For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).

I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
out here. Specifically, the following:

(a) curry chicken with potatoes
(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
shrimp in them.

Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?

GregoryD

(bit o snippage)

>And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD

The sweet dark sauce is called black soy sauce and is basically soy sauce and
molassess mixed together. It's essential to many thai dishes- especially pad
thai.

Google.com is pretty amazing. You can get a recipe for just about anything
from it- try searching there...?

Good luck on your quest for thai recipes!

Barb Anne

(bit o snippage)

>And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD

The sweet dark sauce is called black soy sauce and is basically soy sauce and
molassess mixed together. It's essential to many thai dishes- especially pad
thai.

Google.com is pretty amazing. You can get a recipe for just about anything
from it- try searching there...?

Good luck on your quest for thai recipes!

Barb Anne

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD >
wrote:

>For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
>Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
>Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
>trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
>football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
>and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
>exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>
>I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
>out here. Specifically, the following:
>
>(a) curry chicken with potatoes
>(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
>these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
>(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
>grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
>(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
>shrimp in them.
>
>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD
>

The grass that tastes like lemon is lemongrass, I'd wager, though one
doesn't eat the blades because they're tough. There are a number of
good Vienamese recipes archived in Google groups, which is where I'd
start my Internet search. I just found two curry recipes there, for
example.

I found a suggestion that the sweet dipping sauce is made from hoisin,
red chiles, ground peanuts and lime juice, also on Google. That
sounds about right to me, but I'm no expert.

Also there are lots of Vietnamese folks in New Orleans these days, so
finding a decent restaurant shouldn't be too hard. Nor should it be
difficult to find an Asian grocery that carries lemongrass, sausage,
spring roll wrappers, bean threads (part of the stuffing for spring
rolls), fresh basil, and prepared curry pastes in assorted colors and
flavors.

And finally I've been to Arlington, TX and to New Orleans, too. And I
must say that it's pretty amusing that you miss the food in Arlington.
I know how it is to miss a favorite eatery, but Lordy, Lordy, my
man...


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD >
wrote:

>For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
>Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
>Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
>trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
>football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
>and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
>exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>
>I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
>out here. Specifically, the following:
>
>(a) curry chicken with potatoes
>(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
>these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
>(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
>grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
>(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
>shrimp in them.
>
>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD
>

The grass that tastes like lemon is lemongrass, I'd wager, though one
doesn't eat the blades because they're tough. There are a number of
good Vienamese recipes archived in Google groups, which is where I'd
start my Internet search. I just found two curry recipes there, for
example.

I found a suggestion that the sweet dipping sauce is made from hoisin,
red chiles, ground peanuts and lime juice, also on Google. That
sounds about right to me, but I'm no expert.

Also there are lots of Vietnamese folks in New Orleans these days, so
finding a decent restaurant shouldn't be too hard. Nor should it be
difficult to find an Asian grocery that carries lemongrass, sausage,
spring roll wrappers, bean threads (part of the stuffing for spring
rolls), fresh basil, and prepared curry pastes in assorted colors and
flavors.

And finally I've been to Arlington, TX and to New Orleans, too. And I
must say that it's pretty amusing that you miss the food in Arlington.
I know how it is to miss a favorite eatery, but Lordy, Lordy, my
man...


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD > wrote:
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).

New Orleans seems to have a significant Vietnamese
population, particularly in the eastern part out near the Beau Sauvage
wildlife refuge. We drove through there just a few weeks ago while on
vacation, and they had lots of little groceries as well as some
restaurants. Might be a good place to get your Vietnamese food fix or
to shop for ingredients!

(There's a place off Chef Menteur Hwy called Duong Phoung...half is
a restaurant, half is a bakery that sells sandwiches as well as
bread, pastries, etc. We loved it, and it seemed extremely popular
with the locals as well.)

> I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
> out here. Specifically, the following:
>
> (a) curry chicken with potatoes
> (b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
> these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)

Yeah, generally those are storebought. I can find them here
(Ohio) in just about any Asian grocery sto beef, pork, shrimp,
fish, etc.

> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).

I'm guessing they use the spring roll wrappers that require a
quick dip in warm water before using. These too, should be an easy
find in an Asian grocery, they're the wrappers that aren't
refrigerated, IME. The blade of grass that tasted like lemon was
probably lemongrass...but I've never had it in a spring roll before.

> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.
>
> Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
> or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
> sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?

Hmmm. I thought shabu-shabu was Japanese? I've never made it
at home, but recipes seem to indicate using a thin sliced tender cut
of beef. Some Asian groceries will sell this to you already sliced,
and labeled specifically for shabu-shabu, but I'm guessing it's more
expensive this way.

Ariane

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD > wrote:
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).

New Orleans seems to have a significant Vietnamese
population, particularly in the eastern part out near the Beau Sauvage
wildlife refuge. We drove through there just a few weeks ago while on
vacation, and they had lots of little groceries as well as some
restaurants. Might be a good place to get your Vietnamese food fix or
to shop for ingredients!

(There's a place off Chef Menteur Hwy called Duong Phoung...half is
a restaurant, half is a bakery that sells sandwiches as well as
bread, pastries, etc. We loved it, and it seemed extremely popular
with the locals as well.)

> I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
> out here. Specifically, the following:
>
> (a) curry chicken with potatoes
> (b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
> these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)

Yeah, generally those are storebought. I can find them here
(Ohio) in just about any Asian grocery sto beef, pork, shrimp,
fish, etc.

> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).

I'm guessing they use the spring roll wrappers that require a
quick dip in warm water before using. These too, should be an easy
find in an Asian grocery, they're the wrappers that aren't
refrigerated, IME. The blade of grass that tasted like lemon was
probably lemongrass...but I've never had it in a spring roll before.

> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.
>
> Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
> or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
> sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?

Hmmm. I thought shabu-shabu was Japanese? I've never made it
at home, but recipes seem to indicate using a thin sliced tender cut
of beef. Some Asian groceries will sell this to you already sliced,
and labeled specifically for shabu-shabu, but I'm guessing it's more
expensive this way.

Ariane

"GregoryD" > wrote in message
news
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>
> I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
> out here. Specifically, the following:
>
> (a) curry chicken with potatoes
> (b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
> these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.
>
> Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
> or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
> sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
> GregoryD

I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html

Then to Google

Dimitri

Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD > wrote:

snip

>>
>>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>
> Hmmm. I thought shabu-shabu was Japanese? I've never made it
> at home, but recipes seem to indicate using a thin sliced tender cut
> of beef. Some Asian groceries will sell this to you already sliced,
> and labeled specifically for shabu-shabu, but I'm guessing it's more
> expensive this way.


You are correct - Japanese. I had the same question about a Vietnamese
place serving shabu-shabu.


jim

Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD > wrote:

snip

>>
>>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>
> Hmmm. I thought shabu-shabu was Japanese? I've never made it
> at home, but recipes seem to indicate using a thin sliced tender cut
> of beef. Some Asian groceries will sell this to you already sliced,
> and labeled specifically for shabu-shabu, but I'm guessing it's more
> expensive this way.


You are correct - Japanese. I had the same question about a Vietnamese
place serving shabu-shabu.


jim

Dimitri wrote:
> "GregoryD" > wrote in message
> news >
>>For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
>>Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
>>Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
>>trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
>>football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
>>and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
>>exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>>
>>I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
>>out here. Specifically, the following:
>>
>>(a) curry chicken with potatoes
>>(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
>>these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
>>(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
>>grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
>>(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
>>shrimp in them.
>>
>>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>>
>>GregoryD
>
>
> I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
>
> Then to Google
>
> Dimitri
>
>

No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.


jim

Dimitri wrote:
> "GregoryD" > wrote in message
> news >
>>For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
>>Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
>>Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
>>trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
>>football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
>>and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
>>exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>>
>>I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
>>out here. Specifically, the following:
>>
>>(a) curry chicken with potatoes
>>(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
>>these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
>>(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
>>grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
>>(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
>>shrimp in them.
>>
>>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>>
>>GregoryD
>
>
> I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
>
> Then to Google
>
> Dimitri
>
>

No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.


jim

"JimLane" > wrote in message
...

<snip>

>> I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
>>
>> Then to Google
>>
>> Dimitri
>
> No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
> sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
> it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.
>
>
> jim

you might think about the Google toolbar - its free and has a built in
pop-up blocker. Works 99% of the time and you never need to go to google..

;-)

Dimitri

"JimLane" > wrote in message
...

<snip>

>> I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
>>
>> Then to Google
>>
>> Dimitri
>
> No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
> sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
> it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.
>
>
> jim

you might think about the Google toolbar - its free and has a built in
pop-up blocker. Works 99% of the time and you never need to go to google..

;-)

Dimitri

JimLane wrote:

> o
> > I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
> >
> > Then to Google
> >
> > Dimitri
> >
> >
>
> No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
> sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
> it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.

Damn those pop ups. I tried Mozilla FireFox, a free browser that blocks popups.

JimLane wrote:

> o
> > I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
> >
> > Then to Google
> >
> > Dimitri
> >
> >
>
> No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
> sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
> it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.

Damn those pop ups. I tried Mozilla FireFox, a free browser that blocks popups.

JimLane wrote:

>>
>> I think you need to go here first: http://asiarecipe.com/vietnam.html
>>
>> Then to Google
>>
>> Dimitri
>>
>
> No you do not want to go there as there is an annoying little pop-up
> sticky on that page that you have to time just right to click underneath
> it as it appears and disappears to get to menu items.
>
Easily solved by going to http://www.mozilla.org and installing Firefox.
Much more secure and resistant to stuff being put on your computer than IE.

>
> jim

"GregoryD" > wrote in message
news
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>
> I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
> out here. Specifically, the following:
>
> (a) curry chicken with potatoes
> (b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
> these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.
>
> Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
> or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
> sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
> GregoryD
>
>



I found a recipe for the meatballs for you on Hungry Monster's
recipes....here 'tis.



Beef Balls (Thit Bo Vien)
Course : Appetizers



Ingredients:


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup plus one tablespoon nuoc mam -- (vietnamese
fish sauce)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds trimmed boneless beef hind shank
4 garlic cloves -- crushed
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
vegetable oil -- for shaping
meatballs


Preparation:
1.In a shallow dish, mix the fish sauce, potato starch, baking powder, sugar
and black pepper. 2.Slice the meat into 1/8-inch-thick pieces. Add to the
marinade and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or
overnight. 3.Before proceeding, transfer the meat to the freezer for 30
minutes. Work with half of the beef at a time; do not overload the work
bowl. 4.In a food processor, combine half of the beef with half of the
garlic and sesame oil. Process to a completely smooth but stiff paste, about
3 minutes. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. The
completed paste should spring back to the touch. 5.Transfer the paste to a
bowl. Process the remaining beef, garlic and sesame oil the same way. 6.Rub
some vegetable oil on one hand. Grab a handful of the meat paste and close
your hand into a fist, squeezing out a small portion of the mixture, about 1
teaspoon, between your thumb and index finger. Keep rolling and squeezing
the same portion between your thumb and index finger until you obtain a
smooth rounded ball. Scoop out the meatball with an oiled spoon. Repeat
until all of the paste is used. 7.Pour 1 inch of water into a wok or wide
pot. Place a steamer rack or bamboo steamer over the water. Arrange the
meatballs without crowding in a single layer on the rack. Cover and steam
for 5 minutes. 8.Serve as an appetizer with chili sauce. These beef balls
can also be added to a well-seasoned beef broth, sprinkled with chopped
scallions and black pepper and served as a soup (noodles may be added).
NOTE: These meatballs may be frozen. Thaw them thoroughly, then steam or
simmer in boiling water until just heated through.

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 11:59:17 -0600, Michael Odom wrote:

> On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD >
> wrote:
>
>>For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
>>Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
>>Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
>>trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
>>football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
>>and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
>>exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>>
>>I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
>>out here. Specifically, the following:
>>
>>(a) curry chicken with potatoes
>>(b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
>>these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
>>(c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
>>grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
>>(d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
>>shrimp in them.
>>
>>Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
>>or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>>
>>GregoryD
>>
>
> The grass that tastes like lemon is lemongrass, I'd wager, though one
> doesn't eat the blades because they're tough. There are a number of
> good Vienamese recipes archived in Google groups, which is where I'd
> start my Internet search. I just found two curry recipes there, for
> example.

Well, that's my initial reaction too, but I'm not positive that it was
lemongrass.

> I found a suggestion that the sweet dipping sauce is made from hoisin,
> red chiles, ground peanuts and lime juice, also on Google. That sounds
> about right to me, but I'm no expert.

The sweet sauce looked like soy. Maybe a sweet soy? I added this sauce
to my hot pot.

I usually mixed red chilis with the peanut sauce for dipping, so I wasn't
too far off there.

> Also there are lots of Vietnamese folks in New Orleans these days, so
> finding a decent restaurant shouldn't be too hard. Nor should it be
> difficult to find an Asian grocery that carries lemongrass, sausage,
> spring roll wrappers, bean threads (part of the stuffing for spring
> rolls), fresh basil, and prepared curry pastes in assorted colors and
> flavors.

I'm going to have to continue to look. All the asian markets I've been to
around the area have been primarily Japanese or Chinese. Hmmm.... I do
think I remember one by a bowling alley in Gretna, but I'm not positive.
Sounds like an errand tomorrow!

> And finally I've been to Arlington, TX and to New Orleans, too. And I
> must say that it's pretty amusing that you miss the food in Arlington. I
> know how it is to miss a favorite eatery, but Lordy, Lordy, my man...

Well, I cook a lot and I could get just about every ingredient I needed in
Arlington. You can make red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya
virtually anywhere... but truly fresh seafood is hard to come by. I
bought 15 pounds of shrimp for 40 bucks the last time I was down home
before actually making the move back. Beats the 10 bucks a pound you get
for the flavorless, frozen stuff they sell at supermarkets.

I miss that ONE restaurant (that, and Saltgrass' baked potato soup), but
wouldn't give up my maw maw's dirty rice for it. They have boiled
crawfish that actually ain't all that bad, along with the buffet and the
hot pot. Of course, I do crawfish much better, but at least they didn't do
the crawfish redneck style... you season the water, not the shells!

The hot pot side of the buffet actually had head-on shrimp and mussels
along with the beef balls, tripe, squid, octopus, etc, etc... so you could
make a pretty good seafood soup out of it. Wasn't that bad for 9 bucks a
head.

Thanks for the help!

GregoryD

"GregoryD" > wrote in message
news
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).

You might consider Corrine Trang's excellent book on authentic Vietnamese
cooking. She defintiely has recipes for fresh spring rolls, various sauces,
and some other goodies you may find interesting.

GregoryD > wrote:

> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot.

I once ate at Quan Kien Giang in Garland, a better area for Vietnamese
food, it seems... There was wonderful, spicy ech xao sa ot (frog legs
fried with chile peppers and lemon grass), and a very good fish curry.

> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).

Kaffir lime or bergamot leaf probably...

> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.

For some good Vietnamese recipes see the Vietnamese and General Asian
sections of the List O'Links for alt.food.asian blacksalt posts on that
newsgroup. It is also at <http://vsack.bei.t-online.de/afa_faq.html>.

Victor

>From: GregoryD

>And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD

Black Soy Sauce- Basically soy sauce and molasses.

Barb Anne

(I thought I responded to this before but it didn't seem to post)

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:59:29 -0600, GregoryD >
wrote:
> And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
>sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
>GregoryD
>
possibly kecap manis?

For those who aren't familiar with it, Kecap Manis (or ketjap manis)
is a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce that does wonderful things for
meat and poultry as a marinade/BBQ sauce as well as a condiment.

(from:
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/a...0/rec0045.html )

it's good thinly spread on hamburgers before grilling.

you might ask over at alt.food.asian...nice, knowledgeable folks.

your pal,
blake