Savoury Tonkinese Soup with Beef (Pho Bo) at Pho Zen restaurant

I can't seem to find anyone who doesn't like Vietnamese Tonkinese soup "Pho". The most popular "Pho" and my favourite is the "Pho Bo Tai", the soup with beef broth and medium rare flanc steak. This past weekend, I couldn't find a better way to reward myself with this warm and gratifying treat at a sleek nearby Pho restaurant called Pho Zen, after a nasty cold that merely made my week miserable and my exam writing arduous. But I made it through! I was glad to go out for dinner and slurp the savory broth directly from the bowl.


I have a message to most of my non-asian friends, and to all non-asians out there. Please don't be shy to slurp your noodles and the broth directly from the bowl when you are enjoying this wonderful soup, especially in the company of asian friends or when you are savoring this soup in a vietnamese restaurant where the majority of the customers are asian! Make yourself at home. You may not feel comfortable at first, because most probably it is very unliky that you are used to such table manners, perceived as rude and embarrassing by most westerners, but it's fun and you get the most out of your experience in eating this truly vietnamese delight.

It is very difficult to make a perfectly tasty "Pho". The right blends of ingredients and the long process (8 hours) of cooking the broth are key to a star-rated "Pho". Being vietnamese, I have picked up my parent's fussiness when it comes to finding a restaurant serving the right tasting "Pho", which shouldn't be too salty or bland, but have the right concoction of flavours released from the herbs, spices and the beef.

Since the original recipe is very time consuming, which is not the aim of my blog but to share easy and simple recipes, I am planning to post a simplified recipe of the famous "Pho" soup very soon, by...hushhh...cheating a little. And believe me, it tastes just as good.

Overall, Pho Zen restaurant is worth a dining experience, not only for it's sleek design and cleanliness (you won't have to wipe your chopsticks and spoons twice before using them, like other places) but for it's truly authentic and flavourful authentic Vietnamese Tonkinese soups.

Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimps

We had special guests this weekend from Toronto who have helped us tremendously with our menu selection for our lunch and dinner main courses during their stay in Montreal. These specials guests are dear to me and one of them is a fantastic cook. This dish was prepared by her with her own creativity inspired by chinese cuisine. The preparation was simplistic, yet the result was absolutely scrumptious.

I would say that this dish is my second favourite dish, right after the Lobster in blackbean sauce, which you can find here. I love sea food so much that I can eat it everyday if they weren't so high in cholesterol.

Recipe "au pif":
20 medium sized shrimps shells removed except tails (we got them frozen at Costco and they are surprisingly yummy)
1 tsp spicy salt (mostly found in caribbean or Cajun food stores), or fine sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp canola oil
Season shrimps with salt and pepper and coat them lightly with flour in a bowl.
Heat a good quality work at high heat. When wok is hot enough, throw in the shrimps and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until they are golden-orange in colour on the outside. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes off the heat, until the inside is cooked, but not overdone. They have to be plump and not hard and dry.
You can place shrimps on a bed of finely shredded lettuce and sprinkle some chopped scallions over the shrimps.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Enjoy!

Cornish Hen in Mushroom and Lemon Sauce

This past weekend I've been busy studying for a mid-term exam but didn't want to deprive myself from eating good food. In hectic times like these, I like to prepare easy and simple foods that won't take too much time, yet that look like I spent hours in the kitchen cooking it. I like to categorize this dish as a "hybrid" because it's a phenomenal combination of vietnamese and french cuisine. It's rich in flavour and aroma, yet the texture of the whole dish remains light. Chicken or Cornish Hen (tiny little chicken, but bigger than quail) is the primary ingredient. I prefer using Cornish Hen because of its refined and extremely tender meat. The most appealing part of this dish is how the fragrance of the coriander and the aroma of the butter blend so well together. What a great marriage.

Recipe "au pif":
2 small cornish hens (or chicken drumsticks and wings)
1 can sliced or whole mushrooms
1 medium sized onion quartered
3 garlic cloves, mashed
1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam) for a lifted flavour or you can use salt instead
2 tsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 quarters of one lemon
Some coriander
Some black ground pepper

Spatchcock the cornish hens.
Prepare marinade in a bowl by mixing the fish sauce and half the garlic in a bowl. Marinate the hens in the bowl and let sit at room temperature for about half an hour.

Brown hens in a hot skillet or a sauce pan until all sides are golden brown, and put aside.

On high-medium heat, oil and melt butter in a large enough sauce pan that can fit 2 small cornish hens, and that can also go in the oven (otherwise transfer hens into a large baking dish). Add in the onions, stir until soft, and add in garlic and stir for a 1 minute (but they should not brown). Add the flour and stir. Immediately add in the wine and keep stirring.
Add in hens, so that they fit in the pen. Add in the mushrooms and the chicken broth. Squeeze in lemon juice over the hens from the lemon quarters. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the hens are cooked throughout.
Put in oven at 350F to brown the skin even more for about 30 minutes, if desired.
Sprinkle some chopped coriander and pepper over the chicken and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.
It can be served with potatoes, but it's fantastic with steamed white jasmine or basmati rice.

Qlinart Editor

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Hello and Welcome!

Born to Vietnamese parents in a small suburb of Paris, Maisons-Alfort, France, I now reside in Montreal, Canada.

Having graduated from engineering school and travelled around the world in Europe, Asia and the Americas, I continue to enjoy savoring, tasting and cooking delectable various local dishes. Since I moved out on my own several years back, I was very quickly sold out on the idea to take on an authentic culinary adventure and explore new flavours and aromas.

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The more I cook different types of dishes, the more I realize that one of my hidden pleasures and talents is not only to eat but to cook delicious exotic foods. Often I tell myself, if time permitted, I would most likely become the best cordon bleu in the world! That's because my re-awakened passion in food moved me to be so dedicated in the art of cooking.

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The source of my inspiration to create this personal cooking journal are my dear friends Dr. E. Pierre and Sandra.

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Please send me your comments, I'll be glad to hear from you!

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** en français **

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Bonjour et bienvenu!

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Formation en ingénierie et, après avoir parcouru l’asie, l’europe et les amériques, ainsi qu’ayant goûté à leurs mets, très vite mon goût pour l’aventure culinaire refait surface.
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Plus je pratique les différentes cuisines du monde, plus je comprends que j’étais fait pour ça, et plus je sens mon don culinaire. Souventes fois, je me dis, si le temps aidant je ne deviendrai pas le meilleur cordon bleu du monde! Car, chez moi, quel sens du réel et quelle inspiration j’ai dû l’avoir profonde pour me consacrer dans un domaine aussi prisé que l’art culinaire.

Je profite de l’occasion pour vous présenter mes chers amis qui m’ont inspiré et dont je fais le contact, Dr. E. Pierre et Sandra.

Je serais très heureuse de recevoir vos commentaires!

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Quynh Nguyen

QlinArt

Potage aux Cressons et Courgettes (Watercress and Zucchini soup)

Today was the first day of fall to start wearing a warm sweater and a scarf in this damp and cool weather. I just came back from a promenade in the woods with my friend SAB, whom I haven't seen in eons, taking pictures of the outdoors and especially of ourselves joking around like kids! Here are some of the pics we took today.

It was also a great day to make a nice, warm and savoury soup. This is a very simple recipe which takes 5 minutes to prepare and literally 5 minutes to cook (in a pressure cooker).

Recipe "au pif":
2 medium sized green zucchini, cut in thin slices
1 large baking potato, diced
2 cups of fresh watercress
1 onion, quartered
2 medium garlic cloves, mashed
6 cups water
1/2 cube of chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
some ground black pepper
some chili paste (optional)
1/4 tsp butter (optional)
some olive oil

Heat oil in large pressure cooker. Add in garlic, onions and potatoes and stir until potato edges are slightly browned.

Throw in the zucchinis and watercress. Stir.

Add salt, curry powder and pepper.

Pour in water and stir all ingredients.

Cover, tighten lid and pressure cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Wait until there is no more pressure in the pot and remove the lid.

Use a hand blender to purée the vegetables until you reach a smooth a velvety texture.

Add in more salt to taste, if desired.

Add in butter for more buttery flavour, if desired.

Add in chili paste for more heat, if desired.

Serves 6 people.

Ratatouille à la Maïté

The first time I seriously got into cooking, I was in France after completing my engineering degree in Montreal. I had moved to France back then for a couple of years with the hope of landing myself a good entry-level job in civil engineering, as the university had informed newly grads that France was one of the places to be for civil engineers, with booming opportunities in that field. I had sent out hundreds of curriculum vitaes to interesting companies that were looking for new blood. As months went by, I slowly became frustrated with the lack of responses from target companies despite all the energy and effort I was putting in my job hunt. Most of the firms I applied to were looking for candidates with an engineering degree from the "Hautes Écoles" (prestigious and renowned universities in France). Quickly, I became discouraged and gave myself a deadline to find myself an engineering job, even if it were to be just a "stage" (internship). All I wanted was to gain professional experience like every new grad wished for.

Fortunately, my stay in France wasn't all that discouraging. It opened my eyes to a completely different world ; cooking good food. What better place to learn how to cook other than France! I was exploring fresh produce such as cheese, meats, vegetables and pastries while visiting the outdoor "marchés" (food markets) every Sunday morning. I remember my first "Boeuf Bourguignon" being a disaster as I had not cooked the meat long enough, it was as hard as a rock. My first successful dish was a ratatouille, a stewed vegetable dish which originated from Nice, France. The key ingredients are zucchinis (courgette), tomatoes, eggplant, onions and garlic. But my favourite ratatouille is from Maïté's recipe which includes potatoes and parsley. Maïté is a famous cook from southern France whose popular cooking show became an inspiration to my cooking "au pif". Her jovial presence and chanting southern french accent was quite entertaining and her recipes so easy to follow. This dish is mostly served as a side dish, but often enough it is also eaten as a main dish with rice or potatoes. If it wasn't for Maïté, I think I would have left France earlier than planned and not have discovered my inner passion for cooking and eating simple and good food...and I probably would have never started this blog!

Recipe "au pif":
3 large tomatoes, diced (big pieces)
2 medium green zucchinis, cut in thin slices
1 baby eggplant or 1/2 of large eggplant cut in thin slices
1 large baking potato cut in thing slices
3 medium garlic cloves, mashed and minced
1 medium onion cut in thin slices
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
pepper
butter and olive oil
chopped parlsey

On medium heat, melt a bit butter in a big pan and sauté potatoes until edges are brown. Remove potatoes and put aside.
Add and heat a bit of oil and butter in same pan and sauté eggplant until brown. Remove eggplant and put aside.
Heat a bit of oil and stir in the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes until tomatoes have almost turned into a sauce (liquidy and chunky).
Stir back in the potatoes, eggplant with the tomatoes, onions and garlic. Stir well until all ingredients are well mixed. Add in the zucchinis last (since they cook fast) and stir with all ingredients. Add in salt, pepper and chili flakes. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt to taste, if desired.
Add chopped parsley to serve.

Serves 4 people.

Scrambled Eggs Vietnamese style

Back in university, I would visit my cousin Lili in Ottawa one weekend and join her and her roomates for a huge brunch. As we were eating an omelette prepared by one of her roomates, my cousin and I looked at each other obviously having the same thought "is there any fish sauce around?". My cousin's roomates were looking at us obviously thinking "what are you talking about, eggs are eggs, what's the big deal guys?". The big deal is (and any vietnamese would agree with me), fish sauce makes an AMAZING difference in the taste of eggs, whether scrambled or in omelettes. It just adds that extra "umpf" flavour, and not a "fishy" one as most would anticipate. So as I was eating my breakfast-brunch this morning, I thought this was the perfect time to write about it and about how easy it is to prepare, like any other egg dish. Most of my friends of different ethnic backgound (Greek, Austrian, Colombian, French..) have just discovered this great combination and were amazed by the wonderful flavour fish sauce can bring to eggs. Mind you, scrambled eggs with fish sauce doesn't look any different from regular scrambled eggs western culture is used to, but do trust me on this, it tastes a million times better!

Recipe "au pif":
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
some ground black pepper
Some oil for cooking
Whisk eggs and fish sauce in a bowl and scramble in a hot pan. Remove from heat until firm and soft in texture(not too firm) and slightly runny. Keep scrambling and serve hot with bread and butter.

Serves 2.

Enjoy and let me know of your experience tasting these yummy eggs!