#2 Pomelo – Snack & Chill
Welcome to the second edition of our biweekly newsletter that hopefully spices up your Sundays (literally) and makes your life a bit richer (metaphorically). Thanks for subscribing, and stay cosy!
🤌🏻 Try this at home, kids!
According to the acclaimed chef and author Samin Nosrat, acidic elements enhance just about any dish. “Add acid to balance flavour,” she preaches. Well, let’s introduce you to the largest possible citrus fruit as the centerpiece of this newsletter, promising a world of tanginess and smack. Here goes our Crunchy Pomelo Salad; the recipe counts for about 4 to 6 portions:
Peel your pomelo (which is sometimes unnerving, hang in there!), and collect the bite-sized pieces in a large bowl.
Duy Anh’s mum saves the pomelo peel and puts it on the heater for a pleasant fragrance; this step is, of course, optional. (According to her, you can also use it to rub a baby’s scalp, allegedly enhancing their hair growth. We assume no liability.)
Where were we? Julienne the carrots (2-3 pcs), a quarter head of red cabbage, and red bell peppers (1-2 pcs), and add to bowl.
Roast and chop your peanuts (150-200gr will do).
Wash and dry the cilantro and Thai basil, separate the leaves from the stem, and add to bowl.
We love us some popping colours!
Now here’s the fun part: Fry the prawn crackers (we used red ones for just some more colour, while we’re at it). Heat neutral oil to 180°C and dip in the cracker sheets until they swell. Take them out as soon as they float. Make a few extra, as some of them will get snacked along the way…
Let’s assemble your sauce: We use this mix a lot for seasoning and follow a 5-3-2-1 rule, meaning 5 parts water, 3 parts fish sauce, 2 parts sugar, 1 part lime. Blend and add minced garlic (1 clove) and bird’s eye chili to your liking.
Disclaimer: Fish sauce, by any means, isn’t vegan-friendly; you probably already knew this. So if you wanna go full plant-based on this recipe, be our guest! For a nước mắm chay, you can use water (8 tbs), lime (4 tbs), sugar (3 tbs), soy sauce (2 tbs), salt (0.5 tbs) plus bird’s eye chili (1 pc) and garlic (1 clove) to season. To replace the prawn crackers, you’ll undoubtedly find some equally yummy rice crackers at your local Asian supermarket instead.
Finally, assemble and mix your pomelo salad and dulge in!
Crackers can obviously serve as a scoop.
This is your shopping list to copy-paste:
Pomelo, carrots (2-3 pcs), red cabbage, red bell peppers (1-2 pcs), peanuts, garlic, fishsauce, sugar, chili, limes (1-2 pcs), Thai basil, cilantro, prawn crackers, neutral oil.
💕 You know what this tastes amazing with!?
There are multiple ways to variant this dish; here are two suggestions.
Add prawns: Obviously a great match that adds some chewiness and protein to your dish. Boil slightly salted water, add 8-10 prawns, and immediately take from the heat. Let everything sit for five minutes, then rinse the prawns and set aside until the salad is assembled.
Add beancurd sticks (sometimes referred to as tofu skin): A truly fun product. Dried beancurd sticks have a mild flavor – like most types of tofu –, plus a pleasingly chewy/crunchy texture, depending on whether you cook or fry them. They require a bit of prep beforehand as they must be soaked for a couple of hours (ideally overnight). Then simply slice and fry (for example, alongside your prawn crackers). Yummms!
👀 So apparently, you like to explore them flavors
London-based Niki Segnit is an overall inspiring person. Her half journalistic half intuitive approach to cooking is simply mindblowing, validated by a hoard of awards. She wrote one of our absolute food bibles, “The Flavour Thesaurus«. It’s a sure way to improve your interest in pairing foods and experimenting with ingredients, while the book has a light, joyous way about it. In an almost poetic manner, she describes the liaison of celery & lamb, anise & goat cheese, rhubarb & ginger, garlic & liver, or apricot & chocolate. If you don’t find her writing compelling, you have no heart.
Why is this news? Because she recently heralded a new edition to her landmark bestseller via her Instagram, “The Flavour Thesaurus – More Flavours”, focussing on plant-led pairings.
It’s being released in May, already ready to preorder, and, if you want to use your time wisely until then, there’s yet another fantastic book of hers, “Lateral Cooking”.
📍 Here’s a restaurant recommendation for you
Hey, Berlin people and visitors! There’s a (fairly) new kid on the block! Saveur de Bánh Mì brings you authentic aromas, fluffy bread (crafted in cooperation with a Neukölln bakery), and vintage Saigonese feels. The cute little place in Veteranenstraße 13 is perfect for a quick lunch stop-and-go in Berlin-Mitte. The minimalistic menu offers two versions, one bánh mì with meat (chicken jambon, paté, pickled carrots, radish, cucumber, cilantro, chives, mayonnaise) and a vegan one, featuring pea protein, tofu, and vegan paté instead.
The culinary mastermind behind this bánh mì deli is Trang Hong, who also brought Berlin’s hungry hipsters The Klub Kitchen, vouching for a solid meal and high-end interior design. We’re in love!
🏆 If you like us, you’ll love
Auf Die Faust, assumably Munich’s most prominent Mexican, and our dear friend – we’ve been brought together by the joys of eating. In the most sympatico way, Fernando shows that the Bavarian capital isn’t only about Leberkäs and Brezn but also provides an abundance of unique food spots and diverse culinary experiences. Auf Die Faust passionately promotes young restaurateurs and fine-dining establishments alike.
As for his own culinary ventures, he regularly comes up with pop-up concepts, like Taqueria con Salsa (watch this space!). We even did one together a while back, the infamous Sammies Sandwich at Coucou Food Market. Sweet memories!
Recently, he and his wife welcomed Baby T into their little family, so while things have slowed down a bit for him (blogging-wise), we can’t wait to take our small ones on many fun foodie adventures.
📺 Worthwhile to watch
Technically, the following recommendation isn’t a cooking show. But don’t we all enjoy a good laugh after an equally good meal? The Shang Wang Netflix special has had us rofl. And while he isn’t a chef per se, he still meets culinary criteria, for instance, talking about his favorite chocolate bar, Mounds, as opposed to Almond Joy, the trials and tribulations of juicing, or his childhood memory of stealing fruit from the neighbor’s garden. His wry, cordial comedic persona feels like a good old friend.
Speaking of which, his good old friend Ali Wong has directed his special. And since this is a very Ali-Wong-enthusiastic household, there’s really nothing we can do but promote this thing.
💌 A random quote on food
“Recipes lead us to believe that cooking is a linear process, while most good food results from a circular one; like a spiderweb, touch one part and the entire thing will quiver.”
✌🏻 Who are we even!?
We’re a journalist slash a designer by day and foodies by night. Sonja has spent around 15 years in hospitality (big love!), and Duy Anh learned his craft mostly by watching his talented mum whip up the most amazing Vietnamese meals. So when we cook, it’s all about that sweet spot between cosy and delicious. Although admittedly, our days of the extravaganza have changed pace ever since our harshest critic (aka now two-year-old daughter) came into our lives. Hence the delay with the promised cookbook. We’ll keep you posted!
🎤 Lastly, let’s turn to our foreign correspondent Alice M. Huynh
Alice M. Huynh, godmother to CAP, sister, and founder of I Heart Alice, is incredibly curious about travel and food culture. Which is great for us, as we get to follow her around via her social media accounts, like here or there. Most recently, she spent a few weeks in Japan, Okinawa, for instance, eating incredible food and immersing herself in the rural culture.
By the way, she also runs the Instagram account Ordinary Streets, featuring random encounters with local seniors, or walks through nature, markets, and neighbourhoods. (Naturally, there’s food involved.)
🍳 What’s next?
If you like what you just read, consider tuning in again in two weeks. There will be a rice dish with a twist, living up to the name of this newsletter. Until then, stay cosy! 💋