Vegetarian Chow Fun Noodles (Hu Tieu Recipe)

Chow fun is called hủ tiếu xào chay (literally "vegetarian rice noodle stir fry") in Vietnamese and consists of wide, chewy rice vermicelli noodles stir-fried with tofu and vegetables. I made the dish chay ("vegetarian") but you can certainly add meat, such as beef, which will make the dish all the more delicious.

I make these noodles very often at home. I could eat freshly made hủ tiếu by the platter! It's quick and simple, healthy and very tasty. Living in the Bay Area means that I'm lucky enough to have fresh rice noodles readily available. I just need to drive to downtown San Jose. San Jose has a large Vietnamese community so it's very easy to find all sorts of my favorite ethnic ingredients.

Shirataki Yam Noodles: Noodle Salad Recipe (+ Giveaway)

Similar to tofu, shirataki noodles can look and taste pretty bland on their own. When I received the package from AsianFoodGrocer.com, I knew I had to enhance the flavor with a sauce. I made a peanut salad dressing that I've used often to flavor tofu, but this time I made it with oyster sauce, miso paste and hot sauce. I added colors to the noodle salad with red bell pepper, pickled garlic, cilantro and green onions. I topped the salad with crushed nori, for a briny flavor and  also sesame seeds and crushed peanuts for texture. We eat with our eyes first, and I think the dark color of the bowl serves as a very attractive contrast to the noodles.

The noodles themselves are very healthy (almost no calories, gluten and cholesterol free). So if you're looking for a light meal, this recipe might be it!

Pho Ga Recipe (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup with Ginger)

I've probably said it in on countless occasions; I love phở! The most commonly known version of the Vietnamese soup is phở bò (beef noodle soup) but it's pretty high in cholesterol due to the bone marrow from the quantity of beef bones used. For a lighter version that’s equally delicious, I made phở gà, chicken noodle soup with ginger.

Phở gà is judged on two main criteria: the flavor of the chicken broth and the quality of the chicken. To ensure that the broth turned out well, I used a generous helping of ginger and 6 chicken carcasses, which are very inexpensive at the Asian market. I served the soup with special Vietnamese chickens, called gà đi bộ (it literally translates to "walking chickens"). They're free-range chickens and the texture of the meat is firmer than regular chicken. The cost is higher (count $13 per chicken) but so worth it when making this dish.

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Chicken Pad Thai Noodles

Pad Thai noodles is my kind of comfort food. It's filling, flavorful and easy to make in veggie and non-veg versions. The noodles used in this dish are large rice noodles that are soaked until softened. They are sautéed in a thick, syrupy sweet sauce made of tamarind, sugar, chile and limes.

To complete the meal, I added chicken sauteed in oyster sauce and fish sauce, which balances the saltiness of the Pad Thai sauce. This rice noodle dish freezes very well, so you will never order take-out again!

How To Make Pad Thai (Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe)

We made an enormous pot of phở over the weekend and called everyone who likes this Vietnamese beef soup. I think my eyes were a little bigger than my stomach because I soaked 6 packages of dried rice noodles (bánh phở) and ended up with a ton of leftovers. Even though all the beef broth was gone, I managed not to waste the soaked rice noodles by making Pad Thai noodles. The dish is composed of rice noodles, tofu, limes, fragrant kaffir lime leaves, tamarind, palm sugar, peanuts and cilantro. 

For a meat version, you could add skinless chicken breasts, whole shelled and de-veined shrimp and shredded thin omelette along with the tofu and then finish the dish with fish sauce.