All posts tagged: vietnamese food

Pickled Carrots and Daikons

Pickled Carrots and Daikons

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If you’ve eaten Vietnamese vermicelli, or any Vietnamese BBQ lunch plates, or Vietnamese banh mi, you’ve probably have had pickled carrots and daikons. Being our main go-to side dish, pickled carrots and daikon are super easy to make. Unlike other pickling method, there is no need to cook any ingredient, or to can the vegetables. If you’re unfamiliar with daikons, they are long, white roots that are about twice as big as a carrot. They taste similar to a radish. These carrots and daikons will last for about a month in the fridge. Enjoy! Carrots, peeled Daikons, peeled 1 tbsp salt 1 cup sugar 2 cup water 2 cups rice wine vinegar 1. Julienne the carrots and daikons into thin strips. I used a mandoline. 2. Add salt and mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes. 3. The salt should suck out a lot of the vegetables’ moisture. Rinse well and use a salad spinner to dry. 4. Combine sugar, water and vinegar 5. Pack the carrots and daikons tightly in a glass or plastic …

Butternut Spring Rolls

Butternut Spring Rolls

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When thinking of antioxidant, most automatically think of leafy greens. We forget that winter squash such as butternut also carries loads of antioxidant, vitamin C, anti-inflamatory, omega-3s, blood sugar regulation, prevention of type 2 diabetes, etc. So next time you’re at the grocery store, give the kale a break and bring home a squash. Below is a vegetarian friendly recipe using butternut squash. Enjoy! 2 tablespoons of olive oil 9 oz butternut squash (peel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes) 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 tbsp chopped cilantro 1 tbsp sriracha (optional – omit if you don’t want the rolls to be spicy) 4 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts 2 tbsp hoisin sauce (plus more for serving) salt and pepper spring roll wrappers, defrosted (can be found at Asian markets, frozen aisle) 1 egg, beaten frying oil sweet chili sauce (for dipping, optional) 1. Heat olive oil in saute pan, add onion and squash cubes. Saute until they become soft. Alternatively, you can drizzle olive oil over the squash and onion, …

Vietnamese Crab & Lobster Noodle Soup in Tomato Broth (Bun Rieu Tom Cua)

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If you’ve ever been to a Vietnamese restaurant, you know we love our soups. The most popular Vietnamese noodle soup is, of course, pho. While pho is a national dish, its cousins such as Bun Bo Hue, Hu Tieu, or Bun Rieu deserve just as much attention. I grew up in Vinh Long, Vietnam. For a while, I lived with my grandmother on the country side of Vietnam. My parents and sisters had moved to the city. Because they made this decision in the middle of the year, I had to stay behind with my grandmother to finish the rest of the school semester. I think I was about 9 or 10 years old. Every weekend, I would take the ferry-boat to the city to visit my family, then take the ferry back to my grandma again. My youngest uncle, Cau Ut, was also finishing his high school years and living with my grandma. My grandmother owned a lot of land, which she used partially as rice paddy field. My uncle used to catch a lot …

Rack of Lamb with Vietnamese Miso

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I recently had an opportunity of writing a cookbook review for our local newspaper, the Georgia Asian Times. The given book was The Vietnamese Market Cookbook by Van Tran and Anh Vu. The book inspired me to get back in my kitchen and started cooking more often at home. One of the very first recipes I tested from the book was Shoulder of Lamb with Vietnamese Miso. Instead of lamb shoulder, I used two racks of lamb David and I purchased from Costco. I made it and my toughest critics, my very traditional, very Vietnamese parents, loved it. Truthfully, I’ve always been intimidated by lamb. To me, lamb are usually made by kitchen experts and served in restaurants where table manners are required, and your meal comes with 10 different utensils, each with an unnecessary purpose. Like the lady in the movie Titanic said, just start from the outside and work your way in. Growing up, we never ate lamb. Partly because of the cost, and also because it’s not a common cut of meat in …

Pâté Chaud

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After their colonization in Vietnam, the French left behind their love for bread, butter, pastries, etc. Overtime, Vietnamese cooks use their own adaptations of regional ingredients and create a fusion of French Vietnamese dishes that we all know and love today. Popular above all is the famous french baguette sandwich, the banh mi. From food trucks to Michelin star restaurants, banh mi is winning over America like mason jars have won their place at the dining room table. However, looking past the banh mi stand in most Vietnamese bakeries, you will find banh mi‘s less glamorous cousin, the pâté chaud. In French, pâté chaud literally means “hot pastry pie.” These savory puff pastries are so easy to make, and oh so delicious! INGREDIENTS 1 lb of ground pork 11 oz of pâté (You can make your own, or buy the canned pâté. I used 4 small cans.) 3 boxes of frozen puff pastries sheets (You can find these in the freezer aisle of your grocery store, next to the frozen desserts. I used Pepperidge Farm brand) 3 …