Food in thought

I don't know how many times I've thought that I really need to learn how to cook the food of my native country. The problem is Vietnamese food is one of the most complex cuisines, with no less than 10 ingredients needed to cook any given dish. I am not the type to have every ingredient on hand, nor want to drop by the store for one thing. But watching "Luke Nguyen's Vietnam" on the Cooking Channel motivated me to start cooking.

The first thing I tried was Banh Bao, which for those of you unfamiliar, is a steamed pork bun. I gotta say, the recipe I looked up and used was a flop - I should've known when they said to pre-cook the meat filling. I also didn't have any milk on hand for the dough (essential). But it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. Definitely need a take two on this one (might try this one).

Today I watched Luke's show where he made Che Bap, or a sweet corn dessert soup. His recipe makes a stockpot full, so I quartered it, decreased the amount of corn and added some taro-flavored tapioca balls (my result to the left; my modified recipe is below). Super easy, and turned out well! My first successfully made Che. Yay. Maybe I can get a handle on cooking the food of my culture after all. :)

Next up: Goi Du Du.







Che Bap

2 medium-sized ears of corn, kernels cut off, uncooked
1 cup dried yellow mung beans
1 can coconut milk (~14 oz)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant tapioca balls (optional)
toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Soak mung beans in water for 1 hour, then drain. Put coconut milk and mung beans in a pot, simmer for 20 minutes (do not boil, this will curdle the coconut milk). Add in corn and sugar (and tapioca if desired) and simmer for 10 more minutes. Let cool a bit. Serve in a bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. :)