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Thumbnail image for Vietnamese Pho With No Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)? Sure You Want It That Way?

Vietnamese Pho With No Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)? Sure You Want It That Way?

November 17, 2010

Many people have problems with consuming monosodium glutamate, or MSG, in their foods. Chinese cuisine and many other restaurant foods are notorious for having lots of MSG in them. Restaurant pho is no different. In fact MSG use in many pho restaurants can be dominant and unmistakable. Here are some real insights about MSG in Vietnamese pho, from a roundtable of food industry experts. Vietnamese Pho with no MSG? Sure you want it that way?

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Thumbnail image for How to Say Bánh Mì (Banh Mi) Vietnamese Submarine Sandwich

How to Say Bánh Mì (Banh Mi) Vietnamese Submarine Sandwich

October 19, 2010

Vietnamese bánh mì or banh mi really has two main meanings. In a Viet sandwich shop, you can buy not only the whole baguette banh mi, but also order the bread stuffed with meat submarine sandwich kind of banh mi. Here are the pronunciations for various types of Vietnamese sandwich bánh mì, the sandwich kind.

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Thumbnail image for An Injustice to Pho: Rachael Ray’s “Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork” Recipe

An Injustice to Pho: Rachael Ray’s “Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork” Recipe

October 8, 2010

The dish/program name itself, Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork, is enough to send chills up my spine. What’s really annoying to me is the casualness that these inaccuracies are presented by Rachael Ray and her program. The show, and Rachael Ray herself, not showed total disrespect to Vietnamese (and Thai) foods, but also to their own audience’s intelligence, though I could be wrong here since there are 578 Facebook Likes for the recipe as of the date of this post.

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Thumbnail image for A Conversation With Viet Culinary Author and Teacher Andrea Nguyen

A Conversation With Viet Culinary Author and Teacher Andrea Nguyen

August 28, 2009

Andrea Nguyen is a celebrated food writer and teacher with a unique ability to interpret traditional Asian cooking styles for modern cooks. Andrea’s first book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, received three prestigious James Beard and IACP cookbook award nominations. Her new cookbook, Asian Dumplings, hits the shelves on August 25th, 2009. I was happy and honored that Andrea Nguyen agreed to an interview. Read about my interview with Andrea, what makes her tick, plus her views on the state of Vietnamese pho.

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Thumbnail image for Instant Pho: How Good Are They?

Instant Pho: How Good Are They?

July 29, 2009

There is a reason why instant ramen, and instant pho, took the world by storm. In today’s fast-paced life, instant pho caters to a need to feed and satisfy hunger in less than five minutes. In recent years instant pho comes in foam cups or bowls. All you need is to add hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. The question is not if instant pho is good or bad, but if it is good for your health. Here’s my take on instant pho.

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Thumbnail image for Corinne Trang’s Culinary Tours of Chinatown and Andrea Nguyen in the Media

Corinne Trang’s Culinary Tours of Chinatown and Andrea Nguyen in the Media

June 18, 2009

On a few rare occasions I go off the pho path to highlight non-pho topics. I’ll give some buzz anytime for two of my favorite culinary experts, one on the East Coast, the other West Coast. I respect them and their works, so here’s what going on with Corinne Trang and Andrea Nguyen.

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Andrea Nguyen – America’s Vietnamese Kitchen (and Pho) Expert

March 24, 2009

Andrea Nguyen is a source of pho knowledge. She commands an excellent website and blog about pho and other Vietnamese cuisine, with recipes and tips that are easy to follow and enjoy.

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