All posts tagged: Food

Sautéed Shiitaki Mushrooms, Beansprouts and Chives

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Dinner at my parent’s house always includes one vegetable dish. This can be as simple as steamed broccoli or sautéed vegetable mix. For this week, we will make a simple dish of sautéed shiitake mushrooms, beansprouts and chives that is served at my family’s dinner. It is an easy and healthy way to add vegetables to your diet. This recipe takes 20 minutes to make and is rated easy. Ingredients 1 bunch of chives 1 lb. of beansprouts 6 dried shiitake mushrooms  or fresh if available 2 tablespoons of minced garlic 1 tablespoon of diced onion 1 teaspoon of minced ginger ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil 4 teaspoons of soy sauce 2 teaspoons of vegetarian soup base Salt Sugar Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Directions Rehydrate the mushrooms by soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of water for 15 minutes or until they plump up. Cut the mushrooms into small slices. Cut the chives into 2 inch segments.  Dice a few cloves of garlic to get approximately 2 tablespoons of garlic. Heat enough EVOO …

Phở Chay / Vegetarian Phở Noodle Soup

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Everyone loves phở but if you are a vegetarian, you are missing out on a national treasure. Buddhist temples have been making vegetarian phở for a long time. This is a fruit based broth with phở seasoning that has a remarkable resemblance to the beef version. Vegetarian phở is also much quicker and easier to make for those days where standing over a bubbling pot for hours is not on the schedule. Enjoy this healthy and delicious phở anytime of the day. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 1.5 hours to make. Ingredients: 1 large carrot 1 daikon 1 asian pear 1 casava 1 bartlett pear (American) 1 fuji apple 1 yellow onion 1 chayote 1 leek Vegetarian soup base (can be found in Asian markets) 1 package of pho dac biet seasoning 1 package of fresh pho noodles (flat vermicelli) / Dry pho noodles if the fresh version is not available 1 tablespoon of rock sugar Soy sauce Sugar Sea Salt Ground pepper Assortment of mock beef and ham or tofu depending …

Bánh Mì Series: Meatballs / Xíu Mại

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I am excited to introduce a new recipe series to our readers: Banh Mi or Vietnamese Sandwhiches. My co-author, Hung Nguyen, has been making Vietnamese sandwiches in Texas at his family owned bakery for years. In this new series, we will reinterpret the bakery’s recipes for our readers. The first recipe will be for a banh mi xíu mại or meatball sandwich. The juicy meatballs paired with a crunchy baguette is a mashup of flavors and texture. This recipe is very easy and I hope you enjoy eating it as much as we do. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare. Ingredients: 1 lb. of ground pork or your choice of ground meat 1 yellow onion 10 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon corn starch ⅓ cup of coconut soda 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth ¼ teaspoon of baking powder ½ cup of ketchup 3 tablespoons of unsalted softened butter Olive oil Sugar Ground black pepper Sea salt Directions: In a food processor, mince 6 cloves of garlic. Add 1 …

Pumpkin Sautéed with Shiitake Mushrooms and Chicken

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There are days when I crave vegetables. My mother makes this simple dish of sauteed pumpkin, shiitake mushrooms and chicken. It is a healthy and nutritious meal for any season. If pumpkin is not in season, you can also substitute it with another hearty root vegetable. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 30 minutes to make. Ingredients 1 lb boneless chicken breast 1.5 lb pumpkin (We used kabucha in this recipe demonstration.) 8 dried shiitake mushrooms 3 large slices of ginger, julienne 5 cloves of garlic 1 large onion, diced 3 stalks of scallion for garnish soy sauce sesame oil chicken bouillon powder extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) salt sugar ground pepper a few stalks cilantro for garnish (optional) Directions Re-hydrate the dried shiitake mushroom. Scrub the head of the shiitake to clean of any impurities. Remove the stem from the mushroom. Thinly slice the mushroom on a diagonal. Thinly slice the pumpkin and microwave in a covered bowl on high with a few tablespoons of water for 3 minutes. This method of par …

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Stew / Cà Ri Gà

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Whenever there is a large family gathering, my mom will make a giant pot of her famous cà ri gà or chicken curry stew. It is a very simple dish to make and a favorite meal for all my cousins. Vietnamese curry is more like a soup than the Indian and Japanese versions. The stew is hearty and aromatic. The taste is surprising mild due to the coconut cream, and the sweetness of the broth makes this stew addicting. You can eat the chicken curry stew  with toasted bread or with rice vermicelli noodles. This recipe serves approximately 4 people and takes approximately 1 hour to prepare. Ingredients: 4 Golden Yukon potatoes 2 large carrots 1 large yellow onion 3 stalks of celery 3 stalks of scallion 2 large chicken legs (approx. 2 lb) 2 (14 oz.) cans of low sodium chicken broth 1 (13.5 oz.)can of coconut cream 8 oz. jar of Madras curry paste 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder (CBP) Salt Sugar Ground pepper Directions: Prepare the vegetables as follows: …

Easy Vietnamese Sweet Corn Pudding / Chè Bắp

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Chè bắp has many variations in the Vietnamese cuisine depending on which region it comes from. Usually the preparation includes manually shaving sweet corn kernels and simmering the pudding for at least 30 minutes. Being a busy professional, it is hard to have enough time to cook the traditional way. My cousin modified a recipe used at the restaurants for home cook to make chè bắp easily. I like to serve it warm with a dollop of coconut sauce. This pudding is great for anytime of the day. This recipe is very easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make. Ingredients 1 ¼ cup of glutinous rice (sweet rice) 2 (14-ounce) cans of sweet corn, cream style with no salt added 1 (14-ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed (low sodium) 1 (14-ounce)  can of coconut cream 3 packets of vanilla sugar or vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of cornstarch 1 cups of sugar for the pudding and 2 tablespoons of sugar for the coconut sauce salt    Directions Prepare the pudding: Wash the rice …

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 …

Spicy Beef Saté Noodle Soup

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Spicy beef saté noodle soup is a cross between phở and bún bò huế. It is not as well known as the two, but requires the same bone based broth. Spicy beef saté noodle soup uses pork neck bones and a surprising ingredient of chunky peanut butter. The spiciness comes from the chili oil where you can modify the heat according to your tolerance. This is a delightfully complex yet simple noodle soup that will have you sweating and enjoying the broth at the same time. This soup is especially good on a cold day. This recipe is rated medium and requires approximately 2 hours to make. This recipe serves approximately 6 bowls of noodle soups. Ingredients 2 lb. of pork neck bones 1.5 lb. of beef (eye round or top round) 1 package of pho of flat rice noodles (fresh if available) 3 tablespoons of fish sauce ¼ cup ground chili in soya bean oil (There are many different brands that have different level of heat.) ½ cup of dried shrimps 3 dried squids …