OCT 9

Secret Viet

Pork, Prawn, Mushroom & Glass Noodle Spring Rolls
King Prawns, Corriander, Thai Basil & Vermincelli Summer Rolls
Herb Salad With Lime Chilli & Chicken Served With Prawn Crackers
Frogs Legs With Lemon & Sage Butter
Barbeque Honey Pork With Vermincelli
Sweet & Sour Squid with Stir Fried Vegetables & Steamed Rice
Spare Ribs With Plum Sauce
Tamarind Soup With Seafood, Pineapple & Tomatoes
Fried Tomatoes With Tofu & Herbs
Fried Pak Choi, Choi Sum & Ung Choi in Oyster & Garlic Sauce

Thai Basil Seeds Dessert In Honey & Rose Water With Black Seaweed Jelly
Banana Fritters With Coconut Cream

Vietnamese Coffee/ Jasmine Scented Silver Needle White Tea

OCT 2

SECRET SUPPER CLUB

Italian Menu

Cocktails

CANAPE
Chicken & Thyme Puff Parcels
Crostini With Salmon & Dill Butter/ Pea & Garlic Hummus

ANTIPASTI
Toasted Ciabatta With Self Serving Raw Garlic Gloves
Blushed Tomatoes Basil & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Proscuitto on Baked Goats Cheese and Figs
Pea & Basil Soup

PASTA COURSE
Shelled Tiger King Prawns, Garlic, White Wine & Parsley With Linguine

MEAT COURSE
Carpaccio Fillet Rolled in Fresh Black Peppers Served With Rocket & Lemon Salad

DESSERT
Panna Cotta With Berry Puree
Coffee
Amaretto

Quails Eggs

Thao's Sweet & Sour Squid & Fried Talipia Wth Mango

Pan Fried Mackeral Served With Steamed Rice & Spinach & Tofu Soup

This is one of the most traditional way of eating Vietnamese food. At least, that's what I think.
As a busy mum, my mother got this together in no time. Nowadays, whenever she comes by, I still ask her to make it for me even though I am perfectly capable of doing it myself.

Whenever I am in Vietnam, my cousins often serve this meal at lunch time - its peasant food and I love it!



The whole family sits on the floor and shares a few shaving of mackeral dipped in chilli fish sauce. It is especially good when you are really really hungry!



Two pieces can usually serve a family of 4. This dish goes a long way and this is how we learned to share.



Ingredients:
Mackeral (fresh or frozen - these are from frozen)
Rice
Spinach - Could be any other leafy green like watercress, pak choi, choi sum etc
Fresh Tofu - cut them into cubes
Ginger
Chicken Or Vegetable Stock
Fish Sauce
Chilli



-Make the steamed rice
-Pan fry mackeral fish in some ground nut oil or olive oil on a low heat for about 20 minutes (10 on each side) or until it goes golden brown.
-With chicken stock or vegetable stock and a few slices of ginger, add the spinach and tofu after it comes to the boil.
-Season with salt & pepper or fish sauce. (fish sauce gives more substance to the soup)

-Crush some chillis onto a bowl of fish sauce.


-Enjoy!

Cosmopolitan Martini

It was Aggie's brithday. She wanted cocktails. We were broke so say no to cocktail bars!
Instead, we invited a few friends round for a mini party.



Ingredients:
Lime
Cranberry Juice
Vodka
Cointreau
Noilly Prat or Dry Martini
Orange Peel
Ice cubes

Martini Glasses
Cocktail Shaker

One shaker makes about 3 glasses.


The Cosmopolitans went down very well and was the cause of all our laughters!



Ice in shaker
splash in a little dry martini or noilly prat. Shake. Then throw away.
Add:
1 part vodka
1/2 part cointreau
1 part cranberry juice
A squeeze of lime juice

Shake shake shake

Pour into Martini glasses
soak orange or clementine peel in some vodka and set a light
put into the glass.

Be merry

Dill Fish Cakes & Steamed Rice With Fish Sauce & Chilli Dip

One for the solitaire...

You can buy these fantastic fish cakes with dill from the freezer in one of these Vietnamese Supermarkets on Mare Street, Hackney. It looks like a 7inch fishcake. Its £2.99.



Fry it on low heat til golden brown
Make rice

Pour some fish sauce over some crushed up fresh chillis


Slice up the fish cakes and eat.


You should also boil/ fry some veg and have with it as well.
And don't forget a lovely pot of green or white tea like Dragon Well, Genmaicha or Jasmine Silver Needle or Jasmine Pearls!


I can carry on eating the whole fishcake and four bowls of rice in one sitting. Its somehow so simple and comforting in solitude -