Vietnamese Lunch for Wisconsin Long Long Summer

Hi R - To go well with Crunchy Vegetable Salad. This dish is tasty, easy to prepare and can be made a day ahead.

Lemon Grass and Ginger Pork - Thit Lon Rim
2 tblsp  peanut oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tblsp grated ginger
2 teasp finely chopped fresh lemon grass or 2-3 strips lemon peel as a substitute
1 cinnamon stick
1 or 2 small fresh red chilli, (hot!!!!) finely chopped
1 kg (2lb) pork neck (or leg or
2 cups water
2 teasp beef stock powder

Method
Heat oil in pan or wok, add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon and chilli, stirfry for 1 min.
Add pork (in 3cm / 1 1/2 inch pieces), in batches until browned.
Add water and stock powder, simmer uncovered, about 1 1/2 hrs or until pork is tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.  (or alternatively cook for 1 1/2 hrs in a medium oven).  Remove cinnamon stick .  Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with coriander or mint.

We finished off the meal with an old favourite of mine because it is light and fresh.  The zesty sauce makes a great base for fresh or poached fruits.
1x 565g (20oz) can lychees
i punnet strawberries, hulled, halved if large
4 just-ripe kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
Ginger Lemongrass Syrup
Drain lychee juice into a pot, add 1tsp minced fresh ginger, 6 stalks lemongrass, cut in 3cm (1in) lengths, and bruised with the back of a large knife, 1/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar.   Simmer 5 mins, cool.

Mix syrup through fruit, chill for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with mint and  serve with indulgent yoghurt.

Wishing you a long hot summer - you deserve it!  It always amazes me that your winter can be so frigid and yet summer is quite hot.  Sydney's cold is your autumn.

Clara