Bitter Melon (aka bitter gourd) is called “muop dang” or “kho qua” in Vietnamese. They call it bitter melon because it’s quite bitter and can be an acquired taste for some. In Vietnamese cuisine, it’s often cooked with other ingredients to offset it's bitter punch.

I often think it’s almost a right of passage and knowing that you’ve crossed over to an Vietnamese adult lol. A popular dish to cook bitter melon in Vietnam is with eggs so today we’ll be making stir fried eggs with bitter melon! Read on to learn a few tricks to avoid overly bitter bitter melon!

These blanched spinach like greens along with fresh ripe tomatoes and red onions are tossed with a savory sweet & tart fish sauce vinaigrette. This simple salad is made in many Filipino homes. Talbos ng kamote / kamote tops aka sweet potato leaves are native plants in the Philippines and they’re super nutrient dense.

Simply translated Suon Ram Man means salty pork ribs. These pork spare ribs are pan seared in a marinade that’s equally savory, salty, and a little sweet all at the same time! It is a classic Vietnamese dish that is traditionally served with a side of hot jasmine rice and some fresh sweet vegetables.

There’s many recipes out there and many have them braised in coconut juice where the meat is super soft and basically falls off the bone. This has a slight little chew factor which I love and the glossy marinade sauce makes the ribs super tacky with a slight crisp to the edges. As a kid I would love chewing and pulling the meat off the bones so it was all about this slight chew factor for me! This recipe below is a different way from my other recipe --here-- where we basically fried the ribs. In this recipe we create make a caramel sauce to coat the ribs then braise it in a savory marinade until tender.

Today we're making vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup. We'll be making our vegetarian broth from SCRATCH and also making our matzo balls from scratch as well!

There’s a few things that Vietnamese people love to do, and one of those is caramelizing things. What better recipe to adapt than all American nut brittle!

I made a few variations including a Vietnamese Ca Phe and a Miso Butter Nut Brittle, click above to find full recipe and instructions.

This simple Vietnamese soup is made with amaranth and shrimp and is cooked in a deliciously seasoned soup stock. I love these soups because they’re nice, light and super healthy and so easy to make! Traditionally, these soups often accompany a salty meat dish and a side of rice.

Typically used are pennywort greens but I got these asian amaranth leaves from my local CSA. These leaves are very nutrient-rich and is a good source of carotenoids, proteins, and essential amino acids like methionine and lysine, dietary fiber and minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and iron!

Tom Ram Thit Ba Chi- This was one of my mom’s personal favorites which is also known as Vietnamese caramelized pork belly and prawns.

The secret to the dynamic flavor of pork and shrimp is buying fresh or frozen pawns (uncooked) and keeping on the head and shell for that super rich caramelized crunch with little bursts of umami shrimp yumminess! I love eating the shells but you can totally peel these prior prior to chomping down on these prawns!

Crispy roasted pork belly is one of the most coveted Vietnamese dishes and it was definitely one of my dad's favorite dishes that he was very proud of. Check out the recipe to learn how to make it!

Why didn’t I know about this leaf sooner? It’s so delicious and full of all the good stuff! These delicious spinach like leaves are known in asian cultures as the “queen of vegetables” and the “longevity vegetable” and are touted to be anti-cancer greens.

I received this along with a bunch of other asian herbs, vegetables, and greens as part of my CSA share that I posted the other day.

Easily misinterpreted as “cafe soda”, it’s actually “ca phe sua da”, where “da” is translated as ice (= Vietnamese iced milk coffee).

Vietnamese coffee (Aka “cà phê sữa nóng” (hot), or “cà phê sua dá” (iced)) is known for its extra caffeine kick and in Vietnam street coffee stalls use simple aluminum drip filters for this slow drip coffee favorite! I usually don’t drink coffee but since this is on the sweeter side, it’s definitely my go to coffee when I need my caffeine fix 😍

Thit Nuong is one of the most popular dishes in Vietnamese restaurants and it’s often served in a noodle & fresh herb bowl with a side of fish sauce (nuoc mam Cham) aka Bun thit nuong.Thinly cut pork belly or pork shoulder are slowly cooked on a grill until caramelized and slightly charred on the edges.