Nem chua - Vietnamese fermented pork roll

Corn noodles? Never heard of them - what are they, where can you get them and how do they taste? The corn noodles are really great!

Nem chua - Vietnamese fermented pork roll

Corn noodles

Corn noodles are made from corn and is very delicious and sweet-tasting if noodle makers use the corn from the Tuy An and Dong Xuan areas of the central province of Phu Yen.

For a long time, corn noodles were a traditional product of the Tuy An people. Over 90 percent of the population of Tuy An made corn noodles; however, in modern times young people have not followed family traditions. At present, only a few families remain making corn noodles in this area.

Visitors will have a chance to taste corn noodles during festivals or Lunar New Year. Corn noodle soup is quite different from other soups as the soup is cooked with Giang leaf and goby fish which is caught at the O Loan lagoon. If you do not have time to follow the traditional recipe, mixing fish sauce with chili then adding the mixed fish sauce to the broth and the corn noodles will make a satisfactory variation. If you prefer vegetarian cuisine, you can try the following recipe step by step to make your noodle soup pretty good!

The ingredients include: 1 large can tomato sauce, 1 large can cream corn, 1 small onion (diced onions), 1 package large corn noodles (flat), 2 tablespoons oil (just use pan spray), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste.

Corn noodle soup

Directions as follows:

In pot add oil and diced onions, cook until onions are done. Then follow the instructions for cooking the noodles, adding the water to the onions. Then add the cream corn and tomato sauce, followed by salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let it boil for a minute or two, adding the noodles and stirring.

Lower heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced, stirring often. As it thickens you may wish to reduce heat a little more to keep from sticking. Do not let it cook down to dry, as it will thicken more as it cools. You do not want it to runny so it will run over the plate, but thicken somewhat.

If travelling to Phu Yen, you should not miss the opportunity to taste the corn noodle soup at the Chi Thanh market in the An Dan commune. Most of tourists love these noodles, and they think the noodles are so delicious!

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“Mứt Tết”, very delicious preserved fruit!

In Vietnamese New Year party, beside traditional dishes, no family can forget to make a tray of "Mứt Tết”, a cup of tea, betel and areca ready to entertain their visitors.

“Mứt Tết” refers to fruits or vegetables that have been prepared and canned for long term storage. The preparation of preserved fruit traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well. There are various types of fruit preserves made in Vietnam, and they can be made from sweet or savory ingredients.

“Mứt” is made from all sorts of fruit, including mandarin oranges, apples, banana, coconuts, persimmons and breadfruit. Vegetables like patatoes, carrots and squash are also turned into “Mứt”, as certain types of blossoms.

The most famous variety of “Mứt” is made from rose petals or peach blossoms. The raw materials are cleaned and peeled, then soaked in sugar and cooked until dry. Other types of “Mứt” have the sticky consistency of jam. Some varieties, like “cu lac” (peanut jam) are covered with a thick layer of sugar, but most have thin layer of sugar.

The colors are often quite intense and people serve different types of “Mứt” together, arranged in a colorful display.

In Hanoi, Hang Dieu or Hang Duong Streets in Old Quarter are famous for shops that sell “Mứt”. Preserved fruits are masterpieces in these shops. They make all kinds of preserved fruit such as ginger, waxy pumpkin, apple, orange, lemon and carrot in various shapes and colours.

To welcome Tet is to welcome the spring. However, in January, which is spring time, the weather in Vietnam is still cold. It is a good idea to warm up with a cup of hot tea and a slice of preserved ginger with golden yellow colour and a special flavour...

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“Banh Phu The”– Vietnamese conjugal cake

In Vietnam,“Banh Phu The” is a special cake, which symbolises the loyalty of a husband and wife...

The conjugal cake is normally served at Vietnamese weddings and used as a wedding invitation or taken by the man’s family to the woman’s family on engagement day. The stickiness of the cake is said to signify the stickiness of the marriage ties. Traditionally, a guy would offer these to the girl he wants to marry. Now these cakes are still an essential part of a wedding banquet, or the gift packages that the groom's family send over to the bride's.

“Banh Phu The”  is a Vietnamese sweet with a jelly-like texture made of tapioca flour, pandan, mung bean paste, sugar, sesame seeds and coconut milk. It is very unique with a leaf covering that looks like a tiny square box, made from coconut leaves. The reason it is called Banh “Phu The” is because of how it is wrapped: a box on the top fits perfectly with the box on the bottom. If you would like ton know how to make this special cake, you can visit Dinh Bang - a famous Vietnamese village in Bac Ninh Province, then you can view the method to prepare this husband and wife cake, as follows:

Ingredients:

- 1kg kudzu powder, refined - 800g refined sugar - 200g coconut flesh, scraped in thin threads

- 300g green beans  - 50 coconut leaves  - 15 pineapple leaves

To prepare:

Filling

Cut green beans in halves, soak in warm water for five hours. Strain and remove skin of green beans. Rinse.

Steam green beans and grind into a paste.

Mix green bean paste with 200g sugar, then cook over a low flame and stir until the mixture loses its sticky texture.

Spread the mixture 3cm thick on a large tray, cool and cut into 6x6cm square pieces.

Cover

Wash and clean pineapple leaves and cut into 60cm strips so that only the middle remains.

Arrange the coconut leaves into a square or hexagonal shape to form a box roughly 25x30cm wide and place a pineapple leaf on top.

Dissolve the kudzu powder and remaining sugar in water. Use two and a half times as much water to the amount of powder.

Cook over a low flame, stirring until the mixture becomes a paste. Extinguish flame, add threads of coconut flesh and mix well.

Fill the coconut leaf boxes with the coconut flesh mixture and place the green bean filling in the centre.

Put the boxes in the steamer and cook for 20 minutes, until the cake becomes clear. 

 

“Banh phu the”  is a lot more interesting in texture and flavor. In the real one, the cake has it green color and flavor by being steamed inside its box... 

 

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