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.
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Spaghetti squash is something I’ve seen online for years before finally giving a try and it certainly paid off. Many years back, my girlfriend was actually craving squash carbonara this week, so I wanted to give it a try. Turns out, this squash is delicious and a great healthy alternative to pasta and we’ve been eating this ever since! There
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If you know the joys of bún thịt nướng (Vietnamese grilled pork and noodles), you’ll love this recipe. Savory, flavor-packed grilled pork meatballs over noodles, with a medley of aromatic herbs all married together with Vietnamese fish sauce. Aaand it’s easy to make! Let me know you. There are LOTS of fresh veggies in many Vietnamese dishes, wouldn’t you agree?
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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
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This Japanese dish of agedashi tofu is a delightful little treat of floured and deep fried tofu, sitting in a flavorful broth you take sips of with each tofu bite. It’s great as a little side dish but is something that should be eaten immediately after served so the deep fried layer stays as crisp as possible. Some background I’ll
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My trip to Oregon was made possible because of my super-generous cousins Chris and Erica. They opened up their home up to me, gave me tours, fed me (!), put up with my insatiable junk food appetite & other nonsense I threw at them 🙂 The main event here was to celebrate [the talented] Chris‘ fancy backyard 30th birthday bash. On their days
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This stuffed bitter melon soup is a delicious Vietnamese “soup”, stuffed with pork, mushroom, and mung bean noodles, simmered until the melon softens in a light chicken broth. As a kid, my parents couldn’t get me to eat this stuff, but I’ve really grown to love this dish. This dish is typically a heck yes, or heck no situation for
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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
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Many Vietnamese people fled their home country after the Vietnam War and ended up in Louisiana. The Vietnamese were exposed to new, local foods resulting in some current mainstays of Vietnamese cuisine, such as Cajun crawfish boil, chicory in Vietnamese coffee and of course, boiled peanuts. These are popularly boiled with just salt, or with Cajun spices, but in this recipe we’re going to keep it simple and
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This Japanese miso soup recipe is very simple to make, and is so comforting to sip on! This reciple has silken tofu, miso paste, dashi, and dried seaweed. If you cook a lot of Japanese food, you may already have these ingredients stocked. The ingredients list is as simple as the method to cook it! As a youngin, my parents took
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This pandan sticky rice dessert, or xôi lá dứa, is great blend of sweet, salty, and nutty flavors. The star here is the amazingly aromatic pandan leaves, highlighted by sweet coconut, brought together by warm sticky rice. Glutinous rice is used for this, not just regular rice that you can make sticky! The main flavor comes from pandan leaves, which
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This dish is something I often eat as an appetizer at Japanese restaurants and it always leaves me craving more! So I decided to make it at home, where I can have as much as I want without feeling guilty asking the waiter for more refills. This is a side dish is called sunomono, which has a nice and light vinegary
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