Tap a chip to add another filter, or use Clear all below.
Boudin filling combines pork shoulder, pork liver (optional, traditional), cooked rice, onion, celery, garlic, parsley, green onion, cayenne, salt, pepper. Either bought ready-made boudin (casings removed) or made from scratch by simmering then mincing pork shoulder with the aromatics. Filling rolls into walnut-sized balls; chills for 30 min so they hold shape. Dredges in flour, egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs. Deep-fries for 3-4 minutes at 175°C.
A pork and prawn filling is bound with shredded carrot, glass noodles and reconstituted wood-ear mushrooms, then rolled tightly in moistened rice paper and fried twice for maximum crunch. The double-fry technique gives chả giò their characteristic bubbled, blistered crust. Served with cool lettuce leaves, herbs and a punchy nước chấm dipping sauce.
Fried börek are Turkish-influenced pastries that combine simple pastry (made from water, oil, and flour) with a seasoned ground meat filling. The meat is cooked in aromatics, bound together with egg, and enriched with fresh parsley. The pastry is thin and tender, becoming shatteringly crisp when deep-fried. The key to success is ensuring the filling is completely cold before assembling (otherwise it creates soggy pastry), rolling the pastry thin (for crispness rather than doughiness), and maintaining proper oil temperature during frying. These are best consumed immediately, while still warm and crispy.
Rice cooks, dresses with sesame oil and salt while still warm. Fillings prep separately: carrots julienne and stir-fry briefly with salt; spinach blanches, drains, dresses with garlic, salt and sesame oil; egg cooks as a thin omelette, slices into strips; pickled yellow radish (danmuji) cuts into long strips; protein (ham, beef bulgogi, tuna mayo, fishcake) preps to size. Each gim sheet (toasted seaweed) lays on a bamboo mat; rice spreads thin over two-thirds of the sheet; fillings line in the centre; the mat rolls everything tightly. Cut into 12 slices per roll. Brushed with sesame oil; sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Pork belly is simmered until tender, prawns are poached briefly, and vermicelli is cooked just al dente. Everything cools to room temperature, then rice paper rounds are dipped briefly in warm water and rolled around lettuce, herbs and the protein with the pink of the prawns showing through the wrapper. The peanut-hoisin sauce is the make-or-break: it should be thick, sweet and lightly garlicky.
A filling of minced pork and chopped prawn binds with coriander root (pounded with garlic and white pepper into the traditional Thai "rak pak chee" paste), oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and a beaten egg. The mixture chills for 20 minutes to firm. Square wonton wrappers go around the filling cupcake-style: filling in the centre, edges pulled up and pleated open around the meat, top brushed with a tiny smear of beaten egg and topped with a thin slice of carrot. Steamed in a bamboo basket over boiling water for 8 minutes. Dip is black soy sauce with sliced chilli and rice vinegar.
A grated onion (juice squeezed out) folds into beef-or-pork-and-beef mince with bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry, an egg, a generous amount of dried mint and oregano, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. A tablespoon of ouzo or red wine adds depth. Mixture rests for 30 minutes (the flavours mingle, the bread fully absorbs). Rolls into walnut-sized balls, dusts in flour, pan-fries in olive oil 6-8 minutes turning often until deep brown and cooked through. Serves with tzatziki and lemon wedges.
Pork shoulder (fatty cuts only, lean cuts will be dry) is cut into 3 cm chunks. Pork back fat (or lard) adds extra cooking fat; shallots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, white wine and a glass of water go in with the pork. Cooked at the lowest oven temperature for 3-4 hours covered until the pork is completely tender and the fat has rendered into a clear pool. Once drained, the fat is reserved separately and the pork is pulled into long strands with two forks. The strands are packed into sterilised jars; salt and pepper season to taste; some of the reserved fat is poured over to seal the surface. Refrigerated for 3-5 days to mature; the flavours develop dramatically. Served with toasted baguette, cornichons and mustard.
A yeasted dough enriched with milk, sugar and butter rises for 1 hour. Filling: pork mince browns with garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and Chinese five-spice, simmered for 10 minutes till thick. Eggs hard-boil, quarter. Dough divides into 12 portions, each rolls into a 12 cm disc thicker in the middle than the edges. Filling spoons in with a quarter of egg. Edges pleat up over the filling like a money purse, twisted closed. Buns rest for 20 minutes on parchment squares; steam for 15 minutes in batches.
Diced pork back-fat (or fatty belly) renders slowly with smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped onion, garlic, a tart apple and marjoram. The fat melts to liquid, the solids brown to crackling. Off heat, the mix scrapes into ramekins where it sets to a soft, golden, flecked spread. Slow rendering on low heat is critical: a fast cook scorches the solids and ruins the flavour. Served on rye with sea salt and a pickled cucumber.
Delicate spring rolls filled with silky cellophane noodles, tender wood ears, savory pork, and sweet crab, then deep-fried until golden and crispy. Served with a vibrant, fiery chilli sauce, these Southeast Asian gems are perfect as an appetizer or main snack. The contrast between crispy exterior and tender filling is irresistible.