Đồ Biển Xào Cay (Spicy Seafood Stirfry)

Ingredients:
-1lb seafood (your choice)
-1 jalapeno pepper (as much or as little as you like)
-1 tbs mince crab sauce
-1 large bell pepper
-cilantro, basil (the more the merrier)
-3 cloves garlic
-salt and sugar to taste

What to Do:
Clean and prep seafood. Mince garlic, cut jalapeno into thin strips. Cut bell peppers into bite size pieces. Chop cilantro and basil into 1" pieces. Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok, fry garlic until fragrant. Add seafood and crab sauce, stir fry for approx. a min. and add in peppers. Continue to stir fry over high heat until seafood is cooked. Add salt and sugar to taste. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and basil.

Pak choy pot

Ingredients

1 pak choy
1 carrot
250 g white mushroom
water
2 tbsp mushroom sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
pepper

Method

1. Slice the pak choy leaves into pieces. Skinned the carrot and cut into wedges. Wash fresh mushroom and slice thickly.

2. Sante the wok with ginger slices, add in the carrot. Next put in the pak choy slices and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Last pour in the mushrooms, seasonings and some water. Cooked for another 5 minutes.

4. Off fire and serve hot.

Stir fry Pumpkin

Ingredients

1 wedge of pumpkin
water
seasonings

Method

1. Rinse and discard the hard skin of the pumpkin. Cut into cubes.

2. Heat oil, sante with some ginger. Put in the pumpkin cubes and add some water. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

3. When it almost soft, add in seasonings. Mixed and blend well.

4. Dish up and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.

Dâu Ua/Sữa Chua (Vietnamese Yogurt)

This treat definitely represents the touch of French influence in Vietnamese treats. Like any yogurt, to make this you need a starter which is really just plain yogurt. However, unlike most yogurts which are usually made with fresh milk, Vietnamese yogurt differs in the fact that it is made with sweeten condensed milk. Although fresh milk will work just fine in this recipe, the sweetened condensed milk is what gives Vietnamese yogurt its "Vietnameseness". This is a traditional recipe. By that I mean the fermentation process does not require a yogurt maker.

Ingredients:
-1 can sweetened condense milk
-1 can boiling water (measured using the milk can)
-2 cans cooled boiled or filtered water (measured using milk can)
-1/2 cup yogurt (Starter)
-wash and dried baby food jars (or any container you may have)
-boiling water
-large container with a lid

What to Do:
Empty milk into a large bowl and stir in boiling water until milk is dissolved. Stir in the cooled water and the yogurt goes in last. Stir well and fill mixture into baby food jars, and close them with a lid. Arrange yogurt jars into a "container" (container should be large enough so that the yogurt jars can fit in one layer). Pour boiling water over the jars until the water level comes up to right around the lid of the jars but not covering the jars. Place lid on container tightly and leave to ferment overnight...you'll have fresh yogurt in the morning.

Note:
Preferably use Vietnamese yogurt which buy at most Viet delis as your starter. If you don't live by one...just use plain yogurt from the supermarket...but remember to read the label and buy the most natural yogurt you can find. After the yogurt ferments you save a jar to use as a starter for your next batch.

Reference:
Madam Nguyễn Thị Hường (Gia Chánh Hoa Hường/Rose School of Home Economics)

Bánh Bông Lan Cuốn (Swiss Roll)

To make this treat... follow the recipe for spongefon cake, using the jelly roll method (bottom of recipe).

To get the decorative strips on the cake: after making the cake batter, remove about 3 tbs of batter and mix in some food coloring. Pour the rest of the batter into a jelly roll pan. Fill a sandwich bag with the colored batter and cut a small hole in the bag. Pipe the colored batter into long strips on top of the batter already in the ban. Use a knife or toothpick to "drag" the lines together to create the pattern (if the colored batter is piped on horizontally then drag the toothpick vertically). Bake and fill/assemble as you would for any jelly roll.

Bánh Hoa Hồng (Rose Dumplings)

"Pastry" Shell:
-1 cup wheat starch
-2/3 cup rice flour
-1 cup boiling water
-2 tbs oil

*Mix flours together and stir in boiling water. Let dough rest until cool enough to handle and knead in oil to make a smooth dough. Divide into 12 portions.

Filling:
-1/2lb ground pork
-1 carrot
-1/2 onion
-2 shitake mushrooms
-cilantro
-1/2 tsp each: salt, pepper
-1 tsp each: soy sauce, sugar
-2 cloves of garlic
-few slices xá xíu (chinese bbq pork "cha siu", optional)

*Dice carrot, onion and bbq pork. Soak mushrooms in water for a few hours to hydrate and cut into thin slices. Mince garlic and cilantro, mix everything together and divide into 12 portions.

What to Do:
Flatten the wrappers and wrap the filling. Use a rose dumpling tweezer to pinch the dough to form petals (can use you fingers if you don't have the tool). Steam dumplings over high heat for about 15-20 mins, lifting the lid of the steamer every 5 mins to release excess steam. Serve with fish sauce.

Rose Dumpling "Tweezer"

Chè Chuối (Bananas with Tapioca and Coconut Milk)

Ingredients:
-3 plantains
-water (about 3-4 cups)
-1/2 can coconut milk (approx., to taste)
-1/2 cup tapioca sticks
-1/3 cup tapioca pearls
-pinch of salt
-sugar to taste

What to Do:
Wash and soak tapioca sticks in hot water to soften. Peel and cut plantains into small 1/4 inch slices, boil in water until almost tender. Add tapioca pearls and tapioca sticks bring mixture back to a boil, add salt and sugar and coconut milk to taste. Serve hot as a sweet desert soup, or let it cool overnight and it's texture will be thick like pudding...either way it's all good!

Khoai Mì Trộn Dừa (Cassava with Coconut)

Ingredients:
-2 large cassava
-1/2 cup sugar (approx., to taste)
-pinch of salt
-grated coconut

What to Do:
Peel cassava and cut into 1 inch pieces. Soak cassava in water for at least 1 hour, before steaming over high heat for about 30 mins or until knife tender. Break cassava into small bite size pieces and toss with sugar, salt and coconut.

Note:
Cassava contains a natural poison (hydrocyanic acid) and thus cannot be consumed raw cassava. Make sure the cassava is fully cooked before consuming.

Basic Salsa

Ingredients:
-2 large bell peppers
-3 large tomatoes
-1 medium onion
-cilantro
-lime
-jalapeno peppers
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp sugar (+/- depending on sweetness of tomatoes)
-2 cloves garlic

What to Do:
Wash, dry and dice peppers, tomatoes and onion. Mince garlic and jalapeno peppers. Chop cilantro and mix everything together, add lime juice to taste. Let salsa sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving (tastes better when flavors have time to marry).

>>For corn salsa add corn, for bean salsa add cooked beans, for southwest salsa add beans, corn and grill the peppers

Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

1 cucumber
some wolfberries
1 case of tofu
seasonings
water

Method

1. Skinned the cucumber, and cut them into semi-circle.

2. In a pot of water, put in the cucumber and wolfberries and bring to boil.

3. Add in the seasonings and cubed tofu.

4. When the cucumber are fully cooked. Off fire and serve hot with dash of pepper.

Miso veg soup

Ingredients

2 heart of sucrine
1 tomato
1 can button mushroom
seaweed (optional)
1 tbsp MISO paste
salt&pepper
water

Method

1. Cut and discard the tough base of the vegetable. Sliced into 2cm thick, wash drain and set aside.

2. Cut tomato into wedges and half the button mushroom.

3. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the tomato and mushroom, seasonings.

4. When water start to bubble, add in the vegetable. Off fire and allow to simmer. Serve hot and top with seaweed.

Stir fry courgette/zucchini

Ingredients

1 kg of courgette/zucchini
1 carrot
salt&pepper
sesame oil

Method

1. Wash the skin of the courgette, cut and discard the head and tail. Sliced and shredded thin.

2. Skinned carrot and cut into shred too.

3. Oil the wok until smoked, pour in the shred courgette and carrot. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add in seasonings and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes.

5. Dish up and serve hot.

Stir fry lettuce

Ingredients

1 lettuce/iceberg
ginger slices
salt&pepper
sesame oil

Method

1. Cut the lettuce into pieces. Wash, drain and set aside.

2. Sante ginger slices in a hot pan, put in the lettuce and simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Add in seasonings, blend well and off fire. Do not over cooked the lettuce, or it become flaccid.

4. Serve hot and consume immediately.

Bánh Dẻo Cuốn (Ping Pei Rolls)

Aka banana rolls because of the default banana flavoring always added to flavor these cakes. But...there is no law that says these rolls has to taste like bananas right? So, time to get creative and make them in any flavor you like.



You'll Need:
-1/2 recipe of Bánh Dẻo (skin only).
-whatever flavoring you like.

For the basic rolls:
Follow the recipe, and divide dough into 3 equal parts. Dust hands and work surface. Roll each portion into a thin logs. Cut each log into approx. 3 inch long pieces. Done!

Have a little Fun:
Too easy? Try this. Divide the recipe in half (remember we're using 1/2 the original recipe...so 1/2 of 1/2 = 1/4 original recipe). Make each portion a different color (so you'll get 2 portions with 2 different colors). Roll each portion into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Stack one portion on top of the other and roll as you would a swiss roll. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces and should get something like in picture above.

Lemak Vegetable

Ingredients

200 g coco plat/french beans
1 carrot
250 g fresh mushroom
2 tbsp veg curry powder
125 ml light cream/coconut milk
salt

Method

1. Wash and slant slice the coco plat thinly. Skinned carrot and sliced. Clean mushroom and cut into slices.

2. In a pot bring water to boil. Put in the beans and cooked till almost done. Drain and set aside.

3. Oil the pan, put carrot and mushroom and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in the cooked beans, curry powder. Mixed well, add in salt and the cream/milk. Simmer for another 2 minutes or when the gravy start to bubble.

4. Off fire and serve hot.