Fried frogs' legs with garlic sauce

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 Pairs Jumbo frog legs, trimmed (about 1 pound)
1 Stalk fresh lemon grass
Soaked for 1 hour in warm
Water -- finely chopped
OR
1 tablespoon Dried lemon grass
2 Fresh red chili peppers --
Sliced
2 Green onions -- sliced
2 Cloves garlic -- crushed
1½ teaspoon Sugar
Salt
2 tablespoons Nuoc Mam sauce
OR
2 tablespoons Maggi seasoning and 1 garlic
Clove -- crushed
2 ounces Bean thread vermicelli
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
1 small Onion -- chopped
1 cup Chicken strock or water
½ cup Coconut cream or heavy
Cream
3 tablespoons Cornstarch mixed with a
Little water
Freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro sprigs -- for
Garnish

Directions

*(Chan Ech chien Voi Xot Toi)

1. Chop the frogs' legs into bite-sized pieces and rinse with cold water to get rid of any pieces of bone. Pat dry and put in the refrigerator.

2. Combine the lemon grass, chilies, green onion, garlic, sugar, salt, and 1 tablespoon Nuoc mam sauce in a blender or food processor until a very fine paste results. Rub the paste over the frogs' legs, cover and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

3. Soak the vermicelli in warm wate for 30 minutes. Drain and cut into 2 inch lengths.

4. Heat the oil in a wok over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, then add the frogs' legs and brown well, turning them over from time to time. This should take 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cov 5. Uncover the wok and add the coconut cream. Add the cornstarch and the remainng Nuoc Mam sauce. Stir as the sauce thickens and cook for another 15 minutes.

6. Add the vermicelli and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Sprinkle with black pepper

7. Serve immediately with rice or French bread or rice noodles. It is advisable to offfer an alternative to frogs; legs since there are a few cynics who do not believe that frogs' legs taste very much like chicken.

Recipe Source: VIETNAMESE COOKING - EXOTIC DELIGHTS FROM INDO-CHINA by Paulette Do Van. Published by Chartwell Books, Inc. Copyright (c) 1993. Recipe formatted by Olivia Liebermann RDSE68B on May, 1995.

Recipe By : "Vietnamese Cooking" by Paulette Do Van, Chartwell Books

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