I wasn't going to make this. I really wasn't. I had the stomach flu last weekend and was still getting my tummy back to normal. Andrew wasn't excited about it. It called for a bunch of odd ingredients. ...I was just going to sit this one out. But then.....well, then I did make it. So...there.
I know you're all thinking, "Vietnamese soup?...Um...how is that French?" Well, actually France and Vietnam are pretty closely related and have been for hundreds of years. France actually ruled over Vietnam from 1887 to 1954. So, apparently there are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants in the France.
I'm going to be honest...this soup worried me. Scared me. Stressed me out. The ingredients were crazy. Star anise? (I HATE licorice) Dried red chili's? (I am NOT a spicy eater) Asian fish sauce? (.....Asian fish sauce?) And then there were odd directions like putting a bunch of stuff into cheesecloth and just letting it hang out in the soup for a while. ...Eh? Or adding the ingredient "2 dried red chili's".....but not explaining whether we were to dice them up, mince them, add them whole.....if they're whole do we take them out later? Do we take the cheesecloth thing out, too? ...Do we see why I was going to sit this week out?
But I really need to start trusting in Dorie. Because kids...she doesn't lead me astray. Sure, I completely ignored her when she told me to add star anise. I decided to add the dried chilies whole and then just take them out. I halved the whole recipe except for the amount of noodles (meaning my noodle soup was heavy on the noodle, light on the soup). BUT still....I trust you, Dorie. ...Mostly.
This soup was surprisingly easy to put together, even though I just whined about not understanding parts of it. It went very quickly (which was good since I didn't get home from work until 6). Also...this soup was surprisingly tasty. With all the changes I made, I have NO idea if it tastes the way Dorie meant for it to. But I dug it. Truly I did.
...Plus now, I have a whole jar of fish sauce in my fridge! So....bonus!
9 comments:
We add fish sauce in fried rice and other Asian delights--It actually adds a good flavor..so you might end up using it again :) Looks Yummy!
Hi! Just so you know, you don't have to keep fish sauce refrigerated. I'm Vietnamese--lived with it my whole life, and never have placed a bottle in the refrigerator. :)
Um, we seek out Vietnamese soup wherever we happen to be. It's so tasty. The meal Joe talks about the most from his Asain tour this summer? The fish soup he had in Saigon where you don't order, they just bring you food.
Star anise? Stop being so afraid. Anise does not equal licorice. And fish sauce? I echo Katie Browning: we use it all the time. And it really is quite tasty.
You gotta embrace the Far East, girl!!
Your red-headed Chinese friend
This week's assignment prompted me to write about comfort zones as it was outside of mine too. I was going to skip it too! lol.
Trevor Sis Boom.
Hope you feel better soon. I think we all need tshirts that say, "trust the dorie."
i like the noodles you chose. they look a little heartier than the usual :) *Buttercreambarbie
I am glad you made the soup. I absolutely loved it and I love star anise (who would have thought)...so sad that you don't. I love FFwD!
Lovin' your blog. You crack me up.
So happy you made it! I almost skipped out until I chatted with Erika and she was so excited to make it. I'm glad I did.
Yes, trust Dorie. That's the biggest thing I've learned from TWD and now FFWD.
PS: I will for sure let you know when I am in Texas next. I am dying to try your cupcake creations! I will most likely be coming sometime early spring 2011.
LOL, i left the chilly too but dats coz we dont like spicy soups,otherwise i totally trust Dorie:-)
Ur soup looks real hearty with all the noodles, i'd dig in too!!
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