Although I've only had this blog for less than two weeks, it's changed the way I cook and eat. Barrett over at Too Many Chefs was discussing this a few days ago. Blogging makes you more aware of what you're eating, and leads to a dissatisfaction with mindlessly churning out the same predictable dishes again and again. Now I'm actually preparing the recipes and foods that have beckoned me, but were often ignored for expediency's sake. Tonight I made a dish created by Charles Phan, owner and head chef of The Slanted Door in San Francisco. Very simple to prepare, it was such a pleasure to eat. His recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I decided to make it with shrimp. One of the ingredients, Vietnamese stir fry sauce, is deceptively simple, but gave the dish a complex and rich flavor. The stir fry sauce is very easy to make and can be stored in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds peeled medium shrimp, (or boneless chicken thighs, meat cut into 3/4-inch pieces)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 plump stalks of lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
1 medium red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake or water
1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chili paste
4 large scallions, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
5 small dried red chilies
1 large jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
directions
1. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Note: table salt will make the shrimp saltier.
2. In a large skillet or a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add half of the shrimp and stir-fry over high heat, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the lemongrass, onion and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, oyster sauce, chili paste, scallions, dried chilies and jalapeno; bring to a boil. Add the shrimp to the sauce and simmer until heated through, then serve.
SERVE WITH Steamed jasmine rice.
Vietnamese Stir Fry Sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Bring stock to boil, remove from heat and add fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Cook the shrimp over high heat in two batches, for 3 minutes.
Sir fry the onions, lemongrass, and garlic for about 2 minutes.
The finished dish, with the stir fry sauce, scallions, peppers and shrimp added to the onions.
Served with jasmine rice, this dish was delicious, and reminded me of several Cajun dishes I've eaten in New Orleans.
I often use recipes from Food & Wine magazine and discovered that any recipe labeled a staff favorite is usually a sure bet. Such was the case with this recipe. It's a rather spicy recipe, with crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, parsley and tarragon. You can reduce the red pepper if you're leery of it, but I would add at least a pinch, to lift the flavor. There are so many flavors and textures at work here. I enjoyed the crunch of the onions and celery in the soft rice, with the garlicky shrimp piled on top. 
One taste that stood out was the fresh tarragon in the rice. I'm a big fan of it, but at one time I thought tarragon was a waste of money. That was back when the only form of tarragon I could find was the dried form. Like basil, tarragon really should be used when it's fresh, not dried. Somewhat similar to licorice, it adds a unique flavor to any dish. And it's a very pretty plant. Unfortunately, the one I grew mysteriously died, after looking quite healthy for nearly a year. 
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