My mom's Vietnamese Braised Salmon aka "Cá Kho" recipe is so easy and oh so tasty!You'll see this normally served in Vietnamese restaurants in a simmering claypot but you can make this straight on your stovetop with a pan or stove-proof pot.

Typically you caramelize sugar first, but if that step scares you then you'll like this shortcut of marinating the fish in sugar and fish sauce and letting the fish caramelize with the marinade slowly in your pot. Click to learn more and for recipe!

What a perfect winter stew for the season. Bo kho is a delicious Vietnamese stew.

“Bo” translates to beef, and Kho translates to “braise” in Vietnamese- which means we’re braising some beef today to make this savory stew.

*Click for recipe and to check out my mom’s easy hack to making this dish!

A TASTEMADE COLLABORATION/PARTNERSHIP

As a kid my parents would slap my hands for eating too much of the juicy braised pork belly fat and skin but I still turned out ok. LOL

Today, celebrate Lunar New Year and eat something that really makes you happy!

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly aka "Thit Heo Kho" is one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes to ring in the New Year but it's also one of our family favorites as well.

Here is my top 9 dishes to celebrate Tet! Braised pork and eggs, Candied Ginger, Mung Bean Pudding, Crispy Roasted Pork Belly, Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprouts, Pickled Mustard Greens, Deep Fried Sesame balls, Dried Radish and Carrot Radish, Fried Banh Chung…. Click to learn more and for recipes!

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. A sign of a good banh chung is one that's super meaty, solid, and tightly rolled. Growing up as kids, my parents would fry the leftovers into crispy pancakes and would serve it with a little Maggi.

The trick to these pancakes is to microwave these till they are very soft and hot, then mashing it in a nicely oiled non-stick or cast iron pan and getting these super crispy!

Dưa món is simply translated as dried vegetables preserved in fish sauce. Traditionally carrots and daikon radish are used but other popular vegetables are used like Vietnamese leeks, lotus root, kohlrabi and/or green papaya. These extra crunchy pickles are served with Vietnamese Mung Bean cakes (aka Banh Chung) during Tet / Lunar New Year.

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!

Thit Heo Kho- also known as Vietnamese caramelized pork with eggs, is braised in a savory and delectable coconut juice. This savory dish is typically served with a side of jasmine rice and pickled vegetables like pickled bean sprouts. The rich brown color of the pork belly is achieved from caramelizing brown sugar and then cooking the pork down in it.

My dad makes this dish a few ways but I like this method because the marinade is much simpler (just Maggi and oyster sauce)! This method also yields a gorgeously dark golden brown pork belly.

Celebrate Lunar New Year with some Vietnamese Candied Ginger- aka “mut gung”.

During Vietnamese lunar new year, (aka Tet) candied fruit “mut” are offered to house guests who according to tradition enjoyed these with some hot tea. Click to learn more and for recipe!

One of our rotating dinner staples in our home is Vietnamese sweet and sour fish soup aka “Canh Chua Ca” . It’s a homey, super traditional Vietnamese soup that is typically made with catfish or salmon. My mom likes to use a large salmon head which I love because the meat is so tender and a little fatty. Click on to see recipe.

Another classic family favorite, Du Chua, which adds that pickled sour and sweet crunch to the infamous Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich 🥪 and is used in a variety of other dishes as a condiment or garnish as well.

Found on many Vietnamese menus, this has always been one of my favorite dishes. Traditionally this dish is served with tomato rice and some fresh vegetables like tomato and cucumbers. Click on to read more and for recipe!