Banh Bao (“wrapping cake”) is a fluffy Vietnamese steamed bun with a savory filling. The most common filling is ground pork, onions, mushroom, Chinese sausage and a hard-boiled egg. Other varieties include vegetables such as peas, carrots and jicama.
Read MoreVietnamese Thick Noodle Soup, or Banh Canh, is one of my favorite childhood foods. It's the most simplest and purest of all the Vietnamese noodle soups. In its simplest form, it's thick noodles in a rich and savory pork broth. The only tricky thing with Banh Canh is keeping the darn slippery noodles on the spoon!
Read MoreMy mother-in-law would spend the entire day putting Mì Hoành Thánh together. Not only does she make the broth completely from scratch with chicken and pork bones, she also assembles each individual wonton, makes Chinese/Vietnamese Barbecue Pork, preps all the vegetables and makes the fried shallots herself when she can easily get them at the grocery store. And all that pork fat from meat trimmings that she stockpiled in her deep-freezer for, what one would assume, zombie apocalypse? She finally takes them out and fries them into crispy pork fat (Tép Mỡ) as a crunchy topping to dress the noodle soup.
Read MoreFried fish in fresh tomato sauce (Ca Chien Sot Ca Chua). The combination of crispy fish and sweet-yet-slightly-tart tomato sauce is simply divine and a taste of childhood.
Read MoreBanh Beo are steamed savory rice cakes. Banh is cake in Vietnamese and Beo is the delicate white flower of a water fern that the steamed rice cake resembles. Locals in Vietnam usually graze all day, and Banh Beo can be one of many small meals that they eat.
Read MoreInstant noodles are high in sodium and low in nutrition, but they will always have a special place in my belly. My instant noodles have gotten a lot more sophisticated over the years. I pimp my instant noodles with lots of veggies, proteins and always an egg. Boom. Instant noodles are now full-blown semi-healthy meals. Best of all, they are quick to make.
Read MoreXiao Long Bao, also known XLB for short or Little Dragon Buns for a literal translation, are steamed dumplings made of ground pork and pork broth. The common question with XLB is how they get the broth inside the dumpling. The answer fascinated me and many others. Click to learn more!
Read MoreThis post requires little introduction. Fried chicken in cupcake form. For the love of everything holy why I would create such a monstrosity? Simple. Because I can. Mwahahaha!
Read MorePot stickers are mini meals that are easy to make and easy to eat. The fillings are soft and moist, and the wrapper is thick and chewy. Plus, the dumplings are versatile. You can use any type of ground meat and any type of vegetables. Made too many? Pop the uncooked ones in the freezer and they can keep for months!
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