Vietnamese Chicken Ragu

vietnamese chicken ragu
Although nothing about Vietnamese Chicken Ragu screams Vietnamese, it remains one of our most beloved dishes. Clearly, it is a culinary delight left behind by the French from the old colonial days. Perfect on a cold winter’s day, or any day for that matter, this stew-like dish is traditionally eaten with freshly baked, crusty French bread. I simply love dipping the bread into the savory broth!

After years of watching my mother and grandmother make this dish, I have perfected the recipe by combining their techniques with a few of my own :-). I prefer to use a combination of chicken drumsticks and thighs because they are my favorite; however, you could use any combination of chicken parts you prefer. I hope you give this recipe a try soon!

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Oven-Steamed Fish with Shitake, Soy Sauce, Ginger, and Scallions

This is my take on the classic Chinese-style steamed fish with soy sauce. Since I don’t have a proper steamer and prefer to cook fish in the oven, I decided to use the old parchment paper/foil trick! Similar to my baked salmon recipe, I “steam” this dish by wrapping everything in foil packets and baking it in the oven. It’s a quick and healthy way to cook fish, while leaving for a fast and easy cleanup! (Simply throw away the foil and you’re done! No need to wash the pan since it was lined with foil.) I love how all the juices stay in the foil packets, keeping the fish moist. Best of all, you have a wonderful sauce to drizzle over a side of jasmine rice or soba noodles. Yummmm!  Continue reading