Lotus Stem Salad (Vietnamese)

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This is one of the dishes we cooked up at the Saigon Culinary Art Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Lotus stem is tasteless, aroma-less but super crunchy; perfect for salad. Since this recipe called for pork and shrimps, I omitted these two. In the following recipe, I shall include pork and shrimp for your perusal.

Marinade
1 T lemon juice
2 T sugar
2 T white vinegar
2 T fish sauce (patis or nuoc mam cham)
A pinch of salt and pepper

180g Lotus stem (cucumber, carrots, green papaya, cabbage or turnip may be used) 
100 g pork tenderloin
100 g shrimp
10g celery
20 g carrots

Garnishing
1 big chili
1 chili flower
5g knot weed (may use sweet basil)
5-7 g mint leaves
1/2 T fried peanuts
1/2 T fried shallots (may use onions)

Preparation
MARINADE: Mix all marinade ingredients except fish sauce, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
VEGETABLES: Cut in julienne the lotus stem, carrot and big chili. Cut celery in 1-2 cm length.
PORK: Prepare pork by boiling it over medium heat for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and soak in cool water until cool enough to slice thinly.
SHRIMPS: Boil the shrimps in water and vinegar over medium heat. Remove from heat and soak in cool water then shell them.

How To
Marinate boiled shrimp and pork in 2 T marinade for at least 20 minutes.
Marinate lotus stem with the rest of the vegetables using the remaining marinade sauce. Toss and add the shrimp and pork as well as the fish sauce. Toss well again.
Serve in a plate and garnish with all garnishings.
Best served with fish sauce on the side.

Tomato flowerette for the plating
Lotus stem, up close and personal

My cooking partner Anna Wang, with the Vietnamese Chef who looks like Pacquiao.

Photos were taken while we were marinating the meat and the veges.

Anna Wang was listening very well.

The condiments...

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