Banh Hoi Tom Hum not just sounds fancy but tastes delicious as well. When my mom prepares this dish, I thought it was kind of strange. Of course, I had Banh Hoi with Heo Quay (Roast Pig) or Chao Tom (Barbecued Shrimp Paste on Sugar Can) but I never had steamed vermicelli with lobsters before.

During our vacation at my sister, we bought $250 worth of fresh lobsters. My mom boiled the lobsters not with regular water but two bottles of Heineken. I was like, “Ma, what are you doing? Wasting my Heinekens like that.” I smiled and went on, “You should have told me, I would have get you a 40 Olde E or something.” Well, the end result is just amazing how Heinekens can add that unique fragrant to the lobster. With the help of Nuoc Mam Ot (Mixed Fish Sauce), herbs and vegetables, my mom’s Banh Hoi Tom Hum is just to die for.

This is a new fantastic flavor of Goi Cuon by my mama. The typical Goi Cuon contains pork and shrimp but my mama takes it to the next level with deer meat. With the combination of fresh vegetables and the soft, juicy meat, this version of Goi Cuon is off the hook. Her dipping is quite different too. The ingredients include mixed fish sauce, Hoisin sauce, applesauce, a bit of peanut butter and hot peppers. The result is delicious. I had like 15 rolls and still hunger for more.

By the way, you can get a sneak peak at my mom in the photo. She has the hair nest on. When it comes to food, my mom doesn’t mess around. She has to have all of her ingridients. She washes the meat and the vegetables like 20 times. So when eating her food, 200% clean is guaranteed. This is the reason her foods take so long to prepare and it is also why I can’t take her to any restaurants. She would never be satisfied unless she cooks the food.

Whenever my mom finished frying something (in this case, she fried calamari with caramel sauce), I have to have my Com Tron Chao. It’s simply the left over grease and juice from the pan mix with white rice. It might sounds silly but it’s bangin’. You think Fried Rice is good? Wait to you try the real deal. Con Tron Chao not only tastes great but it also helps clean up the pan at the same time. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. The best part about Com Tron Chao is that you can’t really make it from scratch and you can’t get it in any restaurant. It’s purely homemade.

Normally Canh Chua is made with fish or shrimp, tomatoes, bean sprouts, pineapples and all sorts of herbs. My mom’s unique Canh Chua Muc Ngo Sen is much simplier yet her broth is still amazingly prosperous. You still get the Canh Chua’s flavor but the content is atypical. Canh Chua Ca Hu is definitely my favorite dish but it is nice to have a different tang once in a while. I am so impressed by her creativities.

Usually when you have Canh Chua Ca, you have to have Ca Kho To (Braised Fish in Caramel). In this case, mom made Calamari Simmered in Caramel Sauce to go with the original theme. The result is just blazin’. Don’t you just love it when you have a mother with great taste? I love it.

Since this is my first foodblog, I am going to introduce to you my all time favorite Bun Mam. This is one of my brother-in-law’s specialties. The best part of Bun Mam is the rich fish broth. It is so heavy and spicy that you will need a whole lot of mixed vegetables to go with it. I love to have Bun Mam in the winter time especially when it is freezing outside. Just pop in a Cai Luong (Vietnamese Opera) CD, have bowl of hot Bun Mam and take some shots of Ruou Nep (sticky rice brew), you’ll be in heaven.