Kale Shrimp Salad

Cut and mix all ingredients together with the citrus juices and chill over nite

• Shrimp
• Kale
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice

Topping

• Aged Parmanesan Cheese
• Cilantro
• Red Onion
• Green Onion
• season with salt,pepper, garlic powder

Hoành Thánh (Vietnamese Wonton Soup)

 DUMPLIN
wonton skins
ground pork
mushroom
onions, finely
garlic
ginger

soya sauce

cooking wine
sesame oil
salt and pepper

BROTH
Chicken Broth
mushroom, carrots, celery, brocoli, cauliflower...

Bring the Broth boil, then add vegatables and let slow boil.
Add ginger, green onions

Mix ground pork, mushroom, onions, garlic, soya sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, salt and pepper
Place center a teaspoon of filling on wonton wrapper.

Fold the wonton into a pouch. Be sure to gently press out any air pockets.

Bring water to a boil in a separate pot and place all wrapped wontons in water till cooked. Drain and place in cold water to cool. This prevents sticking and overcooking

Serve wontons in broth soup.

Bánh Tét/ Chưng

5 cups long-grain sticky rice

1 14-ounce cans of coconut juice
1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

2 2/3 cup dried, hulled, and split yellow mung beans

1 1/4 pounds boneless pork chop (or pork butt), with some skin and fat

1 medium-sized onion, minced
3 tablespoons of sea salt

3 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

Night Before:

1. Soak the banana leaves, placing them in a large roasting pan and adding water to cover. Put a plate on top of the leaves to keep them submerged.

2. Cut the pork into pieces. Add the onion, fish sauce, pepper, and pork to a bowl and mix well. Let marinate overnight

3. Soak the rice in coconut juice and let it sit for a 1/2 hour. Then, cover it with three inches of water and let it sit overnight.

4. Place the mung beans in a bowl and rinse under cold water until the water is clear. Drain, then add enough cold water to cover beans by 1 inch. Let soak overnight.

The Morning:

5. Drain the mung beans. Fill the steamer bottom halfway with water. Bring to a rolling boil.  Put mung beans in the steamer tray and spread them out evenly. Place the tray in the steamer of boiling water and cover. Steam for about 8 minutes, or until the mung beans are tender. Remove the tray from the steamer bottom and set aside until the beans cool.

6. Process the beans in a food processor until it reaches a fluffy consistency. It should look like fine cornmeal but should hold together when you pinch a small bit between your fingers.

7. Drain the rice. Gradually mix in the salt, sprinkling it over the rice and using your hands to distribute it well.

8. Drain the banana leaves, rinse, and set aside.

Assemble and Boil the Cakes

9. Put a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on your work surface then Banana leaves, shiny side up and facing you. (This allows the green of the banana leaves to dye the rice while cooking).

10.  Layering the ingredients inside the leaf.

11. Add the prepared rice. Use the back of a large spoon to distribute the rice evenly. Then mung beans and pork.

Wrapping Bánh Chưng.

12. Repeat steps 9 through 11 for the remaining 4 cakes, then wrap the rolls tightly and securely fold in the sides.  Tie twine around the rolls to secure it from unwarapping.
Bánh Chưng before cooking.
13. Fill a 12-quart stockpot half full with water. Place the cakes in the pot. Add enough water to cover the cakes. To keep the cakes from floating, place a heavy ceramic plate on top to gently weigh down.  When the cakes no longer float (about 3 hours into cooking), remove the ceramic plates.

14. After the seven hours, transfer the cooked cakes to a pot of cold water.
Banh chung after cooking.
Serve the Cakes

15. unwrap and discard the bamboo leaves (but keep the banana leaves intact).

16.  Cut the cake into slices. Because a knife drags through the sticky rice and yanks out the prized morsels within, twine is best for cutting through the cake.

Thịt Kho Nước Dừa (Braised Pork in Coconut) and Dưa Giá (pickled bean sprouts)

2lbs pork belly or shoulder (cubed)
5 boiled and peeled eggs
5 cloves garlic minced

2 green onions minced

3 tbs fish sauce

4 tbs sugar

1 tbs coconut milk

coconut juice

bamboo shoots

salt to taste

Boil together coconut milk and sugar until golden brown; add garlic and onions give it a quick stir before adding pork and fish sauce. Lastly, add eggs and coconut juice. Simmer until pork tender add salt to taste. Add bamboo a few mins before serving.

Serve with fresh herbs and Dưa Giá (pickled bean sprouts).

2lbs bean sprouts

1 carrots

1 small bunch chives or green onions

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp salt

3 tbs sugar

¾ cup vinegar

Wash and drain bean sprouts. Cut carrots into thins strips, cut chives into 2 inch long pieces. Mix together bean sprouts carrots and chives with garlic, chilies, salt and sugar.

After mixing all ingredients together, add vinegar and toss well. Toss the sprouts every hour or two. The sprouts should wilted and ready within a few hours.

Canh Khổ Qua (Bittermelon Soup)

Ingredients:


2 Bitter Melon
1lb ground pork
1 small bundle cellophane noodles
fish sauce to taste
black pepper  to taste
cilantro
green onions


Wash bitter melon and cut in thirds, remove seeds. Soak and Cut cellophane noodles into short strands. Mix together noodles, pork, fish sauce, and pepper. Stuff filling into bitter melons pieces. Bring a pot to water to a boil, add bitter melon and fish sauce. Simmer until bitter melon is tender, add fish sauce to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro.
 The Vietnamese name for Bitter Melon is “Khổ Qua”. Khổ means “hardship” and Qua means “over”. Together Khổ Qua means “hardship is over” thus, Khổ Qua is always served during new years so that all of the hardship can be swallowed allowing one to expect an easy going year to come.

Cornish Hens

Cornish hens
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, quartered
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish


Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.

Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

1 small papaya, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs., or 1 lb. pre-shredded papaya
Thai basil
Vietnamese beef

For the dressing, you'll need:
1/4 cup soy sauce, or fish sauce if you prefer
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

1 tblsp sugar
2 tsp chili sauce

shredd green papaya, prepare that first and set aside in a bowl of salty water.

Prepare the dressing by mixing 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tblsp sugar, and 2 tsp chili sauce. Taste. Adjust if necessary but you want a slightly sweet sauce. Set aside.

Grill the beef jerky. Tear into small strips. Set aside.

Drain papaya into a colander and lightly press to remove excess moisture. Leave the papaya in the colander to continue draining while you prepare the Thai basil leaves. Remove the basil leaves from the stem. The leaves can remain whole or chiffonade if you wish.


In a bowl, add in the drained papaya and basil leaves. Give the dressing a quick stir and pour in about half of it. Toss. Taste. Add more dressing if necessary but you don't want it too wet.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate. Add the beef jerky strips on top.

Thai Mango Salad

coarsely chopped peanuts

2 firm mangoes
1sweet red onion
lettuce
thinly sliced green onions
coarsely chopped fresh mint



Dressing:
vegetable oil
lime juice
fish sauce
minced hot pepper
salt and pepper

Preparation:
In skillet, toast peanuts over medium heat until fragrant and dark golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Peel, pit and thinly slice mangoes lengthwise. Seed, core and thinly slice red pepper. Set aside.
Dressing: In large bowl, whisk together oil, lime rind and juice, fish sauce, sugar, hot pepper, salt and pepper. Add mangoes, green onions and mint; toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with peanuts.

Thai Tom Yum Soup

3-4 cups chicken stock

1 stalk lemongrass,
3 kaffir lime leaves
12-14 raw shrimp
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1-2 small red chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
and a sqeeze of lime juice

Preparation:
Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and turn heat to medium-high.
Add lemongrass to the pot
Add garlic, chili, and lime leaves to broth
Add shrimp
and add the rest!  Enjoy

Chè Sâm Bổ Lượng

Pearl Barley

Lotus Seeds

Dried Lily Bulb

Dioscorea

Dried Longan

Polygonatum

Fox nuts

Red Dates
Sugar

                                                      Water
                                                     Ice

Clean and boil everything in water till everything is tender to eat.
Can be served hot or Served with ice.

Chè meaning "sweet soup"

Pad Thai

package rice noodles

vegetable oil
egg
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons white sugar
baby corn
tofu

green onions, chopped
basil

Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.


Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Add softened noodles, tofu, baby corn, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add green onion and basil

Korean BBQ Ribs in the Oven

3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 large onion, minced
3 pounds short ribs
Mix soy sauce, water, vinegar with brown sugar, pepper, sesame oil, garlic, and onion until the sugars have dissolved. Submerge the ribs in this marinade, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 7 to 12 hours; the longer, the better.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. (I don't have grill so I stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes)

Remove ribs from the marinade, shake off excess, and discard the marinade. Cook on preheated grill until the meat is no longer pink
 
Served with Jasmine scented rice!

Gỏi Cuốn (Vietnamese Fresh Roll)

thinly slice beef
ginger, salt and pepper
oil
season beef with ginger, salt and pepper.  brown meat in frying pan.

rice vermicelli -Bun
boil the rice noodles til tender, drain, put aside.

rice paper

thin long sliced tomato

thin long sliced cucumber

lettuce

bean sprouts

mint

basil

cilantro

Spread one sheet of paper rice on a flat surface, use your fingers to wet it with water to make pliable. Spread evenly a clump of noodles over rice paper and lettuce.

3 to 4 mint, basil, cilantro leaves, a pinch of bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato at the bottom third of the rice paper.

Fold the bottom portion over the filling, fold the left and right sides, roll one more time so it is 2/3 rolled.

Roll the paper tightly until the edges stick together.

Dipping Sauce

Fish sauce, hot pepper, garlic, water, sugar

Mango Sorbet

2 fresh ripe mangos
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. lime juice
1 cup container whipping cream

Slice the mangos open and scoop out all of the fruit from the skins.
Place the fruit, sugar, coconut milk, lime juice in a blender.
Add whipped cream
Pour into a large container and place in the freezer.
Allow to freeze at least 6 hours, preferably 8.
Serve the mango sorbet in bowls, or scoop into ice cream cones
Try drizzling over a little coconut liqueur - great for serving at a dinner party!

Tiramisu Dip

blend together, then place in shallow serving pan

12 oz mascarpone cheese (1 1/2 cups)
8 oz ricotta cheese (1 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs brewed espresso/dark coffee
2 tbs Kahlúa (or any coffee liquor)

top with these

1 tsp cocoa powder (or hot chocolate powder)
1/2 c grated bittersweet chocolate

 Volia! Dip with graham crackers, preztel, italian biscuits or fruits

Vietnamese Chicken Congee (Cháo Gà) with Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gơi Bắp Cải Gà)

Preparing Chicken Stock
5 chicken thighs, bone in & with skin
1 two-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled & halved lengthwise
5 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, peeled & quartered




Put above ingredients into a 6qt stock pot with cold water.  Bring to a boil and lower heat to let stock gently simmer.  Allow chicken to poach for about 25 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove chicken and cool.  Simmer the stock for 2 hours (ideally 6 hours).  Strain stock through fine strainer and discard the solids.
Carefully take meat off the bones.  The chicken meat can be shredded for use in the Chao and/or salad.

Preparing Rice

2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup jasmine rice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, diced
1 tbsp fresh, minced ginger

Rinse and drain rice.  Heat up a skillet with above set of ingredients and toss until rice is fragrant and fully coated with oil.  Transfer rice to pot of simmering stock.  Cook for another 30 minutes or until rice is tender. 

4 stalks scallion, thinly sliced (white for soup, green for garnish)
2tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
Add above ingredients to Chao for taste.

Garnish with the below ingredients in a soup bowl

fresh cilantro, chopped

fresh thai basil, chopped

fresh mint, chopped

lime wedges

Salad
Combine the Garnish above with shredded cabbage, carrots and chicken.  Use lightly, Fish sauce and lime for dressing.

  In Vietnam rice congee is called cháo. It is sometimes cooked with pandan leaves or Asian green beans. In its simplest form (plain rice porridge) it is a food for times of famine and hardship, when rice is not abundant. Or, as is especially common among Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people, it can be a simple breakfast food eaten with pickled vegetables or fermented tofu. Despite its humble ubiquity among the poor, it is also popular as a main entre when cooked with a variety of meats. For example, Cháo gà is a variety of cháo cooked with chicken, garlic, and ginger. The rice porridge is cooked in the broth in which a whole chicken had been boiled, and once the chicken is cooked, the meat is sliced and layered on a bed of shredded uncooked cabbage, sliced onions and drizzled with a vinegar-based sauce, to be eaten as a side dish to the porridge. Other combinations include "Cháo vịt", (duck porridge) which is cooked in the same fashion as the chicken porridge, but with duck. "Cháo lòng heo" is made with "lòng heo" (a variety of pork entrails, including sliced cakes of congealed pork blood). It is also common to eat cháo during an illness, as it is believed the porridge is easy to digest and yet fortifying. For such purposes, the Cháo is sometimes cooked with roasted white rice, giving the porridge broth a more nuanced body and a subtle nutty flavor. Increasingly, especially in metropolitan areas, Cháo is proving to be a popular late-night street food eaten by urban youths after a long night of debauchery, inebriation, carousing, and orgiastic gyrations in dimly-lit night clubs and dance halls. On a related note, in some parts of Vietnam local customs call for making Cháo for death anniversary ceremonies, during which it is offered to fortify the spirits of the dead. (This tradition, however, is not widely practiced and seems to contradict the general principle of providing only the best food for one's ancestors).

Why am I blogging...

Everyone has a story to tell.  It could be about anything.  Family developed, People met, Adventures travelled, Hobbies experienced, Foods eaten, Meals cooked, ...

Memories are meant to be experienced and shared.  So that's what I'm going to try to do here.  Hopefully, you will enjoy it.   Perhaps, you will be inspired to share some of your memories too.