Growing up, blue crabs were always a treat for us growing up as kids in Kansas so having this as a family now with both parents and my lil sis just brought us all back to our old childhood days… 😍

The first batch (pictured in top right corner) were simple boiled blue crabs served with a lime/salt/black pepper dipping sauce! The sauce is so good and was our favorite dipping sauce as kids since it was a lil sour/citrusy/and salty! Paired with a little black pepper it had just the right amount of spice. The second way was a stir fried crab with a Vietnamese satay sauce (lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots) then tossed with fragrant aromatic herbs like cilantro, scallions and red chili.

Growing up my dad usually grilled Vietnamese pork ribs but every once in a while we’d get beef ribs. They were much more expensive than pork ribs so we didn’t have them often. They’re prepared the same way too and when you throw it in a vermicelli noodle bowl it was so so good!

This cold bean sprout dish is perfect for the summer time!

A simple blanch and quick garlic stir fry makes this dish complete in less than 10 minutes! ❤️

Make classic Vietnamese dish, Tôm Rim. These glossy and fragrant prawns are marinated in traditional Vietnamese flavors then stir fried in a rich and savory caramel sauce. The thick sweet and savory glaze is just finger licking good and the shells are crispy and so flavorful you can eat the shrimps whole with shells on.

Totally craving an In-n-Out Burger? If you're like me and stuck on the East Coast and craving a juicey In-N-Out Burger then we'll have to re-create this deliciousness at home.

First, let's dissect what's an In-N-Out cheeseburger: American cheese, 100% beef patty, fresh sliced onions, lettuce, tomato, and most importantly, their special secret sauce (a sauce that hasn't changed since 1948!). The sauce if you've never had it is like a Thousand Island'ish sauce, it's an orange and creamy, relish'y, tangy, and slightly sweet sauce.

Nuoc Mam Cham, simply translated equates to fermented fish dipping sauce. This traditional fish sauce is a bright/citrusy/and semi-sweet and fishy dipping sauce is widely used in many Vietnamese dishes. Click through to see my Dad’s recipe!

This is popular traditional Vietnamese dish, Suon Nuong, is typically served sliced up in a rice noodle bowl with fish sauce, aka “bun cha”, and sometimes served as with rice “Com Suon Nuong”. This recipe is my dad’s and it’s more indicative of North Vietnamese style. The secret here is how my dad uses honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the pork marinade. The cinnamon powder helps enhance the aromatic flavor and the honey adds a touch of sweetness and helps add color and caramelizes the edges of the pork.

Nuoc Mam Cham, simply translated equates to fermented fish dipping sauce. This traditional fish sauce is a bright/citrusy/and semi-sweet and fishy dipping sauce is widely used in many Vietnamese dishes. This subtly fishy dipping sauce is made from a blend of fermented fish sauce, water, sugar, and citrus. Below is my mom’s special blend.

To celebrate my parents arrival and AAPI Heritage month, I wanted to make my parents dinner since they always cook for us and it gave me a chance to and talk to them more about our family’s heritage.

I took a twist on a Vietnamese lemon grass & steamed mussel recipe I had and swapped out the chicken broth for a butter wine sauce.

The result? Delicious, the Vietnamese herbs with the cooked down white wine and butter was such an amazing pairing, it was very smooth, familiar, and aromatic (Think Vietnamese purple basil, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, chives, jalepeno, red chili, siracha, cilantro and fish sauce cooked down with steamed and buttered mussels...) 😍.

This is my arrabbiata & organic egg shakshouka (jar hack). Sans-ramps it’s usually a breakfast staple in our house when we have guests. Sub out the ramps for fresh basil, parsley, or feta cheese!I usually make this from scratch and pick fresh tomatoes 🍅 from our garden but until I have fresh tomatoes this is my quick hack is using @traderjoes arrabbiata sauce. It’s literally the best you can find jarred and you know I’m not the type to buy much pre-made sauces.

Thit Nuong- Sometimes I like my bbq pork served in a rice noodle bowl with fish sauce and sometimes I like them real sticky and sauce’y and served with rice.Sauce’y tip: save the juices meat marinade and simmer for a few minutes, reserve the sauce, and brush mid grilling or cooking and/or lather on upon plating for extra sticky & sauce’y pork chops🤤!

Quickie ramen- When the perfect egg meets perfect timing!

Is there anything better than a flavorful soy egg with the perfect runny/jammy yolk in your ramen?

Quick ramen with blanched mustard greens, a few slices of char sui pork, and those pre-made perfect soy eggs (Trung Ngam Tuong).