Cooking By Taste
What is this idea of “cooking by taste”? It’s rooted in how I grew up and the powerful women who have shaped my life – my grandmother, my mother and my six wonderful aunts.
My relationship with food began very young. Since infancy, my mother and grandmother always stuffed some sort of yummy treat in my mouth. Whether it’d be savory xôi or a hot, steamy bánh bao – my family was always exposing me to delicious eats and making sure my tummy was always full. Even some of my first words were tôm and cơm which translate to shrimp and rice in Vietnamese. It’s also safe to say I grew up sitting at the kitchen table at my grandmother’s house – surrounded by my aunts and mom as they rolled away hundreds of chả giò (egg rolls) while reminiscing their childhood back in Vietnam.
For my family, food was more than just a meal. When they escaped during the Vietnam War – food on the table meant that they were surviving – that there was promise and hope. As they started their new lives in America – food was a sense of security that they were able to provide for themselves. It was reassurance that they were going to be alright – all ten of their children were going to be just fine. As time rolled by and when my family had really established their roots in Portland – food became more of a celebratory notion. It was a way to show their love for one another. To this day, Saturday Family Dinners are still a thing… And it’s not just the small immediate family that gathers. It’s usually extended family – so all aunts and uncles who live nearby, cousins, grandchildren, random friends, etc. It’s like a mini-Thanksgiving dinner … but every Saturday. There’s usually a main entree that everyone crowds around like Mì Vịt Tiềm (an herbal braised duck noodle soup) or Cá kho tô (braised and caramelized catfish in a claypot) with rice. Then, most aunts or uncles representing their individual families will bring a side dish, soup, or dessert to contribute to the dinner. Food is what brings us together. It’s what we all can agree on, and the love for five spice and fish sauce runs deep in our veins.
With that said – my grandmother, mom, and aunts are excellent cooks. I’m not just saying that because they are family… but really they are. Honestly, I think it runs in the Pham family blood. They’re always singing, laughing and cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Recipes memorized and engraved on their hearts from years of watching my grandmother shake and sift this and that. It’s truly amazing to watch one of them pull a dish together. My mom in particular is quite the hostess of the family. She’s usually the one leading the pack for the big dinners. For Thanksgiving, it’s always her turkey that is requested. For special occasions, it’s her recipe for phở that gets made and served. Of course, everything she makes (just like the other) is never written down. Just a pinch of that, a smidge of this… and maybe a dollop of that over there. “Taste as you go,” she said. Over the years, I’ve adapted to this way of cooking – “cooking by taste”, and now sometimes, I find it to be a great challenge to taste something and see if I can identify every ingredient that was used.
As I’ve grown up, food has definitely become a big part of who I am. I love to cook. BUT just like my mom, what I love most is sharing my cooking with others. Nothing makes me happier than playing hostess and preparing a well thought out dinner for my family and friends. And when I’m in my element of cooking – that’s when the fun starts. I open a cookbook for inspiration. Uncork a bottle of wine for creativity… I blast a little Kendrick Lamar from the bluetooth speakers, and I begin stirring away the big ‘ole pot.. tasting and sniffing as I go… just like the women in my family.
I know my family (and I’m guilty of this too) don’t really write down the magic we bring to the kitchen, so that’s the point of this little corner of the internet I’ve created. I want to capture my family’s and my own recipes and share this love and passion I have for cooking with all of you.
Enjoy!
