midweek gems #29
hoisin-glazed chicken wings + Hanoi style pho in San Jose + high tech floss
Helloooo! Good things come in odd numbers so today I’m offering you some “H” gems to chew on, sorta.
💎 Hoisin-glazed chicken wings
Most chicken wings are deep fried then tumbled in sauce. I’ve oven fried them for a very popular recipe in Vietnamese Food Any Day. But now that we’re heading into grilling season with Memorial Day weekend in America, why not grill them wings? Then while they’re hot, drop the wings into a bowl and toss them in bold seasonings — one at a time, to glaze them. It’s unfussy, fun, smart cooking. It’s great way to cook up party wings for a meal or a snack.
The easy grilled wing recipe is on my blog. Double or triple ingredients to serve more folks. Get the Hoisin-Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings recipe.
💎 Hanoi-style pho shop, San Jose
If there’s a pho shop with a limited menu, be interested. Very interested. That’s a serious pho shop focused on cooking up one dish well. For that reason, I was interested in Pho Dang in San Jose. The menu has only beef pho, drinks, and sweet soup (chè). It promised high quality, Hanoi-style pho so we went.
Pho Dang does certain things like what you’d see in Vietnam:
Garlic vinegar is a ubiquitous table condiment in Hanoi. I rarely see it here and make it from this recipe, which was originally published in my book, The Pho Cookbook. It’s a nice touch that does not overwhelm the broth.
Blanched bean sprouts that you don’t have to ask for. I dislike raw bean sprouts in pho because they bring the temperature down and add an overly beany flavor. Blanching them softens their crunch and mellows their flavor while bathing them in very hot water. In the States, I normally have to request blanched sprouts or just endure the raw ones.
Viet-style chile sauce on the table. The sriracha is on the table at Pho Dang but the Viet stuff is less harsh and hot. It’s more akin to what I make at home, which is a dupe of Cholimex hot sauce, the reigning king of hot sauces in Vietnam. You can make Vietnamese chile sauce with my recipe, available here.
I ordered a dac biet bowl to see what the special is all about. The meat was good quality and the broth tasted solid. It’s devoid of MSG, they say. But their broth is a bit sweet for Hanoi style pho, which is salty. And in Hanoi, mint is served with pho, not Thai basil. The Thai basil is a concession to overseas Viet tastes.
We ordered fresh rice noodles but honestly, weren’t as great as they could be. We may have been at the end of service because there were more broken strands than I would have liked. I’m griping but at $20 plus $2.50 for fresh noodles, I expected better execution. Additionally, I did not appreciate having to tear up the cilantro sprigs on top of the bowl. They ought to be chopped, not used as a pretty garnish.
Pho Dang tries to offer menu items that are trending in Vietnam, like Salt Coffee (Ca Phe Muoi), which you should learn about and make from my fab recipe! I like that.
So, would I go to Pho Dang again? Yes, and I encourage you to give them a try if you’re nearby. I think they have a good concept and overall their food is good and well crafted. And, their restrooms are super clean. Hygiene means a lot because it’s a sign of hospitality.
💎 High tech dental floss
Speaking of hygiene, my dental hygienist, Karla, is a good cook and avid cookbook reader. We often spend our hour of dental cleaning catching up about food and ways to stay healthy to enjoy all the foods we love. (She does most of the talking, obviously.) And we also discuss dental floss. A lot. I recently asked her why dental offices no longer give out fancy Glide floss anymore as a post cleaning treat.
Karla explained that some floss may expose people to PFAs, the chemicals used for cheap nonstick pans and waterproofing fabrics. I looked it up and here’s an article from Harvard’s T. Chan School of Medicine that references a Buzzfeed article from 2019. What to do?
Long ago I gave up on Glide and switched to Dr. Tung’s Smart Floss. The floss expands to get into your gums nicely, so much so that afterwards, you feel like you just had a mini dental cleaning.
Rory’s periodontal hygienist recommended Dr. Tung’s years ago and we’re amazed. Our dental health and cleanings markedly improved. They’re pretty much painless and we get gold star approval from the dental office. With only one set of teeth, I’ll do what it takes to keep them healthy. I’m also a wimp about pain.
💎 Having fun in the kitchen
I just realizede that dental issues can be a downer so let’s end this with something upbeat! Jan in eastern Europe cooks from PTFS for fun projects. He shared a photo of his mango and sticky rice from the PTFS recipe. His verdict: Divine! He doesn’t eat much or any sugar and enjoyed the dish thoroughly. So grab the shortcut Thai mango and sticky rice recipe and get cooking.
As for me, I made biscuits from heirloom colonial wheat purchased long ago and squirreled away in my freezer. They were delicious with apricot butter but I need to up my biscuit game so I’ll keep practicing and sharing with the neighbors. To balance things, we had the biscuits with big salads dressed with … you guessed it, smoky carrot-ginger dressing.
If you see purple napa cabbage, grab a head. Its gorgeousness is fleeting. It does not lose too much color when cooked. The flavor is not as sweet as regular napa. But, I could stare at those violet leaves for a good hour. The leaves add beauty to slaws and other salads.
Back to polishing the Cooking Thai book manuscript. For this coming Sunday, I’ll be sharing a weeknight recipe that allows me to eat one of my favorite noodle preparations with less guilt.
Haha, my uncles (all avid cooks) very much disliked bean sprouts in pho for the same reasons you mentioned. I like that southern pho is full of vegetables, making it like a complete meal. Using blanched beansprouts is a great idea. Using blanched bean sprouts is a great idea.
The Hanoi pho that I grew up with (1990s) was devoid of any herbs, except for scallions. I think the reason is that it's typically eaten for breakfast and food hygene has always been a big issue so eating fresh herbs in the morning is a big no. It's been years since I last had pho, so maybe the palate has changed. But my mom occasionally cooks pho and she often uses culantro.
Andrea, Dental floss is not just for teeth!! I am an avid knitter and use the Glide floss to put in ‘life lines’ or to hold stitches in the work. (Knitters will know what I am talking about). Because it is glide-y, it takes up little space in the stitches and it pulls out easily when you need to remove it. Happy knitting!!