Vietnamese G7 cappuccino ice-cream

Although being Asian, I'm definitely still perplexed by wacky Asian product names & packaging. Most of the time, the translation is completely off, or there isn't any at all. The other day, I went to Chinatown to get red bean paste (and glutinous rice flour) for a mochi attempt, and it took me forever to find a bag where the expiration dates are of the future and not the past. Finally, the two types they had, only one had a four-word line of English translation. I had to ask an employee there just to make sure that both bags were essentially the same thing.

So...G7? No, not the meeting of the finance ministers of the seven industrialized countries. G7 as in Trung Nguyen's instant all-in-one coffee mix.

That's an odd name, right? They said it's because each pouch is best mixed with 7 oz of boiling water. But then what does the G stand for? Then there's this hilarious clarification on the website "All G7 products are independently tested for safety and purity by third-party labs in Germany and Malaysia, and its ingredients NEVER come from China". LOL!!!! NEVER!NEVER, u hear?

All confusion aside, 1 thing I'm sure about: Vietnamese coffee kicks ass :) There are also awesome instant ones that are great for dessert. I used to drink Vinacafe, got all my friends hooked on it, only to realize recently that it gives me heartburn :( (ya, my digestive system isn't very impressive)

So ever since I stopped my daily dose of Vinacafe, I started using the mix to make ice cream, and I wasn't even surprised that the ice cream turned out AMAZING! Here is the G7 version I made that was inhaled in 2 days.

G7 Irish cream Cappuccino Ice-cream

• 2 cups cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 pouches of G7 Irish cream cappuccino instant mix
  
• 2 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 2 tbsp Bailey's or Kahlua

Heat the cream & milk together over medium low. Once it's got tiny bubbles forming on the rim, add the G7 mix along with the coffee granules into the milk & cream . Stir constantly to blend. Take the pot off the heat. Chill mixture in the fridge over night.

When ready to rock, stir in the Bailey's or Kahlua and churn in your ice-cream maker.

I served mine over chunks of bananas, chopped almonds and topped with pieces of home-made sugar waffles.

Stir fried pork & vermicelli

You know when you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, anywhere in North America, there will be a "Grilled chicken/pork/beef served with vermicelli/rice and salad and fish sauce" on the menu? Well this is the stir-fry version, for when you just have to have it NOW & got no patience for marinating meat.

Ok, this is not a recipe. Ready?

• Meat: chicken/pork/beef/shrimp/tofu, whatever you have on hand. Grilled or stir fried, with a bit of oil, sliced onions & garlic, and a few drops of pure fish sauce right before taking it off the heat
• Salad: iceberg lettuce/spring mix/romaine lettuce, bean sprouts, mints/Thai basil/coriander
• Vermicelli, cooked and drained according to package
• Sauce: prepared fish sauce
• Chopped peanuts (optional)
• Vietnamese "do chua" (pickled shredded carrots & daikon, optional)
  
• Chopsticks (oh c'mon! You can't eat this with a fork!!! It's just not the same!)

Make sure your bowl is big, so when you mix everything together, nothing flies.

Hmmm... I looooove it.... And of course, I ate too much...
***sigh***