These San Francisco style noodles are an American mashup of Vietnamese and Italian cuisine

The other evening, I made the most popular recipe of the year, at least according to the New York Times. The recipe, which was viewed more than 1.2 million times, is a San Francisco-style noodle dish from food writer J. Kenji López-Alt.

Among its simple list of ingredients is an eye-opening 20 cloves of garlic, as well as fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and Parmesan cheese. Since garlic is pretty much a food group in my house, and I always have parm, fish sauce and oyster sauce in my fridge, I figured I would give it whirl.

What Are San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles?

This garlicky noodle recipe is a twist on a classic San Francisco dish, created by Helene An at her Thanh Long restaurant in the early 1970s, where it has been famously served with baked Dungeness crab for the past five decades. An fled Vietnam during the war, settling in the Bay Area and eventually launching a restaurant empire.

In the early days, as López-Alt writes, An “felt that the restaurant would find more success by eschewing authenticity in favor of dishes that were designed specifically to appeal to the local clientele.” She was inspired by a disappointing garlic pasta dish at an Italian restaurant to create her own rendition.

Though popular, the real recipe remains a secret. In López-Alt’s interpretation, he calls for spaghetti rather than Asian noodles and intuitively the use of Southeast Asian sauces such as fish sauce and oyster sauce as ingredients. Coupled with soy sauce, Parmesan cheese and all that garlic, it’s an intense, unique dish.

Why Do You Need 20 Cloves of Minced Garlic?

Since this dish became so popular this year, there has been online debate on how to make it. One of the biggest points of discussion is how to handle the 20 cloves of garlic, which are to be “minced or smashed in a mortar and pestle.”

Minced garlic can be achieved in a number of ways. Mincing with a knife can be tricky if you don’t have good knife skills, and you run the risk of not having uniform pieces that cook evenly. Smashing the garlic before you mince makes things faster and slightly easier. I choose to use a microplane grater instead of a knife for ease. The risk with a grater is that the garlic can be a little more spicy or bitter, but since I’d be cooking the garlic for a few minutes, I wasn’t worried about that. If you have a mini food processor, that works too. But avoid a larger food processor, which will chop the garlic too big and unevenly.

How to Make San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles

The great thing about cooking this dish is that once you learn the basics, you don’t really need a recipe anymore. Two quirks of the recipe involve cooking the spaghetti. First, the Times’ suggests cooking the pasta in a skillet or sauté pan, covered by 2 inches of boiling water, rather than a big pot of boiling water. The reason here is to get starchier pasta water, which you’ll want to reserve to toss with the pasta. The other quirk is to remove the pasta from the boiling water before it’s totally al dente (about 2 minutes less than the time on the package). The pasta will continue to cook as you add it to the sauce to toss over high heat.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 20 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tea spoons fish sauce
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• One bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

directions

Step 1: Combine ingredients

Melt butter in a saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce, stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Step 2: Cook the pasta

Bring a couple of inches of salted water to a boil in a skillet or saucepan, over high heat. Add the spaghetti. Stir the pasta a few times as it cooks until it’s almost al dente (about 2 minutes less than the recommended cook time on the package).

Step 3: Bring it all together

Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the garlic-umami sauce, along with whatever water clings to it (be sure to reserve the pasta water!). Bring heat to high, and add cheese. Stir and toss vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified. Add reserved pasta water if it looks too greasy or dry. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.

Vietnamese Dishes Everyone Should Know

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Banh mi

Loved around the world, these Vietnamese baguette sandwiches together cold, grilled or roasted meats, along with pickled daikon and carrots, chiles, cucumbers, cilantro, smears of pâté, mayonnaise and Maggi seasoning for a multidimensional bite each time. You can make this Chicken Banh Mi at home.

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Banh xèo

With its golden crispy edges, this pan-fried crepe of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric envelopes minced pork, bean sprouts and shrimp. Wrap with lettuce and fresh herbs and dunk in sweet, sour and salty nước chấm sauce for best effect.

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Lettuce wraps

There are many Vietnamese dishes that are best enjoyed wrapped in lettuce and herbs before dipped into a sauce such as Bánh xèo, Cuốn giấm bổng (pork and shrimp wraps) and Chả giò (fried spring rolls). If you’re feeling inspired by crisp emerald leaves and zesty sauces, make our Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Wraps.

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Gỏi cuốn

Often called “fresh spring rolls,” Gỏi cuốn are soft, translucent rice paper rolls stuffed with rice noodles, fresh herbs, leafy greens and shrimp or pork. Dipped in nước chấm or peanut sauce, they make a great lunch or dinner party appetizer. Learn how to make spring rolls at home.

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Bun Cha

Although there are several amazing Vietnamese dishes that feature Bún (vermicelli noodles), Bún Cha is a refreshing noodle bowl topped with warm grilled pork, fresh herbs and drenched in nước chấm sauce. It’s an all-day favorite in Hanoi!

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Phở

We bet that pho is one Vietnamese recipe you’ve already heard of. So, what is pho? With its fragrant broth seasoned with star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom, this rice noodle soup is widely enjoyed across the country. You’ll find a myriad of toppings, from paper-thin slices of raw beef to handfuls of fresh herbs like coriander, sliced ​​onions, basil and mint all doused in a spritz of lime juice.

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Bun Bo Hue

With notes of lemongrass, shrimp paste, chili and rock sugar, this spicy noodle soup features vermicelli noodles with an assortment of beef and pork cuts. Garnished with onions, scallions, Vietnamese coriander and banana blossoms, this dish is characteristic of the Imperial cuisine of Huế.

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Cơm Tấm

This “broken rice” dish typically pairs softer steamed rice grains with different types of grilled meats and either a fried egg or Chả trứng (Vietnamese steamed omelet). It is usually served at any mealtime with a side of sliced ​​cucumbers, tomatoes and scallion-infused oil.

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Thịt Kho Tau

Blending sweet and savory, this warming stew of caramelized pork and eggs braised in coconut water is a beloved lunch or dinnertime staple with an accompaniment of steamed jasmine rice and tangy Dưa giá (pickled bean sprouts).

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Canh

A true Vietnamese meal is not complete without Canh, an everyday Vietnamese soup made from water instead of stock. While some can be simple, more complex Canh recipes marry together either meat or seafood with an abundance of different vegetables to create sweet, sour and savory profiles.

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Che

Why choose one type of dessert when you can have them all in a singular, multi-layered, rainbow? Chè are traditional Vietnamese sweet beverages, puddings or dessert soups that mix fruits, beans and jellies soaked in sugary syrup or coconut cream. They are served hot or cold.

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Cà phê trứng

Although only served at cafes in Hanoi, Cà phê trứng is where a quick pick-me-up meets delightful dessert decadence. Made with robusta coffee, egg yolk and creamy condensed milk, Cà phê trứng is an experience simultaneously reminiscent of tiramisu, eggnog and fluffy egg custard.

The post San Francisco-Type Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles Are the Most Standard Recipe of the 12 months appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Cioppino Tips

What else can you add to cioppino?

It’s easy to slightly modify this cioppino recipe to suit your tastes. Consider adding other types of fish or seafood such as lobster, oysters or smoked herring fillets. If you don’t have access to halibut, some great substitutes would be sea bass, swordfish or another sturdy, non-oily fish. Feel free to toss in extra veggies such as mushrooms, chopped green pepper or scallions.

How should you serve cioppino?

Cioppino is served hot in bowls. Top each serving with sambuca and minced parsley. Since some of the seafood is served in the shell, you may need special utensils such as seafood forks or crab crackers.

What should you serve with cioppino?

This stew is typically served with warm crusty sourdough or French bread to dip in the succulent tomato and seafood broth. We suggest serving this stew with a rich white wine to drink. Chardonnay pairs beautifully with many types of fish and seafood. Chablis, sauvignon blanc, or vermentino are also good choices. If you prefer red wine, zinfandel and pinot noir are great matches. Look here for more seafood recipes you’re sure to love, and other food and wine pairings to add to your dinner rotation.

—Amy Glander, Taste of Home Book Editor

Nutrition Facts

2 cups: 298 calories, 8g fat (1g saturated fat), 140mg cholesterol, 830mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 3g fiber), 35g protein.

The post San Francisco Cioppino Recipe: Easy methods to Make It appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.