Hi Friends! Lunar New Year is approaching and I am posting what to do with leftovers already. Not to rush your Lunar New Year’s festivities but if you’re like me, you make mountains of food for Lunar New Year and then have a ton of leftovers. No one wants to waste food but recycling leftovers creatively does require […]
I love seitan and have touted its versatility as a tasty meat substitute in earlier posts. I’ve shared the basic seitan recipe and the one below is essentially the same except for two things: 1) we add soy sauce to the water to give it color and saltiness 2) we use a bit more baking powder to give it a […]
Sour Soup? The word “sour” may be off-putting to some and not a taste that is immediately appealing. The name of this dish is the direct translation for this soup’s Vietnamese name “Canh Chua” but some subtleties get lost in translation. I’d rather call this “Perfectly Balanced Tart, Savory, and Sweet with Abundant Vegetables and Hearty Fish Soup” […]
I’ve always been fascinated by the creamy, silkiness of Yampi Soup (Canh Khoai Mo). The fact that this unique slippery texture comes from a root vegetable is equally intriguing. What exactly is this mysterious vegetable? My research tells me this vegetable, called the Yampi Root, is a tuber in the yam family. It’s called by many different […]
This recipe for Vietnamese Beef Meatballs (Bo Vien) is easy to make at home and delicious! If this is your first time trying Vietnamese Beef Meatballs you may be surprised by the consistency. They are not soft like American or Italian meatballs. On the contrary, they are springy and sometimes described as “rubbery”–but in a good […]
If you’re on the quest for vegetarian options, you may be interested in trying Seitan, a meat alternative made from wheat gluten. Seitan isn’t new; it’s been around for over two thousand years with origins in China. With its mild taste, chewy texture and high protein content, it’s a great substitute for meat. Like tofu, it’s really easy to […]
Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Cakes (Banh Tet) are must-have foods for Vietnamese New Year / Tet. There are many variations on the filling, some sweet and others savory. This recipe is the savory version with a mung bean and pork filling. Unlike their square-shaped siblings, Square Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Cakes (Banh Chung), these cakes are smaller, cylindrical and […]
As the weather cools I gravitate toward soupy dishes and my favorite soups always have lots of noodles like this delicious Won Ton Noodle Soup. The soup is quite eclectic with its variety of ingredients. It has hearty meat-filled dumplings, savory roast pork, succulent shrimp, leafy greens, oodles of egg noodles, sprigs of fresh herbs and a sautéed garlic topping to add the right amount […]
This Spinach and Shrimp Balls Soup (Canh Rau Spinach voi Tom Vien) recipe makes a light and healthy dish your whole family will enjoy. Forget about eating frozen overly processed shrimp balls. (They taste like rubber!) These homemade shrimp balls are easy to make and so healthy. Don’t worry if the balls aren’t perfectly round. They aren’t meant […]
When I moved away for college, this was the dish I made regularly. With its hearty broth, rice vermicelli, shredded chicken, steamed pork roll, fried eggs and fresh greens, this soup was (and still is) the perfect combination of Viet flavors. It’s a dish that was pretty simple to make and I felt good about cooking some authentic Vietnamese food for myself. My recipe […]
