Seattle and Vancouver: Five Perfect Noodles...

...and a partridge in a pear treeeeee.

Ok, I know that's not how the song goes, but I did have five ah-may-zing noodle dishes during my trip to Seattle/Vancouver/Whistler. That trip seems like a lifetime ago. A lot has happened since and I've spent much of that time recapping my life in 250-word, 1900-character, or 25-line chunks.

Med school secondary apps. Yikes.

When I'm writing, yet again, about what a great doctor I hope to become, I'll start daydreaming and look back at the glorious food I ate on that trip. Five perfect noodle dishes. Let's recap, shall we?

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French Fridays with Dorie: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Back in the day, I was a member of Tuesdays with Dorie. I loved the group, but my waistline and my schedule couldn't keep up with the weekly posting commitment. Even posting every other week was too much. It was through TwD that I "met" (that is, I became acquainted with their blogs) lots of fabulous bloggers like Rebecca. Leaving the group was tough, but I was thrilled to hear that Dorie was releasing a new cookbook and that there would be another cook-through group, French Fridays with Dorie. This time, we can cook along when we can, meaning my schedule and my waistline approve.

But wait, you say, if this new group is called French Fridays with Dorie, why are you making Vietnamese noodle soup?

Because the French colonized Vietnam for many years and one of the results is an exchange of influence in cuisine.

Dorie explains that she created a mix of phở gà and la sa gà. At first glance, the recipe looked a lot like a phở gà recipe with one extra: coconut milk. Truth be told, that didn't particularly appeal to me, so I decided to go all the way towards la sa gà, which is Vietnam's version of curry laksa and I love curry laksa. Most of the recipes have a bonne idée (good idea) sidebar with Dorie's suggestions for tweaks. Her suggestion for this recipe was to toast curry powder in hot oil before starting the soup and adding minced lemongrass.

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Caramelized Minced Beef/Chicken

What does one do with half a pound of ground beef, half a pound of ground chicken, a lot of extra herbs from an upcoming French Fridays with Dorie, and a stack of cookbooks from the library?

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Quick bun nem nuong

Ah, it's over.

Again.

I feel good about it. I don't know how I did, but all I know is that I'm not going to take the Chemistry GRE again. Last year, I took it and then made some beef bourguignon to celebrate. No celebratory meal (yet) this year, but I did make the occasional good study meal. Hey, anything to procrastinate.

One of these meals was borne out of a random discovery by my mother.

Mom: I found these meatballs at Costco. They taste a lot like nem nuong (aka Vietnamese grilled pork meatballs).

Me: Really? They sell nem nuong at Costco? Are you sure?

Mom: Well, it's not exactly marketed as such, but they really do taste like them.

She proceeded to give me a package of meatballs, but she had thrown away the label. They were pretty tasty. D. went to Costco to see if he could figure out what she had purchased. He ended up returning with a package of Aidells Pineapple and Teriyaki meatballs, which are made of chicken. Turns out these were the same meatballs my mother gave us. I don't know how Aidells managed to make a kind-of-Hawaiian-kind-of-Japanese chicken meatball taste like nem nuong, but go figure.

Anyway, it's not homemade, but it's opened the doorway to a lot of quick Vietnamese meals that would normally require a little more time and effort. D. went on a weekend trip to visit his folks while I studied for the blasted GRE. Needing a study break, I decided that I would make some bun nem nuong.

The rice noodles are cooked in boiling water until al dente and rinsed with cool water. Drain the noodles completely and let air dry while the rest of the dish is prepared. Drying is important because slimy noodles don't contribute to the texture of the dish. Fresh cucumber slices, shredded lettuce, mint, and Vietnamese mint go into the bottom of the bowl. Raw mung bean sprouts are typically part of the dish, but I'm not a big fan. The meatballs are thawed and browned in a skillet, then sliced in half. I like to add some scallions and oil as garnish. Slice one small bunch of scallions. Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (any non-flavored oil is fine) in a small saucepan until hot. Toss the scallions in and let them cook down fast. Do not brown them.

Assembly is easy. Veggies on the bottom, rice noodles next, meatballs on top of noodles, and spoon the softened scallions and oil all over. Serve with plenty of nuoc nam.

Los Angeles: Pho Ly Truong Kiet, Sinbala

During our last visit to Los Angeles, my mother wanted to introduce us to Pho Ly Truong Kiet, a Vietnamese restaurant specializing in pho ga (chicken noodle soup). Imagine a big bowl of noodles in fresh chicken broth, served with poached chicken.

I think poaching chicken in its skin is a great method of preparation. If done well, the chicken stays incredibly moist. Even though it can be bland, Vietnamese preparations always serve the chicken with a pungent and/or spicy dipping sauce.

My mother had befriended the delightfully sweet owner, who runs the establishment with her family. She recommended that we order bowls of plain noodles in broth with half of a chicken to share, which would be cheaper than individual bowls of pho ga dui, which is the chicken noodle soup accompanied by chicken with skin/bone.

Mom also wanted to try their version of Hainanese chicken and rice, which was good, but the rice was a bit bland.

Also, their banh cuon, a rice flour mixture cooked into thin wrappers, then wrapped around a mixture of ground pork and woodear mushrooms.

Cooked bean sprouts, cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), and fried scallions top the dish. I'd say this was the weakest dish. The wrappers were overdone and the filling bland. The overall effect was a limp rice noodle roll.

Later that day, we finally found ourselves with a table at Sinbala. It's a Taiwanese restaurant with a healthy following, but I wouldn't know how the food is because we're not willing to wait ages for a table. Following a huge dinner at Chang's Garden, we crossed the strip mall in hopes of having dessert at Sinbala. Good thing we did, because I've been craving shaved ice like no other.

$5 buys five sweet items to pile the shaved ice on. I picked boba (tapioca balls), grass jelly, almond jello, flan, and some other gelatinous sweet that I can't remember. Yes, I tend to go for the jellies and not the taro, lychee, etc. On goes the shaved ice with a hefty drizzle of simple syrup and, my favorite, condensed milk.

Take that, Sno Cone.

I'll be back soon for some savory eats.

Pho Ly Truong Kiet
303 E. Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91755

Sinbala
651 W. Duarte Rd., Ste. F
Arcadia, CA 91007

Random Notes: Good Food and 80's Bear

A ragtag collection of notes from the past couple of weeks. The first thing is that Bear had surgery for lipomas two weeks ago. Has it really been two weeks? Poor thing... he was woozy afterwards, so as he stood next to us in the kitchen the first night, we noticed he was swaying ever so slightly. Always the charmer, the vet staff sent him home with lavish praise about how sweet he was. Not that Bear ever needs to have his ego further inflated.

We fitted him with a cone, just in case:

Ugh, are you serious?!

Turns out all he needed was a t-shirt to cover the stitches. He didn't scratch very much, which was good.

Very cute... way too cute.

Notice the cute 80's-style t-shirt knot. His hind legs were tangling in the hem of the shirt, so we had to pull it back. All he needs is a scrunchie on one ear and a slappy-wrist bracelet.

Food-wise, some items worth mentioning... the first being a new guilty pleasure: Einstein's Bagels Apple-Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Yum. It's probably the baked apples and streusel, but I love it. It's not kind to the waistline, though.

I haven't been overly thrilled with our CSA, which has the smallest parcels during peak growing season. What's up with that? Our veggies rot easily, especially the roots (potatoes, carrots, etc.). One would think everything would be more robust right now, but we're apparently receiving the worst of the harvest. Sure, they should save some for market, but for what they're charging, this is ridiculous. However, the strawberries are good. Organic and picked when the sugars are fully developed, they're fantastic.

Phuong Trang's bo cuon mo chai, or ground beef wrapped in caul fat, is excellent. It's really moist and flavorful. Served with a generous heap of greens, dry rice paper, and warm water, it's perfect because the rice paper is moistened at the table.

At $9.50, it's a generous serving and worth every penny.

Vo's Cafe

Update (February 25, 2011): It's been nearly three years since this post and I regret not having posted an update or recent photos. Vo's has been a regular on our rotation and the owner, François, is amazing. D.'s favorite is still the fried rice with beef, chicken, and egg roll combo. Mine is their phở gà, or chicken noodle soup. Their egg rolls are delicious.

This post receives many hits and I wanted to add a some current information for those of you dropping by. Vo's has been a great addition to the North Park area and I hope you have the opportunity to meet François and try his food.

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Vo's is a new Vietnamese eatery in North Park. Located in the walk-up cabana formerly occupied by Tio Tito's, Vo's dispenses more-than-decent Vietnamese dishes.

The menu is short and sweet, with emphasis on stir-fries. Rice plates, stir-fried veggies, and bun, rice vermicelli served dry with meat and herbs, are the dominant features of the menu.

Walking right up to the window, D. and I each ordered the Vo's special combination: fried rice topped with grilled beef and chicken and accompanied by a spring roll (my order) or an egg roll (D.'s order). The beef was overcooked and dry, but the chicken and rice were excellent. Spring roll was pretty good, except it could have used more herbs.

D.'s egg roll was good and he also wanted potstickers, which aren't Vietnamese, but he always orders them when they're on a menu.

They were ok. Methodology was fine (frying, etc.), but the filling was a little bland. All in all, a good meal and a welcome new addition to the neighborhood.

Vo's Cafe
2632 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104

Dao Son

I have mixed feelings about this place, which bills itself as a Southeast Asian (mainly Vietnamese)-Japanese fusion. That alone is a little confusing, because Vietnamese and Japanese foods are opposites in terms of flavor and style. On one hand, the stir-fries are really good and has the taste and texture of a dish made with good wok hei. On the other hand, the soups are pedestrian: bland and uninspiring. My first visit, the soup was basically bouillon and water with noodles in it. It didn't necessarily taste bad, but I don't want to pay $5-6 for a bowl of hot water and bouillon. Figuring I had ordered poorly, I wanted to give Dao Son another chance.

We started with the fried spring rolls. They weren't bad at all. I prefer rice paper as a wrapper versus the flour-based wrappers, which are thicker. The greens were sparse, but fresh.

D.'s stir-fried rice noodle with chicken was really good. The noodles were perfectly done and the flavor was rich with onions, garlic, and pepper. The bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, peanuts, and carrots gave it a nice crunch. Wok hei is almost impossible to describe. Per the Wikipedia article, it truly is an "essence" and this dish was chock-full of it.

My shrimp tempura ramen was underwhelming. The ramen was a little undercooked, but I'd rather it be undercooked than overcooked and mushy. I believe the broth is supposed to be shoyu and mushroom-based, but it was somewhat bland.

The tempura were almost inedible. For one thing, they were almost 2-inches thick. Here's a cross-section. Talk about breading...

D. suggested the thicker tempura was made that way to absorb the soup, but when the breading became soggy, it was extremely mushy with a mouthfeel that borderlined on nauseating.

If I do go back, I'm definitely getting some fried noodles. They had a catfish and eggplant dish that also looked very intriguing. No more soup noodle dishes.

Chowdown at Saigon

I joined Chowhound in late 2006/early 2007 and started as a newbie asking questions. Then, I went without for a few months before picking up lurking/posting again. Around that same time (summer 2007), I started this blog. It was a through Chowhound that I had the chance to get to know fellow posters and food bloggers. Tonight, I met several of them for the first time. Thanks to Josh, Jonathan, Audra, Mechele, Alice, and Donna for a great meal! (I hope I spelled your names correctly!)

Saigon is located in the City Heights area of SD and has a crazy menu of almost 400 items. It's a bit overwhelming. Because they seem to cover more than the usual pho and com tam dishes, we branched out.

We had several types of spring rolls, including nem nuong cuon (spring rolls with grilled pork meatballs)

and bo bia, which is a roll composed of fried egg, Chinese sausage, marinaded carrots and daikon, and the usual herbs and bean sprouts.

Both done pretty well. I like bo bia, which I believed to have Chinese roots. According to Wandering Chopsticks, I was correct. Great entry and a recipe on how to make your own.

One of the best dishes we tried was bo la lot, or beef wrapped with grape leaves. Holy cow, these were perfectly tender and juicy. Most of the ones I've had are usually overcooked, so the juices run out and it's a little chewy. The flavors are more concentrated, but I prefer it cooked perfectly and still with lots of juices. This is one of the best renditions I've ever tried.

We also ordered its bo bay mon cousin, beef wrapped in caul fat. It was good, but D. and I preferred other versions we've tried, which have sauteed onions wrapped in the middle. It compliments the beef and fat really well.

Their banh hoi (woven mats of vermicelli) was pretty good. The mats were a little too thick and they were a little careless in putting the meat and scallions on top, resulting in soggy mats. The key here are the scallions. The meat is not particularly juicy/saucy, but the onions are first flash-fried in hot oil, then the mixture dribbled over everything. It's best to not put too much oil on the mats.

Canh chua is Vietnamese sour soup. I knew it growing up as shun tong or "sour soup" in Cantonese. The tamarind base gives it an excellent sour punch and the savory elements (herbs, fish, tomatoes, etc.) balance it out. My favorite version? Mom's. It doesn't get better than that, but it's also somewhat of a rarity at Vietnamese restaurants. I misunderstood the menu and accidentally ordered the "seafood deluxe" version. It contained fish balls, imitation crab, and squid. I think it's best with catfish filets and shrimp.

We were discussing what the big, celery-esque piece in front was and turns out it's bac ha, also called taro stem or Vietnamese rhubarb. Playing With My Food (scroll down towards the end of the post) has a brief description about it, as does Wikipedia.

The flavors were good, but they could use a little more oomph. D. noticed that a plate of rice was brought to the table and, believe it or not, I thought it was for the soup. I love canh chua with rice or plain rice noodles.

Saigon is known for its Chinese-influenced dishes and this plate of chow fun with veggies and pork was really good. Perfectly-executed, the noodles were tender, the sauce was pungent without being too salty, and the veggies were fork-tender. The noodle-to-everything else ratio was a bit low, but that's all that was wrong with it.

All the dishes came with heaps of fresh greens, which makes me happy. I hate it when Vietnamese restaurants are stingy with the greens. Also, we had banh trang (rice paper) for wrapping. It was too soggy and sticky, but that's ok. It's hard to pre-moisten them.

Thanks again, everyone! I look forward to future Chowdowns!

Pho Viet Cali's Pho Ga

I wouldn't say Pho Viet Cali's the best Vietnamese restaurant ever. Ok, it's pretty mediocre, but it hits the spot for lunch. Nothing there is terrible, but nothing is fantastic, either.

Until now.

A fellow Chowhound turned me on to their pho ga (thanks, Cgfan!) and it has become an obsession. I'm surprised... no, make that floored, to find how good it is. To be more specific, it's pho ga with the chicken on the bone. No white meat boiled to cardboard. Freshly poached chicken on the bone with the skin.

This time, the chicken was perfect. The last time I had it, the chicken was a little dry, but this time, it was moist, smooth, and flavorful from the fat in the skin. The broth was pretty good. Some bouillon, but only the small amount necessary to boost an already good broth. It's simple, but so very good. The way chicken noodle soup should be.

The noodles were overdone, unlike last time when they were perfect. Knowing this restaurant, I have the feeling that each time I have pho ga, it will be different. Last time, they didn't give me a dipping sauce. This time, they did.

I was strangely addicted to this mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic. A bit too much sugar, but I think that's why I was drawn to it. The sweetness went well with the fatty richness of the chicken. Can't wait until my next bowl.

Tomorrow's post: Part Two of the best lunch ever... a visit next door to Sorrento European Bakery.

Phuong Trang, revisited

I amended a statement I made in my previous post about Phuong Trang. I said "...all the dishes are above-average and the service is quite good.". Well, I corrected that to some of the dishes (namely, the ones I order all of the time) are above-average and the rest are average. Nothing is terrible here. Phuong Trang is a place for indoctrinating Vietnamese food newbies. The food is good enough and served in a very non-intimidating environment.

D. and I started with the nem nuong cuon or grilled pork spring rolls. They're decent, with good pork flavor and an interesting twist: a little bit of Thai basil. I'm used to mint and cilantro in spring rolls, but Thai basil is a nice touch.


They wrap the rolls with the ends neatly cut, which is odd, but they're so tightly wrapped that it isn't a problem.

I'd flavor the nem nuong a little more and grill it a little longer for more smokiness.

D. ordered one of their best dishes, bo xao xa ot, beef stir-fried with lemongrass, onions, and hot peppers. Served with steamed rice, it's tart with lemongrass and fiery from the peppers. The onions are sauteed to perfection, adding both texture and flavor to the dish.


I ordered the ga ca, which literally translates to "chicken fish", but means chicken and fish noodle soup. The greens were kind of meager. I'm not sure if mint is traditional with a clear-broth noodle soup like this, but it would have been a nice touch.

The chicken was all white meat, so it was really dry. Pieces of white fish, I think cod, were poached and still fairly smooth and moist.


The chicken broth was decent and helped by the chives, scallions, and cilantro. The noodles were a bit overdone and soft, which hasn't happened much in my experiences eating here. I've had the tom ca (shrimp fish) and it's much better combination than chicken and fish. It's really good with the clear glass noodles, which they do pretty well. I asked for them this time, but they gave me the regular rice noodles. Oh, well.

The Mom Series: Ca Kho To

Our weekend in LA started with lunch with the parental units. This is one of those "simple, but so very good dishes" that my mother makes. She had prepared two pots and saved one of them for lunch. I believe it's called ca kho to in Vietnamese, but we always called it kho yu. "Yu" is Cantonese for "fish" and "kho" means "to braise" in Vietnamese.

Traditionally, it's done in a clay pot, but my mom opts for Corningware. I think it's the ease of cleaning factor. It's a recipe that varies from region to region in Vietnam and every family does it their own way. Epicurious has a recipe that's close to my mother's.

Ca Kho To

Mom doesn't make a separate caramel sauce. She usually mixes the sugar with the fish sauce and uses a soy sauce/water mixture. Her method goes something like this:

• Heat oil and toast shallots and ginger
• Add fish and cook lightly on both sides
• Add fish sauce and sugar (1 part sugar to 2 parts fish sauce), stir and coat fish with mixture
  
• Add soy sauce/water (1:2 water: soy sauce), braise fish until fully cooked
• Season with pepper, top with scallions and cilantro

This works with 3-4 1-inch cross-section slices of catfish. Amounts for ingredients can be varied to taste.


Since this was prepared in advance and reheated, Mom stirred it to heat the fish thoroughly. In doing so, she buried the scallions and cilantro before I took this photo.

Up close, the catfish has a gorgeous brown color and falls off the bone.

Fresh fish is an absolute must for this dish, regardless of the method/recipe used.

Mien Trung Update

Per my earlier post on Mien Trung, I purchased a log of what I thought was cha lua. Turns out it wasn't. It's a log of sticky rice filled with mashed mung beans and salted pork. Very interesting. When I had this at home, we'd slice it up and toast it in a little bit of oil. Then, it'd be served with fish sauce. Good stuff. I've been too lazy to fry it, so I'm nuking slices of it. Still good.

Mien Trung

Yeah, yeah, we're finally caught up. This meal is from January 30, y'all. I'll admit something... I've taken a vow of less eating out. I don't generally eat out for lunch, but we've had some fantastic meals, a lavish (and insanely busy) holiday season, and a trip 3,000 miles away. Needless to say, some budgetary evaluation needed to take place. I don't spend my money on much. It's either clothing or food and, frankly, food outweighs clothing easily.

I also took a good long look in the mirror and, well, it ain't pretty. I was moving from square-shaped to dreidel-shaped. Now I'm looking at Oompa Loompa. I'm also wasting money on a gym membership and it's really starting to hurt my wallet when it should be hurting my body. That next Pilates class is really going to burn.

With that said, more restraint was practiced in January and the posts after Dad's Birthday covered the eating out for the month. January 30 was a great eating day, with Mien Trung for lunch and Market for dinner.

Let's start with lunch... Mien Trung is the true definition of "mom-and-pop" operation. Mom's cooking in back, Dad overlooks the dining area, and the kids help out. I spotted another woman in the kitchen, but couldn't tell if she was related or not.



It's in Kearny Mesa, next to Mesa College. The specialty of the house is bun bo hue, which is spicy pork noodle soup. Fantastic stuff. I had a love/hate relationship with it growing up because of the spiciness. Mom's version is fabulous, but this one holds its own very well. I'm going to have to take Mom and Dad here the next time they visit.

El Jefe tells me that to have the real thing in Hue, Vietnam, is close to a religious experience. His expectations were high and it seems they were met, as this is our second visit and he's the one who insisted on coming here.

I had a regular bowl of bun bo hue. The broth wasn't too spicy, which fits me perfectly. I love this broth so much. The rich pork flavor and the lemongrass is a little bowl of paradise. Besides the broth, I don't prefer much else about BBH, generally. Typically, the stock meat is served with the noodles and, since the bejeezus has been boiled out of it, it's rather bland and kind of dry. It's utterly broken down, so it's soft. The noodles are thick, long, and slippery. The pho noodles are much more wieldy, so when I can, I order this dish with the pho noodles.

Anyhoo, Mien Trung's BBH has the usual meat: brisket and hock. I'll eat the meat, but there's not much to say about it. The noodles are fantastic. Perfectly cooked, they stay long and tender. Most places cook the hell out of it and it breaks into little 2-inch sections, which I can't pick up with chopsticks. I'm sure it's more of a commentary on my chopstick-wielding skills than the noodles.

In the end, the broth wins out. Throw in a big handful of cabbage/lettuce and add a squirt of lime, the richness of the broth is complimented by the freshness of the greens.



The aforementioned greens:



Jefe had bun rieu oc dac biet, which is a bowl of crab and tomato broth that serves as the base for BBH (I think). The word "oc" was translated to "snails" in the menu, but it was actually conch. Looked pretty good. I might have to try the bun rieu next time I'm there.



We had a side of banh beo, steamed rice flour patties topped with dried shrimp, dried onions, and cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage). They sell homemade cha lua there, so I bought a log to take home. Yum. It's compressed pork wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Gorgeous. I'll have to post again when I have some tonight.



Another lunch spot for the rotation. Can't wait to eat here again.

The Mom Series: Banh Xeo

Banh xeo are Vietnamese-style crepes made of a rice flour batter. They're supposed to be delicate and crunchy, filled with mung beans, pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts.

The materials are laid out by the stove. The pan is hot and the crepes must stay thin, so everything needs to be added swiftly and smoothly.

The batter, which is made with rice flour. The final product is actually yellow, but there are no eggs in the batter. It's also very thin, keeping the shell crispy and not doughy.

In the pan, the mung beans need a while to cook or else they will be hard. The extra time crisps up the shell, with the moisture from the mung beans and bean sprouts keeping the shell from burning. Also, the moisture keeps the shell pliant enough to fold. The dish should be crispy, but not so much so that it breaks when folded.

The finished product, which is cut into pieces and wrapped with lettuce and herbs. Then, it's dipped in nuoc nam, or fish sauce. Mom's version has lots of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chili, and shredded carrots.

Here's a video of Mom making it. It's all in the wrist. The shrimp and pork slices are sauteed first. Then, the batter is poured on and swirled to maximize coverage. Any holes are patched with a little pour of batter. Lastly, the mung beans and bean sprouts are put on top. The lid is put on in the end to steam the beans and sprouts.

This dish is near-impossible to find and the restaurants that carry it usually don't do it well. I'm glad I can get them at Bistro Mom.

The Mom Series: Goi Cuon

Goi guon are better known as Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls. They're filled with cold and cooked rice noodles, herbs, lettuce, pork slices, bean sprouts, and shrimp. Mom had the ingredients organized on the table, ready for wrapping.

In process:

The finished product:

Mom's favorite touch is a stalk of chive wrapped in the roll. Chives found in Asian markets are much more mature and thicker than those found in American stores, so the stalks look almost like scallions. They add a crunchy and mild touch to the roll.

D. gave me an awesome new camera for X'mas and it takes videos, so here's one of Mom wrapping a spring roll. The key to spring rolls are neatness and tightness. The shrimp is laid down first and this is a typical practice. With the shrimp showing through the skins, the roll is identified as goi cuon. If it was grilled pork (nem nuong) or shredded pork (bi), leaving the primary ingredient visible helps "label" it. After the shrimp, the pork is laid down, then the lettuce (Mom used two small leaves in this case), vermicelli, bean sprouts, and herbs. The materials are laid towards the top third of the circular rice paper wrapper. The sides are folded in, a chive stalk placed at the base of the pile of materials, and everything rolled snugly. The roll needs to be tight, but not so tight that the skin breaks. There's nothing worse than a loosely wrapped roll, which falls apart when you bite into it.

Look for these videos to pop up occasionally, as they're part of an archive of my mom's recipes and dishes. No need to turn on the sound, because there's no narration. You might, however, pick up random conversation.