A Vietnamese Moment

I've been making an effort to blog more recipes... hopefully over the next few months, I get all the recipes I want from my mom. I haven't had much practice in making these dishes on my own though because I don't like to eat my own cooking (weird, I know). My next step is perfecting these dishes... hopefully I can make my boyfriend or dad eat whatever the heck it is I make. Anyway, this dish is present at many Chinese restaurants. It's super easy and quick to make... seriously, this is done in 10 minutes! The only thing is - I don't think I translated the name into English correctly... will update when I find out what the English name is! Ingredients: 1 large bag of snow pea shoots (the market I went to didn't have snow pea shoots so I bought pea sprouts instead... tasted exactly the same! I think they are the same...) Bot nem ga (chicken broth) 9 cloves of garlic Fish Sauce (optional) Oyster Sauce 1. In a large skillet, heat cooking oil on low/mediu...

Here Danh - it's one of the recipe's you've been asking and asking me for. So here it is.... you're welcome!! I had to endure mom for 2 hours for this -___-; one hour to get the recipe and another hour for that 2 mile night walk she made me go on with her. You owe me. Anyway, this is a savory egg pancake that you can eat with rice. I know what you're thinking... eggs... as a meal?? But this is actually a pretty hearty entree. Not sure if it's considered a "pancake" or some type of Vietnamese omelette. Ingredients: 1 lb of minced pork 20 medium shrimp (peeled) 1 small bag of vermicelli (about 1.7 oz) 3 small red onions 1/2 large white onion fish sauce sugar pepper bot nem ga (chicken broth) 12-13 large eggs 1. So, let's start with prepping the vermicelli. You want to soften the vermicelli (thin-white noodles) by soaking/washing it in room temperature water (or cold, whatever) for about five minutes. Dry in a colander. With scissors,...

So, when people think of Vietnamese food, they think of PHO. This is the quintessential Vietnamese dish - I have it several times a week (not by choice!). My dad and my boyfriend are both pho lovers ... seriously, I think my boyfriend loves pho more than any Vietnamese person I know and he's not even Vietnamese. I personally think pho is just so-so. However, I always crave pho on a rainy, gloomy, or cold day. It's perfect for when you're sick too because its flagrant aroma really wakes up your senses! Yes, this is my momma's pho recipe! WOOT! :D Warning: This recipe takes around six hours to make. I want to perfect this recipe... and to tell you the truth, my mother's pho recipe isn't that great. I've read some pho blogs and some recipes call for an 8 hr simmer instead of 6 hr simmer. One day, when I'm a lady of leisure and my only worries include shopping and cooking (trophy wife ;) I want to experiment with this recipe and improve it. Until then, t...

Okay okay, I know what you're thinking. Isn't this just like another recipe I've posted? Well, yes and no. Vietnamese people LOVE caramel sauce, which is a heated mixture between vegetable oil and sugar. What makes this dish different is the use of thai serrano chili. It gives this dish a spice that takes the flavor in a slightly different direction. It also uses a different type of fish - black pomfret (in my opinion) tastes sweeter and less fishy than tilapia. Try it :) My boyfriend suggested that I should dress up the final versions of this pictures... well the problem is - I cook but I don't like to eat my own food. So, dressing up the food requires serving it onto a plate for someone to eat. Maybe one day I'll make that extra effort and eat it - until then, you'll see all the food I make still in their pots and pans :) Ingredients: 2 Ca Chim Den Kho chopped (Black Pomfret Fish) Sugar Bot Nem Ga (chicken broth) Nuoc mam Salt Tamarand (me) Caramel...

The cold cold weather in CA (it's been about 60 degrees... eek!) has put me in the mood for some soup :). I know, I'm a wuss when it comes to cold weather but that just makes me a big soup lover :) I love making fish soups because they cook so quickly! Well, today I tried my hand at another Vietnamese fish soup.... and it took me less than half an hour :) This is an easy recipe when all you have at home is fish and tomatoes... personally, I think this dish is just so-so but it hits the spot on a cold day :) Ingredients: 2 tomatos 2 fish (chopped) [preferably a white fish] Tamarind (me) Nuoc mam Sugar Chicken granules (bot nem ga) 1. In a medium pot, boil some water. 2. Half and slice two tomatoes. This is the sliced tomatoes next to some me (tamarind). Mommy likes to add tamarind because it makes it extra flavorful.  3. Add tamarind and tomatoes to the water. You don't have to wait for the water to boil while doing this. This is what it should lo...

Happy New Years folks! As part of my new years resolution, I want to make an effort to cook Vietnamese dishes and blog them. So, to start the new year off right, here's another recipe :) I've been taking a hiatus from posting new dishes due to the crazy holiday/medical school interview season... but I'm back with another Vietnamese dish! This is one of my favorite Vietnamese home cooking dishes... it's so simple yet very savory! And even though it's a fried dish, I'd like to think the tofu makes it a slightly healthier option :) Ingredients: 1/2 or 1 full pack of Medium/medium-firm tofu 1 full tomato 2 green onions Fish sauce Sugar Chicken granules 1. Cut medium/medium-firm tofu in 1/4 inch rectangles. Don't cut too small or too big chunks! 2. Deep fry until slightly golden and crispy. Tip: make sure the oil is completely hot before frying or the tofu will soak up excess oil! And use canola oil or vegetable oil over olive oil... It c...

You might recognize this dish at Chinese restaurants... It's pretty common. My mom makes it at home and it's super easy! Tastes just like the dish at a Chinese restaurant :) I need to make this some day for my Taiwanese boyfriend... hopefully he likes it! Ingredients: 1 whole tilapia Ginger Salt and pepper Maggi Seasoning sauce Oyster Sauce 2-3 Green onions Chicken broth Vegetable Oil Start with one whole tilapia - Remember to sprinkle some salt into it and rinse it with water to clean. 1. Use a steamer of some sort. Steam the tilapia on high heat for fifteen minutes. You can place the tilapia into a bowl and just put it into the steamer. 2. Slice and shave a 1-2 inch knob of ginger and place into bowl. 3. Add 1 tablespoon maggi seasoning. 4. Add 1 tsp oyster sauce. 5. Dash of sesame oil if you have it. This is optional . I didn't have any when I made it and it still turned out really well. 6. Add 1/4-1/2 tablespoon sugar. 7. Add 1/4 tablespoon of bot n...