Literally translated, Bến Tre means Bamboo Port. It is a small provience of Vietnam, located in the Mekong Delta. Bến Tre is famous of its coconuts. It's all things coconut.... even religion. Ông Đạo Dừa used to call this place home. He developed his own religion based on hòa hảo which united and worshiped both the Buddha and Jesus. Sadly, when the communist invaded South Vietnam, his property was seized and turned it into a restaurant. He was restricted from practicing his religion and later passed away. To this day, his name is still well know throughout the land but there are very few followers of Đạo Dừa . Đạo Dừa, literally translated means Coconut Religion. Followers of this religion were on a strict diet of only coconut.

Bến Tre is the leading producer of coconut goods... rice bowls, chopstick, spoons, you name it they can make it....out of coconut! Most famous of all, is Kẹo Dừa (Coconut Candy). Fresh grated coconut is squeezed to obtain coconut milk. Coconut milk is then mixed with sugar and boiled until the soft crack stage. The candy is then cooled until cut into thin strips (pic. above). The thin pieces are then cut into smaller pieces of candy. Easier said then done. The candy hardens when it cools, thus the candy must be cut while still warm. Being warm means it's extremely sticky which requires a very shape knife to cut. Through the long cooking process the coconut milk converts into oil which helps give the candy a nice shine and nutty flavor. There are many versions of Kẹo Dừa, some places add durian, others add pandan. Whatever the flavor is it's all yummy, sweet and creamy....oh so good!

Here's the recipe if anyone wants to try.

-Equal portions of sugar and coconut milk BY WEIGHT
-1 tsp maltose or lime juice for every 500g of sugar

**Bring everything to a boil and simmer over medium heat while constantly stirring. The candy is ready when it reaches the soft ball crack stage. Pour the candy mixture onto a heat proof surface to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, shape, cut, wrap and enjoy.

For pandan flavor, blend coconut milk with pandan leaves and strain....or just add pandan extract. For durian flavor, add durian ....how? Don't ask just Play With Your Food and find out! lol

This dish is considered the trademark of southern Vietnamese cuisine. It has deep roots extend into the Mekong delta regions where Cá Lóc (sometimes referred to in English as Snake/Mud Fish) and Tôm Càng (Freshwater Prawns) are plentiful. Simple local ingredients are combined with traditional cooking methods to give birth the perfect balance of flavor and texture. All you need are fresh herbs, bean sprouts, cucumber, bánh hỏi (or noodles) and fish sauce for dipping. As for the main course…fresh mud fish or prawns, and charcoal or rice hay.

The fish or prawns are grilled over charcoal or more authentically, rice hay. Everything is rolled up in a lettuce leaf and enjoyed with fish sauce as a dip. The sweetness from the fresh fish or prawns combined with the slightly smokey flavor from grilling, are embraced by the many delicate flavors of the fresh herbs, the crunchiness from the cucumber and the bean sprouts. The fish sauce contributes saltiness and spiciness which ties everything together causes an explosion of flavors and textures in one’s mouth.

Greetings! First off, I apologize for not posting lately. If you're a frequent visitor to my blog you probably know that I'm a UW student that's on the verge of graduating. The past few months have been hectic and I just couldn't find the time to bake and cook as much as I would like....so no posts. Forgive me....

As I reflect on the last few years...I would like to thank all of you for your support. As you may already know, I entered UW planning to major in education. But by my 2nd year I started to realize my passion for cooking and was pondering whether or not to switch over to a culinary school. After much though I decided to stay at UW to finish my B.A. majoring in Drama with an emphisis in costume and fashion design. Here I am today, I'm graduating this Saturday, June 9th at husky stadium.

What does the future hold? How should I know? After graduating I'll be traveling to Asia for a while so.....I probably won't be post much. Then I'll take the summer off and then it's off to culinary school to become a pastry chef. That's the plan for now. Oh yeah! I'm porbably going to be looking or a job...anyone want to hire me? lol

Anyways, just though I should post something to let everyone know what I've been up to and....so that no one will think that I'm dead for not posting in such a long time.

This is the vegetarian version of papaya and beef jerkey salad. The recipe is pretty much the same, except:

-Use gluten in place of beef
-Use pressed tofu instead of liver (pressed tofu = firm tofu, weighed down by an heavy object for a few hours or overnight to remove as much water as possible)

To some this dish may seem weird in the way it's served. This is one dish not two. What do I mean by that? It means you eat both the noodles and the salad at the same time, much like how you would eat rice with another food item. Think of the noodles are your "rice" and the salad is your "food item". In order to fully experience the unique flavors of this dish you must eat both the noodles and the salad at the same time.

For the Noodle Soup:
-Rice Vermicelli
-1 duckling about 4-5lbs
-rau răm (laksa leaves)
-cilantro
-dried bamboo
-fish sauce, pepper, sugar

*Cook vermicelli according to package instructions. Chop laksa leaves and cilantro. Boil duck add salt and sugar to taste. Soak bamboo overnight to hydrate. Boil bamboo for 5 mins; drain wash and reboil until tender. Once tender, shred bamboo into small pieces and stir-fry with fish sauce, pepper and sugar to taste. In a bowl, add vermicelli and stir-fried bamboo, ladle in duck broth and garnish with chopped laksa leaves and cilantro.

For the Salad:
-1/2 small cabbage
-duck meat (from making broth for noodles)
-ginger fish sauce
-fried shallots, chopped laksa leaves
-1 large onion + 1 tbs sugar + 1 tbs vinegar

*Shred cabbage, slice onions and marinate with sugar and vinegar. On a plate arrange cabbage, marinated onions, and sliced duck meat. Garnish with fried shallots and laksa leaves. Serve salad with noodles and ginger fish sauce.

Ingredients:
-1 lobster about 2lbs
-5 shitake mushrooms
-3 pieces fish maw (about 150g)
-sliced ginger
-2 green onions
-chicken broth or water
-salt, sugar, oyster sauce
-bok choy

What to Do:
Steam lobster and remove the flesh. Reserve the shells to braise with the mushrooms. Soak mushrooms in water for a few hours or until hydrated. In a pot, simmer together mushrooms, ginger, onions, and lobster shells with broth or water for at least 1/2 hour. After 1/2 hour add in lobster meat and fish maw (washed and soaked for about 15 mins.), continue to simmer for about 10 more mins.

To Serve:
Blanch bok choy and arrange on a serving plate. Remove lobster, mushrooms and fish maw from braising liquid. Give them a quick stir fry, with salt, oyster sauce and sugar to taste before serving.

This dessert is usually served as weddings as the name translates to "100 years match".

Ingredients:
-100g dried lotus seeds
-200g red beans
-50g dried lily bulb
-dried tangerine peel
-rock sugar
-water
-3 tsp corn starch + 3 tsp sugar
-1 1/2 tsp lye water

What to Do:
Mix together lotus seeds and red beans with lye water and enough water to cover the beans and lotus seeds by a few inches; soak overnight or until the beans and seeds are "plump". Wash the beans and seeds and boil them in a pot with tangerine peel and lily bulb until tender, add sugar to taste. Add slurry to thicken before serving.

Ingredients:
-1 large pomelo
-12oz lotus stems
-1 carrot
-1 small cucumber
-rau răm (laksa leaves)
-4 tbs sugar
-3 tbs vinegar
-1/2 tsp salt
-fish sauce, limes
-fried shallots, roasted peanuts
-choice of: prawns, chicken, beef or tofu

What to Do:
A: Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds; slice into thin slices. Julienne carrot, and lotus stems. Mix together sliced cucumber, carrots lotus stems and sugar, rest for 15 mins. before adding vinegar; marinate for at least 1/2 hour.

B: Meanwhile, peel the pomelo and remove the flesh. Chop laksa leaves.

C: Squeeze out excess juices from A. Mix A with B, you choice of meat, and laksa leaves. Add fish sauce and lime to taste, all flavors should be balanced. Garnish with fried shallots and crushed roasted peanuts.

Cải Chua or Dưa Chua what's the difference? Nothing besides the name. What's known as Cải Chua in the south is known as Dưa Chua in the north. Cải/Dưa chua should have a crispy texture, slightly sour and salty with a little "bite" from the mustard in taste, and light yellowish green in color. To achieve the crispy texture, some recipes instruct to wilt the greens before adding the brine, while others like me prefer to blanch the greens instead...it's just faster this way. The sugar is added for color and also as food for the natural yeast which makes the greens sour. Since yeast is what makes the greens sour, the brine should not be too salty else it will kill the much needed yeast. However, lack of salt will result in an out of control yeast population which will turn the greens into mold before it has a chance to reach it's full potential.

Ingredients:
-approx. 2lbs Chinese mustard greens
-50g salt (about 3 tbs)
-50g đường thẻ (Chinese brown sugar)
-3 tbs vinegar
-1 liter (4 cups/1kg) water

What to Do:
Cut greens into bite size pieces (optional) and blanch. In a pot, boil together salt and sugar until sugar dissolves. Cool brine completely before adding vinegar. In a clean jar add blanched and drained greens and brine. Use something to submerge the greens in the brine completely (they tend to float). The brine should cover the greens by about 1/2", make more brine if needed. Cover and leave allow the greens to mature within a week (speed depends on temp.). You will notice the brine will turn cloudy within a few days and then it will become clear again. The greens are ready to serve once the brine returns to its clear state. The longer you allow the greens to mature the more sour the end product will be. Once the greens are as sour as you like, store them in the fridge to stop it from becoming more sour.

Note:
The brine can be used twice. After you finish enjoying your first batch, just blanch more greens and add it to the used brine. You can also add bean sprouts to the brine to make dưa giá (pickled bean sprouts).

There is very little butter in this recipe, yet it has a rich buttery taste. Weird huh?

Ingredients:
-2 egg yolks
-90g tapioca starch
-40g flour
-1/3 tsp baking powder
-few drops yellow coloring (optional)
-60g sugar
-2 tbs sweetened condense milk
-1 tbs melted butter

What to Do:
Mix together tapioca starch, flour and baking powder. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and lemoned colored. Add yellow coloring, condensed milk, and butter. Add flour mixture. Rest dough for 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 350'F, divide dough into 10-12 portions. Roll each portion into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-15 mins.

Reference:
Bánh Hoa Cúc by Madam Nguyễn Thị Hường aka Gia Chánh Hoa Hường/Rose School of Home Economics