Flan - Vietnamese Cream Caramel
Today, we will make flan. Flan is custard dessert with a layer of caramel sauce. It has a whole lot
of
versions including French, Spanish and Latin American version.
However, I will show you the Vietnamese recipe - the recipe of my home country. Banh flan
(Vietnamese
creme caramel) is a smooth and soft custard covered in a dark amber caramel. The caramel is slightly
bitter which helps cut through the sweetness of the custard to give you a rich but balanced dish.
Vietnamese bánh flan uses condensed or evaporated milk and is steamed rather than baked in an oven.
And don't forget Vietnamese coffee and coconut cream, the 2 ingredients that make Vietnamese flan
special.
Ingredients: (for 2-4 people)
- 3 eggs (50 grams)
- 2 egg yolks
- 500ml (1-2/3cup) fresh milk
- 150g sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract (optional)
- Few drops of lemon juice
- Water
- Espresso (Vietnames coffee would be perfect if possible)
- Coconut cream
Instructions:
Making the Caramel
- Mix together the sugar water and lemon juice. Pour the syrup into a small saucepan on medium
heat until the sugar dissolves and melts into a golden amber. Do not stir! You can swirl it
around 1-2 times to prevent it from burning.
- Pour the caramel into the ramekins and quickly swirl the brown sugar syrup to cover the entire
bottom of the ramekin. The syrup will harden in a few seconds so you have to do it quick.
Making the Custard
- First, we need to get the steamer ready. In your steamer, fill the water until the bottom pot is
¾ full and heat you steamer on high heat until it reaches boil.
- In a bowl, lightly beat eggs and egg yolks first. Then, combine milk, condensed milk and vanilla
in large bowl and whisk it together. Do not over whisk eggs because this will cause the
custard to have air bubbles.
- Genlty strain the mixture. Next, ladle the mixture into the ramekins filling them about 2/3
full.
Place them into the baking dish. Remember to fill the baking dish with warm water, about halfway
up the sides of the ramekins.
- When the ramkeins are ready and the steamer reaches a boil, turn down the heat to low, and steam
the flan for 1 hour.
- Tips: You can check if the flan is ready by picking it with a toothpick. If the toothpick looks
wet, which means the flan is not ready yet and vice versa.
- Finally, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Don't forget to top the
flan with espresso and coconut cream, that how Vietnamese people enjoy their flans. Coconut
cream, the sweet from flan, combines with the bitter from espresso blend perfectly together will
make Vietnamese flan a memorable experience for you. Go crazy on it, as much as you like and
enjoy!
Okonomiyaki - Japanese Savory Pancake
Okonomiyaki is a popular pan-fried dish that consists of batter, cabbage, and your choice of meat
(pork
belly, shrimp, octopus, etc.). The dish is available all over Japan, but is particularly popular in
the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka.
There are two main variations of okonomiyaki: Kansai-style (also called Osaka-style) and
Hiroshima-style. The instructions below will be the Kansai-style. Hiroshima-style will be a bit
diferent and I will explain it later on.
Ingredients: (for 2-4 people)
- 2 eggs (35 grams)
- 1 cup okonomiyaki powder
- 1 cup water
- 1 table spoon vegetable oil
- Cabbage
- Porkbelly
- Shrimp
- Okonomiyaki sauce
- Japanese mayonnaise
- Bonito
- Nori (dried seaweed)
Instructions:
Making the Batter
- Finely chop cabbage and scallions; cut pork belly or your choice of meat into eaten-size pieces.
- Mix the okonomiyaki powder, water and melted butter together. Whisk it well so there will be as
less chunky as posible.
- When everything is done, the batter and ingredients are mixed together thoroughly so that
everything is evenly distributed.
Making Okonomiyaki
- Heating your saucepan on medium heat with a bit of vegetables oil.
- Pour the mixture onto the hot saucepan. Use short metal spatulas to shape the batter into a
circle (it's okay if your okonomiyaki is not circle, it is mostly for presenting).
- This step is important! Once one side of the okonomiyaki has been sufficiently cooked, you flip
it onto the other side. This is the most difficult part of the process, and one needs
to make sure that the okonomiyaki has been cooked through enough to hold together.
- When both sides of the okonomiyaki are cooked, the toppings are added. The first layer is the
okonomiyaki sauce, which looks and tastes like Worcestershire sauce. Just have as much sauce as
you like
- Mayonnaise is added to the okonomiyaki after that. Remember to use Japanese mayonnaise rather
than the normal mayonnaise. I think it tastes much better with Japanese mayonnaise as it is
sweet and a bit tangy.
- This is the most interesting part of making okonomiyaki. Because of the heat, smoked bonito
called katsuobushi will move and contort when put on the okonomiyaki. Some people say it looks
like the fish is dancing. It is actually funny to watch.
- Decorating with small flakes of aonori or dried seaweed is the last step and is also optional.
It is not easy to find but I believe you can find it at your local Japanses market.
- Finally, enjoy your hardwork!
- As I say above, the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is different. Though everything is almost the
same, when everything is done, the ingredients are placed on the crepe, the toppings are added,
and the okonomiyaki is served on
top of yakisoba noodles, a distinctive ingredient of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
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