"Banh xeo"

"Banh xeo", pronounced pronounced bahn sow, is a a delicious crunchy chewy crepe that is dear to the heart of all Vietnamese Southerners, including myself :). The word "banh" means "crepe", while the word "xeo" describes the sound of the crepe when it hits the hot skillet. Its vibrant yellow comes from a sprinkling of turmeric, and the filling is a combination of pork and shrimp, scallions and bean sprouts. Every savvy "banh xeo" lovers takes pleasure in wrapping chunks of the crepe up in lettuce leaves with herbs and dipping them in "nuoc cham", a special dipping sauce made out of fishsauce / nuoc nam and other seasonings.

Here's a wonderful recipe that you can easily follow and make your own delicious "banh xeo". Don't hesitate to give it a try!






















(From left to right, top to bottom: flour mix, shrimp and pork filing, Mung beans, bean sprout, "banh xeo" being cooked, dipping sauce)

Banh Xeo Vietnamese Crepe

makes 2 crepes

Crepes
1 cup rice flour (Thai versions are fairly easy to find)
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of salt
vegetable oil for frying

Filling
4 ounces small shrimp
4 ounces sliced roast pork
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups bean sprouts

Wrap
leafy lettuce leaves
fresh herbs such as mint, Thai or Vietnamese basil (optional) and cilantro

dipping sauce (see below)

In a bowl mix the rice flour, water, turmeric and salt.

Heat a little oil in a 10 inch non-stick pan and cook the pork and shrimp. When cooked through, add the scallions. Add a little more oil, you may need a tablespoon or two to make the crepe very crisp and chewy. Pour in 1/2 cup batter on top of the fillings and tilt the pan to spread the batter into a crepe. Top with bean sprouts and cook for several minutes until the bottom of the crepe is beginning to turn brown and very crunchy. Fold the crepe in half and drain on paper towels. Serve with lettuce and herbs and dipping sauce.


Nuoc cham dipping sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste or a chopped red chili
2-3 Tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 T lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all the ingredients, taste and make any adjustments you like.

Voila! Here's your finished products! Yum!

"Banh xeo"

"Banh mi thit" or Vietnamese Sandwich

May I introduce you to my favorite Vietnamese fastfood?

















"Banh mi thit" means bread stuffed with meat in Vietnamese. This dish is an excellent example of French-Vietnamese cuisine fusion. For instance, the bread alone is basically a baguette made with wheat AND rice flour (to make it crispier), and the sandwich as a whole combines French ingredients (baguettes, pate and mayonnaise) with Vietnamese ones like cilantro, hot pepper, fish sauce and pickled carrots. The mayonnaise in "banh mi thit" also has a Vietnamese twist; it is a spread that is a mixture of egg yolk, cooking oil/butter, and sometimes spices.
























Popular "banh mi thit" fillings include roasted or grilled pork, Vietnamese ham, pate, mayonnaise, chicken and head cheese.















The contrasting flavors and textures of the sandwich — as well as its relatively low cost — make it a popular dish. You can see a "banh mi thit" stall like this one in almost every street corner in Vietnam.


















If there's a good-sized group of Vietnamese immigrants where you live, it's very likely that you'll be able to find some yummy "banh mi thit" in town. So, the next time you see it, muster all your courage and give it a try! :)

"Banh mi thit" or Vietnamese Sandwich

Grasshoppers can be cute!

Vietnam has a deep-rooted agricultural culture. Back in the good old days, when children didn't have (and weren't spoiled by) many toys and computer games, their parents made them toys from the coconut trees in in the backyard, like this cute grasshopper. The children adored them so much that they would play with them when the coconut leaf of the grasshopper still looks fresh and then press these toys in their books to keep them for a very long time.

















Only young coconut leaves are used to fold into different kinds of toys (pretty much a Vietnamese version of origami). This folk art used to be so popular that almost everyone knows how to make grasshoppers, birds, prawns, roses or hat out of coconut leaves.
















These days, these coconut toys becomes a must-have goody for all tourist in Vietnam, and kids who grew up in the city like me also love them since they tell a story of a sweet childhood of living in the countryside that they don't have.

Grasshoppers can be cute!

How to make Vietnamese (Milk) Coffee

Have you heard of the whole deal of "Starbuck + Hooters" of some Vietnamese cafes in CA? Honestly, I find it rather sad that they have to use sex appeals to sell something so wonderful (already) like our Ca phe sua, aka Vietnamese (milk) coffee. I have had many American friends try Vietnamese (milk) coffee, and almost all of them fell in love with it instantly! So, for the pure love of Vietnamese milk coffee, today, I'll share with you all how to make it!

The main differences of Vietnamese (milk) Coffee is its use of Vietnamese (coffee) filter and condensed milk. The result is an unforgetable strong and sweet flavor!











A Vietnamese filter is like a small coffee pot where you "cooked" coffee with hot water. It includes a filter/screen (top left), a press (the part with a handle to press coffee, bottom left), a chamber for coffee/hot water (top right) and a lid (bottom right). Very simple and effective! You can find this at any Vietnamese/Chinese market for less than $10.














Sweetened condensed milk is a mixture of whole milk and about 40 to 45 percent sugar, which is heated until about 60 percent of the water evaporates. This sticky-sweet ingredient is often used in baked goods and desserts such as candies, puddings, and pies, as well as a substitute for cream and sugar in coffee drinks (such is the case here! It's also very convenient!).

STEP 1:
Put about 1/3 of an inch of condensed milk in the bottom of a coffee cup. The more condensed milk, the sweeter your Vietnamese milk coffee will be. The less condensed milk, the stronger the coffee flavor is.




















(NOTE: If you prefer coffee without milk, you may skip step 1, and simply add sugar/ice - optional - to your coffee after it is brewed.)


STEP 2: Assemply all part of the coffee filter, except the press.
Place about three and a half rounded teaspoons of coffee into the device (more coffee, stronger flavor and vice versa). Put the press inside the chamber and turn it until it starts to get snug (not tight).















STEP 3:
Place the filter on top of the coffee cup. Pour hot water into the device until it is about 1/4 full. Here's the secret of its strong flavor: just enough boiling hot water, not too much. Your coffee will be as strong as an expresso shot!

STEP 4:

Tighten the press (or the water would drip really fast leaving your coffee grind unbrewed), put the lid on and here's the most beautiful part: WAIT. Go chat with someone or maybe twittering for at least 5 minutes (or until you have your desired amount of coffee) then voila! Your coffee is brewed.

STEP 5: Remove the coffee filter, and stir coffee and milk together. The coffee can be served either hot (ca phe sua nong) or cold with ice (ca phe sua da). My personal favorite is having some French bread or pastry with my hot Vietnamese milk coffee. Simply divine!

How to make Vietnamese (Milk) Coffee

Hoa phuong -"The students' flower"

Today, I'd like to share with you guys about a beautiful kind of flowers in Vietnam called "hoa phuong".














"Hoa phuong" is nicknamed "the students' flower" since it only blooms in the summer when all students begin their summer break. For high school graduating seniors, this flower also has a bittersweet meaning since it signals their separation from all their friends and teachers.
















(Female highschool students in white aodai, Vietnam's traditional outfit/high school uniform with "hoa phuong" in background")

Just imagine how the whole city is "fired up" when "hoa phuong" blooms everywhere at the same time!!! It's the same breathtaking sensation as when cherry blossoms bloom in Spring....

Hoa phuong -"The students' flower"

My home country!

Today I just shipped out a few orders (yay!) with a new packaging idea. Some Etsians comment that I should include something uniquely Vietnam to my shop since that would be very interesting to others and my jewelry is necessarily ethnic. So, in my "light-bulb" moment, I decided to reuse old Vietnam map to make shipping envelope and add a little Vietnam's postcard to the package :) That of course adds a little extra cost, but it's well worth it because I'm so happy to share with my buyers about where I come from :).




















So, here's some quick facts about Vietnam for your information.

Area: 127, 243 sq. mi; equivalent in size to Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee combined
Capital: Hanoi
Population: 80 millions
Climate: tropical, dry seasons and rainy season
Money: dong (1 US Dollar= 17,500 dongs)

My home country!

Thanh Long / Dragon Fruit!

Dragon fruit, called "Thanh Long" in Vietnamese, is cactus family, origin in Central America desert area.

The fruit can weigh from 150-600 grams; some may reach one kilogram. The white flesh, which is eaten raw, is mildly sweet and sour while in calories. It is generally recommended that dragon fruit be eaten chilled, for improved flavor.

To prepare a "Thanh Long" for consumption, cut the fruit vertically into two halves. From here, either cut the halves into watermelon-like slices, or scoop out the two white fleshy halves with a spoon. Eating the fruit is sometimes likened to that of the kiwi due to a prevalence of sesame seed-sized black crunchy seeds found in the flesh of both fruits which make for a similar texture upon consumption.

Thanh Long / Dragon Fruit!

I've got a plan for YOUR weekend!!!!

Any plan for the weekend yet? All right, my goal for this post is to make you check out some closest Vietnamese Restaurant in the neighborhood this weekend for some of this famous Vietnamese noodle soup, called "PHO" :)


















(The following info is from http://www.pho2000.com/WhatisPho.html. Fyi, I was tempted to write the intro to Pho myself but soon realized I couldn't do justice to this amazing dish. So, here I found a short and sweet article to seduce you to try the dish out yourself . Enjoy!)

"What is Pho? (pronounced "FUH") For many Vietnamese, pho is life, love and all things that matter. We treasure pho, and most of us have loved it since the day we were old enough to hold a pair of chopsticks.

The pho itself is actually a noodle made from the finest white rice. The pho is then topped with thin slices of beef. The rich, vibrant broth, is produced after long hours of simmering in the finest beef and bone marrow. This flavorful broth is then poured onto the pho. The rich bowl of pho is then topped with onions, cilantro and green onions. Pho is then served with side dish of bean sprouts, limes, spikes of basil, and sliced green chili on the side to create a healthy, delicious, and satisfying meal.

Pho provides a delicious one-dish meal for your breakfast, lunch or even dinner. Pho in every Vietnamese family is a must, much in the same way as pasta is an inextricable part of Italian culinary tradition and culture."

I've got a plan for YOUR weekend!!!!

Goi cuon, aka (Vietnamese) Spring Rolls

These mouth-watering rolls is a famous Vietnamese dish, called "goi cuon" or "(Vietnamese) spring rolls". I like the name spring rolls because this dish is just as scrumptious and refreshing as spring. It basically includes some prawns, rice noodles and various seasonal vegetables/herbs; all is wrapped up beautifully in the wholesome translucent rice wraps that Vietnamese are very proud to be its inventor. :)The sauce for this sauce is also pretty interesting. It can be made of fish sauce or soy paste or even peanut butter. The results of course would vary a great deal, but to me, they are all irresistable! LOL.

Goi cuon, aka (Vietnamese) Spring Rolls

Aodai (Vietnamese traditional dress)

(Courtesy of Pedro Dyliacco)

You may not be very familiar with Vietnam, the country where I come from. So, here's an adorable pictures with girls in aodai (literally means long dress), Vietnamese traditional outfit. This dress is very popular in Vietnam. Women young and old wear them to go to school, to work, to go shopping, etc. Pretty much everywhere you go, you can see aodai. Still, I can't get enough of it :). Enjoy!

Aodai (Vietnamese traditional dress)