On today's video I'll be sharing a super simple recipe I've been doing ever since I had my first taste of Vietnamese food at Pho Hoa. I had my first bout with Vietnamese Spring Rolls a few years ago when I bought my first ever GoPro in Greenhills. At that time, I've been wanting to try Pho but was scared with all the aromatic leaves it is usually served with. I also ordered a side of fresh Vietnamese spring rolls just to chase the taste should it be something that I cannot tolerate.

So, on to the recipe. These are my choice of ingredients only because they were the ones available in my fridge but don't be mistaken, you can use any vegetable of your choice! That's the fun thing about this recipe, you can be as creative as you want. It's also pretty simple. The only challenge I find in this is that rice paper is so hard to come by in my local grocery store. I have to go to the bigger grocery stores and stock up. The usual recipe also calls for vermicelli noodles but since I usually create this when I'm eating healthy, I skip the noodles. But anyway, let's proceed to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Rice Paper

Crab Sticks

Lettuce

Carrots

Cucumber

Cilantro

SAUCE

Hoisin Sauce

Garlic

Peanut Butter

PROCEDURE

1. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. 

2. In a row across the center, place one crab stick, a handful of lettuce, carrots, cucumber and cilantro, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side.

3. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

4. For the sauce, mix the hoisin sauce, peanut butter and garlic. Adjust the taste according to your liking. 

And that's it! If the instructions seems are unclear, please watch the video for a step by step guide! In the past I've also tried adding ming and basil and the taste was amazing. I just didn't have them on hand when I was making this video but please do add it to your recipe for optimum taste. Let me know if you're planning to make this! I'd love to see the photos!

I pretty much order the same thing when I come by and visit--Pho and Vietnamese Rolls, with both spring and fried versions. I love both! My Pho of choice would be Pho Chin, Nam, Gan (S - P300.00, L - P340.00) which has a combination of everything--Flank, Meatbells and Tendon. Although admittedly, tendon is my favorite of all, hehe. The dining experience is unique because we usually don't get our noodles served with a side of bean sprouts, cilantro, chili peppers and lime, right? Everytime they serve my food like that, I just get all giddy and I want to put on everything. But did you know there's apparently a ~right~ way to eat Pho? Not sure how accurate this is but you can check this video. I've been trying to eat my Pho that way since watching, but most of the time I just end up putting everything in the bowl and drowning it in Sriracha, lol. 

Aside from Pho, another classic favorite I usually order would be the Fresh Spring Roll (P145.00) which has ground pork, vermicelli noodles and mixed vegetables. I was able to replicate their peanut sauce during a recent experiment and I'll be sharing the recipe for that too! I was also able to make my own Fresh Spring Roll; the process is simple but it's tedious so when I'm jonesing for a fix, I just make sure I visit the nearest Pho Hoa. 

I know I still have a long way to go with regard to my knowledge with Vietnamese Food, but I think starting off with Pho is a good way to begin this journey. Do you know any other Vietnamese cuisines I could try? Please let me know in the comments section! Also looking for other restaurant recos I can visit, so please do tell. Have an awesome weekend!

PHO HOA

Budget : P200-300/person

Monday - Sunday  |  11AM - 9PM

Lower Ground Floor, Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City

Me Love You Long Time

Budget - P120 - 200 / person

02 2469069 | 3PM - 1AM

StrEAT Food Park, 91 Maginhawa, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon