Cá Thác Lác Nấu Cà

Fish Ball and Tomato Soup









1/2 lb fish paste
1 cup dill, cut into 2-inches length
2 tomatoes
1 shallot, minced
2 stalks green onion
2 T vegetable oil
4 cups water
fish sauce, salt, sugar, pepper to taste

Season fish paste with salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce and crushed green onion heads. Mix well until the mixture is smooth. Pluck a small piece of the paste and form the mixtures into balls or any shape, smooth with oil.

Fry the fish balls until golden brown.

Add 1 T vegetable oil in a medium pot, heat oil until bubbling hot over medium high flame. Add shallot and stir fry until fragrant. Add tomatoes, continue stir frying until nice and soft. Fill with water and bring to boil. Add fried fish balls and cook for 5 minutes, skim off any foam. Add fish sauce, salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Add dill and green onion (optional) then served.

Giò Thủ

Hog's Head Cheese





2 pork's ears
1 pork's snout
1 pork's tongue
2 wood ear mushrooms, julianed
1/4 cup shiitake mushroom, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1/2 T whole pepper
1 T vegetable oil
fish sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Chân Giò Ninh Măng

Pork Hock and Dried Bamboo Shoot Stew



1 lb pork hock (or trotter)
4 ounces dried bamboo shoot
10 Wood Ear Mushrooms
1 T crisp-fried shallot
5 stalks green onion
1 can chicken broth (10-12 ounces)
fish sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Clean and cut pork hocks into bite pieces.

Soak dried bamboo shoot overnight in warm water, remove wooden ends and cut into 3-inches length.

Boil the bamboo shoot in water for 3-4 times (change new water each time). Leave bamboo shoot in water until put in the stew.

Quarter the green onion's white heads and thinly slice the green.

Add pork hocks and water in a medium pot and bring to boil. Drain and wash the hocks one more time. Put the hocks back in the pot, cover with water and simmer for an hour. Add chicken broth, cooked bamboo shoot and simmer until they're all nice and soft. Add salt, fish sauce, pepper to taste. Add mushroom, crisp-fried shallot and turn heat to medium for 3 more minutes. Top with green onion when served.

Cơm Độn Khoai

Sweet Potato Rice











1 cup rice
1+ cups water
1 small sweet potato (4-5 ounces)


Wash rice in water 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
If using rice cooker, just add the amount of water indicated.
Wash and cut the sweet potato (leave some skin on) into 1/2 inch cubes and place in water to eliminate harshness.
Add sweet patato on top of the rice and press cook button. When the button switch to warm, mix them gently and cover for 5-10 more minutes.

if you don't have an electric rice cooker, you can use a heavy bottom pot to cook rice. Add boiling water instead. Cook with medium low heat until the water is almost gone. Reduce heat to very low and let it steam for 10 more minutes.

Canh Cải Bẹ Cá Thác Lác

Mustard green with fish ball soup












1 lb mustard green
1/2 lb seasoned fish paste
1 small piece ginger, julianed
1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced
fish sauce and pepper to taste
4-5 cups water


Season fish paste with salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce and crushed green onion head. Mix well until the mixture is smooth.

Wash and slice mustard green in 1/2-1 inch length crosswise.

Add water in a medium pot and bring to boil under medium high heat. Spoon seasoned fish paste into boiling water, skim off foam. When all fish balls are floated, add mustard green in, cook for 3-5 minutes (until boiling). Season with fish sause and pepper. Add ginger and green onion.

Đậu Phụ nấu Sườn Non

Tofu with Tomato and Rib Soup











1 small block firm tofu
1/2 lb pork rib
2 ripe tomatoes
2 stalks green onion, chopped
5 sprigs cilantro, minced
4 cups water
fish sauce and pepper to taste


Cut tofu to 1 or 1/2 inch square.

Clean and cut ribs into small pieces.

Put a small pot of water on high flame, bring to boil.
Wash tomatoes, cut stem end, and core an X through the skin on the other end. Blanch them in boiling water for 5-30 seconds. Check the skin on the X, if it looks like it's peeling away then take them out, peel the skin off in cold water and cut the tomatoes into small cubes. Drain water and wash the pot.

Add 4 cups water and pork ribs into the pot, cook over medium heat until boling, skim off any scum. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add tofu, then tomatoes and simmer for 10 more minutes. Fish sauce and pepper to taste. Sprinkle onion and cilantro on, serve hot.

Indian Flat Bread

Chapatis/Rotis












Chapati or roti is the most common Indian bread simply made with whole-wheat flour and water.

6 cups of coarsly whole-wheat flour
3 cups of water
ghee or butter to brush

Sift the flour into a deep bowl and make a hollow in the centre. Add water gradually, mix well by hand.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and not sticky or too dry. Cover and let the dough sit for 3 hrs.

Knead again if you wish before dividing. Divide the dough into 12-15 portions.

Lightly flour surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a thin round patty. Turn the patty several times to prevent sticking. Make sure the patty's edge is thinner than the center.

Pre-heat a thick-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Place the patty and cook until the color changed and bubles appeared, turn it over and cook for 30 more seconds.

When both sides are done, remove the chapati and put on gas stove over medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to bake the other side. Turn several times and make sure the edges are well cooked. If you don't have a gas stove, leave chapati on the pan and press them with a clean towel after the first turn on each side. It will puff up as you press.

Repeat the rolling and cooking process untill all chapatis are done.

You can serve a hot chapati dry or lightly brush some butter on it.