Gordon's Great Escape sees the ebullient chef travelling across South East Asia, sampling some of the best food its countries have to offer. This week Gordon will be visiting Vietnam - here are some of his tastiest discoveries and creations…
1. Caramelised cinnamon pork
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1.5kg pork belly, cut into cubes
3-4 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp sugar
4-6 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 star anise
6 cinnamon sticks
25g sugar
25ml water
1-2 litres pork stock
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the pork belly for 2-3 minutes. Remove and allow to drain and cool.
Once cooled, place the pork belly in a large bowl and add the garlic, cinnamon, sugar, seasoning and fish sauce. Mix thoroughly and allow to marinate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the pork and marinade to the pan with the star anise and cinnamon sticks and sauté for 6-8 minutes to colour (it may be necessary to do this in batches).
Meanwhile in a separate pan make a caramel by dissolving the sugar in the water over a medium heat until a light golden caramel has formed. Add into the pork and stir.
Pour over just enough pork stock to cover, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook the pork for 1 hour until tender - top up with any extra stock during cooking if necessary.
2. Gordon's Madame Duck inspired BBQ pork skewers
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 chillies, de-seeded and finely sliced
1-2 tbsp lemongrass, chopped
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
6 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp annota seeds, cooked in oil
1kg pork shoulder, cut into thin strips
To serve
½ green lettuce, finely shredded
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Soak some wooden skewers in water to prevent burning.
For the marinade mix the garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass, sugar, chilli sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, coconut cream, soy sauce, honey, chilli powder and annota oil in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Add the pork, mix well to coat and allow to marinate for up to an hour.
Thread onto the bamboo skewers then char-grill until golden brown and cooked through. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce and scatter with toasted sesame seeds to serve.
3. Ms Vy's chargrilled clams
Serves: two
Ingredients
1 lime
8 clams
1 tbsp shallot oil
8 spring onions, finely chopped
Dash of fish sauce
Chilli sauce
Ground pepper
Crispy shallots
To serve
100-125g rock salt
Mixed salad leaves, sliced radishes and lime juice
Fill a bowl full of water and squeeze in some lime. Open the clams and wash in the water.
In a bowl mix the shallot oil, spring onion and fish sauce. Arrange the clams on a wire rack and spoon the mixture into each clam shell. Place the wire rack over hot coals and allow to grill for 2-3 minutes until cooked.
Heat the rock salt in a pan and once hot, tip into the serving plate. Arrange the clams on top and spoon any remaining sauce into the shells.
Add a touch of chilli sauce to each clam along with a pinch of pepper, some crispy shallots and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve the clams with a mixed green leaf salad scattered with sliced radish and seasoned with lime juice.
4. Madame Duck's stuffed squid with pineapple salad
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
8-10 medium squid, cleaned and tentacles reserved
500g minced pork (belly or shoulder)
1tbsp fish sauce
Small handful coriander, chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
<p">For the tomato sauce 2 tbsp vegetable oil
8-10 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 tbsp minced ginger
600g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tbsp sugar
For the salad Mixed green leaves
Small handful coriander leaves, torn
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 pineapple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp lotus seeds, dry roasted
For the dressing
1 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp crushed garlic
½ chilli, finely chopped
To serve
Banana leaves
Mint and coriander leaves
Remove the eyes from the squid and finely chop the tentacles. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the minced pork and fish sauce and season well with salt and pepper. Add the chopped coriander, red chilli and mix together well to combine.
Ensure there are no air pockets in the squid bodies by squeezing out gently and then stuff the minced pork mixture carefully into each squid. Use a toothpick to secure the ends. Bring a pan of seasoned water to the boil and add the squid. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and poach gently for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the finely chopped shallots and ginger for 2-3 minutes to soften. Season with salt and pepper then add the chopped tomatoes and splash of water and allow to reduce for 10-15 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, add the fish sauce and adjust the seasoning and sugar as necessary. For the salad, toss together the mixed green leaves, coriander, carrot, pineapple and onion. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss to coat and scatter with the lotus seeds. Once the squid are cooked, remove them from the pan and take out the cocktail sticks. Cut diagonally into thick slices and arrange on a platter lined with a banana leaf. Spoon the tomato sauce on top and scatter with fresh mint and coriander leaves. Serve with the salad.
5. Clear pork noodle broth
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients 1-2 kg pork bones, washed
Fish sauce, to taste
Sugar, to taste
Dried shrimps, to taste
1 daikon radish, peeled and roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 egg whites (to clarify), whisked
200g minced pork (to clarify)
<p">For the broth 600-700g fresh rice noodles
700g pork leg, rolled and cooked (poached in water and fish sauce infused stock)
1 pork liver, finely sliced and sautéed in hot oil To serve 8-10 tomatoes, de-seeded and finely chopped
8 spring onion, finely sliced
Small handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Small handful fresh basil, chopped
Handful of bean sprouts
Place the pork bones in a large saucepan. Cover with water, add a generous seasoning of salt and flavour with fish sauce, sugar and dried shrimps. Add the radish and carrot, bring to a simmer and allow to infuse over a very gentle heat for 2-3 hours.
Strain the broth and clarify, if necessary, by whisking in egg whites and a little minced pork. If clarifying with egg and mince once a crust has formed and set, simmer gently for 10-15 minutes before scooping off the crust and passing the stock through a fine sieve lined with a clean cloth or piece of muslin. Pour boiling water over the noodles to separate. Arrange in serving bowls, and top with the sliced pork and sautéed liver. Ladle the pork broth over the noodles, garnish with chopped tomato, spring onion, coriander and basil. Finish with bean sprouts before serving. Gordon's Great Escape is on Channel 4, Mondays at 9pm. Source: Channel 4 Food
Need more inspiration?
Check out the features below for more recipes and foodie ideas
5 alternative Thai recipes | Inspire Me... More
6 spicy recipes from around the world | Inspire Me... More
Vietnam travel guide
| Destinations... More
China plans rail link to Singapore via Vietnam | News... More
