Fried crispy seasoned pork bites also known as bánh tráng chiên giò sống—another dish inspired from my mom’s kitchen. I don't remember when my mom started making these, I just know that I loved standing there and eating them fresh, hot, and extra crispy, as she was frying them. Obviously I ruined my appetite with these little ăn nhậu ( to snack/drink) bites, but it was always worth it. I had never had this anywhere else but at home, so I wasn’t sure if it was an actual dish, but I looked it up recently, and it’s a real thing (at least different variations of it)! The best part about it is that it is insanely easy to make. It’s a great appetizer to have at parties, the kids love it, and it also pairs perfectly with a cold beer. Recipe below!

FRIED CRISPY SEASONED PORK BITES / BÁNH TRÁNG CHIÊN GIÒ SỐNG

Degree of difficulty: 1 (on a scale of 1-5)

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

YOU’LL NEED

•  A medium to large food processor

•  A medium frying pan

• A medium mixing bowl

 INGREDIENTS (makes roughly 36 bite sized pieces)

• ½ pound of organic ground pork (you can sub with ground beef or ground chicken if you don’t eat pork)

• ¼ TSP sea salt

• ½ TSP freshly ground pepper

• ½ TSP sugar

• 1 TSP fish sauce

• 2 TSP minced garlic

• ¼ TSP baking powder (I used Alsa brand baking powder)

• ½ TSP water

• 4-6 sheets of round rice paper

DIRECTIONS 

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together your ground pork, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, and fish sauce. Mix well.

2. In a small bowl, combine the water and the baking powder, and immediately mix well with a small spoon until it begins to foam, then add it to the ground pork mix, and once again, mix well (I like to mix with my hands).

3. Placed the meat mix in a medium sized food processor, and process the meat until a fine paste is formed (about 2-3 min).

4. Place a piece of dry rice paper on a flat work surface. Using a large spoon or small spatula, spread the paste evenly on the rice paper, getting as close to the edges as you can. The thickness of the paste should be about 1/8”, and no thicker than ¼” (see photo above). 

5. Place another sheet of dry rice paper directly on top, lining up the edges. Smooth it out using your hands, and lightly push the meat mixture so that it is even and spread towards the edges.

6. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut roughly 2” strips, and then cut the strips into bite sized pieces. If the rice paper curls up, don’t worry about it. It’s not meant to be perfect! Place the bite sized pieces on a large plate, separating the pieces so that they don’t touch (the rice paper will get moist and cause the pieces to stick together).

7. Heat a frying pan on medium high, and coat the bottom of the pan with a neutral high-heat oil (safflower, canola, or grapeseed oil). Give it a few minutes to heat up properly, and then gently add in your bite sized pieces. Pan fry the pieces until they are a light golden brown, turning/flipping them when necessary. You may need to turn your heat down to medium so that they don’t burn. Each side should take 2-3 minutes each, but make sure you keep an eye on it while it is cooking. 

8. Transfer to a bed of napkins, and then to a serving platter. 

In Vietnamese culture, you have your everyday meals and your special meals. Everyday meals are easy, ‘throw it together’ dishes that are uncomplicated, comforting, and made for weekly rotation. This particular soup (soups are commonly known as a ‘canh’ in Vietnamese), is one of my absolute favorites for the ‘everyday’ category, and something that I’ve been cooking for the longest time. It’s so ridiculously easy (like most Vietnamese soup/canhs are), and though usually eaten with rice, can also be eaten alone. The only thing different from the way I make mine (as opposed to my parents) is that I purchase the pre-cut pork spare ribs at my local H-mart, so that I don’t have to deal with cleaving my own meat, which I find time consuming, and messy (yes, this is a shortcut!). If you don’t like to deal with bones, I recommend purchasing a pound of pork shoulder, and cutting the meat into cubes. Avoid pork loin, as it can be dry and less juicy in this soup form. I also typically brown the pork spare ribs in a separate pan before placing it in the pot. It gives the meat color and some added texture, but this step is not necessary, and can actually be skipped if you want to cut down on time. I will say that in the past, I gave everyone a general idea of how to make this soup (blame my parents for never measuring anything, ever), however, this time around, I made sure to write down specific measurements for each ingredient so that you have a consistent result each time you make it. The result: a savory soup, packed full of flavor, with mouthwatering, almost ‘fall off the bone’ pork spare ribs. I hope you enjoy this everyday meal as much as I do.

TOFU, TOMATOES, AND PORK SPARE RIB SOUP / CANH

Degree of difficulty: 1 (on a scale of 1-5)

Preparation time 15 min

Cooking time: 2 hours

YOU’LL NEED

•   A 5.5 quart pot

•  A non-stick frying pan

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tomatoes on the vine, quartered

• 1 x 16 oz package of organic firm tofu, sliced into roughly ½ thick x 1” wide x 1.5” long pieces

•  1.5 lbs pre-cut spork spare ribs, rinsed, and patted dry

•  13 cups of water

•  1 TBS chicken stock powder

• 2 tsp salt

•  2.5 TBS fish sauce

• ¼ cup thiny sliced scallions

• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

• Freshly ground pepper

 DIRECTIONS

**Before you begin, place your pork rib bones in a strainer, and gently scrub all the bones with sea salt. Rinse off all of the salt thoroughly. This removes the ‘porky’ flavor, for a better flavor profile.

1.  Add a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil to a frying pan on med-high heat. Brown each side of the pork spare ribs (this step can be skipped if you are short on time).

2.  Add the pork spare ribs to a 5.5 qt stockpot, and add 13 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil.

3.   After the water has come to a full boil, reduce to medium-low, add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 TBS of chicken stock powder. Allow the soft simmer to build the broth base for 2 hours. During the simmer time (after about an hour of simmering), gently skim the scud from the surface until the broth is clear of any impurities that have risen to the top, and continue to do so until the surface is free of impurities.

4.  Once you have finished simmering for two hours, add in your 2.5 TBS of fish sauce. Then add in your sliced tofu chunks and your quartered tomatoes. Bring the heat back up to a gentle boil, and then reduce again to medium-low (a gentle simmer), and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.  After the tofu and tomatoes have been stewing for 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Taste the broth and add additional salt or fish sauce, only if necessary.

6.  Top generously with sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and freshly ground pepper. Serve with fluffy jasmine rice, or eat alone as a soup.

Who doesn’t love egg rolls? I know I’d never turn one down. There is a lot of confusion over the name though. Up here in New York, these are called ‘spring rolls’, not ‘egg rolls’. And what we’d call spring rolls in my hometown of Houston, are considered ‘summer rolls’ up here. If we’re being technical, it really has to do with the type of wrapper you roll with. Traditional ‘egg roll’ wrappers are very thick and very crispy, and dipped in egg for richness. You will see these types of wrappers used with Chinese egg rolls. The result is a very thick and bubbly textured roll. In Vietnam, you’ll see layers of very thin rice sheets used (they’re absolutely delectable, by the way). I grew up using this specific type of thin flour based wrapper, and even though the packaging says ‘spring roll wrapper’, I’ll always call them ‘egg rolls’. This is just the way it is in Vietnamese culture. Confusing. Listen, all of them are called ‘egg rolls’ if they’re deep fried. It’s an unspoken understanding.

The recipe is based off of many of the different ways my mom has made egg rolls at home in the past. I pretty much know how to do this with my eyes closed—I’ve helped her so many times in the kitchen, after all. My recipe is simple, but absolutely tasty. The wonderful thing about egg rolls is that they are delicious in every way they are made. You can add other veggies like cabbage or jicama. You can also add crab, or skip seafood altogether (my recipe uses pork and shrimp). You can even make them vegetarian with a variety of veggies and tofu (the ones served at Buddhist temples are ah-mazing. There are no rules. After years of making my own egg rolls here in New York, I’ve concocted what I consider to be my perfect recipe, and I’m sharing it below with you all.This time around, I used my friend Cassie’s recommendation to spread the mix evenly in a pan, and then divide it into equal parts for an overall size consistency. Some would call this insanity. I call it commitment to the aesthetic. It’s actually very therapeutic, but know that you can skip this step if it’s too much for you. Simply scoop the mix from the bowl onto the wrapper, and arrange it horizontally (pictured below).

So I’ve started adding the degree of difficulty for each recipe. Everything will be scale between 1-5, 5 being the most difficult. But seriously, don’t be intimidated by numbers. Just take your time, allow yourself to make mistakes, and most importantly, enjoy the process. It will always turn out beautifully if it is made with care, attention, and love.

VIETNAMESE EGG ROLLS RECIPE (Chả Giò)

Degree of difficulty: 3 (on a scale of 1-5)

Preparation time (45 min-1 hour)

Cooking time: 6-7 egg rolls per batch for a 1.1L compact deep fryer - fry for 7 minutes (amount per batch and frying time may change depending on your deep fryer. You also have the option to fry them manually in a frying pan.

 YOU’LL NEED

•  1 large mixing bowl

•  A deep fryer (I love my Cuisinart compact 1.1 L deep fryer)

•  A neutral high temperature cooking oil, preferably safflower or grape seed oil (canola oil works as well, and is probably most commonly used)

• ·OPTIONAL: baking sheet around 10” x 15” dimensions, with about a ¾” depth

INGREDIENTS (mixture makes approximately 48 small sized egg rolls)

•  1 package of Spring Home brand spring roll pastry sheets, 125 mm (approx. 6” square), 50 qty (NOTE: If you want extra layers of crunch, you can use the full sized pastry sheets)

•  1 pound of organic ground pork (you can also use ground chicken as a substitute) 

• ¼ pound of fresh peeled & deveined shrimp, tails removed, minced or finely chopped in a food processor

• 3 green scallions stalks, finely chopped

• 1 small onion, finely chopped (makes about 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions)

  NOTE: After chopping your onion, placed in a strainer over a bowl so that the excess moisture is removed. This helps with reducing moisture to the overall egg roll, for a better crunch.

•  1 small carrot, peeled to remove outer skin, then julienned with a julienne peeler

• 1/3 cup of dried Earwood mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water for 15 minutes, drained, dried, then finely chopped

• 1/3 cup of clear glass noodles, also known as bean threads (cooked per packaged instructions), and roughly chopped or cut with scissors

•  1.5 TBS fish sauce (I prefer Three Crabs brand)

• 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder

• 1 teaspoon of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper

• 1 egg yolk (whites removed) placed in a small dipping bowl

DIRECTIONS

• Defrost the package of frozen spring roll pastry sheets by leaving them out while you are preparing all of your ingredients. Then pre-peel the sheets apart and set aside. Meanwhile, gather your ingredients to make the egg roll mix

1. Using your hands, mix all of the prepared ingredients very well in a bowl (I like using vinyl gloves while doing this). Take a lot of time to make sure everything is fully blended.

2a.  OPTIONAL STEP FOR PERFECTIONISTS : Take your baking sheet and spread the entire mix onto the sheet as evenly as possible. Using either a butter knife or a spatula, divide the mix into thirds vertically, and then create rows of lines to create an even measurement so that each egg roll size will be consistent (see photo above for reference).

 2b. If you choose not to use a baking sheet for size precision, no problem, You can absolutely just use a spoon to scoop out the amount necessary per egg roll, just try to stay as consistent as possible (it doesn’t have to be perfect).

3. Scoop the desired amount onto the egg roll sheet (see above photo for reference). The sheet should be rotated so that it looks like a diamond with the bottom corner pointing towards you. Begin rolling the bottom corner of the sheet up, and then fold the sides in like an envelope. Continue rolling until you’re ready to seal. Using a clean applicator (I used a clean cotton swab, using my finger gets too messy), and dab a little bit of the egg yolk so that the top corner will seal the egg roll together. Gently press and then set on a platter. Continue this process until the whole mix is rolled.

4.  Now you are ready to fry. Pour the oil into the deep fryer and turn the temperature to 375 degrees. The oil will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat. 

 NOTE: I prefer to set the deep fryer over the stove for easy clean up, and use of the stovetop fan.

5.  Place 6-7 small egg rolls into the frying basket. Lower the basket, close the lid, and set your timer to 7 minutes. Please note that depending on how large your fryer is, how much oil you use, and how many egg rolls are placed in the basket, the timing may change. This timing and amount is specifically for a compact 1.1L deep fryer. You will have to experiment and adjust accordingly.

Note: You can also fry them in a frying pan over the stove, that way you will have more control over seeing when the egg rolls are done. Just make sure your’e turning the egg rolls, so that all sides are fried evenly.

6.  The egg rolls are complete once they are a light-medium golden color. Place on a bed of napkins, and repeat until all of the desired egg rolls are fried. They are best eaten warm.

7.   Vietnamese home cooked egg rolls can be eaten on a bed of vermicelli with all the fixings, or you can eat them as a snack, rolling them inside a layer of lettuce, some sliced cucumber, mint leaves, and dipped in Vietnamese dipping sauce (see previous post for dipping sauce recipe). I love the latter because of the crunchy texture and the combination of the warm and crispy egg rolls with the cool and crunchy lettuce and cucumber. 

I wrote a little bit about the history of pâté chaud and it’s French origins on my Instagram, and how the meaning of the French words, ‘pâté’ and ‘chaud’, have evolved over time. Unfortunately Instagram limits the amount of characters per caption/post, so on that platform, I am not able to go into full detail about anything really. Recipes have to be condensed. Directions are less detailed. One isn’t able to fully see how much goes into a dish. This is another reason why I chose to post my cooking adventures on my website. So here I am with my first recipe post—a simple and delicious recipe for pâté chaud that I put together myself. Not gonna lie, I think I shot a hole-in-one for this one. And on the very first try!

I wanted to talk a little bit about the effects of French colonialism on Vietnamese cooking (without going deep into the politics or ethics of colonialism in general). Ask any Vietnamese parent or grandparent about how they feel about the French or French colonialism, and one answer may vary from one person to the next. Some may think positively, some may think negatively, some may be personally traumatized, and some don’t think much about it at all. It’s really all about exposure and personal experience. But despite the political impact of imperialism on the country, I think we can all agree that the marriage of Vietnamese food with elements of French fare and influence, makes for the most beautiful blend of cuisine. It’s like seeing the silver lining in a negative situation. Some of the major ingredients that the French brought to Vietnam: onions, shallots, artichokes, potatoes, asparagus, coffee, baguettes. They also influenced the creation of phở, flan, and pâté chaud, among many other dishes. So although Vietnamese cuisine was influenced by many of its neighboring countries (mainly China), the incorporation of French influence makes it something truly special.

So, pâté chaud. They are essentially, meat pies. You can use your meat of choice, but I prefer ground pork as my base. Growing up, my mom would make pâté chaud for parties or snacking on the beach. I remember distinctly how they looked and tasted. She used Pepperidge Farm Puff pastry shells, which would come pre-made with a little ‘cap’ on top. They were tasty homemade versions that I’ll always look back on fondly as a part of my childhood. As I got older, we’d buy our pâté chaud pies from local Vietnamese bakeries, which were made a little bit differently. Honestly I’ve never had a pâté chaud I didn’t like. But some are definitely better than others. Lets talk ingredients. I’ve read that a butter based pastry sheet is better than a vegetable oil based one. And after making these, I will absolutely concur with that. With the butter based sheets, you’ll get a more delectably flavorful pie. Dufour Classic Puff Pastry. Oh-so-buttery, flakey, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness. For the meat mixture, I purchased an organic high quality package of ground pork (you can also ground your own pork using pork belly and pork shoulder). I also added in some creamy chicken liver mousse and classic pâté (which is thicker and chunkier), adding depth and texture to the mixture. I kept the recipe simple because I’m always trying to achieve the perfect balance without overwhelming the palate. If you have any questions regarding this recipe, feel free to fill out the contact form.

PÂTÉ CHAUD RECIPE

YOU’LL NEED

• 2 ¾” diameter cookie/pastry cutter (mini pies) OR 3 ¼” diameter cookie/pastry cutter (small pies); these measurements reflect the approximate quantity shown;

  feel free to use whatever you have in your kitchen, though keep in mind that quantities may change.

• Flour

• A baking sheet

• Parchment paper to line your baking sheet (if no parchment paper, grease your pan)

• A fork for sealing

INGREDIENTS (mixture makes roughly 24 mini pies or 12 small pies)

•  1 egg yolk mixed with 1 TBS water, whisked well 

•  Dufour Pastry Kitchens: Classic puff pastry (1 box=8 mini pies or 4 small pies, buy number of boxes according to how many you want to make)

•  1 pound of ground pork (alternatively, you can use ground dark meat chicken as sub)

•  1 small onion, finely chopped

•  3 stalks of green onion (light green to white part of stalks), finely chopped

•  ¼ cup of classic chicken paté

•  ¼ cup of high quality creamy chicken liver mousse

•  ¼ cup of rehydrated dried wood ear mushroom, chopped

•  1 TSP freshly ground pepper

•  1 TBS fish sauce

•  ½ TSP salt

•  1 TSP sugar

•  2 TSP chicken stock powder

DIRECTIONS

• Defrost the dough package for 3 hours, and use immediately after

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the above ingredients very thoroughly with your hands. Set aside.

2. Gently unfold the pastry and place on a floured work surface (per box instructions). Remove parchment papers and 

    dust both sides lightly with flour.

3. Using your desired size cookie/pastry cutter, cut your rounds and set to the side.

4. Once you’ve completed cutting out all your pastry rounds, begin with one layer.

5. Roll a single meatball with your hands, and place in the center of the round. Pat the meatball down a little bit to slightly flatten it. Make sure to leave about ½”

space around your meatball for sealing.

6. Dip your finger in the egg wash mix and paint some of the egg wash on the ½” pastry border.

7. Take another single piece of pastry round and place directly on top to assemble your meat pie. Use a fork to press down around the entire edge of the pastry

rounds, sealing the both layers into a single pie. Place on your prepared baking sheet and repeat until all your pastry rounds are used.

8. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the pie has risen and is light golden brown on top.

9. Remove from the oven and allow the pies to cool.

10. Once cooled, you can paint a light layer of melted butter wash over the top of the pies for an extra buttery result.

NOTE: You can freeze any remaining meat mixture for future use.