Vegetable Curry

Vegetable Curry

I was in a mood for curry so I made some vegetable curry and served it with brown rice. The primary ingredient in curry powder and also an ingredient I added more of in my curry is turmeric. According to Ayurvedic medicine, a study of medicine that originated in India and focuses on longevity, turmeric has many great benefits. It strengthens digestion and has antibacterial, anti-flammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-amyloidal properties.  This powerful spice may also help improve memory. On addition, turmeric has valuable external use for cuts and burns because of its anti-flammatory property and its ability to stimulate tissue growth. I totally support the use of turmeric and curry in cooking. I should  definitely use it more often in my cooking. Hope you enjoy my curry recipe. Read more for recipe.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich

Something easy to make is egg salad. I recommend this to anyone who likes eggs especially boiled eggs. However, I would not recommend anyone to eat it on a daily basis because it is loaded with mayo and consists egg yolks, which can increase bad cholesterols.  It’s a nice to have once in awhile.  The egg salad goes well with bread. I had mine with a lightly toasted Kaiser roll. I hope you enjoy the recipe. The curry was very creamy and the curry powder added a kick to the salad. Read more for the recipe.

Stir Fried Vegetable Macaroni

Stir Fried Vegetable Macaroni

Lately, I have not been cooking much and eating out, mainly foods on the go. I think I am going to try to get in the habit of freezer cooking. In college, I used to cook large amounts at a time to freeze and eat at a later time. Eating out too much can be unhealthy, especially since salads and vegetables are not my first choice when I am hungry. Prepared foods are usually loaded with sodium and fat so it’s better to cook for myself and freeze leftovers in case I am too lazy or don’t have time to cook. In addition, it saves money when you prepare foods yourself. This weekend I made enough stir-fried Macaroni for 4 to 6 servings. I had some for lunch and saved some dinner. Then I froze the rest. Read more for the recipe.

Broken Rice with Grilled Pork, Shredded Pork, and Egg Quiche from Pho Ha Saigon

Broken Rice with Grilled Pork, Shredded Pork, and Egg Quiche from Pho Ha Saigon

I love Vietnamese food. I usually get Vermicelli with Grilled Pork or Chicken when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, but this time I decided to get a rice dish. I dined at Pho Ha Saigon in South Philly on Oregon Ave. The Vietnamese restaurant is relatively new. I think it open up about a year ago and according to my mom it has switched owners through the course of the period.  Pho Ha Saigon is a clean restaurant and the waiters are friendly.  I also think the food was overall good and affordable (most of the entrée range from about $7 to $9) so I will give this a Vietnamese restaurant a 4.5 star.  You should definitely try the restaurant if you are in the neighborhood.

At Pho Ha Saigon, I got broken rice with grilled pork, shredded pork, and egg quiche. The dish came with scallions over rice, fresh lettuce and tomato, grilled pork, shredded pork, and an egg quiche that consisted of pork and fungus. You can say it was a very porky dish, which I don’t hate since I like pork. The grilled pork was tender and very flavorful but not too salty.  The egg quiche was very simple. There was not too much ingredients in it and the texture was very soft. I have tasted egg quiche at other restaurants where the egg is a little firmer, had some more ingredients in it such as clear noodles, and some more seasoning such as ground black pepper. I think it really depends how you like your egg quiche.  I thought the simplicity of egg quiche at Pho Ha Saigon added to the lightness of the dish.  The only heavy part of the dish was the grilled pork. Regarding the fish sauce, it was appetizing. The fish sauce was not too sour or too sweet. It had the right balance of sourness and sweetness. I think some restaurants or individuals prepare the sauce too sour or too sweet or too bland, but this one was quite perfect in my opinion.  I really enjoy the lightness of the entrée and that it comes with carb, fresh vegetable, and protein.  If you are looking for foods that are not heavy such as creamy pasta, hoagies, fried foods, curry, etc., you should try some of the dishes on a Vietnamese restaurant menu.