European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 23, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Living today by Sharon Hudgins special to stripes Magazine it was a dreary thursday in the sort of Day that gives springtime in Germany a bad my husband got off work at and neither of us had to be anywhere in particular until the following we had made no plans for the so i was just a bit taken Aback when he came Home from work and lets go to it took me about one second to decide in favor of the but there were strings two Well known food magazines had arrived in the mail the previous one contained an article on France the other had a cover Story on food in Hong and my husband had been completely seduced by these blatant examples of Foo fantasy he was willing to take me to Paris on the condition that we eat Only at Oriental having lived a year in the far both of us craved Good Oriental food so difficult to find in but until that Rainy it haunt occurred to us that some of the finest Oriental food this Side of Asia was Only a five hour drive from our a few minutes we were on our Way to heading for a culinary experience that we would not soon Paris has so Many asian restaurants that the difficulty was not in finding them but in choosing among the great variety that weekend we dined at a passable philippine two excellent japanese a highly rated vietnamese restaurant that was so bad it  have been mentioned in any and a chinese dim sum place that has become one of our favor Ite restaurants in Paris we make it a Point to eat there every Chance we our Oriental weekend in Paris during which we also went Only to Oriental museums and special asian exhibits merely whetted our appetites for on subsequent trips to we added Indian and thai restaurants to our growing list of Good places to but if i had to choose the Best asian restaurant we have discovered in it would be a vietnamese one that we stumbled near our to my it int listed in any major Guidebook which proves that in Michelin inspectors and Good of Gautland Millay just Arent eating in the right located on the left this family run restaurant comprises Only two tastefully decorated dining with a minuscule Kitchen where two elderly vietnamese women Cook some of the cites finest using some of the worlds most Basic with Only two a some Stock pots and cleavers in a space smaller than my own bathroom they turn out dishes full of the flavors of Vietnam fresh fresh and Nuoc Mam fish and the prices Are quite even when the two of us order several dessert and the Bill Seldom exceeds during the first of Many meals at this we had two dishes that have become such favourites that i can never resist ordering regardless of other foods we choose to soup Saig Naise Saigon soup is unlike the soups we Are familiar with in the a Large bowl containing layers of Crunchy bean cooked ground cooked sliced pork and shrimp is served with an accompanying bowl of hot Chicken garnished with chopped fresh coriander and the hot Stock is spooned Over the ingredients in the larger just before the result is a soup whose Many flavors and textures remain distinct instead of being cooked together for hours on the Back of the garnished with fish sauce and Black Saigon soup is both Light and filling a seeming but one that can be said about Many vietnamese the restaurants crepe Saig Naise filled Saigon crepe is a huge almost As thick As a folded in half Over a filling of bean shrimp and the crepe is served with a separate Large Platter of Crisp Romaine fresh mint and fresh coriander and a Small plate of sliced marinated cucumbers Ana accompanying All of this is a bowl of Nuoc Cham a spicy sauce made from Lime and the fermented fish Nuoc the result is a delightful Medley vietnamese treasures Paris offers Oriental Delight of flavors unlike any i have eaten and now you think in going to disclose the name and address of this Fine eating dont you not a the restaurant Doest need the weekends or week it is always full of with Many More waiting for tables to be but dont Ive Given you several clues about the identity of this restaurant two dining left Bank reasonable not listed in the major guidebooks so think what fun youll have trying to find after there Are Only about restaurants in you can use the following recipes to prepare at Home my favorite vietnamese dishes from the Saigon soup is identical to that served at the whereas the Saigon Melet is a slight variation of the Saigon crepe that Ive just some recipes for Saigon crepe have the Batter made from Mung Rice flour and Coconut others Are More eggy and hence More like an mine Falls into the latter although the filling is exactly the same As the Saigon crepe Ive eaten so often in Nuoc Cham is the classic sauce that accompanies Many vietnamese notes about ingredients there Are several special ingredients called for in these which Are indispensable to vietnamese and which can be purchased at most Oriental Rice Black vinegar and Nuoc Mam fish sauce should not be difficult to obtain at any Oriental food and fresh mint can also be found at Many european food mint is also easy to grow at fresh coriander is essential in vietnamese and it is not always easy to find in Northern used widely in both Oriental and latin american fresh coriander is also known As chinese Parsley and Cilantro in although it looks similar to wide leafed it tastes nothing like and there is no substitute for fresh coriander the Green stalks and leaves of the coriander Plant has a distinctive Musty Aroma and quite different from the coriander seeds that Are also used in i buy fresh coriander at an Oriental grocery in Germany which obtains a shipment of it every if you cant locate any fresh ask Oriental grocers if they can get it for you can grow it at in an Herb by planting the coriander seeds that Are easily found in the spice Section of most food Nuoc Mam is a fermented fish sauce that the vietnamese use in Many of the same ways that the chinese use soy the flavor is much sharper than soy and Nuoc Mam is used As an ingredient in cooking rather than As a condiment for garnishing dishes at the it is an essential ingredient in Nuoc Cham sometimes confusingly referred to As Nuoc Mam the delightfully pungent sauce made from sugar and Nuoc which accompanies Many vietnamese dishes As a dipping or spooned Over the Saigon soup cups ground pot roasted pork recipe follows 18 thin slices pot roasted pork recipe follows 18 medium to Large fresh shrimp Unshelle 1 Pound fresh bean sprouts Pound dried Rice noodles 6 cups Chicken Stock 6 Tablespoons fish sauce Nuoc Mam 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint Black vinegar Garnish pot roast the pork according to the following when the pork has slice and grind it As needed for the drop the Unshelle shrimp into a pot of boiling reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 Drain Well in a then Peel the refrigerate until Blanch the bean sprouts by pouring boiling water Over them in a Large let them sit for 1 then Drain in a colander and run cold water Over the bean sprouts to refresh set aside to Drain thoroughly in the soak the dried Rice noodles in cold water for 20 fill a Large Stock pot full of heat until Drain the soaking Rice then drop them in the boiling water and Cook until they Are Drain Well in a or follow the direction on the package of Rice while the noodles Are bring the Chicken Stock to in a medium size reduce the partially cover the and let the Chicken Stock simmer until you Are ready to serve the the Chicken Stock must be very hot when you bring the soup to the to assemble the soup for each you will need a very deep soup of the Type used for Noodle dishes in the if you dont have this kind of a Large shallow soup bowl will you will also need a regularize Oriental soup bowl for the Chicken Stock for each plus chopsticks and soup spoons preferably Oriental soup put a Tablespoon of fish sauce Nuoc Mam in the Bottom of each Large soup place a generous handful of blanched bean sprouts on top of ladle some cooked Rice noodles on top of the bean sprouts you should have approximately equal amounts of bean sprouts and Rice noodles in the Placevk cup of ground chopped pork in an even layer on top of the arrange the sliced pork and shelled shrimp in an attractive pattern on top of the ground pork 3 slices of pork and 3 whole shrimp per Sprinkle Teaspoon each of coarsely chopped fresh coriander and fresh mint on top of each As a put m to 1 cup of hot Chicken Stock into each Magazine May 2 199s