Ingredients:
-2 potatoes
-2 bundles cellophane noodles
-4 tbs roasted rice powder
-1/2 cup fried tofu
-1/2 cup braised gluten
-1 tsp oil
-1 tbs soy sauce
-salt and pepper to taste
-fresh herbs, shredded lettuce
-rice paper

Method:
Peel and shred the potatoes. Rinse and drain the shredded potatoes before deep frying them until golden brown.

Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 15 mins., drain and cut into approx. 2” long pieces.

Julienne tofu and gluten. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large wok; add soy sauce, tofu and gluten. Stir fry ingredients for a few mins, add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, mix everything together.

Quickly dip a sheet of rice paper in warm water. Place a lettuce and herbs in the center of the rice paper, followed by the filling. Fold the 2 ends in towards the middle and roll. Serve with dipping sauce (recipe follows).


Dipping Sauce:
-2 tbs each: crushed pineapple, sugar
-4 tbs coconut juice or water
-1 tsp each: soy sauce, salt, fresh lime juice


*Mix everything together.

Ingredients:
-1lb taro
-1/2 cup sugar (to be mixed with taro)
-1 cup sweet rice aka glutinous rice
-4 ½ cups water
-1 ½ cups sugar
-½ tsp salt
-2 pandan leaves, knotted

Method:
Peel taro and cut into bite size pieces. Steam until taro pieces over high heat for approx. 15 mins or until tender. Gently toss cooked taro with ½ cup of sugar and rest for at least 1 hour.

In a large pot, bring pandan leaves, salt and 4 ½ cups of water to a boil, add rice (rinsed) and simmer for 10 mins. After 10 mins, check the rice, it should be cooked (transparent) on the outside but still white on the inside; add 1 ½ cups sugar. Simmer for another 5 mins before adding the taro mixture. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally for another 15 mins or until the rice is cooked. Served with pandan coconut milk (recipe follows).


Pandan Coconut Milk:
-1 can coconut milk
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp sugar
-3 pandan leaves, knotted
-1 tsp cornstarch + 3 tbs water

*In a saucepan, bring coconut milk, salt, sugar and pandan leaves to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture and mix well until the milk thickens.

Tết is lurking just around the corner which means there are things to check out left and right.  If you're looking for something to do....

This Saturday and Sunday the 29-30th, Tết in Seattle will be holding their annual event at the Seattle Center.  Come join the fun!

And....if you come on Sunday the 30th don't forget to check out the cooking demo from 2:45- 3:15PM.  Yours truly will be there cooking up a storm.  What will I be presenting?  Good question, any suggestions? 

Also happening this Saturday the 29th, Chùa Việt Nam will be making Bánh Chưng (Rice Cakes) and Chả Chay (Veggie Mock Meat Loaf) to sell for their annual fundraiser.  Come join the fun! We're starting at 9am and finish...when we finish.  Lunch will be provided, vegetarian...of course.  If it's just the rice cakes you're after, they're $7.00 each and will be available fresh and hot Sunday morning.  Our address is: 1651 S King St. Seattle, WA 98144

Be there or be square!

With Tết just around the corner, it's time to fire up the stove and start pumping out sweet munchies!  Bánh Tổ is a must have for Tết.  There's no better time then now to fine tune your banana leaf mold making skills.  The recipe for Bánh Tổ can be found here.  Instead of steaming the cakes in rice bowls, the batter is steamed in banana leaf molds.  Don't have time?  The molds can be make in advance and stored in the fridge.  Ready? Set? Let's do this!

Step 1: wash the leaves and dry them with a towel, cut the leaves into approx. 1 foot wide pieces



Step 3: Place a bowl/container (I used a plastic togo container) in the middle of the leaves, fold up the top and bottom sides of the leaves towards the container.




Step 5: Use a toothpick to pin the 2 corners together.  Now repeat step 4 on the left side.
That's it! Now all that's left is to fill them and steam...don't forget to stamp your cakes with red coloring (of course...) for luck!  Don't own a stamp? Go buy one :D....or.....cutout a few images from a lucky red envelope (bao lì xì) and use those!