Pickled Ham Rolls|Nem Chua & Sticky Rice Cakes|Banh Chung

Two more tet dishes.

Last Sunday while we were at the concert, Mom started making the pickled ham rolls. By the time we came home, there were only a couple batches left to make.


Looks very different from other nem chua huh?


Refrigerated for a few days to set.



Fully cooked ham, vinegar soaked pork skin, garlic, pickled pepper, black pepper corns. Mmm. (after I pick out the pepper. hehe)

What's Tet without sticky rice cakes? Phuong stayed home one day and made all these cakes.




Mom stayed up to cook them. 5-6 hours in a pressure cooker. Conical ones are called Banh U.


Square shaped ones are called Banh Chung.


Peel away the banana leaf and cut with fishing line or in this case, a thin ribbon.


A pretty tint of green and aromatic smell from the banana leaf. Pork and mung bean filling.

LOL Random 2

We went to Laura's place Saturday night to celebrate Anthony's birthday.

First Course: Beef, shrimp, and squid hotpot (Bo Tom Muc Chien Bo) =P
Second Course: Phuong's Chicken Pot Pie and Gai's Crawfish.
Third Course: Lisa's Vanilla custard cake from Shatila.

While the guys played poker, us gals blew up the mic with some karaoke - I topped the scoreboard with two 100's! Woohoo! The scoring system must've been set to easy because I butchered those songs. haha

On Sunday evening, I went to Motorcity Casino Detroit to attend a Vietnamese New Year Concert, Mung Xuan Canh Dan 2010. The show was hosted by the beautiful Ky Duyen and performers included Quynh Vi, Nhu Loan, Van Quynh, Luong Tung Quang, Manh Quynh, and the talented Liberty Band.


The Liberty Band starts off the show...
The singers performed their songs and a few duets. The overall concert was a little disappointing. I was hoping for more nhac xuan, but only a few were sung. I'm not much of a fan of any of these artists and the songs choices, imo - were a little boring,


If I were to pick a favorite performance , I'd have to go with Luong Tung Quang's Mai Mai Ben Nhau (Vietnamese version of Fate from the Kdrama, Full House)
He originally performed it with Tu Quyen in Paris By Night 92.

CD signing. LTQ reminds of Daniel Wu in the picture =)

My ultimate concert would be a combination of artists from Thuy Nga, Van Son, and Asia:

Hosted by the hilarious Van Son, Bao Liem, and Viet Thao

Perfomances by Quang Le & Nhu Quynh, Minh Tuyet & Bang Kieu, Dan Nguyen and Bang Tam, and save the best for last...Nguyen Thang & Cat Tien.

That would be one amazing show!

Preserved Fruit & Vegetable Candies | Mut Tet

It's that time of year! In preparation for Lunar New Year, which is only 2 weeks away, we've started making some of the essential dishes often eaten during this celebration.

The first of which is candied carrots, coconut, and ginger.


1 regular pack of carrots (about 12) cut into thin ovals and blanched.


About 4 pounds of ginger, cut into thin ovals as well. Blanched with lemon juice to keep from browning.


3 Coconuts, flesh removed from it's shell, and cut into long thin strips using a potato peeler (the one from the asian market works best). Blanched slightly.


In a hot shallow pan or electric skillet, add the fruit/vegetable and the same amount of sugar.


After a few minutes, the sugar will dissolve into a thin syrup.


A few more minutes go by, the sugar is bubbling and thickening. The fruit/vegetable will also become translucent like.


It's getting really thick. Make sure to keep stirring.


The sugar has crystalize again.


Pour the contents out on some parchment paper or newspaper, and press them out flat while they're still hot so that can dry.


The same process is done for the carrots...


and coconut. You can also add food coloring to make colored 'Mut'.

I find the Mut a little too sweet, but the inger ones are delish. Serve this with tea to guests.

Fermented Fish Dish | Mam Dua Ca

This past summer when big sister Lien and Andy got engaged, Andy's mom brought up from Texas some fresh fish that could be used for fermenting. I'm not sure what the name of this fish is, only that it's shiny silver in color, thin, and long. The fish was cut into about 1/2 inch pieces, salted, and jared for fermenting.

A couple months later, mom used it to make a fermented fish dish called Mam Dua or Mam Ca.



Dried pieces of green papaya from Vietnam soaked in water to re-hydrate and drained.


Rinsed and drained pickled eggplant from the jar. Cut into halves.


Chili Radishes from the package; Washed, drained, and cut into small pieces.


Seasonings and spices go in.

The potent stuff!


Time to take it outside to add the fermented fish. The smell can be overwhelming inside the house.


Mix well with gloves!


Pack in jars.


Give the vegetables a couple weeks to absorb the seasonings and it's good to eat.


Compliments well with boiled pork belly and a plate of raw vegetables (green leaf lettuce, mint, cilantro, and fish mint). Served with rice.

I like to bunch everything up in a lettuce wrap and eat it that way. But if I'm hungry or just craving - I'm satisfied with a bowl of rice and the mam.

A picture video of Lien & Andy's beautiful engagement. Jul 4.09 weekend



*Stop the playlist music*

LOL Random 1

I feel so tired these days. Gotta work Saturdays this month at the job and some Sundays at the shop. I catch myself resting my eyes at my desk a few times now, yawning like crazy throughout the day, and taking in more coffee. Feels strange cause I'm not usually like this. And where do the days go? There's barely anytime after work to do anything before it's time to go to bed, wake up, and start the routine all over again.

We don't have kids over often so it's nice when the 'lil cousins come over. Ethan says the silliest things and gives us all a good laugh. They came over Friday to hang out and stayed for Taco night. Easy to prepare, fun for the kids to make, and the folks love 'em too!



Phuong bought some fresh sweet strawberries that day too. Her and Brandi decided to make Chocolate covered Strawberries.



Mmm =)

On Saturday, Phuong threw together a Lasagna. Adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. Is it me or does this girl really like Paula Deen's recipes? hehe


Layers of sauce

Layers of Oven Ready Pasta and Cottage/Parmesan Cheese Mixture

Layers of Mozzarella

Ready for the oven

Yum.

Anh's Boston Cream Cupcakes.

Yum-O! I want another. hehHappy Birthday Kimi!

Books: I read about 3 more pages of The Eclipse (Yay?) hehe Reading at this rate will get me no where. I'm thinking I should stop and just wait for the movie.

Movies: Book of Eli. I give it a 3/5.

Music: I cannot find new stuff that's a good listen so I'm listening to old songs. Some oldies but goodies:

- Thuy Hang: Tinh Xot Xa (Feel So Sorry)

- Shin Hyesung: Take Me To Your Heart

- Van Quang Long: Boi Tin Loi The
- Vonda Shepard: Baby Don't Break My Heart Slow
- Jimmy JC Nguyen: Tinh Xua Nghia Cu 2

Good Night.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoot | Bun Mang Ga

Day off! Working 7 days a week, it's nice to have a break that's not on a holiday. Stayed in and did some cleaning (room was looking a terrible mess), washed a few loads of laundry, watched two episodes of the Kdrama - Will It Snow For Christmas (recommended!), and helped Phuong make Sticky Rice Cakes (Banh It).

Steamed on pieces of banana leaves, topped with scallion oil & fried onions, served with a sweet fish sauce.

We tested the dough on the Kitchen Aid mixer I got Phuong for her birthday and it works! We now know that it can handle rice flour...but the ultimate test? Tapioca starch!

I've had banh it with a pork and shrimp filling. I've had che troi nuoc, a dessert made from the same dough but filled with a sweet mung bean paste. But I've never had mung bean & pork together in a banh it before, it's surprisingly good!

I'm also going through my credit card bills to pay off all the debt I created during the holidays and birthdays. Tet is only a month away and you know the superstition - it's good luck to enter the new year debt-free. So that's what I'm doing. One of my goals this year is to better manage my money. The past year that I've had this job - I've been spending way too much. Time to start cutting back.

The winter weather is really taking its effect up here in the Mitten and soup is always nice to have on cold days like these. One of my favorites, Chicken Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoot.

Cut a whole chicken into serving-size pieces. Put the chicken into a large pot and flavor with fish sauce, sambal chili paste, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, a little sugar, mushroom seasoning, slices of ginger, a few cloves of crushed garlic, and 2 halved medium onions .

Prepare sour bamboo shoot (Fresh bamboo shoot if you can), sliced pineapple, and wedges of tomatoes.

Sear the chicken for 5-10 minutes on high heat, add 1 can of chicken broth and enough water to cover all the chicken. Add the bamboo and pineapple. Season the broth with salt and fish sauce. Bring to boil and let cook for about 30 minutes. Bring the heat down to medium and add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and its ready. Don't forget to remove the unwanted foam that surfaces.

Serve over rice vermicelli noodles, a sprinkling of chopped cilantro and scallions, and a platter of your favorite herbs and lettuce. Condiments: Sriracha & Soy Sauce/Fish Sauce

Warm Beef Salad | Xa Lach Bo

Something quick, simple, and satisfying.

Marinade strips of beef with fish sauce, salt, black pepper, pepper flakes, sambal chili paste, sliced shallots, and minced garlic.

I like to used hanging tender - it's flavorful, usually not tough, cooks well, and isn't dry.

Prepare some lettuce of your choice (I'm using Iceberg) and sliced boiled eggs.

Stir-fry quickly over high heat in a slightly oiled frying pan. Add a few spoons of water to create a sauce.

Pour beef with sauce over the lettuce and egg. A squeeze of lemon or lime all over and served with rice.