In the past, when I didn’t like the taste and flavor of bell peppers, until I learned to cook them myself in a proper way and I became a fan of bell peppers. I hardly eat them raw (like eating an apple), but when they are chopped and mixed in salad, I really appreciate the freshness, juiciness and crispiness of those small bits. When cooked in stew dishes, their taste is so palatable and easy to eat. My sister used to refuse any dish with bell peppers, but then I cooked her some pasta dishes with bell peppers and she adores bell peppers so much now.

As much as I like bell peppers, this is the my first time trying the taste of roasted bell peppers. The taste is so good, so sweet and a gentle smoke smell enhances the taste. When it comes to this salad, the sweet taste blends with the fragrant sourness of balsamic vinegar to bring out a very special flavor. This is another dish that leverages the taste of bell peppers.

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Hey, this is the first "salsa" I’ve ever made. It is similar to a salad, but this is the one with the actual "salsa" in its name that I made. I didn’t often eat salad with fruits, except for green mango or green papaya which has pure sour taste or plain taste and offers mostly the texture to the salad. This salsa has a distinctive sweet and sour taste of the mango plus its fragrance. 

When I read the recipe in my book and saw the picture, the mango is yellow-orange like this. There is no remark about which kind of mango should be used. So I just used the kind I often buy to make this salsa. 

The first impression of this salsa is its refreshing effect. As the salsa is chilled in the fridge until it is cold enough to serve, at the very first bite, I could feel the heat in my body reduced, especially on these hot days. Both the mango and tomato flesh are still firm yet juicy. Coriander leaves add more flavor to the salsa. 

It is a new and interesting taste to me. It is advised to serve this salsa with tortilla chips. But no way I could buy or make them. So I had the idea of baking some wonton cups, at least I had something crispy to enjoy the salsa too. 

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I was very curious about the name of this egg salad. When reading Western cookbooks, I have been familiar with the name of the dishes indicating who makes them such as mother’s chicken soup, grandmother’s apple pie, etc. But this is the first time I read about a dish by a son-in-law. "What an interesting name given to this dish", I thought. 

So I decided to make this salad. It is quite simple. I like cooking with tamarind paste and this is always my favorite flavor. Personally I think this dish has more typical Asian flavors. After the first trial, i definitely had to admit that I liked the taste and flavor so so much. I immediately told my fiance that he ought to make this salad for my parents one day and surely he would get good praise.

In several friends’ gatherings, I re-made this salad and it was always welcomed by my friends and was the one to be finished first and very quickly. It really worths a try.  

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Summer has entered its harshest months in tropical countries. Everyday it is so so hot with dazzling sunshine from early morning till late evening. A bowl of salad like this is just wonderful to reduce the heat inside everyone’s body, because it is so refreshing. 

I like to make this salad when it’s hot for another reason that it is very fast to make. When it is so hot in the kitchen, you don’t want to be in there cooking for a long time, or you don’t want to prep a lot of ingredients and make something complicated. 

Just simple, palatable and refreshing! Those are the most important points in Vietnamese people’s meals during summer. 

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I just have two words to describe this salad: simple and refreshing. After a long day, I only expected something simple yet impressive for my dinner, so that I can enjoy the weekend soon.  

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This is a very simple Korean spinach salad. The fragrance of sesame is very strong in this salad – as one of the typical characteristics of Korean food. 

Ingredients: 

- 300g spinach, washed and cut into 4-5cm parts

- 1.5 tbs soy sauce (kikkoman – reduced salt type is recommended)

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- half a garlic clove, minced

- 1 tbs roasted sesame seeds

Cooking:

- Boil the spinach in salted water until just cooked. Drain and twist the spinach lightly to remove excess water. 

- Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sesame seeds in a small bowl. 

- Pour the dressing over the spinach. Mix well and serve.