
Asian
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If you’ve ever wanted to see your picky kids beg for something over and over again, give Pandan Waffles a try. In my years cooking for a persnickety family, I’ve rarely seen the excitement brought by this dish which once again fuses European and Vietnamese Cuisine to perfection. Vietnamese Cuisine is famous for blending the…
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Tết (Lunar New Year) is coming up and my kids look forward to eating bánh tét every year. Bánh Tét, which is mostly eaten in central and southern Vietnam, is a cylindrical sticky rice cake filled with mung bean, pork belly and wrapped in banana leaves. I grew up eating this my whole life, but…
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Matcha is one of my favorite flavors. In the summer I make ice blended matcha tea in my Vitamix. In the winter I break out my “ceremonial whisk” and prepare the meanest and greenest cup of hot frothy matcha tea you can imagine. This year in the middle of my Christmas Baking Frenzy I had…
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Bánh Xèo is a dish destined to please any picky eater. Lets face it, we all have that one friend or family member who’s not known for their “adventurous appetite”. Sad but true. I propose Bánh Xèo to the rescue. Foreign, yet familiar. The crisp shell has a delicious smell and flavor of the coconut…
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This is a unique coffee recipe, usually only found in Vietnam. A bartender working at the Sofitel Hotel in Hanoi created this drink in 1946 – this delicious invention came from the shortage of milk and cream in Vietnam, very similar to how Vietnamese yogurt was invented. It’s made by whisking egg yolks, sugar, condensed…
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This Vietnamese chicken noodle soup / Phở Gà is the ultimate comfort food. The broth is nourishing and delicious, it’s no wonder that Phở is growing in popularity worldwide. There’s no need to go out to a restaurant to get this when you can make it right at home with your Instant Pot. This version has…
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This recipe combines two delicacies brought to Vietnam by Europeans; Flan and Coffee. Believe it or not, the region of Vietnam was not the coffee producing powerhouse it is today. The French introduced coffee to Vietnam sometime in the 1850s…and its now something synonymous with the flavors of Vietnam. Can you believe coffee wasn’t always…
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Regular readers of my blog already know my love affair with cheesecake. The flavor options are absolutely unlimited. Depending on the season— and my mood—its exhilarating to discover new flavors that play on the sweet and savory motif inherent in this creamy delicacy. Matcha has a strong hold on me. Years ago I came upon…
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You won’t find this dish in many Vietnamese restaurants, but every Vietnamese family makes this dish at home, especially around Lunar New Year (Tết). It’s one of the most flavorful and delicious dishes—the pork belly is braised in coconut water and becomes super tender in no time thanks to the Instant Pot. You get that…
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Costco Samples have a magical way of influencing our eating habits. On a routine shopping trip my daughter tried a sample cup of Tasty Bites Madras Lentils—and proceeded to talk about them the entire trip. I reluctantly conceded and went back to purchase the package of pouches—thinking I’d be lucky to use just half of…