Here are the recipes. I did not include everything that I made, though I'd be happy to tell you if you like. Also, due to the deliciousness of the meal, I only managed to take one picture at the encouragement of my friend.
Course One: Vietnamese Beef Spring Rolls with Pickled Vegetables Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
4 sheets Vietnamese Rice Paper (large found ones)
1 oz Rice Vermicelli Noodles
9 sprigs Cilantro
4 oz Flank Steak (thinly sliced)
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (or 1/4 tsp of regular soy sauce)
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Olive Oil
5-6 Baby Carrots (julienne or cut into small sticks)
1/3 Cucumber (julienne or cut into small sticks without the seeds)
1/6 Yellow Onion (thinly sliced)
2 cups White Vinegar
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vietnamese Chilli Sauce
Directions:
1) Prepared the night before: Heat the vinegar and sugar in a non-stick pot to boiling. Stir to dissolve sugar. Placed the carrots, cucumber and onion in a glass container. Poured the vinegar-sugar mixture on to the vegetables. Let the pickled vegetables cool to room temperature, covered and then refrigerate overnight.
2) Prepared the night before: Cook vermicelli in boiling water according to instruction. If no instructions are given (as such is the curse of some Asian packaging), then cook them for about 5-6 minutes until al dante. Put them spread out on a plate and loosely covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
3) Marinate the steak with the brown sugar, oil, soy sauce and black pepper for at least 30 minutes. Either grill the steak slices over a stove-top grill, or broil them in the oven for 4 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other. The meat should come out almost jerky-like. Make sure you do not overlap them when you cook them. Let cool to room temperature.
4) Soak two slices of rice paper at a time in cold water for 10 seconds until it is soft enough to fold without cracking but still slightly firm to the touch. Avoid over-soaking.
5) Place the two slices of softened rice paper one on top of the other and spread out on a piece of wax paper. On one end, place half the beef slices, half the vermicelli, 4 sprigs of cilantro, and 1/3 of the pickled vegetables. Rolled up carefully like you would a burrito.
6) Repeat steps 4-5 with the second roll.
7) Wrapped both rolled loosely with wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hr.
8) For the dipping sauce: Combined the last 1/3 of the pickled vegetables with 1 sprig of cilantro (broken into pieces). Mix in the chili sauce and keep chilled until use.
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Course Two: Chinese Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry (served with white rice)
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Broccoli Crowns (cut into pieces)
5 oz Flank Steak (sliced into 1/4 inch thick)
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Corn Starch
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp Corn Starch
Directions:
1) May be prepared the night before: Marinate the beef slices with the oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch and black pepper (in the amount listed with the second set of ingredients). Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to over night.
2) Boiled broccoli until just tender. Do not over cook!
3) Working with the third set of ingredients, heat the olive oil using high heat in a non-stick skillet or wok. Add the garlic and heat until the garlic is slightly golden (about 2 minutes). Add the beef slices and cook until the outside is brown (about 3 -4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli and stir to mix.
4) In a separate bowl, combine the water, corn starch and sugar. Add the mixture to the skillet/wok and mix immediately. Reduce to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thicken. If it gets too thick, add more water (1 tsp at a time).
5) Serve immediately with jasmine rice.
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Course Three: Korean Beef Dumplings or Gyoza with Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pkg Gyoza wrapper (round)
3 stalks Green onion (chopped into small pieces)
1 lb Ground beef (85% lean)
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Salt
1 large Egg yolk
1/2 tsp Water
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Water
1 tsp Sugar
1 stalk Green onion (chopped into small pieces)
1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes or chili paste
Directions:
1) May be prepared the night before: Mix the ground beef with salt, pepper, and green onion. Cover and chilled for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
2) May be prepared the night before: Mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, water and crushed red pepper flakes or chili paste. Heat for 20 seconds in the microwave to warm. Mix to dissolve the sugar completely. May be chilled over night. Add the chopped green onions before serving.
3) Beat the egg yolk together with the water to make an egg wash.
4) Place about 1 tbsp of ground beef mixture onto the center of the gyoza wrapper. Using your fingertip or a small spoon, moisten the edges of the top side of the wrapper with the egg wash. Fold the wrapper in half, encasing the meat. Pinch the edges to seal. (See http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2146/2130036870_3f9afee31b_o.jpg for illustration). Moisten the top of the half-moon edges with egg wash, and make several folds of the edges (See http://z.about.com/d/japanesefood/1/0/L/H/makinggyoza-step5.jpg for illustration). Place the finished produce on a lightly floured parchment paper or cookie rack.
5) Heat a pot of water to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place 5-6 gyoza at a time into the hot water and cook until it floats to the top (about 5 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon.
6) Serve the gyoza with kimchi and the dipping sauce.
Happy Cooking!!
