Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Shrimp (Bun Tom Xao)

I love the flavors of southeast Asia, and one of my very favorites of all is Vietnamese rice vermicelli dishes. My favorite one? Bun Tom Xao - noodles topped with delicious spicy fish sauce (Nuoc Cham), fresh raw veggies, grilled tiger prawns, and garnished with fresh basil, cilantro, fried onions and peanuts. Its so simple, so light, and I recently realized - SO easy to make at home! Most of it can be prepared in advance - so making it for company was a breeze. When people arrived, all we had to do was fire up the grill and enjoy the evening.

There are a few basic items that are essential to make Bun dishes (Bun is Vietnamese for rice vermicelli noodles) - fresh crisp bean sprouts, Nuoc Cham, fresh basil and cilantro, some spicy chili's and of course the delicious noodles. The rest seems to be slightly different everywhere I go - so I just made a version with all of my favorites and with one slightly non-Vietnamese addition - Peanut sauce. I happen to love spicy peanut sauce. So, instead of topping with chopped peanuts, I served with peanut sauce instead. This sauce keeps well in the fridge - so make plenty extra and use it in stir-fry, as a dipping sauce for meat, tofu or spring rolls, or even as a salad dressing.


Folks - this dish was simply amazing. The noodles absorb the flavor of the Nuoc Cham which is perfectly complimented by the smokey, spicy grilled shrimp and peanut sauce; with little bursts of flavor from chili peppers and herbs and crunch from the fried onions, bean sprouts and cucumbers it is just sublime. To me - its the perfect combination of flavors and texture and makes a wonderfully cool meal in the very hot summer.

While the title says grilled shrimp - I served both that and grilled tofu, both of which were marinated in the peanut sauce. This dish is easily made vegan when eaten with tofu - though you will have to leave out the Nuoc Cham (I couldn't not find a satisfactory substitution for fish sauce, though you could just make a spicy broth with peppers & garlic and get a similar effect). The tofu was absolutely delicious as well - the sauce carmelizes and blackens on the tofu which really absorbs the smokiness of the grill.

Really, you can do any kind of topping for these noodles - cut up spring rolls or any kind of meat or vegetable you like. I have had it with chicken, pork and beef - and while Shrimp or tofu is my favorite - they are all delicious. This is also really cheap. These amounts I have included will feed 5 people (heartily). Using items from your garden and pantry and an inexpensive topping - this meal is a lot of flavor without a lot of cash. Check your local Asian grocery for a lot of the items you might have trouble finding (I even recommend getting your herbs and bean sprouts there - I find they are usually better and less expensive than the typical grocery chains).


Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Shrimp & Spicy Peanut Sauce (Bun Tom Xao)
Thai basil
Cilantro
fresh crisp bean sprouts
3 sriracha d chili's, cored/seeded and minced
crispy fried onions
1 cucumber, diced or julienned
1 and 1/2 pkgs Bun noodles (rice vermicelli)
1 and 1/2 lbs large Tiger Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
AND/OR 1 large brick of extra firm tofu, sliced

Optional other additions that I didn't use this time but are quite good:
Hoisin Sauce (sooo good with this)
fresh mint
dry roasted peanuts, chopped
carrots, julienned
lettuce or cabbage

Directions:
First - make your sauces (recipes below).

Marinate shrimp (and/or tofu) in a few tablespoons of peanut sauce. Allow to sit in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Prepare the Noodles (can be done up to 2 hours in advance):
Bring a stock pot of water to boiling. Add the noodles and allow to boil for 3 to 5 minutes (I did mine for exactly 5 and they were perfect). Stir once or twice as they boil to break the noodles apart.

Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse in cold water until the noodles are cool and the water runs clear. Let the noodles drain in the colander for at least 30 minutes, or can leave them for up to 2 hours unrefrigerated. Before serving, run just a bit of warm water over the noodles so they aren't sticking together (I also like them to not be so cold. If you want them cool, rinse with cool water instead).

Grill the shrimp and/or tofu over moderate heat just until done. The shrimp will only take around 4 or 5 minutes (or even less). The tofu, slightly more.

Bring it all together:
Fill each bowl with noodles. Top with a handful of bean sprouts, fried onions, a pinch of the diced chili peppers, and cucumber. Tear the basil and cilantro into each bowl. Top with with the shrimp (or tofu).

Pass the Nuoc Cham at the table - each person should pour on about 3 or 4 tbs of the stuff. Pass the peanut sauce as well - which can be added to taste (along with Hoisin or Sriracha if you like).

Toss the noodles, toppings and sauces together a few times with chopsticks or fork, and enjoy!!


Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup all-natural (no corn syrup, not a bunch of added sugar) creamy Peanut Butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 cloves garlic, pressed (or minced and crushed)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbs Sambal-Oelek
1 or 2 tsp Sriracha Sauce

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir and heat until it has reach a smooth and creamy consistency. Serve immediately or keeps several weeks in the fridge. As it cools it will change consitency slightly, become thicker. If you like, heat in the microwave over medium heat or in a sauce pan on low before serving. Its also good cold straight out of the fridge :)

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
1 clove garlic
1 or 2 tsp Sambal-Oelek
1/2 tsp Sriracha
2/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Fish sauce
2 tbs fresh lime juice

Combine Sambal-Oelek, Sriracha, water and sugar. Stir well - until sugar has dissolved. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and stir until combined. Make at least 15 minutes before serving - but the earlier the better, you can even make it days in advance (it will keep for up to a month). I just stir it all up in a jar and keep it in the fridge, then on the day I need I take it out and let it come to room temp before using (I don't like it to make the dish cold).

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best. This dessert could not possibly be easier - and its one of the most delicious, sinful tasting things I have ever had the pleasure of eating. The sugar from the peaches caramelizes and combined with the honey makes a sticky glaze all around the fruit - and the heat from the coals makes the peach rich and soft and just amazing tasting.

The nice thing about these is you can just throw them on the grill and let them do their thing as the grill cools from your main course. They could also be a great camping treat.

But the nicest thing about this? If you just skip the ice cream - or replace it with a dollop of thick greek yogurt instead - this is a pretty healthy dessert. It is also a pretty affordable one - one half of a peach is all you really need per serving. This is also easily made vegan but leaving out the ice cream or using a plant-based version.

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream
2 large ripe but firm Peaches, cut in half and pitted
a few tablespoons Honey or Agave syrup
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

After your main course is finished on the grill place the peach-halves on the grill skin side up. Try to place on medium heat - not in the center or hottest part of the grill.

Cover and allow to cook for a few minutes then turn and cook for a few minutes more (we just let them do their thing while we ate our dinner - jumping up to check on them every few minutes). Once both sides have been grilled, drizzle the skin side with honey and place back on the grill skin side down. Now drizzle some honey on the flesh-side, cover and allow to cook for a few minutes more. When the peaches are soft, juicy and fragrant they are done.

Place in a bowl or plate and top with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream (I used Haagen-Daaz Vanilla Bean but would have used homemade if I had an ice cream maker!)

Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger

A few weeks ago when my folks were visiting we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in search of some good old fashioned American food - Nachos and Burgers. 2 out of the 5 people ordered the Red, White and Blue Burger and the rest of us ended up wishing we had. It was so.freaking.good. It basically combines a bunch of our favorite flavors - spicy Buffalo wing sauce, Blue Cheese, and onion rings on a juicy grilled all-beef burger (you would be amazed at hard it is to find an all-beef burger in Germany - they really like their pork).

We decided we needed to try making something similar at home immediately. We grilled red onions instead of topping ours with an Onion Ring like the Hard Rock version and it was absolutely delicious. The onions carmelize and the smoky-sweet flavor combined with the spicy, tangy wing sauce, strong blue cheese and tender juicy burgers is just too good. I mean, worth-every-single-calorie-and-clogged-artery delicious. We also discovered that making wing sauce is super easy, so you will likely be seeing many many buffalo chicken recipes in the future.


Oh - and I recommend eating these with a napkin!

Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger
2 lbs ground sirloin
Creole Seasoning (we always use Tony Cachere's)
1 1/2 cups crumbled bleu cheese (stronger the better)
1 large red onion, sliced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
6 tbs. hot Cayenne Pepper sauce (I recommend Franks)
1-2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce (like Tabasco)
1 1/2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
a few pinches salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 sesame hamburger buns

Prepare the buffalo wing sauce. In a skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add hot sauces, vinegar and salt and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust amounts to desired spiciness/flavor. Set aside in a small bowl or jar.

Divide meat into four thick patties - generously seasoned with Creole seasoning. Place sliced onions in tin foil or a grill basket. Prepare grill. Once hot, cook burgers to desired done-ness (which if you like burgers, better have some pink in the middle. come on.) as well as onions. Keep the onions over lower heat - they will probably be done before the burgers. Lightly toast the buns on the grill.

Mix a spoonful or two of buffalo sauce into the mayonaise and generously spread over both sides of each bun. Now build your burger - first pile on some grilled onions, then a generous heaping of blue cheese, then the burger patty, then sprinkle on a bit more blue cheese. Drizzle some wing sauce over the whole thing before topping with the bun. We found ourselves dipping the whole thing in wing sauce as well. You could optionally throw on a slice of tomato, pickles and lettuce if you so desire - we left those off just to keep things more simple.

Enjoy!