The Vietnamese MUST-Ve-Tasted List

Vietnamese 100 Foods to Try

Now, being a Vietnamese, I duck with shame under my score of 59%... But um, you see, having grown up in North American, I don't feel much like having rats, whether they're from the North Coast or the East Coast, for dessert :) I should try some pennywort juice sometime though, it seems quite interesting =P

1. Banh Bao (Steamed Bun)

2. Banh Beo (Rice Flour Discs with Dried Shrimp)

3. Banh Bot Loc/Banh Quai Vac (Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp or just Shrimp)

4. Banh Canh Cua (Udon-like Noodles with Crab)

5. Banh Chung/Banh Tet (Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cakes)

6. Banh Cuon (Rice Noodle Rolls)

7. Banh Gio (Steamed Triangular Rice Dumplings)

8. Banh Hoi (Rice Vermicelli Sheets)

9. Banh It Tran (Round Rice Dumplings with Pork, Shrimp, and Mung Beans)

10. Banh It La Gai (Nettle Leaf Dumplings)

11. Banh Khot/Banh Cong (Mini Savory Pancakes)

12. Banh La/Banh Nam (Steamed Flat Rice Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp)

13. Banh Mi Hot Ga Op La (French Bread with Sunnyside-Up Eggs)

14. Banh Mi (Sandwiches)

15. Banh Pa Te So (Pate Chaud)

16. Banh Tieu (Fry Bread)

17. Banh Tom (Shrimp and Yam Fritters)

18. Banh Trang (Rice Paper) Bonus points for eating soaked, no-soak, and toasted varieties.

19. Banh Uot ("Wet" Rice Noodle Sheets)

20. Banh Xeo (Sizzling Crepes) Bonus points if you've eaten both the palm-sized Central-style ones, and the wok-sized Southern-style ones with turmeric and coconut milk.

21. Be Thui (Beef with Roasted Rice Powder and Fermented Bean Curd)

22. Bo Bia (Spring Rolls with Chinese Sausage, Dried Shrimp, and Jicama)

23. Bo Kho (Beef Stew)

24. Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)

25. Bo Ne ("Stand Back" Steak and Eggs)

26. Bo Nhung Dam (Beef Dipped in Vinegar)

27. Bo Nuong La Lot (Grilled Beef with Wild Betel Leaves)

28. Bo Tai Chanh (Raw Beef Salad with Lemon)

29. Bo Xao voi Khoai Tay Chien (Beef Stir-fry with French Fries)

30. Bo Xao Xa (Beef Sauteed with Lemongrass)

31. Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup)

32. Bun Cha Hanoi (Hanoi-Style Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork Patties)

33. Bun Nuoc Leo Soc Trang (Soc Trang-Style Noodle Soup with Fish, Pork, and Shrimp) Bonus points for its more pungent cousin Bun Mam (Noodle Soup with Fermented Fish Broth)

34. Bun Rieu (Vermicelli Rice Noodle Soup with Crab Paste)

35. Bun Thit Heo Nuong (Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork)

36. Ca Bong Lau Nuong voi Mo Hanh (Roasted Catfish with Scallion Oil)

37. Ca Kho To (Braised Catfish in a Claypot)

38. Ca Phe Sua Da Phin (Iced Drip Coffee with Milk)

39. Canh Bi/Bau Nhoi Thit (Pork-Stuffed Winter Melon Soup)

40. Canh Chua Ca (Sour Fish Soup)

41. Ca Ri Ga (Chicken Curry)

42. Cao Lau (Noodle Soup with Pork from Hoi An)

43. Cha Ca Thang Long (Hanoi-Style Fish with Dill and Turmeric)

44. Cha Gio/Nem Ran (Spring/Egg Rolls) You only get points if you've eaten the Vietnamese egg rolls wrapped in rice paper, not the version with Chinese wheat egg roll wrappers. Bonus points if you've also eaten Central-style Cha Ram (Shrimp Egg Rolls) and Cha Gio Bap/Ram Bap (Corn Egg Rolls).

45. Cha Lua (Steamed Pork Loaf)

46. Chanh Muoi (Salty Lemonade)

47. Chao Tom (Grilled Shrimp Paste Wrapped Around Sugarcane)

48. Che Bap (Corn and Tapioca Pudding with Coconut Milk) or any other coconut milk-based che such as Che Chuoi (Banana Tapioca Pudding) and Che Ba Mau (Three Color Pudding).

49. Che Sam Bo Luong (Dessert Soup with Dried Dates, Dried Longans, Lotus Seeds, and Seaweed)

50. Che Troi Nuoc (Dough Balls in Ginger Syrup)

51. Chuoi Chien (Fried Bananas)

52. Chuot Dong (Southern Field Rats)

53. Com Ga Hai Nam (Hainanese Chicken Rice) must be eaten with #82.

54. Com Hen (Clam Rice)

55. Com Lam (Sticky Rice Steamed in Bamboo)

56. Com Tam (Broken Rice)

57. Com Ruou (Fermented Rice Wine)

58. Cua Rang Muoi Tieu (Salt and Pepper Crab)

59. Dau Phong Luoc (Boiled Peanuts)

60. De (Goat)

61. Dia Rau Song (Raw Herb Platter)

62. Do Chua (Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)

63. Ga Nuong Xa (Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass)

64. Gio Thu (Head Cheese with Pig Ears and Tree Ear Fungus)

65. Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

66. Goi Cuon (Salad/Spring/Summer Rolls)

67. Goi Ga (Chicken Salad)

68. Goi Mit Ngo Sen (Young Jackfruit and Lotus Root Salad)

69. Hot Vit Lon (Fetal Duck Eggs)

70. Hu Tieu (Tapioca Noodles with Pork and Shrimp) Bonus points for both Saigon, with barbecued pork and shrimp, and Nam Vang (Phnom Penh) style with liver and ground pork.

71. Kem Flan

72. Lau (Hot Pot)

73. Mam Nem (Fermented Anchovy Sauce)

74. Mam Ruoc (Fermented Shrimp Paste)

75. Mi Hoanh Thanh (Wonton Noodle Soup)

76. Mi Quang (Turmeric Noodles with Pork and Shrimp)

77. Mi Vit Tiem (Egg Noodles with Duck and Chinese Herbs)

78. Mi Xao Don (Crispy Chow Mein)

79. Muop Tom Xao (Loofah and Shrimp Stir-fry)

80. Nem Chua (Pickled Pork Sausage with Shredded Pork Skin)

81. Nem Nuong (Grilled Pork Patties)

82. Nuoc Mam Gung (Ginger Fish Sauce)

83. Nuoc Mia (Sugarcane Juice)

84. Oc Buou (Apple Snails) or any other sea snails

85. Pho Ap Chao Bo (Pan-Fried Rice Noodles Sauteed with Beef)

86. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup) bonus points if you've eaten filet mignon pho and for Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup)

87. Rau Ma (Pennywort Juice)

88. Rau Muong Xao (Water Spinach Stir-fried)

89. Soda Xi Muoi (Salty Preserved Plum Drink)

90. Sinh To Bo (Avocado Shake)

91. Sinh To Ca Chua (Tomato Shake)

92. Sinh To Dam (Aloe Vera Shake)

93. Sup Mang Tay Cua (Asparagus and Crab Soup)

94. Tiet Canh (Duck Blood Pudding)

95. Thit Heo Kho Voi Trung (Braised Pork with Eggs)

96. Tom Tau Hu Ky (Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bean Curd Skin)

97. Tra Atiso (Artichoke Tea)

98. Tuong Ot (Chili Sauce) bonus points for Vietnamese American Huy Fong Sriracha Chili Sauce and extra bonus points if you use it to make Sriracha Buffalo Wings

99. Xiu Mai (Meatballs)

100. Xoi (Sticky Rice)

THE ultimate Vegan list!!

Now is time to test my gastronomy culture :)

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (I'll put them in red instead)
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle (I loooove that :D) (Ehm second thought, is this chocolate of mushrooms?)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava (Imagine a block of concentrated brown sugar with a light taste of butter.)
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas - Honestly, it was on a dare and I passed a terrible volcanic moment
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl (Nooo!! But I almoost got one! If only the stand didn't run out of bread bowls :( )
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut (haha my 6th grade English teacher made us taste a teaspoon of this stuff on a cracker... and everybody ended up gurgling down liters of water to get rid of the aftertaste lingering down our throat :) )
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi ( I made puple sweet potato gnocchi once... And the taste was too doughy to my liking. Maybe I did something wrong though... :S mmhh..)
57. Piña colada (Virgin :P)
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (YESSS I ice it and enjoy it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!!)
100. Raw cookie dough

Bakery avalanche!!

Okay, I simply neglected the blog for aaaaaaages, I know, and since my job is exhausting, I don't feel motivated enough to post the recipes along with the pictures. Enjoy the view though ;P!

Pandanasion

I've always wanted to participate in one of those culinary contests that you see online. The "Si j'avais du pandan... " contest from Il en faut peu.. pour être heureux! caught my eye at the beginning of the month and I swore to myself that I would hatch something interesting.

Well, as surprising as it will sound, I WASN'T caught off-guard at the last minute!

(Okay, actually, I was, but not for baking)

I found my idea, my recipe, 2 weeks before the deadline and I had taken pictures and all and all.

...

...I simply forgot to send my post in. *blush with shame*

Okay, okay, I still sent it in today! Let's hope that the timezone hasn't switched over the May 1rst yet :P

Here's the recipe (The contest was in French, and I'm too sleepyheaded now to translate it)

Trous de beigne au pandan nappés de glaçage de chocolate blanc pandanité

Pâte à levain:

1 c. à thé de sucre

1 tasse d'eau chaude

1 sachet de levure sèche active

1 tasse de farine

Pâte à beigne :

1/4 tasse de beurre ramolli

1/3 tasse de sucre

2 oeufs légèrement battus

2 1/2 c. à thé d'extrait de pandan

1/2 c. à thé de sel

2 3/4 tasse de farine tout-usage

Glaçage de chocolat blanc-pandan

150 g de pépites de chocolat blanc

2 c. à table d'extrait de pandan

Miel (Alternatif)

Préparation de la pâte à levain:

1) Dans un grand bol, dissoudre le sucre dans l'eau chaude et y saupoudrer la levure. Laisser reposer à la température ambiante pendant environ 10 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux. Ajouter la farine et mélanger jusqu'à l'obtention d'une pâte lisse. Couvrir le bol d'une pellicule de plastique et laisser reposer pendant environ 30 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la pâte forme des bulles et soit élastique.

Préparation des beignes :

2) Dans un grand bol, à l'aide d'un batteur électrique, battre le beurre et le sucre jusqu'à ce que le mélange ait gonflé. Ajouter les oeufs, l'extrait de pandan et le sel en battant. Incorporer la pâte à levain en continuant de battre. A la cuillère de bois, incorporer la farine jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit collante. Sur une surface de travail légèrement farinée, pétrir la pâte pendant environ 8 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit lisse et souple. La mettre dans un bol bien beurré et la retourner pour l'enrober. Couvrir d'une pellicule de plastique et laisser lever la pâte jusqu'à ce qu'elle ait doublé de volume (environ 1 1/2 heures).

3) Dégonfler la pâte avec le poing. Sur une surface légèrement farinée, l'abaisser à environ 1 cm d'épaisseur. Découper des ronds dans la pâte. Déposer les trous de beignes sur une plaque de cuisson. Couvrir d'un linge humide et laisser lever pendant environ 1 heure de plus.

4) Dans une grande casserole, chauffer de l'huile végétale a 180 degrés Celsius (ou 375 degrés F). Y plonger les trous de beignes et cuire jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés et qu'ils aient gonflé. Les retirer ensuite de la casserole et les déposer sur du papier essuie-tout afin d'absorber le surplus d'huile. Laisse refroidir complètement sur des grilles.

Préparation du glaçage :

5) Dans un petit bol, faire fondre les pépites de chocolate au micro-ondes, 2 minutes à la fois, en remuant bien entre chaque intervalles. Lors de la 2e-3e sortie du micro-ondes, ajouter l'extrait de pandan et bien brasser afin de l'incorporer au mélange.

6) Napper les trous de beignes refroidis de glaçage ou les enrober d'une robe de miel.

Slightly adapted from Coup de Pouce's Édition Spécial Noel's recipe for Beignes glacés à l'érable.

Bunny buns <3

Who doesn't like steamed buns? Who doesn't like dim sum? Who doesn't like bunnies?

And, the facts being so, who could resist t h o s e ?

tee-hee :)

I know I haven't been able to.

Those buns have been one of my weak spots forever. As a child, I loved munching in one of those big, fat, chewy balls. I usually ate them plain with honey roasted duck or the sweet filled ones with bean paste.

Those days, oh! how I miss the flavour of that faint yeasty smell, that hint of soy sauce that our former baker usually dropped by accident on the baking sheet and the funny-shaped puffs that pooffed out here and there while steaming.

The steamer had always tempted me, though the thought of it made me nervous, as I never understood the procedure of vapour cooking. I tried my hand at those buns and though the filling (I tried a BBQ chicken filling) wasn't exactly at my taste, the buns' texture was out of this world... :)

go see the recipe at Kitchen Wench . :D

And some more shots of my babies!

Ode to Grandma

Wow, what a lack of posts.

Well, I'll tune back on! :D

My Grandma is by far the best cook I've ever known. That might be because she has about the same tastebuds as I do.

Ever since she left, I don't think anyone had ever been able to copy her most delighful and my fave dessert : Chè Trôi Nuoc. As far as I remember, I have been digging for a recipe for ages. Now that I've found one, you can bet how glad I am! However, it is still far behind my Grandmother's talent, that's for sure...

Chè Trôi Nuoc

The rice balls :

300 g glutinous rice flour

125 ml boiling water

some cold water

The filling:

enough mung beans (steamed and mashed)

The syrup:

1000 ml water

150 g palm sugar

chunks of ginger (add to taste)

Steps:

1) Shape small portions of the mung bean filling into balls and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2) Put glutinous flour into a mixing bowl, pour in boiling water and stir into a half cooked dough. (Be VERY CAREFUL at this step. Too much water will ruin your dough. Pour slowly and gradually. If you feel the paste is pulling together, add some cold water, just enough to cool the paste, and knead into a pliable dough.) It will feel like play-doh. Don't expect it to be elastic like bread dough.

3) Divide dough into small portions and wrap up filling. Shape into balls. Leave aside.

4) Put water, chunks of ginger and palm sugar into a pot and cook until the brown sugar has melted and the syrup is aromatic. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the glutinous rice balls until it floats up. Then, cook for another minute before scooping it up and serving it with the syrup. This needs to be served hot. (Be cautious to test one ball before scooping them all out, as raw dough will still be hard and won't feel chewy under your teeth)

P.S. I added sesame seeds for more flavour.

The Beauty and the Beast

I just got myself a sweet-looking, handsome and healthy cookbook lunchbox-themed. A few weeks ago, as I was looking for a healthy whole-grain muffin recipe to try, I fell on that nice oatmeal and bran blueberry muffin in that very same cookbook.

Happily and cheerfully, I set out on a Saturday morning to bake a whole 36-batch of them.

Care to see?

...Ehm, they're not half as handsome as the book they came from.

Don't say I didn't warned you.

Allow me to introduce : the Beast.

And yes, it it naturally toad green. Now I know what happens when you mix baking soda and blueberry yoghurt together, AND that you let them stand for 20 minutes.

Those muffins were destined to my sick aunt, feverish in her bed, and as I didn't want to gross her out more than she already was with her own condition, I had to whip up another batch, one that I was already familiar with.

Thank goodness that lady is delicate, moist, and, most of all, a cute-looking love.

Allow me to introduce : the Beauty.

I couldn't resist in putting in some bran in the batter - which explains the little brownish specks.

A most peculiar couple, don't you think?