ABC Wednesday | U and V

I lost track of time, so another catch up post for me.


U is for Ube Ice Cream.

Known as purple yam, ube is considered to be one of the most unique ice cream flavor, maybe because it's a root crop (tuber). I admit this isn't my favorite flavor (strawberry is), but two weeks ago, my sister and I were craving so much for Ube Ice Cream, but that specific day, there was no available Ube flavor in the nearby supermarket! Well, I went back to the supermarket last Saturday, I was able to see the freezers (each brand has its own freezer) filled with new stocks! Well, I still want to taste that "Best of the Philippines" Ube Keso (Ube - Cheese) ice cream because it used the purple yam jam from Baguio City, but it was quite expensive, so I will just have to get back next time.


That day, I just bought myself a small container (possibly half a cup) of Ube Ice Cream, just to satisfy my cravings. Honestly, I still love Magnolia (the brand), but this one - Nestle, would do for now.


V is for Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

I am not much familiar with Vietnamese food, but this platter of Vietnamese Spring Rolls was served by Pho Hoa during the Appetite Magazine "Taste the World" event. Well, I could say I am not totally raving about it the first time I tasted it, but as I eat my second bite-size cut, I got to appreciate its taste. Since it's fresh (the meat inside is cooked, of course), it has a refreshing feeling to the mouth, and the sauce was something that binds all the flavors together.


 

Stuffed Chicken Wings

After I have tried recipes from Yummy Magazine's May 2010 issue, it made me browse through old food related magazines we have (most are in La Union, unfortunately) here in the house and I jotted down the recipes which I think I can cook as well. One of those recipes was the Stuffed Chicken Wings, or the Cahn Ga Chien in the Vietnamese language. This recipe was part of the magazines series of Vietnamese recipes, and given the ingredients, I tried it for myself.




Stuffed Chicken Wings (Cahn Ga Chien)
{Serves 2 -3}

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken wings, deboned
• 4 ounces bean-thread vermicelli
• 3 pieces dark wood ear fungus (tengang daga)
• 1 1/4 cup ground pork
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400*F
• Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes then drain thoroughly and cut into short strands. Soak the wood ear fungus in warm water for 10 minutes then squeeze dry and chop into thin slices.
• Mix these with all the rest of the ingredients except the chicken. The mixture should be firm. Mold stuffing into a ball and insert into the flesh and skin of the chicken wing.
• Steam stuffed chicken wings for 10 to 15 minutes.
• After steaming, place wings in a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with Nuoc Cham (Spicy Fish Sauce).

To make Nuoc Cham:

• In a small bowl, combine 1 clove garlic (finely chopped), 1/2 teaspoon hot chili pepper (finely chopped), 1/2 tablespoon sugar, and juice of half a lime. Add 1/8 cup fish sauce and 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Mix well

We don't own an oven, so what I did was I fried the chicken wings after I steamed it. I am not sure if frying and baking would create a different taste, but the fried ones tasted good. Well, the chicken itself lacked the saltiness - that's where the Nuoc Cham comes in... but the mix of chicken, pork, wood ear fungus and carrots was just so good. The Nuoc Cham actually gives the dish more kick. Just a thing.. don't put in all the egg at once. Remember, the pork stuffing has to be firm, so add the egg gradually.

Chicken wings have three parts. For this recipe, take out the biggest part (the one used in chicken lollipops) first before you debone the chicken. I used the biggest part in cooking a different chicken dish - adobo.

This dish is a good appetizer, and can also be served with rice as the main meal. With soup on the side... this one is really good.

*** Jenn ***