On (not) reading packages at the Vietnamese market

Sometimes our entire family really needs to have some bun cha. It is the favorite Vietnamese food of those who have travelled there and even those who have not love it. Since it is virtually impossible to find in VN restaurants, we must make it ourselves. If I plan well, I am able to drive down the the VN markets near us to buy all the greens that go on top, which is where I was thing morning. As well as the greens, I also picked up some things that are difficult to find even at my normal grocery store which caters to a pretty diverse population. What did I get? A can of coconut gels. M., B., and TM really love these; they are a bit too gelatinous for my taste. I also bought a package of prawn chips for TM. (He loves all things fish.) It looked like a normal package of prawn chips, though when TM ripped into them his first words were, "Oh weird!" While that would be most American's reaction to prawn chips, it usually isn't TM's. So J. and I take a look...and they are weird. They are really hard and transparent and don't taste very good. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that they must be boiled in oil before eating. Who knew you could buy prawn crackers that weren't fully cooked? Obviously I didn't or I would have bought the fully cooked variety.

What didn't I get? I was really hoping to find a bag of Vinamit dried pineapple which is my favorite snack food from VN. But, despite wandering the aisles more than once, no Vinamit chips were to be found.

Comments

April said…
E,
We call them shrimp chips and they are so much better in the oil than buying them already packaged! And, more bank for your buck b/c you can actually break them in half b/c they puff up so big once heated in oil. I could eat that and Vietnamese salad all day long! One of my favorites that my husband makes for me :)
5/02/2010 8:47 AM
thecurryseven said…
OK, April, you've convinced me that I should brave the hot oil and give it a try. I'll let you know what everyone thinks,

e
5/03/2010 8:43 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Making bias tape... otherwise known as the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway

Image
( Sorry, the contest is now closed .... though you're welcome to leave a comment if you like.) It's Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway time again.  I love bias tape.  It is so useful and so easy to use... finishing edges ... finishing seams ...  And while the pre-packaged stuff has it's place and I use it often, I really like to have patterned bias tape as well.  Enter one of my favorite little tools: the bias tape maker.  This one make 3/4 inch bias tape and I will be giving one away at the end of this post.  But first, I thought some of you might like to see what it does if you've never used one before. I don't have a rotary cutter, nice cutting mats, or even a proper cutting table (I cut-out things on my floor), so if I can do this, so can you.  Here is my admittedly quirky method. Step 1:  Lay out the fabric and fold a corner over to find the bias.  The woven threads should be at right angles to the part you turned up. Step 2:  Using a ruler and some sort of mark
Read more

Apple picking in the rain

Image
Today was our planned day to go and pick apples.  It was raining off and on, but when it comes to fruit, we don't let a little water get in our way so off we went.  We met our friends and enjoyed their company and picked a lot of apples (3 1/2 bushels).  We also ate quite a few. G.  L. K.  (with an apple nearly as big as his head) P8, TM and L. Now, I don't know about you, but even picking 7 bags of apples does not take us very long.  It's a shame to drive so far only to turn around and go home, so we packed lunches, headed to a park, and enjoyed the now sunny weather. TM and P8 A good day all around.  Of course now I have to do something with all these apples...
Read more

Kenzie on the beach

Image
We have made it back home. I am feeling a little more balanced, but it was hard saying goodbye to a house we've created such meaningful memories in for the past 34 years. I'll write more about both later.  In the meantime enjoy pictures of Kenzie living his best life as a beach dog.  Note the ears blowing in the wind (Photo credit TM) (Photo credit for the rest MC)
Read more