Author: annie

Pho Ga

Pho Ga

When people think of Vietnamese cuisine, pho is the first thing that comes to mind, but given the abundance of pho restaurants, it’s rarely something we eat at home. We’ve now been sheltering in place (officially and not) for going on 6 months, and with…

Lemongrass Pork

Lemongrass Pork

There is nothing more classic in Vietnamese cuisine than grilled pork. It’s a staple at restaurants and something that we eat regularly at home as well. My aunt’s rendition of a lemongrass marinade is incredibly complex in flavor but as simple as any basic marinade.…

Pate Chaud

Pate Chaud

Here’s another meat pie recipe that is quite different than the other one I previously posted about. This meat pie is wrapped in pastry dough and is a staple at parties in our family. We usually order Pate Chaud catering style but store bought just doesn’t compare to my aunt, Co Hop’s, version.

When I asked Co Hop for the recipe, I got the usual vague measurements. However, after consulting with my cousin Ginie (her daughter) as well as cross-referencing many recipes online, I was able to get the flavor profile right on the first try! As my aunt pointed out, we all have the luxury these days of easily attainable frozen puff pastry dough so making Pate Chaud is almost completely foolproof.

All of the ingredients needed, minus ground pork and egg for egg wash.

One interesting thing I noticed about Pate Chaud is that there’s quite a lot of variation between recipes. Whereas with other recipes I’ve previously attempted, I found many similarities between recipes found online and those given by my family. Ingredient-wise, what sets my aunt’s recipe apart is the soy flavor and the heartiness added by mushrooms (note: she actually uses canned button mushrooms but said that it can be substituted by fresh button or shitake). Another difference I found is that she recommends cooking the meat halfway rather than stuffing it raw to prevent the meat from sticking to the pastry dough.

Half cooked meat with the rest of the ingredients combined.

I have to admit the first couple of batches were not the prettiest but no one cared. Between our family of 4 and my cousin’s family up the street, we devoured about 20 within 24 hours.

Of all the recipes I’ve posted so far, this one is probably the most enjoyed by my family and also a fun one to involve the kids. Bon appetit!

Pate Chaud

This recipe comes from my aunt, Co Hop. She has made this for years in our family and everyone agrees the way she makes it is above and beyond what we can get at the store (although store-bought is still very delicious).
Prep Time35 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: meat pie
Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion or 1 small one
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 oz fresh shitake or button mushrooms my aunt typically uses 1/2 can of button mushrooms
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp Maggie soy sauce
  • 1 egg, yolk and whites separated
  • 2 sheets puff pastry (most packages come with 2 but Dufour only comes with 1)

Instructions

  • Defrost pastry dough per instructions (usually takes anywhere from 1-2 hours)
  • Finely dice onions, garlic, and mushrooms.
  • Heat oil in a large pan. Cook onions first until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute then mushrooms until soft, about 3 minutes. Then add salt, pepper, and meat, cooking until meat starts to brown but isn't completely cooked, another 3 minutes. Lastly, turn off the heat and stir in sugar and soy sauce.
  • When pastry dough is firm but no longer frozen, unroll/unfold and cut dough into ~2-3" squares. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Two at a time: brush BOTH squares with egg white around the edges. Add 1-2 tablespoons of meat in the center of one square and place the other square on top. Use fingers or a fork to press edges together. Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
  • Place entire tray of assembled Pate Chaud in the freezer for 5 -10 minutes to firm up pastry.
  • Remove Pate Chaud from the freezer, brush top of pastries with egg yolk, and pierce with a fork 3 times per pastry.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Banh Gio (& Banh Cuon Filling)

Banh Gio (& Banh Cuon Filling)

This was one of my favorite foods as a kid – it’s relatively plain and so perfectly carb-y. These days, my kids and nieces/nephew love it just as much. My niece seems to eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when my aunt (her grandmother)…

Instant Pot Cha Trung Hap

Instant Pot Cha Trung Hap

In our house, my kids refer to this dish as ‘meat pie’, which probably sounds pretty strange to anyone outside our family. In actuality, this is probably a very familiar dish to many people as it’s commonly served at Com Tam (broken rice) restaurants, which…

Ginger Chicken & Caramel Anything

Ginger Chicken & Caramel Anything

Over the holidays, my aunt who was visiting from Washington showed me how she makes a classic caramelized pork, the main steps of which are essentially the same for most claypot style dishes, including ginger chicken. There was nothing truly groundbreaking in her demonstration, and in fact, my mom has showed me many times how to do the exact same thing. The difference, however, is that my aunt took the time to measure everything out. And, given how many times I’ve tried and failed at caramelizing, I decided to also use the opportunity to get my caramelization game right.

Up until now, my caramel sauce technique has been extremely finicky. Most of the time, it comes out light and slightly under-flavored after I completely burn the initial attempt. After some repeated practice, I noted a few important takeaways:

  1. Watch it carefully as it cooks quickly once the sugar starts to melt (between the 3 and 4 minute marks). I notoriously try to multi-task in the kitchen but turning away for even a few seconds once the sugar starts to melt can result in a burnt batch.
  2. Cook on high heat undisturbed, but note that different pans heat differently. I found that with a Caphalon or dutch oven, I should turn the heat to medium/high. However, in an All-Clad, medium heat was more appropriate to prevent burning.
  3. The sauce should start to look a little burnt, but throw in the shallots soon after. Otherwise, if the shallots are thrown in while the sugar is still a golden brown color, the resulting dish will be a lot more mild (not bad, but not as flavorful or punchy).
1) 4 minutes in, sugar has melted and edges turn dark; 2) A quick stir redistributes and prevents burning; 3) Caramelization fully develops once shallots are thrown in

I hope that breaking down the technique and the ingredient proportions will be helpful to others who may not have mastered caramelization yet. You may even end up rethinking ever ordering these kinds of dishes again in restaurants given how simple and delicious it can be coming from your own kitchen.

The recipe given below is for ginger chicken. However step 2 alone can be used to create caramel (aka claypot) anything (pork chop, fish, shrimp, etc).

Ginger Chicken

This recipe given to me by my aunt, Bac Nguyen. However, the caramelization technique is identical to my mom's.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Marination Time1 hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: caramel sauce, chicken, claypot, ginger
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-2" pieces
  • 2 medium shallots, sliced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 3 inches one inch wide piece of ginger (or equivalent size), cut into match sticks. If cooking for children, reduce by 1/3-1/2 because kids sometimes complain the ginger is spicy.
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce

Marinade

  • 1/8 cup fish sauce
  • 1/8 cup sugar

Instructions

  • Marinate chicken with fish sauce and sugar. Refrigerate.
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil with 1/8 cup sugar on medium high heat in non-stick pan or medium heat for stainless steel pan. Once sugar starts to turn dark brown at edges (about 4 minutes), give it a quick stir and add shallots. Cook shallots for 2 minutes or until softened and has absorbed color.
  • Add ginger and cook for another 2 minutes until slightly softened.
  • Add chicken and 1/4 cup fish sauce. Cook off for about 15 minutes until liquid has evaporated.
Quick Stirfry #1: Tofu, Tomato, Pork

Quick Stirfry #1: Tofu, Tomato, Pork

This may not be the most complex or exciting recipe, but hard to complain too much about a hearty meal ready in 20 minutes. Like most Asian families, we ate a lot of stirfry in my house growing up. The dishes were all super simple…

Pho Ap Chao

Pho Ap Chao

This is one of my favorite dishes. It’s packed with veggies and has the perfect carb-y texture of both crispy AND chewy noodles. My mom and one of my aunts seem to make this recipe all the time (at least once a month, if not…

Canh Chua

Canh Chua

This week I’m sharing another classic weekday dish from my household growing up: Canh Chua (‘sour soup’). My mom probably cooked this dish weekly when I was younger, often changing up the protein (fish, shrimp, fish cake) and veggies but always with pretty much the same soup base. With the encouragement of both my mom and aunt, I decided to take on this recipe and am able to confirm: this dish is SUPER simple!

However, here’s the catch: the ingredients were not easy to come by. I went to 2 different Asian grocery stores in my area and then had to ask my cousin to stop by one more in order to get the key ingredients (still at least one ingredient we both couldn’t locate). Also, the kids weren’t fans. At all. They took one spoonful and refused to finish the rest. We adults did enjoy and my cousin confirmed that the flavor profile was spot on so I’m positive this was a good dish in spite of the littles’ rejection!

Special ingredients for soup base: veggie seasoning, rock candy, tamarind powder. The veggie seasoning is German and unavailable in the US but this alternative is available at World Market.
Pineapple and elephant ear which I found at the second grocery stop.
Rice paddy herb (ngo om)
The hard to come by rice paddy herb (ngo om): my aunt claims this is the key ingredient. While the herb gives the soup its distinct flavor, it also tastes just fine without.

It might be a few months before I try this one again (those kids aren’t totally getting off the hook) but still highly recommending this recipe to anyone who wants an incredibly simple rendition of a classic Vietnamese soup.

Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sour Soup)

This is the exact recipe shared by my aunt, Chef Teresa. The serving size is meant for 4 as a main dish (typically served with rice noodles). However, we normally eat this at home as a side dish accompanied by another main protein dish and rice. In this case, I recommend cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise, you will have plenty of leftovers.
If marination is done ahead of time, this dish can be pulled together in 30 minutes, including all other prep work.
Cook Time30 mins
Marination30 mins
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs Halibut cut into 1.5 inch pieces Sub: Red Snapper, Catfish, Shrimp
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 bag bean sprouts
  • 2 stems elephant ear, sliced diagonally
  • 10 okra, cut in half diagonally
  • 1 handful Rice Paddy Herb (Ngo Om), chopped for garnish
  • 1 bulb green onion, chopped for garnish
  • fried garlic for garnish Sub: fried shallots

Soup

  • 6 cups water some of this can be substituted with chicken broth for richer flavor (e.g. 3 cups chicken broth, 3 cups water)
  • 1 tbsp tamarind powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp rock sugar (cubed)
  • 2 tbsp veggie seasoning

Instructions

  • Marinate fish with 3 tablespoons fish sauce and crushed black pepper. Set aside for at least 1/2 hour
  • Prep veggies while fish marinates
  • Combine broth ingredients, bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat.
  • Cook fish in broth 3-5 minutes but do NOT add marinated fish sauce. Remove fish from broth and set aside.
  • Increase heat to boil. Add pineapple, tomatoes, okra and cook for 3 minutes. Add elephant ear and bean sprouts; cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust broth seasoning as needed.
  • Add fish back. Garnish with green onion, rice paddy herb, fried garlic or shallots and serve.
Instant Pot Thit Kho

Instant Pot Thit Kho

When I started this blog, Thit Kho Trung (Braised Pork with Egg) was one of the dishes that were top of mind for me to learn. I grew up eating Thit Kho and my kids now love it too. However, it’s always my mom or…