Sweet potato bars recipe

Watch how to make sweet potato bars on Van's Kitchen Youtube 

Blog in Vietnamese: Video: Cách làm bánh khoai lang nướng 

My recipe keeper for left-over sweet potato from Thanksgiving. Very moist and delicious!

Kabocha pumpkin flan recipe

Watch how to make Kabocha pumpkin flan on the Van's Kitchen Youtube
Blog in Vietnamese: Video: Cách làm bánh flan bí đỏ

Autumn is finally here in Phoenix, with cool crisp nights and pumpkins piled in front of the stores. This pumpkin crème caramel is a great sweet welcome the season.
It's also great for a busy holiday schedule, since I can make it ahead of time and chill in the fridge until serving. The pumpkin flavor, smooth texture, and caramelized sugar are so great.
If you're looking for a unique dessert to celebrate Fall, this is an excellent choice.

Traditional Mooncake Recipe

Watch my video how to make mooncake on the Van's Kitchen Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách làm bánh trung thu 

The Moon Festival is right around the corner! It's a special festival for children in Vietnam. On this day, the children light the lanterns and walk around their neighborhoods, enjoy lion dances, and other fun activities. Mooncakes are a popular treat to serve at gatherings of friends and family on this special day.

Strawberry cream cheese ice cream recipe

Watch my video how to make Strawberry Cream Cheese Ice Cream on Van's Kitchen Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách làm kem pho mai dâu 

Summer is a great time for strawberry desserts, and strawberry cream cheese ice cream is one of our favorites! This is an amazing homemade ice cream, full of rich flavor and creamy texture. The cream cheese enhances the flavor of the strawberries very well. This is a perfect dessert in the summer when strawberries are on sale.

Mango frozen yogurt recipe

Watch my video how to make mango frozen yogurt on Van's Kitchen Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách làm kem da ua xoài

In the middle of a super hot Phoenix summer, this mango frozen yogurt is exactly what I need. It's the perfect choice to cool off at the end a sweltering day! (^-^)

Frozen yogurt is a lighter, healthier option than ice cream, since it is made with yogurt instead of fatty cream. However, if you're going for a creamy result, you can opt to use full fat yogurt. Greek yogurt is super thick and creamy, with a delightfully tangy taste. Whole milk Greek yogurt is always the best choice for frozen yogurt. 

Homemade Vietnamese Yogurt

♥Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách làm da ua sữa chua tại nhà 

♥Watch my video how to make Vietnamese yogurt at home on the Van's Kitchen channel Yotube

Making yogurt is so easy and economical. And it's so yummy! Most of store-bought yogurt I've tried is either too plain or too sweet. My homemade yogurt turns out just great. Making yogurt has become a regular routine in my home now, and it's really easy with a yogurt maker. I use Yogourmet yogurt culture which has additional probiotics. But if you can't find it, you can use plain yogurt with live cultures as a starter. In that case, look at the ingredients list to make sure Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are included.

Che dau van recipe - Vietnamese bean dessert

♥Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách nấu chè đậu ván

♥Watch my video how to make Che dau van on Van's Kitchen Youtube

There are many types of bean desserts in Vietnamese cuisine. But Che Dau Van is my most favorite! On the package of Dau Van beans I bought from an Asian grocery store, it's translated into English as "Broad Beans." But after doing some research on Wikipedia, I realized that the plant, shape, and color of broad beans is not the same as the Dau Van we use to make Che Dau Van in Vietnam. Rather, "Hyacinth bean" is the English name for the bean we use in this sweet. Good thing that I chose Dau Van at the store by looking for its special shape, and more than that, that I could read Vietnamese! If you want to try this dessert out, be sure to pick up the right bean! (^^)

In my efforts to make this dessert both appear good and taste good, I have to confess that I have failed 3 times trying to make this dessert before. It turned out that either the beans fell apart and got mushy, or they held their shape, but were too hard. This dessert requires a delicate balance: tenderness while preserving the bean shape.

So here comes the new way: steaming the beans by a pressure cooker! It is just a great way to cook the beans perfectly as they are supposed to be. And on top of that, it is super fast!

No-bake orange cheesecake with mango (Orange cheesecake mousse)

♥Blog in Vietnamese: Bánh cheesecake xoài nhân rau câu cam

♥Watch my video how to make this no-bake orange cheesecake with mango on Youtube.

It is always so much fun to play around with baking to me. When it comes to a family event or a special occasion, a nice dessert to bring the party to a close is great.
This no-bake orange cheesecake with mango is not hard at all, but it’s very fun to make and the cake turns out awesome. Each bite of the cake is a nice surprise with the great combination of soft cheese mousse, jelly orange, and the light texture of sponge cake. If you love to bake, but get tired of simple desserts, this original recipe is from my home to yours.

Vietnamese gluten and dairy-free coconut honeycomb cake

Watch how-to make Vietnamese gluten and dairy-free coconut honeycomb cake on Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Bánh bò nướng

Coconut honeycomb cake, or Bánh bò nướng in Vietnamese, is a gluten and dairy free cake with a slightly chewy texture and an interesting honeycomb-like pattern, due to air bubbles in the cake.

I am so glad that I stumbled upon this unique recipe. When I saw the attractive images on Jules Food Blog I couldn't wait to give it a try. As you see, I did it! I was so happy that it turned out well the first time I tried. The cake came out with a pretty honeycomb texture, which I've heard is the hard part. 

Sticky rice sweet dumplings

 

Watch how-to make Sticky rice sweet dumplings on Van's Kitchen Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Video cách làm chè trôi nước 

A great dessert for gluten-free diets! Sticky rice sweet dumplings, aka "Chè trôi nước" in Vietnamese, is similar to Daifuku in Japanese cuisine, or Tangyuan in Chinese, but instead of red beans, we use mung bean. Like all types of rice and bean, sticky rice and mung beans don't contain dietary gluten. Isn't that great?

These mochi balls are nice to eat, but I know most people are afraid to work with the gooey, sticky mess of the mochi dough. So I decided to make the mochi dough by using food processor, and it worked out well! No more afraid of working with the gooey, sticky mess of the mochi dough!