Chinese Tomato Shrimp Soup. Enchiladas Vera Cruz. Spicy Gingered Asian Slaw with Salmon. No one needs to know these dishes began with a can of soup, a store-bought roast chicken, and deli cole slaw. With this book, cooks can discover the quick trick of pairing freshly prepared purchased items and pantry staples to produced such specialties. It is chock-full of more than 200 great spur-of-the-moment recipes for hors d'oeuvres, entrees, biscuits and breads, and desserts fashioned from
Nuoc mam gives this all-in-one salad meal a complex flavor profile often associated with hours of cooking. Grab a package of shredded carrots, and you won't even resent having to chiffonade the greens.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 teaspoons Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Juice of 1 lime (1/3 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 pound thinly sliced roast beef, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup fresh mint, cut into thin strips
1 cup shredded or grated carrot
Make the marinade: In a large bowl, stir together the oil and garlic, and cook them in the microwave on high (100 percent power) for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and red pepper, and combine.
Marinate the roast beef: Toss in the roast beef and let it sit in the marinade for 15 minutes.
Toss the greens: In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, basil, and mint.
Compose the salad: Arrange some of the greens on each plate and sprinkle with the carrots. Lift the meat from the marinade, and arrange it on the greens.
