Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It may not seem very seasonal to be reading about a bay in Viet Nam on this holiday, but please stick with me, because I have a couple of refreshing recipes for you that will spice up those turkey leftovers (and maybe even the brussel sprouts), along with a few other seasonal notions.
Ha Long bay stretches over 1,500 square kilometers and it is filled with more than a thousand of these extreme limestone peaks reaching up to the sky from the emerald green waters. As dramatic as they are during the day, framed by the romantic rigging’s of our traditional wooden junk, at night the bold colors of the setting sun raise the drama to a whole new level.
As much as I adore the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I like to mix it up a little when dealing with the leftovers. For instance, one year I made this Turkey Phad Thai and it was absolutely luscious and flavorful.
As I write I am flying over the country to join family in Palm Beach for the holidays. Believe it or not, in the cargo hold I am carrying a big box of fresh herbs I clipped yesterday, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay as well as sprigs of Hebe and boxwood, so I can garnish the platters and decorate the table for our feast, one less thing for my charming hostess to think about.
I even threw a few kumquats and petite Asian pears from our orchard into the box (the pears that didn’t make it into the vodka vat) to add color to the table. Since we’re going to Florida, I am hoping they will already have plenty of citrus for me to use.
The people who screen the baggage must see some crazy things going by, especially during the holidays. In addition to my box filled with twigs, branches and fruits, I wonder what they’ll think of the FILLED large oval copper grantinée pan they’ll see on their screen, mixed in with my clothing.
I’m crossing my fingers that this culinary experiment turns out well (or at least doesn’t turn out to be a complete mess and disaster), because you see, Mr. Splendid came back from France the other day with a large black truffle he bought in Italy. And I haven’t had a chance to do anything with it and I was afraid it would go bad if I left it behind, so last night I made a potato grantinée with fresh sage and LOTS of black truffle shavings (the whole enchilada, baby). Then I wrapped the filled pan in foil and froze it. This morning I packed the frozen pan in a plastic bag with frozen ice packs and then put all of this in a cardboard box which went (gulp!) in to my checked baggage.
Oh, I do hope I won’t find wardrobe grantinée when I unpack tonight.
Anyway, on to more pleasant thoughts, like the night we spent on the top deck of our junk watching the sun set, sipping wine and learning to make Crispy Vietnamese Spring Rolls or Cha Goi.
What a great idea the Paradise Cruise team had to reward all of the senses on the top deck by demonstrating how to make these delicious and easy little rolls (they even let the guests dawn chefs hats and practice making a few of the rolls) as we enjoyed the welcomed evening breeze. Versions of their recipe have become a new family favorite.
This is a great recipe for a buffet because guests can customize their rolls to suit their tastes. You could use any sort of vegetable and herb combination for filling these rolls (including brussel sprouts), and, as an alternative to (or in combination with) turkey you could offer the traditional pork, grilled steak, or chicken. Any fresh cooked seafood would also be delectable; and for a vegetarian bent, why not serve up some tofu?
It’s traditional to use Asian vermicelli rice noodles, that have been soaked in water in Cha Goi but I personally prefer them with just the vegetables, herbs and meat.
Here’s my adaptation of what we tried that night:
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce Recipe
(Nuoc Cham)
Mix together:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
a small red chili, finely sliced
1 small clove finely minced garlic
and about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro &/or mint
stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Crispy Spring Rolls for leftover Turkey Recipe
(Cha Goi)
(feel free to adjust recipe to suit your tastes, see recommendations above)
Ingredients
9 ounces of finely chopped cooked turkey
1/2 head of Napa Cabbage, finely cut (or brussel sprouts!)
6 green onions, finely sliced
2 medium carrots, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro &/or mint leaves
6-8 rice spring roll wrappers
(found in Asian markets or in the Asian food aisle of most supermarkets)
1 egg, white and yolk separated
3 tablespoons peanut oil
optional:
Lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Basil leaves, washed and dried
Mint leaves, washed and dried
Preparation
Blanch the cabbage, then drain it and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Mix the cabbage together with all of the other ingredients except for the spring roll wrappers, egg yolk and peanut oil.
Whip the egg yolk slightly. Briefly dip the wrappers in warm water to soften, then shake of excess moisture.
Brush the whipped egg yolk around the perimeter of the wrapper. Place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the center of the wrapper. Fold up 2 of the ends, then tightly tuck one of the open edges over the filling and tightly roll the rest of the wrapper over the top.
On the boat they had us brush the egg yolk on with pieces of lemongrass with shredded ends.
Heat the peanut oil over medium high heat. Cook the rolls in the oil in batches, making sure there is at least an inch between the rolls so they can brown nicely. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
After they are cooked, place the rolls on paper towels to absorb some of the oil.
We tried the rolls as they were from the pan, but you could also serve them with the optional lettuce, basil and mint leaves. Guest can layer the basil and mint leaves on the lettuce leaves, drop the roll on top and then wrap the leaves around the roll.
Either way, dip the roll in the sauce and enjoy, we certainly did.
After a nearly perfect evening up on deck we headed down to the formal teak dining room to enjoy even more Vietnamese delights, including this refreshing watermelon juice.
Wherever you are in the world, I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
What’s on your menu? Traditional, family favorites or something a little more spicy?
I’ll be bringing you more highlights from our tour, for those who are wondering, we booked our excursions through Buffalo Tours, who plan “inspirational travel” all throughout Viet Nam. My only disappointment is that we didn’t have more time to spend there. While I am, of course, thankful for this amazing experience, I hope I’ll have the chance to go back to Ha Long Bay someday and take over one of these charming junks with a group of friends so we can spend more time kayaking, hiking, swimming and exploring the caves and waters together.
Such stunning pictures!!I love the idea of mixing things up…why not! Wishing you Emily a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
Tina — I hope you had a beautiful Thanksgiving!
Emily the views, the skies and those delicious spring rolls! Thank you so much for sharing!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Emily-
It is always a treat to read your posts, but this one is one I have been looking for! I can't wait to try this recipe. No doubt I will love it!
The images are breathtaking! Thank you for sharing.
I am glad that you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
Teresa
xoxo
Karena and Teresa — I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with something delicious to snack on the next day! I hope they turned out well for you.
Good morning Emily! What a gorgeous bay to rethink the holidays in a new way! Fresh vegetables and exotic flavors for the American palate is a new way to ring in the holidays. I will never forget my trip to Asia now 35 years ago; the Mongolian BBQ I experienced at Subic Bay was out of this world.
Thank you so much for coming to visit my post AND for leaving a comment. Many wishes to you for a really special holiday!!! Anita
Emily, these photos are amazing! I am in awe at the beauty.