Squid 🦑 Games… Part I: cooking with Squid!

This was one of my favorite vegetables growing up and my dad grew these along with many other types of asian squashes since they were harder to find.

Luffa or loofah (botanically Luffa aegyptiaca) is a vine-grown member of the pumpkin, squash and gourd family. Click link on how to cook this comfort veggie dish!

This easy to prepare vegetable side that compliments many Vietnamese meats or can be eaten alone with rice as well. Tender but crisp stir fried cabbage is combined with eggs. It’s a comfort food that’s healthy and light.

Has anyone else cook with these before?

Tatsoi is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens and is also called “tat choy”, which sounds like and is related to it’s sister greens, Bok Choy.

I like cooking bok choy with bean sprouts so I used the same recipe here. Tatsoi greens along with garlic and bean sprouts are sautéed in a flavorful ginger soy sauce.

Have you ever had vegetarian Banh Cuon (aka Vietnamese sheet rice noodles)? I haven’t seen many recipes that are vegetarian and I wanted to share this family recipe. Click here to view post and recipe!

As a family we loved sitting around the dinner table and enjoying these savory shrimps with a side of rice. Now my vegan friends can taste this too!

Unlike the Japanese Ramen or soy marinated eggs that I made earlier- these savory eggs are hard boiled and steeped in a mostly black tea mixture with some soy sauce and spices. What creates the marbled tea veins is the cracking of the egg shells and letting the eggs steep in it’s cracked shell.

Vietnamese Soy Sauce Eggs- also known as Trung Ngam Tuong in Vietnamese are soy eggs marinated in a rich soy sauce broth with aromatic herbs like chives, cilantro stems, sesame seeds, and chili peppers.

Seeing family in Seattle this past weekend- I’m reminded of my some of my family’s simple dinners that sometimes only included this egg dish, rice and a clear soup. Even with all the tasty big restaurant meals here, nothing beats a homemade meal that can provoke precious childhood memories and family gatherings. ❤️

A simple lunch for a busy day but it's also one of my favorite quick meals. This simple Vietnamese soup aka "canh" in Vietnamese is full of umami with the addition of chopped fresh shrimp and fish sauce. This simple soup and egg quiche was a frequent rotation for weekday dinners served with a hot bowl of jasmine rice.

The soup was made many ways with raw shrimp as the umami protein but was also sometimes subbed out with dried shrimp, pork (small rib bones or ground pork), or tofu. Click through for recipe!

Make simple Vietnamese Rice Porridge That’ll Warm Your Soul- Recipe

Growing up, when any of us kids were sick, my parents would make us rice porridge, aka “chao”. Chao is Vietnamese rice porridge or you may know it as also by its Chinese counterpart, Congee. In Vietnam chao is not only a common breakfast meal but it’s also a popular lunch and dinner as well. And, since it’s considered as a poor’s mans’ food, Cháo, won’t be found at your local Vietnamese restaurants but you can make it super easy at home!

Bingo!! Easy Scallion & Sesame Flat bread recipe (AKA Scallion Bing) + VIDEO

+: Add these 3 things below to making these extra fluffy and flavorful! Chinese & Sesame Scallion flat bread is so good, it’s super soft and fluffy with a nice crispy and crunchy sesame bread crust.

Vietnamese garlic noodles were first introduced in 1972 at Thanh Long restaurant in San Francisco and has become a staple on most Vietnamese-American menus and is also in home rotations for many of us home chefs.

This easy dish consists of buttery noodles (usually Shanghai or chow mein but in a pinch I’ll use spaghetti noodles, shhhh don’t tell anyone), lots of garlic, and a savory brown sauce.

I’ve made these dozens of times and finally have the perfect recipe and secret to making this bowl of amazingness.

Click to learn more and for recipe!