This weekend, I decided to do Vietnamese cuisine. Because it was the Easter weekend, I had finished all my shopping early, since I didn't want to have to face the lineups at the stores on Saturday, the day after the stores were closed all day & the day before the stores were closed all day. People seem to go into panic mode before and after grocery stores close for the day - it's like they have to stock up/re-stock before or after a fast! Consequently, on Saturday morning, I had spare time on my hands and decided to go to my favourite cookware store, d. a. Neils Cookware. Yes, I know it's a store, but I kind of figured it wouldn't be that busy because it is a bit of a higher end cookware store, not one to appeal to the average person! I was right, it wasn't too terribly busy, and it was a great idea, too! It turns out that they had a guest chef doing a demo that day on.....you guessed it, Vietnamese cuisine! Needless to say, I grabbed the recipes! The sandwich that she made was absolutely delicious, but the soup, the traditional Vietnamese Pho Bo (which was on my menu for the evening) was a bit disappointing - meatballs and pasta?? Not exactly traditional, I would say. But it certainly made me quite excited about going home and getting on with my own meal!
For my menu, I chose to make a Pho, considered by many to be the national dish of Vietnam. It has been said that no bowl of Pho is ever the same, as it is basically a noodle-based broth served with a selection of meat and vegetables to add. I used a more traditional sliced beef, rather than meatballs, and rice vermicelli as opposed to a wheat-based pasta, to keep an element of ethnic authenticity. Along with this, I made another very popular Vietnamese dish, spring rolls, which I served along with my homemade Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce). All in all, another delightful culinary and taste experience! I really loved the spring rolls, so they will definitely show up in my kitchen again - easy and delightfully tasty!
chúc ngon miệng
