A good bye for now My reader

Growing up I realize that the world is full of expectations. There are expectations everywhere! From your boss to parents and for me, my parents’ expectation are my top priority because I love them and I can’t stand to see a frown on my aging parent face. I grew up with very traditional Vietnamese parents and as a female, my mother always wanted me to be able to cook because some day I will have to cook for my family. 

“Beauty and kitchen etiquette are a must darling! Beauty itself is nothing because instant noodles won’t steal your husband's heart. You must conquer him starting with his belly!”That is how my cooking journey started! I started to learn cooking from my parents and grandma and I realized I have been missing out a lot! Cooking is not just to stir up some food to fill our belly. There is more to it! Spending hours in the kitchen is all worth it because seeing your loved one smile because of your food is priceless.

Life is short and I think we should try new stuff everyday because if we don’t, we’re missing out a lot! Try new food! Learn how to cook! And Blog! Nothing can surprise you more than our unlimited search engine world. This semester I was introduced to blogging and I realize that there is a whole other dimension going on. Just like a Pandora box, once you type in some keywords and hit search, you’ll be surprised with the interesting facts that are going to be flashing on your screen. Never underestimate it! Discovering facts and sharing your view on certain things in life with someone that may be on the opposite side of the planet. Meeting strangers and learning more about the world and the author through their writing is very exciting. A huge variety of knowledge is being exchanges at a faster rate. What is better than that?

NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS! TRUST ME!!
 

I hope that the recipes I shared will encourage you to try a variety of Vietnamese cuisine, so that you can try it the next time you step into a Vietnamese restaurant. Better yet! You can try to make them at home and impress your loved one! Always try new things because life is full of excitement, don’t let the excitement slip away like that!

 Saying good bye is probably the hardest thing for me. No one likes good bye! But for now this will be my last post because finals week is around the corner and it tends to get busy. I hope that you enjoy my Vietnamese goodies.
 

A good bye for now, my dear reader 

Vietnamese Fermented Pickled Bean Sprout

Dua Gia Thanks to  viviandnguyen_

Serving: 2

Cost:

Time: $10

Every Asian culture have their own unique tasty side dish that can be served along with our family meal. As for Korean culture their Sukju Namul Muchim, a traditional seasoned mung bean side dish. Similar to the Korean culture, the Vietnamese food also share the same preparation in preparing our side dish, but our dish is a bit spicier since we add in along with fresh red chili. 

 Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprout VS. Korean Sukju Namul Muchim mung bean

Full Credit of I Believe I can Fry

Korean Sukju Namul Muchim Mung Bean

The Korean Sukju Namul Muchim is very unique and different because the preparation and serve is way faster. Every cultural dish have their special side, like for this delicious Korea Sukju, is seasoned afterward with garlic, green onion, sesame oil and seed. The Korean Sukju Namul is a little salty but very delicious and you can never get enough of it. The process used in preparing this is also different because seasoning is required after water salt water is poured on. 

                           Thanks to Helen Recipe 

Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprout

My favorite Vietnamese side dish, Dua Gia, the Vietnamese pickled bean sprout is also healthy, but it comes with a longer preparation. Its worth it though! The longer prep is better because we are letting the bean sprout ferment and that is where a nice sour taste will make us want more. Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprout is best if you add it along to your rice while eating caramelized pork and egg.   

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lbs of bean sprouts

- 3 red chii sliced 

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 bowl of vinegar 

- 1 small sliced ginger 

Steps: 

1. Wash all the ingredients and cut them

2. Mixed them all together in the basket

3. In a separate bowl, added in the vinegar, salt, hot water (Make sure when you pour the water in the veggies, it is not hot or else the bean sprout and chili will be cooked)

4. Stuff the bean sprout and veggie in the container  
5. IF vinegar was used, the bean sprout is ready to b serve 4 hours later. IF only salt water was used, the wait will be 5 days long at least

Have you heard of this side dish before? 

Caramelized Pork and Eggs (Thit Kho Tau ~ Thit Kho To)

Thit Kho To Taken by Susan Tran 

Serving:8

Cost: under 20

Time: 2 hours

This is a dish that is delicious, yet at the same time hold's a deep meaningful place in every Vietnamese heart because our heritages and culture values are reflected through this dish. Caramelized braised pork and eggs, Thit kho to, one of the few traditional dishes served on Vietnamese New Year. Growing up, whenever I see this dish, the memories of the last New Year with the family come rushing back along with the joy and warmness of love.  Thit Kho To, a dish that fills your heart with warmth of love and a belly of joy!

Traditionally, the meat used in this dish have a chunk of skin and fat, but in this recipe I decided to use lean meat because the doctor told me to go slow on consuming delicious, natural, chewy fat! So you can use any type of meat for this dish.For this blog I decided to try a new way for all the visual reader so they can carry out my recipe. The video was not film by me. All credit is reserved to Helen.

Seasoning the meat Taken by Susan Tran

Ingredients:

-          3 lbs of pork meat cut into 1 inch cube (cut then wash them with some salt or vineagar to remove the smell)
-          2 coconut juice
-          4 tablespoon of sugars
-          16 hard boil eggs
-          2 tablespoon minced green onions
-          1 tablespoon of smash garlic
-          2 tablespoon of  minced white onions
-          1 teaspoon of black pepper
-          1 teaspoon of salt
-          3 tablespoon of fish sauce
-          Served with steamed rice
-          4 tablespoon of Dragon Fly brand of Black sweet soy sauce 

Special thanks to Helen' s recipes 

Instruction:

1.      Cut the pork into one inch cube and add it into a large bowl for seasoning

2.      Add in the green and white onions

3.      Add in the black pepper and salt and 2 TABLESPOON of sugar

4.      Mixed up the meat and let it season for 30 minutes

5.      After the 30 minutes is up. Add 2 tablespoon of sugar into the dry hot pot. Add half a tablespoon of cooking oil to it. As Helen mention in the video, this is the tricky part where a nice caramel light brown color form. Be careful of overheating and burning the sugar. A brown burnt color will ruin your dish due to it bitterness.

6.      While you are waiting for your meat to season, you should use a separate pot to cook the eggs. Cook in a separate pot for 20 minutes. You can set it in cold water for it to cool down to peel.

7.      Add the seasoned meat in and stir around. Make sure the meat is equally mixed for 6 minutes so the meat can equally cook.

#7 stir it for 6 minutes taken by Susan Tran

8.      Add in the coconut juice and peeled hard boil eggs and seasoned cook meat into one pot

9.      Let the meat sit in the pot for 1hour 30 minutes with medium fire. No lid to prevent overflow. Be prepared to scoop out the cloudy substance on top of the pot as you cook

10.  You can add in more of the black sauce if the color isn’t showing a nice brown golden color. This sauce can add a sweetness to the dish and at the same time a more flavorful taste to it.

11.  2 HOURS!! Okay it is time to scoop out the yummy saucy braised chicken with eggs.

Have you ever tried this dish before? If yes, tell me about it please!

Tip: It is best to serve this dish with steamed rice.  Enjoy!!

Vietnamese Pomelo Salad with Shrimp and Roasted Pork

Vietnamese Pomelo salad with Shrimp and Roasted pork
Taken By Susan Tran

Serving: 4

Time: 30 minutes

Cost: $20

WE MUST EAT FRUIT SALAD OFTEN! IT IS GOOD FOR OUR MIND AND BODY! That is why you should try POMELO SALAD WITH SHRIMP AND ROAST PORK!

Herbs have been used from Middle East to West for centuries. Herbs is very welcomed in almost every cultures, from being use as medicine to being added in our special dishes that fills our loved one‘s belly. Beside Herbs, fruits are also used in the making of certain dish. Fruit is  incorporated into meals because of their unique special taste it gives off. The creamy taste in squash dessert to the natural sour stuffed tomato. For instance, Vietnamese add fruit alongside with their healthy herby meals. Pomelo is one of the fruit used in the making of this special Vietnamese salad I am about to share with you today.

FUN FACT: Both the Vietnamese and Chinese culture see Pomeloas a symbol of good luck and prosperity. That is why a pomelo is commonly usedas offering to ancestor so our ancestor can look after us and sprinkle somelucks on the upcoming year. Therefore, in most Chinese and Vietnamese family,Pomelo is used on Mid-autumn Lunar New Year and the Lunar New Year offering.

Pomelo Taken By Susan Tran

BENEFITS OF THIS SALAD:

Similar like the American Fruit salad, the Vietnamese pomelo salad carry the same goal too. Both salad purpose is to helps eliminated the junk food craving by substituting a healthy light meal.

VITAMIN C:

Pomelo, a fruit belonging to the grapefruit citrus family that is filled with high amount of rich Vitamin C. Vitamin C can boost our immune system by promoting the growth of antibodies used in defending and killing bacteria that is weakening the individual health.   

WEIGHT LOSS:

Ladies! Are you catching this?According to Stylecraze, Pomelo are very high in fiber, so it keep us from experiencing the constant hunger bell since it takes a longer time to digested in our stomach. Pomelo is also mention to have a special enzyme like that help burn the human body fat by eliminating the amount of sugar and starch in our body. So Ladies! We should try to include this recipe in often! We would want to look fabulous for that upcoming spring trip bikini!

Beside pomelo, Shrimps also can play a role in our weight losing campaign because they posses a highamount of Zinc and iodine. Zinc is really special because they helps in the production of more Leptin hormones. Leptins control our body energy, so we can be more energetic and last longer without having to constantly feeling the hunger food rage. Iodine is also an important to the human body because when our iodine is not enough our thyroid will fall apart which then cause us to feel tired and lazy. Feeling tired lead to sitting all day eating is not how one will lose weight!   

THEREFORE, You MUST TRY THIS delicious irresistible Pomelo Salad with shrimp and roasted pork!

Roasted Pork and Sliced Shrimp Taken By Susan Tran

Ingredients:

-          ½lb of roast pork (about $5) (cut into thin sliced about one cm)  

-          12 shrimps (cooked, peeled, cut in half)

-          ½ medium cabbages(sliced)

-          1 bunch of Vietnamese Coriander (Rau Ram) (pluck all the leaves and chop)

-          5 sliced of green lettuce

-          ½ Pomelo

-          1 small bowl of fish sauce

-          4 tablespoon of sugars

-          1 carrot peeled and shred
3     smashed peanut and fried shallot onion (as many as you like) 

Where do we start??

Roast Pork
Fully credit to Alpha

1.       Roast Pork.  Normally, we can use breast chicken meat or regular pork meat, but in this case I decide to use roast pork due to the limited time. Since the pomelo is sour, trust me! This little salty seasoned roast pork and crunchy skin will leave us drooling. For this we can use a scissor to cut one cm strip of roast pork.

2          2.   Shrimp. Cook them for 5 minutes on high boiling water and take them out for cooling. Peeled and use a knife to cut them into halves.

Rau Ram ~ Vietnamese Coriander
Thanks to By Jean-Paul Bigand

3.       Cabbages, Green Lettuce and Vietnamese Coriander.  Washed them clean and dry them. Cut them as thin as possible.

4.       Carrot. Washed and peel the skin off. We can cut this carrot into thin sliced or shredded them.

Pomelo pulp Taken By Susan Tran

5.       Pomelo. Washed the pomelo and peel off the skin and use a scissor to cut off the seed. Grab the pulp of the pomelo and we can break up the pieces into bite size because it would be easier to dettached and quicker.

6.       Sauce.  The pomelo itself is already sour so we don’t need to add any lemon juice. The fish sauce can be added with sugar and sir it up. A little heat can help speed the sugar dissolving process.

7. MIXED EVERYTHING TOGETHER! pomelo and smash peanut can be added last as topping. 

Have you ever try any salad similar to this? Have you heard of pomelo salad? If yes, tell me about your experience when you had this salad, did you like it? Why or why not?