Strong meats for soft drinks: Vietnamese drinking food

Strong meats for soft drinks!

We all have our favorite posts on these food boards. One which has tickled my imagination forever was when Seth identified a Vietnamese restaurant on Argyle featuring wild game. An explanation of the wild meats in Vietnamese culture was swiftly offered by Zim who linked to a post on the LA Chowhound board on Vietnamese drinking and game dishes. Later, Seth and friend visited Nhu’y to dine on bear meat and relay the experience. A year later, Sweet Willie brought his brother and friends to dine on bear, deer and kangaroo.

Ever since I read about these dining escapades, I’ve thought how fun it would be to do a bit of gender bending. Show up with a group of women to eat strong meats and drink the appropriately strong drinks. Spend a fun evening getting the lizard eye from the regulars who’d rather we were not there. One evening after dinner on Argyle, I dragged a friend into Nhu-y, which was filled with men, smoking and drinking, who did give us the why-are-you-here-if-you-stay-it-ruins-our-evening look I’d expected. We laughed our way back home enjoying their reaction to us.

Nhu-y used to be easy to pick out because it had cartoonish drawings of these menu item critters painted around their windows and door. I noticed recently the drawings were painted over, which were indications of a new owner and perhaps a new menu? While working into the evening in Chicago, I stopped into the newly christened An’h Linh to learn wild meats were still on the menu, though the hours were until 8 PM during the week and to midnight on weekends. Unlike Nhu-y, which was open daily until midnight encouraging the drinking crowd.

Recently, I decided to dine solo for a feast of ‘Strong meats for soft drinks!’ The wild meat selection at An’h Linh is not as wild as it used to be. Gone are the kangaroo and bear. Wild boar, pheasant and deer remain on the menu, which while still wild just doesn’t have the same level of fearlessly eating the unknown as kangaroo and bear. In my selections, I didn’t exactly go whole hog either as I settled for the relatively tame deer for $28.50 in a butter sauce and a Coke to chase it down.

Not quite sure how much meat I could expect in my main course, I ordered Spring Rolls with a peanut sauce, which had coconut milk or cream as an ingredient. While enjoying my appetizer, they arranged the pressurized butane grill on my table. The grill fussed initially, which became a community project as other customers suggested ways to mend the problem. All was well once a new can of butane was introduced. Once the grill was heated to their satisfaction, they brought my platter of deer meat marinated in a chili-based marinade with halved okra ringing it. Where I initially estimated a token amount of deer meat, I now realized I had dinner for perhaps 2 people before me.



I sizzled several pats of butter, and then cooked my deer meat to rare to medium-rare and my okra until it was somewhat charred outside and soft inside. The dipping sauce was fermented tofu, lemon juice, sugar and chili sauce, which was creamy enough to cling to the meat. Rice did not come with this meal, though I ordered it to absorb all the nicely mingling juices. If there was a gamey taste to the deer, it was hidden by the marinade and dipping sauce, which was somewhat disappointing. I will be interested in trying the wild boar sometime as a contrast.



The customer’s reaction to my presence was no reaction at all. They simply continued gossiping over the television while others played video poker in the corner. While mildly disappointing it was just as well considering I was eating solo and not with a group, which can mask a lot of potential discomfort.

Would I do this meal again? Absolutely, though next time I want to share the experience as well as the cooking chores!

(2005 to present)
An’h Linh
Vietnamese Restaurant
1032 W. Argyle
Chicago, IL
Tel: 773/506-4848
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 8 AM – 8 PM; Fri-Sat: 8 AM - Midnight

(2002-2005)
Quan Thit Rung Nhu’y
1032 W. Argyle St
Chicago
Phone: 773.506.4848
Hours: 8am-12am 7 days per week

C2,

You are, indeed, a bold huntress.

I'm a little out of my element here, but I must admit I am surprised that okra was offered. They grow that in Southeast Asia? I did not know.

Hammond

David,

Okra apparently is a traditional vegetable from a quick google I just conducted.

Huntress? By the way, raccoon dining is merely 4 months away! Jot on your calendar the last Saturday in January.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:David,

Okra apparently is a traditional vegetable from a quick google I just conducted.

I don't think I've ever had okra in an Asian dish, though I can imagine it working just fine.

Interesting that "gombo" is the word in many Romantic languages.

I did not know these things.

Coon Fest '06 is duly noted.

Hammond

Cathy2 wrote:Strong meats for soft drinks!

We all have our favorite posts on these food boards. One which has tickled my imagination forever was when Seth identified a Vietnamese restaurant on Argyle featuring wild game. An explanation of the wild meats in Vietnamese culture was swiftly offered by Zim who linked to a post on the LA Chowhound board on Vietnamese drinking and game dishes. Later, Seth and friend visited Nhu’y to dine on bear meat and relay the experience. A year later, Sweet Willie brought his brother and friends to dine on bear, deer and kangaroo.

Cathy, great post - why is it vietnamese drinking food places bring out the good stuff. By the way, I'd also highly recommend the post linked off of thi's LA CH post "Suggestions for the Ethnically Impaired"

I don't think I've ever had okra in an Asian dish, though I can imagine it working just fine.

I remember having okra stuffed with fish paste when I was going up. Though when I came to the US, and I heard of this vegetable named "okra", I did not know what it was. Back home, we called them "ladies' fingers"

CrazyC wrote:

I don't think I've ever had okra in an Asian dish, though I can imagine it working just fine.

I remember having okra stuffed with fish paste when I was going up. Though when I came to the US, and I heard of this vegetable named "okra", I did not know what it was. Back home, we called them "ladies' fingers"

which reminds me that lady fingers are featured in a few dishes at Peneng.

Ladies fingers are also used in some northern Indian dishes. They are typically pan fried with spices.

veeral wrote:Ladies fingers are also used in some northern Indian dishes. They are typically pan fried with spices.

Yes, its a very common dish in India - "ladies fingers" in English, "Bhindi" in
Hindi. You can pick it up at pretty much any Indian grocery store on Devon
or elsewhere (every Indian grocery store in the burbs usually carries
it too). You do find it listed as okra in Indian stores here however (but then
the good old-fashioned thing everyone knows as doodhie is listed under
"Opo", so...

FWIW, it was one of the few vegetables I enjoyed when young - maybe thats
why I remember it being such a common dish? It is, as mentioned above,
pan-fried with spices. Basically cut into little pieces (maybe half an inch
long each), some onions cut in in very small pieces too, maybe a couple
small pieces of cut-up tomato, some chillies cut into small pieces... and
the whole thing panfried with spices. Eaten with fresh rotis, not half bad (for a
vegetable), really

Thats the most usual way - eaten as just bhindi, and so can be eaten by
both vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. However, there are some
dishes in which it is cooked with meat. On at least a couple of days of
the week, you can get it at the cabbie joints on Devon - Daata Durbar
and/or Hyderabad House (if you ever see "bhindi-ghost" on the menu,
you now know what that is - literally okra-goat. Basically okra cooked
with meat, and eaten with either roti or rice. Dont think Ive ever ordered
it so cant be precise - I like my veggies to stay nice and far apart from
my meats usually, unless its a potato).

Other parts of India do it in other ways - some do it with bits of coconut
too, I think some even stuff little bits of coconut into it? Never cared overly
much for that preparation myself, but it exists. Also prepared in a curry
sometimes (in Southern India mostly I think). And sometimes made with
yogurt.

I dont know how common it is in South-East Asia, but at least in South Asia
it is a very commonly consumed vegetable.

c8w

I write a lot of food history, and a few years ago, I did a column on okra. Here, for those who are interested, is a little more info on this vegetable.

Cheap Eats
by Cynthia Clampitt

I find that most people are surprised to learn that there is a plant called the marshmallow. It grows in marshy areas and, like most mallows, has pretty flowers—though the flowers are not as showy or large as those of the related hibiscus and hollyhock. The marshmallow has a root that was at one time used to make a creamy confection, which has more recently found itself vaguely imitated by the sugar and gelatin puffs we now buy in bags.

Marshmallows are members of the important plant family Malvaceae. However, it is cotton that is the member that gives the family its real importance. So where, you might be wondering, am I going with this discussion? Well, the reason marshmallow roots made good candy is because of the mucilage, which works as a thickening agent. This is a trait it shares with another family member, okra. However, in okra, it is the pods that contain this thickening agent.

If you saw okra growing, you’d recognize the family resemblance, especially to hibiscus. The plant is, in fact, grown as an ornamental in many places. The pods you see in the store, whether fresh, in soup, or in jars (pickled okra is great) are immature. In fact, okra is always harvested unripe, about ten weeks after planting. If the pods ripen, they become fibrous and indigestible.

Okra comes to us from West Africa. It takes a little imagination to see the word okra in the Twi words from which it derives. In Twi, which is spoken on Africa’s Gold Coast, it’s called nkruman or nkrumun. Hmmm—nkru/okra— okay, I get it. Gumbo is a lot easier to see. It comes from the Bantu word for okra, ngombo. Actually, the fact that both okra and gumbo come from African languages is considered to be part of the evidence for the vegetable’s point of origin.

Because okra originated in a region that had no tradition of writing, it’s not really known when consumption of okra began. However, we do know when it reached the Western Hemisphere. Not too surprisingly, okra traveled to the New World with Africans bound for slavery.

Oddly enough, despite the fact that okra is from an exotic place, it has never had the cachet of other exotic foods. Still, it now grows in almost every tropical, subtropical, or warm temperate climate region in the world. It’s greatest popularity seems to be in poorer or developing nations. In India, it is called bendi-kai, and is eaten fresh, is prepared like asparagus, or is pickled. It is called by its Arabic name—bamyah or bamieh—in the Middle East, Greece, and Egypt, where the tender young pods are used in many dishes, usually in combination with meat. It is a huge favorite in the Caribbean. In Brazil, okra borders on being sacred, and is used in religious rites by the Candomblé, a group that has for four centuries preserved customs from its African roots. And in North Africa, tropical Africa, and Madagascar, it is a staple. The pods are used fresh or dried, and even the leaves are widely eaten.

In Europe, it is still a rarity, found in jars in the import section or exotic restaurants. The exceptions are Greece, as noted above, which takes many of its culinary cues from the Middle East, and Spain, where it was introduced by the Moors. In the U.S., it is only widely used in the South, where it’s fried, pickled, and used in soup. (Even if you don’t like okra in soup, try it pickled or fried—it’s great both ways.)

Okra is tasty and, like most vegetables, very nutritious. One of the things that recommends it most highly is large amounts of fiber—both soluble and insoluble.

While there is gumbo in Louisiana, it is not exactly the same as gumbo from Africa. Though obviously influenced by the area’s African heritage, gumbo in the South may also use filé as a thickener. Filé is ground sassafras leaf, which the Choctaw Indians of Louisiana introduced to early settlers. Even though gumbo means okra, gumbo in the South means soup. It may have either filé or okra, but rarely both. It will also usually have andouille sausage and/or seafood, in addition to the chicken. African gumbo is much simpler, and much cheaper. And it’s delicious.

This recipe is the West African version of gumbo.

Gumbo

2 quarts water
1 3-lb. chicken, cut up (or 3 lb. favorite pieces)
2 medium onions, chopped (should be at least 2 cups, more is okay)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 tsp. crushed hot red pepper (optional)
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 red peppers (sweet), chopped
2 cups okra, sliced

Place the chicken pieces, 1-1/2 chopped onions, salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan. Add two quarts water, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cover. Add tomatoes and red peppers (and crushed hot red pepper, if using) and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add the remaining 1/2 onion and the sliced okra. Cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve in soup plates, spooning the soup over a piece of chicken. Serves 4-6.

Note: If you use frozen okra (which works perfectly well), a 1 lb. bag is just about exactly what you need for this recipe. Just thaw and slice. Also, for ease of serving, I usually use boneless, skinless chickecn breasts, and just add a can of broth to compensate for the flavor normally gained from boiling bones and skin in your soup.

c8w,

Indian cuisine remains one of the most mysterious to me. Perhaps you could shed some light on a dish which I really enjoy...Bhendi Fry, or Bendakai Venpudu.

Sizzle India sometimes includes this on their lunch buffet. Although I like the spiciness (only a mild burn), what I really enjoy the most about this particular dish is the crunchiness. The Sizzle India menu lists crackling lentils as a component, and I believe that the okra is sauteed with cashew pieces in addition to onion, garlic, etc...

Might you (or Zim, if you're reading) be able to explain this dish to me further, or even better, recommend some places which might have an exceptional version? What are "crackling" lentils?

Thanks,

Evil Ronnie

Cynthia, thanks for the reprint of the okra article.

Okra is known as Bhindi (pronounced BHIN-dee) in Hindi (and many other North Indian langusges). In Tamil (South India) it is Vendakkai (possibly similar in Telugu, going by the name on the Sizzle India menu). Okra is eaten all over India in various ways - dry and in stews and curries.

Frying the okra whole with spices, and without the addition of water keeps it slimefree.

I came across this interesting page that was all about okra

Evil Ronnie wrote:What are "crackling" lentils?

I haven't eaten at Sizzle India, but possibly the crackling lentils refer to dry chana dal fried with the rest. Chana dal is a yellow lentil and is the split chick pea (also smaller than the usual garbanzo). Some pictures here. Chana dal is used (more) in South Indian cooking as a textural element. Urad dal (split, skinless) is also used similarly.

For whatever reason, when folks say "asian" the indian subcontinent is usually excluded, but yeah bindhi is everywhere on the subcontinent.

I haven't been to sizzle in a while (no real reason, just haven't been there in a little) but IIRC the "cracking lentils" were as sazerac surmised channa dal, not only do they provide a nice crunch but also much needed protein for vegetarians from the region.

You find a little bit of some sort of dal in almost all vegetarian preps from around there. I also like they way it is included in sizzles cabbage stir fry whose name in telegu escapes me, but is occasionally on the buffet.