88 GOURMET TRAVELLER
K
hanhNguyenisn’tonetobeboundbyconvention.
Thefoodat Sunda,hisrestauranttuckedinto
PunchLaneincentralMelbourne,celebrates
bothcontemporarySoutheastAsianflavours
andAustralianingredientsina menuthatspeaks
tothecityandhisplaceinit,morethantotradition.“I wanted
Sundatobea representationofwhoI wasasa chef,”hesays.
Inpractice,thatlookslikebuttermilkrotiservedwithVegemite
currydippingsauce,andSydneyrockoysterstoppedwith
coconut-curryvinaigretteandTasmanianpepperleaf.
Thedrivetocreatehisownstylewassparkedbyaninternship
withNomaAustralia.“ThebestadviceRenéRedzepigaveme,”
hesays,“wastocookfoodthatis truetoyourself.”Thisis what
inspireshimat Sunda;it’sat oncecreative,anddeeplypersonal.
Whatyouwon’tfindonthemenu,however,arethefamily-style
mealsthatforma vitalpartoftheday-to-daystaffexperience.
Therecipeshereareriffsonthesefamilymeals;someare
Nguyen’s,othersarefromhisteam.Andlikethefoodonthe
mainmenu,theytakecuesfromdifferentpeopleandplaces.
Thebuttermilkfriedchicken,forexample,mixesSoutheastAsian
andsouthernAmericanflavours.Thai-stylechickenlarb,froma
chefNguyenworkedwithat MrWong,is a favourite:“It’stextural
andrefreshing,”saysNguyen.Othersareperfectforthistime
ofyear:a fishcurry,cookedrendang-style,orchickenpoached
ina masterstock,whichcanbereusedagainandagain.
Thedishesrepresenta meltingpotofcuisinesandcultures,
as wellas ideasfroma newgenerationofchefs.“Thestaffdishes
aresometimesevolvedforthemenu,”saysNguyen.They’remeals
thatkeepongiving,bestsharedwithyourownfamilyandfriends.
Sunda, 18 Punch Ln, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9654 8190, sunda.com.auBeefrice-paperrolls
SERVES8-10// PREPTIME1 HR// COOK 10 MINS(PLUSMARINATING,PICKLING)“Thisis probablymyfavouritethingtoeatofalltime,andit’sreallyfun,becauseeveryonecanrolltheirown,”says
KhanhNguyen.“Thedippingsauceis mygrandma’srecipebutI’veaddedbrownbutterforextrarichness. It’s seriously
addictive.”Startthisrecipea dayaheadtomarinatethebeefandpicklethecarrot.Picturedp87.100 gmunsaltedbutter,
coarselychopped
200 gmricevermicelli
30 largericepaperwrappers
(about340gm)
1 greenapple,cutintobatons
2 Lebanesecucumbers,cut
intobatons
1 headbutterlettuce,leaves
separated
3 cups(firmlypacked)Asian
herbs,suchasshisoleaves,
mintandVietnamesemint
Beansprouts(optional),
toserve
MARINATEDBEEF
500 gmskirtsteak,thinly
sliced
100 gmroastedunsalted
peanuts,coarselychopped
2 tsp caster sugar1½ tbspmamnem(see note)
1½ tbspfishsauce
PICKLEDCARROT
2 carrots,cutintojulienne
50 mlfishsauce
50 mlwhitevinegar
50 mllemonjuice
50 gmcastersugar
PINEAPPLEDIPPINGSAUCE
50 gmdicedunsaltedbutter
100 gmroastedunsalted
peanuts
1/3 cupcannedpineapplein
juice,includingjuice
1 lemongrassstalk(white
partonly),thinlysliced
1 garlicclove,chopped
½ birdseyechilli,coarsely
chopped,plusextrasliced
toserve
2 tbsp mam nem (see note)1 Formarinatedbeef,combine
ingredientsand1 tspsaltina
bowl,cover,andrefrigerate
overnighttomarinate.
2 Forpickledcarrot,combine
ingredientsin a containerand
refrigerateovernighttopickle.
3 Forpineappledippingsauce,
cookbutterin a smallsaucepan
overmedium-highheatuntilnut
brown(3minutes),thencool.
Blendremainingingredients
in a blenderuntilsmooth,then
graduallypourin brownbutter
untilemulsified.Seasontotaste.
4 Melthalfthebutterin a frying
panoverhighheat,addhalfthe
beefandstir-fryuntilbrowned
(4-5minutes).Wipeoutpanand
repeatwithremaining butter
and beef.5 Meanwhile,soakvermicelli
in a largebowlofboilingwater
untiltender(30seconds).Drain
wellandcutinto2cmpieces.
6 Workingwith1 wrapper
ata time,dipwrapperintoa
bowlofhotwatertosoften
(20-30seconds;it mayseemdry
butit’llcontinuetosoften).Lay
flatona worksurface,spoon
vermicelli,beef,apple,cucumber,
pickledcarrot,lettuce,herbsand
sproutsalongthecentre,then
leavefora minuteforricepaper
toabsorbwater.Foldin ends
androlluptightly.Servewith
dippingsaucetoppedwithchilli.
NoteMamnem,a fermented
anchovysauce,is available
from Vietnamese grocers.
ALL PROPS RESTAURANT & STYLIST’S OWN.