Bánh xèo seems to be designed to be eaten as a family. The batter, filling ingredients, and veggies aren’t complicated to prepare, but they don’t make sense to be bought or made to be eaten by yourself. You don’t just buy 1/4 pound of pork, 8 shrimps, or buy 1/4 head of lettuce. You kind of have to bump the…
Bún bò Huế is a hidden Vietnamese gem that has yet to “make it” in mainstream American cuisine. It’s a rich and spicy soup with deep layers of flavor. This Central Vietnamese soup is paired with tender slices of beef and pork, then topped with lots of fresh herbs. I consulted my favorite Vietnamese cook–Mom–on how to make bún bò Huế. And to find out subleties that make BBH…
This is perfect, simple cold weather soup. If you haven’t built up the courage to try the bitter melon soup I posted the other week, Vietnamese chicken soup with elbow macaroni might be a simpler start :). What’s that you say? Elbow macaroni isn’t Vietnamese?…hmm. You’re right, you’d probably never find this soup served in Vietnam or in any Vietnamese restaurants.…
Spaghetti squash is something I’ve seen online and social media for YEARS that caught my interest. My girlfriend was actually craving spaghetti squash carbonara this week, so I finally gave in and wanted to see what the fuss was about. There are paleo and other ‘cleaner’ spaghetti squash recipes you could make instead, but if you want to indulge, this is…
There are LOTS of fresh veggies in many vietnamese dishes, wouldn’t you agree? Any time you have a wrap, or something being dipped into sauce, it’s almost a given fresh lettuce or herbs will be a part of it. And in how many other types of soups do you order and pretty much expect a side of bean sprouts or…
This recipe for fried & stuffed tofu in tomato sauce is a meatified version of the popular Vietnamese dish of tofu in tomato sauce (or Đậu hũ dồn thịt sốt cà chua). That version is great, and probably the one I’ve had more of, however, the version you’re going to make in this post is more substantial–enough that you don’t…
The tộ in cá kho tộ refers to the clay pot this dish is traditionally prepared in. I don’t have any spare clay pots on hand and I bet most of you aren’t going to have it either so we’re going to cheat a bit and make this in a good ol’ fashioned non-stick pan. Mom’s old restaurant served cá kho in a…
This is love in a bowl. If you’ve had bún thịt nướng you know what I’m talking about. You have your sweet bits, sour bits, caramelization, some crunch, and aromatic herbs in a single, colorful arrangement. Depending in which restaurant you order your grilled pork with noodles (bún thịt nướng), you’ll find that it’s presented in different ways. For the…
I never thought I’d be craving a vegetable soup. Until now. In fact, I have strong memories as a kid, really hating the taste of tomatoes. Tomatoes even in a burgers were crossing the line. During my weekly piano lessons, my teacher would throw back a little bottle of V8 vegetable juice, leaving her breath with the wretched smell of…
Snacking on chả giò (egg rolls) plain is fine if you’re in a rush, but sometimes I need something more substantial. Plus I get to pat myself on the back for actually eating some greens. Bún chả giò is one good way to handle that. The bowl is lined with fresh shredded lettuce at the bottom, then topped with just rice vermicelli and…
