Ingredients:
-150g dark chocolate
-50g white chocolate
-150g cream or milk
-cocoa powder
-hazelnuts

What to Do:
Melt chocolates and in a double boiler adding cream slowly to get a smooth silky mixture. Cool until set (at least 2 hours). Dust hands with cocoa powder, flatten 1 tsp of chocolate in you hands add a hazelnut in the center. Dust with more cocoa powder and place in paper cups.

Note:
Because the ratio of chocolate to liquid (cream) is high, the mixture will take a while to set don’t be surprised if it takes too long. Use high quality chocolate for better texture and flavor.

Sweet and chocolaty.... perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients:
-2 egg whites (approx. 60g)
-200g shredded sweetened coconut
-30g sugar
-75g sliced almonds (more for decorations)
-pinch of cream of tartar
-1 tsp vanilla
-50g bittersweet chocolate
-2 tsp cream or milk

What to Do:
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy add sugar and beat until stiff. Fold in coconut, vanilla, and almonds. Shape into small balls and bake at 350’F until golden. Melt chocolate and cream in a double broiler. Dip the bottom of the baked macaroons into chocolate and then into some sliced almonds. Afterwards fill a pastry bag with the leftover melted chocolate and pipe designs on the surface of the macaroons. Top off with some more slice almonds.

Light and sweet with a hint of almond and crunch of hazelnut. Such a delight to gobble down.

Ingredients:
-2 egg whites (approx. 60g)
-100g sugar
-1 tsp almond extract
-sliced almonds
-hazelnuts
-pinch of cream of tartar

What to Do:
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until stiff, fold in almond extract. Sprinkle sliced almonds onto a baking sheet. With a pastry fitted with a star tip, pipe egg whites directly on the almonds. Top each off with a hazelnut. Bake at 325’f for 20 mins, then reduce heat to 250’F and bake for another 30 mins or until light and dry.

This dish is traditionally made with duck eggs as they are cheaper than chicken eggs. However, in the US chicken eggs are much cheaper and easier to find than duck eggs, thus they are used in place of duck eggs.

Ingredients:
-1 bittermelon
-1/2 medium onion
-4 eggs
-1 tbs fish sauce
-1 tsp sugar
-1/2 tsp pepper
-pinch of salt
-cooking oil

What to Do:
Wash and slice bittermelon in half lengthwise then remove seeds and slice diagonally into thin pieces. Peel onion and slice thinly like bittermelon. Mix together bittermelon and onions. Beat together eggs, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Add a little oil into a non stick pan, stir fry some bittermelon and onion until fragrant, add some egg and rotate the pan so that the eggs glace the pan’s surface. Cover and cook on medium heat for a few mins. Remove with a spatula and repeat until done.

An easy to make refreshing vegan noodle bowl.

Ingredients:
-1 large Chinese eggplant
-2 heaped tbs each: all purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca starch
-1 tsp baking powder
-10 tbs water
-pinch of 5 spice powder
-pinch of salt and sugar
-oil for frying eggplants
-Rice vermicelli
-bean sprouts, assorted fresh herbs
-roasted peanuts (crushed)

What to Do:
Boil vermicelli and drain. Wash eggplant and cut into long pieces. Mix together flours, baking powder, water, 5 spice powder with salt and sugar to form a smooth batter. Dip egg plants in batter and deep fry until golden. Serve with noodles, bean sprouts, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts and vegan fish sauce.

***Because my vegetarian dishes are prepared with “Buddhist Laws” in mind; besides not using meats and animal products, I do not use garlic, onions, leeks, chives, or any type of alcohol. However, if your main goal in being vegan cooking is to just avoid meats, feel free to add the any of the mentioned above to spice up you dishes.***

This is the Vegan version for the fish sauce commonly used for noodles and spring rolls.

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup sugar
-3/4 cup water or coconut juice
-1 ½ tsp salt
-Thai chilies, white cabbage
-soy sauce
-lime juice

What to Do:
Chop chilies and cabbage (cabbage to imitate the looks of garlic). Mix everything together and give a taste test all flavors should be even. Finally add a few drops of soy sauce for color. The final results should look and taste somewhat like the ‘real’ fish sauce.

***Because my vegetarian dishes are prepared with “Buddhist Laws” in mind; besides not using meats and animal products, I do not use garlic, onions, leeks, chives, or any type of alcohol. However, if your main goal in being vegan cooking is to just avoid meats, feel free to add the any of the mentioned above to spice up you dishes.***

Literally translated Bánh Hạnh Nhân means almond cookies as "Hạnh Nhân" is Vietnamese for almonds. However, these cookies do not contain a trace of almonds. Instead, they are usually decorated with a peanut or cashew. So why are the called almond cookies then? I honestly don’t know.

Ingredients:
-225g all purpose flour
-3 hard boiled egg yolks (approx. 60g)
-175g powdered sugar
-180-190g lard
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp vanilla powder/sugar
-peanuts or cashews

What to Do:
Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla. Mash egg yolks and rub into flour mixture. Add lard and mix to form a smooth dough. Divide dough into small thumb size balls, slightly fatten balls (until the sides begin to crack) with your thumb and add a peanut or cashew in the center. Bake at 350’F for 8-10 mins.

Note:
These cookies are traditionally made lard. The lard can be replaced with shortening, oil or butter. However cookies made with lard have a better texture and more authentic flavor. Place the cookies at least 1 inch a part when baking to give them room to spread.

Ingredients:
-1lb top sirloin steak or any other tender cuts of beef
-1/3 tsp 5 spice powder
-2 tsp ketchup
-1/2 tsp each: pepper, salt, soy sauce
-1 tsp sugar
-chili paste (optional)
-2 tbs butter
-3 cloves garlic
-1/2 large onion
-lettuce, tomatoes

What to Do:
Cut beef into dice size cubes. Marinate with 5 spice powder, ketchup, salt, sugar, chili paste, pepper and soy sauce for at least an hour preferably overnight. Peel onion and cut into wedges. Wash lettuce and tomatoes toss with a basic vinaigrette (vinegar, sugar, oil, pepper) and arrange on a plate. Mince garlic and fry until fragrant in butter, add beef and onions. Stir fry on high heat until onions begin to turn transparent. Pour beef over salad.

Note:
Beef and onions should both be “medium rare”.

A type of Chinese doughnut, Bánh Tiêu is stands out from the rest due to its unique characteristics. They should be light, round, slightly sweet and crunchy center with a hollow center. I got this recipe from a Vietnamese cookbook authored by the well known Madam Quốc Việt aka Gia Chánh Quốc Việt. The original recipe instructs to prove a starter dough for 12 hours before making the main dough which then has to prove for an additional hour before frying. However, I after a few times of following the recipe exactly I came to ponder why not just mix everything at once and fry the dough immediately afterwards? After all the leavener in this recipe is baking ammonia; unlike yeast, baking ammonia doesn’t “grow” if you prove it, so what’s the point of proving the starter? So into the kitchen I went to test my new theory. Happy to say, I was a success!

Original Recipe:
Starter:
-40g bread flour
-50g water
-1/4tsp baking ammonia

*Mix everything together and prove overnight (12 hours).

Main Dough:
-250g bread flour
-100g water
-80g sugar
-3/4tsp salt
-starter
-sesame seeds

*Mix together starter, sugar, water, and salt. Add this mixture to the flour and knead to form a smooth dough. Prove for ½ hour, divide into 10-12 portions, roll into balls and sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides of the dough balls, prove for another ½ hour. Finally, heat a frying pan with enough oil deep fry. Roll balls into flat circles and drop into the hot oil. Within seconds the dough pieces should float to the surface and puff up. Remove when golden.

½ hour version (based on the original version above):
-290g bread flour
-150g water
-1/4 tsp baking ammonia
-80g sugar
-3/4 tsp salt
-sesame seeds

*Mix together flour and sugar. In a in a different bowl mix together ammonia, salt and water. Add this mixture to the flour and sugar. Knead to form a smooth dough. Rest dough for 5 mins, before dividing into 10-12 portions. Roll each portion into round balls and sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides. Heat a frying pan with enough oil to deep fry. Roll dough balls into flat circles and deep fry until puffy and golden.

Note:
Can add ¼ tsp 5 spice powder for a more interesting flavor. All purpose flour can be substituted if bread flour is not on hand.