My daughter woke up from her afternoon nap and wanted to eat something besides the noodle soup that I made for lunch and dinner. She’s probably tired of eating chedau trang (sweet white bean dessert) since she just had it this morning and a few bowls for the last several days. So, Grandma suggested sticky rice. Bingo! My kids love the aroma, texture, and sweetness of sticky rice as Grandma often makes it for them for breakfast. It was almost dinner time and I wanted my kids to have some protein beside the carbs from the sticky rice. So I sauteed lap xuong (chinese sausage) with fresh chopped garlic, shallots, our homegrown green onions and cilantro and soy sauce. A wonderful aroma indeed! Then I worked these ingredients into the sticky rice. The whole process from cooking the rice to preparing the filling took about 20 minutes but it seemed like 2 hours for my daughter who kept saying, “Why are you taking so long Mommy?”. Someone must be very hungry.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
I love fish. In the summer time, I often prepared Cá Nướng (Grilled Whole Fish) then rolled it up in rice paper with lettuce, herbs, sliced cucumber, daikon and pickled carrot and strings of noodle if you want to fill your tummy up quickly; then, dipped it in Mam Nem or Mam Ruot (Fermented Anchovy Dip or Salted Fermented Shrimp dip). I prefer my Mam Ruot dip over Mam Nem. If you make the Mam Ruot dip right, it actually tastes as good as mam nem or better, but cheaper. If you prefer a milder, less fishy-flavored dipping sauce, then this would be ideal. That’s a preview for a future blog and the recipe for Cá Nướng and Mam Ruot dip will soon be posted, but for now let’s talk Mahi Mahi.
Mahi Mahi is a popular eating fish in Australia and a major seller at sushi bars. The fish can be grilled or seared to bring out its wonderful taste.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend gave us a few pieces of Mahi Mahi, so I decided to make a dish to celebrate the arrival of spring and its brilliant colors. So Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa served with a side of corn on the cob were on the table for dinner. Fruits, veggies, and fish all in one . . . how could you resist. You may also prepare this for lunch as well since it’s a light dish and you don’t have to worry about packing on the pounds.
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
In a bowl, combine the mangos, cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno pepper. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and lime juice. Taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Stir together then cover and refrigerate until serving to blend the flavors.
Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish. Top with Mango Salsa and serve immediately.









