Well now, aren't these some strange-ass times. I mean, seriously, strange-ass times!
Skip the rant and go straight to the recipe provided by Garden Betty!
So I find myself twirling around, lost in thought, lost in grief, lost in confusion because I just simple don't know how to exist in this reality. I know I need to get up, shower, make breakfast and convince myself that everything will be ok. And will it? I really hope so. I truly, deeply hope that we come out of this with most of our lives, a better healthcare system, and some compassion (we've been missing some of that as of late).
This blog might be a little heavy, you can power through or skip to the recipe. Although, I hope you read the next bit because it involves my mom.
My mom passed away last October, approximately a year and a week after my brother had passed away (and my brother's passing was a week before my separation from my husband of 15 years). Just want to provide a little overview of this last year's shitshow. (Now queue pandemic!)
I've been feeling my mom's loss in many ways, but specifically her food. She was an amazing cook and loved providing food for anyone. And she provided food that was non-traditional to the rural area where she had landed in after moving to the US from Vietnam. They loved it and they loved her.
I remember her talking about the first time she walked into an American grocery store. She was mesmerized by how vast and strange it seemed to be so well stocked with so many non-fresh items. She was also accustomed to shopping everyday in Vietnam and picking up ingredients for the next meal; not meal planning, stocking, and freezing meals that American households had been sold was the new norm.
My mom adapted, she adapted to life in the US but she also adapted her recipes to use ingredients that the local grocery would not have for many years or just never have. One example is a lemongrass beef stew (Bún bò Huế) which requires rice noodles. My mom used spaghetti noodles and holy moly that is tasty and, I think, better.
So during this unbelievable time in our lives, I'm glad my mom has passed. She died happy - not worrying about what will happen to her, not worrying about her children, not worrying where everyone was going to get their next meal. It's now my turn to worry, she did enough in Vietnam. I'll take over for now, I'll cook my mom's meals and I'll do my best to think everything will be ok.
Now let's make salted lemons, cause you know we've been handed a big, cosmic bucket of lemons and need to do something with it.
Vietnamese Preserved Lemons (Chanh Muối)
Great for making lemonade, eat as an accompaniment to spicy foods, or just cook and bake with them!
Recipe provided by Garden Betty
https://www.gardenbetty.com/vietnamese-preserved-lemons-chanh-muoi-and-salty-lemonade/
Ingredients
1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more to sprinkle*
1 1/2 cups water
3 to 5 lemons (more or less, depending on how many will fit in your jar)
Instructions
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve the salt in water and then remove the brine from heat.
Wash and scrub your lemons thoroughly to remove any wax from store-bought lemons, or any dirt from homegrown lemons.
Slice off the top and bottom of the lemon so that a little flesh is showing. Slice the lemon lengthwise into quarters, but do not slice all the way through.
Liberally salt the inside of your almost-quartered wedges and set aside while you slice and salt the other lemons.
Pack the lemons into your jar and cover them completely with brine.
If you’re using a widemouth jar, or if your lemons won’t stay submerged, you can wedge a couple of 3-inch toothpicks (the “party toothpicks” used to skewer burgers and such) inside the jar to form a single or crisscrossed grill.
Wipe any salt residue off the rim and seal the jar loosely with a lid, as you want to let the gases escape as your lemons ferment.
Leave the jar out at room temperature (in the sun, if you wish, though I’ve found no difference in quality) for at least three weeks. The lemons may turn darker and the brine may become cloudier during this time — that’s when you know they’re good and ready!
Always use a clean utensil to scoop the lemons out; other than that, the jar will keep at room temperature indefinitely and does not need to be refrigerated.
*I didn't use kosher salt, but I did use a kosher pickle jar. Does that still count? No, technically it doesn't, but I think it'll be ok. I'll let you know if it doesn't go well!
Skip the rant and go straight to the recipe provided by Garden Betty!
So I find myself twirling around, lost in thought, lost in grief, lost in confusion because I just simple don't know how to exist in this reality. I know I need to get up, shower, make breakfast and convince myself that everything will be ok. And will it? I really hope so. I truly, deeply hope that we come out of this with most of our lives, a better healthcare system, and some compassion (we've been missing some of that as of late).
This blog might be a little heavy, you can power through or skip to the recipe. Although, I hope you read the next bit because it involves my mom.
My mom passed away last October, approximately a year and a week after my brother had passed away (and my brother's passing was a week before my separation from my husband of 15 years). Just want to provide a little overview of this last year's shitshow. (Now queue pandemic!)
I've been feeling my mom's loss in many ways, but specifically her food. She was an amazing cook and loved providing food for anyone. And she provided food that was non-traditional to the rural area where she had landed in after moving to the US from Vietnam. They loved it and they loved her.
I remember her talking about the first time she walked into an American grocery store. She was mesmerized by how vast and strange it seemed to be so well stocked with so many non-fresh items. She was also accustomed to shopping everyday in Vietnam and picking up ingredients for the next meal; not meal planning, stocking, and freezing meals that American households had been sold was the new norm.
My mom adapted, she adapted to life in the US but she also adapted her recipes to use ingredients that the local grocery would not have for many years or just never have. One example is a lemongrass beef stew (Bún bò Huế) which requires rice noodles. My mom used spaghetti noodles and holy moly that is tasty and, I think, better.
So during this unbelievable time in our lives, I'm glad my mom has passed. She died happy - not worrying about what will happen to her, not worrying about her children, not worrying where everyone was going to get their next meal. It's now my turn to worry, she did enough in Vietnam. I'll take over for now, I'll cook my mom's meals and I'll do my best to think everything will be ok.
Now let's make salted lemons, cause you know we've been handed a big, cosmic bucket of lemons and need to do something with it.
Vietnamese Preserved Lemons (Chanh Muối)
Great for making lemonade, eat as an accompaniment to spicy foods, or just cook and bake with them!
Recipe provided by Garden Betty
https://www.gardenbetty.com/vietnamese-preserved-lemons-chanh-muoi-and-salty-lemonade/
Ingredients
1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more to sprinkle*
1 1/2 cups water
3 to 5 lemons (more or less, depending on how many will fit in your jar)
Instructions
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve the salt in water and then remove the brine from heat.
Wash and scrub your lemons thoroughly to remove any wax from store-bought lemons, or any dirt from homegrown lemons.
Slice off the top and bottom of the lemon so that a little flesh is showing. Slice the lemon lengthwise into quarters, but do not slice all the way through.
Liberally salt the inside of your almost-quartered wedges and set aside while you slice and salt the other lemons.
Pack the lemons into your jar and cover them completely with brine.If you’re using a widemouth jar, or if your lemons won’t stay submerged, you can wedge a couple of 3-inch toothpicks (the “party toothpicks” used to skewer burgers and such) inside the jar to form a single or crisscrossed grill.
Wipe any salt residue off the rim and seal the jar loosely with a lid, as you want to let the gases escape as your lemons ferment.
Leave the jar out at room temperature (in the sun, if you wish, though I’ve found no difference in quality) for at least three weeks. The lemons may turn darker and the brine may become cloudier during this time — that’s when you know they’re good and ready!
Always use a clean utensil to scoop the lemons out; other than that, the jar will keep at room temperature indefinitely and does not need to be refrigerated.
*I didn't use kosher salt, but I did use a kosher pickle jar. Does that still count? No, technically it doesn't, but I think it'll be ok. I'll let you know if it doesn't go well!
