The pleasure of eating is part of his DNA. Giovanna Hoang describes herself as “the almond-eyed Milanese”. Born in Ho Chi Minh, she has lived in Italy since the age of two, and her name, Thi Kim Xuyen, means “bracelet” in Vietnamese. He always had a certain penchant for good food, but this passion literally exploded in the first years of his life together with his significant other: “I missed the tastes of home, mom. So I rolled up my sleeves and started experimenting. “.
How was the blog La petite Xuyen born?
This is the evolution of Like Eat, my first blog, born as a pastime, which then turned into a personal introspective journey in search of my true roots. The part of me that as a child I tried to hide (as if it was possible!) so as not to feel different from others. The arrival of my daughter Isabella solidified my love of cooking, making me realize that what I have always perceived as a burdensome difference is actually a great blessing. It is this knowledge that allows me to easily combine oriental and western colors and vice versa. It’s extra money that helps me create delicious pairings in the kitchen, bringing freshness to traditional dishes.
How would you define your cuisine?
Undoubtedly alloy!
What is your favorite dish?
I’m a carb junkie, hence the ramen and pizza.
Favorite oriental dish?
Vietnamese chagios, which are fried pancakes stuffed with pork, soy noodles, mushrooms (usually wooden ears), carrots, and eggs.
Is your Madeleine at the table?
Vietnamese pho, the emblematic dish of my country, is made with rice noodles, beef broth, beef carpaccio and lots of fresh aromatic herbs.
Never in the kitchen without…?
I can’t live without ginger.
What is the hardest ingredient for you to find in Italy?
Herringbone coriander, ngo gai in Vietnamese, which, together with Thai basil, green onions and mint, forms the perfect bouquet of fragrant herbs for pho. And the betel leaves.
Dishes that make you think about Christmas?
Italian soup with stuffed capon, white asparagus and Vietnamese crab meat.
What’s your Christmas menu?
Since Isabella arrived, we have decided that apart from the Christmas dessert (panettone or pandoro) and my mother-in-law’s legendary Russian salad, everything else will be different every year, and have abandoned the fusion option. Because I want to raise her by mixing the traditions that permeate her life. And that the Vietnamese side is as strong, sincere, harmonious as the Italian, but above all, that it is proud of it. Therefore, in addition to the classic Christmas dessert (panettone or pandoro) with mascarpone cream and my mother-in-law’s legendary Russian salad, the menu will include shrimp and pork wontons in broth as the first course, and the second course will be prepared by my husband, who loves to cook fried chicken with sauce.
What to bring for dinner with friends?
For me, the table should be served only with festive and easy-to-eat dishes.
even homemade: manto, takoyaki, rice balls, roasted purple carrot hummus and good luck sweets: mooncakes…
Mantoux sandwich with sweet and sour duck and carrots
Ingredients for 4 persons: 2 carrots, 5 tablespoons of vinegar
apples, 120 g of water, 8 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt; for mantoux: 300 g of flour 00, 75 g of whole milk, 75 g of water, 1.5 g of instant yeast, 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 pinch of salt; for sauce: 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon water, 1 teaspoon orange compote; for the filling: 90 g smoked duck breast, sesame seeds to taste, 2 leeks, cut into strips.
Training: For marinade, bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Cut the carrots into strips, put in a tall large jar and pour over the marinade. Close, let cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. For mantoux: Pour milk, water, yeast, sugar, flour, salt and oil into the bowl of a planetary mixer. Crochet for 10-15 minutes until you get a smooth and uniform dough. Form a ball and leave it in a bowl covered with cling film for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to make a rectangle. Lubricate the surface with a thin layer of water and roll up the dough, starting from the short side. Cut into 6-8 pieces. Line the baskets with parchment paper, put the mantu at a sufficient distance from each other and steam them for about 20 minutes. For sauce: dilute orange compote with soy sauce and water. Warm it up a bit in a saucepan. Stuff the mantu with smoked duck breast. Season with a few drops of orange soy sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds, sweet and sour carrots and leeks.
Moon cake with figs and almonds
Ingredients: for the dough: 200 g flour type 1, 65 g honey, 50 g maple syrup, 55 g peanut butter, 1 tablespoon kansui (alkaline water found in oriental food stores), tincture 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 pinch salt; for the filling: 230 g dried figs, 170 g almonds, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons peanut butter; for greasing: 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of water.
Training: mix honey, maple syrup, oil and kansui in a bowl. Mix the sifted flour with salt and baking powder and mix with a spatula until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Compact the dough, cover with cling film and leave for an hour in the refrigerator. Divide into 21 equal servings (about 17 g per serving). For the filling, coarsely chop the almonds, add figs, honey, oil and mix everything. Divide the dough into 21 equal portions (about 19g per portion) and shape into balls. Roll out a piece of shortcrust pastry and place a ball of filling in the center. Roll the dough well so that it completely envelops the filling. Dust lightly with flour, place in a mooncake pan and press down to shape. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 170°C. Remove from oven, let cool and gently brush with egg mixture. Bake the cookies for an additional 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown. Take them out and let them cool down. Enjoy them in 24-48 hours. During this time, mooncake pastries will take on the typical melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Source: Elle