Basil shrimp

Veggie dumplings from My Thanh. They seem like a happy bunch.

Heat olive and sesame oil, cook dumplings for 1 minute. Add a little water, reduce heat, cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and increase heat until sides brown.


Marinated shrimp in garlic, onions, tamari, and nuoc mam. Cooked with ginger, carrots, and green beans. Seasoned with salt, pepper, dry chilli flakes; topped with scallions and basil.


Basil. When I worked at a Vietnamese restaurant, a customer complained his basil wasn't fresh. The least I could do, he said, was give him fresh sides for his pho because he "liberated you (my) people." I smiled, politely apologized, and turned towards the kitchen. Instead of getting the jerk what he wanted, I simply washed his wilted basil so it looked "fresh", returned it to him, and he was statisfied.

Sandwiches everyday

Another dau hu banh mi, I can't ever get enough of any type of banh mi. I went to Fiesta too late to grab the regular baguettes, so I got the other ones. They're HUGE! The crust had a slight taste of garlic.

Pickled veggies and lemongrass tofu from My Thanh (stir fried with onions and garlic). Side of gingered tamari for steamed carrots and green beans.

Tung Ho

Wikipedia: Garland chrysanthemum (Leucanthemum coronarium, Chrysanthemum coronarium), also known as chrysanthemum greens or edible chrysanthemum, is a leaf vegetable in the genus Leucanthemum. It is referred to as tong hao in Chinese (茼蒿), shungiku (春菊) in Japanese, ssukgat in Korean and cải cúc or tần ô in Vietnamese. I just call it the leafy thing for soup.

Lemongrass tofu, tung ho soup with shrimp, picked radish and carrots.

Soup: Mince shrimp and marinate with nuoc mam and scallions. Boil chicken broth and add tung ho. Add shrimp when water starts boiling again. Cook for about 5 minutes. That's it.

My busy week will end soon. I'm looking forward to having extra time in my kitchen. Or bed.

Banh mi!

Banh mi (bread), otherwise known as a Vietnamese sandwich. Lemongrass tofu and pickled daikon and carrots from My Thanh, cilantro, and cucumbers. Toasted french bread, filled with fillings, and topped with low sodium soy sauce and tuong ot (chili paste).

Wonton Soup

I've been craving Asian soups for the last 2 weeks. Still haven't been satisfied.

Shrimp and pork wontons from My Thanh:

In chicken broth and ginger, Chinese broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, and topped with cilantro, scallions, and bean sprouts.

The wontons were a little salty. Maybe next time I'll attempt to make my own.