I don't keep track of the lunar calendar so I don't know which days of the month are Buddhist vegetarian days. But when my oldest uncle's wife (who does observe such things) called and asked if I eat vegetarian because she made some udon, I wasn't gonna turn her down.
So I got this tray of banh canh chay (Vietnamese vegetarian udon), mien chay (Vietnamese vermicelli noodle stir-fry), and che (Vietnamese dessert soup) with mung bean and tapioca. Normally, banh canh is made with crab and/or shrimp, but my aunt used several different kinds of mushrooms. It was quite tasty.
I miss my mom's and grandma's banh canh though. They made their own noodles. My mom's is thicker and doughy, my grandma's were thinner, translucent, and chewy.
And this is the vermicelli stir-fry. Mmm. I do so enjoy living near my relatives.
You are so lucky! Are they staying just a few miles away? Well, you can jog to their place ;p
ReplyDeleteYum...there's something about those fat, slippery noodles.
ReplyDeleteMy mom would observe Buddhist vegetarian days too. Sometimes I'd go home and find some tasty looking noodle stir fries and seared and sauced bean curd blocks proffered in front of Buddha, alongside burning incense sticks.
"Hey Buddha...you gonna eat that?"
I'd like to think I gained spiritual enlightenment by devouring Buddha's second hand meals.
Tigerfish,
ReplyDeleteCloser than that! :)
GC,
Those occasional vegetarian days surely cleansed your body and helped with meditation right? ;)
Is your aunt willing to share her recipes? It all looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteBridget,
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought of this post in years. They're easy enough to make.