Banh Canh

Ho Boy,

What a year it has been. I really have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got a great dysfunctional family and really awesomely awkward friends. I work in a place that has absolutely no HR and well…. it’s never boring. I think this new year will be a good one for me. I’ve got an odd feeling. And I hope the same for anyone who reads this. I mean reading this is like picking up a penny heads up. If you catch my drift. wink. wink. ;).

A week ago I was in Texas for the holidays with the ‘Phamily.’ We eat. It is our hobby. I actually got a 2 week membership at the local gym called ‘Texas Family Fitness” because I knew I would be over indulging stuffing my face with spring rolls, banh mi, duck, et etc. Needless to say I ate very well for 2 weeks.

Actually, Vietnamese food is quite healthy and my mom is a pretty healthy cook. I think it was my growing affection for a Johnny Walker night cap that was the kicker. My liver hates me.

So….

Banh Canh

A.K.A. Thick noodle soup with crab according to Wikipedia. There are many versions of this traditional soup but the thing that makes it ‘Banh Canh’ are the wide white noodles. My mama, TRINH, makes them fresh from scratch. Henceforth, my mama is sooo much more awesomer and bad ass than your mama. I’m sorry English was not my first language. =/

I am sidetracking way too much. Moving forward, Banh Canh is usually served for breakfast/brunch or lunch. It’s really great if you have a fresh baguette with it too to dip in the broth. Trinh prepares it with crab flavors. I think what I’m most impressed with is that she actually made her own noodles. Please see below.

They have this slight chewy texture and they absorb the savory broth really well. Trinh basically makes this pasty dough texture and then uses a potato masher to create her noodles. I was impressed.

Trinh rinsing her noodles.

Trinh posing with her noodles.

  The following is a detailed display of how we plate when we eat noodle soup. This process is applied to every Vietnamese soup …at least the ones that I’ve eaten. We line the bowls, fill with noodles and toppings, and we top it off with scathing hot broth.

1. Thick white noodles. If you go to the asian market you’ll find the flour packet to make these. It’s actually quite simple.

2. Trinh evening out the noodles.

3. A common topping is pork cut into thin strips.

4. Another popular topping is broiled shrimp. One of my pet peeves is overcooked shrimp. I really don’t know how people can eat overcooked shrimp. I find it almost offensive.

5. Trinh found the time to boil and shred some crab meat. She then sauteed it with some spices. Trinh usually can’t sleep past 6.

6. Trinh evening out the crab goodness.

7. Garnishes for Banh Canh include: fresh chopped green onion, cilantro, and fresh cracked pepper.

8. And finally here we see Trinh topping the bowls with piping hot broth. It is ok to be jealous. 😉

9. More hot broth.

10. Usually served with a nuoc mam sauce and chilli paste.

Additional Pictures of Our Toppings:                 

1. Chicken aka le poulet.

2. Crab aka le crabe.

3. This is the some of the soup flavoring she uses. It’s legit if you’re in a rush.

Sexy Shot 1.

Sexy Shot 2.

My brother and Trinh…posing. My brother tried to be a model. It didn’t work out… Trinh tried too… =/

Thanks for reading guys! Have a great new year! Be good to one another and maybe I’ll write more.

New Years Resolutions:

1. Keep up my awesome Fitness Regime. Kickboxing is my sport in life. Helps with the aggression. ^_^

2. Practice French and learn basic Chinese.

3. Call Trinh once a week.

4. Blog once a week.

5. Learn to meditate.

6. Pending.

Et toi? And yours are?

Ending Quote:

Daydream, delusion, limousine, eyelash / Oh baby with your pretty face / Drop a tear in my wineglass / Look at those big eyes / See what you mean to me / Sweet-cakes and milkshakes / I’m a delusion angel / I’m a fantasy parade / I want you to know what I think / Don’t want you to guess anymore / You have no idea where I came from / We have no idea where we’re going / Lodged in life / Like branches in a river/ Flowing downstream / Caught in the current / I’ll carry you / You’ll carry me / That’s how it could be / Don’t you know me? / Don’t you know me by now?

Before Midnight anyone??!!

Take Care,

Christine

^_^

PHAN’S PAD THAI

Dear Diary Reader,

Many things have happened since January’s post. I’ve gotten a lot of hate mail for not posting, but I have an excuse and it’s a pretty damn good one. I broke my leg mid-February and am currently in rehabilitation mode. It’s been quite an adventure to say the least. Evidence is below. Luckily, I only have a few more weeks on it. Food prep has changed dramatically. I now aim for the bland  simpler things in life like………..a good PB&J or cereal. It’s been 2 weeks post-op and I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things and well…..I just made a slammin’ gouda mac n’ cheese with arugula and peppers. It took patience and the fire alarm went off but SON, IT IS SLAMMIN’.

Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. Phan’s Phamous Pad Thai. I make pad thai a little different so bear with me. I would say mine is extremely healthy. I love anything with Kale because it is soooo good for you and carrots as well. And bonus, it’s VEGETARIAN! So, ON-Y-VA.

THE INGREDIENTS:

(give or take 1-2 things….:)

• 1 onion
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrot (I shred my own mainly because the sugars from the carrot make the pad thai sweeter vs buying the already shredded carrot that have since dried and shriveled up  inside the bag like your grandmother’s toes after a long bath)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 box of extra-firm tofu (more if you like)
• 1/2 bunch of kale (cleaned and chopped….I like to buy the kale that’s already been cleaned and I generally use 1/2 a bag for this recipe mainly because I love kale like nobody’s business)
• Soba Noodles (the kind I buy comes in a package of 6 so I usually boil 2)
• 1/4 cup of mushroom sauce (Chinatown grocery store)
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbs of chili flakes
• 2 eggs
• I don’t remember if I put mustard or not but I’m sure 1/2 a tbs of mustard (whole grain) can only be a good thing right? 🙂
• 1/2 tbs of sesame oil (if you have it…..if not, it’s ok)
• 2 tbs of chopped peanuts

STEPS:

1. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute on medium heat in a large pan. Add in the onions and shredded carrot. Shred your own carrot it makes a difference in the taste. It gives it a golden sweetness almost. Sauté until the onions and shredded carrot becomes soft and united. Add in the green onions and sauté for about 5 min more. Add a pinch of salt.
2. Add the kale. Give everything a quick toss and put a lid on it. This will help the kale shrink down drastically. Medium to low heat.
3. While the kale is working. Boil the Soba noodles by the boiling instructions. Strain and set it aside when it is done.
4. Back to the vegetable mixture. After everything has been sautéed. Add 1/2 the mushroom sauce, mustard, and chili flakes.
5. Now this is the part where it gets interesting. I generally like to keep things down to 1 or 2 pots or pans but you can use a new pan if you like. In the same pan, scoot everything aside so that 1/2 the pan is clean. If it’s a non-stick pan you don’t need oil for this part. Crack 2 eggs and scramble them on this side on Medium heat. Try not to mix in the vegetable mix with the eggs too much. I mean you could but it’s just not aesthetically pleasing to me. What are we barbarians? 
6. After the eggs are done, incorporate the soba noodles, the tofu, and add the remaining mushrooms sauce. You may or may not use all of it. Taste it and see. Add the peanuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 1:

 STEP 2:

STEP 5:

The End.

It should hopefully look something similar to this. Pad Thai is a dish you can add anything too like bean sprouts, broccoli, and etc. It’s kinda like my version of soup du jour. Whatever I have left in my fridge it just sort of makes it’s way into my pad thai.

THE ARTISTIC SHOT:

I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately due to being crippled and thus I’ve seen many films. So I’m going to include a mini-movie review section.

LES FILMS:

THE HELP (A) – funny with depth

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (A-) – dreary yet light hearted

HUGO (B) – beautifully made but boring as hell

BILL CUNNINGHAM DOCUMENTARY (B+)- interestingly provocative

LIKE CRAZY (C+) – I’d rather watch a couple fight in real life

DRIVE (A) – It gets you.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (A) – Blockbuster

JACK AND JILL (pending)

THE DESCENDANTS (pending)

Thanks for reading!

Christine

There are really only three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask, what happened?
Ann Landers