Canh Chua Tôm – Vietnamese Sour Soup with Prawn

Herbs are a tricky ingredient. They can make or break a dish. Too little and the dish is bland and boring. Too much and it's like your eating the entire contents of your granny's medicine cabinet. It is with this reason that I absolutely refuse to buy my herbs from supermarkets. They are more than likely incubated in hothouses and can be fed with a host of unsavoury pesticides. They are often bland and twice the size that they should be. I want my herbs to be burgeoning in the full blaze of the sun and their roots soaked with rainwater. Therefore I know that the flavour that graces my dishes are what they intended to be... natural.

Here in this refreshing soup from Vietnam, I made sure that the herbs used were grown in more natural conditions. It is important that the vibrant citrusy notes from the rice paddy herb and sawtooth coriander come shining through. On the bustling streets of Cabramatta you can find sweet little old ladies setting up makeshift stalls to sell homegrown fruit and vegetables. The very same produce that they use to make their meals for their families.

Tropical Meringue Nests with Mango and Coconut

The idea of whipping and cooking egg whites used to make me want to lie down in a dark room. They always seemed far too difficult and after a horrific attempt many years ago, my desire to ever work with them were wrapped up, boxed and placed on the never-again shelf.

By chance, I stumbled upon a recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream by Whisk Kid and her step-by-step instructions were clear, precise and best of all, helpful. I successfully baked a Rainbow Cake using her famous recipe and I haven't looked back.

Bo Bia – Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Chinese Sausage, Jicama and Egg

Please excuse my absence from the blogosphere. I've been a busy little bee the last few months. I've started a new job and got married! Yes, my partner and I finally got our shit together (My apologies for the swear word but there is no other way to describe it). We organised our wedding in under three months and had so much fun.

Also, in association with iatemywaythrough.com I am now heading tours through my home town of Cabramatta. For those that do not know this wonderful suburb with a dark history, Cabramatta is affectionately known as Little Vietnam. It is the largest Vietnamese community in Australia and is the destination for authentic Vietnamese restaurants. The markets and shops are as chaotic and vibrant as they are in Vietnam itself. I am so proud and excited to be a part of this tour and love showing people around and talking about the food and ingredients that make the Vietnamese cuisine one of the most dynamic in world.

This is when I resolved to start blogging about Vietnamese food. I found it seriously lacking in my native cuisine and promise that there will be more frequent posts of authentic Vietnamese recipes.