Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce - Goi Cuon Tom voi Sot Dau Phong

 

My favorite food to make for lunch nowadays are spring rolls or goi cuon!  There are so many different type of spring rolls and this one is definitely the easiest!  In general, to make spring rolls you will need a protein, lettuce, herbs, cooked vermicelli noodle, and the sauce.  It's very customizable but I usually just use what I have available.  It's a great way to get rid of some lettuce or cucumber. 

I will prep most of the components the night before such as cooking the vermicelli noodles, and washing the veggies.   The next day I just have to make the sauce and cook the shrimp.  It really helps me with time especially if i'm working from home but still want some delicious Vietnamese food.  

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know how much I love spring rolls and share quite a varitety of spring roll recipes.  I'm hoping to get more of my spring rolls recipe added to the blog, will work on it for 2026!    

Here is the link to a short form video for the visual learner and tips for rolling spring rolls below.  This is specifically for Shrimp Spring Rolls but these tips will certainly help with other type of spring rolls too. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHt6LKQPMWi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==


Tips for rolling:

Rehydrate your rice paper with cold water. Just one quick dip is all you need.

Add all the components onto your rice paper right away. By the time you are done, you can start rolling even if your rice paper is not 100 soft yet.

Cut your shrimp in half and add to areas the top 3/4 of your rice paper.

Avoid overfilling your roll with too much ingredients. If you are using firmer lettuce, crush it a bit before rolling.

Tuck your ingredients as you are rolling to ensure a tight roll.

Spring Roll components:

Cooked vermicelli noodle 

Rice paper

Green leaf lettuce

Sliced cucumber

mint leaves, chives, basil, cilantro (any of these will work)

Peanut Sauce Recipe:

1/3 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
1-5-2 cups of water ( less water more thicker, I use around 1.75 cups)
2 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl minced shallot
3 tbl cooking oil
1/2 tbl of vinegar or lime juice
Pickled carrots and daikon (optional)
Sambal chili sauce

Saute garlic and shallot in oil until fragrance and turn into a golden color. Add peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and water and mix well. Cook sauce on low-medium heat until it’s smooth and thicken. Mix in vinegar or lime juice. You can add more hot water to thin it out to your liking. You can also use less water if you prefer a thicker sauce.

Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with crushed peanuts. Add whatever chili sauce you prefer.

Pho Bo -Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

I’m back world to share recipes.  You evolve the more you cook and i’m here to share what i’ve learned and what work for my lifestyle now.  I’m now a working mom with two little ones.  My goal is to cook smarter and not harder. 

 The cold season calls for comforting soup and Pho Bo is especially good this time of year.

This is how I make Beef Pho nowadays, it’s quicker and much more doable with small children.  I recommend doing a mixture of different type of bones and meats, some that doesn’t require simmering the whole day.  You can certainly let your pot slow cook all day  if you like but not necessarily if you don’t have the time.  Keep in mind that you broth will continue to built up in flavor even with residual heat after you turn off the stove.  I can assure you it will still taste delicious and flavorful. 

I like to use chicken bones,  beef bone marrow, beef rib bones and fatty brisket.  Chicken bones will produce a sweet and flavorful broth with the shortest amount of time.  Remember your broth will get better with time, even with residual heat.  That’s all to it, I will link to my Instagram post for a short form video.   I hope you find this recipe and my tips helpful!

Base on a 12 quart pot**

5-6 lbs of beef marrow bones
2-3 chicken carcasses ( can use drumsticks instead)
fatty brisket
3-4 tendons (optional)
beef balls (optional)
1 large whole ginger smashed and roasted
4-5 shallots or 2 yellow onion roasted until charred
2 cinnamon sticks
4-5 star anise
1/4 cup of salt
3-4 quarter size chunk of rock or palm sugar
1/4 cup of mushroom seasoning
MSG to taste
Fish sauce to taste

1. Parboil all your bones, tendons, and fatty brisket with plenty of salt. Rinse well after with cold water.  After par boiling rinse everything with cold water and I do another rub down with salt. 

2. Add bones, tendons, and fatty brisket, roasted shallots/onions, and roasted ginger to the pot. Fill pot up with water and let it come to a boil.

3. As it’s coming to a boil, remove impurities as necessary.
4. Turn down the heat to low-medium and then add salt, rock or palm sugar, and mushroom seasoning.
5. Let pot simmer with the lid slightly on. This will retain moisture and also help you cook the brisket through.
6. Chicken will cook the fastest and I will remove that first. You can add more water to make up the loss volume. Adjust seasoning as necessary. There will also be a lot of fat rendered, remove as you like. Add toasted pho spices.
7. Continue to let the pot cook until brisket is and tendons is tender to your liking (2-3 hours). Removed from pot once tender. Shock the brisket in iced water. It’s best to sliced your brisket and tendon when it’s completely cooled. Add beef meatballs at this point.

8. Leave the the pot with the remaining beef bones on the lowest setting with the lid on for as long as you like to build on the flavor. You can eat the pho at this point, the broth will just get better with time. If you are cooking this at night . I would just turn off the heat with the lid on, the pot will continue to simmer with the residual heat.

9. For sliced beef, I use eye round and sliced as thin as you can. You can also beat your sliced meat with the back of a heavy knife to help tenderize

10. Assemble your bowl with all the meats and garnishes, enjoy!

Bún Thịt Bò Xào - Stir Fried Beef w/ Vermicelli Noodle

Ingredients:

1 lb of sliced lean beef
1 tbl oyster sauce
1/2 tbl fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbl minced garlic
1 tbl minced shallot
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
1 sweet onion
black pepper
cooking oil
vermicelli noodle
lettuce
cucumber
pickled vegetables  (optional)
sweet fish sauce 
green leaf lettuce
fresh herbs of choice
roasted crushed peanuts

1.  Boil noodles.  Drain, rinse, and let air dry dry.  Set aside for later.
2.  Wash all veggies and greens.  Let air dry and set aside for later.
3.  Chop lettuce, julienne cucumber, and sliced the sweet onions.
4.  Marinate beef with 1tbl oyster sauce, 1/2 tbl fish sauce, 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tbl cooking oil, 1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tbl minced garlic, 1 tbl minced shallots.
5.  Heat up oil in a pan, stir fried beef on high heat.  Add the sweet onions towards the end and stir fried along with the beef.
6.  In a bowl, assemble vermicelli noodle, lettuce, cucumber, pickled veggies, and fresh herbs.  Top off with stir fried beef and onions and a sprinkle of roasted crush peanuts.
7.  Enjoy with some sweet fish sauce!

Gỏi Cá Hawaii - Poke

I love eating raw fish and it's just natural for me to be a poke fanatic!  Poke is everywhere nowadays and there are so many take on it.  Honestly I like it very simple because I don't want to mask the wonderful fish with too many ingredients.  I've been blessed to learn how to make poke from real Hawaiians and with many trial and error I have come up with a recipe that I love.

Some people are afraid to make poke at home because you are dealing with raw fish.  But that's what poke is so you just have to get over it.  When it comes to raw fish, there are different grade.  I have used all different grade of fish; from chain grocery stores to sashimi grade from Japanese market and  I have never gotten sick. You will taste a difference in quality and of course there will be a difference in prices.  I personally like to use Costco's fish especially during their seafood road show.  Or ask your seafood person at your favorite grocery store when they get their fresh fish every week.  If you feel uneasy about working with raw fish, you can buy sashimi grade fish from most specialty stores.

If you are novice to poke, I think salmon would be a good fish to start with.  Fishes such as tuna or trout has a stronger smell when raw.   Salmon is more mild and clean tasting in my opinion.  I personally love eating salmon poke because when you can get a fatty cut, oh it melts like butter!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs choice of fish (salmon, tuna)
2 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/4 cup of diced sweet onions
1/4 cup of minced green onions
1 tablespoon of minced serrano pepper
2 tablespoon of Kikoman brand soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
crushed thai chili to your liking
roasted sesame seed

1.  Clean fish and then pat dry.  Cut into 1/2 inch cube.
2.  I like to marinate the fish with soy sauce and salt first so this will soak into the fish first.  Mix gently avoid bruising the fish.

3.  Add the sweet onions, serrano pepper, green onions, garlic, crushed Thai chili, and sesame oil.  Again mix gently and thoroughly.  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Transfer to plate and top off with roasted sesame seed.
5.  Enjoy!

Xà Lách Trộn Thịt Bò - Vietnamese Beef Toss Salad

Xà Lách Trộn Thịt Bò is my kind of salad, it's a healthy option but still incredibly flavorful!  Sometimes you feel so overwhelmed by food but you still want something tasty to eat, this is usually what I turn to.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of thinly sliced beef

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon of minced shallots

2 tablespoon of fish sauce ( red boat brand is paleo friendly)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

juice of one lime

1/2 sweet onion sliced

2 head of lettuce of choice 

3-4 boiled eggs

3-4 tomatoes sliced

cooking oil

1.  Marinate the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon spoon sugar, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced shallot, and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.  

2.  Wash and drain all veggies dry (lettuce, tomatoes, onions).  Boil eggs and cut into quarters.

Thinly sliced the onions and soak in cold water (this helps reduce the onion flavor).

3.  Combine juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and teaspoon of ground pepper.

4.  Heat up a pan with 2 tablespoon of cooking oil.  Add marinated beef and sauteed.  

5.  In a mixing bowl add the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and dressing from step #3.  Toss everything together.   Transfer to a plate and then pile the sauteed beef and eggs on top.

6.  Enjoy with rice!  

Bánh Canh Giò Heo - Pork Hock Udon Soup

There is a fear when my generation hear the words 'Giò Heo' which translates to pig's feet/hock/trotter.  But I promise it is one of the best piece of meat you can gnaw on!   When you bite through that soft skin, you will then sink into the sweet tender meat.  After you finish all the meaty parts you will have to work through the chewy tendons and cartilage, my favorite part.   I love the layers of texture of 'Giò Heo' and if you love that too, you will love this soup!

Unlike the familiar thicken soup from Banh Canh Cua, Banh Canh Gio Heo has a more traditional soupy broth.  It's simple, clean, and to the point that brings out the natural flavor of each ingredients.
While most Banh Canh Gio Heo has more of a pork base broth I like to use ground shrimp for that extra sweetness. 'Giò Heo' is already heavy as it is so I try to lighten the broth as much as possible by using shrimp.  

Ingredients:

2 lbs of shrimp
8-10 pork hock
1 large sweet onion ( quartered)
green onions
cilantro
fried shallots
lime
fresh chili
fresh banh canh noodles
salt
sugar
mushroom seasoning
vinegar
food blender

1.  Par boil the pork hock with plenty of salt and 1/4 cup of vinegar.  Drain dirty water and wash hock thoroughly with cold water.
2.  Rinse and peel the shrimps but save the shell.
3.  Add the shrimp shells, pork hock, and 3/4 of the sweet onions to a pot and add 4 quarts of water.  Simmer everything in pot to make the broth.  Season with 2 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon mushroom seasoning, and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.  Remove scum as needed.

4.  Divide peeled shrimp in half.  Take 1/2 of the shrimp and ground it with a food blender then set a side.

5.  Take the other half and cook the shrimp whole in the broth from step #3.  Once shrimp is cooked remove from broth and set aside.

6.  Pay attention to your pork hock, I like mine on the chewy side.  Cook hock to your preference and remove from broth.
7.  Remove the shrimp shells from the broth.

8.  Scoop ground shrimp into the broth, let broth come to a boil and then turn down heat.  Remove any scum as needed.

9.  Make final tasting by adding additional salt and sugar as needed.

10.  Chop up cilantro, green onions, and sliced the 1/4 sweet onions for garnishing.  Prepare lime wedges and chili for eating.
11.  Boil the banh canh noodle ahead of time.
12.  Add noodles to a bowl top with pork hock and cooked whole shrimp.  Ladle in the broth, add cilantro/onions mixture, fried shallots, lime, and fresh chili to your liking.  Enjoy pork hock by dipping it in a little bit of fish sauce mixed with fresh chili.
13. Enjoy!

Cháo Gà - Chicken Congee

When I was little I always correlate chao with being sick.  Supposedly you are not suppose to eat anything fatty or overly seasoned because it might irritate your stomach while your sick.  Therefore when I was sick my mom makes chao with very little seasoning and no meats, it totally scarred my taste buds.  I don't think I ever liked eating chao until I reach my 20s when I finally learn how to cook it myself.  Chao doesn't have to be bland, remember you control the seasoning and flavors when you cook.  I will show you a few tricks that will give your chao wonderful flavors and aromas!

Everybody likes chao a certain way!  Some people like it very watery and the rice grain still intact while others like the rice grain to be cooked down into a thick paste like consistency.  I love my chao to be cooked down completely, in which you can't even see any sign of the rice grain or liquid, as if the rice and the broth has become one.  The best way to achieve this is to avoid washing your rice, rice is covered in starch which will naturally thicken your broth.  Add unwashed rice straight to the broth.  Be patience and let your rice grain cook down until it disintegrate into the broth.

I like my chao to be well seasoned and aromatic from ginger, garlic, and shallot.  And like most soups, the best way to bring out the flavors from your roots is to roast them before ending them to the broth.  The best way to season chao is with just salt, that will give your chao enough taste without overpowering like fish sauce will.  

Ingredients: 

1 cornish hen or 1/2 whole chicken or 5 drumsticks 

4 quarts of water 

1 cup of rice 

2 knob of giner

2 shallots

3 garlic 

3/4 tablespoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning

chopped green onions/cilantro/onions mixture 

ground black pepper

fried shallots

fresh chili 

1.  Par boil the chickens and drain the dirty water.  Rinse chicken clean with cool water.

2.  Add clean chicken to pot cook for 30 minutes, remove and let cooled down.

3.  Roast your roots either in the oven or in  pan on the stovetop.

4.  Add the rice to the broth along with the roasted garlic,shallots, and ginger.   Season with 3/4 tbl salt, 1/2 tbl sugar, 1/2 tbl mushroom seasoning. 
5.  Let rice cook down on medium heat.  It will be faster if you cover with lid.  Every now and then scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure rice isn't sticking to the bottom.

6.  Once chicken has cooled, remove bones and shred into smaller pieces.  

7.  Taste your chao, add additional seasoning if needed  

8.  Once the rice has cooked down to your liking, add the chicken to the chao.

8.  Your chao is done!  Enjoy with garnishes to your liking and ground black pepper.  f