Secrets of the Red Lantern

Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart

by Pauline Nguyen, Luke Nguyen, Mark Jensen

Price: $40.00
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7743-1
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7743-2
Format: Hardcover
Size: 8 1/2 X 10 1/4 in.
Page Count: 344 pages

“Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart provides a culinary journey into the life of the Nguyen family, Vietnamese immigrants who eventually found refuge in Australia. A beautifully designed book, Red Lantern contains old family photos and immigration documents interspersed with family and restaurant recipes.” ––SF Gate http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/22/FDR716PJP3.DTL

“Secrets of the Red Lantern has two independently wonderful attributes, the recipes and the family stories. If you’re solely interested in cooking Vietnamese food, you’ll be pleased with what these chefs have to offer. But if you’re wanting to delve a little further into family stories and tradition, the memoirs will have  you appreciate their family recipes on a deeper, more delicious level.” ––White on Rice Couple http://www.whiteonricecouple.com/vietnamese-recipes-2/vietnamese-tamarind-crab-recipe/

“Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart is much more than a collection of authentic recipes from successful Vietnamese restaurant Red Lantern, located in Sydney. This book is the honest, difficult story of the Nguyen family as told by daughter Pauline. It documents their escape from Vietnam and eventual resettlement in Australia. At the heart of this story is a love of food.” ––Wicked Food http://www.wickedfood.co.za/blog/secrets-of-the-red-lantern.html

“In my family, food is our language. Food enables us to communicate the things we find so hard to say.” —Pauline Nguyen

Overflowing with sumptuous but simply prepared dishes that have been passed down through generations of the Nguyen family, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $40.00) is part Vietnamese cookbook and part family memoir.

More than 275 traditional Vietnamese recipes are presented alongside a visual narrative of food and family photos that follows the family’s escape from war-torn Vietnam to the founding of the Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney, Australia.

At the heart of each recipe is the power of food to elevate and transform. From a recipe of Cari De that sparks a memory to the distinctly bitter melon soup that says, “I’m sorry,” Secrets of the Red Lantern shares the rich culinary heritage of the Nguyen family and their personal story of reconciliation and success.

Recipes such as Bun Rieu (Crab and Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Noodles), Goi Du Du (Green Papaya Salad with Prawns and Pork), and Che Khoai Mon (Black Sticky Rice with Taro) unlock the family’s secrets and see the family persevere through homesickness, heartache, and the upheavals of change to finally experience growth and celebration. The result is a beautiful journey through Vietnamese history, culture, and tradition that cooks everywhere will embrace.

2 3/4 ounces dried glass or cellophane noodles
1 3/4 ounces dried mushroom strips (such as wood ear mushrooms or Chinese black fungus)
9 ounces ground pork
9 ounces ground chicken
1 pound 2 ounces carrots, grated
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 packet spring roll papers (8 1/2 inches square)
oil for deep-frying
Dipping fish sauce (page 33), for serving

Soak the noodles and mushroom strips separately in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and dry on paper towels. Cut the noodles into 1 1/2-inch long pieces, then combine with all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Cut the spring roll papers diagonally to form 2 triangles, then separate the paper into single sheets. Place a piece of paper on a plate with the base of the triangle facing you. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the middle of the bottom edge of the paper and fold the two adjacent sides, one on top of the other into the center. Roll toward the apex to form a nice firm roll, and secure with a dab of flour mixed with some water. Repeat until you have filled all of the papers.

When freshly rolled, the cha gio can be deep-fried in oil at a temperature of 350°F, or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer and cook as needed. These can be cooked and eaten on their own, dipped in dipping fish sauce, or placed on top of a dressed vermicelli salad (page 118). At Red Lantern, we like to wrap the parcels in lettuce with herbs and serve with dipping fish sauce.

Note: Ensure you use the spring roll papers as soon as they thaw.

1 7-ounce sirloin steak
3 1/2 ounce dried glass noodles
1/4 ounce dried mushroom strips (such as wood ear mushrooms or Chinese black fungus)
1 small handful mint leaves
1 small handful basil leaves
1 small handful cilantro leaves
1 small handful Vietnamese mint leaves
2 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, finely sliced
2 long red chilies, cut into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced
1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/16-inch thick slices
1 teaspoon roasted rice powder (page 37)
1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts (page 38), for garnish
1 tablespoon fried red Asian shallots (page 38), for garnish

Beef marinade
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salad dressing
1/3 cup grated palm sugar (jaggery)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 tablespoon sliced lemongrass, white part only
1 small handful cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil

To marinate the beef, mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, add the sirloin steak and coat well. Leave refrigerated for 2 hours.

Soak the glass noodles and mushrooms separately in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain and dry with a paper towel. Cut the glass noodles into 11/2-inch lengths and set aside. Put all of the salad dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend to combine.

Cook the sirloin to your liking on a grill or in a frying pan. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then finely cut the sirloin across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine the beef with the rest of the salad ingredients, except the peanuts and shallots, in a large bowl. Add the dressing, then toss well to combine. Turn the salad out onto a serving platter and garnish with the roasted peanuts and fried shallots.

Serves 4 as part of a shared feast