homemade vietnamese nem nuoung ...

i love nem nuoung, and for those of you who don't know what it is, it's essentially a vietnamese sausage/meatloaf patty that's sliced and rolled up like a summer roll. contents include cucumber, cilantro, lettuce, sometimes a shrimp spring roll for crunch, chives and then the roll is dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (light on the peanut flavor though).

my mother usually makes me a large batch, it's put into the freezer and i slowly enjoy the fruits of her labor. well, a short while ago, i decided to make them myself, and during my two weeks off i re-stocked the fridge. i of course bastardized my version, my mother already shakes her head at my variation. in addition to the pork, garlic and spices, i add in chopped cilantro, chopped and sliced garlic, both granulated sugar and honey, and green onion directly into the mixture, definitely a big no-no in terms of authenticity. i enjoy it, i think it's a good addition.

the pork patty is put under a hot broiler, the outside becomes sticky, sweet and crisp, and when cut, snaps like the casing of a good hotdog. if you want the recipe, you'll have to ask, but i may not give it to you ... it does involve: pork, garlic, cilantro, garlic, fish sauce, garlic powder, sugar, honey, did i mention more garlic ...

here's the final product before being rolled up:

a spot of pho ...

a quick review: pho so 1, dorchester, ma ... at the corner of dorchester ave and adams street on the south side of boston. a couple of weeks ago, i took a quick road trip down to the dc area and when i'm in the area, i usually always hit up eden center in falls church va. it's the mecca in the dc area for all things vietnamese. thousands upon thousands of square feet of edible vietnamese goodness, it's like an amusement park of food. i usually always have a good time there, and leave with a very fully belly, but for some reason this time, something was quite lacking. i cam back to boston still hankering for vietnamese, and when that's the case, pho usually hits the spot. i went searching, and ended up on yelp. there are a number of pho/vietnamese places in boston - specifically in allston or chinatown, but there's also a large concentration in dorchester. i took a ride down to dorchester one monday during the week and found pho so 1, from a picking of about 5 different places on yelp. it was a cold bitter day, pho hit the spot, pho so 1 definitely hit the spot. the restaurant itself is pretty clean, tables are set, and my feet don't stick to the floor, nor the chairs, a good sign. the menu itself isn't as expansive as other vietnamese places i've been, worrisome? i think not, it may just mean they do the few things they serve well, at least i hope. the pho came out, and i had no complaints, broth was clear, aromatic, thinly sliced top round mixed with the right amount of beef balls. the obligatory plate of bean sprouts, asian basil were crisp not wilted ... i of course consumed this xlarge bowl of pho with reckless abandonment ... and subsequently came back a few more times for more. i've tried a few other things on the menu, worth trying but stick to the pho.

if you want another place for pho not in chinatown, head for pho so 1.

what i ate today ...

i flew into la on sunday and was fortunate enough to spend some time and meet up with some friends and family. first up was the vietnamese noodle bar in glendale. it's yet another one of these locales where there are no signs on the storefront, just a simple number, no other markings. weird la'ians.

ordered up the shrimp eggrolls, a shrimp crepe, and bun bo (almost dry noodle soup). food was fantastic! eggrolls were piping hot and delicious.



crepe was crispy and tasty although my mother would probably say they were not exactly flavorful therefore not authentic.



and the bun bo, well i was disappointed when they brought the bowl out, because in my younger years when my mother or grandmother made this dish, it always came out with this deep caramel golden/reddish brown color. this serving was pale, stark, grey-ish. aesthetics aside, it was absolutely delicious!!!



well, after lunch, i headed down to westminster to see my grandparents and cousins, of course to eat! this time it was at brodard restaurant. i ordered the usual vietnamese fare of: eggrolls, summer rolls:


a bowl of meatball (nem nuong) noodles:


as well as munching off many orders on the table of nem nuong spring rolls, which were absolutely delicious:


all in all, i pretty much spent the day eating, it was quite delicious and i would love to return back to both locations ...