Meme: You are What You Eat

Are you really? I’ve been tagged by Lin from Sinfully Yours. Regarding my eating habits; I must say I love anything sweet and chocolaty. Secondly, I prefer veggies over meats; definitely not a fan of fish dishes. My worst nightmare is to have to eating bland food; I just don’t understand how some people could eat things that taste like cardboard. Lastly, I admit I’m a street food addict, I’m sure most people who read this are too. Here goes my list of all time top 10 favorite eats.

#1: Bismark Doughnuts: OH GOD they’re good, the chewy doughnut, filled with rich pastry cream and glazed with chocolate, what’s there not to love?

#2: Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls aka Summer Rolls): This particular type of fresh spring roll is made with prawns, pork, rice vermicelli, herbs, and bean sprouts; dipped in hoison and peanut sauce right before it enters your mouth and explodes in a burst of flavors.

#3: Strawberry Milk Shakes: especially ones form Dick’s, the thick and creamy texture mixed with the sweet strawberry taste is too hard to resist.

#4: Spaghetti: the tangy sauce calls my name, no meat balls for me please.

#5: Congee: any kind will do but I admit I absolutely love Ho Ho’s (a Chinese Restaurant in Seattle) Little Boat Congee. The smooth congee packs rich flavors which come from the jelly fish, fish, squid, peanuts, beef, ginger, cilantro and green onions. Goes perfectly with for the cold rainy months we have in Seattle.

#6: Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce: Something about the broccoli’s crunchy texture and saltiness from the oyster sauce that seems to attract my taste buds.

#7: Bún Bò Huế (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodles Soup): Noodles in hot and spicy broth served with an abundance of veggies, exactly the way I prefer my food.

#8: Chocolate: anything chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake too good to give up in this lifetime.

#9: Shrimp Scampi: especially when it’s served with pasta and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

#10: Rice Vermicelli Dishes: I’m cheating on my last one hehehehehe, I absolutely adore the smooth texture of bún or rice vermicelli; they go well with almost anything.

My turn to tag….let’s see….

Lily from Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Seadragon from Café of the East
Jingle's Kitchen

Your turn we’re waiting :D….

For you reading pleasures, I stumbled upon this link on the scientific aspects of “you are what you eat”. Enjoy.

Bún Suông Giò Heo (Fresh Shrimp Paste Noodles)

A specialty for the southern region of Vietnam. Simple and delicious. Of course, served with a helping of bean sprouts and fresh herbs. Shrimp paste here is not to be confused with mắm ruốt the other “shrimp paste”. Suông is made from fresh shrimp and chicken, boiled in broth and coated with annatto oil for unique flavor and appearance.

For the Broth and Noodles:
-2 lbs chicken or bones (approximate I recommend using chicken)
-shrimp shells (byproduct from making the fresh shrimp paste, recipe follows)
-salt to taste
-1 small piece of rock sugar
-1 pork feet (cut into serving size pieces)
-rice vermicelli

*Boil together bones, shrimp shell and pork feet for a few hours to make broth. Remove pork feet when chopstick tender. Use broth to cook shrimp paste, add sugar and salt to taste. Boil rice vermicelli until tender, drain before serving.

Garnishing:
-cilantro
-green onions

*Washed and chop finely.

To Serve:
Lay noodles in a bowl, add suông (shrimp paste), and pork feet; ladle on hot broth and finish off with garnishing. Serve rau húng cây (spearmint), cooked bean sprouts, and hoisin sauce, lime, fish sauce, and fresh chilies as condiments.

Suông (Fresh Shrimp Paste):
*Measure by volume
-1 cup chicken breast
-2 cups shrimp
-4 cloves garlic
-3 tbs fish sauce
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp sugar
-2 shallots
-3 tbs oil
-annatto seeds

*Cube chicken breast, chop garlic and shallots. Fry annatto seeds in oil to obtain color, remove seeds. Peel and shrimp, use the shells to make broth. Grind together shrimp, chicken, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, pepper, salt and sugar into a smooth paste. Use a rice scraper or spatula to form 3-4 inch long pieces of paste and drop them into the hot broth to cook. Remove when the float to the surface of the broth and dip in annatto oil for color.