22
votes
What is this vial for in this package of grass jelly?
Ok, did a little more hunting and found this link which says:
Some packages contain a sugar packet and a small tube of banana essence. The banana essence can be a bit strong, but if you enjoy it, add ...
- 677
14
votes
Accepted
Are egg rolls supposed to be eaten with chopsticks or hands?
It's a matter of personal preference when referring to restaurants in the United States. Some egg rolls are too large to be easily handled with chopsticks, and they can be eaten using your hands; ...
- 14.9k
10
votes
Accepted
What gives Vietnamese Chicken the red tint?
My Vietnamese girlfriend uses "hạt điều màu" (annatto). She heats the nuts in oil and then uses the oil without the nuts to fry the meat in.
- 216
10
votes
Accepted
Why do Vietnamese dishes feature cut-up meat with the bone in?
Yes, those bones make a huge difference for flavor. If you just cook meat in water, you won't have anywhere near the rich meatiness that you get from a good bone broth.
Sure, you could get similar ...
- 58.2k
6
votes
What is the coating of this spring roll called, and how is it made?
It's regular roll made with net rice wrapper
It's common wrapper in Vietnam.
Here's site when you can see the package and rolls made with it bearnakedfood
- 4,121
6
votes
Accepted
Can pho be served ice cold?
A (somewhat south) Vietnamese not currently in Vietnam chiming in ^^ :
Apart from some exceptions (like cà phê sữa đá) I have the impression that there are no traditional ice-cold Vietnamese dishes ...
- 4,678
6
votes
Accepted
What is the English name of these sea snails?
Ốc bông = tiger moon snail (hotdeal.vn, Google images) or in Latin: Notocochlis tigrina (Wikipedia)
Ốc tỏi = Japanese bonnet snail (Facebook, Wild Fact Sheets, images, more images) or in Latin: ...
- 414
6
votes
Accepted
Tofu cooking method
The tofu was deep fried before being added to the soup.
If you don't have the equipment to deep-fry such large pieces of tofu at home, but you live in an area with a substantial Vietnamese population, ...
- 402
5
votes
Accepted
Can I use cow feet in pho broth
You can. Cows' feet will add gelatin without adding much meaty taste, which may not be ideal for pho both (depending on the other ingredients). In my experience they take longer to render than pork ...
- 26.9k
4
votes
Gas stove + Wok Vs. Induction top + Skillet
A wok is designed to put food in heat at the center and relax some of the heat as you move away from center, and you keeping the food moving in and out of that hot spot so you get an even sear all ...
- 6,334
4
votes
What is the pho "original" chile?
Chilli is a strictly optional condiment to phở and many Vietnamese will eat theirs without it. In Vietnam, if fresh chillis are served, it will likely be one of two types:
Ớt sừng trâu, literally &...
- 1,416
3
votes
Vietnamese crunchy rice
They could have been individually deep-fried grains of pre-cooked rice. A salad of these are known in Thailand as nam khao tod, and I expect that the Vietnamese have their own version.
- 61.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Exactly which kind of cardamom should I use in pho (phở)?
In phở soup, we use thảo quả, or Lanxangia tsao-ko, formerly known as Amomum tsaoko. Thảo quả trees are grown in Northern Vietnam, Laos, and in Yunnam China (known as 草果).
We call Black cardamom (...
- 156
3
votes
Are egg rolls supposed to be eaten with chopsticks or hands?
In Vietnam, we eat fried egg rolls with chopsticks. If the rolls are too big, the restaurant owner must have cut them in halves before serving. But restaurants are less likely to make big rolls. ...
- 156
3
votes
What is the coating of this spring roll called, and how is it made?
The dish you ate is called Chả giò rế.
The coating is called Bánh tráng rế.
"Rế" is hisitorically a rattan or bamboo net to rest hot pans and pots after cooking.
Bánh tráng rế is made mainly ...
- 156
3
votes
Can pho be served ice cold?
You could do it, but you would need to clarify the broth or it would have a somewhat impalpable fatty chew to it. And by clarifying a finished broth, you would alter the taste a bit more than ...
- 4,084
3
votes
What is the pho "original" chile?
I'd go with Bird's Eyes, or as they're sometimes called, 'finger' chillies.
I'd define it as skinny, thin skin, lots of seeds - finger tend to be larger, green; bird's eye smaller, red.
The trouble ...
- 29.8k
3
votes
What is the pho "original" chile?
Until I moved to the western US, I would see Pho with thai chiles (which they seem to call birds eye out here), and only started seeing Jalapenos after moving west. I've seen thai chiles in Pho at a ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
Can you help me identify this dish?
It is not unique to Poland.
Apparently "red chicken" in Vietnam goes back a ways, both as a local variation of Chinese char siu, and (confusingly) as a pedigree of the breed of chicken used ...
- 61.4k
3
votes
Can you help me identify this dish?
After talking to my Vietnamese friend, I learned this is not an authentic native Vietnamese dish. This is a specific dish sold by Chinese restaurants in Vietnam, which is not widespread and popular.
...
- 849
3
votes
What is the secret to to Vietnamese spring roll skins?
The first picture looks like spring rolls made with wheat flour-based wrappers and deep fried. The filling also appears to contain a large proportion of cabbage and carrots. The second picture looks ...
- 336
2
votes
Vietnamese burnt sugar beverage
Since we have a canonical answer already, perhaps there might be room for a speculative answer without stepping on toes - that is, if someone is interested as I am in figuring out how the originally ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
Accepted
Vietnamese burnt sugar beverage
I found the restaurant's menu online. Apparently this is Tra Thai. I must have mistaken the flavor.
Tra Thai
- 307
2
votes
Gas stove + Wok Vs. Induction top + Skillet
I think a simple answer to your question is yes, one can make the same dish in both a flat bottomed pan on an induction cooker and a wok on a gas flame. I might say that it might be easier in the wok,...
- 1,356
2
votes
Can pho be served ice cold?
I'm not sure how authentic it is, but I was able to find an often repeated dish referred to as Cold Soba Noodles with Vietnamese Pork that is in a way more like mul-naengmyeon than Pho because it's ...
- 58.5k
2
votes
Where does the Asian dish "sang choi bow" come from?
I was also led to believe it originated in Guangzhou. I moved to Guangzhou in 2019 and to my surprise I could not find it anywhere. I've been to many restaurants here and it is never on the menu. I ...
- 21
2
votes
Exactly which kind of cardamom should I use in pho (phở)?
I think you have actually answered your own question:
Some insist that green cardamom should be used in pho, which is also
what I myself have been using to cook pho.
And later:
However, a ...
- 1,286
2
votes
What is the name and preparation style of this type of tofu?
This is Bì Cuốn Chay (bì = skin , cuốn = roll , chay = vegetarian). The meat version is Bì Cuốn, using pork + pork skin + roasted rice powder (thính) as the main ingredients.
To make the vegetarian ...
- 121
2
votes
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