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Scottish Produce Dinner Party. Edinburgh, Scotland. Including Cullen Skink, Venison loin recipes. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Cullen Skink, Venison Loin and Haggis for a Wee Scottish Dinner Party at our Home Away from Home

When I put out a call on Twitter for ideas as to what I should cook while we were in Edinburgh for my series The Dish, about the quintessential dishes of the places we settle into, Scottish chef Gary Robinson, former personal chef to Prince Charles and chef of Mezzanine, one of our favourite restaurants in Dubai, suggested that I make haggis.

And no, not just steam a haggis and serve it, Gary wanted me to make it from scratch. If you know haggis, you’re probably giggling at the thought. If you don’t, and you’re not vegetarian, read on.

Haggis is essentially a big, fat, humble sausage. But a big, fat sausage that contains finely chopped sheep’s heart, liver and lungs (hence the ‘humble’ descriptor), along with spices, onions, and some secret ingredients that set each haggis maker apart.

While in Edinburgh, for the sake of research, we tried several types of haggis, a commercial haggis from the supermarket, haggis that you fry up as part of a breakfast, haggis made by our local butcher, and haggis at a Burns Supper.

Between all the haggis and the whisky, we both felt like we were well on the way to developing the mother of all heartburn attacks by the time we left Scotland.

While many visitors to Scotland – even foodies – get squeamish about the thought of haggis, we are dedicated nose-to-tail eaters. We found haggis – in all its forms – to be absolutely delicious. It is also very filling.

So while haggis with neeps (mashed turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes) is the traditional way of serving it, I couldn’t help but do something a little different and a little lighter.

Cullen Skink, Venison Loin and Haggis for a Wee Scottish Dinner Party at our Home Away from Home

That something different is the main course of a simple three-course meal — including cullen skink and venison loin and haggis recipes — that I cooked up in our elegant Edinburgh apartment rental using the local Scottish ingredients we bought.

Starter – Cullen Skink Soup Recipe

Cullen skink was the first course of our wee dinner party and you’ll find my cullen skink soup recipe here. it really showcases Edinburgh’s fantastic local seafood.

Donald Reid, the eating and drinking editor of The List magazine, who we interviewed about the city’s food scene, called cullen skink the dish to make if you’re settling into Edinburgh for a while, which made it a perfect candidate for my recipe series The Dish on the quintessential dishes of the places we settled into.

Straight after we left him we went and tried the cullen skink at Sea Dogs restaurant. It’s a delicious, aromatic and seductive soup made with smoked haddock fish, potatoes, milk, and stock.

Cullen is the name of the town where the dish originated and skink a name for soup.

In The Locals’ Guide to Edinburgh there was a recipe for the dish by chef Martin Wishart, the Michelin-starred chef of Restaurant Martin Wishart in Edinburgh.

While I loved the fact that he added leeks to the mix, the addition of cream to the dish in the recipe made me think that it might mute some of the smoky flavour of the fish.

After sourcing some beautiful smoked haddock from local supplier George Armstrong Fishmonger, I made a pretty simple version of the famous Scottish fish soup.

Main Course – Venison Loin with Haggis, Celeriac Purée and Roasted Vegetables

For the main course I knew haggis had to be involved. I went to the butcher George Bower and found a good sized haggis for two.

Because I’d heard so much about the excellent game in Scotland, I also bought some lovely venison loin from him.

At the local supermarket there were some fine local carrots for roasting, beetroots which I cooked in their bag, and celeriac to make a purée.

For a sauce I went with a red wine sauce with a dash of whisky – often called a gamekeepers sauce.

Dessert – Local Scottish Cheeses

We were so impressed with the local Scottish cheeses that we had bought that we skipped making a ‘pudding’. Many Edinburgh locals recommended making cranachan, a sweet dish of berries, cream, oats, honey and whisky.

But as the only berries we could find were frozen or imported, we decided against making something sweet and went straight to the fantastic cheeses.

Here are the local Scottish cheeses I served, all of which we bought from I.J. Mellis…

We tried some delicious Anster, handmade on the farm to a traditional recipe by Jane and Robert Stewart. The cows graze all summer long on lush pastures overlooking the May island above Fife fishing village of Anstruther.

We also savoured some Isle of Mull, made from raw milk and matured for two years, from cows that feed on grass and surplus grain from the local distillery, which gives the cheese a distinctive tangy flavour and some acidity. With age, the cheese gains a great pungency of flavour.

And lastly, we enjoyed a Lanark Blue, made from raw ewe’s milk, which due to twice yearly lambing, changes from season to season; early season it has a long, lingering, sweet flavour, and sharp undertones, while late season it’s punchier and more savoury in flavour. They were all wonderful.

Venison Loin with Haggis, Celeriac Purée and Roasted Vegetables

Scottish Produce Dinner Party. Edinburgh, Scotland. Including Cullen Skink, Venison loin recipes. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Cullen Skink Soup Recipe

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This cullen skink soup recipe makes my take on a traditional Scottish dish. Cullen skink is a soup made with smoked haddock, and it makes a great dinner party starter. We first made it in Scotland for a wee Scottish dinner party in our home away from home in Edinburgh.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Appetiser
Cuisine: Scottish
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 300kcal
Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

  • 300 g smoked haddock
  • 50 g butter
  • 2 leeks carefully cleaned and sliced
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 medium-sized potato peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 cup of vegetable stock
  • 300 ml whole milk
  • Chives for serving

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and slowly sweat down the leeks and the onion without browning them.
  • Heat the stock and add to the leeks and onions, along with the potato. Cook for ten minutes over medium-high heat. Add water if necessary.
  • Add milk to a saucepan over medium heat and slide in the haddock. Poach for five minutes.
  • Remove the haddock from the milk and reserve the milk. Break up the haddock into bite-sized chunks with a fork.
  • Put the soup and the milk in a blender and blend for a couple of minutes. We’re not after a perfectly smooth finish to the soup, as we’re adding the fish pieces to the soup anyway.
  • Reheat the soup in a saucepan and while it's reheating place a good couple of tablespoons of the haddock in the bottom of a glass or cup.
  • Pour the soup over the fish tableside for a little old-school dining room drama!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.2g | Protein: 22.7g | Fat: 13.6g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.6g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 687mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 7.8g

Venison Loin with Haggis, Celeriac Purée and Roasted Vegetables

Scottish Produce Dinner Party. Edinburgh, Scotland. Including Cullen Skink, Venison loin recipes. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Venison Loin with Haggis, Celeriac Purée and Roasted Vegetables

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This recipe for venison loin with haggis, celeriac purée and roasted vegetables makes my take on a classic Scottish dish. We first made it in Scotland for a wee Scottish dinner party in our home away from home in Edinburgh.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Scottish
Servings: 4
Calories: 748kcal
Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

Sauce
  • 50 g butter
  • 1 tsp tomato purée
  • 100 ml red wine
  • 250 ml beef stock warmed
  • A dram of whisky
Celeriac Purée
  • 50 g butter plus more for final mix
  • 750 g celeriac peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 500 ml full-fat milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 600 g of venison loin
  • 2 beetroots uncooked
  • 500 g of carrots

Instructions

  • To make the purée, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and add the celeriac and garlic and mix for a few minutes. Add the milk and good pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. If the celeriac isn’t soft give it a few more minutes; the liquid should have mostly disappeared. Place the mix in a blender and blitz to a purée. Season as necessary (you might need plenty of salt) and place back in a saucepan to keep warm until required.
  • To make the sauce, add the tomato purée and butter to a saucepan over low heat. Once the two ingredients have combined, gradually stir in the red wine and then the beef stock. Gently simmer for around 30 minutes at which point the sauce should have thickened considerably. Add a wee dram of whisky and simmer again. If the sauce is too thin, keep reducing. If it’s just right, take it off the heat. Add a small knob of butter, stir in well, and increase the heat just before serving.
  • To cook the carrots, pre-heat the oven to 120˚C and place the carrots on an oven tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Generally I like the carrots to still have a bit of crunch so I do them for only 30 minutes.
  • The beetroots I used came in a vacuum pack which I boiled for 15 minutes. Simple.
  • The haggis was steamed in a colander for 1 hour as per the butcher’s instructions.
  • When all the above ingredients are almost ready, it’s time to tackle the venison (which should be out of the fridge and almost at room temperature). Venison is easily overcooked, making it dry out. You must only cook venison to medium-rare which can make some people nervous, but with whole cuts of meat bacteria is usually only found on the surface of the meat and the high cooking temperature you’re searing it at will eliminate any bacteria.
  • Place a little oil in a pan over high heat and sear the venison all over – usually it takes about 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and increase the oven temperature to 180˚C. It should take about 10 minutes for the internal temperature to reach 62˚C which is the minimum recommended temperature. When you have the desired temperature, remove the venison from the oven and allow to rest covered for ten minutes before slicing and serving.
  • To serve, place a good ribbon of celeriac purée across the plates. Slice open the haggis and give each plate a good couple of tablespoons of haggis on top of the purée. Place a few slices of the venison on top of that and place the beetroot pieces and carrots around the meat. Spoon over some sauce. Enjoy with whisky or a big bottle of red, preferably a spicy shiraz.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.1g | Protein: 61.4g | Fat: 34.8g | Saturated Fat: 20.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14.4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 273mg | Sodium: 852mg | Fiber: 7.5g | Sugar: 19.8g

This post continues from the last post about Local Produce here.

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About Terence Carter

Terence Carter is an editorial food and travel photographer and infrequent travel writer with a love of photographing people, places and plates of food. After living in the Middle East for a dozen years, he settled in South-East Asia a dozen years ago with his wife, travel and food writer and sometime magazine editor Lara Dunston.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Keith says

    February 11, 2011 at 7:24 am

    Amazing work with this post and are you, out of curiosity, an ex-chef yourself? Dinner sounds delicious.

  2. Terence Carter says

    February 11, 2011 at 7:40 am

    Thanks Keith, I’m certainly no chef, but I love to cook and have worked in kitchens for experience – before it became ‘cool’ to cook.
    I nearly changed careers, but the incredibly hard work and low (initial) pay was too much of a roadblock for me given I already had a good career in publishing.
    Still love hanging out in kitchens and talking to chefs and cooks – when you tell them that you’ve ‘done time’ in a kitchen it’s like you’ve been admitted to a secret society.
    Cheers,
    T

  3. Keith says

    February 14, 2011 at 8:14 am

    Recipe I was once given for cooking venison:

    Place meat in a roasting tin, add 2 glasses of whisky, two glasses of rum, half a pound of blackcurrants, a small bottle of ginger ale and a pint of Guinness.

    Cover, and cook in a moderate oven for 4 hours.

    The meat is still all dry and horrible; give it to the dog. But, enjoy the gravy; it tastes marvellous!

  4. Terence Carter says

    February 14, 2011 at 9:20 am

    Feel sorry for the dog. Maybe if you drank the marinade and cooked the venison for four hours you might not notice?
    Venison is very mich like kangaroo, not much fat to render down, so it has to be cooked medium-rare.
    If you cook it properly there won’t be any left for the dog! Give him the leftover haggis ;)

  5. Felicia says

    June 14, 2017 at 12:08 am

    I’ve only cooked Venison a few times, but this is by far the best recipe out of all of them. The flavours were delicious and I too skipped a traditional dessert and happily sat with a cheese platter.
    This was a perfect treat.5 stars

  6. Lara Dunston says

    July 15, 2017 at 10:01 am

    Fantastic! That’s what we love to hear!

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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