Pumpkin soup with ground pork.

Ingredients: serves 4-6 portions

-          400 g pumpkin, peeled ,washed and drained, cut into 1-1.5 inch cubes or the desired size.

-          200 g lean pork, ground or finely chopped.

-          100 ml pork broth ( optional)

-          1 liter clean water

-          2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

-          2 stalks scallion, washed, green crisp part only, sliced into thin rings

-          2 stalks fresh rice paddy herb,( called ngò om in Vietnam), trim ½ inch of the stems, washed, finely chopped

-          1 tablespoon cooking oil

-          1/2  teaspoon table salt

-          2 teaspoons granulated sugar

-          1 teaspoons broth mix ( Magiee or Knorr)

-          1 tablespoon fish sauce

-          ½  teaspoon ground pepper

For the marinade:

•  2 cloves shallot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon broth mix
•  ½  teaspoon granulated sugar
•  ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preparation:

Place the ground lean pork in a mixing bowl. Add the marinade ingredients. Stir to combine well and set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.

Cooking:

1.      Pour the oil into a pot and heat over medium. When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic. Stir for about 15-20 seconds until aromatic, then add the pork. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until the pork turns white and nearly cooked. 

2.      Add the pork broth and water. Increase the heat to medium hight and bring to a boil. 

3.      Add the pumkin cubes and bring to a boil. Use ladle to remove any scum or froth that rises to surface. Cover the pot 

4.      Return the flame to medium low, and cook for 30 minutes or until pumpkin pieces are tender. 

5.      Season with table salt, granualted sugar, broth mix and fish sauce. Taste to suit your flavor. 

6.      Turn off the heat. Finally­, add the chopped rice paddy herb and sliced scallion.

Serving:

-          Ladle the pumpkin soup in a large bowl. Sprinkle with ground pepper.

-          Eating with warm rice.

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Congee with lean pork

Ingredients: serves 5 people

-             50 g fresh rice

-             200-300 g lean pork

-             2 carrot

-             ½ teaspoon table salt

-             1 teaspoon granulated sugar

-             1 teaspoon ground pepper

-             1 stalks of coriander

-             3 stalks of scallion

-             1 tablespoon of cooking oil

-             1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Preparation:

-          Lean pork: wash and drain. Bring to a grinder to ground or finely chop with a sharp knife on a cutting board.

-          Carrot: peeled, wash and drain. Dice into 1 inch pieces.

-          Scallion: wash and drain. Separate the green and the white part. Reserve the white part for cooking use later. Mince the green part and put into a small bowl for serving.

-          Coriander: wash and well drain. Finely chop and put into serving bowl.

-          Wash the rice : Add the rice into a mixing bowl. Pour about 0.5 liter of water . Use your hand gently make circles around. Don’t rub the rice grains together so hard. Drain the water off.

Cooking:

1.            Put rice into a pot, or a rice cooker. Pour the water in the rice. The ratio of rice and water should be 1: 4. Start the power to cook.

2.            In the meanwhile,  heat 2 tablesoons of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon minced scallion and half of ground lean pork. Add 1 teaspoon broth mix and ½ ground pepper. Saute for just 1 minutes and remove from the heat.

3.            When the rice boils, add half of ground pork . Continue to cook. Adjust the heat to medium low. Occasionally open the lid and stir the contents slowly to prevent sticking and burning.

4.            Add the diced carrot and simmer for 30 minutes.

5.            As the rice is cooked very soft and the soup turns milky, just place sauted meat and and white part scallion.

6.            Add sugar, broth mix, and table salt.

7.            Finally add the fish sauce and sesame oil. Taste to match your flavor.

8.            Turn off the heat and prepare for serving.

Serving:

-                Spoon the congee into individual serving bowls.

-                Sprinkle with ground pepper, chopped coriander and minced scallion.

-                Serve hot with  hot soy sauce or fish sauce.

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Simple stir-fried sweet potato leaves with garlic

Ingredients:
( serves: 4 people)

-          a bunch of sweet potato leaves ( 500 g), washed and well drained, trim ½ inch from the stem, cut into 2-inch length.

-          4 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced, divided in half.

-          1 small fresh hot red chili, seed removed, thinly sliced, divided in half

-          2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

-          1 teaspoon sesame oil.

-          1 teaspoon broth mix.

-          1 teaspoon granulated sugar.

-          1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce ( optional)

-          ½ ground black pepper.

Method:

1.      In a fryingpan or a wok, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot,  add half of minced garlic. Stir-fry in 45 seconds to 1 minute until they are golden brown.

2.      Add half of sliced chili, and the sweet potato leaves

3.      Season with broth mix, sugar and fish sauce ( or soysauce). Stir fry in 2 minutes.

4.      You can add more water if the mixture becomes too thick, or if you want.

5.      Then add the remaining minced garlic,  sliced red chili, and sesame oil. Toss to combine well. Allow them to fry for 30 seconds.

6.      Remove from the heat.

Serving:

-          Transfer the sweet potato leaves  to a flat white plate. Sprinkle with some ground pepper.

-          Eating with warm rice and sweet hot soy sauce

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Fried fetal duck egg with tamarind

( Serves: 4-6 people).

Ingredients:

-          8-12 fetal duck eggs, washed

-          3 -5 tablespoons vegetable oil. ( for deep frying)

-          3- 5 tablespoons tamarind

-          1 tablespoon cornstarch

-          1 tablespoon oyster sauce.

-          1 tablespoon sesame oil.

-          3-5 cloves garlic, minced.

-          2 fresh hot red chilies, seed removed, minced

-          2 small onions, halved lengthways and cut into thin wedges.

-          2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

-          ½  teaspoon table salt

-          2 tablespoon fish sauce.

-          3-5 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

-          1 teaspoon ground pepper.

-          some stalks saw tooth herb, finely chopped

-          some stalks coriander, finely chopped.

-          Some stalks laksa leaves for garnish

Cooking:

1.               Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the fetal duck eggs and boil until them are cooked , ( perhaps 10-15 minutes ). Transfer the eggs to a colander . Rinse and peel the eggs under cool running tap water 

2.               Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat. Deep fry the fetal duck eggs for 15-20 minutes, turning to coat all sides . As they are  crispy and golden brown on the outside, use a slotted spoon to  remove them and set aside in a large bowl ( working in batches).

3.               Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat in a clean wok. Add the minced garlic and stir until golden.  Add tamarind, salt, and sugar. Toss well. Add a cup of water and lower the heat to simmer. When the tamarine mixture is done, turn off the heat and  remove the tamarine seeds.

4.               In a frying pan or a wok, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the fried eggs, sauce for 1 minutes for the outside crispy.

5.               Add the tamarind mixture to the wok and toss well to coat  the eggs.

6.               Add the onion, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and stir gently until the onion just softened,  (about 1 minutes). Taste test and season again until the sauce matches your taste.

7.               Reduce the heat and simmer until the tamarind sauce is slightly reduced and sticky.

8.               In a small bowl , combine cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons clean water. Toss to mix well and pour into the tamarind sauce above.

9.               Add minced chillies and stir lightly.

10.           Finally, add sawtooth herb, coriander, ground pepper and turn off the heat.

Serving:

• Transfer the fried eggs to a serving dish. Pour the tamarind sauce over the eggs.
•  Top with coarsely chopped peanut and some laksa leaves.
• Now enjoy hot with your spoons

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Green mung bean sweet soup with seaweed

Green mung bean is very popular in Vietnam. It is a wonder and super food .. This bean is  also commonly used among other Asian countries like China, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, India,, Korea, etc. It can be added in various styles to recipes ranging from soups, deserts, sprouts and spicy curry. A perfect source of different nutrients: This green beans is rich in some important minerals (Potassium, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, iron, phosphorus ) and vitamins (A and  C) , and an excellent source of protein.

Green mung bean is low in calories and rich in fiber. Eating a small cup of green bean soup gives us the feelings of fullness. So, It can help to lose our weight.

Here is one of the recipes you should easily be able to follow:

Ingredients: serves 5 peoples

-          200 g whole green mung bean

-          100 -150 g seaweed

-          1 liter of fresh water

-          300-400 g granulated sugar

-          300-450 ml coconut milk.

-          2 tablespoons tapioca

-          A pinch of salt

-          2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Preparation:

•  Green mung bean: soak in warm water for at least 3 hour or overnight. Drain and wash them two times.
• Seaweed: soak in cold water for 7-10 minutes. Wash and drain. Slice into julienne trips.
• Tapioca pearls: Place tapioca pearls in a bowl. Pour cold water over them. Soak them in water for 20- 30 minutes until expand in size. Then drain and set aside.

Cooking:

1.     In a large pot, pour 1 liter water and bring to a boil. Add mung beans and a pinch of salt. Allow it to boil for 30 minutes , or until it is quite tender.

2.   Then reduce the heat to simmer. Add granulated sugar and tapioca pearls. Simmer for 5- 10 minutes, until tapioca pearls and mung bean are tender. Use chopsticks to stir gently.

3.      Add coconut milk and vanila extract. Stir and bring to boil again.

4.      Finally add seaweed . Gently stir and turn off the heat immediately.

Serving:

-         Pour some mung bean soup in a bowl or glass and top some tablespoons of coconut milk.

-          Serve hot or cold by adding ice flakes or ice cubes.

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Fried rice with seafood

Personally I am a big fan of fried rice. I’ve tried some recipes from internet, from my friends and relatives and I really love this fried rice. I got this recipe from my friends but I made some small changes to match my taste.

It is so tasty and easy to make. Try and enjoy it yourself.

Ingredients: serves 4- 6 portions

-          4 cups steamed rice, ( it’s better if using leftover chilled steamed rice),

-          5 medium size shrimps, washed, peeled and deveined, whole or sliced in half lengthwise.

-          5 scallops, washed and well drained, diced into 1/2 -inch cubes.

-          2 fresh squids, washed and well drained,  sliced into 1-inch pieces.

-          2 ounces crab meat,

-          1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-          1 teaspoon sesame oil

-          2 eggs , well beaten

-          1 teaspoon granulated sugar

-          1 teaspoon broth mix

-          1 teaspoon fish sauce

-          2 teaspoon soy sauce

-          1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced.

-          2 stalks scallion, green part only, sliced into thin rings.

-          ½ teaspoon ground pepper

Garnishes, arranged on a plate and placed at table

-          1 cucumber, thinly sliced.

-          3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Method:

1.         In a pot, blanch all the seafood in the boiling water for just 10 seconds. Then well drain in a small colander.

2.         Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a wok or a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the diced onion, stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant and translucent.

3.        Reduce heat to simmer, add the beaten egg, stir fry for about 30 seconds.

4.        Add the seafood ( squid, scallop ands shrimp), now raise the heat back to medium. Gently stir-fry for 2 minutes.

5.         Add the soy sauce, granulated sugar, broth mix and stir fry  to allow the seasoning to flavor the seafood.

6.        Then add the steamed rice. Reduce heat to medium low, lightly toss and stir- fry constantly to heat the rice thoroughly and prevent the rice from sticking. It’s about 5 minutes.

7.         Now add the fish sauce, sesame oil and toss gently for a few seconds.

8.         Finally add the ground pepper and sliced scallion, and toss gently to incorporate.

9.         Serve hot with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

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Fried Tofu with lemongrass

Tofu, also known as soybean curd, a staple of Asian cuisine for hundreds of  years and now has become popular in Western vegetarian cooking. It’s a close friend of vegetarians with a excellent source of protein, calcium and iron.

This recipe will bring you to a cripsy, brown crust, delicous and strong flavor tofu. Don’t skip if you are a fan of it.

Ingredients: serves 4 people

-          4 cakes of fresh tofu ( availabe in Asian market), complety drained of water

-           2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced.

-         4 stalks of lemongrass, tough outer layers and greens top removed, finely minced.

-          1 red chili, seeded and finely minced

-          ½ cup vegetable oil or seasame oil

-          A pinch of table salt

-          A pinch of tumeric powder

-          A pinch of ground pepper

-          1 tablespoon soy sauce

-          1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Method:

1.      Make the marinade: Combine lemongrass, red chili, with salt, tumeric powder in a mixing bowl. Toss to mix well.

2.       Slice the tofu into 1- inch pieces.

3.    Place the tofu pieces into the mixing bowl. Marinate for 15 minutes. Drain off and reserve the marinade.

4.      Heat the oil in a saucepan ( or non-stick pan to make the frying easier) over medium heat. When hot, add tofu pieces and shallow fry on both side, for 5-8 minutes, or until crispy and golden outside. Remove from the heat, and drain on a absorbent paper.

5.    Pour off about half the oil, or leaving just enough to coat the pan’s surface. Add the minced garlic, and the remaining marinade. Sir and fry for 2 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

6.    Return the tofu spices to the saucepan. Gently stir to combine well. Add the soy sauce, sugar and sprinkle with pepper. Stir to mix well. Taste and adjust the flavor to match your tastes. Fry for just 2 minutes. When heated though, turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving plate.

Serving:

Dip in  hot sweet garlic soy sauce and serve with steamed rice.

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