Bowl of Comfort in Their Home Away from Home
By: Quynh Vo
“I remember the fresh aromatics that the cooks grew by themselves, and it instantly reminded me of home.”
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“I was joyfully surprised to see how hard they worked to make the dish vegetarian and still try to include its original elements. It showed that they really cared.”
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To my dad and many others, it wasn’t just a bowl of Bún Riêu. It was a piece of home that they had to leave behind. A lot of people found comfort in the temple and other public spaces, comfort that the cold American cities sometimes couldn’t provide for them.
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This summer in SOR, we’ve learned the importance of building mutual aid relationships in our community, so down below is a recipe of Bún Riêu chay. It’s not a family recipe as my family doesn’t eat this dish often; however, I hope it provides you all with the same warmth and comfort that it did for my dad.
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My dad recalls the time when the cooks at the local temple would cook lunch for the community, specifically Bún Riêu. Many people would gather, and sometimes you would end up sitting with strangers and make small talk. Growing up, my dad never had a community to rely on, so he was used to being on his own. He felt detached from the community here in Philly and a bit indifferent towards it, but he still thought it was nice that the people at the temple were so friendly.
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My parents always encouraged me to go to the temple and take Vietnamese classes, so I could connect with other Vietnamese people and stay in touch with my roots. I used to dread going because I felt like a foreigner even though it was the only place that accepted and loved the part of me that society tended to ignore. I never really put a lot of effort into trying to bond with the other kids my age, and I was always really eager for my dad to take me home. Looking back on that, I realized that it wasn’t the place that alienated me; I set those barriers up on my own. Now, I see how important that sense of community is, especially for those who are thousands of miles away from home.
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Bún Riêu chay
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3 Carrots
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2 White radishes
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4 Tomatoes
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200 grams of Mushrooms
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1 large piece of White tofu
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1 large piece of Fried tofu
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1 liter of pure Soymilk
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Spices/seasonings: salt, cashew oil, pickled tamarind, sugar
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Green onions
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grated onion
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Water spinach (rau muống)
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Chopped lettuce
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Herbs of choice
Ingredients:
Directions:
Prep:
Step 1: Wash all vegetables thoroughly and soak in salt water for 5-7 minutes
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Step 2: Cut ingredients such as carrots and white radish
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Step 3: Put pickled tamarind into a bowl with warm water and grind it to extract the juice
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Step 4: Cut the heads off the scallions and chop them
Broth:
Step 1: Add 500 ml of water to a pot and add carrots and white radish to stew for 15-20 minutes
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Step 2: when the carrots and radishes are soft, take them out and save for later
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Step 3: To make the broth cleaner, filter it once and add the carrots and radishes back into along with the mushrooms
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Step 4: add soymilk to the pot and allow the stew to simmer until it begins to boil
Step 5: while waiting for the stew to boil, sauteed some tomatoes and tofu by heating up a pan of oil and add green onions for a nice aromatic smell
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Step 6: make sure the white tofu is crushed in the pan
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Step 7: turn off the heat when the tomatoes get soft
Step 8: add the sauteed tomato and tofu mixture into the boiling stew and stir gently
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Step 9: wait for the stew to boil again, and add the tamarind juice, cashew oil, fried tofu
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Step 10: add salt, sugar, and other spices to taste
Step 11: Serve broth with vermicelli and other veggies as toppings