Review: VUU Asian Bistro

Ramen with wontons
 and bok choy

Paper wrapped
shrimp and crab rangoon

With a last name like mine, you better believe I like Chinese food. My mom used to joke that the only reason I married a Chinese man was for the food, because I've always loved Chinese. Growing up in Salt Lake City, even the heavily Americanized version available there seemed like the most exotic, far away food you could get. And you always had to get it at a restaurant, because the home made versions were never as good. Things have changed, obviously. Not only do I live in a much bigger, more international city now, but formerly exotic ingredients are now almost common place in American cooking. It's not hard to find a good Korean grocery store, stocked to the gills with fish sauce, chinese chives and glass noodles for authentic home cooking. But I'll never quite get over the secret thrill of going out for Chinese.

So Rasa Sayang is always my go to place for American style Chinese. It's next to my house, they deliver and they have some Malaysian and Thai dishes on the menu. It's a solid, dependable neighborhood Chinese place. But if I want something a little different? Then it's time to put on pants, get in the car and head over to VUU Asian Bistro.

Shrimp tempura udon

VUU is Asian fusion, a blending of different styles and flavors from different Asian countries. You might get a little kimchee in your sushi or get a different take on a familiar stir fry.  We love their soups and I tend to order almost exclusively from their soup menu. Their take on the traditional Vietmanese soup known as "pho" is a giant bowl of vermicelli noodles in a rich beef broth, topped with thick slices of roast beef and served with a variety of hot sauces to customize with. Recently I had a bowl of the shrimp tempura udon. This is a giant bowl of rich broth, slippery noodles and crunchy vegetables, alongside two crispy tempura battered shrimp. It's a sloppy eat, because those thick noodles are hard to navigate with chopsticks, but totally worth getting noodle faced. They also have egg drop, ramen and hot and sour soups. I'm a big fan of soups. I wish more places had such an extensive soup menu.

Tuna lovers roll

Alongside the soups and stir fries, they also have a sushi counter. Everything is freshly prepared as you order it, using high quality ingredients. It's not quite up to Shallots's standard for sushi, but only just. Definitely stop by and give it a try if you are a sushi lover. They also have a good selections of appetizers, including the expected potstickers, crab rangoon and egg rolls. But they also have a few unexpected treats, such as panko crusted avocado fries.

The decor is modern, with black granite table tops, white porcelain and lime green accents. It gives the restaurant a fresh, clean aesthetic. The modern feel is only helped by your server taking your order via iPhone and swiping your card right there at the table with the same phone. It's the only place I've seen so far up here using smartphones like this. It looks cool and it's convenient too. Here's hoping more places start using this technology.

So yeah, VUU is definitely worth stopping by if you are in the neighborhood.

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Easy Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry

Chinese New Year started on Friday, and I married into a Chinese family, so of course we are having fun eating our traditional foods like noodles for long life and a whole fish for prosperity. Even if you aren't celebrating Chinese New Year, stir fries are a great way to eat more vegetables. You can stir fry almost any vegetable and lean protein together. I have a beautifully seasoned wok now, but for years I made my stir fries in a regular skillet. As long as you can cook quickly, over high heat, you can make delicious stir fries at home. The great thing about stir fries is that they are endlessly customizable. You can do any combination of veggies and protein. 

The trick to a good stir fry is to cook everything very fast. You need to chop everything in small, even pieces, get your pan extremely hot and just keep it moving. Stir fries are the only thing where I make sure all my vegetables are chopped before I turn on the stove, Usually, I chop as I go. If you try that while stir frying, something will burn. So make it easy on yourself and chop everything first. You can even cook your rice before getting started. It's one less thing to worry about.

For a tough, woody vegetable like broccoli, it needs more than just touching the wok to cook through. I always give it a quick stir fry to brown it, then blanch it very quickly in the wok before cooking anything else. The tofu needs some prep work too. It needs to be pressed and drained before cooking and I like to give it a swirl of soy sauce and sesame oil before cooking.


Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry

2 crowns brocoli, separated into florets
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, cut into strips
1 block tofu, rinsed, drained and cubed (I like to marinade mine with one tablespoon soy sauce and one teaspoon sesame seed oil. It adds flavor to the tofu and it keeps it from sticking.)
1/2 teaspoon of ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Get your skillet or wok extremely hot. I test mine by flicking drops of water at it. If it sizzles immediately, its good. Give it a good glug of canola oil, or something else that can take the heat and swirl pan to ensure coverage. Add broccoli to pan and move it around to keep it from burning. Add about a quarter cup of water, then cover with a tight fitting lid. Let broccoli cook until bright green and tender, about three minutes. Remove immediately and rinse out wok. Heat it back up, add more oil.

Add carrots and onion, stir it around for about a minute. Add tofu, continue to stir. Add minced garlic and ginger, then add broccoli back to the wok. Stir it again. Combine cornstarch with enough water to make a slurry, plus the leftover soy sauce. Add to wok, stir to make sure vegetables and tofu are covered. Serve immediately.

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Easy Braised Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

I realize that I haven't posted much Asian food lately. Which makes me sad, because my Asian recipes are some of our favorites.  Here's one that uses the late season japanese eggplants that are still popping up in our CSA box every week. It's a little sweet and as spicy as you want it to be. It's pretty easy, because it doesn't require any special stir frying skills or equipment like a wok. All you need is an oven, a casserole dish and a knife to chop with. It's a great side dish for grilled meats or part of a larger Asian inspired meal. I actually served it along side some tofu and veggie soup earlier this week as part of a vegetarian meal. Here's how to do it.


Easy Braised Eggplant in Garlic Sauce


2 japanese eggplants, cut into one inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
Chili-garlic hot sauce to your liking (We prefer Sriracha)

Combine ingredients in casserole dish. Add about a tablespoon of water, then cover with lid. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for twenty minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

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