Recipe(tried): Vienamese salad seasoning creations

wendy, here is the 2nd installment, (as you called it!) it's not really a "dressin" but more a dip which used in most vientmese/thai cooking. they actually do more of "on the side" thing instead of "mix it in". if, however, the dressing is tossed with the salad ingredients, they tend to add a bit more of this and that. you know, to make it fancy and different from "other's restaurant/mom/granny." something like that i think.
"palm sugar" instead of brown sugar is a general practice in thisregion. however, it's rather difficult to find real (no foreign ingredients sneaked in) palm sugar these days. even in malaysia, the world's no 1 palm related products producing country. (i know this coz i am fortunate enough to have some real stuff from a family friend.) anyway, see the notes i have in the follow to create that dish you are looking for. [it's only a guide (the aomount).] my personal experience is that these countries tend to add a bit of shrimp and pork in their vegetable dishes. i have yet to com across one that purely vegetable. but it's easy just to omit these animal products from a salad anyway.

hope these help and merry christmas to you. wish there are lots of white lilies!
eggy/m'sia
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(The Basic Recipe)
Vietnamese Fish Sauce "Dip" (Nuoc Mam Cham)
1/4 water/fresh coconut juice
**use only young(green) coconuts. the ones that only have the light brown coarse woody coconuts are the "old" ones and should only use their "flesh" for cream and milk. not this dish, unfortunately.)
1 t. rice vinegar
1 t. palm/brown sugar
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. lime juice (i guess lemon is ok)
2 T. fish sauce
boil water w/ vinegar & sugar. cool.
combine chilli, garlic and lime juice and add to the water mixture. lastly, stir in the fish sauce.
for a variation: add shredded radish and carrot pickles.
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Caramel Syrup (Nuoc Man)

1 C water
1 C palm/brown sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil. stir and reduce until liquid is a dark brown color. remove from heat, add a few T. of water and stir. Store in an airtight jar and should be place in the fridge.

**Vietnamese like to use "sugar syrup" instead of sugar in their cooking. so it's a good practice to have this handy at home if you do like their cuisine. just replace it with sugar in the recipes. they do give a better taste to the food.
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A piquant, sweet and hot sauce for seafood salad (ie: squid) (an example)
2 T. lime juice
1/4 c rice wine (which i NEVER use in a salad. personally find it ood but i know friends who use it...)
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. sugar
1 t. cracked black pepper
1/2 c. coriander leaves
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1/3 c. shallots (not green onion, but those small red color onions.), finely sliced
2 T. crushed peanuts
1/4 c. fish sauce dip

mix all of these together. add whatever your preferred vegetables and seafood. finely sliced lemon grass will go well with this.
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Another shrimp(seafood) sauce

1 t. salt
1 T. lime juice
1 T. peanuts, coarsely ground
3 T. coriander leaves
2 T. fried shallots.

**you could find these come in packages in most asian grocers these days! save the trouble!)
80ml fish sauce dip

Mix everything together and toss teh salad with this sauce just before serving.
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Sauce for (stuffed steamed rice wrapper rolls /Banh Cuon)

1 T. sugar
1/4 c water
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. rice (wine) vinegar
1 medium red chilli, seeded & shredded
2 finely chopped garlic cloves

Dissolve sugar in water. add fish sauce, vinegar, & lime juice.
Add chilli & garlic just before serving.

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Since Thai and Vietnamese are quite similiar, here is an interesting "Rice Salad" for you o have a look. it makes a very lightly and delicious meal for those who are watching their weight! :)

Khao Yam (Thai rice salad)

2 c. steamed jasmine rice (khao suay)
1/4 c thinly sliced ginger
1/2 c ground dried shrimp
** again, dry shrimp also come in packages in most asian grocers. just grind the little shrimp with your spice grinder or martar and pestal.
1 c. fresh (mang) bean sprouts
1 c chopped grapefruit flesh, in 1'2 " pieces
2 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced
6 fresh mit leaves, thinly sliced
6 shollts, thinly sliced

sauce: 1/2 c fish sauce (nam pla)
2 T. suagr
1/4 c lime juice
==================================================palm sugar
made by boiling down the sop of various palm trees, usually sold in solid cakes or cylinders and varies in color from gold to light brown. if unavailable, substitute with soft brown suagr or a mixture of brown sugar and maple syrup.
even at solid form, the paml sugar doesn't stand well in a hot, humid environment. it's best stored in a cool place/fridge.

to make palm sugar syrup, combine equal amount of chopped palm sugar & water (add a pandan leave, aka. screwpine leave if possible). bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, strain and refrigerate.
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the END!!!