So I did something!  I combined two of my favorite things, a Banh Mi sandwich and a hamburger mashed into one!

This Banh Mi inspired burger is oozing with a homemade Maggi cilantro mayo/aoili, a Maggi seasoned beef patty, fresh jalapeños, cilantro, cucumbers, and pickled daikon & carrots sandwiched between a hot, buttered brioche bun!

In Vietnamese this is known as Mỡ Hành. This simple garnish is simply made with lightly fried green scallions and is often served with traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Vietnamese shaking beef, steak tips, steak salad aka Thit Bo Luc Lac!We didn’t have much steak growing up but this Vietnamese steak 🥩 salad was something I always loved! They call it shaking beef because you chop up top sirloin in 1” cubes and shake it in a pan until it’s nice and dark around the edges.

Today after 15 days of reminiscent childhood foods and good feastings, Lunar New Year celebrations officially come to an end.Pictured above is Bánh Chưng, a traditional Vietnamese food eaten during Lunar New Year (Tết) 🇻🇳 and is made from glutinous rice (aka sticky rice), mung beans, pork belly that is tightly wrapped in aromatic phrynium or banana leaves.

This is popular traditional Vietnamese dish, bún thịt nướng, is a tasty combination of grilled pork, vermicelli rice noodles, fresh veggies & herbs, and serviced with a side of fish dipping sauce, Nuoc Mam Cham.

The secret here is the honey in the pork. It adds a touch of sweetness and helps caramelize the pork.

Bánh Xèo - This Vietnamese favorite and celebrated during Lunar New Year is simply translated as a “sizzling cake" which refers to the sizzling sound when the crepe is cooking.

Bánh cam or bánh rán in Vietnamese is one of the most famous and beloved Vietnamese desserts.

This Tet/New Year’s special is definitely on the richer side being that it is deep fried. The outer shell is comprised of a glutinous rice wrapped with sesame seeds which makes it crispy and chewy and the inside is deliciously moist filled with sweet mung beans & coconut flakes.

Chuc Muc Mung Nam Moi or AKA Happy New Year in Vietnamese. It's important for me to learn a little more about our heritage and culture. There's a few dishes that are must haves to bring in the new year like Thit Kho and pickled bean sprouts (Dua Gia) and pickled mustard greens.

Growing up my dad used to make these pickled mustard greens all the time. In Vietnamese culture we would have these pickled sour things to accompany very salty meats. I never really realized but we ate these when we were kids so I guess my fermented infatuation started off very young!

Dua Gia is a classic Vietnamese pickled beansprouts and a beloved staple in any Vietnamese household. It’s a light and colorful pickle great to pair with salty meat and fish dishes. In Vietnam, it’s usually seen and served as a companion of roasted pork!

So you might recognize that the title looks similar to Nuoc Mam Cham (a Vietnamese salty fish dipping sauce). This is basically its vegan sister, Nuoc Cham Chay.

This sauce is like the perfect balance of sour, sweetness, herby, salty, and a subtle amount of fishy funk. It’s perfect for grilled meets and as a condiment for egg rolls, summer rolls and rice vermicelli noodles.