Flaky, oily, salty golden crusted scallion pancakes, aka cong you bing (葱油饼). I love ordering these savoury green onion pancakes at my favourite dumpling spot in town, and taking bites between slurps of juicy, dumplings. I’ve tried to replicate this dish at home with flour & water plenty of times, but with no…
Category: Cooking
The Crispiest Vietnamese Crepe (Bánh Xèo)
Another childhood favourite! Sizzling Vietnamese crepes, aka Banh Xeo. The best crepes are crispy on the outside, and accompanied with loads of fresh vegetables. These crepes are filled with pork belly, shrimp, bean sprouts and, at times, mung bean, every bite is a treat. It’s always served with fresh, crunchy lettuce, as well…
Mussels In Spicy Tomato White Wine Sauce
I recently heard some bad news. One of my go-to beer spots took mussels off the menu. Although I haven’t been to Bar Hop since mid-2019, visiting would always be an easy time: a few rounds of beers, bone marrow poutine, pork rinds (that would reach 30cm in height, really), stout braised mushrooms…
Mini Porchetta Roll Sandwich
Spending hours by an oven is not my preference. My most used function on the oven is the broil mode – and I’m a pro. Set oven to broil on low, timer for 5 minutes, and you have the perfect day-two fries and wings from last night’s dinner! When came the opportunity to…
Bánh Bột Lọc Hack Without Banana Leaf (Clear Shrimp & Pork Dumplings)
If I could choose one dish to eat for the rest of my life, it would be bánh bột lọc . Banh bot loc is tapioca starch and caramelized pork & shrimp, traditionally folded into a banana leaf and steamed, taking in all of that aroma. Traditionally made, these chewy, glutinous glories are…
Grilled Pork on Noodles (Thịt Heo Nướng)
If there’s any excuse to eat copious amounts of fish sauce dip, I’ll be there. Vermicelli rice noodles are just a vehicle for it. The star ingredient to a good vermicelli bowl is a well marinated meat to go with it – today’s pick is lemongrass marinated pork shoulder. I can’t tell you…
3 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen
Growing up, we would enjoy instant noodles at least once a week. Spam was a welcome & easy treat: sliced, pan-fried and served on top of a bowl of instant noodles. A decade later, I cautiously stock at least one can in my pantry to enjoy whenever that craving hits. It’s so easy…
Corn Tortillas & Beef Taco Meat
Any way to enjoy a meal with my hands, I’m into it. Loaded zesty tacos rank second on the experience list! Driven by a bag of 15 limes on sale, tonight’s dinner included homemade tacos– tortillas included. I lugged a 2-kilogram bag of maseca corn flour home from Walmart about a year ago,…
The Best 5-Ingredient Noodles
On the hunt for dried shrimp, I accidentally found something better: tiny dried shrimp. They’re light orange, thin and almost transparent. We had quite the debate at the dinner table on whether these were just the skin of shrimp, or just dried tiny shrimp. But it is, indeed just dried tiny shrimp! In…
Pan-Seared Potato Bites
Buying a bag of potatoes is a commitment, let me tell you. Extending onto my sheperd’s pie recipe, another potato addition is hash! Boy do I love hash. This is now a new series: “What To Do With That Bag Of Potatoes (Before It Grows Spores)“. Influenced by an incredibly delicious plate of diced potatoes cooked…
