I am going berserk over the recipes in my new Vietnamese cookbook, Vietnamese Home Cooking  by Charles Phan. The dishes I have prepared thus far have been familiar but with a hint of that exotic flavor usually found only in restaurant dishes. The food is fresh, complex and full of that perfect balance of salty–sweet–sour–heat. We do not have a restaurant that produces Vietnamese food like this in Baltimore. No we sure don’t. But, I am delighted that I now have a go-to guide so I can create restaurant-worthy Vietnamese dishes in my own kitchen. I cannot wait to hit Mr. Phan’s Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco the next time I head to California to visit family.

Crispy Fried Shallots. Actually, these are double-fried, which renders them delightfully crispy crunchy.

You can even snack on these shallots as if they are potato chips. They were so easy to make and at the same time you wind up with a jar of shallot oil — two for one! I made extra to sprinkle over other Asian dishes I’ll be making this week.

Lemongrass Pork & Green Papaya Salad

Green papaya can be difficult to find and expensive to order online. So instead, I made this dish with finely shredded zucchini and it turned out beautifully. Just be sure to salt the zukes and squeeze out as much water as you can so the salad doesn’t become soggy. The mix of spearmint and cilantro in the dish provides a wonderfully fresh flavor.

When I first discovered sour cherries a few years ago at the Farmer’s Market, I was blown away by how delicious they were. I was also unbelievably disturbed that I had managed to live and eat in the world for over 30 years having never had the pleasure of enjoying a sour cherry. Gorgeous, aren’t they?

Sour Cherries

I ADORE sour cherries. I was so enthusiastic that first season that I recall practically chasing down my neighbor at the market and gleefully giving her a handful from my basket to try. Right then. I wanted to share my gastronomic delight. Well, she hesitated, popped one in her mouth and then — oh my — she SPIT. IT. OUT. What? What? What? Her mouth puckered and contorted and she gasped and spit out my beautiful, precious sour cherry. To this day, after watching her face sour, my husband still refuses to try one. Sheesh.

Apparently, sour cherries are for pies as their sour pucker needs to be heavily doused with sugar. Clearly, my taste-buds are wacky. Yes, I have since made a pie out of sour cherries, but I honestly prefer them as is and will continue to enjoy them solo during their fleeting season.

For those who prefer a sweeter fruit, the blackberries are in full swing at the Farmer’s Market as well. Unfortunately, my husband does enjoy these which means I have to share.

We could not put our chopsticks down last night.

We didn’t even want to eat rice with this luscious, saucy shrimp (which is unheard of in my household given my husband is a rice freak) as we didn’t want anything to compete the phenomenal flavors.

This was certainly the most outstanding Vietnamese dish I have ever created in my own kitchen. It even rivaled some of the better menu items I have enjoyed at restaurants. This is the kind of meal that would make me return to a restaurant week after week because there is no denying the craving for this dish once you have had the pleasure of devouring it.

Ingredients

Vietnamese Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp