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Vietnamese broth

post #1 of 5
3/15/09 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

My wife and I recently went out for dinner and the chef prepared sautéed Mahi Mahi on a bed of wild rice in Vietnamese broth. The balance of the whole dish was a joy to encounter. But the star (for me) was the broth.

Because of my ignorance I'm finding it difficult to educate myself on a good recipe.


What makes a well made traditional Vietnamese broth, and how would it differ (if at all) from dish I described above?


The dish was prepared by a chef with a French background, if that helps in your interpretation of the above dish that I had.
thanks,
dan
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post #2 of 5
3/16/09 at 10:32pm
I was hoping for a response to this one, as I've been wanting to try some of the various thinner, light bodied sauces and broths found in various styles of Asian cuisine. Hmmm, I wonder if the wandering chopsticks web site has something suitable...

mjb.
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post #3 of 5
3/16/09 at 10:36pm
The problem is there are lots of Vietnamese broths, but no one "Vietnamese broth." Whatever your cook made and called "Vietnamese broth" is a matter of very uncertain conjecture. You didn't even say whether it was a fish, pork, chicken or vegetable base -- although I'd guess star-anise played a prominent part, while onion was a gentle backup.

BDL
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post #4 of 5
3/17/09 at 10:10am
Thread Starter 
BDL, I apologies if I don't have the descriptive skills or knowledge to narrow the recipe down much further. This is the difficulty I'm running into as well.

The broth was a quite aromatic and a bit contradictory of having deep complex flavors yet light and not overpowering itself, while still standing in the forefront of the dish. It was a fish base but I'm uncertain if this was due to fish sauce/vegetable broth or something distinctly more fish based. There was a slight sweetness to the finish and what was probably star anise in the front.

I think I may try a few different styles of Vietnamese broth and see if I could get a grasp on what the differences are.

The dinner was prepared by Patrick Chabert who has worked by himself, with Jean Banchet and also Roland Liccioni, who grew up in France raised by a Corsican/Vietnamese family. I'm not sure if there is any additional influences that may have been provided into the flavor of the dish???


Thanks,
dan
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post #5 of 5
3/17/09 at 10:53am
You may be able to get the recipe, or at least a "runnng recipe" (aka chef's notes) from the chef -- since you at least know his identity.

We can talk about some of the flavors which commonly go into Vietnamese broths/soups if you like; but like you I know more about how to order than how to cook. I've got a little proficiency in Chinese techniques and they seem to translate. But techniques without knowledge and imagination are empty. I'm not sure if I've got a particularly good palate for Vietnamese foods, at least not in the sense of it being educated enough to supply imagination. And I sure don't have good knowledge of the ingredients or a repertoire of recipes from which to build.

Franco-Vietnamese fusion is an incredible cuisine. We had a an explosion of (at least a few) chefs and restaurants in SoCal, but the trend, qua trend, seemed to disappear sometime in the eighties. It seems to be something like Spanglish, in that you need a good working knowledge of both cuisines before you can combine them effectively into a third. I get the sense that more than many other fusions, Franco-Vietnamese is a lot of techniques, ingredients and recipes combined improvisationally. Techniques-R-Us, or I can them pick up easily. I've got a decent handle on the Franco end of the other aspects, but the Vietnamese not so much. Not yet, anyway.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a few classes.

BDL

PS. For the "broth" itself, I would have made a fresh, light fish stock in the normal way from trimmings, bones and heads, and gone from there. Actually, I would have made "fish head" soup (from my limited repertoire), strained it, and use that.

PPS. I don't know how much fish stock you've made, but the key is not to overcook it or over-reduce it. It gets lousy. If you want it stronger, cut it with clam juice or something similar. Digressing, sorry. Meanwhile, back at the point: Yours sounds like an ordinary fish bullion, imaginatively seasoned.

PPPS. What kind of access do you have to Vietnamese ingredients? Tremendous selection here in the SGV and SoCal in particular.
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