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Quick Caramelized Pork Ribs

Caramelized spare ribs are a stable for lunch or dinner at my parents’ house. We would eat it as part of a rice dish with fresh vegetables and a slice of egg and pork meatloaf (cơm sườn bì chả). These pork ribs are cooked quickly so the meat have a chewier texture than the American version where the meat falls off the bones. This dish is very easy to prepare and takes only 30 minutes to cook.

Difficulty: Easy / Servings: 4 / Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 lb. of pork ribs

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut soda (Coco Rico)

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 yellow onion, quartered

1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning (if this is not available, use chicken bouillon powder or skip it)

10 cloves of minced garlic and 1 clove of crushed garlic

Ground pepper

Salt

Scallion for garnish

Olive oil for cooking

Directions:

Cut the spare ribs into approximately 2-3 inch segments. This is roughly 2-3 bones per segment.

Marinate the ribs with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper and 10 cloves of minced garlic for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of coco rico soda.

Heat a pan on high with 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 clove of crushed garlic for added flavor. Once the clove turns brown, remove from the oil.

Seared both side of the pork ribs. Once one side is golden brown, sear the other side. This takes approximately 10 minutes. You can close the lid to allow the steam to cook the ribs during the searing.

After approximately 10 minutes, add the sauce, 1 cup of water, 1 onion quartered and 1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning to the pan. Stir to incorporate the ingredients.

Simmer on medium heat for another 10 minutes until the ribs have been fully cooked and the liquid have been absorbed by the ribs. You can check this by poking a hole in the meat and the juice runs clear.

Garnish with the white scallions ends for color and added flavor.

Serve the ribs with rice and a side salad.

Add a slice of egg and pork meatloaf to complete a traditional rice dish.

Check back next week for the egg and pork meatloaf recipe.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran, Ly Le and Chau Hoang

Must Do’s: 7 Days in NYC with Children

Published by La Vie Partagée

I was asked to put together a 7 days itinerary for a friend visiting NYC from France for the first time with her husband and two boys (elementary school age). This was a challenge as they also did not speak fluent English. I am used to taking friends and family around NYC but I have never taken children around, especially at night. The feedback from my itinerary have been very positive so I am sharing it for visitors to NYC on this site. The visiting family was able to pick and choose the activities each day depending on their timing.

Day 1 (Saturday): Explore Midtown West

Start at 2pm after checking into the hotel. Start the day at 53rd Street and 7th Avenue, the beginning of Times Square area. Area of interest are:

Broadway District and Time Square
Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

Afterward, walk toward Bryant Park and get a drink/coffee at the following options:

Southwest Porch and Bryant Park Café
There are activities in the park such as ping pong, mini golf, bocca, etc for free. The park also has free public Wifi and restrooms.
Starting at the end of October, Bryant Park transforms into a Winter Village with numerous shops and a free ice skating rink.

After a short break, head to the historic NY Public Library at the 5th Avenue entrance and go inside to explore the gorgeous interiors. The Rose Main Reading room recently reopened after a two year closure for repair and restoration.

Source: Lonely Planet

Keep walking toward Herald Square (34th Street and 6^th Avenue). This is a bustling shopping mecca and also has the largest and oldest Macy’s department store in the world.

When your stomach starts to growl, head toward a Korean BBQ restaurant in nearby Korean town (32nd Street between Broadway and Madison). There are a lot of restaurants, cafes, shops and an interesting places to visit. My recommendations for restaurants are:

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (Korean BBQ)
- This place is very good but between 6:30-9pm, there is generally a 1 to 2 hours wait.
Don’s Bogum (Korean BBQ and food)
- BBQ in a more upscale environment. This may be a good place for those intimidated by Korean food.
Jongro (Korean BBQ)
Soju Haus (Bar/ Lounge with typical Korean street food)
BCD Tofu House (Soft tofu stew)
Food Gallery 32 (Korean food court with a variety of stalls for food and snacks).
Grace Street (Cute cafe and lounge with delicious desserts and drinks)

Check out the NY skyline after dinner from the top of the Empire State Building which opens until 2am every day.

Day 2 (Sunday): Upper West Side / Natural History Museum/ Central Park / West Side / Grand Central Station

Start at the Museum of Natural History first thing in the morning. Go to the ticket desk and pay what you want for the entrance fee. This is a donation based museum so you can pay $5 if you want for the whole family. If you buy the ticket at the machine, they will charge you the suggested price of $20 per adult.

After the morning at the museum, try an American brunch at a nearby restaurant.

After a large brunch,walk into Central Park and enjoy the afternoon. Some key sites are:

Bethesda Fountain / Bethesda Terrace
Row a boat on the lake by the Loeb Boathouse
Sail a model boat at the Lake by the Hans Christian Andersen Statue (near the boathouse)

Central Park

Bethedesda Fountain

Come out near the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts (west side). This area has the famous Lincoln Center entrance. Continue to walk toward the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.

Go toward the east side on 58^th street to 5^th Ave where the Plaza Hotel is located. The flagship Apple store is located there as well. The Plaza Hotel is an iconic hotel showcased in numerous movies and TV shows. The Plaza food hall (in the basement area) has many food stalls for gourmet food.

If you still have energy, walk down 5^th Avenue toward 42^nd Street and go to Grand Central Station. Go inside and marvel at the amazing architecture and the buzz of commuters. There are also a market and 2 food halls in Grand Central.

You will also get a glimpse of the Chrysler building from the outside. You can’t visit the inside of the building as it is private, but you can still take a look at the art deco exterior.

Day 3 (Monday): Midtown / Downtown West / West side highway

Start the day at the Empire State building early to avoid the crowd. (It is highly recommended that you purchase the tickets in advance.)

Afterward, walk to Madison Square Park. The original Shake Shack burger stand is located there. Look for the iconic Flatiron Building nearby.

Head west on 23^rd Street to 10^th Avenue for the entrance to the High Line. This is a public park built on the historic freight rail line elevated above street level. The High Line runs from 34th Street to 8th Street. The High Line also offers a sweeping view of the river and the NJ skyline.

Stroll on the High Line toward Chelsea Market (17^th Street and 9^th Ave). Chelsea Market is an indoor market with a lot of food options and a generally cool area to hang around.

After you have had enough of Chelsea Market, head to the West Side highway. Go to the Chelsea Pier. Chelsea Piers Sport Complex is a fun place to hang out for kids. They have the following:

Ice skating from 1:30pm-5:00pm
Indoor rock climbing
Parkfour obstacle course
Golf and batting cages overlooking the Hudson River

Next, head downtown toward 7^th Avenue to the West Village. This area is where all the smaller boutiques, restaurants, and brownstones are located. Hang out around West Broadway area and Prince Street (Soho area). There are numerous boutiques for those that like shopping.

*In the summer, HBO presents classic films at Bryant Park Summer Film Festival on Mondays. The lawn opens at 5pm and the movie plays around 9pm when it gets dark. This is a great way to enjoy the outdoor summer night. Bring a blanket and food and find a spot for the evening. You will need to get there by 5pm to get a good spot on the lawn. There are numerous cafes and eateries around the park that you can pick up food from as well. My favorite thing is to pick up burgers at Shake Shack for picnic.

Day 4 (Tuesday): Financial District / Seaport / 9/11 Memorial / Chinatown / Little Italy

Visit Wall Street first thing in the morning and see the commuting rush first hand in the Financial District. Places to look out for are The Fed Reserve Bank, Trinity Church and the NY Stock Exchange.

Check out the 9/11 Memorial. You should get a reservation for this in advance of the scheduled visit.

After the memorial, go to the nearby South Street Seaport and look at the historic ships, etc. There are many restaurants there to grab lunch around the area. There are a few places around the area to get fresh lobster rolls.

Luke’s Lobster, Smorgasbar at Seaport Smorgasburg and Fish Market

Head to nearby Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island Ferry after lunch. You will need a reservation in advance if you want to go onto the islands. Another alternative is to take the free Staten Island Ferry that sails around lower Manhattan and you will be able to see the Statue of Liberty. It will also be more budget friendly.

Come back to Manhattan and head to Chinatown and Little Italy. Walk around and experience the enclaves that make up lower Manhattan.

If you are not tired, head north to Union Square. This is a shopping area with a park where a lot of students hang out. Try these restaurant in the area:

Day 5 (Wednesday): Bronx Zoo / Metropolitan Art Museum / East Village

Spend the morning at the NY Botanical Garden and Bronx Zoo.

Bronx Zoo is open from 10am to 5:00pm and on Wednesday, the visit is FREE. (suggested donation – pay what you want)
NY Botanical Garden is a world renowned garden and conservatory filled with a variety of beautiful, unique flowers.

Head back to Manhattan to go to the Museum Mile

Metropolitan Art Museum (1 of the top 2 museum in NYC, if not the country!) – Tickets prices are donation based. Buy it at the counter.
Guggenheim Museum (88^th and 5^th ave). You can just see the architecture from the outside and the lobby.

Walk down Madison Avenue for a glimpse of all the high end boutiques and coffee shops from 80^th Street to 65^{th S}treet.

Go to the Roosevelt Island Tram station (60^th Street and 2^nd Ave) and take a sky tram to the small island in the Hudson River. You will see a great the view of Manhattan from the sky. The ticket only costs $2.50 (price of the Metro ticket). There is nothing on Roosevelt Island so you can just take the tram back to Manhattan.

Take the 2^nd Avenue bus (M15 from 61^st Street and 2^nd Avenue) to East Village / St. Marks (8^th Street and 2^nd Avenue) for dinner. There are numerous spot for cheap but delicious eats. Many of these restaurants are Japanese as this is also known as “mini Japan town”.

Robotaya NY (For fresh grilled Japanese Food)

Yakitori Taisho (For cheap Japanese grilled skewers and beers. This is an institution for college students and young professionals.)

Upstate (For oysters and beer)

Pylos (For Greek food)

Banh Mi Zon (For Vietnamese sandwiches)

Maharlikas (Nouveau Filipino food. They make the best chicken and waffle in NY!)

Hearth (For Italian comfort food)

Chicalicious Dessert Bar (The best and most affordable dessert tasting menu at this tiny institution.)

Cha An Tea House (For tea and Japanese deserts)

Angel’s Share (Japanese speakeasy inside of another restaurant)

Lab 320 (For interesting ice cream)

Day 6 (Thursday): Brooklyn / Coney Island

Start at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan. The entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge is by Chambers Street and Centre Street. Walk over the historic bridge to Brooklyn.

On the other side of the bridge is a very nice Brooklyn Bridge Park. Check out Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights where there are a lot of hipster restaurants and hangout places.

Next, spend the afternoon at Coney Island. You can take the F train at York Street to W 8st – NY Aquarium. Walk around the boardwalk and enjoy the old school seaside destination. I would not swim in the ocean though as the water is dirty.

Day 7 (Friday): Intrepid Museum / Free Kayaking on the Hudson River / Other activities

This is the last day for souvenir shopping.

If you want something different, visit the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. This is a museum on a retired US aircraft carrier.

Another fun and free thing to do is to kayak on the Hudson River at Pier 96 (56^th Street and Hudson River Park). You can walk up and get a kayak for 20 minute to kayak around the river. There are lockers there for change of clothes.

Other things to see:

A good resource to find out what events are going on during the visit is Time Out’s “Best Things to Do This Weekend“.

Try to go to a Broadway show during your stay. You can try to get last minute ticket the day of at TKTS booth in Times Square.

Visit the Cloisters which houses an extensive collection of medieval art and artifacts.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is also another museum specializing in American art.

The New York Transit Museum is also another interesting museum to check out in NY if you like all things locomotive.

Check out a sporting event depending on the season: NY Yankees (baseball), NY Mets (baseball), NY Rangers (ice hockey), NY Knicks (basketball) and NYFC (soccer).

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NY Yankees vs NY Mets at Citifield

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NY Rangers at Madison Square Garden

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NY Football Club at Yankee Stadium

There are numerous things to do in NYC so pace yourself and enjoy the madness of a bustling city.

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Chau Hoang

Featured Photo: Bo Changpriroa

Green Beans with Garlic and Roasted Peanuts

Published by La Vie Partagée

An easy vegetarian dish for a weeknight dinner is green beans sautéed with garlic and topped with roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Add a side dish of fried egg and rice and you have a complete and healthy meal. Try this simple vegetable dish for dinner tonight.

Difficulty: Easy / Serving: 2 / Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound of green beans

3 tablespoons of garlic (rough chop)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

½ teaspoon of fish sauce

1 teaspoon of mushroom seasoning

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of sea salt

½ teaspoon of ground pepper

a handful of roasted peanuts

a handful of fried shallots (optional)

2-3 scallions (white portion) to garnish (optional)

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Directions:

Add enough water to a pot to cover the green beans. Season the water with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Once the water comes to a boil, add the green beans and allow them to boil for 2 minutes. Remove the green beans and rinse right away with cold water to stop the cooking process. Strain the excess water and set aside.

Rough chop 3 tablespoons of garlic. In a large pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on high. Once the oil sizzles, add the garlic and cook to golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic or they will taste bitter.

Once the garlic turns golden brown, add the green beans and lower the heat to medium.

Season the green beans with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of mushroom seasoning, ½ teaspoon of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of ground pepper and 2 tablespoons of water. Toss to incorporate the ingredients.

Cook the green beans for approximately 5 minutes until it softens. Turn off the heat.

Add a handful of roasted peanuts and fried shallot to the green beans for a crunch. Mix to incorporate the ingredients. Add the white portion of the scallions for garnish.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Weekend Unexplored: Ometepe, Nicaragua

Published by jjl11160227

“Mono! Mono!” We rolled down our windows, peering up at the trees to see a whole family of howler monkeys climbing from branch to branch. They are found all over Ometepe, the majestic twin-peaked, volcanic island, and we could hear them early in the mornings, awaking us from sleep. My friend J.G, her sister, her mother, and I were on our way to see the land that they had purchased years ago near San Ramon, on the southeast side of the island. That morning we took a ferry from San Jorge, loading our car on the bottom level and then situating ourselves at the top to catch the cool breezes coming off Lake Cocibolca, one of the great fresh water lakes of Nicaragua. Straight ahead, we could see Volcan Concepcion and Volcan Maderas. Photographing these volcanoes would only increase as we drove between and around them on the island.

View of Volcan Concepcion from our hotel

Long after passing through the port town of Moyogalpa, the paved road soon turned to dirt as we traveled further southeast of the island, closer to Volcan Maderas. We passed through a parade of cattle, honking our horn to skirt by them, and weaved through fields of plantain to get to the black stoned shores of San Ramon.

Volcan Maderas behind fields of plaintain

J.G. and her mother would point out the many different trees on their land, including coconut, fig, cedro real (Spanish cedar), and pitaya (dragon fruit).

A man cutting fresh coconuts from above

I found that both also had the uncanny ability to spot many different birds, monkeys, and butterflies at any given moment as I stood dumbfounded and squinting to see what on earth they were seeing.

Urraca

Just a few minutes away from J.G’s property, the entrance to Cascada San Ramon led us to a steep uphill hike over river rocks under the lush canopy of trees. We started to ignore the signs that indicated how many kilometers were left to reach the waterfall after clocking in three kilometers at the two kilometer mark. At one point the trail seemed to disappear, and as thoughts of turning back started to emerge in my brain, two hikers coming down, beckoned us forward with “Just five more minutes.” I’d heard that one before…skeptically noting that the comment came from a strappingly tall fellow in his 20s. “But is it worth it?” I asked. In less than 10 minutes, I would determine for myself that it was as we gazed up at the 50 meter high wall with water gracefully trickling down it. The icy water was refreshing as we splashed it on our faces and dipped our feet in. We still had to hike through the hot humidity back down but we rewarded ourselves afterwards by going to El Ojo de Agua, a swimming hole consisting of crystal clear natural pools in the middle of a botanical garden.

Cascada de San Ramon

For three days, we dined on seafood such as fried and grilled tilapia served whole and drank from coconuts once they were cut from the trees.

We stayed near the lagoon on the Chaco Verde Reserve, an area that has been cordoned off to prevent development and thus is now home to a variety of wildlife. There, one can recognize the distinct chirp of the urraca (a blue bird with a black crest) among other birds and see lots of bright stars over the lake at night. Along the trail around the lagoon early in the morning, we sat in the shade, welcoming the cool breezes that blew past us as birds glided, ducks swam, and turtles stuck their noses out of the water.

Lagoon of Chaco Verde Reserve

I don’t remember how much time my friend and I rested on that spot but it was so peaceful and a favorite moment of mine. Stillness was something that I appreciated, even on the returning ferry as I took one last look at the crown of clouds that encircled the peak of Volcan Concepcion.

View from the Ferry of Volcan Conception on the left and Volcan Maderas on the right

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Jenifer Lam

Featured image: Flickr User: Hamish Fenton

Bún Bò Huế / Huế Beef Noodle Soup

Published by La Vie Partagée

Bún Bò Huế is a popular beef noodle soup originating from the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam. The soup has a great combination of salty, sweet, sour and spicy with a strong citrus fragrance. This soup is served with a plate of condiments including various herbs, vegetables and rice vermicelli noodles. To get the right balance of flavors require boiling pork bones and beef shank with lemongrass and fermented fish sauce for hours. Spicy chili oil is added to the broth during the process to add a kick. Bún bò in Huế is not the fiery spicy broth that most people associate with in the US. It is a generally mild and complex broth. The spiciness is added according to people’s taste afterward. This is my mom’s recipe that she learned from a famous Bún Bò Huế vendor in Huế.

Difficulty: Medium / Servings: 8 bowls / Time: 3-4 hours to prepare

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of ruoc (shrimp sauce)

6 quarts water

1 lb boneless eye round roast beef

4 lb. pork small knuckle

3 lb pork leg chop

2 lb beef shank

2 lb pork leg bone

2 large yellow onion

1 large green chili pepper (korean green pepper)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

4 tablespoons of rock sugar

2 limes

6-8 scallions / green onions

6 small red chili peppers

1 lb. of lemongrass stalk (equivalent to 2 bunches / 6 stalks per bunch)

a bunch of cilantro for garnish

1/3 cup of ground red pepper to make chili oil (I like to use the Korean ground chili as it is slightly sweeter)

salt

ground black pepper

4 cups of chicken broth or water to supplement the evaporated broth during the cooking process

1 package of rice vermicelli noodles (not pictured)

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Directions:

A. Prepare the fermented fish paste / rouc:

In a bowl, add 1/4 cup shrimp sauce to 4 cups of water. Stir to incorporate and let the mixture sit for at least 1 hour. Allow the sediment to settle to the bottom. The goal is to get the “clear” water infused with shrimp sauce for the broth. (This trick came from a famous noodle vendor in order to make a smooth and not pungent broth).

after a few minutes

the seasoned broth after an hour

B. Prepare the bones:

Boil a pot of water, add the pork bone, knuckle and beef shank and boil the meat/bones for approximately 5 minutes. The goal is for the boiling water to clean any impurities out of the meat before using them to make the broth. If the pork skin has some hair, use a tweezers and pluck it out.

Once the impurities float to the top, dump out all of the bones into a clean sink and rinse.

In a large bowl with clean water, add 1 large spoon of salt and wash the bones in the salty water. This will help cure any smell.

C. Prepare the broth:

In a large stock pot, boil 6 quarts of water.

Prepare the ingredients for the broth:

Rinse the lemongrass stalk. Cut off the end of the lemongrass and discard. Cut the stalk into 3 sections and tie together with a string.

Add the meat and bones to the boiling water and let it boil for 30 minutes. Skim the impurities that float to the top.

After 30 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of salt, 4 tablespoons of rock sugar and lemongrass to the broth. Continue to boil the meat and bones and skim any impurities.

After another 30 minutes, turn the heat to medium to simmer. Add 3 cups of clear “shrimp sauce” water to the broth. Make sure not to stir any sediment up. Let the broth simmer for 40 minutes.

25 minutes into the 40 minutes boiling session, season the broth with the following:

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 whole peeled onion, 1 Splenda packet (in place of MSG or you can add 1 teaspoon of MSG), 1 tablespoon of regular sugar, 1/4 cup of fish sauce

After 40 minutes, turn the heat to low. Add 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth to the stock so the stock level is back to the original line. (*Normally one would add water to the stock to replace the liquid that has evaporated during the cooking process. My mom likes to add low sodium chicken broth instead to create a richer broth.)

Season the stock with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/4 cup of chili oil (see step D below) and 3 white portion of the scallions

Remove the beef shank and rinse with cold water. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes before thinly slicing the meat. Set aside.

Thinly slice raw eye round beef and set aside in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Amount per bowl (pork knuckle, beef shank and beef round)

D. Prepare the chili oil (do this while the broth simmers):

In a small pot, add 1 cup of corn or vegetable oil and heat on high. Add 1 stalk of scallion to the oil. When the scallion starts to brown, turn off the heat and take it off the stove. Let the oil cool for 1 minute.

oil starts to heat

Turn off when the scallion has turned golden

Add 1/3 cup of red chili powder to the oil and stir. Do not let the chili powder burn.

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Using a strainer, strain the oil into a bowl and discard the chili powder. We will only need a small portion of this oil for the recipe, store the rest for later use. This oil will last for weeks in the fridge.

E. Prepare the condiments (do this while the broth simmer):

Cut each lime into 8 slices and dice the green chili pepper. Take the stem off the red chili pepper.

Thinly slice the red cabbage. (*Bún Bò Huếis traditionally served with a plate of thinly sliced banana flower (bap choui non). Since that is hard to get in the US, use red cabbage for the crunch.)

Rinse bean sprouts and mint.

Vegetables to top the bun

chilies and lime to add to the bun

Garnish: Rough chop the cilantro and thinly slice 1 yellow onion. Dice the scallions.

F. Boil noodles (do this while the broth simmer):

Boil water in a pot big enough to submerge the noodles. When the water boils, add vermicelli noodles. Add a few teaspoons of oil so the noodles do not stick together.

Once the noodles are translucent and al dente, strain and rinse with cold water.

A trick to cook noodles faster is to soak the noodles in cold water for 1 hour. The noodles then will be cooked within 12-15 minutes.

G. Serve:

Add a handful of noodles to the bottom of the bowl.

Add a few slices of beef shank and 1 pork knuckle per bowl. (Normally there is also clotted pig blood but we did not include this since it is hard to find in the US supermarket).

Thinly slice the beef round and add some slices into a ladle and dunk it in simmering broth. Pour the broth into the bowl. (*Do not put that broth back into the pot as it will ruin the broth later). The raw beef should be cooked by the hot broth.

Fill the bowl with the rest of the broth and serve with a plate of vegetables. Top the bowl with red cabbage and bean sprouts.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Pan Fried Fish with Turmeric and Dill / Chả Cá Thì Là

Published by La Vie Partagée

Fish with turmeric and dill or chả cá thì là is a famous Vietnamese dish made popular in the northern region of Vietnam. This dish typically has a hardy white fish marinated in turmeric and other seasonings and then pan fried with a lot of dill. My mom and I came up with a version that you can make at home. It has a few exotic ingredients that are generally available at an Asian grocer. This dish is fragrant and is served on a bed of vermicelli rice noodles and top with dill, peanuts and a dab of the aromatic sauce.

We published a taco version last month based on this recipe so some of the steps will be the same. The key difference is that this recipe uses shrimp paste or rouc, a pungent shrimp seasoning. In our taco recipe, we substituted the shrimp paste with fish sauce and created a different sauce to pour over the fish at the end. If you do not like the shrimp paste, use the recipe for the marinade and sauce from our taco dish.

Difficulty: Medium / Servings: 4 / Time: 30 minutes of cooking and preparation ; 1 hour for the marinade

Ingredients:

2 pounds of firm white fish filet such as catfish or tilapia
1 bunch of vermicelli rice noodles
2 large bunch of dill
3 stalks of spring onion
1 tablespoon of lemongrass
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
½ of a diced yellow or red onion
1 tablespoon of potato starch
2 tablespoons of Galangal powder (you can use fresh galangal if you can find it)
Shrimp sauce or rouc
White cooking wine
½ teaspoon of turmeric
Fresh ginger- enough to get ½ tablespoon of juice
Salt
Sugar
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
Roasted peanuts for topping

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Directions:

Rinse the fish filet with half cup of wine and 1 teaspoon of salt to remove any fishy smell. Rinse again with water to remove any remaining white wine and salt.

Slice the fish into 2 inche pieces.

Marinate the fish with the following:

2 tablespoons of Galangal powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of shrimp sauce, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of potato starch, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of lemongrass, 1 tablespoon of diced onion, ½ tablespoon of ginger juice (ground the ginger and squeeze out the juice). Dice a handful of dill and add 1 tablespoon of dill the fish and let the fish marinate for 1 hour.

While the fish marinates, boil water and cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to directions.

Prepare the toppings by cutting the dill into 2-3 inch segments and set aside.

Cut the 3 stalks of spring onion into 3 inch segments. Cut each segment lengthwise into quarters.

Heat a pan on high and coat the surface with oil. Brown 1 tablespoon of diced onion and add the spring onions to fry once the diced yellow onion becomes translucent. Fry the spring onions until they soften, but are not completely wilted.

Add the dill and toss so that the heat can wilt the dill.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Wipe the pan with a paper towel and heat the pan with enough oil to pan fry the fish. Once the pan is heated, add ½ tablespoon of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of diced onion. Pan fry the fish until it is cooked. This should take approximately a few minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and place on a plate with a paper towel to strain any excess oil.

Make the sauce by mixing following ingredients: 1 tablespoon of shrimp sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of browned minced garlic (brown the garlic first with a light coating of oil), 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

The fish is served on a bed of noodles, topped with dill and spring onions mix, peanuts, a little of the sauce and a squeeze of lime for freshness.

We also created a version of this recipe for Fish Taco.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Weekend Unexplored: Portland, Maine and surrounding area

Published by hoanth01

Portland, Maine, is a quick 2 hour drive north of Boston, making it a perfect weekend trip. My husband and I fell in love with Maine few years ago, especially Portland and its surrounding areas. You can find beautiful scenic sights, plenty of outdoor activities, antiquing, great food scene and, of course, lobster rolls. After so many years, we have perfected our weekend trip itinerary and where to take our “out of town” guests. Here are some of our favorites and make sure to also scroll all the way to the end for our sample weekend itinerary.

HOTELS

The Press Hotel (119 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Instyle

*If you are a history buff, then Press Hotel is a must stay. The hotel used to be the Gannett Building that housed the offices and printing plant of the Portland Press Herald. The building was converted to a hotel after the newspaper shut down in 2010. The hotel has vintage-styled furniture juxtaposed against contemporary interiors and playful newsroom references making it my favorite hotel in Portland.

The Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (20 Milk St, Portland, ME 04101)Website

Source: the Regency

*For the romantics, the Portland Regency Hotel is a wonderful 19^th century armory converted into a hotel. The hotel is situated in the heart of Old Port district and also 2 blocks from the waterfront. The hotel and rooms have “a bed & breakfast, old world” aesthetic. We stayed here when we were on our honeymoon.

RESTAURANTS

My husband summed the Portland’s dining scene up perfectly. In his words, “A bunch of tattooed, creative chefs decided to migrate to Portland for the “farm to table” or “nose to tail” ingredients and a hipster environment to experiment their crafts. The result is high, innovative food at a reasonable price and no false pretense dining experience.” There are amazing selections of high quality restaurants in Portland to satisfy the foodie in all of us. Below are our favorite restaurants that we keep coming back year over year.

DINNER – Miyake (468 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*This Japanese restaurant focuses on high quality ingredients sourced around the world but places heavy emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and from their own farm. The dishes are inventive and infused with Japanese, French and Italian techniques. Their omakase is a must!

DINNER/LUNCH – Central Provisions (414 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*Central Provision is a new addition to our list of restaurants to visit in Portland. The restaurant is housed in a historic brick building in Old Port. All the dishes are small plates and very inventive. We loved everything that we ordered and their cocktails are also a must try.

DINNER – Hugo’s Restaurant (88 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*Hugo’s has been on our list as one of the top restaurant on the East Coast. It blew us away several years ago and we always made a point to dine at the restaurant every time we visit Portland. They have changed chefs and menus in the past few years and with greater Asian influence. It’s definitely still worthy of being one of the most innovative restaurant in Portland but we somehow feels the food has not “wowed” us as before.

PRE-DINNER DRINKS – Drifters Wine

Source: Weare Sweet

*This wine store converted into a wine bar last year. They have a great selection of natural wines to try with a light bite before you head to dinner.

LUNCH – Duck Fat (43 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*Duck Fat is a European-style Sandwich Shop near Hugo’s. The former Hugo’s owner and chef created this shop to focus on local sourcing. They are famous for their Belgium-style French fries, fried in duck fat, milk shakes and sandwiches.

BRUNCH – Bayside American Café (98 Portland Street, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*This local institution is famous for their brunch that features local ingredients with global influences. Some favorite dishes include Maine Crab Cakes and Lobster Frittata!

BRUNCH – Palace Diner (18 Franklin St, Biddeford, ME 04005) Website

Source: Yelp.com/from the owner

*This diner is housed in a vintage counter-serve diner car, located outside of Portland. They served old-fashion comfort eggs and pancakes. For those looking to recapture 1940-50’s era, this diner is a must try.

LOBSTER ROLLS:

Red’s Eat (41 Water St, Wiscasset, ME 04578) Website

Source: La Vie Partagee

*My husband and I have tried so many lobster rolls over the years. We have done more than our fair share of lobster roll crawls around Maine. Red’s Eat consistently beats out the competitions and we always go to this lobster shack on the edge of Sheepscot River in Wiscasset every visit. Be prepare for a really long wait if you arrive after 11am but it is worth it! Our staple order consists of 2 lobster rolls, fried clams, fried oysters and blueberry pies.

LIVE MUSIC

Blue (650A Congress St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

*Intimate live music venue with variety of music every night and Jazz on Saturday

Portland House of Music and Events (25 Temple St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

*This music venue is small and has a very eclectic list of performers. You can normally walk in for a few dollars.

SIGHT SEEING

Old Port Website

Source: Octavias Vintage

*This is the oldest section of Portland with its cobblestone streets and 19^th century brick buildings and fishing piers. The buildings have now been converted to restaurants and boutiques.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co & Museum (58 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101) Website

Source: Press Herald

*Small, fun railroad museum featuring box cars and relics from the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. It’s a fun experience to take a ride in the vintage train along the 1 ½ mile railroad tracks along the waterfront of Casco Bay.

Pemaquid Point Light House (3115 Bristol Rd, Pemaquid, ME 04558) Website

Source: Yahoo Pic

*The 1827 light house is our favorite Maine lighthouse to take our guests to visit. It houses a small museum and you can wander around the site to take in the waves crashing along the bluff.

Two Lights State Park (7 Tower Dr, Cape Elizabeth, ME) Website

Source: Boom Beat

*This lighthouse is situated on a picturesque bluff with the most spectacular view. It’s a short drive from Portland and a great first stop on your light house tour. There are picnic areas to lounge around and you can grab a lobster roll at the Lobster Shack on site. They make serviceable lobster rolls.

Damariscotta Pumpkin Fest Website – Columbus Day weekend

Source:Life Is Mine

*If you are in town during Columbus Day weekend, the Pumpkin festival in Damariscotta is a must visit. Local Maine artists decorate approximately sixty to seventy Atlantic Giant Pumpkins which are displayed in downtown Damariscotta & Newcastle. It’s a fun, family-friendly experience to stroll down Main Street and see all the pumpkins.

Our weekend trip itinerary for Out of Town Guests

Friday:

Check into your hotel
Grab a pre-dinner drinks at Drifters Wine
Head to dinner at one of the restaurants listed above. These are wildly popular restaurants so be sure to get reservation in advance.
Check out the music at Blue or Portland House of Music and Events
Night cap at the Press Hotel lobby bar

Saturday:

Drive to Pemaquid Lighthouse early in the morning
Return to Red’s Eat for lobster rolls, fried clams, fried oysters and their famous blueberry pie!
Walk around Wiscasset and visit the unique boutiques and antiques stores
Drive to Kennebunkport, Maine
Drive along Ocean’s Drive to see the scenic ocean view and mansions
Get out of the car at Walker’s Point to see the Bush Compound
Take a late afternoon break at the Spirit Restaurant
Grab early dinner at one of the local restaurants in the area or head back to Portland for dinner

Sunday:

Brunch at one of our reccomended breakfast/brunch places on the list
Head to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co & Museum
Visit the boutiques and shops near the waterfront for gifts to take home
On your way back to Boston, do a quick stop at Two Lights State Park for the perfect New England picture and a lobster roll for the road

Featured image: Flickr User: Wendell

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Thai-Anh Hoang

Bánh Mì Series: Pork Pâté

Published by La Vie Partagée

We introduced you to bánh mì xíu mại or meatballs sandwich, pickled carrots and daikon radish accompaniment and homemade garlic mayonnaise in earlier posts. The next key essential ingredient to assemble a true Vietnamese bánh mì is to make pork pâté. This meat spread gives the sandwich a unique flavor and can be easily eaten alone with bread. My favorite thing to eat for breakfast is to have toasted bread spread with delicious pâté and mayonnaise and top with a fried egg and a splash of soy sauce. This pâté is so easy to make and so scrumptious that you cannot stop eating it.

Difficulty: Easy / Serving: 6 cups / Time: 1.5 hours to make and 8 hours to set

Ingredients:

2 pound of ground pork

½ pound of pork liver (if you cannot find pork liver, you can substitute with chicken liver)

15 cloves of garlic

3 teaspoons of sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of ground black pepper

1 ½ cups of canola oil

Directions:

Mince 15 cloves of garlic in the food processor. (Garlic helps mask the smell of the pork and adds a ton of flavors to this pâté. You can also reduce the garlic to 10 cloves if you do not like the strong garlic flavor.)

Add 1/2 pound of pork liver to the food processor and pulse to liquefy.

Add 2 pounds of ground pork, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground pepper and pulse to incorporate.

Pour the meat mixture into a heatproof pan and steam for 1 hour. (Tip: If you do not have a steamer, you can cook the meat mixture in a pan on a stove top. Steaming draws out the fat and keeps the meat mixture moist.)

Move the meat mixture (without the excess juice) to the food processor. Add 1.5 cups of canola oil while you puree the meat mixture.

Pour the meat mixture into containers and allow the pâté to set in the fridge for at least 8 hours or until the mixture becomes firm. (Tip: A trick to easily remove the pate is to place plastic wrap at the bottom of the container before pouring the mixture into it.)

Try our other related bánh mì recipes:

Bánh Mì Xíu Mại or Meatballs Sandwich

Vietnamese Mayonnaise

Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Hung Nguyen and Chau Hoang

Vietnam – Posts Index

Published by La Vie Partagée

Vietnam is quickly becoming the next hot destination in southeast Asia. I have been to Vietnam so often that is is practically my third home country. Over the last year, our bloggers have written numerous posts on what to do, where to sleep and what to eat. I have combined the links of all the Vietnam travel articles into one post for our readers. We are constantly writing up new post about Vietnam so check back for updated links.

Ho Chi Minh City – Metropolitan city in the south

Hue – Central region with an imperial history

Hanoi – Capital of Vietnam located in the north

Da Nang – Modern beach city in central Vietnam

Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines’ Business Lounge in Ho Chi Minh City

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Chau Hoang

Phở Bò / Beef Noodle Soup

Published by La Vie Partagée

Phở is a hearty noodle soup that is the most well known of all noodle soups from Vietnam. The stock can be made with chicken or beef with the most popular type being beef noodle soup. Every region has its own take on phở bò and the noodle soup is often eaten for breakfast. Phở bò takes at least a few hours of just simmering the bones to get the right bone stock for the soup base. This is a dish that is made for long weekends and especially when the weather turns cold.

We redid the traditional phở recipe into 2 parts (beef stock and phở broth) to make it easier to measure the ingredients and to get a consistently good broth. This is one of the easiest recipe for phở that we wrote to create a very clear, rich and fragrant broth. You can make the bone stock in advance and freeze it. Whenever you want to make phở, just defrost the bone stock and season the stock to make the phở broth.

Difficulty: Medium / Time: 3 hours for bone stock, 45 minutes for phở broth / Serves: 6-7 bowls

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of beef tendon

2.5 lbs of beef bones (include marrow)

1.5 lbs of eye round roast

3 lbs of boneless beef bottom chuck roast

1 package of beef balls

2 packages of dried phở spice (Spices include cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander pods, star anise and cardamom.)

A spice cloth bag or spice balls to hold the phở spice

1 Ginger

2.5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of rock sugar

1 teaspoon of regular sugar

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 peeled yellow onion

2 shallots with skin

A bunch of culantro or ngò gai

A bunch of Thai Basil or regular basil if it’s not available

1 lb of bean sprouts

4 green onions/ scallion

2-3 Limes

1 bunch of cilantro

1 package of phở noodles

Hot chili sauce like Sriracha

Hoisin sauce

Fish sauce (optional to taste at the table)

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Directions:

A. Clean the beef bones of impurities (15 minutes)

Fill a large stock pot halfway with water and add ½ tablespoon of sea salt. Boil the water.

When the water comes to a boil, add the bones and allow the bones to cook for approximately 5 minutes so that there are no longer blood in the bones.

Remove the bones and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Discard the broth.

B. Make the bone stock (3 hours):

Fill another large stock pot with 6 liters of water. Add the bones to the pot and make a note of where the water line is in the pot. You will need to add the water back to this line as the water evaporates during the cooking process.

Add 1 tablespoon of rock sugar and 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the stock.

Allow the stock to be on low boil for 2 hours and continue to add water to the stock as the water evaporates back to the original water line. Make sure the stock doesn’t boil over or the stock will become cloudy and gets ruined. Skim the stock of any impurities.

Skim the impurities that float to the top

The broth should be on “low boil” and clear during the cooking process.

This is what happens when the broth boils over and gets ruined.

After 2 hours, add the boneless chuck to the stock and cook on low boil for another hour. Continue to skim any impurities. The total cooking time for the bone stock is 3 hours.

After 3 hours, remove the beef chuck and set aside. The broth should be clear.

The broth should look clear like this after 3 hours.

Beef chuck after 1 hour of cooking.

C. Cook the tendons (at the same time as the bone stock – 3 hours):

Fill a smaller pot with 2 liters of water and boil the tendon until the tendons are softened. Add ½ tablespoon of rock sugar and ½ tablespoon of salt. This will also takes approximately 3 hours. If you have a pressure cooker, you can use it to cook the tendons and that will only take approximately 30 minutes.

Once the tendons are cooked and softened, remove from the broth and set aside. Discard the broth.

D. Make the phở broth (45 minutes):

Roast approximately 1 cup of ginger slices (roughly 3 large slices) and 2 packages of phở spice in a toaster oven at 400 F for 5 minutes. The goal is to allow for the spice and ginger to release the oils. (*We normally use 1 package of phở spice for each pot of phở. Since we are cutting the cooking time for the actual phở broth, we doubled the spice quantity.) Transfer the spices into a cloth bag.

Transfer 5 liters of strained bone stock to a clean pot. Heat on high to a low boil. Add the spice bag and ginger to the broth.

Season the broth with:

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of rock sugar

1 teaspoon of regular sugar

Optional: You can add 1 teaspoon of MSG to enhance the flavor. Most phở will have MSG, but my family prefers not to use MSG when we cook.

While the broth is simmering, roast 1 peeled yellow onion and 2 shallots with skin until the juices start to release. This takes approximately 5 minutes. After cooking the broth on low boil for 15 minutes, add the onion and shallots. Cook the broth on low boil for another 30 minutes.

The broth will be done after 45 minutes. Turn the stove to a simmer and add the beef balls to the broth.

Cut 4 scallion ends (white part) and add to the broth. The phở is ready to be serve.

E. Prepare the meat, noodles and condiments (while the broth is cooking):

Thinly slice the eye round against the grain.

Thinly slice the beef chuck against the grain.

Slice the tendons into bit size pieces.

Prepare the garnishes by thinly slicing some onion and scallions (dicing the green part and cutting the white part lengthwise).

Cut each lime into eights without the center parts with the seeds.

Cut around the core of the lime (rectangle part above) and discard the core.

Boil the phở noodles according to package instruction.

F. Plating the bowl

Plate each bowl with a handful of noodles, 1 bone marrow, a few slices of beef chuck, beef balls and few slices of raw beef.

Ladle the hot broth over the raw beef to cook it.

Top each bowl with scallions, onions and cilantro. Serve each bowl with a plate of bean sprouts, basil and culantro. Add hot sauce, hoisin sauce and a squeeze of lime to the broth before eating. If needed, add fish sauce to taste.

Try our easy Vegetarian Phở as well.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.