[Vietnamese Recipes] Traditional Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)

I can’t believe Christmas is right around the corner! This year seriously flew by. Right now, it’s pretty cold in SF, so I’m all about cozy recipes right now. And if you’ve been reading this blog you know that that means noodle soups. 

[Vietnamese Recipes] Fried Fish with Lemongrass (Ca Chien Xa)

Story time. I was about 9. Mom asked me to fry fish for dinner. I jumped at the opportunity to finally help her in the kitchen. "Oh boy! Oh boy! It's going to be so much fun!" I thought. It wasn't fun.

[Malaysian Recipes] Kuih Ketayap - Sweet Coconut Crêpe

This is another re-visit: sweet coconut crêpe / kuih ketayap recipe...

[Vietnamese Recipes] Sticky Rice (Xôi Mặn)

Vietnamese Sticky Rice is an easy and exciting rice LOADED with toppings that are sautéed until beautifully crispy.

[Vietnamese Recipes] Braised Pork And Eggs - Thịt Kho Trứng

This home-style dish typically served in many Vietnamese homes and is especially popular during Lunar New Year celebrations. Chunks of pork and whole eggs are slowly cooked in a sweet and savory broth of shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and coconut soda. Once it caramelizes and the meat is tender, it’s served with jasmine rice and pickled vegetables.

[Vietnamese Recipes] Modern Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua)

Soup is not the first thing you think of when you think of summer, but in Vietnam, it feels like summer all year round. If I were to choose a “summer soup” in Vietnamese cuisine, it would be canh chua. Canh chua was a staple in my household growing up, and it was often served with another yummy dish – ca kho to or Vietnamese carmelized catfish. I seriously always looked forward to it because no matter what time of the year it was, it always felt refreshing and healthy.

[Vietnamese Recipes] Roast Red Pork in Banh Mi (with pink color)

One of the delicious layers of the flavorful, simple, and classic Vietnamese Banh Mi is the roasted pork that has a tinge of red and pink coloration. While there are many flavorful layers inside of this delicious classic, the star of the show is the roast red pork. You’ll know if you are getting close to an authentic version if the slices of pork in your sandwich has a tinge of pink around it.

While beef is traditionally used in an authentic Vietnamese banh mi, you’ll find that most prefer pork roast on this ubiquitous sandwich. In this post, I wanted to share with you my secret ingredient for getting the flavor and the look of the pork shoulder (you could use use pork tenderloin) to make Vietnamese banh mi right at home.

In Vietnamese, it is known as Xa Xiu. In Catonese, it’s known as Char Siu.

[Korean Recipes] Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)

Mayak Eggs are an incredibly popular side dish in Korea, featuring jammy soft-boiled eggs marinated overnight in a delicious soy-based sauce. These Korean marinated eggs are so quick and simple to make, but ever so scrumptious with a wonderful burst of flavor.
What are Mayak Eggs?

[Vietnamese Recipes] Pork Chops

Take your go-to weeknight protein to the next level with these mouthwatering Vietnamese pork chops. They're full of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors, heightened by the uniquely fragrant profile of the lemongrass. Once you learn how to prep this simple herb, you'll want to use it all the time!

[Indian Recipes] Naan Bread

Naan - easy naan bread recipe using a cast-iron skillet. Soft, puffy, with beautiful brown blisters just like Indian restaurants.

[Malaysian Recipes] Simple Malaysian Mee Goreng

Stir fried noodles in 5 minutes? Yes please. Drizzled in a mix of sweet soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil, this easy Mee Goreng recipe will have your taste buds flaming with flavour!

[Chinese Recipes] STEAMED BAO BUNS

Traditional Chinese steamed buns are round in shape with an enclosed filling, either with char siu pork or a traditional ground pork mixture with slices of Chinese lap cheong sausage and boiled egg.

[Vietnamese Recipes] Vietnamese Cinnamon Pork Pate - Cha Que

My parents visited recently over the holidays (This post took a lot longer then we expected, but never late then never! ) and did some baking. But to mom, baking is much more savory endeavor. She doesn’t have a sweet tooth and I don’t think she ever baked a cake or cookie before. Not even for our birthdays. We didn’t have a glass of milk and cookies for after school snacks like our American counterparts, in fact our typical after school snack would be a warm banh day with a slab of freshly baked chả quế, a baked cinnamon laced porkv chả. I would come home to a house smelling of freshly baked pork and cinnamon. Totally weird sounding, right? But I didn’t care back then, because the chả quế she made was absolutely delicious to come home to and I don’t think I missed out on chocolate chip cookies.

[Chinese Recipes] Herbal Chicken Soup (药膳鸡汤)

Soups are quite important and necessary to normal Chinese autumn and winter days. We believe that it is quite dry in those two seasons and thus soups with various herbals are employed to moisten our lung and remove body heat. Those ingredients, which are believed to beneficial to our body, are used most frequently in Cantonese cuisine. Some Cantonese drinks the liquid only. But the meats are quite nourishing too.

[Vietnamese Recipes] Crock Pot Chicken Pho

I will repeat: Crock Pot Chicken Pho. I know. And you’re welcome.  Ok, I’m in no way saying that this phở is anywhere near the phở that the tiny little Vietnamese woman at Toast N’Phở makes (my favorite pho in Portland), but it’s close. Damn close. Mainly because we made it ourselves.  In our Crock Pot.  While we were at work.  WIN.

[Japanese Recipes] Spicy Miso Ramen - Express

I set out to take the first post of 2014 easy… I did.  I thought perhaps a harmless little breakfast pancake can be nice, glistening syrup under the hopeful morning light that symbolizes a new start within me…  Or, perhaps, a statement-recipe like a creme brûlée and ham french toasts-sandwich that’s simple, but flaunting and strange enough to revitalize this blog’s otherwise-subtle individuality in the year to come…  Or better yet, perhaps a complete slacker-post on a summary of everything that could and has gone wrong in my kitchen in 2013… kinda hey~ here’s a finecollection of things you probably don’t wanna eat but don’t I sound really cute talking about it?

But instead, this came out…  And believe me, although it may not look remotely that way, this is taking-it-easy, well… as far as Japanese ramen goes. 

[Vietnamese Recipes] Suon Nuong - Grilled Pork Ribs

One of the perks of having a mother who works for a meat distribution company are the random acts of kindness meatiness that occur from time to time. I love it when Mom surprises me with pounds of jumbo shrimp, bags of frozen chicken fingers, or most recently, racks of baby back ribs. With Memorial Day, the official start of the summer grilling season, around the corner, the timing could not have been any more perfect. These racks o’ ribs were destined to meet the heat, Vietnamese-style.

Sườn nướng was a mealtime staple growing up. Not only was it served often on weeknights for dinner, but it also made regular appearances at beachside family gatherings—La Jolla Shores, represent. The ease of prepping and cooking the ribs, as well as their intrinsic deliciousness, made them a standby for every occasion.

Comprised of just five ingredients—fish sauce, sugar, salt, black pepper, and shallots—this easy marinade treats pork to a sweet, salty, and wholly umami bath. Soaked overnight, then grilled over hot flames, the ribs’ exterior caramelizes beautifully, while the innards remain tender and flavorful.

The recipe below produces ribs that are savory enough to pair with a heap of rice, the Vietnamese way, but for those looking to eat their meat straight up, ease up some on the fish sauce and salt.

According to Mom, this is the best marinade ever. And she’s absolutely right.

• 2 to 3 pounds pork ribs, separated
• 2 large shallots, finely minced
• 4 ounces fish sauce (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 ounces granulated sugar (approximately 1/3 cup)

[Vietnamese Recipes] Bun Cha Ha Noi – Pork Meatballs With Vermicelli Noodles Salad

A tasty recipe for Bun Cha – grilled Vietnamese pork meatballs served with a vermicelli noodle salad with fresh herbs and citrus dipping sauce (nuoc cham). A healthy and delicious dish, perfect for lunch or dinner.

A Vietnamese dipping sauce, called nouc cham, is essential to this dish to dress the noodles and to add a salty and sour element – a flavour combination which is essential to many Vietnamese dishes.

[Indian Recipes] Pan Fried Teasel Gourd - Wild Bitter Melon

Monsoon is a delightful time of the year for a foodie in my coastal southern Karnataka. There are some very unique fruits and vegetables which are grown wild and only available during monsoon.

One such vegetable is Teasel Gourd, a wild spiny bitter melon (Momordica cochinchinensis) which looks like miniature bitter melon but not nearly as bitter. They are beautiful green in colour and have tiny spines all over them. They are available frozen in Indian stores outside India and are called ‘Kantola’ (in Hindi).

[Indian Recipes] Moroccan Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Soup

It’s soup Monday and I personally couldn’t be happier about it. For the soup… and for Monday. For a Monday? Wait what?