The Ultimate Fall Feast: A 5-Course Menu for the Perfect Autumn Dinner

Clay Pot-Braised Frog Legs

Ingredients:

Frog legs, cleaned and cut into halves

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Minced shallots and chili peppers

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons seasoning powder

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 bird’s eye chilies, finely chopped

Instructions:

Marinate the frog legs with fish sauce, shallots, and chili peppers. Heat a pan and fry the frog legs until they turn golden brown. Prepare a clay pot and line the bottom with some shallots. Arrange the fried frog legs on top. Add in the remaining ingredients: black pepper, seasoning powder, oyster sauce, and bird’s eye chilies. Mix well and let the flavors infuse for 15 minutes. Pour in just enough water to cover the frog legs and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Pork Belly Stir-fried with Fermented Shrimp Paste

Ingredients:

Pork belly, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Chopped garlic, shallots, and lemongrass

Fermented shrimp paste

Instructions:

Marinate the pork belly pieces with fish sauce. Heat a pan and fry the chopped garlic, shallots, and lemongrass until fragrant. Add the marinated pork belly and stir-fry until the meat is no longer pink. Toss in the fermented shrimp paste and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste. This dish is best enjoyed with steamed rice.

Tamarind-Glazed Mackerel

Ingredients:

Mackerel fillets

Garlic and chili peppers, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of thick tamarind sauce (mixed with a small bowl of water and strained to remove seeds)

Fish sauce and seasoning powder to taste

Instructions:

Rinse the mackerel fillets and pat them dry. Heat a pan and fry the fish until both sides turn golden brown. In the same pan, sauté the garlic and chili peppers. Pour in the tamarind sauce mixture and season with fish sauce and seasoning powder. Once the sauce starts to boil, carefully place the fried mackerel fillets into the pan. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the sauce thickens. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

Pork Belly with Fermented Soybean and Ginger

Ingredients:

500-600g pork belly

Marinade:

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

1 teaspoon fermented soybean paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon seasoning powder

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 teaspoons sugar

2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

100ml ginger juice (grate a large knob of ginger, blend with 100ml water, and strain to obtain the juice)

Other ingredients:

1 egg yolk

20g crispy coating mix

Ginger pulp

Wild betel leaves

Instructions:

Clean and pat dry the pork belly. Marinate it with shrimp paste, fermented soybean paste, turmeric powder, seasoning powder, cooking oil, sugar, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger juice for about an hour. After marinating, add in the egg yolk, crispy coating mix, and ginger pulp. Mix well. Finally, add in the wild betel leaves and another coating of the crispy mix. Fry the pork belly in a non-stick pan or a well-heated oiled pan until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top before serving. This dish offers a delightful combination of crispy texture and savory flavors, especially when paired with steamed rice or enjoyed as a beer snack.

Sweet and Sour Spareribs

Ingredients:

500g pork spareribs (preferably with small bones and plenty of meat)

4 tablespoons fish sauce

5 teaspoons sugar

5 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice

1/3 bowl of boiled water, cooled

Cooking oil

Garlic

Shallots

Scallions

Chili peppers

Note: When choosing spareribs, look for fresh, bright-colored meat with no unpleasant odor. Press lightly to ensure the meat has good elasticity.

Instructions:

Clean and cut the spareribs into bite-sized pieces. Parboil the ribs in salted water to remove any unpleasant odor, then rinse and set aside. Marinate the ribs with seasoning powder and fish sauce for about 10 minutes. Peel and crush the garlic and shallots, and cut the scallions into small sections for garnishing.

To make the sweet and sour sauce, combine sugar, vinegar, crushed garlic, chili peppers, and half a bowl of boiled water in a bowl. Add fish sauce to taste and mix well. Adjust the amount of chili according to your preference for spiciness.

After parboiling the ribs, drain and lightly fry them in oil until they turn slightly golden. Avoid over-frying, as this will make the ribs tough and dry. Fry the crushed shallots until golden, then pour in the sauce mixture and simmer over low heat.

Combine the spareribs with the sauce: Add the ribs to the pan and stir gently. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat. During the stir-frying process, you can add a little water to keep the ribs moist and tender. Simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat. Once done, plate the ribs and sprinkle with chopped scallions for added aroma and presentation. This sweet and sour spareribs dish is a delicious and appetizing accompaniment to steamed rice.