PokPok Wings

I wanted another "meat" to go with our salad dinner tonight because I just knew we needed to be "full" until breakfast. I ran across this type of Vietnamese wings purely by accident when I was surfing online. Reading further, it seemed easy enough to do.

The original version takes the marinade and cooks it down as a glaze, but I prefer my wings dry. They still came out nice!

Needed (to marinate):
2 lb chicken wings
1/4 c fish sauce
1/4 c white sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 t garlic powder

For frying:
Cornstarch
Oil enough for wings to be submerged in pot/frying pan

1. Marinade washed wings in the above for approximately 2 hours, turning occasionally so that all chicken is coated. Ensure that the sugar is melted through and blended well with the fish sauce.
2. When ready to cook, drain the chicken so that it's almost dry when ready to cook.
3. Coat wings in cornstarch and fry in heated oil approximately 5 minutes if submerged. Cook until light brown.
4. Drain on paper towels.

This recipe is super easy. I worried that the wings would taste and smell fish - but they didn't! There's hint of both the saltiness of the fish sauce but more noticeable was the touch of sweetness. The wings came out super juicy and crunchy.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Grilled Pork

It's a Saturday night and I usually try and cook something "not ordinary" (different from extraordinary, LOL). Tonight, as requested by my sister, I cooked Vietnamese Grilled Pork. We usually eat it salad style with lettuce. With help from other bloggers and recipes found online, I tweaked my version:
Needed:
1 1/2 lb thinly sliced pork butt (anything other than pork butt will be tough once grilled
1 stick lemongrass, top layer removed, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c white sugar
5 T Vietnamese fish sauce (I didn't use Filipino patis for this recipe)
1 T ground pepper
half a head of garlic, peeled
half a shallot, peeled
5 T sesame oil
2 T dark soy sauce

To make:
1. Place in a blender, all ingredients except for pork, to make marinade. Ensure it's smooth enough that the lemongrass is broken down.
2. Place blended marinade in a Ziploc bag with the pork. Massage the pork to ensure all slices have been coated well with the marinade.
3. Leave in marinade for at least 2 hours. It's okay to leave the marinade on the counter on a cold day. Otherwise, I recommend putting it back in the fridge to pull out when ready to cook.
4. When ready to cook, heat a cast iron grill with a little oil. Please pork slices opened on the grill until cooked. Eat immediately.

Like I mentioned above, we like to eat it salad-style:
For salad:
1 package Vietnamese thin noodles (vermicelli), cooked according to package instructions. Vietnamese vermicelli is opaque white when cooked.
1 head lettuce, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1/2 carrot, peeled and julienned
few sprigs cilantro
Picked carrots and daikon (optional)
Thai mint (optional)
Bean sprouts (optional)

Dressing:
Store-bought Vietnamese fish sauce with chili
or make your own by adding some chili oil to fish sauce according to taste.

1. Arrange on a plate or large bowl, starting with the bottom: lettuce, vermicelli, cucumber, carrots, and cilantro.
2. Add grilled pork and top with chopped peanuts (optional).
3. Drizzle with dressing.

Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

I think this meal provides a healthier alternative and break of routine for rice-loving Filipinos like us. it's quick and easy. It's something you can let marinade without fussing too much over it until you're ready to grill the pork. The cutting of the veggies take some time, but not much. The veggies are also not cooked and provide a good source of fiber.