One of the my favorites and also an iconic dish of Vietnam is the famous Banh Mi sandwich which has such deep history starting with the introduction of french baguette and pâté chaud (among many other things) during Vietnam’s French colonial era (1887 to 1954).

The original Banh Mi sandwich is believed to have been created in the 1960’s and is rumored to have been created by a northern Vietnamese couple who immigrated to Saigon after 1954 and named their shop, Hoa Ma, after their village outside Hanoi. They offered quick take-away food using fresh ingredients at a cheap price.

Learn how to make a banh mi sandwich here! Click post to learn more.

Tepache is an extremely delicious fermented drink from Mexico. It’s super easy to prepare and just consists simply of pineapple peels, brown sugar and other common ingredients or spices in your kitchen! Best of all, unlike kombucha or kefir, no weird scoby or bacteria is needed to make this!

Did you know Vietnam has a version of steak and eggs too?!

This dish screams French fusion. Perfect runny fried eggs are served with a savory Vietnamese spiced rubbed hanger steak and sautéed with onions. Served with some crisp & fresh cucumber, the slices helps to cut the salt. You’ll also sometimes a slice of chicken pate on the steak. Click through for recipe for steaks and my popular Cilantro Boom Boom Sauce!

Do you hate eating clams and biting into sand?

Today I’m going to show you how to clean these beautiful fresh New Zealand cockles from Citarella and to get them to purge out any sand, dirt and poo (all while keeping them fresh and alive by creating clean “sea water” for them).

My mom's Vietnamese Braised Salmon aka "Cá Kho" recipe is so easy and oh so tasty!You'll see this normally served in Vietnamese restaurants in a simmering claypot but you can make this straight on your stovetop with a pan or stove-proof pot.

Typically you caramelize sugar first, but if that step scares you then you'll like this shortcut of marinating the fish in sugar and fish sauce and letting the fish caramelize with the marinade slowly in your pot. Click to learn more and for recipe!

Seeing family in Seattle this past weekend- I’m reminded of my some of my family’s simple dinners that sometimes only included this egg dish, rice and a clear soup. Even with all the tasty big restaurant meals here, nothing beats a homemade meal that can provoke precious childhood memories and family gatherings. ❤️

My mom's Vietnamese Braised Salmon aka "Cá Kho" recipe is so easy and oh so tasty!You'll see this normally served in Vietnamese restaurants in a simmering claypot but you can make this straight on your stovetop with a pan or stove-proof pot.

Typically you caramelize sugar first, but if that step scares you then you'll like this shortcut of marinating the fish in sugar and fish sauce and letting the fish caramelize with the marinade slowly in your pot. Click to learn more and for recipe!

What a perfect winter stew for the season. Bo kho is a delicious Vietnamese stew.

“Bo” translates to beef, and Kho translates to “braise” in Vietnamese- which means we’re braising some beef today to make this savory stew.

*Click for recipe and to check out my mom’s easy hack to making this dish!

A TASTEMADE COLLABORATION/PARTNERSHIP

As a kid my parents would slap my hands for eating too much of the juicy braised pork belly fat and skin but I still turned out ok. LOL

Today, celebrate Lunar New Year and eat something that really makes you happy!

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly aka "Thit Heo Kho" is one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes to ring in the New Year but it's also one of our family favorites as well.

Here is my top 9 dishes to celebrate Tet! Braised pork and eggs, Candied Ginger, Mung Bean Pudding, Crispy Roasted Pork Belly, Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprouts, Pickled Mustard Greens, Deep Fried Sesame balls, Dried Radish and Carrot Radish, Fried Banh Chung…. Click to learn more and for recipes!

Bánh Chưng, a traditional Vietnamese food eaten during Lunar New Year (Tết) 🇻🇳 and is made from glutinous rice (aka sticky rice), mung beans, pork belly that is tightly wrapped in aromatic phrynium or banana leaves. A sign of a good banh chung is one that's super meaty, solid, and tightly rolled. Growing up as kids, my parents would fry the leftovers into crispy pancakes and would serve it with a little Maggi.

The trick to these pancakes is to microwave these till they are very soft and hot, then mashing it in a nicely oiled non-stick or cast iron pan and getting these super crispy!

Dưa món is simply translated as dried vegetables preserved in fish sauce. Traditionally carrots and daikon radish are used but other popular vegetables are used like Vietnamese leeks, lotus root, kohlrabi and/or green papaya. These extra crunchy pickles are served with Vietnamese Mung Bean cakes (aka Banh Chung) during Tet / Lunar New Year.