So there isn't really a Vietnamese Memorial Day, just that it was Memorial Day and my family wanted to get together and we are Vietnamese, so there you have it. Also, considering the peculiar but large number of views to my Vietnamese Thanksgiving and Vietnamese Christmas posts, I figure that you guys like to read things that are titled "Vietnamese."
Crab Fried Rice (made by my sister)
Persian Cucumber Salad, again. Made by me because I didn't have time to make anything else. But it was still delicious.
Fresh ingredients for the hotpot. Oyster mushrooms and tomatoes.
top: Napa cabbage, Ong Choy or water spinach, and the green tubes are bac ha which translates into taro in English but that is so not what it is. Bac ha is just a green leafy root veggie and we mostly eat the stems in soup.
bottom: Enoki mushrooms and bean sprouts
Raw mussels, shrimp, and squid
Cooked fish, I'm guessing catfish
Live red shrimp. I don't know what kind they are but they remind me of the coon shrimp, yummy.
My brother's girlfriend boiled them real quick and then made a dipping sauce for them as our appetizers.
The sauce was a mix of soy sauce, sauteed onions and jalapenos. Mmm the shrimps were so good, even without the sauce. My favorites of the day.
My sister bought octopus tentacles which were already cooked. WoOooOOhhh scary looking...
Then she cut them into slices, seasoned and brushed with butter and maybe some other things.
They were tossed into the toaster oven for maybe 10 minutes or so and out came crispy octopus jerky-like things. This was interesting but just alright. She makes a pretty good octopus salad too which I prefer over this style.
The whole shebang. My brother's girlfriend seasoned the broth and all the seafood and veggies get tossed in. Then everyone scoops out their own portion and eats it over noodles. Yummers.
More of the spread. Note the okra on top and fish cakes on the seafood plate.
The shrimp in all its glory.
For dessert, my brother cut up a jack fruit. If you've never seen a cut up jack fruit, here you go. The big prickly fruit was cut into wedges and I helped him pick out the yellow pods. There's alot of sticky sap that is annoying to wash off so we wore gloves.
The fruits of our labor. WOOH! All that work for just this bowl of stinky fruit that makes you fart but is oh so good!How was your Memorial Day Weekend?
holy mother of jehoshaphat! That's a mighty jackfruit! You, know? After all these years, I've thought of everything to deal with that sticky stuff, but gloves never crossed my mind? Thanks for tip!
ReplyDeleteVietnamese Memorial Day sounds sooo good! Esp w/all your delicious food. I remember you making a persian cucumber salad before for the holidays :p Persian cucumbers are the best! Crunchy, sweet and just a good flavor all around :) Have you ever tried Race Street Seafood in San Jose? I went there last weekend. I'm curious on your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I always thought those prickly things were durian... Live shrimp! YUM! You ever try eating them raw? Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have tried Race Street Seafood. I used to get raw oyster shooters from there. Super fresh. I also got fish and chips before too. really good.
ReplyDelete@Shawn, Yes I have eaten raw shrimp. It's really good. Very sweet but after a while, the slimey texture gets to me. Its not like oysters which are slimey but go down fast. The shrimp texture lingers.
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