I’m on a Vietnamese kick. I blame the pho. Here’s another attempt at a Vietnamese clssic: the banh mi. Cue dramatic music, please.

Similar to the pho, everyone has their own banh mi recipe - pork, chicken, beef eggs - all marinated and cooked in various ways. But despite the differences in fillings, people seem to agree on one golden rule: always use good bread.

I found it hard to choose, but in the end I went with this recipie, but instead of chicken, I used thinly sliced beef. Yummm, lemongrass!

Oop, careful, it can get messy.

This is probably my favorite banchan (Korean side dish). Thankfully, it is also one of the most common (kimchi trumps them all, of course) - I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Korean restaurant where they didn’t have this on the menu. Here’s another  great thing about pajeons: they’re easy to make! It’s a perfect snack on a lazy weekend afternoon. I followed the recipe here.

It has started to rain here. Summer went away as quickly as it came. With the rain came the cold and there’s nothing more satisfying than the bowl of hot soup during cold weather.

Everyone has their own Pho Bo recipe - some can be delightfully detailed while some cater to those in need of a quick fix. I did this on a Saturday afternoon, so I had plenty of time to make my own broth - highly recommended if you have the time. I’ve tasted my fair share of phos and none of them tasted like Maggi beef cubes. The aromatic spices (cinnamon, star anise, etc) gives it an edge but the fullness of the broth is what gives it the ultimate oof!

This can explain my feelings about this dish (and food, in general) more accurately than my words:

I used beef shanks since finding veal in my neighborhood grocery store is like finding a unicorn. Nevertheless, swoooon. The aroma from the gremolata made me want to cry the first time I smelled it. Recipe from here.

Tinapa or sometimes Tuyo or Daing is a staple in my diet when I was a child. Which is probably why I’m so short. Ha! I went through a phase when I didn’t eat anything except dried fish, instant noodles and fried egg. My mother was horrified. I am horrified just thinking about it now. Thankfully, that phase passed when I was about ten years old and it’s been a very, very long time since I had smoked or dried fish. 

On my sister’s birthday 2 years ago, we went to a new restaurant and I discovered the perfection that is tinapa rice. Yes, as cheesy as it sounds, it brought back childhood memories.

Tinapa rice works perfectly when paired with salted eggs and native tomatoes (not pictured. We ran out and I had to use cherry tomatoes.). I used this recipe as a guide.

To make your own salted eggs, go here. The method is fairly easy. Fill a jar with warm water and add salt until the water is saturated enough that the salt starts settling at the bottom. Place cleaned eggs in a container and pour over salt water. Make sure all the eggs are completely submerged, close. Now for the hard part: you have to wait 21 days before you eggs are ready to be boiled and eaten. (QUE FREAKING HORROR!) Traditionally, salted eggs are made with duck eggs, but now it’s common to see salted chicken eggs. Submerging them in brine won’t turn them purple (duh, of course you know that), the color is added afterwards to differentiate them from normal eggs. 

One day I woke up and I thought I had made this cake the night before. I walked to the kitchen, excited at the thought of having something sweet for breakfast and found an empty fridge. I dreamed it all! Naturally, I hauled my ass into the kitchen as soon as I had the time and made this cake. It was very satisfying. Quite literally a dream come true. (Hardy har har.)

Cake recipe from here, minus the soaking the tea bags in water part. the Frosting from Paula Deen (don’t judge me!). I used strawberry jam instead of the puree and omitted the strawberry extract. 

My sister thinks this looks like Pac Man. You see it too, no?

Have you ever wondered who are Alfredo, Benedict or Caesar or Earl Grey (as in Fettuccine Alfredo, Eggs Benedict, Caesar Salad and Earl Grey Tea)? Yes, these are the important things I ponder upon while I’m on my lunch break. A quick Google search revealed a lot more foods named after people (Quiche Lorraine was not named after a girl named Lorraine, sad to say). Here’s a list of those I found most interesting:

1. Earl Grey Tea - Named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey. This bergamot flavored tea was given to the Earl as a gift by a Chinese bureaucrat. Why? Well, supposedly, the Earl’s men saved the bureaucrat’s son from drowning.
2. Fettuccine Alfredo - Created by Alfredo Di Leli for his wife in Rome, Italy, this pasta dish became popular with tourists after honeymooners Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (Hollywood royalty in the 1920s) tasted it and spread their love for it to their circle of friends.
3. Eggs Benedict - There are a couple of stories on the origins of the egg benedict. As one story goes, a stockbroker named Lemuel Benedict walked into the Waldorf Hotel looking for a way to ease his hangover. His request? ”buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise.” The hotel loved it so much they made it a menu item from then on.
4. Salisbury Steak - Dr. James H. Salisbury prescribed his patients a healthy dose of lean meat three times a day. To make it easier for them, he created the Salisbury Steak. Oh, and also, he advised that vegetables and starches were evil and should be avoided. Holy crap!
5. Margherita Pizza - There’s no pizza more patriotic than a Margherita Pizza. Tomatoes for the color red, basil for green and mozzarella for white, it’s an edible Italian flag! Not surprisingly, it was a present for Margherita of Savory, Queen consort of Italy and King Umberto as they were journeying through Naples.
6. Nachos - Nachos were invented by man named Igancio Anaya. He worked in a restaurant near the border of Texas. One night, a group of military wives  visited just as it was closing down. Low on supplies, but not wanting to disappoint them, Nacho whipped up a snack of tortillas, cheese and jalapenos. Word quickly spread in Texas and the rest was history.
7. Pavlova - Named after Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova, this sweet dessert resembles a ballerina’s delicate tutu. Whether it was invented in Australia or New Zealand is still up for debate.
8. Tarte Tatin - This dessert was created by Stephanie Tatin. While preparing a meal for the guests staying in the hotel she ran with her sister, Caroline, she accidentally overcooked the apples in butter and sugar. In an attempt to save the dish, she covered it with pastry and put the whole thing in the oven. Surprisingly, the guests loved it and it became a signature dish in their hotel ever since.
9. Oysters Rockefeller - Named after John D. Rockefeller, this classic dish is as rich as its namesake. John, by the way, was the wealthiest man in America when Oyster Rockefellers were invented.
10. Sandwich - Yes, the sandwich. Although sandwiches existed long before, they were not called sandwiches until John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich asked his servant to bring him a piece of meat placed in between two slices of bread so he could eat and play card games at the same time. Other people seemed to like this idea because soon after, they started requesting food “the same as Sandwich!”.

Fascinating, no?