RICE PAPER SCISSORS

Andrea Nguyen on why she writes (or blogs)

Our favorite Vietnamese cookbook author and food blogger talks about why she writes and the people she inspires

Always on the lookout for new popup spaces

Photo by Felicia Chanco

What could be better than drinking iced Vietnamese coffee on a rare sunny day, letting our winter-hidden skin get some sun, all the while wearing muumuus?

With our setup out on the sidewalk, MuuMuu Wednesday, as we like to call it, brought together new and old friends. 

Our friend Erik stopped by and shared the news about being named Person of the Year by LetterCult. Erik is one of the founders of friends of type, a gorgeous typography blog we use to procrastinate from work.

He recently started a studio with Jessica Hische called Title Case, a beautiful office located a few blocks from our office.

We are obviously appreciating the crunchy cornbits (aka corn nuts) Erik brought. Thanks, Erik!

Andria (one of our favorite photogs) rolled in and brought some perfectly succulent offerings. Custard apple (mung cau) and dragon fruit (thanh long) helped us combat the sun. Maybe some props from some of her shoots? Either way, we loved the tropical addition to MuuMuu Wednesday.

With pounds of bacon on hand, Kai, the master chocolatier behind Nosh This, dropped by and initiated with us a brainstorming session of bacon-infused products. Our best ones: bacon-fat lip balm and bacon-fat caramel popcorn. Yum!

So excited for our next MuuMuu Wednesday. Hopefully, we will get a repeat of this amazing weather and company.

Our first day in Hue, we encountered what looked like two construction workers arguing over the mark-up of the citadel sidewalks.  Upon further inquiry, we learned that they were playing an elaborate game of tic tac toe.  Except in this case, the number of X’s in a line was 5, and the squares to play were the tiles of the sidewalk.  

The players were, in fact, xe om or motorbike taxi drivers and they played for cigarettes and rounds of coffee.  The xe om driver in the yellow hat explained that this was a game he used to play in grade school, on graph paper.  Killing time between rides, he noticed that the tiles of the citadel closely resembled the grid pattern of his yester-year - and thus, the game was born.  Resourceful too the max, he used chipped tiles as chalk to draw lines in the ground. 

Katie played a round and then Michiel, a cook/friend, we met along the way jumped in.  

Playing games and hanging with xe om drivers in a hustle-free atmosphere was a great way to kick it in Hue.  We love playing games (as do the Vietnamese) as it is a great way to meet people and bust some balls.  Later that night, we posted up at a bar and played Thirteen, the national card game of Vietnam (similar to President or Asshole), meeting new friends with every hand played. 

Oh beautiful beautiful Hue!  It’s hard to imagine we did all this in just two days…

Photo captions by number:

1. Residence on the south river

2. Valerie in a cyclo - gotta try it once ya’ll!

3. Spit fired ducks, served in the citadel

4. Getting down on Banh Bot Loc

5. Little red stool altars for the full moon

6. Katie at the coffee shop

7. Cards in play: Thirteen, the national card game

8. Boon reunion, right before hopping onto an overnight train to Hanoi

Walking the hamlets south of the main river was our favorite way to take in Hue.  Off main arteries of traffic, we ducked into small side streets where everyday life was going strong.  The architecture of the buildings (Chinese influenced) and the willowy trees were enchanting.  They also signified a transition into northern Vietnam.  

What caught our eye above all?  The street fashion.  As the weather got colder (in comparison to Saigon), people donned lavish coats and trendy fashion.  

This season’s must have? Fur lined coats. 

Ch-ch-check it out!

<3

Fried Frog Legs

Inside: Fresh frog legs stir fried in chilis, peanuts, garlic, and onions. 

Verdict:   A-ok in our book.  Maybe not the best frogs ever, but the sauce was darn tasty and whetted our rice for more!

Extra bits: Michiel, a traveling cook (at 3 star Michelins) we met along our travels, ordered this dish out of love for the divine amphibians.  Although he was versed in the French preparation, he had never had southeast Asian style. 

Banana Blossom Salad 

Inside: Poached banana blossoms, rau ram, peanuts, chilis, garlic, shrimp, and beef!  Paired with a crispy tapioca and sesame cracker. 

Verdict: This dish screams Hue-style cuisine: unexpected pairings of flavors and opulence. Unlike common preparations for banana blossoms, this dish’s braised banana blossoms, that took on a meaty, almost poultry, texture. This dish was as delicious as it was fun to eat - delightful surprises around every corner. :)

Braised Whole Fish

Inside: A whole fish, seasoned with garlic, shallots, chilis, and ginger, braised in a foil packet.  Served with paper thin sheets of rice paper, nuoc cham, and herbs. 

Verdict: Yum, yum, and yum.  This fish came out super tender and meaty.  The fun came in filling super thin paper with filets and making small “tacos”.  So finger-licking good, we ate the whole fish - we even ate the meaty parts of the head!

Che - Che bars are everywhere in Hue.  There are at least 15 different mixtures of fillings you choose from.  Just walk up to the cart, point at what looks good and wait as they pile them.  The fillings included mochi balls in coconut milk, poached taro cubes, and sweet red beans to name a few.  They are always topped off with shaved ice and coconut milk.  Swoon. 

Inside: Tapioca balls, sweet mung beans, coconut chards, agar jello, boiled peanuts, shaved ice, and fresh coconut milk.  

Verdict:  YES!  The myriad of textures was divine.  We especially loved the soft boiled peanuts, that are unlike roasted peanuts in so many ways.  Digging into the shaved ice with long spoons and checking out the hustle bustle of the streets is a ritual we came to love in Hue. 

Forgot the Name :(

Inside: Rice vermicelli, a bit of hot pork broth, chicharrones, peanuts, fresh banana blossoms, cilantro, salt/pepper. 

Verdict: We were not wooed by this dish.  Kind of left us wanting more. 

Extra bits:  We were directed to this dish by a women who heard us rave over the banana blossom salad (shown above).  Thought the specific shop she directed us to was closed, we found a close second next door.  

Banh Ep

Inside: Flat tapioca and egg pancake, braised pork, pickled carrots and daikons, green papaya, served with nuoc cham. 

Verdict: We hit the jackpot with this little dish!  We planned on sharing just one, and we ate 8 in total.  The airy texture of the pancake, the flavor of the pork, and the refreshing crunch of the vegis were a party in our mouths. 

Extra bits:  We found this place on the side of the road, and decided to take a seat (at a little red stool) after we saw their awesome preparation technique.  Fluffy white squares of tapioca dough, topped off with a small piece of braised pork, were inserted into what looked like a hot tortilla press on and flattened to a perfect pancake.  Egg was added and quickly seared into the pancake.  As the Banh Ep came off the press, it was filled with vegis and brought to our table. 

COM GA CANTEEN POSTPONED

— We’re postponing this dinner for a future date due to logistical reasons. We’ll keep you posted on our new date! —-

A blog post about what inspired Com Ga Canteen, our Private Kitchen dinner on Saturday, May 12th.

Photo taken by @faketv in SF.

We were walking past a garage after doing some nighttime cafe-hopping in District Three and noticed this amazing frying machine — streams of hot oil blasting these little cornish hens, a vertical drip fryer that gave the birds a perfectly brown crisp. And then there was another machine — an electric mixer that dry-fried red rice until it reached the perfect toothsome texture.

The dish? Fried Cornish Hen with Red Rice.

Immediately enchanted, we had to investigate. We peered down the sidewalk, where aluminum tables and orange plastic chairs were filled with people chowing down on chicken and rice.

We both grabbed a seat (despite not being hungry at all) and out came this simple yet enchanting plate of fried chicken and red rice, stained red/orange by annatto seeds and tomato paste, which slightly matched the shade of our little orange chairs.

Katie and I picked away at the chicken until it was no more. The poultry was succulent, rice flavorful, and the side salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers gave the dish some cool relief.

Once we finished, the grilling began. We asked the three workers how they had acquired these machines (China), if they the only ones with the machines (yes, they’ve got a monopoly on this hot oil waterfall trick) and why the rice was so awesome (the result of a two-day process of seasoning, steaming, refrigerating, steaming [again], and dry-frying the rice.)

We left our camera at home that day, so unfortunately there’s no photographic proof of this set-up. You just have come to our next Private Kitchen to give it a try.

Photo by Valerie Luu/Rice Paper Scissors

Inside: sauteed beef with lettuce and Vietnamese herbs wrapped in fresh rice noodle sheets.

We’re selling these guys at the forageSF Biergarten this Saturday, April 28th, 1-7pm.
Tickets are $20 and includes 10 drink tickets.

Hella beer + banh mi/beef pho rolls + outdoor biergarten = a good time. We can (and will) drink to that!

forageSF Biergarten
Saturday, April 28th / 1-7pm
246 Ritch Street, San Francisco
Purchase tickets here

Menu

Beef Pho Rolls - 6
sauteed beef rolled in fresh rice noodle sheets with Vietnamese herbs and lettuce