Comments on: The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/ Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:27:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 Comment on The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau by: Nina http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-111491 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:48:39 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-111491 Hi Barbara--unfortunately, I didn't come across your blog post until after I tried making this. I followed Andrea Nguyen's recipe, but she's less specific about when and when not to stir, so I ended up with seized sugar crystals. Question: is it possible to rehabilitate that mess into nuoc mau, or do I have to start with "fresh" sugar? Hi Barbara–unfortunately, I didn’t come across your blog post until after I tried making this. I followed Andrea Nguyen’s recipe, but she’s less specific about when and when not to stir, so I ended up with seized sugar crystals. Question: is it possible to rehabilitate that mess into nuoc mau, or do I have to start with “fresh” sugar?

]]> Comment on The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau by: Jim http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-58677 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:33:25 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-58677 I made this for the second time tonight, my original supply having run out. (I made about five batches of chicken kho with it, said dish having moved permanently into the rotation.) If I were to make one note this time after having made it twice, it would be not to fret if you see little sugar crystals forming in between the bubbles. I noticed them this time and worried, but I found that they all melted by the time the sugar started to caramelize. I also added the water just as I started to see smoke, which turned out to be too early. I probably should have waited for an additional 10-15 seconds after I first saw smoke. Chicken kho rocks. I always make serve it with chopped cilantro, mint, thai basil (if I can find it), carrot sticks, and tart apple sticks (substitute for green papaya) which I tediously hand-cut. But it's soo worth it. Everyone in the family loves this dish. I made this for the second time tonight, my original supply having run out. (I made about five batches of chicken kho with it, said dish having moved permanently into the rotation.)

If I were to make one note this time after having made it twice, it would be not to fret if you see little sugar crystals forming in between the bubbles. I noticed them this time and worried, but I found that they all melted by the time the sugar started to caramelize. I also added the water just as I started to see smoke, which turned out to be too early. I probably should have waited for an additional 10-15 seconds after I first saw smoke.

Chicken kho rocks. I always make serve it with chopped cilantro, mint, thai basil (if I can find it), carrot sticks, and tart apple sticks (substitute for green papaya) which I tediously hand-cut. But it’s soo worth it. Everyone in the family loves this dish.

]]> Comment on The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau by: Jim http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57497 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:10:28 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57497 I made chicken kho tonight and everyone at the table loved it, including my 8-year-old son! It was fantastic, and, what more, the basis of kho is so simple it's quite nearly divine: 1. meat 2. nuoc mam 3. nuoc mah 4. salt And ingredients #2, #3, and #4 have eternal shelf life. Magic in the kitchen. I made chicken kho tonight and everyone at the table loved it, including my 8-year-old son! It was fantastic, and, what more, the basis of kho is so simple it’s quite nearly divine:

1. meat
2. nuoc mam
3. nuoc mah
4. salt

And ingredients #2, #3, and #4 have eternal shelf life. Magic in the kitchen.

]]> Comment on The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau by: Jim http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57482 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:17:04 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57482 Nuac mau, that is! Nuac mau, that is!

]]> Comment on The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau by: Jim http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57481 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:15:32 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/12/the-essential-vietnamese-sauce-nuoc-mau/#comment-57481 It took me two times, and the first time might have worked out fine, but I chose to abort. I selected a saucier instead of a saucepan because I thought that the sloped sides might help with the swirling that I was expecting to do. The sugar ended up creeping up the sides during the boil, and when I tried to push it back down it ended up making between six and seven buttloads of sugar crystals which floated on top. "This can't be good", I said to myself, and poured water into it and begun a laborious clean-up process. The sugar had already started to caramelize, and, at this point, it was *long* past the "hard crack" stage, if I am correct. (I have never even once tried to make any kind of candy in the kitchen! I guess this is "trial by fire".) The second time, I chose to FOLLOW THE RECIPE and use a 1-quart saucepan. I also decided that I was not going to try swirling at all, if I could avoid it. (That way, I woudn't have to push sugar back in and risk any sugar crystals getting pushed in.) Everything basically went according to plan, and, as it turned out, I didn't have to swirl at all. I think this is due to the even output of the gas burner I used and the use of a good All-clad saucepan. I had a glass jar of molasses sitting by for reference and I'm glad I did, for the caramelization did, in fact, occur very quickly. It also started to smoke more heavily than I expected it to. I would say the color looked a very deep reddish brown in the pan when I chose to kill the heat and dump the water, and that turned out to be correct. So, if you're making this, I advise that when it's spread out in the pan with the light above it, it looks a very deep reddish brown, but it is the color of molasses in the bail-lid glass jar I put it in. The only part I was worried about was how violent the reaction was going to be when I poured in the water. My advice is: do it quickly! Not only did some splash out but some also boiled out and it was probably the scariest thing I've done in my kitchen. Keep your kids out of the kitchen at this critical moment. But, all that said, it was also cool. Now I have a jar of nuac mam and, since my partner has been asking for "Vietnamesey food" recently, I think it will fit in nicely. This kind of recipe is right up my alley anyway -- I love having jars of homemade ingredient (caramelized onions, roasted chiles, ghee, yogurt, preserved lemons, etc) sitting around waiting to be added to something delicious. Thank you, Barbara, for your wonderful recipe and detailed instructions. If I can use geek terminology, I feel like I just gained a level in the kitchen. It took me two times, and the first time might have worked out fine, but I chose to abort. I selected a saucier instead of a saucepan because I thought that the sloped sides might help with the swirling that I was expecting to do. The sugar ended up creeping up the sides during the boil, and when I tried to push it back down it ended up making between six and seven buttloads of sugar crystals which floated on top. “This can’t be good”, I said to myself, and poured water into it and begun a laborious clean-up process. The sugar had already started to caramelize, and, at this point, it was *long* past the “hard crack” stage, if I am correct. (I have never even once tried to make any kind of candy in the kitchen! I guess this is “trial by fire”.)

The second time, I chose to FOLLOW THE RECIPE and use a 1-quart saucepan. I also decided that I was not going to try swirling at all, if I could avoid it. (That way, I woudn’t have to push sugar back in and risk any sugar crystals getting pushed in.)

Everything basically went according to plan, and, as it turned out, I didn’t have to swirl at all. I think this is due to the even output of the gas burner I used and the use of a good All-clad saucepan. I had a glass jar of molasses sitting by for reference and I’m glad I did, for the caramelization did, in fact, occur very quickly. It also started to smoke more heavily than I expected it to. I would say the color looked a very deep reddish brown in the pan when I chose to kill the heat and dump the water, and that turned out to be correct. So, if you’re making this, I advise that when it’s spread out in the pan with the light above it, it looks a very deep reddish brown, but it is the color of molasses in the bail-lid glass jar I put it in.

The only part I was worried about was how violent the reaction was going to be when I poured in the water. My advice is: do it quickly! Not only did some splash out but some also boiled out and it was probably the scariest thing I’ve done in my kitchen. Keep your kids out of the kitchen at this critical moment. But, all that said, it was also cool.

Now I have a jar of nuac mam and, since my partner has been asking for “Vietnamesey food” recently, I think it will fit in nicely. This kind of recipe is right up my alley anyway — I love having jars of homemade ingredient (caramelized onions, roasted chiles, ghee, yogurt, preserved lemons, etc) sitting around waiting to be added to something delicious.

Thank you, Barbara, for your wonderful recipe and detailed instructions. If I can use geek terminology, I feel like I just gained a level in the kitchen.

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