Category Archives: Food

‘Tis Always the Season for Shortbread Cookies

Posted on January 21, 2019 by

In my family, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without shortbread cookies. Both my parents loved cooking and baking, but my father and I usually made the shortbreads, creaming pounds of butter, combining it with icing sugar, cornstarch and flour, and forming … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Cookbook review: Istanbul and Beyond

Posted on May 5, 2018 by

Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey Robin Eckhardt, with photography by David Hagerman Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35 (352p) ISBN: 978-0-544-44431-7 *Note and disclaimer: When I originally posted this review, I somehow managed to leave the disclaimer out when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

P is for Preserves and my Favourite Vietnamese Chilli Paste

Posted on April 16, 2018 by

Viet cuisine is known for its fresh ingredients. At my mother-in-law’s table, greenery abounds, the fish and shrimp come from my sister-in-law’s family pond, and Mother buys fresh meat daily at the Đông Ba Market. Canned, bottled, and dry ingredients … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

X is for Xửng…Mè Xửng

Posted on September 12, 2017 by

In the Việt kitchen, the letter X is tasty. I considered writing about xào, stir-frying, or xoài, mango, or perhaps xôi, sticky rice. Then my in-laws sent a huge package of goodies from Huế. Among the many local specialties were … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Photos, Recipes, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

N is for Nghệ / Turmeric

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

“After women give birth,” my Vietnamese mother-in-law explained, “they get coldness. Turmeric heats the body and protects against colds or flu. Also,” she said, “turmeric makes the skin soft and beautiful again. Any woman who just had a baby should apply a turmeric … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

V is for Vả Figs

Posted on February 8, 2016 by

We tend to think of Vietnamese cuisine as a single entity, but really it’s made up of many regional dishes and ingredients. The cooking of Huế features a variety of such foods, and a variety of locally grown fig is one … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Photos, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Sweet and Sour Tamarinds for Tết

Posted on January 27, 2016 by

Hard work. Peeling sour green tamarinds to make sweet and sour Tết preserves. My sister-in-law and I have already spent a couple of hours on this, and we still have hours to go. When tamarinds are ripe, the shells separate … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

T is for Tôm Chua (Sour Shrimp)

Posted on January 25, 2016 by

The cuisine of Việt Nam’s old imperial city of Huế features a number of local specialties that aren’t so well known in the rest of the country. The lightly fermented shrimp condiment called tôm chua, sour shrimp, is one of … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Food, Photos, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

M is for Mãng Cầu (Custard Apple)

Posted on January 22, 2016 by

It’s mãng cầu seaon in Huế right now. I spotted these ones next to a pile of bright pink dragon fruit at the market. My mother-in-law knows how much I like to eat them, and often buys them in threes just … Continue reading →

Posted in A to Z, Food, Photos, Viet Nam | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Discovering Cơm Hến (Clam Rice) in Việt Nam

Posted on August 14, 2015 by

Feeling quite chuffed that my short essay about a lesser known specialty dish from Việt Nam (called cơm hến, clam rice) has been shortlisted for the Third Annual I Must Be Off! Travel Essay Contest. The essay, Discovering Hến Rice in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Food, Memoir, News, Viet Nam, Writing Contests | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments