Bánh Xèo - This Vietnamese favorite and celebrated during Lunar New Year is simply translated as a “sizzling cake" which refers to the sizzling sound when the crepe is cooking.

Bánh cam or bánh rán in Vietnamese is one of the most famous and beloved Vietnamese desserts.

This Tet/New Year’s special is definitely on the richer side being that it is deep fried. The outer shell is comprised of a glutinous rice wrapped with sesame seeds which makes it crispy and chewy and the inside is deliciously moist filled with sweet mung beans & coconut flakes.

Chuc Muc Mung Nam Moi or AKA Happy New Year in Vietnamese. It's important for me to learn a little more about our heritage and culture. There's a few dishes that are must haves to bring in the new year like Thit Kho and pickled bean sprouts (Dua Gia) and pickled mustard greens.

Growing up my dad used to make these pickled mustard greens all the time. In Vietnamese culture we would have these pickled sour things to accompany very salty meats. I never really realized but we ate these when we were kids so I guess my fermented infatuation started off very young!

Dua Gia is a classic Vietnamese pickled beansprouts and a beloved staple in any Vietnamese household. It’s a light and colorful pickle great to pair with salty meat and fish dishes. In Vietnam, it’s usually seen and served as a companion of roasted pork!

So you might recognize that the title looks similar to Nuoc Mam Cham (a Vietnamese salty fish dipping sauce). This is basically its vegan sister, Nuoc Cham Chay.

This sauce is like the perfect balance of sour, sweetness, herby, salty, and a subtle amount of fishy funk. It’s perfect for grilled meets and as a condiment for egg rolls, summer rolls and rice vermicelli noodles.

One of my favorite all time childhood dishes. My parents made the traditional pork/shrimp version but we also had this as well which is the vegetarian version that has savory fried onions, crumbled tofu and woodear mushrooms as the filling and it’s topped with more crispy fried onions, fresh cilantro, and Nuoc Mam which is the fish sauce dip for this.

Gỏi cuốn, Vietnamese fresh summer rolls are easy to make and is a Vietnamese favorite that is flavorfully packed with fragrant herbs, vegetables, noodles, and a protein of choice like shrimp.