culinary adventures for everyday life
In our Mom’s 52 series, we’ve shared a few recipes calling for Xa Xiu – BBQ Pork. Otherwise known as Char Siu, Xa Xiu (“sa see-oo”) is the pink-hued pork found hanging in Vietnamese/Chinese meat markets, next to the roasted pig and roasted duck. Raising four […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is a shrimp-lover’s dream. It’s time to learn how to make mouthwatering Tom Cang Kho – Braised Prawns. Prawns are larger (and pricier) than standard shrimp. They’re about 4-6 count, meaning 4-6 prawns weigh one pound. If you can’t find fresh […]
Like quality dark chocolate or a chunk of strong cheese, this week’s Mom’s 52 recipe can be considered an acquired taste. Canh O Qua – Bitter Melon Soup is a dish that little kids probably run from, but if you give it a try in […]
It’s summertime, which means you can find fresh, sweet corn for a great deal at the local market. This week, there’s a local market selling eight ears of corn for only a dollar! Buy a whole buck worth of corn, grill a few, and save […]
A popular Vietnamese dish is the Vietnamese sandwich, or Banh Mi. Banh Mi is a French bread sandwich stuffed with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, cucumbers, mayonnaise, jalapeno, a dash of pepper and soy sauce, and your choice of meat. One of my favorite meat options for […]
It’s the middle of the week, you’re short on time, but you don’t want to give in and order fast food for dinner. What to do? This healthy Canh Bau – Opo Squash Soup recipe is super easy, easy, easy. Here, we take a popular […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is a light dish that’s a bit of a cross between a beef carpaccio and a ceviche. Bo Tai Chanh – Seared Beef Salad – is made from seared beef ribeye lightly tossed in a lime vinaigrette. Bo Tai Chanh […]
Want a simple and healthy lunch, or a simple and crowd-pleasing appetizer? This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for the popular Goi Cuon – Vietnamese Spring Rolls. You know Goi Cuon – they’re the delicious appetizer you’ll find in most neighborhood Vietnamese restaurants. Although the […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is a simple, minimal ingredient dish: Ca Chien – Fried Fish. First, find a good place to get fresh fish. Do not be intimidated to order fresh fish at the counter, as opposed to pre-packaged fish. This way, you can […]
Spring is here! It’s time to get outdoors, and outdoors + food = time to fire up the grill! This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for Ga Nuong – Grilled Lemongrass Chicken. This is best cooked on the grill, to get a nice char on […]
Dessert! This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for a Vietnamese dessert called Che Dau Trang – Sweet Rice & Bean Dessert. Don’t run away at the sound of beans in a dessert; sweetened beans are common in Eastern Asian desserts, and believe me when I […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for a popular dish among kids and adults alike. Mi Xao Don – Crunchy Bird’s Nest w/ Beef Stir Fry is a crowd-pleaser because of its fun crunch and savory topping. This is a great dish to throw together […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 Vietnamese recipe is oh so delicious, my mouth is watering as I type this. A great cut of beef. Fresh vegetables topped with a light vinaigrette. A side of rice. Lime juice for dipping. Mmmmm. It’s time to make a popular […]
We’re having a pretty cold winter this year, and when it’s cold outside, it’s great to warm up with different types of soup. This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for the most traditional, no-carb (no noodles or rice) Vietnamese soup I can think of: […]
Crunchy goodness! That’s how to describe this week’s Mom’s 52 recipe. Banh Mi Tom – Shrimp Toast is traditionally a side dish, often accompanying noodle dishes. It also works great as an appetizer for parties. Trust me when I say that you should make extra […]
We’re back! Thanks for being patient while Mom was fighting a bug last week. Unfortunately, she’s still not 100% better, and add the fact that I’m battling my own little bug, and it’s been a rough week! We couldn’t let our Mom’s 52 readers down, […]
This week, Mom caught a bug and is feeling under the weather, so we weren’t able to get together for a Mom’s 52 recipe. (Sad face.) We’ll make up for it as soon as Mom feels better, of course, but it got me thinking about turning […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is the second entry of a two part series, which began last week with Chao Ga – Chicken Congee. In last week’s recipe, we cooked a whole chicken (or leg quarters) to create a fragrant chicken stock. This week, […]
We got a small taste of a cold front earlier this week, and it got me craving this week’s Mom’s 52 dish – Canh Ra Gim, or Mixed Vegetable Soup w/ Pork. When it gets cold outside, this is an easy, hearty recipe to warm […]
When I first started this website, one of the first requests I received was to post my recipe for Peanut Sauce as part of WWC’s Most Requested. To those who so patiently waited for this recipe, here it finally is! Keep those requests coming! Peanut […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is for Rau Muong Xao Toi, a dish that was one of my favorites while growing up. As a kid, I always loved the slightly salty crunch of the hollow water spinach stems. If you have finicky little (or not […]
This week’s Mom’s 52 recipe is Nuoc Mam Cham, or Dipping Fish Sauce, which is a Vietnamese cuisine must-have. Although it’s a simple recipe to put together, Nuoc Mam Cham is very difficult to perfect without the correct balance of ingredients. Mom makes this sauce regularly, […]