Drop #35: Create a Signature Dish

I am so close to completing this drop... I am actually making the original concept of the dish tonight for dinner. I do, however, have ideas as to how my current interpretation of the dish can be improved, and would like to post the recipe complete with side dishes and all. Stay tuned!

Complete- Drop #25: Cook Bun Mam

     Once I got past the fact that this recipe does not exist in English, and varies so much in Vietnamese, I think I was finally able to figure out how to cook this thing! With that said, I am pretty sure this is the only English recipe for Bún mắm. I'm not for sure if this is the way it's typically done, or how close it is to the actual taste it's supposed to be since I have never actually eaten it elsewhere, but it passed the taste test.


     For the Soup:

Pork Bones
Mam Tom (a very stinky, purple shrimp paste)
Catfish
Squid
Shrimp
Aubergine (not pictured)
Pork Belly
Lemongrass (6 stalks did the job)
Garlic (however much. I used 4 large cloves)

Rock Sugar

MSG (Optional)

  Parboil the pork bones. Rinse, heat up a fresh batch of water, and put bones back into the pot. Heat to boiling and skim top as needed. Cut the bulb off the lemongrass, smash, and add to broth. Skim periodically. Add the Mam Tom (maybe about a quarter of the container... I put a bit more than half and it came out really strong... You can add more later) to the broth. After a few hours of cooking chop/food process the remaining lemongrass stems until very small. Do same with garlic. In a frying pan, put some oil in the pan. Cut up one of the pork belly, add to the hot pan, and fry up with the lemongrass and garlic. Once cooked, add to the pot. 
     When you think you're getting close to being done (you can let the soup boil as long as you want) get your seafood ready while you're frying up a whole strip of the pork belly. Slice the fried pork belly the same was as before, and set aside. Cut the aubergines so that the slices are circular, about 1 and 1/2 inch thick, and cut those in fours. Throw in the soup. cook until tender, then remove.


     Strain the broth, and remove the bones, lemongrass etc. Reheat the broth, and cook the seafood. While doing this, start your noodles (bun rice noodles)


Toppings:

   

Bean Sprouts
Culantro (similar to Cilantro but stronger...)
Ngo Om (Rice paddy herb)
Rau Den (Chinese Spinach)
He (Type of Chive)
Ong Choy (Water Spinach, stems only)
Bac Ha (Taro Shoots)
Thai Basil
Banana Flower
Scallion
Lime


     I found I had to pickle the banana flower after cutting it into thin rings in order for it to keep color, so don't slice this until you're just about to serve. The only other odd prep for the toppings is to remove the stems from the water spinach and to cut them in long, thin strips. Keep them in cold water so they curl.


     Put noodles in bowl, ladle broth on top, throw on culantro and scallions. Serve with the plate of herbs and a spoonful of the mam tom on the side, and you're all set!

     The smell of the soup, I have to be honest, was not pleasant. Once I was able to push past that, the broth itself was pretty good! Again, I'll have to check it's authenticity to another one (once I find it), but I am considering this a success!

Anti-Drop: General Complaints About Myself and my Bucket List

     I've only just begun this list, and already I have personal complaints about it.

     My goals are so very boring! Everything I hope to complete before I die, it seems, has to do with personal self improvement. Although I can say I have tried to be the best I possibly can be, it's honestly not very exciting. I even googled other people's bucket lists for ideas as to some exciting things I might want to do, and nothing sounds remotely desireable. It's official: I'm boring. With that said, I need to live a little.

     Complaint #2: The point of trying to keep up with this blog is to remind myself of what goals I want to accomplish. Although I have thought about the drops that I have blogged about thus far, I honestly can't say that I have done too much towards thier completion. For example, every day I wake up and decide that tomorrow is the day to start drinking more water and eating healthier; it's never TODAY! And, although I have acknowledged my desire to wean myself from social media, I still feel the need to check it a million and a half times a day. Even this is somewhat considered a social media... Although I do not normally announce my updates of this particular blog on sites such as Facebook.

     So, although it is not a drop, my general goals at this point seem to be 'live a little' and 'be proactive'.



               Yeahhh.... We'll see how that goes......