Vietnamese Recipe, Hanh Phi, Shallot Garnish

This is a really simple recipe, but full of flavour!

This shallot garnish is used in many different Vietnamese dishes, including the upcoming Banh Cuon recipe. These steamed rolls were my favourite as a kid, and they were not complete without their fried shallots garnish.

Here is what you need:

• 200g shallots
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Here is what you do:

1. Wash and peal the shallots.
2. Thinly slice them.
3. In a small sauce pan, add the oil and heat up on high heat. BE CAREFUL! You know the oil is hot enough when one piece of shallot put in will immediately start bubbling up.
4. Lower the heat and add the shallots. Let them fry until they reach a beautiful golden color. Stir from time to time.
5. Strain and let the excess oil drop. 
6. Once cooled, you can keep these in an air tight container in the fridge for a few weeks.

The steamed rolls recipe will be posted tomorrow, but really, these fried shallots are great in salads, on soups and in sandwiched.