Duck & Bamboo Shoot Soup

A very traditional soup, with the earthy flavor of the bamboo shoots (both fresh and dried kinds) and the gamey taste of the duck meat brought together in a soup bowl, spiced a little with ground chile if you like it hot, a little wedge of lime, some chopped cilantro.  And there, a sort of Vietnamese chicken soup.



Crème Brulée

The crème was buttery, nicely balanced by the crunch of caramelized sugar, yet the poached pear added a different dimension to the palate while not interfering the classic brulée.  Beautiful.

Best crème brulée ever, hands down.

From Masraff's with love...

Banana Bread Pudding

The Vietnamese version, which calls for coconut milk, gives the pudding a lighter summer taste.  I like to add some tart cherries betweens the layers.  And with some brandy sauce, it can go from breakfast, midday snack to after dinner treat.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Those cute little mushrooms have a very meaty taste.  Baked with a little sautée bread crumb, topped with fresh crabmeat, dusted with paprika and garnished with chopped cilantro, and voilà, a nice hors d’oeuvre.

Vietnamese Crepe

It's always a treat to make these turmeric fragrant crunchy crepes, but seriously, it has to be eaten right off the pan. 
Break it up, roll it in a leaf of green lettuce, with some mint, shiso, cilantro, Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), and dip it in a bowl of sweetened fish sauce with red hot chili pepper.
Try it...

Sweet Rice

 Sweet rice or sticky rice with char siu, chinese sausages and dried shrimps...such a simple dish but so flavorful.  The sweet rice should be soaked in water before being cooked for better result. I like my sweet rice steamed rather than cooked in the cooker so the rice will be soft and sticky and won't be broken.  For the flavor, I love to use lots of onions and garlic. First I saute them in oil and allow them to brown before adding all the meats and the dried shrimps, then I add sugar, lots of freshly cracked black peppercorn, soy sauce to taste, and pour the mixture over the cooked rice and mix them well, I always use chopsticks to mix them so the rice wouldn't be broken.  Now, I just need to prepare some hot tea.

Beef Curry