Black Soybean Milk (Sữa Đậu Nành Đen)

It does not matter whether it is black or white. From many Traditional Vietnamese Food, Black Soybean Milk (Sữa Đậu Nành Đen) also known as Black Bean or Black Soya Bean will give you white looking milk just like its cousin, the soya bean. It may not be common for you to find anyone selling this drink out there but you would be surprise to know that the cooking method is the same. If you know how to make black soybean milk, you will also know how to make soybean milk.
 

 

The Black Bean Milk tastes quite similar to the common Soy Bean Milk albeit creamier. It is more expensive to purchase compared to the soy bean but once you’ve made a couple of liters of this, you will then realize that the vendors are making hefty profit out of this nutritious drink. The hardest work involved is the milking process – when you have to squeeze out the milk/juice from the blended beans. Ensure that you get a good filter. I used a cotton coffee filter.
 

 

Do not keep this traditional food longer than necessary. Somehow, my gut feeling is that drinks made from beans are not supposed to last long especially if it did not go through any factory process. Anyway, if you are keen to impress your family or your weekend guests, give this drink a try. It’s nutritious and definitely delicious.

Drain this traditional food and place them in a blender. Add some water to cover the beans before blending them finely. Pour blended black soy bean into a large bowl or pot and add remaining water. Strain/sieve the contents through a fine muslin cloth. Place sieved black soy bean milk into a pot, add the pandan leaves and bring to boil very slowly. Ensure that you stir the milk regularly to prevent burning. Turn off the heat immediately upon boiling and allow cooling.
 

 

You can either choose to add the sugar whilst bringing the black soy bean to boil or prepare syrup separately or add the syrup prior to drinking. Serve this traditional food hot or cold is all delicious. Make sure you will not miss this drink when visit Vietnam. Hope you have a happy trip.

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Food for Luna New Year in Vietnam (Part 1)

Luna New Year or Tet Holiday is an important and sacred time of Vietnamese people. Today I would like to introduce some traditional food in Northern, Middle and Southern Vietnam at this time. I hope this post can help you to find some ideas for your own Tet Holiday. In this post, I will instroduce 3 best dishes in Northern Area for you guys.

1. Pickled Welsh Onion (Muối Củ Hành)

For the long time, this traditional food has existed in every Vietnamese’s meals in Luna New Year. It is quite easy to make, so I would like to guide you how to make it in this article. Firstly, you have to collect the old welsh onion, hard and then cut away its tail, only keeping the roots. Next, you mash them in the ash water which includes borax in 2 days and 2 nights.
 

 

After that, pick up and take off the roots and the crust of them. Following, put into one box and then adding some salt. Remember, you have to can the box carefully, do not let the wind go inside. After 2 weeks, you can take them out and put into another box. In this new box, pour the vinegar sugar together. Next 3 days, you can enjoy it.
 

 

2. Frozen Meat: (Thịt Đông)

Frozen meat is a typical food of Northern Area. However, it is considered one of most traditional food due to it has a long history and existing every Luna New Years’ time. The main ingredient of this style of food is pork. The making of this food is easy, but it is quite weird.
 

 

Firstly, cooking it till the meat is soft and then put the pot outside the door for one night. Remember, closing the cap carefully, does not anything go inside it. At the next day, you will have one delicious frozen food.
 

 

3. Stewed Beef with Cinnamon: (Bò Kho Quế)

I do not have a chance to enjoy this food. So I cannot describe the tasty of this food. However, I searched some information to make this food.
 

 

To make it, you need to choose the encrusted beef. Next chilled it with garlic’s water, fish sauce and salt and then put the pork inside it. Rolling it and tied it hardly. Next, frying it in some second and then stewing it carefully in the pot. Then, putting the beef in the hot water includes some soya bean, sugar and some cinnamon. Till the meat is soft, you can take it out and enjoy it.
 

 

Do not miss our next post about Food for Lunar New Year in Vietnam to find our more interesting traditional food with us. Happy Lunar New Year, everyone.

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Food for Luna New Year in Vietnam (Part 2)

Today, I will continue to introduce about Food for Lunar New Year in Vietnam for your guys. I will tell some specific traditional food in 2 left areas in my beautiful country. They are Middle and Southern Areas. Hope you guys will not miss a chance to taste it when visit Vietnam in these days.

*** In Middle Area, Vietnam:

Hue’ s Sour Shrimp (Tôm Chua)

Sour shrimp is selling widely around in not only Vietnam but also some country like Thailand. However, Huế’s sour shrimp is the best Traditional Vietnamese Food. In just one food, you can taste the sweet fleshy of shrimp, the fat and delicious of meat, spicy of chili, garlic, sour of star fruit and wine of banana. All of it will bring the Tết’s flavor to you. The making of this food is quite difficult, so I suggest the best way is go to the supermarket and buy one.
 

 

*** Southern Area, Vietnam:

1) Pickled Bean Sprouts (Dưa Giá):

This Traditional Vietnamese Food is an unforgettable food of southern residents. It is more delicious if you eat it with stewed meat or girdled-cake. In Luna New Year’s Day, every food is fatty and oily, so pickled bean sprouts are a food that balances them.
 

 

2) Pickled Chinese Scallion (Củ Kiệu):

You can buy pickled scallion heads everywhere like supermarket, store, but I think making it by yourself is better. Firstly, mashing it in the ash water for one night, next clean and take away the roots and leaves. Then, drying them for next 4 hours and then chilling it with sugar. Finally put them in the pot for next 10 days. To make them is more colorful and beautiful; you can add some dried carrot.
 

 

To sum up, from north to south, each area has their own specific food which can not replace. The people who lives in these areas can not forget flavor of Traditional Vietnamese Food when you live apart, even in another countries. They try to find them for eating, especially in Tet Holiday when every members in family has a chance to see and share everything together.

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In Vietnam, family meals with many traditional food has been one of the unique cultural features. Since the ancient time, it has become a very familiar thing whenever they go far away, they think about it with high regard. Up to now, the family meal are higher appreciated due to the people are getting busier with their business.

 

>> Stir-fried Tender Beef with Capsicum (Bò Xào Ớt Xanh) 

>> To Make Traditional Vietnamese Pho

 

In some big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, parents are always busy; they get up early in the morning and take their children to schools before going to work. Children study and lunch at schools, parents work and lunch at offices or somewhere else which is convenient for them. Therefore, dinner is an intangible string to connect family member together and opportunities for them to share a meal and talk together after a hard day.
 

 

At that time, sharing the delicious traditional food for the elderly and children is an action of showing affection among family members. In respond, the elderly teach their children the ethnic standards and proper behaviors to others. The traditional values, customs, and etiquettes of the ancestors are conveyed to the children and then, as the eternal rule, they teach their children these traditional values. Moreover, the Vietnamese traditional family meal also concerns profound and faithful love among husband and wife. No matter how poor their meal is, they enjoy it in happy atmosphere. The meal is simple, but it implies a profound love.
 

 

Vietnam is well known as a nation which has a long history, so they have a distinct and unique of eating’s way. There are some characteristics in the way of eating of the Vietnamese.

Eating wholly: Firstly, people eat by their eyes. Therefore, the traditional food has to be colorful and diversity. For example, a dish of chicken salad consists the yellow of chicken, the white of bean sprout, the green of cabbages, the red of chilies and carrots, and the brown-yellow of peanuts. Moreover, the shape of food is made like shape of animals such as dragon and phoenix to attract the flavor of the customers. After looking the food, they taste them by nose. They smell flavors emitted from the chicken and other ingredients. Next, they use their tooth to touch the soft vermicelli and the brittle peanuts. Then through the ears, they hear the crackle of peanuts. They enjoy food by using all of senses which is called “eating wholly”.
 

 

Eating scientifically: Vietnamese people consider cooking the food which belongs to Yin and Yang is healthy. Generally, the salty food belongs to Yang and the sour and sweet one belongs to Yin. In the process of cooking, they mix the Yin and Yang food together. For example, eating grapefruit with the salt is scientific because it balanced the Yin and Yang.
 

 

Free eating: In each Vietnamese family meal, everyone has one own bowl, and dishes are put on the middle. Therefore, each one can eat whatever they want, and they do not need to eat what they dislike. Moreover, they can eat very little or very much which depends on their digestion.

Community eating: On the dining table, cooked rice, soup and fish sauce are shared to everyone. The food likes meat or cereals are sliced into small pieces so that everyone can take them easily. Furthermore, everyone often takes food for others.
 

 

Polite eating: Due to the community eating above, Vietnamese people have to eat in a slim and polite. They must aware which seat is suitable and how to eat politely. At the beginning of the meal, the children must invite their grandparent and parent to eat first.

To sum up, family meal with traditional food is significant to Vietnamese people which do appreciate the period of family union. It remains itself traditional values that all of the generation have to preserve carefully. Thanks for reading. We hope with this post, you guys can understand more about our culture, the Vietnamese culture.
 

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Most Specific Dishes in Vũng Tàu City (Part 1)

Vũng Tàu City is well known as one popular destination in Vietnam for not only beautiful seaview, stunny beach and yellow sand but also a food destination for diners. This beach city contains many amazing food which can pull you back and live here as long as you want. The first delicious food I introduce in this article is one of traditional food that people cannot miss when come Vũng Tàu. It is Mini Savory Pancakes (Bánh Khọt).
 

 

This traditional food has a similar shape with Căn Cakes (Bánh Căn) of Middle people and they are both made from rice flour. However, Căn cakes are put many many styles of food like shrimp, meat, green bean. the miniature fried cake is put only shrimp on the surface cake.
 

 

One more different thing between two cakes above. The middle people has many sauce to enjoy Căn Cakes like sweet fish sauce, seasoning sauce or broth with peanuts and they usually eat it with herbs. Vũng Tàu citizens just eat this traditional food with only sweet sour fish sauce. Before eating, they take one big mustard leaf and one medium cabbage leaf and then put one herb leaf and some small pieces papaya on. Next, put one cake on these leaves and enjoy.
 

 

Next, there is one traditional food that you need to enjoy. It is Shredded Duck Porridge and Salad (Cháo Gỏi Vịt). On Trương Công Định street, you might see restaurants are always croweded. On the rush hour, if you do not order one table first, it is really hard for you to find one empty table.
 

 

Restaurants there have many delicious duck list like shredded duck porridge, fried duck with bamboo shoot, gridded duck or pudding duck. People often come there to just only enjoy shredded duck porridge due to it there is no thing comparing with one hot porridge on the cold weather like Vũng Tàu. It brings a warm feeling to the dinners.
 

 

To discover more info about many specific dishes in Vũng Tàu City, you can follow our next posts.

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Phong Hậu Green Rice Flake Cakes (Bánh Cốm Phong Hậu)

In previous articles, I discussed many Best Vietnamese Food of Phú Yên province. Today I introduce about one Traditional Vietnamese Food of this province. It is green rice flake cake. This traditional Vietnamese food is well known as the specialty food of Phong Hậu Village.
 

 

Phong Hậu green rice flake cake is not similar with Northern green rice flake cake. Green rice flake cake of Northern area is made by young sticky rice and packed by lotus leaves. Phong Hâu green rice flake cake is made by old sticky rice.
 

 

To make this Traditional Vietnamese Food, people have to roast the sticky rice firstly and then take the crust away. Next, roast the sugar and then put the sticky rice into the shaped box. When the sticky rice is tied, take the shaped box out and spread some flour to make it tied and preserved.
 

 

To make this food is delicious, you have to focus on roast sticky rice and roast sugar. If you roast the sticky rice too much, the cake will turn to yellow. In case of roasting the sugar too much, the cake is easy ruined. Therefore, you need to be careful when roasting two steps.
 

 

The two steps above are just two simple step of making green rice flake cake – one of Traditional Vietnamese Food. There is one secret and difficult step to make it and the local people do not release it.
 

 

To have a luscious cake, it has to be packed by banana leaves and then tied by wire strips. The banana leaves uses to avoid the temperature and wet of the weather. In the morning, it is really interesting when enjoy the green rice flake cake with one hot cup of tea.

 

 

Besides of having many best Vietnamese Foods, Phú Yên has one delightful traditional food. Make sure that you already take note about this dish before planning to visit Vietnam Hope you have an exciting trip with family and friends in my beautiful Vietnam. See you soon.

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Forest Bitter Melon in Dak Lak Province (Khổ Qua Rừng)

Forest Bitter Melon (Khổ Qua Rừng) has another name is Boh Pan (Ê Đê name). This fruit is considered as one Traditional Vietnamese Food. It is an annual herbaceous vine, small grow wild, and live commonly in mountainous and midland. The leaf is similar with annual melon; however the fruit is small like a finger and has a bitter flavor. Trees are often found growing in open forest areas, most are on the new burning clean milpa.
 

 

Forest bitter melon are used widely as a vegetable, however there is no one plant it at their home’s garden. They just collect them on the upland field for the additional daily meals when are on spare time. This fruit can be processed for cooking soup, stir fry. If you are invited this Traditional Vietnamese Food when you come Dak Lak’s home, it means that you are your best visitors.
 

 

Forest bitter melon has a bitter taste like other bitter melon; however this taste is really better and acceptable for the diners. When we eat this food may have wrinkled some fierce frown because of unbearable bitterness. Nevertheless, if people keep eating it, the sweet flavor comes later and you will love too much. In recent years, some luxury restaurants serve this Traditional Vietnamese Food on their menu and are highly assessed by the customers due to its special flavor.
 

 

Bitter Melon Soup with Pork Filling
 

Similar with bitter melon which is sold in the market, the forest bitter melon can be used in soup or fried with eggs, beef, poultry offal or the special type of local residents that fried with dried fish and some package of instant noodles. Due to the shape of forest bitter melon, people just the heads and tails of this fruit and then take out the all inside part out and clean it clearly.
 

 

Fried Bitter Melon with Egg
 

There are many delicious foods in the forest; however people only love animal food like tiger, snake, and chicken. Why one fruit like forest bitter melon is not known widely? It is one missing thing of mostly people. Come to Dak Lak to enjoy this Traditional Vietnamese Food to expand your food knowledge. Hope you have an excited trip in my beautiful country.

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