All posts filed under: vegetable

Braised Duck with Pickled Mustard Greens

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Pickled mustard greens or dưa cải chua is a very popular side dish for a typical Vietnamese meal. Braising the pickled mustard greens with a protein takes this side dish up a notch. The fattiness of the duck complements the tartness of the pickled mustard greens. I find myself unable to stop eating once I start and I hope you do too. This recipe is rated medium in difficulty and takes approximately 30 minutes. Ingredients 2 ½ cups of pickled mustard greens (recipe here) one half of a duck ½ teaspoon salt 2 ¼  teaspoons sugar ⅛ cup of ginger 1 ½ teaspoon teaspoons chicken bouillon powder (Knorr bouillon granule are available at your local supermarket) ½ teaspoon ground, black pepper 3 tablespoons diced yellow onion 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 cups of water a few whole Thai chili (optional for flavor) Directions Cut the duck into smaller pieces. You can also have a butcher precut the meat. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, 1 …

Dưa Cải Chua / Pickled Mustard Greens

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Dưa cải chua or pickled mustard greens is a classic accompaniment for a typical Vietnamese meal. My house always has a jar of pickled mustard greens readily available during any season. Mustard greens are pickled in a simple vinegar brine. This process softens the tough stems, reduces the bitterness and infuses a salty and sweet taste to the greens. The pickles are slightly addictive and can be use as a basis for other dishes as well. This is my mother’s recipe for her delicious dưa cải chua. Ingredients 1 large bunch of mustard greens (approximately 1.5 lb) 7 pearl onions, peeled 8-9 red Thai chili 2 tablespoons of sugar ½ tablespoon of rock sugar 1 tablespoon of sea salt 4 cups of warm water Directions Combine sugar, rock sugar, salt and warm water in a mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. (You may need to make more brine depending on the size of your jar. The brine should cover all of the mustard greens.) Cut the bottom portion of the stem and discard them. In a large bowl, rinse …

Bánh Xèo / Vietnamese Savory Rice Crepes

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Bánh Xèo literally means “sizzling cake” in Vietnamese. The sizzling sound occurs when the rice flour batter is poured into a steaming hot pan to make a crepe. This crepe is then filled with pork belly, shrimp and bean sprouts served with lettuce, mustard greens and a variety of herbs. It is both healthy and decadent and a very popular dish among my cousins. The only problem is making the crepes fast enough to feed a large family. Every family has a crepe recipe and the selection of accompaniments. My family likes the crepe very thin and light so we use beer and water in our batter. This recipe is rated easy and makes 8-10 crepes depending on the pan size. Ingredients 1/2 lb of large shrimps 1/4 lb of pork belly 1 package of pre-mix banh xeo flour (combination of rice flour and regular flour) 1 can of coconut cream 1 cup of light beer  3 cups of water 1-2 cups of bean sprouts 1 yellow onion 3 stalks of scallions a pinch of salt …

Dưa Giá / Pickled Bean Sprouts with Carrots and Chives

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Dưa giá is one of the most popular pickled side dish for a Vietnamese meal. It is a usual accompaniment for stewed dishes such as braised pork belly with eggs (Thịt Kho Trứng) or other salty type of braised meat dishes. The slightly sour and sweet pickled bean sprouts offset the saltiness of the braised meats. This is an easy recipe to make anytime of the year. This recipe is rated easy. Ingredients 1 lb of bean sprouts 2 carrots 1 bunch of chives 6 pearl onions, peeled 8 Thai chilies 1 ½ cups of warm water ½ cup of vinegar 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of sugar Directions Peel and shred the carrots. Rinse the chives to get rid of any dirt and cut them into 2 inch sections. Slice the pearl onions in half.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the vegetables and let them marinate for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water. Make the pickling juice by combining 1 ½ cups of warm …

Pumpkin and Ribs Soup

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With the holiday approaching and the winter chill setting in, soup becomes a favorite for the winter. In the US, we have an abundance of pumpkin around the autumn time and into the winter months. Naturally, we merged pumpkin and traditional ribs soup into our version of a light yet filling meal. This soup can be eaten by itself or with toasted bread or rice. This recipe is rated easy. Ingredients ½ a block of soft tofu ½ lb. of pork ribs 2 ½ cups of pumpkin cube 2 tablespoons of chopped onion ½ tablespoon fish sauce Chicken bouillon powder (½ teaspoon for marinade and ¼ teaspoon for soup) Salt Sugar Ground pepper 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (“EVOO”) 2 stalks of scallion and cilantro for garnish Directions Cut the short ribs strip into smaller pieces of approximately 2 inches. Marinate the meat with ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of diced onions, ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper and ½ teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder. Cut the pumpkin into …

Farmer’s Market Grilled Cheese Sandwhich

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One of many great things about living in NYC is the abundance of farmer’s markets in many different neighborhoods. I discovered a small market two blocks away from my apartment after strolling around the area on one random Sunday. This is now my place to go for fresh seasonable vegetables straight from the source.  The weather finally turned from summer to autumn and nothing is better to welcome the cooler weather than grilled cheese sandwich served with a bowl of hot tomato soup. I saw some vibrant tomatoes, onions, freshly baked country bread and fresh Gouda cheese which inspired me to create my version of a grilled cheese sandwich for a fall day. Ingredients for 1 Grilled Cheese Sandwich: 2 slices of Gouda cheese or any mild melting cheese 2 thick slices of red tomato 2 thick slices of yellow tomato 1/4 of a red onion thinly sliced 1/2 of a ripe avocado 2 slices of country white bread or any type of dense bread 2 tablespoons of melted butter a few squirt of sriracha (not pictured) Directions: …

Watercress and Beef Salad with Pan Juice Vinaigrette

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One of my favorite vegetable dishes that my mother whipped up in no time is sautéed beef over a bed of pickled onions, tomatoes and watercress.  She combines the pan juice with the pickling juice to create a refreshing vinaigrette that beckons to be poured over a steaming bowl of rice.  Over the weekend, I asked my mother to help me recreate this quick and easy dish for our readers.  With Fall in full swing, this is a refreshing dish to incorporate vegetables in your next meal. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 15-20 minutes to prepare. Ingredients 1 lb of beef such as sirloin that would be good for sautéing 1 bushel of watercress 2 ½ teaspoons of soy sauce Sugar Salt Pepper ½ teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder  ¼ cup of vinegar 1 large tomato ½ of a yellow onion thinly sliced ¼ of a yellow onion diced 1/4 of a red onion diced 2 cloves of garlic sliced 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon of olive oil  1 stalk of scallion for garnish 1 …

Bò Tái Chanh / Vietnamese Beef Carpacio Salad

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My family vacations in Virginia Beach every year around this time in August.  The great thing about the family reunion is that I get to spend time with my relatives who are crazy good cooks. Aunt Qua is another amazing home cook and luckily for me, she agreed to spend time showing me some of her best and easy to make dishes.  In this post we will make bò tái chanh.  Bò tái chanh is a refreshing salad with beef cooked in lime juice.  It is the Vietnamese version of beef carpacio.  The pineapple and chili sauce is my family’s concoction to replace the typical pungent fish paste sauce.  A little of the sauce over the fresh lime marinated beef and salad hits the spot, especially during the hot and steamy summer.  I guarantee that this salad will be gone in no time. This dish is rated easy and serves two to four people, depending on if the dish is meant as a side or main dish. Ingredients: 1 lb of eye round beef ¼ …

Shrimp and Daikon Radish Soup

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In my family, a typical dinner often includes some sort of vegetable soup. Vietnamese cuisine veers toward numerous vegetable and herbs.  Soup broths are typically made of bones, meat, seafood or vegetables.  The bones based broths are for the long simmered noodles soups such as pho, hu tieu, and bun.  The meat, seafood or vegetables are typically the basis for everyday home cooking.  My mom would make this shrimp and daikon radish soup very quickly. We would have a nutritious and healthy dinner in no time.  You can use this shrimp based broth with different types of vegetables. Ingredients: ½ lb of shrimp 1 large daikon radish 1-2 stalk of scallion 1 teaspoon of fish sauce 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder ½ teaspoon of sugar ⅛ teaspoon of salt ⅛ teaspoon of pepper ¼ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon of chili powder (I use the Korean version as the chili is sweeter and the heat is not as intense as others.  The goal is to add color and depth to the soup.) Directions: Remove the …

Gỏi tôm thịt / Summer Salad with Shrimp and Pork

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Gỏi tôm thịt or a traditional Vietnamese summer salad with boiled shrimp and pork is a staple at my family’s parties.  Whenever there is a BBQ, you can guarantee some type of salad will be served and it  is usually gỏi tôm thịt.  It is not hard to see why this dish is popular in the summer.  It is refreshing with numerous vegetables in a sweet and sour vinaigrette.  My mom has many tricks to make this version even more flavorable.  It is all about the preparation method and making sure you mix all the ingredients well without over mixing.  I like to mix this gỏi by hand to ensure the vegetables are not bruised.  This recipe serves about 4 people and is rated easy. Ingredients ½ lb of pork shoulder (you can also substitute with pork ear which has a chewier and firmer texture) 12 large tiger shrimp with the shell on (approx. 1 lb of tiger shrimp) 1 large carrot 1 large cucumber 1/2 cup of Thai Basil ¼ cup of Vietnamese coriander 3 cloves …