Canh Bun - Ricefield Crab Noodle Soup

Meet Bun Rieu's sister, Canh Bun, which also originated in Northern Vietnam.  During the short time I lived in Saigon, Canh Bun was my breakfast of choice. It is called "canh" because you cook the noodles and vegetables in the broth the same way we use the term Banh Canh.  Canh Bun is a tad lighter than Bun Rieu, but made in a similar way with smashed rice field crab (cua dong).  The usual suspect we find in Canh Bun are tofu, blanched morning glory, and pork blood.  All the ingredients are cooked in the broth with the noodles, which add their own flavors to the broth.

It may appear similar to Bun Rieu but definitely have some difference.  The crab mixture in Bun Rieu is sturdy and becomes almost like a cake. Canh Bun's crab mixture is fluffy and easy to break apart. To achieve that fluffy texture fresh rice field crabs are smashed, shell and all, into a paste.  The paste is use to flavor the broth, the cooked crab paste then floats to the top of the pot similar to bun rieu.  I use frozen ground rice field crab to flavor the broth, no Canh Bun is complete without the aroma and bits of rice field crabs in every bowl.  I use a jar of crab meat in soya bean oil instead of the jar we use to make bun rieu, there is less seasoning because it's just crab meat in oil.  Some canh bun vendor does not use tomato, I like tomatoes in mine so it's your call.

I also included rice paper (banh trang) in the ingredient list.  I'm not sure if vendors still sell Canh Bun with rice paper nowaday but it's a must for me.  Rice paper was used as another form of noodle.  Since rice paper is cheap, vendor would add it to Canh Bun to make it more filling.  I personally love it because the rice paper absorb all the flavor and the texture is just amazing. 

Ingredients:

pork bones (1 lbs)

1/2 cup of dried prawns (tom kho)

1 container of frozen rice field crab paste

1 jar of crab meat in soya bean oil

2 eggs

salt

mushroom seasoning

fish sauce

shrimp paste (mam tom)

rock sugar

3-4 large tomatoes (quarterd)

1 large bunch of morning glory

tofu 

pork blood (cubed)

large rice noodle (use for Bun Bo Hue)

Vietnamese chive

lime

herbs of choice (optional)

rice paper (optional)

1. Par boil pork bones.  Rinse bones well under cool water.  Transfer clean bone to a 6 quart pot and fill with water.

2. Let bone simmer in pot.

3. Soak dried prawns in warm water until soften, and add dried shrimp to the pot.

4. Season the broth with 4 tablespoon of salt, 1 chunk of rock sugar, and 2 tablespoon mushroom seasoning.
5.  Sauteed the crab meat in soya bean oil in a smal sauce pan and then add it to the pot.

6.  Combine the ground rice field crab with 2 eggs, and blend them together in a blender.
7.  Pour the crab mixture into a microwave safe container.  Wrap the container with plastic wrap and cook this crab mixture for 10-15 in the microwave.  Let the crab mixture cool. There might be excess liquid in the crab mixture, drain as much of it as you can add it to the pot.  Set the crab mixture aside for later.

8. Wash morning glory and then blanch, drained and let dry.

9. Cook the noodle until al dente, drained and then let dry.

11. Transfer 1 cup of the broth to a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoon of shrimp paste and let it cook.  Once the shrimp paste dissolved completely, add the shrimp paste liquid into the pot.  This will help flavor the broth.

12. Add tomatoes, tofu and blood cubes.  

13. Add more sugar, and fish sauce if needed.
14.  The broth is ready for eating.You can put noodle and morning glory right into the pot and start cooking it. I like to use a separate smaller pot to prepare each bowl. Cook a little bit of everything in the broth.  Since the crab mixture is very delicate, keep it on the side until the very end when you are about to transfer the soup to the bowl.  Since it is already cooked, I just scoop a little bit of it into the bowl.  Enjoy!

Ca Nuong - Baked Fish

If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life...what would it be? My mom and I had a conversation about this over dinner a while ago. We made a nice dinner spread which included ca kho (fish braised in caramel sauce), dau hu chien (fried tofu), and canh kho qua (bittermelon soup). We both agreed it was the best meal EVER, and could literally eat it everyday. Things got semi-serious when I asked her what she would eat if she could only eat one dish for the rest of her life. She said hands down it was ca kho. Then it was my turn. First I picked Bun Bo Hue, then I changed it to Canh Chua, and then it was Bo Luc Lac. I thought about it for days. I finally decide that I can seriously eat banh trang cuon (summer roll) for the rest of my life. With good fish sauce, anything rolled in rice paper will be satisfying. My protein of choice is definitely fish, baked fish!

Simplicity is key to baking the perfect fish! You just want to lightly salt both side of the fish. Brush a little oil on your cooking sheet so the fish doesn't stick and fall apart. Bake the fish in the oven at 375 degrees. I don't really have a set time, just until both side become golden brown, and the top side I will leave it in until it's crispy. In my family we fight for the crispy tail! Just before I take out the fish, I will sprinkle minced green onions on top. I don't brush any additional oil on the fish because catfish is oily enough. When the fish is ready to serve, I top more green onions as well as fried onions (hanh phi). It's really that simple. Once you combine the fish, herbs, and noodles and drench it in fish sauce, every bite will leave you wanting more. I can sit there and eat 10+ of these rolls! Honestly, I pray I NEVER would be limited to one food item for the rest of my life and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Components to Ca Nuong
Rice paper ( banh trang)
Vermicelli rice noodle (bun)
Cucumber
Choice of lettuce
Pickled vegetable (optional but I usually have pickled carrots at hand)
Herbs (cilantro, basil, fish mint, etc)
Dipping sauce
Green onion in oil (sautee green onions in oil)
Crushed Peanuts

Preparing the Fish: I like to use catfish for this recipe.  If it's a bigger fish, you might want to butterfly it.

1. Lightly rub both side of the fish with salt.
2. Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees until the fish has crisp up.
3.  Mix one teaspoon of honey with one teaspoon of vinegar and brush it on top of the fish.
4.  Pop it back in the oven on broil until the fish is golden brown.  The honey/vinegar will form a sweet coating and help achieve more color.
5.  Brush the fish with some sauteed green onions and topped off the fish with some crushed peanuts.
6.  Serve and enjoy!

Beef Chow Fun - Banh Uot Xao Bo

I love eating Chinese Chow Fun and Thai Pad See Ew because of the use of wide flat rice noodle. When it is done right the noodles will be soft yet chewy. I'm definitely not a fan of overcooked mushy noodles. I used to buy the fresh rice noodles from the Asian market to make stir fry. It sadden me that 75% of time it ended up in the garbage because I just could not find the time to use them before it went bad. I finally found the perfect substitute that has a much longer shelf life!

I came across these one day, had very low expectations since it is not fresh. Once I finally tried it out, I was in love! These rectangular shape noodles are great to use after a good soaking in water. I use them anytime I want to fix something up really fast. I had 2 hour before work so I decide to make some Beef Chow Fun for lunch. I had already thawed out some slice beef the night before and just used whatever I had laying around in the fridge.

Ingredients:

sliced beef
green onions (cut into 1/2 in)
yellow onions (thinly sliced)
Chinese kale choy sum (cut in half)
rice noodle
minced garlic
fish sauce
oyster sauce
soy sauce
sugar
cooking oil

1. Soak noodles in warm water.
2. Marinade sliced beef with soy sauce,minced garlic, and sugar.
3. Clean and cut all your vegetables.
4. Drain noodles and let it dry for a bit. The noodles has soften but not enough to eat.
5. Heat up some cooking oil in a pan.
6. Add the beef and stir fry until brown, remove and put aside.
7. Repeat #5, flash fry the choy sum. Remove and put aside.
8. Repeat #5 enough to cover the surface of the pan, add minced garlic and then rice noodles. Add two tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 cup of water, a little bit of sugar. Cover the pan and let the liquid soak into the noodles.
9. Uncover the pan and you shouldn't have very much liquid left and the noodles should be softer. Add the yellow onion, green onion, a dash of fish sauce, a dash of soy sauce and continue to stir all the ingredients together.
10. Re-add the beef and choy sum. Stir everything together.
11. If you prefer the noodles to be extra soft, just add more water and cover the pan.

Enjoy!

Pho Bo - Beef Rice Noodle Soup

You would think Pho would be one of the first entry I write about, since this is a blog about Vietnamese cooking. Two years later, I finally did it! Pho is something I grew to appreciate. I never really care for it when I was younger because I much prefer Bun Rieu or Bun Bo Hue. It's very intimidating to make pho for my family, especially for my dad. My dad can eat pho three times a day, every day. It is his absolute favorite, and he's not afraid to tell you what he thinks. We often order pho at Vietnamese restaurant but he is never satisfied. The broth has to be clear, the spices should not be overwhelming, the noodle has to be the right texture. My mom loves it when he says nothing compares to her pho, but I'm sure that is required by all Vietnamese husband.

I wanted to try my pho recipe using a crock pot because it's suppose to reduce a lot of time hovering over the stove. I, however, was not able to go on with my day without checking the crock pot every now and then. Yes I realize it defeats the purpose of a slow cooker but hopefully I will perfect my slow cooking method in the future.

People say I have a knack for making soup because I do make them very often. If I can enjoy a steaming bowl of soup in 90 degrees weather it's because I can taste the love. When I make soups for my family and friends I want them to taste the love as well so I put a lot of time and effort when I make soups. I don't like to take short cuts or substitutes when it comes to my soup. I truly believe there are crucials steps that makes a great bowl of soup and this is certainly true for pho.

1. Roasting the Ginger and Onion: Some may think this step is unnecessary but it makes a huge difference. Roasting these two ingredients brings out their sweetness in taste and smell. I love the fragrance of roasted ginger!

2. Time can tell: I swear our parents has a six sense to detect how long we simmer the bones. My mom can always estimate how many more hours I should have simmered the bones to make a better broth. The longer you simmer your bones the better.

3. Spices: Spices should not overwhelm your broth, the last thing you want is your pho to smell like herbal medicine. I like to add my spices in a tea strainer at the very end for like 30 mintues. You can get a bag of mixed pho spices at the Asian market but all you really need is star anise, cinnamon, and cloves. You do not need a lot just a few of each spice will suffice.

4. Rice Noodle (Banh Pho): My mom sometimes precook her noodles to save time but I am very much against this. Cooked noodles breaks so easily. Rice noodle should be al dente, it's soft enough to eat but still has a little bit of chewiness to it. You can buy the "fresh" rice noodle in the refrigerated section or it will work with the dry ones as well. You will just need to soak the dry one a lot longer. Portion some noodles in a strained ladle and place it in boiling water for like 5 second. Remove from boiling water and run the noodle under warm water to wash away the excess starch. Strain excess water from noodle and place noodle in the bowl.

5. Herbs and Garnish: I know this should be personal preference because some people just can't eat herbs or onions. If you are a first time eater, please try it with basil leaves and sawtooth herb because it really does complete the soup.

Ingredients:

Ox Tail
Beef Bones
Beef Trife
Beef Shank
Eye Round Beef Thinly Sliced
2 Large pieces of Ginger1 Large Yellow OnionRock SugarStar Anise
Cinnamon StickCloves
SaltPepper
Fish Sauce
Mushroom Seasoning
Rice Noodles
Green OnionsCilantroLimesBasil LeavesSawtooth Herb

Cookware:

Soup Pot
6 Quart Slow CookerTea Strainer
Ladle Strainer

Start Time : 6:00 AM

1. Rinse your bones with plenty of salt under running water.
2. I recommend parboiling your bones twice in a regular pot before transferring them to the slow cooker. Slow cooker will not get to a boiling point where you can remove the excess scum. I rinse the bones with cool water in between each boil. Transfer your bones to the crock pot and fill it up with water and turn on your cooker.
3. Broil the ginger and yellow onion in the oven until the outside is charred. Remove and place in cold water to help peel the skin away.
Time: 7:00ish AM4. Add ginger, yellow onion, rock sugar, 2-3 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning to the crock pot. At this time you can leave the crock pot alone for now.
5. I check my slow cooker every hour because i'm just anal. I have to be in control and make sure it's doing what it's suppose to. You really do not have to do this, it's just me.

Time: 3:00 PM

6. Wash the beef shank and beef tripe with plenty of salt.
7. Taste the broth and now you want to add fish sauce( approx. 1 tablespoon) to your liking, and couple dash of ground pepper. Add more sugar if necessary. 8. The water should have reduced a bit. Add the beef shank and tripe to the crock pot. If there is not enough room, store some of the broth in a smaller pot and save for later. Leave crock pot alone.

Time: 6:00 PM

9. Beef shank and tripe should be tender enough, or you can leave it in the cooker longer. I remove shank and trip from cooker and let it cool. Add the excess broth you save from before back into the cooker.10. Soak "fresh" rice noodles in cool water.
11. I'm ready to thinly sliced my eye round beef. If you cannot slice thinly, place the beef in the freezer for an hour and would be so much easier. If you ask the butcher at your grocery store they could also shave your beef for you.
12. Prepare your garnish. Finely chop your green onions, cilantro, and yellow onions. Cut limes into wedges.13. Thinly slice your beef shank and cut your trip into smaller pieces.

Time: 8:00 PM

14. Place your tea strainer with the pho spices in the crock pot for 30 minutes.
15. Prepare noodles the way I have stated above. Place raw beef slice on top of the noodles as well as the beef shank and beef tripe.
16. Again the cooker does not get to a point where it is boiling so I place broth in a smaller pot to boil. Pour boiling broth to your prepared bowl. The meat should be submerge in the broth to cook thoroughly.
17. Add desired garnish and enjoy :)

Che Suong Sa Hot Luu - Tapioca in Coconut Milk Desert

I fell in love with this dessert on my latest visit to Vietnam. The ones I tried from the States are overly sweet, the ones in Vietnam are not as heavy and more refreshing. I love eating the "hot luu" which are suppose to be mock pomegranate seed made from tapioca and jicama. It's like eating the tapioca balls in bubble tea but with something in the center. I made this che on a hot sunny day during my last trip home and it was a hit! My mom really appreciate me making a batch for everybody because she thought it was such as hassle, but it really isn't that bad to make.

You simply prepare are the components of the che; I used suong sa, hot luu, mung beans, coconut milk, sugar water, and crushed ice. Once that is all done you can just put together a cup to your liking. To cut back one some of the work I used canned suong sa which tasted just as good, but you can always make your own. I couldn't find any fresh jicama so I used canned water chestnut. Semi-homemade didn't cut back on taste here!

Ingredients:

simple syrup (2 part sugar to 1 part water)
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup of already peeled and split mung bean
1 bag of tapioca start
1 can 14 oz can of water chestnut
2 can of suong sa ( I bought two different version, one in a lime green color and one that dark greenish black)
red food coloring

Preparation:

1. Wash mung beans.  Soak in hot water until soft.
2.Prepare simple syrup and then chill in fridge.
3. Cut dark suong sa into cubes, and lime green suong sa into long strips.

3. Soak the mung beans in water.
3. Dice up the water chestnuts.  Mix with red food coloring to make the faux pomegranate.
4. Place tapioca starch into a large mixing bowl. Separate the faux pomegranate into 3-4 batch.  Add first batch of water chestnut to the tapioca starch and mix.   Use a strainer so it's easier to separate.  Keep adding tapioca starch to the water chestnut until it is evenly coated.  Shake off the excess.

5. Boil some water in a pot. Prepare a cold bowl of water with some ice cubes.
6. Once the water boil add the first batch of tapioca/water chestnut mixture to the pot. The tapioca mixture will coagulate use chopstick to help separate the huge clumps.
7. Once the red "pomegranate seed" float to the top, dump the whole pot into a colander and rinse with cold water. Place fresh "pomegranate seed" aside in the the bowl of ice water to cool. You can remove pomegranate seed from ice bath once it has cooled.
8. Repeat with remaining batch of water chestnut. You don't have to change tapioca starch between batch.  Add more starch if needed.
9. Strain the water from the mung beans. Boil mung beans1/2 cup of water on low heat. Boil until all the water have been absorbed and mung bean are soft. Remove from heat and mash into a paste (I used a potato masher).

10. Boil the coconut milk. Set aside to cool.

Now it's time to build your che!  I put a layer of pomegranate seed at the bottom, grass jelly, mung beans, more pomegranate, simple syrup, coconut milk, and then ice.  The great thing about this dessert is you can control the sweetness by adding more or less syrup.  Enjoy!

Nui Ga - Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

I like to change things up every now and then. I can't eat rice everyday, and yes I do prefer noodles over rice. I love slurping noodles and the warmth of hot broth in my tummy. So at least 2-3 times a week I have to make a pot of some kind of noodle soup. But on those busy days when I don't have time to hover over the stove all day, nui ga is my quick fix.

Nui ga is definitely my ideal comfort food. It always bring me back to my childhood when I use to experiment with my mom's nui ga. I use to put different condiments in my soup to give it a little something more. One day it could be soy sauce, sometimes ketchup, but mostly hoison sauce. Of course my mom did not approve of this behavior but I was just a kid. I don't do it as often now but I do grab the bottle of ketchup if I ever feel nostalgic.


Ingredients:

1 Cornish hen
1 sweet onion
2 carrots
pasta of your choice ( I like using rice pasta)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mushroom seasoning
black pepper
minced green onions
minced cilantro
water



1. Wash chicken and scrub with plenty of salt.
2. Peel carrots and chop into bite size.
3. Add 4 quarts of water to pot and let it come to a boil and then add the chicken, 1 sweet onion, and chopped carrots, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon mushroom seasoning.
4. Let chicken cook in pot.  Remove scum when necessary.
5. Once chicken is cooked, a Cornish hen will take about 30-45 minutes, remove and let cool down. 
6. Once chicken has cooled, remove from broth and shred chicken.  I usually throw the bones back into the broth and turn the heat to low.
7.  Make final adjustment with more salt and sugar if needed. 
8.  Boil the pasta to al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water. 
9.  If you are serving a lot of people as once, you can throw the pasta into the broth.  Let it come to a boil and then transfer to serving bowl.  Top off with cilantro/green onions and black pepper.
10.  If you are eating individual bowls, I would transfer to smaller pot to heat of individual bowl. 

Banh Bot Chien - Fried Rice Cubes w/ Eggs

Crispy cubes of dough dip in a special soy sauce, I can eat these like candies! I actually have no recollection of eating bot chien as a child when I still lived in Vietnam. I was first introduced to this popular street snack in Seattle by my brother. The dough is pan fry to a crisp on the outside but soft and warm on the inside. It doesn't stop there, they scramble these crispy goodness with eggs. Eggs makes everything oh so more delicious! Banh Bot Chien is often pair with a plate of raw green papaya salad. I'm not sure why they are paired that way but the special soy sauce is very similar to the sauce eaten with Green Papaya Beef Jerky Salad.

I always crave these but the thought of mixing flour, steaming, and then frying doesn't really work well with my schedule lately. I'm so glad I found some premade cake at our local Vietnamese market. All you have to do is cut them into small cubes, and then start cooking. In Vietnam, we often eat Bot Chien after dinner almost like a dessert. Over here I like eating these at brunch, you got your eggs and carbohydrate to jump start your metabolism. I would so take Bot Chien over pancakes any day!


Ingredients:

Premade cake
eggs (to your liking because I like A LOT of eggs)
1-2 stalk green onions minced
cooking oil

Sauce:

2 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of vinegar
fresh chili (optional)



1. Cut cake into the size of your liking.
2. Heat up a pan with a oil.
3. Add 1/2 of the green onions until your can smell fragrance.
4. Add cake cubes to the pan and let it fry to a crisp on the outside.
5. Once the cubes is to a crisp, slightly burned, add enough eggs to cover every single cube. Continue to flip and fry until the eggs are cook.
6. Sprinkle the remaining half of the green onions and serve.

Enjoy!