Japanese-style Lau (Hot Pot) - Saturday, April 12

After work, I was invited to dinner by an employer of mine! We went to a Japanese-Taiwan-Vietnamese fusion restaurant near my house.  Patrick didn’t finish work until 10pm, so unfortunately he couldn’t come, but I wish he was there because it was so delicious! We had hot pot (lau), Japanese-style, which is when you have a burner in the middle of the table and you put in ingredients and extra broth throughout the dinner to cook, right in front of you.  Everybody takes a small helping at a time from the pot in the middle, so it’s a very interactive experience (much like many meals in the Asian countries I’ve visited).  Hot Pot is definitely one of my favourite types of meals!

This particular dish was an assorted/mixed hot pot and had the following ingredients:

-          Meat broth

-          Jumbo Shrimp

-          Beef slices

-          Cabbage

-          Onion

-          Potato

-          Tofu

-          Mini clams

-          Dumplings

-          Corn (on the cob)

-          Mushrooms

-          Pumpkin

-          Sliced tomato

-          Clams

-          Fish cakes

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Ingredients for the hot pot, before being cooked

Ingredients for the hot pot, before being cooked

My individual bowl

Friday, April 11, 2014 - Chè

After work, I was craving a sweet snack, something to fill me up for a couple hours before dinnertime... so I stopped for my first streetside Chè, a traditional Vietnamese snack.  It’s “part-drink, part-snack, part-dessert pudding” and definitely fills that hole when you’re feeling a bit hungry!

It is often traditionally called or described as the tri-colour dessert/drink by locals. Chè can have a variety of ingredients and you can custom-make it to your tastes by simply pointing at the ingredients you want when you order! Here are some of the *common (and less common) ingredients inside:

-          *Beans (i.e. sweet red beans, mung beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas)

-          Tapioca

-          *Jelly (grass jelly or clear jelly)

-          *Fruits (mango, aloe vera, sugar palm, durian, lychee, jackfruit, etc.)

-          *Coconut milk or cream

-          Taro

-          *Sticky (glutinous) rice mixtures (often with various fruits, beans, sweet ingredients…)

-          Sesame seeds or lotus seeds

-          Seaweed

-          Small dumplings

Nothing like some chè in the park to relax you after a busy afternoon of teaching 3 kindergarten classes with 30 children in each class with no air conditioner!

Thursday, April 10, 2014 - Sủi cảo

Although my day and afternoon were pretty blah (I was stuffed up and had a sore throat, was stressed, didn’t eat enough, was dehydrated and was over-heated), my awesome colleagues at my language school made me feel much better – I felt so supported! What a great groupJ

After work, a few of my good Vietnamese friends/colleagues and I (aka The Hot Pot Team) went to a night market together! I bought a new white shirt and a black skirt – a new teaching outfit.  And for only 190,000vnd ($10), bargained down from twice that amount, I’d say it was a pretty sweet deal!

After our trip to the night market, our Hot Pot Team became a Street Food Team, determined to eat the best street food in HCMC! We were close to Chinatown in District 5, so we stopped for some Chinese Sủi cảo,

which is essentially big dumplings (with pork and shrimp inside) in a bowl of delicious broth and veggies, such as spinach or Chinese cabbage and green onions.  It was a perfect way to end a day that started off pretty miserably. Food solves all problems, doesn’t it?

Sủi cảo - Photo Creds to Charice!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - Com Suon

For today’s national holiday, we visited Go Cap Van, otherwise known as Golden Scorpion Lake.  We rode our motorbike there, even taking it across the river on a big ferry.  The further we drove, the more isolated and rural the landscape became, eventually resembling shanty towns. The roads became dirt and we saw lots of Vietnamese selling their local produce, straight from their farms.   

At the Lake, we got a picnic spot for lunch, suntanned, caught up on our reading and relaxed while watching the Vietnamese around us drink and eat in the small huts, celebrate the holiday, sleep in the hammocks and even do obstacle courses and walk on stilts. And what would a trip to a lake be without swimming? We had to wear dorky orange life vests, but the water was perfect and there was lots to do – water slides, boats, water polo, high jumps (from wooden platforms) into the lake and even slip and slides (on the surface of the water).

So, my dish of the day comes from our picnic lunch at Go Cap Van – Com (Tam) Suon.  We got a generous helping of sticky rice, a huge pork chop with a sweet-bbq flavour, coleslaw and side soy-chili sauce.  We washed it down with a big pitcher of cold Vietnamese-style iced tea. 

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 - Smoky, Grilled Banana Cracker

I taught middle school, finishing up some speaking exams and giving students their results for their listening and speaking exams.  I then walked over to Diamond Plaza (a ritzy department store on the first few floors, offices above that and apartments at the top). I taught 3 Koreans who work for an engineering company there and who are on a temporary job stint in HCMC with their Vietnamese subsidiary company.  They’re a fun group and it’s fun with them to reminisce about Korea.  At night I taught at my language school for 2 hours and it was the beginning of the new term – off to a fresh start!

Now for the dish (or the snack, in this case) of the day… Banana Cracker - Dried, grilled banana sheets! Grilled and smoky, these thinly sliced and pressed bananas have been overlapped and stuck together to make one big square sheet.  After heating it on her miniature portable stove/Bunsen burner, she packaged it up and folded into 4, just like a piece of paper!

On Google, the closest Vietnamese name I could find for this snack is: Bánh tráng chuối.  However, the description of it is not quite identical to this particular snack… Any takers who can enlighten me on its name?

Monday, April 7, 2014 - Hot Vit Lon (Balut/Fertilized Duck Egg)

Have you ever seen a puppet show? How about one presented on a stage filled with water? Well, now I have! Today I got to experience a traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet Show.

My morning/early afternoon involved skyping my fam jam, tea-time with Patrick, picking up my visa extension and reserving tickets for the show – THEN I went to teach at my middle school until 5pm!

Patrick got a weird stomach bug though, so unfortunately, he had to miss the 6:30pm Water Puppet Show. But it was definitely worth it.  Despite not being able to understand much because it was Vietnamese, I think the plot is not the main attraction – it is the art of water puppets.  It was visually appealing and definitely piqued my curiosity – how do they do it?! The puppet design was beautiful and the live music played by a mini ensemble (who also did all the voices of the puppets!) was perfect for each scene, setting the mood and pace.  It even transcended language with its comical edge (i.e. silly voices, chase scenes and playful gestures).

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Anyway, my dish of the day is equally interesting – and equally bizarre! This is called Hot Vit Lon (aka. Balut in the Philippines), which is a Fertilized Duck-Egg.  Balut is also eaten in the Philippines, Cambodia, China and some other Asian countries.

When I ordered the egg, I had NO idea, that it was a duck egg, nor that it was already fertilized (and thus, that the duck embryo had already begun to grow!) In fact, the vendor and I had a major communication barrier going on, more so than any other vendor I’ve ever bought off of in Vietnam.  Often these duck eggs are eaten while still runny, so I was lucky that it was already boiled quite well. The idea of eating a growing embryo is disturbing and I don’t think I would have ever had the courage to order this on purpose, knowing what I would be consuming.  But as I said, it was a complete accident. And to be honest, I was quite hungry (and about to start teaching a lesson)... so I had no option, but to give it a try!

I also ordered fried corn (fried in oil with herbs, onions, thai basil, sugar and a touch of tomato.  I have to admit, the flavours and textures were much better than I expected. I expected the balut to be chewy and runny, but it wasn’t at all! I challenge you to give it a try!

Sunday, April , 2014 - Chao Thit

I taught in the morning, then private student in the afternoon, then I was called in to supply-teach again in the evening for a grade 5 class.  I had to quickly work through various practice tests with them, helping them with all 4 skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.  We played the Buzz Game and the Typhoon Game to make it more interesting, too!  They were a good group and were really into it! At the end, my employer snuck in and took a bunch of photos of us and then we got a group shot! I think I’ll be teaching them more consistently on every Saturday from now on. 

This is chao thit.  A pork-congee type of soup (congee is a rice porridge, except this one had more broth than other congees and porridges I’ve had from other countries).  The main ingredients are rice, light meat broth and ground pork (or another form of protein if they have choices).  There were plenty of green onions/scallions/herbs in it and I topped it with a touch of chili sauce, although the flavour was so good that it really didn’t need it. 

Saturday, April 5, 2014 - Glutinous Rice Fried Pancake

After my morning teaching, I decided I was in the mood to try something new.  I always see the same man selling some type of circular bread-pancake thing on weekend afternoons outside of the grocery store, so I finally bought some! It cost 15,000vnd ($0.75) and the vendor’s cart did not have a sign, so I do not know the name of it.  I also have typed in numerous search terms in Google, but with no luck! I’ll have to get a Vietnamese friend to help me put a name to this snack!

It wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be.  It was chewy on the outside and slightly crunchy/soft on the outside (like a good pancake). It seems to have been made with a glutinous rice flour batter as well as some small soft yellow bean. Anyone care to share their expert knowledge to solve this Vietnamese wonder?

Friday, April 4, 2014 - Crispy Dried Noodle Stir-fry

Patrick and I cooked up a big pot of homemade tomato-chicken pasta sauce for lunch, but somehow we ate everything before I remembered to take a photo! I taught kindergarten in the afternoon and spent a large part of the evening lesson-planning and doing private classes!

So, today’s dish of the day features a dinner dish from Pham Ngu Lao Street, D1: Veggie and Beef Stir-fry with Crispy Dried Noodles.  Thinly sliced beef and various veggies are stir fried in a light sauce and piled high on a plate of crispy dried egg noodles.  The noodles begin slowly soaking up the juices, so you go on a texture adventure – a mix of crunchy and soft, combining with the delicious stir-fry flavours.  I tossed in a bit of chili for some extra heat, too!

Thursday, April 3, 2014 - Fried Fish Com Tam

Patrick and I went to Reunification Palace (aka. Independence Palace) in the afternoon to explore the reknowned site of the North Vietnamese army invasion.  In fact, their huge tank crashed through the South-Vietnamese-occupied palace gates in 1975, marking a monumental moment at the end of the American War (aka. the Vietnam War, as it is known outside of Vietnam).  The tank is now on display for public viewing on the palace grounds.  We learned a bit and explored the hidden recesses of the palace.

This dish of the day comes from a coffee shop that also serves a com tam (rice dish) lunch.  I ordered a fried fish com tam and was surprised – no bones!! The set meal came with side chili-oil sauce, sweet ice tea and a side vegetable soup. Garnished with cilantro and appealingly presented, too!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014 - Sugar Palm Fruit

This drink/snack for my dish of the day  is made with pieces of the sugar palm fruit, which is grown  throughout Indochina, especially Cambodia (and apparently in this region of Vietnam too!) 

On our drive to Go Cap Van (Golden Scorpion Lake), Patrick and I saw lots of streetside vendors chopping and selling some type of wood-like looking “thing”.  It turned out to be edible – in fact, it was a fruit! The inside fruit is a white (almost clear) colour and is slightly chewy. The texture reminds me of a lychee or a mangosteen.  They served it in the fruit liquid over ice with a bit of sugar and stirred it around.  Voila! It doesn’t look like much, but it was a great snack – refreshing, chewy deliciousness! 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

I conducted speaking exams for my middle school students and also taught at my language school and a private lesson at night. The speaking exams just don’t seem to end!! I have what feels like a billion students who all need their fair amount of time to be assessed, yet the 45 minute period just seems to vanish before I can get through even a third of the 50-60 students!  I’ve been really impressed with many of the groups though.  Many of them have a very developed and natural English fluency.

Now... here is my dish of the day: A simply grilled chicken salad with golden raisins, pine nuts and balsamic vinaigrette.  We also added in some egg for a little something extra!

Monday, March 31, 2014

Monday is one of those days.  It’s like our weekend because our Sat-Sun is insanely busy with teaching! I only had to teach for a couple of hours in the afternoon, so we had some time to relax, swim and enjoy the wonders of ‘Nam! And what better way to relax and indulge than an evening of delivery pizza and watching Breaking Bad together (which by the way, I’m quite addicted to now)!?

What I don’t understand, yet also find pretty hilarious, is how they decided to top the pizza. Our four toppings were segregated, suffering from a bout of flavour isolation. We played musical pizza, moving around the olives, salami, mushroom and green pepper to even them out. Ah, only here ;)

P.s. ... As an afterthought... was it an early April Fools joke? hmm...!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

One of my wonderful employers that I work for treated Patrick and I to dinner.  We got to meet and get to know her family better, as well as enjoy some delicious new (well, traditional) Vietnamese food! There were wraps that we got to construct ourselves using a variety of ingredients as well as this “dish of the day” below – a type of Vietnamese raw fish called a “Flying Fish” (sashimi) in a salad with noodles, onion, pepper, cilantro, sesame seeds and a light dressing.  I love the artistic detail and care that went into all the garnishes, including the carrot flowers!  

So, although my day was busy with teaching, including meeting a new Japanese private student, it was nice to relax and enjoy a nice Vietnamese meal with Patrick and one of my new employers! Food and good company is always a good end to any day.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

I taught for a bit in the morning at my language school and then had a couple hours free before I had to be back for a meeting (and they had tons of fruit for us, yay!), so I relaxed a bit and grabbed some lunch. 

After the meeting, I joined a few other native English teachers from my language school for a beer at a nearby beer garden, then we decided it would be cheaper and also more fun to grab a few convenience store drinks and head out to a park to hang out for a while, listen to music and to enjoy the late afternoon outside.  Apparently you can’t walk or sit on grass in Ho Chi Minh City because we got in trouble for putting down our picnic blanket on the ground! Quite different from back home! I think they just want to keep up and maintain the grass since there’s so much concrete in big cities! 

Afterwards, we grabbed some egg and com tam and met some others at a nearby “Beer Pong” Bar. They have all the beer pong equipment and giant manuals that describe a variety of different drinking games involving ping pong balls and a table. The bar is actually called “Beer Pong” and it’s nestled in an unassuming alley street that happens to be less than a 5 minute walk from my house! So much to discover around here... So many hidden places!

Now... what you've been drooling for...

No, my dish of the day was not served at a fancy restaurant! This Eggs Florentine (smoked salmon, spinach, poached egg and buttery hollandaise sauce on top of a toasted English Muffin) was cooked up by Patrick and I.  Makes me incredibly happy that I thought to bring a couple packets of hollandaise sauce dry mix with me from home!  Eggs Benedict/Florentine is definitely my kryptonite. Mmmm.  Brings me down to my knees. Moreeeeee!!!

Friday, March 28, 2014

I spent some time lesson-planning and also organizing and figuring out some confusion about my Masters courses and requirements.  I Patrick and I ate com tam for lunch at a local restaurant nearby that we had yet to try (I got tofu and meat in a delicious sauce with rice, veggies, a side soup and a banana – for 25,000vnd/$1.25). The soup tasted a little moldy though... perhaps it was a little off... let’s just say that Friday night my stomach was not feeling the greatest, so it doesn’t stimulate any unappealing imagery... Too late? Oops!

I taught kindergarten in the afternoon, spent a while marking listening exams (for my middle school) and then at night, I taught a private class to one of my Japanese students who is in Vietnam on business.

At the cafe where I did my private class, I decided to try the unconventional “chocolate juice with mint flavouring”. Chocolate juice? Yes – doesn't it just sound so much healthier than a chocolate shake? It’s all in the name. 

My dish of the day comes from a street vendor that I walk by every day I walk to work.  It is called Pho Bo Vien, or “Vietnamese Beef meatball and noodle soup”.  It cost 30,000 ($1.50).  I thought I was ordering Bo Kho because that’s what the sign said, but later on, Google taught me otherwise! They had two types of beef soups to choose from. The first one was Bo Kho (a thicker Vietnamese beef stew with a dark broth and carrots in it that is often served with a baguette). The soup that I chose had beef meatballs, some type of root vegetable, thin noodles, lots of herbs and green onions and a variety of greens on the side to put in the soup.  There was also the typical lime wedges and the salty-spicy side sauces to add in, like many Vietnamese soups are served with. 

Thurs, March 27, 2014

Today was Vietnam’s 2014 Cambridge Educational Conference at the Royal Hotel! I attended it with a few colleagues/friends who work with me at my language school.  I didn’t find it quite as engaging or learn as much as I did at the Oxford Conference though – I felt like I was back in my courses from teacher’s college, simply reviewing the basics, except in a room of 500 people! They had a delicious spread of food though during break time.  Clearly, food is the way to my heart.

Patrick picked me up afterwards and we went up to Van Thanh pool (48/10 Điện Biên Phủ, phường 22, Bình Thạnh).  It had beautiful, resort-like grounds with parks, lake-side cafes and restaurants, lots of greenery, tennis courts and of course, the pool! We enjoyed passion fruit-yogurt and mint-yogurt smoothies while watching random fish jump around amongst the giant lily pads on the small lake.  We walked through the beautiful parks, tanned by the pool and lazed around.   For only 40,000vnd ($2) we could stay as long as we wanted at the pool.  Although it cost more than other HCMC pools, it’s still incredibly cheap and it was oh so luxurious!  I definitely recommend it!

Here are a few shots from Van Thanh pool/grounds and our delicious smoothies:

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Our mint-yogurt and passion fruit-yogurt smoothies!

Afterwards, we checked out the new McDonalds in HCMC for a late lunch – the first McDonalds to be established in Vietnam!  Their customer service completely puts all other fast food restaurants to shame. Also, I found out that the Vietnamese President’s son owns the McD’s here. Luxury McD’s!

I had to go in early to work to use the computer and enroll in my Masters courses for Fall 2014/Winter 2015!  In the evening, I taught two exam review lessons and then got some of my fav ... did you guess it?? Banh xeo! I met a really sweet Vietnamese woman (around my age) who recently got married to an American teacher and we chatted for a while as I ate my lettuce wraps!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

I spent a huge part of the morning figuring out my course selection for my MEd program!  The winter semester selection is highly lacking, but perhaps that will make it easier for me to go abroad to England for an exchange...?! Or perhaps it will be a good opportunity to do a CIDE (Comparative, International and Development Education) practicum in an international organization...? We shall see! Much to look forward to.

My afternoon involved: teaching Kindergarten, my dish of the day, “Banh Mi”, two private lessons (a middle school class and a one-on-one class with a medical student) in the evening, followed by catching up on How I Met Your Mother! Next week is already the season/show finale!

So, I’m not sure why I have waited nearly 2 whole months to feature Banh Mi as my “Dish of the Day”.  Apart from pho, it is one of the easiest to find and most popular foods in Ho Chi Minh City! Perhaps I wanted to wait until I found my favourite banh mi – the best banh mi around.  And today is the day! Despite being twice the cost of the average banh mi (30,000 vs. 15,000 VND), it is still incredibly cheap by North American standards.  Banh Mi is also incredibly convenient and delicious!

So what is it, you ask?  Banh Mi means “sandwich” and the Vietnamese Banh Mi always comes on a perfectly-sizes baguette and has some typical fillings and flavours, however many Banh Mi sellers/vendors offer some options, depending on how big their cart or street-side facilities are.  I believe that the perfect banh mi has a balance of flavours and textures, has nice soft, fresh bread with just the right crunch on the outside, and provides a nice portion of meat, egg or protein.

Here are the most common fillings for a Banh Mi!:

-          A type of protein: Pork, chicken, freshly fried egg, beef, canned tuna, processed deli meats (i.e. ham), and protein-replacements (i.e. made from tofu).  Pork is very popular.

-          Dried fish (in thin “hairlike” slivers) – better than it sounds!

-          Laughing Cow cheese (very popular here – generally costs extra on a banh mi)

-          Cilantro

-          Onions

-          Chili peppers

-          Radish

-          Carrot

-          Cucumber

-          Dressings/condiments (often soy sauce, chili sauce, salt/pepper...)

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Early work days (7-11:30am) full of conducting speaking exams call for delicious, happy-feeling-inducing foods to make up for it.  So, Patrick and went out for a ride on the motorbike and got kebabs from Bui Vien Street.  It wasn’t a typical kebab in a pita, nor was it a baguette, French/Vietnamese-style... It was a random type of triangular bun.  But wow, was it good! The meat was seasoned well and the fillings were very flavourful. It cost 28,000vnd ($1.50) each. I must say, I never used to be a big fan of the fusion food when I was in Korea, but Vietnam seems to have a knack for cross-cultural fusions and adaptations!  Next, we plan to try it baguette-style like a banh mi kebab! Here's a shot of this meat, tomato, onion, cabbage, cucumber, mayo/spicy sauce, chili, etc. filled "kebab"!

On Tuesday, I also sorted out my Visa extension, then taught one hour of private in the afternoon.  At night, I taught my first IELTS (writing test preparation) class in the evening with a group of 17+ year olds, a mix of senior high schoolers and university students.  It went really well and they are incredibly kind and intelligent.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I’ll be teaching them much more though, however, I hope I can more often!

After work for the day and some Bunh Rieu Cua for dinner, I finally had a chance to photocopy, scan and send in my acceptance letter for U of T’s MEd program!  It feels amazing and it’s becoming so much more real, especially as I spend more time reading up about the program, its requirements and my course options!