Ingredients: 1 lb of sliced lean beef 1 tbl oyster sauce 1/2 tbl fish sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 1 tbl minced garlic 1 tbl minced shallot 1 tsp mushroom seasoning 1 sweet onion black pepper cooking oil vermicelli noodle lettuce cucumber pickled vegetables  (optional) sweet fish sauce  green leaf lettuce fresh herbs of choice roasted crushed peanuts 1.  Boil noodles.  Drain, rinse, and let air dry dry.  Set aside for later. 2.  Wash all veggies and greens.  Let air dry and set aside for later. 3.  Chop lettuce, julienne cucumber, and sliced the sweet oni ..read more

I love eating raw fish and it's just natural for me to be a poke fanatic!  Poke is everywhere nowadays and there are so many take on it.  Honestly I like it very simple because I don't want to mask the wonderful fish with too many ingredients.  I've been blessed to learn how to make poke from real Hawaiians and with many trial and error I have come up with a recipe that I love. Some people are afraid to make poke at home because you are dealing with raw fish.  But that's what poke is so you just have to get over it.  When it comes to raw fish, there are different gr ..read more

Xà Lách Trộn Thịt Bò is my kind of salad, it's a healthy option but still incredibly flavorful!  Sometimes you feel so overwhelmed by food but you still want something tasty to eat, this is usually what I turn to. Ingredients: 2 lbs of thinly sliced beef 1 tablespoon minced garlic  1 tablespoon of minced shallots 2 tablespoon of fish sauce ( red boat brand is paleo friendly) 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/2 tablespoon of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper juice of one lime 1/2 sweet onion sliced 2 head of lettuce of choice  3-4 boiled eggs 3-4 tomatoes sliced cooking oil 1.  ..read more

There is a fear when my generation hear the words 'Giò Heo' which translates to pig's feet/hock/trotter.  But I promise it is one of the best piece of meat you can gnaw on!   When you bite through that soft skin, you will then sink into the sweet tender meat.  After you finish all the meaty parts you will have to work through the chewy tendons and cartilage, my favorite part.   I love the layers of texture of 'Giò Heo' and if you love that too, you will love this soup! Unlike the familiar thicken soup from Banh Canh Cua, Banh Canh Gio Heo has a more traditional soupy bro ..read more

When I was little I always correlate chao with being sick.  Supposedly you are not suppose to eat anything fatty or overly seasoned because it might irritate your stomach while your sick.  Therefore when I was sick my mom makes chao with very little seasoning and no meats, it totally scarred my taste buds.  I don't think I ever liked eating chao until I reach my 20s when I finally learn how to cook it myself.  Chao doesn't have to be bland, remember you control the seasoning and flavors when you cook.  I will show you a few tricks that will give your chao wonderful ..read more

Chả Trứng has many identities such as egg pie, egg cake, egg loaf, Vietnamese quiche.  You can call it whatever you want but we all know what you mean, the yellow square or triangle that come along with Vietnamese pork chop ' Cơm Sườn'.  Honestly sometimes i'm totally content with eating egg pie, hot rice, and sweet fish sauce! This is a simple recipe with ground pork, dried wood ear mushroom, bean thread, eggs, and green onions.  Since I always end up drowning it with sweet fish sauce I do a simple season of salt, pepper, and sugar. You can either steam this on the ..read more

Every time somebody ask me to make Banh Xeo for them I cringe and ask politely to pick another dish, actually it's more like 'pick something else or you don't eat'!  I hate making banh xeo; it takes forever, you get oil spatter everywhere, and you and everything in your house end up smelling like fried food for days.  But if I don't have to make it myself, I absolutely love it!   Banh Xeo is a popular street food made from a rice flour batter fried into a crispy crepe filled with pork belly, shrimp, and bean sprouts.  You eat it with a lot of fresh veggies and herbs and ..read more

One of my favorite dish I was introduced to in Da Nang was their Bun Cha Ca.  It was the very first dish I ate when I first got off the plane.  Their take on Bun Cha Ca was so delicious and light, and I love the sweetness from all the vegetables they use like cabbage and squash.   This is my my quick take on this soup and it's Lent friendly.  Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 lb of ground shrimp 1/2 cup of dried prawn (tom kho) cha ca (fish cake) 1 cup of pineapple 1 cup of kabocha squash (optional) 1 cup of bamboo tips 2 cups of cabbage 2 roma tomato (quartered) 4 quart of w ..read more

I realized I have been neglecting this blog for so long and i'm sorry for the lack of post.  I have been thinking of what direction I should take with my blog and how I can make it better.  Nowadays video tutorials are so popular and I realized how much more better they are when it come cooking tutorials.  For those reasons I will now start uploading cooking tutorials on You Tube.  I will still keep this blog so I can share the background of each recipes because I still want to be able to spread awareness and educate the Vietnamese culture through Vietnamese food and cookin ..read more

I've been on a vegetarian fast for the past two weeks, this is absolutely one of my favorite vegetarian dish!  It's healthy, simple, and fast to make.  You can pretty much use any kind of vegetables you like.  Enjoy!   Ingredients: 2 cup of sliced cabbage 1 cup of shitake mushroom 1/2 cup of julienned carrot 1  cup of julienned tofu 1/2 cup of wood ear mushroom (reconstitute with warm water beforehand) iceberg lettuce (cut into smaller pieces) cilantro minced garlic peanut butter hoisin sauce sriracha pickled carrots (optional) vermicelli noodle (optional) salt su ..read more