Kim Fay's Caramelized Clay Pot Fish

In an excerpt from her book Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, author Kim Fay included this prelude to her recipe:
"We made variations of this dish in Nha Trang, Dalat, and Saigon. After much experimentation, I came up with a recipe that is a crowd pleaser. When multiplying it, cut back on the oil and fish sauce in both the marinade and the sauce. And don't forget to remove the chilies before serving. The clay pot I usually use for this recipe and its doubled portion is the equivalent to a two-quart saucepan. If you can't find a clay pot, a heavy-bottom saucepan will do."... Read more

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STREET OF HANOI

It’s an act of faith!  Crossing the street in the city of Hanoi in Vietnam is an experience I will never forget. The roads are literally wall to wall traffic. Motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, cars, hand carts, buses, cars, mopeds, taxis and trucks whiz by in a blur of color and motion. There are very few traffic lights and I quickly learned that the ones which do exist are just for decoration. I asked our guide in Hanoi how we would ever get to the other side of the street given the endless stream of vehicles. “Just step out onto the pavement” he said, “and start walking. Keep a steady pace. Don’t speed up and don’t slow down and never ever come to a complete stop. If you do you will be hit for sure. If however you walk at an even pace the vehicles will be able to judge your speed and will dodge around you.” He was right! I admit that even after being in the city for four days my heart beat still began to race ever time I took that leap of faith and stepped out onto the street. I had to keep my head down, because if I looked at that frightening wave of traffic coming at me, it was too easy to lose courage and slow down or stop. And the noise! There is absolutely no need for signal lights on vehicles in Vietnam. No one uses them. Everyone just blasts their horn when they want to pass. The honking of thousands of horns is a twenty four hour a day background accompaniment to life in Hanoi. After awhile you just get used to it.
The traffic is only one of the things that makes the streets of Hanoi unique however. The sidewalks are endlessly fascinating as well. Since houses and shops are small, narrow and for the most part without air conditioning, the people of Hanoi do lots of their living and working outside their homes and businesses. Children play tag, soccer and jump rope on the street.  Barbershops are set up right on the sidewalk. A chair, a pair of scissors, shaving cream, razor and comb and you’re in business! In the evenings children in their pajamas sit outside their homes reading or doing homework. People wash dishes, butcher chickens, do laundry, bag rice, cook, eat supper, feed their babies and sleep on the sidewalk. Of course it’s also where everyone parks their motorcycles and bicycles. Often there are so many vehicles parked on the sidewalk that there is no room to walk.
You can buy just about anything on the sidewalk in Hanoi. Enterprising entrepreneurs have hundreds of “knock off” designer clothing items neatly arranged on blankets spread out on the cobblestones.  People sell fruits, vegetables and fresh bread on every corner. Children carrying cases of cigarettes, souvenirs and toiletries accost you constantly. Vendors with pirated copies of bestselling novels piled high on their heads will approach likely looking clients any hour of the night or day.  Lots of women have little restaurants on the street. In the morning they come from their homes with the traditional wooden yoke across their shoulders. Balanced on one side is a pot of steaming soup. On the other is a pail filled with bowls, spoons, a little coal burner, two small plastic chairs and a folding table. They pick their spot for the day, set up their supplies and voila they’re in business. Once the pail without soup is emptied of its contents it is filled with water so the women can wash dishes in it after each customer. We ate at several of these mobile soup kitchens and had delicious meals.
The streets and sidewalks of Hanoi are places of constant activity and endless fascination. If you really want to get to know the city all you have to do is walk down the street. Just be careful when you cross it!
Published on 10/10/09
Source: Thingsasian
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MAI CHAU VALLEY – HOA BINH, VIETNAM

Nested itself between ranges of mountain, Mai Chau exposes its beauty of a peaceful valley. Not being amazingly picturesque, it gives me an impresion of being modestly quiet.
The small stilt wooden houses situating themselves on hill side or leaning on rock cliff bring me back to the memory of a simple love dream that i used to treasure, the rhythm of Chapi dream….
Ở nơi ấy tôi đã thấy trên ngọn núi cao
Có hai người, chỉ có hai người yêu nhau
Họ đã sống không mùa đông, không mùa nắng mưa
Có một mùa, chỉ có một mùa yêu nhau …

There up on the mountain top
Only them a  couple in love
no winter, no summer but just

the only time of loving seasons…
There, no sound of Chapi is heard, but in the tranquil atmostphere, you will find yourself indulge in magic melody of love, you will see how you will love those innocent hearts, simple-minded people, you ll see that, from a certain angle, happiness is plainly the self contentment.
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TOP 10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES BY LONELY PLANET

Yoga in India, cooking in Hoi An, Vietnam – in an extract from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences, we find those 10 iconic experiences that are as special as the place they’re from.

1. Surfing in Hawaii, USA

Learning to surf here is special. Polynesia was the birthplace of surfing – he’e nalu (wave sliding) was first observed here by Europeans in the 18th century – but Hawaii remains the focal point for the world’s coolest lifestyle. Plenty of surf schools and instructors will patiently teach you how to read the ocean for swell, paddle into a wave and, critically, learn to stand and ride at beginner spots such as Waikiki Beach and Puena Point. Between sessions you can watch the pros shred heaving monsters at reef breaks such as Pipeline, Off the Wall and Sunset Beach. Learn to bottom turn with the Waikiki Beach Boys; two-hour lessons cost US$99 and run twice daily from Monday to Saturday.

2. Cooking in Hoi An, Vietnam

On the banks of the Hoi An River, the Red Bridge Restaurant and Cooking School is one of many restaurants offering courses to meet the growing demand for tutorials in quality Vietnamese cuisine. One-day and half-day cooking tours will match your culinary skills, from non-existent to cordon bleu. Starting with a trip to a local market, where you’ll select ingredients and learn by observing street vendors, you’ll then return to the restaurant for an expert demonstration before putting your new-found knowledge into practice. Expect to serve up rice-paper rolls and marinated beef, decorated with a pineapple boat. Classes usually last about three hours, include four dishes and cost around US$40 per person. Take a camera so you can remember each dish you master...Read more

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Vietnamese food 7

Canh Chua (Fish Sour Soup)
Canh chua originated from the Mekong Region, more specifically from Dong Thap Muoi. Canh chua is a fish sour soup made with fish from the Mekong River and so dua flower. This dish is mostly served when the so dua flower first blossoms at the end of the rainy season. A feast is organized and the fish sour soup is among the delicious meals prepared for this event. Fish sour soup must be eaten very hot. It must also be eaten all at one time since the taste is altered when the soup is reheated.
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Chao Tom (Grilled Shrimp Paste)
Foreigners often say that grilled shrimp paste is a very unusual dish made from very simple ingredients. The recipe consists of clean shrimps placed in coconut water. The shrimps are later grilled and ground to obtain shrimp flour. The flour is mixed with fat and sugar to finally obtain shrimp paste. This dish is served with fish sauce.
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Banh Cuon Trang Bang (Rice Cakes)
Trang Bang, located 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City, is where one can find the best rice paper and rice cakes.
Both can be found everywhere, but nowhere are they better than in Trang Bang where they are made from local rice. The rice flour is roasted for four or five hours and made into thick cakes. Once the cakes are dried, they are placed into nylon bags.
These cakes can be eaten with shrimp, meat, salad, and coriander. During Tet, the cakes are served with roasted meat, eggs, and sour mustard.

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Vietnamese food 6

Cau Mong Beef
Cau Mong beef is a specialty of Cau Mong, located 15 km from Danang, Dien Ban district, where nearly ten restaurants serve the dish. Cau Mong beef has been served for a long time and is found in many places outside Danang, such as Hoi An, Tam Ky, Vinh Dien, and Ho Chi Minh City.
The meat along with its skin is cut in thin slices, half cooked, and eaten with nem, which consists of fish sauce mixed with soy sauce, sugar, chili, garlic, lemon, star fruit, vervain, and green banana.
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Hu Tieu (My Tho Noodle Soup)
My Tho seafood noodle soup is different from Chinese noodle soup, nam vang soup, and Hue beef noodle soup, because it contains soy bean, lemon, chili, and soy sauce instead of herbs and lettuce.
Back in the 1960s, a shop in My Tho, 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City, started serving this dish using a secret recipe for the rice noodles. Ever since then, its reputation has grown to become a very well known meal in Vietnam.
It is said that the most delicious noodle soup is made with Co Cat rice, from the most famous rice growing area of My Phong village, a suburb of My Tho.
The sweet aroma of the broth comes from the meat, dried squid, and special condiments.
My Tho noodle soup is a traditional dish specific to the south.
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Lau Mam (Mixed Soup)
Lau mam was a popular dish among farming communities hundreds of years ago, especially in the southwestern provinces. Nowadays, lau mam is considered a delicacy and is often served to special guests. Lau designates the broth, and mam the salted fish.
The main ingredient used in the broth is marinated fish to which meat and vegetables are added. Various ingredients, such as seafood, fish, and meat, are prepared on separate plates. Guests choose and boil their meat in the broth. The meal is accompanied by several fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs.
This dish is particularly enjoyed since so many alternatives are possible, offering a wide array of delicious flavours.

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Vietnamese food 5

Tom Chua (Hue Sour Shrimp)
When Hue natives living outside the city return to their homeland, they usually have sour shrimp. Tourists also make sure to buy some jars of sour shrimp before leaving Hue.
Because of the national reputation of this dish, some cooks and merchants specialize in making sour shrimp. In the past, people made this dish at home, but now it is easier to buy it at the market.
This dish can be prepared with any kind of shrimp. The recipe includes a number of steps that must be performed in a specific order. First, the fresh, clean, and dry shrimp of approximately the same size are put in wine along with dry bamboo shoots, garlic, and chili. The ingredients are kept in a closed container at room temperature for three days. Then the container is put in a cool, dry place. After five or seven days, the sour shrimp are ready.
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Com Hen (Hue Mussel Rice)
Hot white rice is part of every meal in Vietnam, but only Hue mussel rice is served cool. Hue people, after deciding that no food should be wasted, have designed this dish using leftover rice.
This dish includes Chinese vermicelli, bamboo shoots, lean pork meat, and an assortment of green vegetables (banana leaves, mint, star fruit, etc.).
The broth obtained after boiling the mussels is used to flavour the rice. Ginger, sesame, and chili are also added to the broth. This dish is very spicy and it is not rare to see people with watery eyes and sweaty faces while eating it; nevertheless, everyone congratulates the cook for such a delicious meal.
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Hue Beef Noodle Soup
One must have years of experience to cook excellent Hue beef noodle soup. This recipe mainly consists of shredded meat and rice noodles. Most restaurants and merchants in Hue do not make the rice noodles themselves; they buy them in Van Cu and Bao Vinh, two villages located near Hue.
Learning how to make a clear broth from bone and meat is also a difficult task, but cooks have the satisfaction of seeing customers enjoying a good meal. The secret of this recipe resides in the meat–this is why it must be bought directly from the slaughterhouse early in the morning. The meat is then shredded, boiled, and taken out of the water to obtain a delicious clear broth.
The amount of salt put in the recipe varies depending on the season; during summer, Hue beef noodle soup is served with soy bean, mint, and different kinds of lettuce; in the winter, the recipe is saltier and lemongrass and fish sauce are added.