Kabocha squash is a winter squash that I like to keep around for various recipes. I mostly use this in soups and stews, but you can do a lot of other things with this lil guy. When it’s more orange on the outside the flesh will be more red inside and it is sweeter. However, when it’s green outside, the…
Gà kho is an aromatic, sweet, spicy, and pungent yet balanced combination of flavors that pair amazingly well with chicken. It’s quite easy to make too! I’ve had the chance to try different recipes of ga kho back at home. When I think about thịt kho (dishes with caramelized meats) from my family’s meals, it covers a lot of dishes.…
The holiday season is upon us and when it’s cold outside, nothing’s as nice as cozying up with a nice, hot beverage (while donning your Snuggie). When you want a cup of hot cocoa, making it at home is really not that hard. It sure beats the packaged instant mixes too. Using chocolate will give a bit of a richer…
This Vietnamese boiled cabbage recipe is incredibly simple. What makes it different is the dipping sauce that goes with it! A typical Vietnamese meal at my family’s house includes some kind of meat or protein, rice, and always some sort of vegetable dish, even if the protein dish was vegetable-heavy. One side dish that I had at the dinner table…
Ok my firep 1 attempt at the Filipino Lechon Kawali (pan fried pork belly) did not turn out as expected… haha. I figured since the pork was already cooked, this final pan-frying was just to brown it and puff the skin in hot oil. I placed it in the pan to fry and seriously started to worry for my safety.…
I’ve been wanting to take a whack lechon kawali for a long time now. The first one I tried was made by the GF’s mom about 18 months ago and it was soo addicting. Lechon kawali is a Filipino dish literally meaning pan-fried pork. Technically, it is first braised, then pan-fried pork belly. I’ve looked around for recipes and finally…
Vietnamese coffee is an intensely strong and sweet coffee, that’s sure to dissolve your morning daze and perk you up for the day. Its dark roast coffee and potent condensed milk, slowly dripped through a metal filter (phin) make this a unique coffee. In Vietnam, coffee, whether it’s brewed and served at home or in restaurants, is brewed leisurely (i.e.…
This traditional Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe (gỏi cuốn) is full of fresh veggies, herbs, soft slices of pork, and shrimp all brought together with a super flavorful hoisin and peanut dipping sauce. What are Vietnamese spring rolls or gỏi cuốn? Gỏi cuốn literally means salad rolls, and for the longest time I never made that connection. I just assumed it was a unique…
This is a very simple fried tofu and softened tomatoes (dậu sốt cà chua), seasoned with fish sauce and quickly simmered, topped with sliced scallions and served with hot fluffy rice. It’s a dish I enjoyed a lot growing up, that mom and grandma could whip up in half an hour. And if you can buy pre-fried tofu, you can…
This Vietnamese thịt kho recipe is a low and slow braise with suuuper tender and flavorful pork, with hard-boiled eggs that have absorbed all the seasoning too. It’s traditionally served around the lunar new year because of how well it keeps after cooking. It’s savory, salty, and slightly sweet seasoned mainly with fish sauce and soy sauce paired with hard-boiled eggs.…
Nước Màu, or caramel sauce is added for color in a lot of Vietnamese recipes, and it’s easy to make! All you need is sugar and water. This recipe makes enough for my thịt kho recipe, but you can easily triple or quadruple this recipe to store in the fridge. It’s currently tailored to be more liquidy for Thịt Kho.…