Vietnamese Green Mango Salad - Recipe

Green mango salad Green mango (or papaya) salad is addictive. It hits all those sweet, tangy and fresh notes that wake up your palate at the beginning of a meal, or refresh it after a bite of spicy curry. My wife and I have been known to narrow down our selection of Vietnamese restaurants purely based on the quality of their mango salad, and to use the leftover dressing to flavor our bun when the house sauce isn't vegetarian. This salad works best with slightly underripe mangos. You want them to be firm, but not rock hard. The easiest way to cut them is with a mandoline, and it makes for neater presentation. You can do it with a knife too, it just takes a little more time. I've experimented with different ways to make the dressing without fish sauce. Often a little soy sauce works as an umami-rich substitute, but in this case I like a bit of Chinese sesame oil instead. Not traditional but I think it works very well. I like the dressing to be rather sweet. You should adjust it to balance the particular mangos you are working with. Vietnamese Green Mango Salad Vegetarian, vegan, and...

Food writer Rebekah Denn: Where you'll find me

In my 11 years at the Seattle P-I, I had the great good luck to work with some of the best reporters, photographers, and editors around. I had the good fortune to write about the chefs and restaurateurs who make Seattle such a wonderful place to explore and eat. And, I was lucky enough to share my reporting and my thoughts with you, and to hear your questions and comments and challenges. Together, we saw the heart of a blue-ribbon pie baker, the life of a pig, and the mind of a master forager. We looked into food labels and celebrated birthdays and sent a Claim Jumper entree off for nutritional analysis. You were with me, in spirit, on the podium at the James Beard Awards.

Nuts for Forbidden Fruits (Sound/City Arts 10/09)

Song on this Month’s Menu: “Fruit Nut” from Apple Venus Volume 1 by XTC (1999) Some people say That I am out of my tree Or just a strawberry fool Someday they’ll see ‘Til then I’ll blow you a raspberry ‘Cos apples and pears are me So I’m tending my fruit And I don’t give a hoot ‘Cos it keeps me sane, it keeps me sane Dish-Off challenges [...]

Wok not ready to roll? Try this trick for cleaning it

After reading my wok post yesterday, Eater Matt Aalfs sent this query:

"I have an old steel wok, maybe 15 years old, made of thin steel with a round bottom and wooden handles. Possibly due to improper cleaning, the wok has developed a brown-black sheen on the inside, which leaves a bad taste on the food and also seems to inhibit heat transfer from the wok to the food. Can this be fixed, or do I need to start over with a new wok?"

For an answer, I again turned to Grace Young's "The Breath of a Wok." Below, find her recipe for cleaning a rusted or overly sticky wok. Grace says this cleaning technique works best on a gas stove, though I'd give it a shot on an electric stove if that's all you've got, Matt. Better yet, find a friend who's cooking with gas and promise to make them something delicious after you've got your wok in working order.

Schmutz -- or patina? Patina, with roast pork and bok choy.

Now, before you toss out your old wok, try this cleansing trick:

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Inn at Langley, Langley, Washington

(This post is being simulcast on the Seattle PI and Tastingmenu. I encourage readers of each to check out the other. End of announcement.) I grew up in New England, Boston specifically. I’ve always had this romantic image of islands and the shore in general. I suppose that’s not super original, but there’s something about the [...]

Food News: Columbia City farmers market opens today, more

Been a bit quiet around here, huh? That's because I'm blogging over at Seattlemag.com most of the time now.

If you aren't reading the food blog over there, so far this month you've missed:
A 2009 Seattle farmers market calendar, with dates for all of the summer neighborhood markets. Check it out to find out when your local opens.

A spring restaurant opening update, including news on when we can expect Delancey, another Skillet Street trailor, and a second Agua Verde coming soon.

And lastly, you've missed out on getting the in-depth scoop on the return of William Belickis. Contributor Lorna Yee got the scoop just yesterday on the fall opening of Mistral Kitchen!

[where: 98118]

Sighted: A Taco Truck Parks in Pioneer Square

​My car just automatically followed this truck after spotting it on Jackson Street, followed it to it's Thursday through Saturday parking spot. Tacos El Campesino sets up on Occidental between Y...

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The Happiest Hour

Dinette on Capitol Hill by Marti Jonjak Description: A ridiculously charming Capitol Hill eatery and bar, whose mint blue walls are adorned with antique tea trays and swirling metallic stencils. The draw: Dinette's selection of fancy-schmancy toast, which gets its very own section on the dinner menu. (During happy hour, the toast special of the day is $3.) Toast in literature: The profound: "Some idiot had stupidly put [the toaster dial] on light. There was no point in doing that, because when it was turned to light…

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Digesting Food Inc.

Finally saw Food Inc. last night and was worried I would have nightmares. It was damn scary.

Marshmallow goodness: Trophy's Candied Yam Cupcake

Best Street Food Competition

What’s that we were saying about street food cred? Marination Mobile, home of the kalua pork slider, is up for Good Morning America’s “Best Food Cart Challenge.” (Here the GMA cameras are, taping the truck in Fremont earlier this week). The winner will be chosen through a combination of online votes and a judging panel; you [...]

Zippy's Giant Burgers

1513 SW Holden St

206-763-1347 (but don’t bother calling)

I fucking LOVE hamburgers. Hamburgers are the quintessential American food, and they fucking rock the ever living FUCK out of your FACE. They taste so goddamned good. Actually that’s a generalization. Not every hamburger tastes that great: for instance, the McDonald’s Corporation exists solely to fend off hangovers. Their beef tastes stale and dusty yet humid, like what I imagine a mannequin’s vagina would taste like.

I’m also less than enamored by the Costco- style mega- packs of frozen burgers, ESPECIALLY the ones that have an irregularly shaped perimeter, as though that wavy edge would fool anyone into thinking that their burger was a handmade patty. One big tipoff would be the fact that while the edges of the burger might not be perfectly circular, the top face of the patty is perfectly flat. Flat enough, in fact, for you to use the patty as though it were a writing desk. To paraphrase Lewis Carrol, how is a burger like a writing desk? Answer: when it sucks so bad that you write all over it instead of eating it. Because you see, my friends, the essence of humor is finding an unlikely link between two vastly different things. For example: the esoteric combination of tax- dodging aristocrats and huffy ignorant gasbags with an infinite wellspring of indignation is the reason the Republican party will always be more hilarious than the Democrats.

Like the Republican party, the long line to buy a fucking hamburger at Zippy’s would also be hilarious if it didn’t directly impact my life. Obviously Zippy’s, tucked into a corner of West Seattle and just a whore’s hair north of White Center, is popular, although the line wouldn’t be so long if the place wasn’t the size of a cubicle inside. You can allegedly call in an order in advance, but don’t bother: the one time I tried that, they put me “on hold,” and by that I mean they put me on “ghetto hold,” which means they just put the phone down with me still on the line, so I could hear them taking EVERYONE ELSE’S orders, while ignoring my own humble hamburger request.

Anyway, despite the cluster fuck inside Zippy’s, the hamburgers are so fucking killer it’s totally worth the wait. Despite its awkward name, the Zip Burger with Bacon and Cheese ($5.50) is a fucking classic: a huge sloppy monster on a bun. The patty, juicy and grilled to a lurid and unrepentantly pink medium, barely holds itself together with each bite. Bacon reinforces the smoky charred flavor. The usual vegetable suspects loiter about: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions all jockey for position. A couple slices of melted cheese mortar the whole thing together.

The enigmatically named “No. 11” ($5.25) features the same obscenely juicy beef patty, along with lettuce, cheese, chipotle sauce, and pickled peppers. Although it doesn’t seem very spicy at first, with each bite the heat mounts progressively, until a sheen of sweat breaks out on your forehead and your nose begins to run. Instead of cryptically labeling it “No. 11” they should have called this burger “Sauna on a Bun.”

All of you hypocritical vegans in the audience should know that the (vegetarian) Zip Bean Burger ($4.75) is VERY GOOD: a black bean and mushroom patty nestles snugly into a bun amongst a big pile of lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and lots of pickles. The patty itself has a nice crusty caramelized char on the outside, while the interior is surprisingly chewy and moist with pleasant woody notes. The Bean Burger would actually be orders of magnitude better with bacon, which as everyone knows is a flavor multiplier. As everyone ALSO knows, beans and bacon go so well together. And I’m pretty sure the “Secret sauce,” a glossy orange concoction, has mayonnaise in it, so the Bean Burger ISN’T vegan. If you’re a vegetarian and you’ve made the tricky logistical commitment of setting foot inside Zippy’s overcrowded 3rd world cubicle, you may as well just go ahead and get bacon on the Bean Burger. Just do it. No one will know.

Fries and onion rings are each $1.50. For this price you get a good amount of rather bland but otherwise good fries. The onion rings are SPECTACULAR: the batter is nicely seasoned, not too thick, and so crisp it crunches almost like a Dorito in your mouth when you bite it. The onions themselves are sliced neither too thick nor too thin. And you get a lot of them. My only complaint here is that Zippy’s gives you a tiny cup of ketchup and “Secret sauce” to dip you rings into, and there’s no possible way it could fit: it’s like trying to shove a hula hoop into a shot glass.

If you’re thirsty there’s a variety of weird local sodas in the cooler (I counted 34 different kinds). Zippy’s is also renowned for its floats, malts, and milkshakes ($3.25, $3.75, and $3.50 respectively), which of course are made from real ice cream. Honestly, though, I don’t see the appeal of milkshakes. People who love to point out obvious things frequently say that the first dude to eat escargot must have been starving, but I posit that the dude who invented the milkshake must have been STONED. Why else would someone want to drink a cup of melted ice cream? Sure, it’s sweet, but a 10 pound bag of sugar is sweet too, and I don’t see people waxing nostalgic and craving handfuls of granulated Dixie Crystals.

I would say that Zippy’s rules your stomach with an iron fist, but it’s so chaotic and goofy that I don’t think an iron fist is an appropriate metaphor for Zippy’s administrative control of your digestive system. After all, an iron fist implies order, authority, and ruthless efficiency, and Zippy’s of course, has none of that. So let’s just say Zippy’s rules your stomach with some kind of floppy, brightly colored clown glove.

Rating: 8 clown gloves out of 10

Lunch #80: Viet-Wah Deli

On our last trip up the hill, while waiting outside for Rob's order -- we're always waiting on Rob's order -- we spent some time giggling at the "remedies" being offered by the herbalist at the Viet-Wah Asian grocer. "Valuable Ant Kidney: Take effect in 15 minutes and last for 180 hours. Makes it big, thick, long-lasting, increasing sperms." Another was a mix of Engrish plus a careful misspelling, "Herbage Vaigra: Made in USA". Amidst our chortles we noticed that there is a lunch counter and eating area inside the Viet-Wah. So today we headed up to give it a try.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Ginger Chicken and "Big Eyed Jack Fish" Lunch Special - $5.00
Rating:

Emmett's Review

This place is like the ghetto bastard stepchild of Uwajimaya. They have lots of groceries, shelves stocked full of deals and weirdness. And then there's the food court. If you can even call it that.

This place has a heated selection behind glass, and they also do sandwiches. The glass is a bit faded in color, colored no doubt by the gaseous grease emanating from the options. The food appears to have been simmering in its broth for god knows how many days. It's like they arrive in the morning, flip the switch, wait 10 minutes, and serve.

Going with well-cooked and fried meats for safety's sake, I went for the chicken wings in sauce, along with the fried fish. He put some rice in a plate, tossed the fish on there, then spooned the chicken wings, along with the viscous, gooey sauce, all over the whole shebang. The chicken was cooked; it had flavor. The fish, interestingly, was fine.

I believe you could find someone to do anything for the right price. It'd be a high price to get them to eat here.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Chicken Banh Mi and Combo Banh Mi Sandwiches - 2 x $2.25
Rating:

Adam's Review

We eat at a lot of awesome restaurants, but let it be known that Viet-Wah's deli counter is at the exact opposite end of that spectrum.

We ambled up to the counter, and I was expecting something in the same vein as Uwajimaya's Steam Stable, but was presented with something out of a grosser version of Maxang. I looked at the tubs of week-old (I'm speculating) gooey seafood dishes, and decided that none of it was passable. I turned my gaze above the counter to the menu showing noodle soups, rice dishes, and a handful of other things. I ordered from that menu, only to learn that they don't actually make anything listed on the menu. I switched to the Banh Mi menu; can't go wrong with a sandwich. I ordered a couple of them from the Bahn Mi menu, only to find out that they only serve Pork, Chicken, or Combo Banh Mi... again, total disregard for signage they-themselves had posted. Anyways, I was eventually able to get a couple of sandwiches ordered.

They brought the sandwiches out, and I tore into the Combo banh mi like a starving Urgal (yes, I've been reading Brisingr).

At the conclusion of tasting both sandwiches, I had determined that they forgot to add any flavor to any of the ingredients. My food was flavorless. This may have actually been the most boring food I've ever had. *tear*.

Bottom line: run, don't walk, past the deli counter in Viet-Wah

.

On a side note, the grocery part of Viet-Wah is awesome and has lots of great stuff to eat and cook with.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Catfish + Crab Combo Lunch Special - $5.00
Rating:

Geary's Review

Viet-Wah is an authentic Asian market. It was similar to Uwajimaya before Uwajimaya remodeled and went all modern. Back in the day Viet-Wah was my first choice ID grocer. But it has let itself go and has a bit of a run down feel to it now. However, it still has an amazing assortment. The vegetables and seafood sections are particularly impressive. It's one of the few places in town where you can get live blue crab. Today we took a right past the Chinese medicine apothecary into the Viet-Wah Deli. The counter has a selection of prepared dishes in a warmer that for $5 you get a choice of two over rice. There are also various posted menu items, but we found that today few of those were actually available. I went with the $5 lunch special and chose the Dungeness crab in gooey sauce and the catfish steaks in teriyaki-like sauce. It was truly an amazing amount of seafood for $5. I got almost an entire half of a crab, claw plus two legs and a large body section, and two catfish steaks on a pile of rice. There was some confusion at the counter, and the man serving us motioned for me to sit down and pay later.

The gooey crab was very hard to eat. It is apparently customary in many Asian countries to eat the crab shell. I wasn't sure if that was the intention here, but it would make fighting through the sticky goo possible. I tried this with the body section with some success, but I fell back to my Western ways when it came to the legs and especially the claw. As it was, I ended up with a big sliver of claw shell stuck between my teeth from cracking it open. Other than the logistics of getting at the meat, the crab was good. The gooey sauce was slightly sweet and salty and the meat fresh and tender. The catfish was also tasty. It was cooked in a soy sauce mixture similar to teriyaki, but wasn't at all sweet.

Other than the battle with the crab shell, my lunch was tasty, but the cluttered, messy deli and eating area didn't really sit well with me. We all agreed that this is the kind of place that the 8 hour rule* was meant for. While I might be tempted to give four chopsticks for the food alone, the rest of the dining experience brings me back down to a solid 3.

After eating we wandered the aisles a bit and then left. I didn't realize until later in the day that I had dined and dashed. I went back up the next day to try and pay, and it took the help of two other customers with more versatile language skills than I to convey what I was trying to do to the woman behind the counter.

* The 8 hour rule: We don't release our posts until at least 8 hours after the meal to be sure we account for any food borne illnesses.

Luncher: Al

Lunch: Egg Rolls + "Meatball" bowl - $4.00
Rating:

Al's Review

Orangey meatloaf bowl – looked odd; tasted o.k.; sat like lead in my stomach. 2 chopsticks

Viet-Wah Deli Photos

Viet-Wah


Viet-Wah


Viet-Wah Deli


Hot Deli Items


More Deli Items


Baked goods


Catfish + Crab Combo Lunch Special


Ginger Chicken and "Big Eyed Jack Fish" Lunch Special


Egg Rolls + "Meatball" bowl


Close up of Al's Meatball bowl


Combo Banh Mi


Chicken Banh Mi


Egg Roll Chip Lumpia Snack


Inside Viet-Wah


Viet-Wah vegetable & fruit aisle


Viet-Wah vegetable & fruit aisle


Viet-Wah Chinese Medicine Store


Service counter at Chinese Medicine Store


Chinese Medicine offerings


Valuable Ant Kidney


Herbage Vaigra & Seadog Pills