NEM NUONG Ingredients 2.2 pounds/1 kg of ground pork shoulder; if leaner meat is used, add a bit of oil to the ingredients 6 finely chopped garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon of Alsa (or any brand) baking powder, 4 tablespoons corn or potato starch, 7 or 8 tablespoons water, all mixed together 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons …
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It’s All in the Wrist
 Today’s blog concludes my weeklong affair with the Vietnamese spring roll. As I’m helping my mom prepare the food for a small dinner party,  I figure I might as well make some videos of how the rolls are made. Tonight we’re serving nem nuong (baked pork flavored in ground, roasted rice) and chao tom (fresh shrimp ground into …
My Very Zen St. Patrick’s Day
 I wake up with nothing green to wear today, but my reward for visiting my parents is starting the day with stuff that I usually eat at home (fruits, purple yam, fresh corn, etc.), except it gets served up like this:  That’s my version of a breakfast of champions. But my meal this morning quickly turns into a …
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Snackaholics
 Vietnam is a nation of snackaholics. Go down any street or alley and you will find neighborhood markets or makeshift food stands hawking Vietnamese junk food. And by junk food I mean steaming hot, fresh made, homemade noodles, rice crepes, soups, desserts, and anything your heart desires. From morning till night there are snackers trolling for food.  Even …
My Bottomless Pit
 This morning I had a meeting near the Knox/Henderson area of Dallas and then had lunch with a good friend at Chuy’s, a Tex-Mex joint on McKinney.  As we were chatting about the soap opera going on at her job and the jewelry we’ve been making on the side, I wished I had brought my camera to photograph the …