Food & Cooking
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Noodle House brings a taste of home all the way from Vietnam to Ardmore

Bertie A. Kinser
Beef Pho at Noodle House 12 -- before sauce and garnishes.

Beef Pho at Noodle House 12 — before sauce and garnishes.

With a history as rich as the broth it is known for, pho comes from mid-1880s cuisine in Northern Vietnam by way of Chinese and French influences. Primarily made with rice noodles and spices popular of the period in China, the slow-cooked soup took hold in Vietnam as French cuisine popularized eating red meat.

For Ly Hoa, bringing those historical and cultural influences to life in Ardmore is a dream come true. “It’s really important for a community to have diversity,” she said. Hoa is the descendant of many generations of pho and coffee shopkeepers from her home country of Vietnam. Her food, she said, is not simply influenced by Vietnamese cuisine and culture. “This IS my culture,” Hoa said.

Ly Hoa and her husband, Rick, preparing pho for serving at Noodle House 12.

Ly Hoa and her husband, Rick, preparing pho for serving at Noodle House 12.

The authenticity of the

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Food & Cooking
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Chinese takeout recipes you can make at home

Bertie A. Kinser

You’ll find various lists of the “top 10 most-ordered” foods for take-out Chinese, menu items such as orange chicken, pot stickers and wonton soup. Most aren’t easy to prepare at home, which is one reason, over and above global pandemics, why woks at Chinese restaurants are busy always.

But a couple of very popular Chinese restaurant menu items are easy to make at home — and might be better for it. But for a couple of special ingredients (such as toasted sesame seed oil or sweet soy sauce, increasingly available at mainline groceries), they are hot and sour soup and fried rice.

Tips for making Asian restaurant-style fried rice:

  • This is universal advice for preparing rice. Always rinse raw rice before cooking it (except for making risotto). That removes a lot of surface starch from the grains and makes for more separable grains.
  • For fried rice, try to use day-old
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Food & Cooking
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Fast food favorites you can easily recreate at home

Bertie A. Kinser

Copycat versions of fast food classics

While we love the convenience of ordering in, many popular fast food dishes can easily be made at home – and you can customize them to your heart’s content. From McDonald’s Sausage and Egg McMuffin to a Domino’s-inspired pepperoni pizza and Chick-fil-A-style waffle fries, check out these copycat recipes before you hit the drive-thru or open an app.



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Cheeseburgers

Five Guys fans should try these cheeseburgers. Ground beef with 20% fat content makes juicy patties with the best flavor – nothing else is added except salt and pepper. Cook them on the barbecue or a hot griddle pan and only flip them once. Add a slice of American cheese and once melted, serve in a sesame seed bun with your favorite salad items and condiments.

Get

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Street Food
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Popiah: a popular street food you can now make at home

Bertie A. Kinser
Popiah is also known as fresh spring rolls and is a popular street food in Malaysia. (Rasa Malaysia pic)

Popiah is of Chinese origin, and comes from the Fujian province in China. In Malaysia, popiah is also known as fresh spring rolls and is a popular street food.

Besides Malaysia, variations of popiah can be found in Singapore, Medan, and Taiwan – all using simple and healthy ingredients that make it taste so delicious and refreshing.

Here is a family recipe, one which is much-cherished, not only because of its supreme flavour, but because of the flood of memories it brings back.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cooking oil
  • 20 fresh popiah wrappers
  • fresh lettuce, washed and drained dry

Filling

  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 226 g shrimp, shelled, deveined and cut into small pieces
  • 1 kg yam bean or jicama (sengkuang), grated
  • 56 g French beans, sliced
  • 4 pieces bean curd,
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