Testing the Waters.

No food yet (from the book). Just updating to see how the blog template looks with another entry and uploading some old photos. These were from when I made Banh Bao (Vietnamese Steam Dumplings) with my father.

I could eat about a million of these things in one sitting (maybe). There's something about the semi-sweet, chewy dough and the savory, rich filling that makes these things one of my top favorite Vietnamese foods. They're certainly not a lunch or dinner meal typically but I would have no problem eating these things any time of day.

 

This was all cooked such a long time ago. It was my first time making steamed dumplings and I haven't had time to make anymore since then. Perhaps after I come back from my trip I'll make a few of these. School will be starting soon and they're a good thing to grab and go. 

Doesn't that just make your mouth water? Typically the Banh Bao are filled with ground pork, a hard boiled egg (quartered, halved or kept whole if you're feeling ravenous) and Lap Xuong (a kind of sausage). I kind of wish I had one now. Mmm.

PS: I used and followed the instructions behind a bag of dumpling flour for making the dough (which you can find at any Oriental Market). I used this bag. (Pardon the bad photo quality)

Eureka!

I've got it!

Special thanks to my friend Katie, I've finally gotten the book that I've been yearning for. It was a birthday present and now I finally have no excuses in delaying this blog and starting my cooking.

I've been wanting this book for a while since I've been wanting to learn the backbone to the recipes of my family kitchen. I want to familiarize myself with the Vietnamese names for each ingredient as well as the English translations and I want to be able to create nom-licious food that says "I've got history, culture AND I taste good". (Yes, my food speaks to me as should yours).

 I'll be gone for the next two weeks but when I come back I'm going to hopefully cook up a storm. Be prepared for all the trials and tribulations I go through in order to master the Vietnamese ingredients and Vietnamese palate. I'll be pulling a Julie & Julia moment (cliche, yes, but I don't think you understand how excited I am to make every recipe in that book, I can expand my knowledge and my palate) so hopefully that'll give my blog some substance.

I'm excited!