Luffah squash soup stuffed with pork and woodear mushrooms.

This simple clear soup is also known as “Canh Bi Thit Heo” in Vietnamese.

It’s garnished with fresh chives from our garden and a little Red Boat Salt for a little extra umami and and some freshly ground pepper.

Tart, sharp and a little funky!

+ Jump down for my top 4 tips on making Dua Chua aka Vietnamese fermented mustard greens and how to quickly make these without the use of traditional rice water.

Authentic traditional style Vietnamese Pho with briskett- this family recipe is so comforting and richly seasoned. Steeping hot fragrant beef broth is ladled over flat rice noodles and thinly sliced beef and topped off with fresh herbs and vegetables like cilantro, basil, mint, bean sprouts, lime juice and bean sprouts.

I just picked up my Asian CSA yesterday and I was so excited to see okra on the list! Okra, aka lady fingers, contain pods that are “mucilaginous,” which results in a super slimy texture when cooked.

This “mucilage” or slime is a debatable matter. Some folks either enjoy this gooey texture and others just hate it for that same reason.

Click through for the recipe and to learn how to make this dish super slimy!

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!

Ground beef is stir-fried and cooked to perfection with a super savory & peppery homemade Vietnamese sauce.

This salty ground beef dish was definitely one of my ultimate childhood favorites. It’s a quick dish that’s salty, aromatic and super savory. This dish is served over steamed jasmine rice and often served with some fresh slices of cucumber to cut the saltiness of the beef.

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.

As a kid I loved how soft and gooey these taro potatoes are. Today, that texture still tickles my tastebuds 😋.

This was one of my favorite soups that my mom made, quick, simple, but so flavorful. Click to read more and for recipe!

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!

Fuzzy melon soup is so nostalgic for me, it’s definitely a childhood favorite of mine.

I remember during my childhood in Kansas City my dad would grew these in our garden. The variety we grew were much bigger, almost like watermelon sizes but the taste was identical to this smaller variety. Simple soups like this were on constant rotation for a dinner since they were so plentiful in the summer.