Viet World Kitchen

Trader Joe’s Brings Back Vietnamese Sesame Crepes

Some time ago when I was complaining about the hokey, vaguely Vietnamese food at Trader Joe’s, there was a comment on this site or Twitter about a sesame crepe that TJ used to carry. I remembered that they had cashew and rice wafer candies from Vietnam (same price as what the Vietnamese markets carried), but didn’t recall the sesame crepes. On Trackingtraderjoes.com the sesame crepes were discontinued around 2006.

A few weeks ago, in the “New Items” section of my Santa Cruz Trader Joe’s, I spied a package with a woman wearing a conical hat. The product was “Sesame Crepes” but there was nothing upfront that advertised the chewy, nutty sweet as being Vietnamese. Turn over the package and the description says: “This sweet and chewy snack is a traditional favorite in Vietnam…” Moreover, the packaging says that sesame crepes are actually from Vietnam!  Trader Joe’s doesn’t divulge any other cultural information about the candy, but most likely they’re the same as keo me xung, a common candy and specialty of Hue.

Was it worth bringing the crepes back? I resoundingly say, “Yes!!! Thanks Trader Joe’s!” The sesame crepes make a nice snack and dessert. However, I don’t know why they are considered a crepe. In the Vietnamese repertoire, this stuff is more like a confection (e.g., candy). There are numerous kinds of sesame candies and their shape and texture vary between little chunks and flat rounds, to crunchy to chewy and soft. This is like a fruit roll up that features buttery toasted sesame seeds.

Semantics aside, I’m glad that Trader Joe’s had brought this little Vietnamese ditty back. If TJ ever discontinues the item again, you can try Asianwok.com and Luscherb.com. I know little about these e-tailers but they do have Vietnamese sesame candy at their sites.

Have you eaten this Vietnamese candy? What are your thoughts? Are you able to buy the cashew and rice wafer candy at your local Trader Joe’s? Those are seriously tasty too.

Brigding the Cultural Gap: Parents Adopting Vietnamese Children Turn to Food

The public and press gush over celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Madonna, and Katherine Heigl adopting kids from abroad, yet there are plenty of regular (read: unsung) folks who are giving love and opportunity to children in Vietnam. Everyone once in a while I receive a message from adoptive parents asking for suggestions on Vietnamese food and culture, and I’m happy to oblige. Most recently, I received this message from Lisa in Victoria, B.C., who will soon be adopting a beautiful little girl from Bac Ninh, Vietnam:

Like so many others, I'm learning so much from your blog and have tried quite a few of your recipes, with success each time. My husband and I are in the process of adopting a baby from Vietnam and for me, as a person who loves to cook and who believes that how a culture prepares and enjoys food says a lot about who they are as a people, when I wanted to know more about Vietnam, the first place I started was with my stomach.

Cooking His Way to a Viet Woman's Heart

My post last Friday about  Asian elders dissuading younger people from mastering the food of their heritage prompted many emotional and humorous responses, including this email from a man in North Carolina:

I would like to send my gratitude on finding this website.  You have made my home life incredible exciting. How you ask, well, my wife and soul mate is Vietnamese. She is from Ha Noi!  Ever since I met her, she always had one over me by cooking up some incredible Vietnamese dishes.

Over the past few years since we got married (7) the cooking has become less and less of a traditional meal in our home setting.  My wife has returned to school here to further her education and becoming an Licensed Aesthesia. She does work long hours sometimes 6 days a week.

So, as you could see, her time when she arrives home is taken up by our beautiful little 1 and 5 year olds. We mostly go eating out at our local PHO shops. My career situation has allowed me to work from home so I am home 2 -3 days a week.  I love to cook myself. When I do conjure up some normal dishes, she loves it only because she did not make it and appreciates my help after a long day at the salon.

I see her look on her face that tells me “Why can I not put the effort into creating a Vietnamese dish?” Well, present day, I found your web site!!!!   I have gone through just but some recipes, and have taken up the wok and started to get right into it.

I surprised my wife 2 weeks ago with a traditional dish “Bo Luc Lac” [wok seared shaking beef].  She was very surprised and speechless.  She even made a comment “Were did I go to get this”!  Well, I had to inform her differently.  I have even tried and succeeded in make Ca Co Tho [fish simmered in caramel sauce]!   Her favorite.

Again, thanks for the Spice in your recipes and added spice to our marriage. She still raves to her Vietnamese girl friends on how a “Canadian White Guy” has been able to accept the Vietnamese culture whole heartedly.

Thanks.

You don't have to be Vietnamese to identify with the sentiments here. I'd have to add that this gentleman is quite the model for anyone who wants to romance a significant other, whether you're starting out or have been together for a long time . It's an old-fashioned saying, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." In the 21st century, it's great to see the reverse too!

Have similar experiences of your own?

Generation Gap: Why Some Asian Elders Bug Me

Today, I received this SOS email from “Suzanne”:

I love your website and read it everyday!  I am Vietnamese too and my dad's 60 something birthday is coming up this Sunday.  He's always saying how his only little girl never cooks and invites her parents over like every Vietnamese girl should. So I am feeling like I should make a meal and invite my family over to celebrate his birthday on Sunday.  But I don't know what to make!!!  I would really like to make something Vietnamese but I have a big family and need to make enough to feed 10 people and 7 little nieces and nephews all under age 5.  Do you have any ideas for something I can make that they would enjoy and most importantly that I cannot mess up?  A bun [rice noodles] meal or something I can grill or ???
 
I am a pretty good cook but when it comes to Vietnamese food I feel like i can never get it to taste right...maybe because Vietnamese parents are so critical - I don't know. :)  
 
Anyway - I know you are a busy woman but if you have a moment and can help a good Vietnamese daughter out I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it!!!

I was just about to start working on an article for the LA Times but I dropped what I was doing to respond.

Crisp Lemongrass Salmon Recipe (Ca Nuong Xa)

We never had salmon in Vietnam but once my family tasted it for the first time in America, we immediately adopted it like it was a native fish to the Vietnamese kitchen. It oily flesh and skin are rich tasting, pretty and immensely useful. We steamed it, simmered it caramel sauce and galangal, featured it with tangy tomatoes in everyday soup, and made garlicky salmon patties with dill. This heady preparation is something my mom came up with recently. The recipe is based upon a paste that our cook in Saigon use to marinate whole fish in and then grill it over charcoal. It’s a simple and homey dish.

Salmon filet and the broiler ensure that none of the tasty lemongrass-inflected paste falls through the cracks. I tried this paste with a whole trout and grilled it but the result was not as intensely tasty as the salmon. For this recipe, I used filet that I cut from a whole salmon. It wasn’t a large fish and the filet were at most 3/4 inch thick at the thickest point. If you’re using a bigger fish then adjust the cooking time by cooking it longer. Don’t worry about the marinade time. I thought it would turn the fish mushy or partially cook it but it didn’t. The fish texture turned out fantastic.