While waiting for my lunch at a Thai cuisine, Lemongrass, the waitress offers me some samples of pla (Thai fermented fish) she brought back from Thailand. Either my forehead has the invisible three F words “fermented fish fiend” or I complimented on their Tom Yum seafood soup with “exquisitely delicious,” I got a “real” Thai’s authentic treat. Unlike Vietnamese mam (fermented fish), pla has no uncomfortable scent; therefore, it was safe to serve even there were a few American tables in the restaurant. Just like Vietnamese fermented fish, pla’s savory flavor is perfect for white rice and fresh vegetables. As I am enjoying pla, the owner switches the music from Norah Jones to Thai’s traditional folk instrumental making the atmosphere to be more exotic, even right in the middle of the afternoon.

Lemongrass is my favorite Thai food place located right on Main Street in New Paltz, which is about fifteen minutes drive from Poughkeepsie. Like I said, the Tom Yum seafood soup is excellent. Love the spicy, sweet, and sour tang. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the photo because I was so hungry and did not think of it. Yes! I am one of those who don’t think straight when I have no food in my system. The Seafood Puket is also delicious, but the thing that gets me hooked to the place is a jar that is filled with hot peppers drowned by the fish sauce. The hot and slightly salty peppers enhanced the flavor of any dish I ordered.

Goi (salad) is an appetizer that many alcoholic heads love. They can drink and enjoy goi all night. There are many types of goi: goi du du (green papaya salad), goi ngo sen (lotus stem salad), goi da heo (pork skin salad), and goi bo. Each has its unique flavor, but my favorite is goi coc (ambarella salad). Unfortunately, ambarella is hard to find and way to expensive in the States.

Ambarella is one of my desired fruits. Just thinking of the juicy, sweet, and sensational taste of trai coc chin (ripe ambarella) is making me drooling all over. I also love the sour and crunchy taste of it deeps into mam ruoc (fermented shrimp paste) or fish sauce mixed with sugar and hot peppers. Any coc fiend out there?

Check out the natural green of Xoi Dua La Dua, isn’t it beautiful? I not only love the color of la dua (fragrant leaf) but also its exquisite aroma and tang. Waking up in the morning smelling the steam of Xoi Dua La Dua is just reviving. Forget about Donkin’ or Krispy Kreme donuts, just give me a handful of Xoi Dua La Dua with a cup of coffee and I am all set for the morning.

Today’s lunch special at Vassar is decent. The Seafood Giambot is taken from the New York Times’ recipe.

Our special Mam Ruoc was sneaked in all the way from My Tho, Viet Nam. It was covered with layers of plastic bags and packed inside a jar to keep the odor away from airport securities. It’s not a big deal, but we don’t want them to gag. The scent of Mam Ruoc is not pleasurable. Even our aunt would not let us prepare our savory Mam Ruoc Xao Xa Ot inside her house. We had to cook outside in the cold and, at the same time, hoped her neighbors would not scold us.

To get the best out of Mam Ruoc, mix with lemon grass, sugar, garlic, chilly, vinegar, and whatever seasonings were needed to smooth out the flavor. Pre-fry the bacon (thit ba roi), pour in the blended Mam Ruoc, stir well, and ready to serve.

All you need is a crusty cucumber to go with Mam Ruoc Xao Xa Ot. Remember, go easy on the Mam Ruoc, a tiny bit at a time, or else you’ll be drinking water all day. Even on a cold snowy day, the tang of Mam Ruoc Xao Xa Ot makes me feel nostalgic.

Steak, egg and rice or Com Bo Luc Lac is my alternative breakfast or brunch to the usual Com Tam Suon Bi Cha (rice with shredded pork, egg cake, and BBQ pork chop) or Pho (noodle soup with rare steak). Just looking at the tender and juicy cubes of beef, who would want to turn down that heavy and flavorful dish?

Originated from Hue, Banh Beo is like Japanese Sushi in term of visual aesthetic. Unlike the south, Hue foods are more appealing. If you look at the picture, the beautiful layout is similar to a flower. Banh Beo is made of rice flour and garnished with shredded pork and green bean (the yellow part). I am not too crazy about Banh Beo. One dish is all I can take. I am not into the coconut milk part, especially when mixed with fish sauce. The combination is a bit weird for my taste. It’s still a nice dish to have once in a while.

A simple dish coming straight from Hue, Banh Bot Loc is made of rice flour with shrimp and meat inside. The clear flour gives the shrimp a beautiful shape and color inside the flour. Just sprinkle some fried onions and pour in some mixed fish sauce, and it is ready to serve.

The last time I was in Viet Nam, a lady was selling Banh Bot Loc in a stall. By the time I got to her, she only had one dish (five pieces) left. She could see that I liked it so much that she offered to go home to prepare more if I wanted more. Of course, I wanted more because her Banh Bot Loc was amazingly good. She made some extra cash that day and I was able to satisfy my craving for Banh Bot Loc so we were happy.

Celebrating Vietnamese New Year without Thit Kho (Pork Simmered in Caramel Sauce), Dua Gia (Pickled Bean Sprouts) and Banh Tet (Sticky Rice Cake) is like having Thanksgiving dinner without turkey. The combination of the fat of Thit Kho, the sour of Dua Gia, and the sweet of Banh Tet make you want to go hmmmm! As you might notice, we have fried the Banh Tet for a greater taste. And boy! My brother-in-law’s Thit Kho is a killer, especially the fatty parts. They are so uncontrollable when they touch your mouth. The juicy and creamy flavor make you want to eat them and forget about high cholesterol.

I made a simple, healthy, and veggielicious dish for dinner last night. Check out my Su Su Xao Tom Kho, looks great huh? I am surprised myself. Of course, I could not do it without my mom’s instructions. So here is a quick recipe for your own pleasure.

Before you do anything, pop in a Vietnamese CD to get into the mood. Traditional music is the obvious choice and Quang Linh, Nhu Quynh, or Truong Vu is preferable. It’s all about the mood, baby!

Slice the skin off the chayote squash. Split it in half. Take out the white part inside. Slice the squash into thin pieces then rinse thoroughly with salt water to get rid off the sticky stuff. I rinsed it three times.

Chop green onion into small pieces. Take the scallions (white part of the onion near the root) and fried them with a bit of oil. Pour in dried shrimp, swirl a bit then pour in the chayote squash. Sprinkle a bit of sugar and salt. No MSG is necessary since the chayote squash already has a natural sweet taste to it. Stir well for five minutes. Voila!

Simple huh? Make sure you choose a firm, unblemished, and light green chayote squash for the sweet and crunchy taste. Dried shrimps can be purchased in any Asian grocery store. The ones I used are made by my mom, so the quality is superior. Her dried shrimps are the elegant replacement of peanuts for drinking. I can listen to music, drink, and pop her dried shrimps in my mouth all day.