Staying Fit & Fueled while Holiday Shopping & Party-ing, 9021pho

By Laura Medina

Vietnamese Master Chef Kimmy Tang of 9021pho, http://9021pho.com/

Okay, Halloween has officially launch its antithesis, the exuberantly yet stress-inducing Christmas Season where expectations are astronomically high from budget-busting gifting to perfect physiques subsisting on cookie & candy platters.

Oh, let's get real, no mere mortal can reach those standards, even the beautiful people of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles can't live that.  They're under even more additional stress from high society obligations from charity galas to Holiday Lighting.  What a cultari/celebunante/fashionista to do?

Well, this scribe is gonna let the cat out of the bag for the normal people, those "beautiful people" lunch, snack, and dine at this cute, petite but growing healthy chain of French Vietnamese well-done basics, 9021pho, http://9021pho.com/

Vietnamese Master Chef Kimmy Tang saw a gaping hole in the real daily, sunny life of Beverly Hills, a quick, clean, efficient gourmet restaurant that offers gourmet, yummy but fast and healthy meals that go beyond burgers, burritos, and pizza, at affordable, attainable prices.  Prices so affordable that your tween and teen can afford to eat there, by themselves,  after school... on their own allowances.  "Whew!" went the Beverly Hills parents.

Beverly Hills shoppers, shopgirls, and shopboys, and the unsuspecting tourists also find it convenient and classy, think of it as Los Angeles' version of the Brit/NY Pret A Manger.

She took her chances, a year ago, opening up her first 9021pho at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Dr., one of Beverly Hills' shopping streets but it worked out to her latest expansion,  another shopping mecca, the Glendale Galleria at 1164 Glendale Galleria Way, Suite G019, Glendale, CA 91210.  This past Sunday, November 3rd from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m, 9021pho hosted a special food and fashion event there. 

The “My Life, My Style, My Ao Dai” event featured unique designers who combined culture and traditional techniques into wearable Ao Dai couture, now growing in popularity among women around the world. Vietnamese Master Chef Kimmy Tang displayed Ao Dai, the Vietnamese national dress, an iconic symbol.  Vietnamese women use Ao Dai's as a way to make sure they stay fit and healthy.

“Traditional Vietnamese food is healthy and wholesome. “When I cook, I use minimal oils and only the freshest ingredients,” said Chef Kimmy Tang.  Every dish I create for 9021Pho is no different than what a health-conscious mother would serve her family – delicious and full of nutrients.”  In a strategic collaboration with 9021Pho, GlobALLhealth brings together the elements of Vietnamese food, health, and fashion to bring awareness to women’s health and empowerment. “We are also excited that 9021Pho is offering healthy Vietnamese food along with the venue to carry out the event for a meaningful charity,” said Quinn Tran of globALLhealth.

One of the charities benefiting from this fashion and food event is The VANGO Network, an organization that helps empower 50 youth (10 to 18-years-old) for their HIPE (Healthy Initiatives through Peer Education) activities, which allow them to educate and coach other teens on health issues. Each year, they serve close to 3,000 school children on various health topics. 

If you want to eat like a Beverly Hills celebunate/socialite so you can look like one and you're not in LA, Las Vegas, or New York, you can recreate some of her yummy but healthy dishes at home.

But if you want a real holiday, do a holiday shopping trip in Beverly Hills and fuel up at 
9021pho at 490 N. Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 from Fri-Sat 11am-11pm and
Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, (310) 275-5277,  http://9021pho.com/location-2/beverly-hills like the natives do.

 Chef Kimmy’s Sole Fish with Lemongrass SERVES 4
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds sole fillet
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart lemon juice
1 quart honey
1 cup finely chopped lemongrass
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon oil
Directions:
1. Marinate the sole with salt, lemon juice, honey, and lemongrass. Set aside.
2. In the meantime, preheat the sauté pan with high heat until the pan is hot.
3. Then add oil and put the sole into to the pan without the juice. Pan-fry the sole until
golden brown, turn to other side, and pan-fry for a few minutes or until its golden
brown.
4. Add chicken stock and remaining juice. Reduce the heat to a minimum and cook until
juice is thick.
5. Serve hot with rice.

 Chef Kimmy’s Fresh Rolls
Ingredients:
4 ounces cooked chicken
1 teaspoon cooking oil
2 ounces shredded jicama
2 ounces shredded cucumber
1 ounce shredded carrots
1 bunch mint
1 lettuce head
8 sheets of rice paper
Sauce:
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts
Instructions:
Soak rice paper into warm water and wait until it is soft. Then place the steamed chicken in the soft rice paper with 1 piece lettuce, jicama, cucumber, carrots and mint. Roll it tight. Serve cold.

 Chef Kimmy’s Caramelized Chicken Breast served with Bok-Choy

Ingredients:
16 ounces chicken breast
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 sliced ginger pieces
Pinch of salt and pepper
Optional:
8 ounces cut and cleaned Bok Choy
1  teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions:
Marinate chicken breast with honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper for at least 1 hour. Pre-heat sauté pan with high heat and add oil. Place the chicken breast without the marinated sauce into the sauté pan for one minute, then turn it over to cook for another minute. Pour all the marinated sauce into the sauté pan and add ½ cup of water. Turn the heat to low and cook until sauce is reduced.  Serve hot.
For Bok Choy
Pre-heat sauté pan with high heat, add oil and garlic, quickly stir for about 5 seconds, and then add Bok Choy. Cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with caramelized chicken.