Leilani’s Original Almond Dipping Sauce Recipe

This is a bonus recipe that accompanies my Goi Cuon recipe.

Leilani’s Almond Dipping Sauce

Makes almost 2 cups of sauce

This is my very own recipe that I've been using for over 10 years!  It's based on my mom's peanut dipping sauce which consists of chunky peanut butter, hoison sauce, lime, garlic, chile & water.  My secret ingredient is swapping almond butter instead of peanut butter.  This is inspired by my mom's use of slivered garlicky almonds or crushed macadamias (really whatever she has on hand) as a garnish on lots of different dishes that call for crushed peanuts.  Also I eliminate the hoison sauce which is really just wheat, starch/thickener, color/caramel, and MSG, and instead use molasses instead which is a nutrient-rich sweetener.  If you cannot tolerate any cane sugar, try using organic dried mission figs or dates and use an immersion blender or food processor to mix it.  The measurements are rough estimates of what you will need. Adjust according to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-6 dried organic unsulfured apricots or prunes or 3 tbs fruit syrup*
• 1 c. crunchy or creamy almond butter
• 2-3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or fresh diced chilies to taste
• juice from ½ lime
• 1 ounce sliced or minced almonds
• fresh coconut juice (or water)

In a small bowl, mix molasses 6 tablespoons almond butter, chili, lime and garlic. And water until the consistency resembles yogurt. Stir until almond butter is dissolved. Add additional almond butter and water until desired thickness is obtained. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish sauce with chopped almonds.

We eat this with our spring rolls and with noodles.

*3/1/2014 This is a substitute for hoison sauce.  I've recently watched Dr. Robert Lustig's TED talk where he lists the 56 names of sugar.  Blackstrap molasses was listed so I am now removing that from my recipe and in considering the sugar content of fruit, I've also removed dried figs and dates as alternatives.

Try my new recipe for making almond sauce:

Leilani’s Rustic Almond Dipping Sauce

Ăn Ngon Lành|Eat Delectably!

Aioli Remoulade Sauce

My amazing vintage Republic of VN platter shop goodwill.com find; it's older than I am!

Aioli Remoulade Sauce

Vietnam hugs the coastline and fresh seafood is omnipresent in the cuisine.  One of my favorite seafood meals of all time is steamed Dungeness crab.  Whenever I've had this eating out, I've been sorely disappointed by the frozen crabs; live crabs steamed at home is so much better, cheaper, and satisfactory.  Every Thanksgiving we eagerly await the opening of Dungesness crabbing season.  The traditional accompaniment for steamed crab is muối tiêu chanh | salt pepper lemon juice.  In my Phamily, we have the custom of eating crab with aioli remoulade.  I'm not sure how this remoulade became my Phamily's preferred condiment perhaps via our years in Hawai'i.  I rarely eat dairy from any species as both me and my daughter have a sensitivity/allergy (no, it's not lactose intolerance, it's not the protein that bothers us, it's probably the free glutamates).  One of the advantages of being in the Bay is access to quality, premium products.  So I do make occasional exceptions for butter especially when it's Spring Hill organic cultured grass-fed butter or Petaluma Creamery organic butter from nearby Marin County.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 lemon juiced or more
• minced garlic
• sea salt

Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat.  Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.  Add mayonnaise and blend.  Turn off heat and add lemon juice and sea salt to taste.

Don't worry if your garlic turns green while cooking; it's chemistry, not putrefaction.

Ăn Ngon Lành|Eat Delectably!

Leilani’s Rustic Almond Dipping Sauce

Leilani’s Rustic Almond Dipping Sauce

Makes 10 oz of sauce

Well after 10 years, I've finally made a new innovation with my sauce.  And my most important critic-- my 5.5 yr old daughter loves it!  The reason for this innovation is necessity.  My normal go-to source for almond butter (Trader Joe's) has been having a nation-wide shortage for this whole year.  So when I decided to whip up some gỏi cuốn | spring rolls for lunch since we had some shredded chicken on hand and making any carbs/starches like rice or sweet potato would take too long, I had to use what we had in the pantry--whole roasted almonds.  I like the rustic flavor & texture achieved by using whole almonds; it's considerably paler than the almond butter sauces I've made in the past since I am not using molasses in this recipe since I like to avoid cane-based sugars which spike my blood sugar; instead I'm using organic medjool dates that I picked up from Whole Foods recently.  And it's not as creamy as processed almond butter.  It reminds me more of the Buddhist vegetarian sauces made with mung beans.  Best of all, I don't have to worry about the industrial processing of almond butter and the allowable rodent content.  Next, I'll try raw & soaked almonds to boost the nutritional value or I might try raw, soaked cashews since I have those in my pantry already (to make dookies).

Since my daughter doesn't yet like spicy, I leave the chile paste on the side and reduce the garlic.  While fresh garlic tastes better, I buy organic minced garlic by the pound from Frontier Coop because garlic sprouts faster than I can use it; conventional garlic is bleached and nowadays imported from China; organic garlic is pricey and we haven't gotten around to growing our own yet.  If you use fresh garlic, 1/2 a clove ought to suffice unless you like it more pungent.

• 1/2 tsp minced organic dried garlic
• 3 organic fresh medjool dates, pitted* or 1 tbs fruit syrup
• 1/2 c. roasted, unsalted almonds
• juice from 1/4 lime
• 1/2 tsp grey sea salt
• water
• chili garlic sauce or fresh diced chilies to taste

In a food processor combine all the ingredients except the chile.  Add enough water until the consistency is loose, but not runny.  Add more sea salt if needed.

Serve the chile on the side so everyone can customize their Scoville factor.

Serve with gỏi cuốn or over warm noodles & protein (Bún).

*3/1/2014 I've recently watched Dr. Robert Lustig's TED talk where he lists the 56 names of sugar.  Date sugar was listed so I am now giving a lower glycemic option and in considering the sugar content of fruit, I've also removed dried figs and dried dates in favor of a lower glycemic fruit syrup.  

Original almond sauce recipe here.
Gỏi cuốn | spring rolls recipe here.

Leave a comment and let me know how you think it compares.

Ăn Ngon Lành|Eat Delectably!

Nước Mấm Pha|Fish sauce dip recipe

This is the fourth of four recipes that feature my favorite fish sauce Red Boat.

Nước Mấm Pha|Fish sauce dip

In the Viet restaurants, they shortcut Nước Mấm Pha by using CoCo Rico (a Riqueño coconut soda) if you are lucky and 7-Up/generic equivalent if you are not.  Yeah.  I go very old-school, pre-colonial on this and use coconut palm sugar & fresh young coconut juice instead of water.  Fresh young coconuts can be obtained at most Asian markets.

(Note: unrefined sugars like coconut palm sugar or raw honey will darken dishes unlike the whitewashed dishes we are used to.  Use your tastebuds, not your eyes to determine quality/flavor.)

• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 2-4 tbs đường thốt nốt | palm sugar or coconut palm sugar (or dried fruit syrup)*
• 1-2 fresh thai bird chiles or homemade garlic chile paste
• 1 lime
• 1-2 minced garlic
• unsweetened juice from a young coconut (Vita Coco is a decent substitute, also water)

Mix together the ingredients to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.  Optional to discard the garlic at this point.  Add coconut juice to dilute to desired taste & consistency.

*I've recently watched Dr. Robert Lustig's TED talk where he lists the 56 names of sugar.  While coconut palm sugar was not one of the named and has a lower glycemic index, it still is a refined sugar.

Ăn Ngon Lành|Eat Delectably!