has changed! And sadly not for the better. Prices took a sharp increase to $4, the bread is different and the ingredients are sweeter than before. Change is not always good.

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich, 369 Broome Street btwn Elizabeth and Bowery

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Vietnamese vegetable rice noodles

Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. These are excellent quality noodles that you will enjoy very much. Please browse some of the recipes below to learn how you can use these noodles to make delicious Thai food. The noodles should be soaked in warm (hot to the touch) water for about an hour or so depending on your preference.

Rice is nice but not only available as grains. It's also made into noodles that are ideal for quick meals. Rice and noodles are the staple starches in the Vietnamese diet, but they have also cultivated a taste for French bread over the years and combine it with beef, cooked Vietnamese style, to make delicious, if somewhat unorthodox sandwiches.

Rice noodles are good used in soups and salads, such as Vietnamese crab soup or pho bo, the famous cinnamon-flavored beef noodle soup, a soup with chicken and coconut milk. There are many types of rice noodle. They are made from rice flour batter, which may be cut into sheets, wide noodles or very thin noodles that are sometimes called rice sticks or vermicelli.

Fresh Rice noodles are ready-cooked and need only to be swished through hot or boiling water to loosen them up, then drained before combining with other ingredients. Wide, ribbon-like fresh rice noodles make the traditional Malaysian dish char kway teow.

Fresh rice noodles will not keep for very long. If not using on the day of purchase, refrigerate. This will make them go hard, but they revert to a soft state when heated. Please purchase online www.indomunch.com in NewYork city.