Tau Hu Chung: Vietnamese Vegetarian Pate Recipe

Tàu hũ chưng is one of the many vegetarian equivalents you can find to Vietnamese meat dishes. As I mentioned last week, Tết is coming soon (January 23rd), and you're supposed to eat vegetarian for the days just before and after the Asian New Year. Usually, I would make mắm chưng thịt (Vietnamese-style meatloaf). This dish is similar, using ingredients such as mushrooms, bean thread noodles and cilantro, but paired with mashed tofu.

The mixture is first steamed, then baked for a few minutes in the oven so the top is slightly golden and dried out. It's almost like a tofu pâté that can be enjoyed with rice and a bowl of canh (soup) on the side.

Mache Pesto Risotto Recipe (+Giveaway)

Remember when I said I always have pesto prepared in advance and stored in the freezer? This recipe doesn't require a lot of effort if you already have pesto on hand. Today I made risotto with my favorite pesto recipe, made with mâche leaves. In case you’re not familiar, mâche, or lamb's ear lettuce, is a small-leaved, brightly-colored green. It has a mild but very distinct flavor.

First, I cooked Carnaroli rice with vegetable stock until tender. Once the rice absorbed all the liquid, I added the mache pesto, caramelized onions and Parmesan shavings. This simple recipe makes a quick and easy comfort food fix in less than 40 minutes.



Today's giveaway is an assortment of all four varieties of HK Anderson pretzels. They are crisper than any brand of pretzels I've ever had. HK Anderson have been making these crunchy treats since 1888. I really like the thin-shelled ones filled with peanut butter. Being French, I didn't grow up with peanut butter and this is one of the few ways I enjoy them. For a chance to win, just enter on the 25 Days of Giveaways page.

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and HK Anderson pretzels or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Pretzels #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @hkpretzel: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".