Vietnamese Shrimp in Caramel Sauce (Tom Kho Recipe)

This evening, I finished preparing dinner but realized everything was vegetarian. And if you think like me, vegetarian food is good but it's still lacking one thing. What's missing, you might ask? I looked at our dining table and I immediately knew what would make dinner complete: a dish of shrimp.

I had one pound of small shrimp begging to be cooked. So in less than 30 minutes, I whipped up some tôm kho, which is Vietnamese for shrimp in caramel sauce. The key is the amber-color sauce cooked with coconut soda (if you're lucky and have fresh coconut water, it would taste even better), onion, garlic and a hint of good quality nước mắm (fish sauce). Even though the most of my family are vegetarians, if cooked properly, the scent of this seafood dish doesn't bother them.

Asparagus and Zucchini Tofu Recipe

This tofu stir fry dish is a staple in our home and I make it at least one a month. It's quick to prepare, flavorful and packed with fresh green vegetables. 

The preparation is always more or less the same. In this version, pan-seared tofu pieces (or leftover cooked chicken breasts) are tossed with previously cooked zucchini and baby asparagus in maple syrup, chipotle garlic sauce and soy sauce. At the end, I added onions wedges and turned the heat off; the residual heat in the dish finished cooking the onions while keeping them juicy, sweet and crunchy.

Lotus Root Soup Recipe (Canh Cu Sen)

The authentic recipe for lotus soup, called canh củ sen in Vietnamese, calls for pork broth, dried scallops, dried octopus and various dried fruits and nuts. With my family being mostly vegetarian, I adapted it to fit everyone's diet. 

I tried to mimic the meaty broth with Okinawan potatoes (purple-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes) and preserved daikon radish and flavored it with the usual dried black dates called jujube (or plum), dried South almonds, peanuts and gojee berries. Lastly, fresh lotus root is sliced thinly and added to the broth until softened. Some people like it on the crunchy side, but I prefer it very tender.

Vietnamese Vegetarian Pate Recipe

This is a recipe that didn't make it into the Bánh Mì cookbook, my second publication that is already available for pre-order. I prepared a vegetable and tofu pâté that's often used in vegetarian bánh mì  sandwiches. This dish is called tàu hũ chưng in Vietnamese. I mixed tofu and a mirepoix of vegetables, which is a combination of coarsely chopped carrots, onions, leek, celery and mushrooms. The preparation is steamed then baked until firm.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been posting a vegetarian recipe each Monday. It’s part of an effort on my part to eat a little bit healthier by reducing my meat consumption. So from now on, you'll find a vegetarian recipe every "Meatless Monday".

Bo Hanh Huong Recipe (Vietnamese Beef Rolls)

Vietnamese beef rolls, called bò hành hương, are typically considered a festive dish. We had a lot of guests over last week and I decided to serve this Vietnamese beef specialty as the main course for my buffet party menu. The name translates to "onion scented beef", and that is an apt description. The authentic version would use green onions, but I didn't have any, so I substituted thin wedges of regular onions for the filling. It didn't alter the main flavor of the dish.

And since people eat with their eyes first, I made sure the presentation of the rolls was inviting. I served them on a bed of lettuce with slices of citrus from our garden.