Five Spice Chicken with Jade Rice

 

It's been a very good week for our family.  After the disappointment of not getting accepted in a surgical residency last year, Glenn got in for this year!  We're heading to Loma Linda California this summer!  It's quite the move, going from New Jersey to California, but we're so relieved and excited about the adventure. 

But now we talk about food, which today is this wonderful Five Spice Chicken that I found on Rebecca's blog a few months ago.  I adore dinners like this, rich in flavor, nutritious, but also quick and easy to make, perfect for the weeknights.  I think the five spice powder is completely underused, it's such a gorgeous aromatic spice, which is perfect for chicken.   


Five Spice Chicken with Jade Rice
From Chow and Chatter

Ingredients

Chicken

1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste

one tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoon soy sauce 

dash of sesame oil 

6 bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks

Rice
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup spinach
2 cloves of chopped garlic
2 eggs whisked a little with a pinch of salt and pepper
dash of soy sauce
1/4 an onion chopped

Directions 

Combine the ingredients for the chicken marinade and marinate the chicken in it for 2-3 hours.

Roast in oven, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes and then another 15- 20 minutes uncovered.

For the Jade fried rice, saute the garlic and onion until soft. Add the spinach until cooked down.   Add rice, cook to combine, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and stir until egg is completely cooked.

Annam Supermarket

I shouldn't say this about Footscray, but the parking situation really gives me the irrits.  It's so hard to just duck down for something when you spend half the time circling looking for a spot and then having duels over parking spaces.  A great alternative for Asian groceries is Annam on the West Footscray/Braybrook border.

I remember when Minh Phat opened in Richmond.  It was bright inside, had long aisles and it was so easy to find things.  Sometimes it's fun to rummage but other times you just want to grab and go without playing Where's Wally with the kecap manis.

Annam is spotlessly clean and very well organised.  There are a few gaps in the range (NO CRISPY PRAWN CHILLI) but it's got most of the bases covered...

....like giant packets of my favourite (MSG-coated) crackers.  I don't know if they still are, but they used to be called "Want Want" brand crackers.  You have one and then you just waaaant waaaant moarrrrr.

A small but respectable Japanese section.  Did you know Ebi are now doing a range of Japanese groceries including Japanese (ie, not the expensive Spiral Foods one I buy) dashi stock with no MSG?

These Mae Ploy pastes are quite decent, last for ages and here are $4.20 for a 1 kg tub!!!  The photo doesn't really give the scale.

Among many, many others, turmeric noodles for Mi Quang, a half soup/half noodle dish.  Footscray's Sen have an unreal version, the photo of which I cannot find, which is odd because I file all my photos so meticulously.*

*Lie.

Oh happy day - a small but neat and tidy noodle and tofu selection.  I am so over buying chow mein-style yellow noodles (good for Grandpa's special noodles) and having them go mouldy long before the use-by date, which happens far more often than it should.

Fresh herbs and leafy veg, covered this day with wet newspaper to keep them fresh.  See here hard-to-find rice paddy herb and sawtooth coriander!  See these in action at a Saigon pho shop, thanks to Bryan (@fatbooo).

All of this for under $16.  Don't bother with this rice wine - they didn't have any shao hsing wine and it isn't a substitute.  I will try using it for cooking sake in Japanese recipes.  I like this Yenson's ready-fried tofu for stir-fries, salads, rice paper rolls - anything really.  Wontons are for wontons and tamarind for tamarind paste for proper pad thai.

These are banana crack.  They are tiny Thai bananas, dried yet still so moist.  I am addicted!

There's a freezer section to cruise too and Annam also sell a small range of chicken cuts, so you really can get everything there.  Just...  Hands off the bananas.  They're all mine.

Annam Supermarket
1/75a Ashley Street, Braybrook
Phone:  9687 3330
Hours:  TBC



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Egg Food Yong

Do you ever feel like you have a personal style of food that you gravitate to? Just like I'm drawn to certain colors, or clothes on a rack, I feel like there are recipes that I'm more likely to pick. And while it's nice to have a good artillery of regulars that you can always fall back on, it's also nice to break out of your "food box."

That's what I decided to do when I found this recipe on Cathy's website Wives with Knives. I was never a big fan of Egg Foo Yong growing up, but I remember my mom always ordering it when we went out. It turns out that Egg Foo Yong is insanely delicious, especially when you make it the way Cathy does. Since I made this while doing the LiveFit trainer, I swapped half of the eggs for egg whites only, but it was still so tasty, and packed with protein. Definitely make the mushroom gravy too, it's delicious on the Egg Foo Yong as well as the rice you should serve with it. :)


Check out the original recipe here, and don't be afraid to try something new, you might discover a whole new world of food.

What I'm reading...

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but to be honest, I haven't read anything that was especially noteworthy in a while. However, I thought I'd tap into the world of HS literature and pick up To Kill A Mockingbird from the library. I know most people read this one as teenagers, but either I totally missed that one, or was way too mentally checked out to realize it (would not be surprised). Turns out, this just might make it to my top ten list alongside such favorites as The Help, Cutting For Stone, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

I really don't want to give anything away, but there is the most beautiful segment when Atticus is teaching his son Jem about doing the right thing, even when it's difficult, by making him read to his mean old neighbor lady, who, unbeknownst to Jem, was dying of a morphine addiction withdrawal...

"...She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew..."

SO touching. If you've never read this book, you MUST pick it up. And if you have, read it again :)

Turkey Fried Rice

I survived the day of indulgence, well, attacked is probably a better word. I definitely let myself have the day off and it was glorious. It's amazing the things you realize that you miss, like dark meat, and sour cream, and good old SUGAR. Needless to say, we had a very delicious day, but I'm happy to be back on the Livefit wagon.

This is a recipe that's come in handy quite a few times. One of the most important parts of our meals is that we're getting in the right balance of protein, complex carbs and veggies. This dish covers it all in one big skillet, and it's so delicious and filling. Brown rice with egg whites and ground turkey. It might not sound as appetizing as the real thing, but it's flavored so well that I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference. The kids loved it and it's very filling. Go ahead and use chopped up leftover turkey if you still have some in your fridge.





Turkey Fried Rice
Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon olive or safflower oil, divided
1 lb lean ground turkey
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (1 cup)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
sea salt, to taste
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 cups cooked brown rice
4 egg whites (or two regular eggs)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
fresh cilantro for garnish
chile sauce for garnish

Directions

In a very large nonstick skillet or wok, heat one teaspoon oil over medium high heat. Add turkey and break up to form a single layer in pan, season with pepper. Brown meat, stirring occasionally until cooked through, three to five minutes. Stir in two teaspoons soy sauce. Remove turkey and set aside.

Return skillet to stove and add remaining tablespoon of oil. Add onion, red pepper, carrot, broccoli and ginger and season with salt and black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are slightly soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.

Stir in peas and rice, and cook until completely heated through, about five minutes.

Push rice mixture over to one side of pan and add eggs to now empty side. Allow eggs to fully cook, stirring occasionally, three to five minutes, and then stir eggs into rice mixture.

Add turkey and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in fish sauce, remaining two tablespoons soy sauce and green onions. Garnish with cilantro and chile sauce if desired.

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

I should have listened to that little voice that kept telling me to stay home today.

Like when I was kept up most of the night by my neighbor's car alarm.

Or when I woke up to no electricity.

Or when I had to pry my kids out of their bed with a crowbar, bribes of a million dollars, and threats of never seeing the light of day again.

Maybe after those things I should know better then to take my freshly numbed and drilled son to Burger King, where he will inevitably chew his lips to bits, cry for days when his tomato falls out of his burger, and bite a chunk out of his friend's shoulder.

After said day I should have just expected that my totally innocent looking toilet was planning to completely flood the bathroom.

Thank goodness for reruns of Glee and lemon bars.

And thank goodness for recipes like this to save you after rough days. You can still end your day triumphantly with flavorful aromatic chicken thighs. Just marinate, bake, baste and enjoy.

Now let's all take a deep breath.

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs
Cooking Light March 2011

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such sambal oelek)
10 garlic cloves, minced
12 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (we used boneless)
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic, stirring until honey dissolves. Pour vinegar mixture into a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Place chicken on a rack coated with cooking spray, and place rack in a roasting pan. Baste chicken with reserved marinade; sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes; baste. Bake an additional 10 minutes; baste. Discard remaining marinade. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 306 cal, 15g fat, 27 prot, 12g carb

What do you do to recover from a tough day?

Pork Lo Mein

I almost didn't post this one because the pictures just weren't working out for me. I know, how very vain of me! But this dish is so good, I just had to share it with you guys.

Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant, I have to get some sort of noodle dish. HAVE to. I don't necessarily live for pasta, but there's something about those lo mein dishes that I can't resist, I just love the flavors. I also love it when I can eat lo mein that is lighter in fat and calories, but full of tender pork, delicious veggies and tons of flavor.

If you plan to make this meal, just know that there is 30-60 minutes worth of marinating before you book. I always hate being surprised with that fact when I start making dinner, haha!

Biz, notice the hot sauce! You're rubbing off on me! ;)

Pork Lo Mein
America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Ingredients

4 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder (don't exclude this, it's what makes the dish so GOOD!)
1 (1 1/2 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved and sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch thick pieces
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (I wish I had added a bit more, mine was still a little watery)
12 ounces spaghetti
salt
4 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
6 tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry
12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stemmed and halved
1/2 head napa cabbage, cored and sliced crosswise, 1/2 inch thick
8 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Directions

1. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder together in a bowl. Measure 1/4 cup of the mixture into a separate bowl, stir in the pork, cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Whisk the broth and cornstarch into the remaining soy sauce mixture.

2. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until tender. Drain the noodles and leave in the colander.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the pork, break up any clumps, and cook until lightly browned, but not fully cooked, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of wine and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer into a bowl.

4. Repeat with 1 1/2 teaspoons more canola oil, remaining pork, and remaining 3 tablespoons wine; transfer to bowl.

5. Wipe the pot dry with paper towels. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and heat over high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and book, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6. Rewhisk the soy sauce-cornstarch mixture to combine, then stir into the pot. Stir in the cooked pork, with any accumulated juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly and the pork is heated through, about 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and sriracha and toss until combined and hot. Serve.

Serves 6: 1 serving is 1 2/3 cups

Per Serving: 490 cal, 11g fat, 62g carb, 35g prot, 4g fiber

Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my last post. It was a fun way to get to know a lot of you better too!

Every once and a while I find a theme in the foods I am eating and cooking for a period of time. Maybe a take a few weeks to roast just about everything I put in my mouth. Or I want to put eggs in everything. For a series of days I might even be looking for anything that might be slightly delicious doused in my favorite balsamic vinegar. And then I move on.

Lately I feel like I can't keep my fridge stocked full enough of mushrooms, specifically cremini. What is it about those lovely little fungi? I think it's their ability to soak up any flavor you introduce it to, while still adding a flair of it's own. They can be the real star of a dish, but also don't have a problem acting as a supporting role. I just love them.

So you can imagine how much I loved pairing them with this salmon dish. Sauteed with tangy teriyaki flavors and then laid on top of a nice rich fillet of salmon, it was a total party for my palate. And I got the recipe from...do I even need to tell you? Healthy, rich, flavorful, happy new year to me, and you!

Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms
From Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby portobello mushrooms or creminis
4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick

Directions

1. Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl; stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms, and saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/3 cup sherry mixture to mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon mushroom mixture into a bowl; set aside.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat, add fillets. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned on all sides. Add mushrooms and remaining sherry mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes. Transfer fillets to a serving platter, and top with sauce and mushrooms.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 335 cal, 14.3g fat, 37.6g prot, 0.9g fiber,9.5g carb

What kind of food themes do you find yourself in?

International Incident Party - Dumplings

It's not a stretch to say that penny aka jeroxie is somewhat of a legend in the Melbourne food blogging community, and I was lucky enough to meet her recently. I am very excited to pack my little pink beauty case and jet off to her latest International Incident Party, where we will be being wanton with dumplings.

I do love how Penny encourages crazy variation on a theme. If you didn't know, I do have three dumplings of my own, and they are wont to split at the seams at the most inappropriate moments. This puts some constraints on my cooking flights of fancy, but at the same time, my three kids inspire me to weave interesting, healthy, multicultural things into our nightly meals. Wontons are a favourite of theirs, as they can help make them and they taste absolutely divine.

First, you will need to make the broth. Anh of A Food Lover's Journey recently told me that in Vietnam, the "first test" of a wife is whether she can make a good broth, followed by the quality of her nuoc mam cham (dipping sauce).

Chicken Broth (Canh)

Note this makes a huge quantity! It's so delicious, though, and great to freeze.

Chicken carcasses (12 frames or around 2.5 kg meaty bones)
Large knob of ginger, roughly chopped
About 5 cloves of garlic, bashed with a cleaver
Bunch of spring onions, white parts only
Salt
White sugar
Fish sauce
Light soy sauce

Place chicken, ginger, garlic and spring onions in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer on very low heat, uncovered, for at least 3 hours. Strain through a colander into a very large bowl and leave on the bench to cool overnight.

Before and after removing fat

Early next morning, place into the fridge. After about 8 hours, the fat will have congealed into a solid white "raft" that you can easily lift off and discard. Don't stress if you don't get it all.  Line a colander with a piece of muslin or an old teatowel and pour the broth through it into a clean pot.  Bring to the boil, and season very well. I use a ratio of probably 40:30:20:10 salt:sugar:fish sauce:light soy sauce. Mmm, chicken broth... so nourishing to body and soul.

Wontons


2 x 150g packets wonton wrappers (from the fridge of any Asian grocer)
300g pork mince
10 prawns
3 spring onions, chopped
2 Tb finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 Tb light soy sauce
1 Tb fish sauce
1 Tb Shao Hsing cooking wine
1 Tb oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornflour


Remove wonton wrappers from fridge. Place all ingredients (except wonton wrappers and cornflour) in a food processor and process to a semi-coarse paste.

Now, dissolve cornflour in about 1 Tb water in a small dish. Set up a tray dusted with cornflour and have a damp teatowel ready to cover the dumplings as you make them.

1. Place a teaspoonful of filling in the centre of the wrapper.
2. Using your finger, paint a small amount of cornflour mixture around the top edge and halfway down each side.
3. Fold the bottom part of the wrapper up over the filling and press to seal, making a rectangle.
4. Next, fold the top margin of the rectangle over, using both index fingers (one of mine had to hold the camera!)
5. Now, the tricky bit - sticking the bottom corners together. Here's a video of how it's done:

6. Make sure you use just a little dab of cornflour to stick the corners together, and fold them to one side so they sit flat. Place wontons on the cornflour-dusted tray and cover with a damp teatowel so they don't dry out.

Tricky? You will get better with time. Really, though, it does not matter what shape you do the wontons, as long as the filling is safely enclosed. The kids love to help me (although do be prepared for cornflour EVERYWHERE!)

Setting out wrappers for Mum to fill; "painting" cornflour around edges (with a clean paintbrush)

Next, cook whatever accompaniments you would like, in the simmering broth (such as green vegetables, noodles etc - make sure you cook the noodles really al dente as they will continue to cook when you add the broth at the end).  Remove each ingredient as it is done and place in individual bowls.  Cook the wontons last for about 5-6 minutes (you can always remove one and chop in half to check they are done).  Add to the bowls, ladle over hot broth, and garnish with chilli, chopped spring onion (green part), and fried shallots.

The translation of wonton is "swallowing clouds", and this soup really puts me on Cloud Nine.  Thank you Penny for hosting, and I look forward to seeing everyone else's heavenly creations!

Delicious Vietnam #1 - "Vietnam on a Plate"

Recently, I was lucky enough to meet Anh of A Food Lover's Journey.  Along with Hong and Kim of Ravenous Couple, she is presenting a new food blogging event - Delicious Vietnam - which aims "to promote and explore the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine." 

It's no stretch to say that I'm in love with Vietnamese food.  Our romance began years ago as a heartfelt yet somewhat clueless crush, with spring rolls and Mongolian beef on a sizzling plate.  Occasional dalliances with pho and bun noodle salads led to a full-blown love affair.  We are now happily wedded, Vietnamese food and I.  Yet despite the near-daily ritual of banh mi and com tam, we still find ways to surprise each other.

Today was a wonderful example of how an old lover can still take your breath away.  I attended a tour by Mei Ling Perry of "Vietnam on a Plate", through Maribyrnong City Council.  A little background - I am lucky enough to live in Footscray, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia, which is a hub for the Vietnamese community.  Mei Ling shepherded us through the maze of markets and shops that make up our wonderful suburb, demystifying and deciphering many wonderful Vietnamese ingredients, and stuffing our bellies along the way with complimentary taste after taste of Vietnamese delights.  To detail the entire 5-hour tour here would be impossible and a disservice to Mei Ling's passion and knowledge, but in the spirit of Delicious Vietnam, I want to share with you some of the fabulous Asian vegetables I discovered today.

From L-R: common mint, purple perilla or shiso, Vietnamese mint/laksa leaf; Thai basil, sawtooth coriander, rice paddy herb

At Footscray Market, we rifled through piles of greenery to discover the many varieties of herbs enjoyed in Vietnam.  I loved the mixed bunches of mint, which, along with "fish mint", are apparently the centrepiece of many a Vietnamese home-cooked meal.  In Melbourne pho restaurants, Thai basil is offered along with bean shoots as a garnish.  Mei Ling explained that traditionally sawtooth coriander should accompany them.  Finally, rice paddy herb, used in sour soups.

From L-R: Bitter gai choy (mustard greens); pak choy

From L-R: Choy sum ("sweet cabbage"); water spinach/rau muong

Asian vegetables can be bewildering, but it is worth getting to know what's what, lest you be restricted to buying the anemic bok choy from the supermarket.  Speaking of which, what we in Australia know as bok choy is actually more strictly Shanghai bok choy.  The initial word "bok" actually means "white", so the white-stemmed pak choy above is actually the more authentic vegetable.  The tiny inner leaves are sometimes seen in trendy Mesclun salad mix!  All of these can be used either in stir-frying or soups.  Note, the slightly bitter gai choy has a serrated leaf, while sweet choy sum does not.

From L-R: Bitter melon; bitter melon stuffed with pork

Bitter melon is a favourite Vietnamese vegetable.  I have heard of older Vietnamese people effectively controlling their diabetes by drinking its juice.  It can be served in many ways, including stuffed and in soups.  Its young shoots, tendrils, and leaves are also edible!  Likewise, we even saw chilli leaves for sale, complete with baby chillies, for use in soups.  So many things that would be thrown away in the West are put to delectable use in Vietnam, and Asia generally.

From L-R: Taro; taro stem

 

We saw taro in all shapes and sizes on our tour, from small, squat, hairy ones to these larger ones, which were sliced in two to reveal white flesh shot through with brown squiggles.  These roots are cooked and used to make many varieties of Vietnamese dessert, as well as yum cha items such as taro cake.  For sale separately are the amazingly long taro stems, shaped like elephant's tusks.  These are sliced and used in Vietnamese soups. 

From L-R: Purple sweet potato, purple sweet potato swiss roll

   

This variety of sweet potato have a white exterior but, when cooked, become a brilliant shade of purple.  They have a crumbly texture and very sweet flavour, perfect for making desserts.  I don't know a kid in the world who wouldn't fall over themselves to eat a purple vegetable!

From L-R: Pandan leaves; pandan cake

 

Pandan leaves are the vanilla bean of Asia.  They are tied in a knot and thrown in to various desserts and savoury dishes alike, to impart a fragrant, almost musty, yet exceedingly pleasant flavour.  Pandan also imparts a faint green tinge.  These little pandan cakes were like fat-bellied pancakes, their edges tucked under, concealing a juicy, wet interior.  Yum!

I aim to include more Asian vegetables in our diet.  I cook a lot of food with Vietnamese flavours, but tend to use Western vegetables such as broccoli or silverbeet, purely out of being in a rush at the market, or not knowing my pak choy from my gai choy.  I have gleaned most of what I know about Vietnamese food from food blogs.  I look forward to learning more through future editions of Delicious Vietnam.

Disclaimer: Footscray Food Blog was not paid to attend the Vietnam on a Plate tour, which is offered to all interested people free of charge, thanks to Maribyrnong City Council.  Mei Ling Perry, Vietnam on a Plate, and Maribyrnong City Council did not know that I was a blogger, although I did inform Mei Ling at the end of the tour and ask consent to post.