Vietnamese COOKING KOKOTARU Vietnamese cuisine has a wide range of meat and vegetarian dishes. Stretched along the East Sea, seafood is also a prominent ingredient, including clams, shrimp mackerel and the ubiquitous fish sauce, in addition to beef, chicken and pork. Soups like sour crab or spinach and tofu are popular, as are stir fries such as beef and bitter melon or pineapple rice. Vietnam also has many healthy desserts and sweet soups like lima bean, mung bean and pumpkin, or pandan sticky rice. All are easily prepared and deliciously memorable.
SAHABOOK EDITIONS www.sahabook.com Vietnamese cooking 01
Measurement Conversions Volume 1 tsp = 1 teaspoon = 5 ml 1 tbs = 1 tablespoon = 15 ml 1 cup = 250 ml
Cup Equivalents ½ cup = 125 ml = 4 fl oz 1 cup = 250 ml = 8 fl oz 2 cup = 500 ml = 16 fl oz = 1 pint 4 cup = 1 litre = 32 fl oz = 1 quart
Weights 28 g = 1 oz 250 g = 8 oz 450 g = 1 lb
Lengths 0.6 cm = ¼ inch 1.2 mm = ½ inch 2 ½ cm = 1 inch
Vietnamese spices and herbs
Lemongrass With its strong fragrance, lemon grass is used widely in Vietnamese dishes. Lemon grass is usually finely chopped and mixed with main ingredients in stir-fried and grilled dishes. And it is used as whole stem in steaming dishes and soups. One can easily get it from supermarkets and wet markets.
Soy sauce Soy sauce is used more widely in the Southern Vietnam where more Chinese – origin people live, makes it the second popular seasoning sauce in Vietnamese foods. Like fish sauce, soy sauce is used as dipping sauce, as marinating and seasoning ingredients. While fish sauce cannot be used in vegetarian dishes, soy sauce is the number one choice.
Fish sauce (nuoc mam) Fish sauce is the most popular dipping and seasoning broth in Vietnamese cuisine. It is the main ingredient of nuoc cham for many dishes. It is used to marinate foods instead of salt. Meat and fish marinated with fish sauce are tenderer and more fragrant when cooked.
Small red chili There are small and large chilis avaiable in Vietnam, however, people prefer the small ones for they are much hotter than the large ones. Seeds are discarded when the chili are finely chopped to add to nuoc cham, and sliced to add to salads, broths, etc. Many Vietnamese men eat them raw when having daily meals.
Rice vinegar Rice vinegar is present in most Vietnamese-style salads and nuoc cham. It is fragrant and cheap, that’s why it is used to remove the fishy smells of some ingredients as well. 02 Vietnamese cooking
Vietnamese mint (rau ram) Rau ram is used widely in many dishes such as salads, soups, porridges. It is also eaten raw. Rau ram definitely adds distinctive flavors to some signature dishes of Vietnam, such as bun thang, ga xe phay, trung vit lon, chao trai (clam porridges).
Vietnamese perrila (tia to) Not being such popular as coriander or rau ram, still perrila is popularly used in many dishes from soups to porridges and salads to make them more flavorful. Dishes with snails, frogs for example cannot be perfect without perrila. Coriander Coriander is the herb that is most widely and easily used in all types of dishes. Its fragrance easily goes well with other spices and herbs.
Tamarind pulp Tamarind pulp is made from tamarind pods, which is dark brown in color and very sour in taste. Tamarind pulp is sold as compressed blocks at supermarkets and wet markets. It is cheap and often used in making sweet and sour soups. Shallots Shallots are regularly finely chopped and used in stir-frying dishes. They are also often thinly sliced and fried until brown and crispy, which then are used to sprikle over salads and glutinous rice dishes (xoi).
Long coriander Long coriander is also very popular being eaten raw or adding to soups, porridges and stir-fried dishes. While the big and very long leaf type is available, housewives prefer the small and short type with brings more flavor. Vietnamese cooking 03
Spinach and tofu soup (Canh cai bo xoi nau dau phu) Ingredients: (serve 4) 4 blocks cotton tofu, cut into smaller pieces 400g spinach, washed 800ml chicken stock 2 tbs soy sauce Âź tsp ground black pepper Method: 1. Add chicken stock to a cooking pot, bring to a boil. Add tofu and soy sauce at once, and cook for 2 minutes. 2. Add spinach and cook until boiling again.Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with pepper.
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Sour crab soup (Canh chua cua bien) Ingredients: (serve 4) 2 medium crabs 2 tbs cooking oil 1 tbs chopped shallots 5 tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs tamarind pulp 1 tbs chopped spring onions 2 tbs chopped coriander Method: 1. Clean the crabs well and put into a cooking pot. Pour in about 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then take the crabs out and remove all the meat inside. Retain the boiled water. 2. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the shallot and fry for 1 minute. Then add the crab meat, tomatoes, and fish sauce , cooking for 3 minutes.Turn off the heat and transfer all to the pot (with crab boiling water), add tamarind pulp and bring all to a boil again. 3. Season as necessary. Add chopped spring onions and coriander to serve.
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Bitter melon and prawns soup (Canh muop dang nau tom) Ingredients: (serve 4-5) 400g bitter melon, seeds removed and sliced 20 large prawns, heads and shells removed, cut into halves 2 tsp fish sauce Âź tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp oyster sauce chopped coriander, to serve Method: 1. Combine prawns with fish sauce, pepper, and oyster sauce. 2. Heat a cooking pot over medium heat, add the prawns and stir quickly for 2 minutes. Remove the prawns from the pot. 3. Pour 3 cups of water into the pot, bring to a boil. Add the bitter melons and cook until they are crisp-tender. Return the prawns and cook for a minute. 4. Season, sprinkle with coriander and serve.
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Stewed pork bones and red radish soup (Xuong heo ham cu cai do) Ingredients: (serve 4) 500g pork bones, cut into large pieces 3 shallots, chopped 30g ginger, chopped 3 tbs fish sauce 400g red radish, halved or quartered long coriander leaves, to serve Method: 1. Put pork bone pieces in a large cooking pot.Fill with enough water to just cover the bones. Cook the pot over medium heat until boiling.Turn off the heat and drain the bones, discard the water.Wash the bones one more time, and return them to the cooking pot. 2. Add shallots, ginger and fish sauce to the pot. Fill the pot with 4 cups of water and cook all together over low heat for 35-40 minutes. 3. Add the red radish to the pot, cooking until they are tender. 4. Serve hot with long coriander leaves.
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Fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves (Ga cuon la dua chien) Ingredients: (serve 4) 300g chicken breast, cut into small pieces 1 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs soy sauce ½ tsp sesame oil ½ tsp ground black pepper 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 bunch of pandan leaves 4 tbs cooking oil, to fry Method: 1. Combine chicken pieces, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and garlic in a large bowl, mix thoroughly and marinate for about 30 minutes. 2. Wash the pandan leaves and wipe to dry with a clean towel. 3. Wrap each chicken piece in pandan leaf, use a bamboo toothpick to attach the leaf to the chicken. 4. Heat oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan over medium heat, fry the pandan wrapped chicken pieces and cook until the chicken become slightly brown. 5. Serve with sweet sour chili sauce while hot. 12 Vietnamese cooking
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Fried five spice powder marinated chicken (Ga chien ngu vi huong) Ingredients: (serve 4-5) 2 chicken leg quarters 4 chicken wings 2 packs (5g each) five spice powder 100ml rice wine 3 tbs fish sauce Cooking oil, for frying Method: 1. Cut chicken leg quarters into thighs and drum sticks. Cut chicken wings into 3 parts: wing tip, mid-joint wing and drummettes.Wash and pat dry with a clean tower. Make several grooves into large chicken parts so that they absorb the marinating sauce easily. 2. Add five spice powder to rice wine in large bowl, stirring to blend. Add chicken to this mixture, and marinate for 3-4 hours, turning the chicken several times. 3. Heat just enough oil in a shallow frying pan (do not need to deep fry) over low-medium heat. Add the chickens and fry until they all turn brown. 4. Serve with salad or fresh vegetables.
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Fish balls (Cha ca) Ingredients: (serve 4) 300g fish fillet, minced 200g pork, minced 3 stalks spring onion, finely chopped 4 tbs finely chopped dill 1 ½ tbs fish sauce ½ tsp ground black pepper 3 tbs cooking oil Method: 1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except the oil. Mix thoroughly. Shape the mixture into small flat round pieces. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the fish balls over medium heat until they are brown on both sides.
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Fried pineapple rice (Com chien thom) Ingredients: (serve 4-5) 3 tbs cooking oil 1 small onion, diced 4 bowls of cooked rice ½ large pineapple, diced 2 tomatoes, seeds removed, diced 100g raisins, soaked then drained 2 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs soy sauce Method: 1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion and fry until fragrant, about 3 minutes. 2. Add the rice to the skillet, stir-frying quickly over high heat for 5 minutes. Add pineapple, tomatoes, raisins, fish sauce and soy sauce. Continue frying for 7-10 minutes more.
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Fried mackerel with veggy sauce (Ca thu ran sot rau cu) Ingredients: (serve 4) 4 large pieces of mackerel fillet salt and ground black pepper 3 tbs cooking oil 1 large onion, sliced 1 large carrot, julienned 1 bell pepper, cut into sticks 2 tsp chili sauce 2 tsp butter 4 tbs corn starch 100ml water Method: 1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish fillets. Set aside. 2. Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan and fry the fish fillets over high heat until both sides are brown.Transfer the fish to a dish. 3. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add onions, carrot and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.Then add chili sauce and butter. 4. Stir corn starch in water and add to the veggies, cooking for 1 minute. Pour the veggy sauce over the fish and serve hot. 20 Vietnamese cooking
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Braised beef with mushroom (Bo sot nam) Ingredients: (serve 4) 400g beef, cubed ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp finely chopped garlic 1 tbs butter 50g white crab mushrooms 50g brown crab mushrooms 50g fresh shiitake mushrooms 300g oyster mushrooms 100g young sweet pea pods 200g carrots, diced ½ onion, diced 4 tbs rice wine 1 beef stock concentrated cube 2 tbs chopped parley
Method: 1. Combine beef with salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl. 2. Dissolve the beef stock cube in 50ml hot water. 3. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the beef and stir-fry quickly for 2 minutes. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Add onions and carrots and cook for 3 minutes, then add all the mushrooms and sweet pea pods. Stir-fry for 1 minute. 4. Add the wine and beef stock to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Return the beef to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Season as necessary. 5. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot.
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Fried prawns with salted eggs (Tom chien trung muoi) Ingredients: (serve 3-4) 300g large prawns, cleaned, drained 3 tbs cooking oil 4 salted egg yolks 1 onion, sliced 1 large red chili, julienned 1 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs finely chopped garlic Method: 1. Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan, add the prawns and fry for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. 2. Combine 1 tbs oil and salted egg yolks in a small bowl. Put into a steamer and steam for 5 minutes. Take out and mash the yolks. 3. Heat the pan again, add mashed egg yolks, onion, chili, fish sauce, and garlic, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Return the prawns and cook altogether for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.
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Steamed fresh prawns with lemongrass and ginger (Tom hap sa) Ingredients: (serve 3-4) 20-25 large live prawns 2 lemongrass sticks 5 lime or pomelo leaves 100g fresh ginger, julienned 1 tbs salt ½ tbs ground black pepper juice of 1 lime chili sauce, to serve
Method: 1. Wash the live prawns quickly under running water. Put the prawns, lemongrass, lime/pomelo leaves and ginger in a steamer. Steam the prawns over high heat for 10-15 minutes until the prawns are just cooked. 2. Combine the salt, pepper and lime juice to make a dipping sauce (called muoi tieu chanh). Serve the prawns with this dipping sauce and chili sauce.
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Steamed Stuffed hairy gourd (Bi xanh nhoi dau hap ca chua) Ingredients: (serve 4) 1 long hairy gourd, peeled and cut into 4cm-thick round pieces 1 box silken tofu 2 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked, washed and finely chopped 10 dried field mushrooms, soaked, sliced 1 tbs fish sauce Âź tsp ground black pepper 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 large tomatoes, chopped 3 tbs cooking oil 2 stalks spring onion, chopped 3 tbs chopped long coriander
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Method: 1. Combine tofu, dried wood ear mushrooms, field mushrooms, fish sauce, pepper, and shallots in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until well-blended. 2. Stuff the tofu mixture inside each gourd piece. 3. Arrange all the stuffed pieces on a dish, put the dish in a large steamer and steam over high heat for about 10 minutes. 4. In another preheated skillet, add 3 tbs oil, then the spring onions, cooking until fragrant, and continuing for about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are cooked to thick paste. Pour tomato paste over the squash and steam for another 10 minutes. 5. Sprinkle with chopped long coriander and serve.
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Baked spicy pork ribs (Suon nuong cay) Ingredients: (serve 4) 800g pork ribs 3 tbs honey 2 tbs oyster sauce ½ tsp chili powder 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 star anise, crushed ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground black pepper Method: 1. Clean the ribs and pat dry. Combine the pork ribs with all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. 2. Heat the oven to 1800C. Bake the ribs until they are evenly caramelized.
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Fried spiced pork ribs (Suon rim ngu vi) Ingredients: (serve 4) 500g pork ribs, chopped 3 tbs soy sauce 2 tbs honey 1/2 tbs minced garlic 1/2 minced shallot 5 star anise, crushed 1 tsp five spices powder 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1 tbs cooking oil Method: 1. Clean the ribs and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Combine the ribs, soy sauce, honey, garlic, shallot, star anise, five spice powder, chili powder and pepper in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly. Let stand for 3 hours in the fridge, then take out to toss.Toss again if it sits more than 45 minutes. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the ribs and fry over medium heat until they are brown.
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Braised frog meat with tofu and green banana (Ech om chuoi dau) Ingredients: (serve 4) 300g frog legs, bones removed and minced 10g fresh turmeric, finely chopped 2 tbs fish sauce ½ tsp ground black pepper 3 green bananas 1 tsp salt 4 fried tofu blocks, cubed 3 tbs cooking oil 3 shallots, sliced 150ml rice wine 15 piper lolot leaves, chopped 15 perilla leaves, chopped
Method: 1. Combine frog meat, half the turmeric, fish sauce and pepper, then make into frog meat balls. 2. Peel the outer thin skin off the green bananas, then slice and soak them immediately in water for 15 minutes. Drain and sprinkle with salt. 3. Heat the oil in a skillet, add bananas and the remaining turmeric, then stir-frying for 2 minutes.Transfer all to a cooking pot filled with 4 cups of water, add tofu in and cook over medium heat until boiling. Add frog the meat balls and rice wine to the pot and cook over low-medium heat for 20 minutes. 4. Add piper lolot and perilla leaves, season as necessary and serve hot.
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Stuffed tomatoes (Ca chua nhoi thit) Ingredients: (serve 4-5) 300g ground pork 15 dried field mushrooms, soaked, finely chopped and keep the soaking water 3 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked, finely chopped 2 eggs 2 tbs fish sauce ½ tsp ground black pepper 2 shallots, finely chopped 8-10 tomatoes 3 tbs cooking oil fresh coriander, to serve Method: 1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. 2. Use a sharp knife to cut away the stem part of the tomatoes. Remove the seeds inside each tomato with a small spoon. 3. Stuff each empty tomato with the pork mixture. 4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the stuffed tomatoes and fry until they are half-cooked, about 10 minutes. 5. Remove the tomatoes from the pan and arrange in a cooking pot. Add the mushroom soaking water to the pot and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. 6. Serve hot with fresh coriander. 36 Vietnamese cooking
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Fried potato slices (Khoai tay chien) Ingredients: (serve 4) 4 large potatoes, thinly sliced 1 tsp salt Âź tsp ground pepper 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 3 tbs cooking oil 2 tbs chopped parsley Method: 1. Combine potatoes, salt, pepper and garlic. 2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add potatoes and fry in several batches. Fry the potato slices until they are brown and slightly crispy. 3. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
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Pan-grilled sesame beef (Thit bo boc me nuong chao) Ingredients: (serve 4) 400g beef, thinly sliced 2 tsp minced fresh ginger 2 tsp minced garlic 2 tbs fish sauce 1 tsp cooking oil Ÿ tsp ground black pepper 100-200g sesame seeds Method: 1. Combine all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds. Marinate the beef for 20 minutes. 2. Put sesame seeds on a dish. 3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium –high heat until it is very hot. Coat each beef slice with sesame seeds and grill it both sides very quickly until it is just cooked. Repeat the step with the remaining beef. 4. Serve with chili sauce.
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Stir-fried beef and snake gourd (Thit be xao muop) Ingredients: (serve 4) 300g beef, cut into small, thin pieces 3 garlic cloves, thinly chopped 1 ½ tbs fish sauce 2 tbs oyster sauce 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 2 tbs cooking oil 300g snake gourds, sliced chopped spring onions, to serve Method: 1. Combine beef with garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and marinate for 15 minutes. 2. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the marinated beef and quickly stir-fried until it is nearly cooked. Remove the beef from the pan, retaining the beef juice in the pan. 3. Add snake gourds to the pan and stir-frying for 2-3 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with spring onions and serve.
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Stir-fried baby potatoes with minced pork (Khoai tay bi xao thit xay) Ingredients: (serve 4) 12-15 baby potatoes, halved or quartered 200g minced pork 1½ tsp fish sauce ½ tsp ground black pepper 4 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked, washed, finely chopped 3 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges 3 shallots, finely chopped 2 tbs chopped spring onions 2 tbs chopped long coriander Method: 1. Combine pork with fish sauce and pepper for 10 minutes. 2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet with lid over medium heat, add shallots and cook until fragrant. Add the pork, chopped wood ear mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. 3. Add potatoes and tomatoes into the skillet, cover the lid and cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. 4. When cooked, sprinkle with spring onions and long coriander. Season as necessary.
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Stir-fried beef and bitter melon (Muop dang xao thit bo) Ingredients: (Serve 3-4) 250g beef, thinly sliced 1 tbs fish sauce 2 tsp oyster sauce 1 red chili, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbs cooking oil 10 small bitter melons, seeds removed, sliced Method: 1. Combine the beef, fish sauce, oyster sauce and chili in a bowl. 2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry quickly for 1 minute. Transfer the beef to a dish. 3. Add bitter melons to the skillet and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the melons are crisp-tender. Return the beef and cook for 1 more minute. Season as necessary.
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Braised eggplants with tofu and grilled pork (Ca tim bung) Ingredients: (serve 4) 2 eggplants, cut into wedges 200g pork 20g fresh turmeric, finely chopped 3 fried tofu blocks 2 tbs fish sauce 2 tbs cooking oil 2 shallots, finely chopped 100ml rice wine 10 piper lolot leaves, chopped 10 perilla leaves, chopped
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Method: 1. Grill the pork over direct fire until all the outside is slightly blackened, then cut into pieces of half a centimeter thick. 2. Combine the pork, turmeric, tofu and fish sauce in a large bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes. 3. Heat the oil in a large cooking pot, add shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the pork mixture, gently toss for 4 minutes. Add the eggplants and cook for 2 minutes.Then, pour rice wine and 3 cups of water into the pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for 15 minutes. 4. Add piper lolot and perilla leaves to the pot and turn off the heat. Season as necessary.
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Spicy razor clams (Oc mong tay xao cay) Ingredients: (serve 4) 500g razor clams 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large red chili, finely chopped 1 tbs fish sauce 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp chili sauce 1 tbs cooking oil 3 tbs Vietnamese mint Method: 1. Add the clams to boiling water, tossing periodically, until they are open. Drain. 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and chili, and cook for 1 minute. Then add fish sauce, sugar and chili sauce, stirring constantly. 3. Add the clams and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with Vietnamese mint and serve hot.
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Stir-fried king oyster mushroom with sesame (Nam dui ga xao me) Ingredients: (serve 4-5) 5 king oyster mushrooms 1 ½ tbs sesame oil 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tbs oyster sauce 1 ½ minced garlic 2 tbs olive oil 2 tbs chopped spring onion 4 tsp toasted sesame seeds Method: 1. Cut the king oyster mushrooms into 1 ½ inch slices. 2. Blend together the sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce and minced garlic. Pour over the mushrooms and toss thoroughly. Let stand for 15 minutes. 3. Heat oil in a skillet, then add mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. 4. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with spring onions and sesame seeds.
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Pandan sticky rice (Xoi la dua) Ingredients; (serve 4) 250g sticky rice 10 pandan leaves, chopped 50g shredded coconut meat 20g toasted sesame seeds 30g sugar Method: 1. Add chopped pandan leaves to a food processor with about 2 cups of water, and process until the leaves are finely ground. Use a piece of cloth to squeeze the pandan juice. Soak the rice in pandan juice for 8-10 hours or overnight. 2. Add the soaked rice to a steamer and steam over medium heat for 35-40 minutes. 3. Add sugar to the hot cooked rice, toss to dissolve sugar thoroughly. Serve with toasted sesame seeds.
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Sticky rice and mushroom (Xoi nam) Ingredients: (serve 4) 200g sticky rice 300g button mushrooms, halved 1 large leek, sliced 2 tbs cooking oil ½ tsp salt Method: 1. Wash the sticky rice and toss with Ÿ tsp salt. Put it into a rice cooker and pour in water just up to the rice level and cook until it is done. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add leek and cook for 2 minutes, then add mushrooms and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the cooked sticky rice to the mushrooms and toss well. Serve hot or warm.
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Water chestnut and egg white sweet soup (Che cu nang nau trung) Ingredients: (serve 3-4) 300g water chestnut, peeled and halved 10g fresh ginger, shredded 3 cups water 100g rock sugar 2 egg whites Method: 1. Put water chestnut, ginger, water and rock sugar in a cooking pot, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. 2. Gently pour in the egg whites, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute then turn off the heat. 3. Let cool, then refrigerate and serve cold.
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Lima bean sweet soup (Che dau tran chau) Ingredients: (serve 2-3) 150g lima beans 70g rock sugar 3 pandan leaves Method: 1. Put the beans in a pot filled with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cook for 5 minutes. Drain. Peel the outer skin off the beans. 2. Return the beans to the pot filled with 3 cups of water. Add the rock sugar and pandan leaves. Cook the beans over low-medium heat until the beans are broken, about 25-30 minutes. 3. Serve chilled.
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Mung bean and pumpkin sweet soup (Che dau xanh bi ngo) Ingredients: (serve 2-3) 1 small pumpkin, cut into chunks 150g hulled mung beans 2 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked, cut into strips 100g rock sugar Âź tsp salt Method: 1. Put the beans in a cooking pot filled with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and cook for about 25 minutes, with the lid is slightly open, until the beans are broken. 2. Add the pumpkin and continue cooking until the pumpkin is tender (about 10 minutes). 3. Add the wood ear strips, rock sugar and salt, and cook until the sugar is dissolved. 4. Serve cool.
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Complete List of Recipes 04 Spinach and tofu soup 06 Sour crab soup 08 Bitter lemons and prawns soup 10 Stewed pork bones and red radish soup 12 Fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves 14 Fried five spice powder marinated chicken 16 Fish balls
34 Braised frog meat with tofu and green banana 36 Stuffed tomatoes 38 Fried potato slices 40 Pan-grilled sesame beef 42 Stir-fried beef and snake gourd 44 Stir-fried baby potatoes with minced pork 46 Stir-fried beef and bitter melon
18 Fried pineapple rice
48 Braised eggplants with tofu and grilled pork
20 Fried mackerel with veggy sauce
50 Spicy razor clams
22 Braised beef with mushroom
52 Stir-fried king oyster mushroom with sesame
24 Fried prawns with salted eggs 26 Steamed fresh prawns with lemongrass and ginger
54 Pandan sticky rice 56 Sticky rice and mushroom
28 Steamed Stuffed hairy gourd (bi dao)
58 Water chestnut and egg white sweet soup
30 Baked spicy pork ribs
60 Lima bean sweet soup
32 Fried spiced pork ribs
62 Mung bean and pumpkin sweet soup
Thanh Nien Publishing House. Register No.: 288-2013/CXB/58-08/TN. 2000 copies, printed by Phu Nhuan Print. Size 13,5cmx20cm. Printed & deposited in July 2013. 64 Vietnamese cooking