Vietnamese food with a mission
The love story of Thy Thy Chin and Joshua Quesada is centered on food, wellness, and a mutual desire to make the world a better place.
Vietnamese chef Thy Thy was born and raised in Vietnam. She hails from generations of street vendors. Her grandmother sold rice cakes, while her mother owned a rice store. Every so often, the women peddled noodles in the heart of Saigon.
Food had been her family’s pursuit before the Vietnam war, and remained so way after it ended. Thy Thy never thought that she herself would be enamored by it. Growing up, she confessed, “I never thought I would continue doing what they did. I thought their work was mundane.”
Craving for greener pastures, she ventured to Singapore and immersed herself in a completely different field: medicine. “I was fascinated by the human body and all the things that happen inside our system. It’s a work of perfection,” Thy Thy said in awe.
The more she learned about rescue medicine, the more she felt the desire to explore preventive medicine, inspired by the adage, “We are what we eat.”
Chef Thy was drawn to how food affects the body, and challenged by how to make healthy food delicious.
Once a National University Hospital of Singapore cardiac specialist, Thy Thy is now a full-fledged chef who has no desire to renew her medical license. Chef Joshua graduated from the College of Saint Benilde with a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurants and Hotel Management, major in culinary arts.
It was during his stint at Bread Street Kitchen Singapore that their paths crossed.
Chef Thy considers chef Joshua one of her mentors. He taught her a ton of lessons, from kitchen cultures to how to multiply recipes to serve thousands.
Partners
Together, they are a formidable duo. He is in charge of running the kitchen professionally and hygienically. Thy designs the menu and does quality control. He makes sure everything tastes amazing, while she ensures the health benefits of the food they prepare. Together they are magic in the kitchen.
Joshua and Thy returned to the Philippines after they wed in Singapore, with a mission.
Joshua wants to transform street vendors in the Philippines by uplifting their food preparation methods and safety standards.
The advocacy of their kitchen, called Can We Pho, is to hire single moms and those with special needs.
“If they last in our kitchen, they can change their lives,” said Thy.
Apart from her advocacies, Thy has big dreams. Her wish is to bring as many people as she can to Vietnam. This is why she said, she cooks their national dishes as best she can. Through the flavors of her food, she hopes that people would like to go to and explore her beloved Vietnam.
Thy shared that approximately 33,000 soldiers laid down their lives in the Vietnam war. Chef Thy aims to make up for that number by bringing 300 tourists a year. “In my lifetime, my goal is to bring home 33,000 tourists.”
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of trying Josh and Thy’s food at Discovery Suites Ortigas.
The fresh spring rolls, pho, the delectable fried chicken, Vietnamese crepe, and the excellent bahn mi were all fresh, light, and cooked with a lot of care.
Manning the pho station was a young adult with special needs who, under their tutelage, is now an able hand in the kitchen. I watched him work in admiration of his precision and accuracy.
The sight of the pho booth that served comforting bowls of noodle soup was the perfect picture of how chef Joshua and chef Thy work their magic together—with purpose, and deliciously.
‘Phở bò’ recipe
The Vietnamese take pride in having clear broth, so cleaning the meat right will be the first important step in having the broth clear and golden.
1. Clean bones and meat.
2. In a big bowl, submerge 1 kg beef bone, 1 kg brisket, 1 kg tendon. Add 2 cups of vinegar, 1/2 cup of salt.
3. Soak for 30 minutes. Rinse in cold water.
4. In a pot, boil 10 L of water with salt, 80 g of sliced ginger. Boil meat and bones for 20 minutes.
5. Wash meat and bones again.
6. Wash 2 big pieces of ginger well to remove all the dirt, and 2 pcs onions.
7. Over charcoal, char ginger, onions. Set aside.
8. In a dry pan, add:
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 4 star anise
- 8 pcs cloves
- 2 pcs cardamom
9. Roast spices until fragrant.
10. Wrap charred ginger, onion, toasted spice in 1 cheese cloth. Tie well. Drop into a big pot for soup.
The broth
Roast the bones in an air fryer for 20 minutes at 200°C.
1. In a pot, add 10-12 L water, add cheesecloth containing spices, add roasted bones, meat, and tendon.
2. Add 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp sugar and let cook over medium heat.
3. After 2 hours, remove brisket and check tenderness. Set aside.
4. After 4 hours, check tendon for tenderness. Set aside for slicing later.
5. Simmer broth over low heat for 3 hours.
6. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
7. Blanch rice noodles.
8. Put in bowl with basil, thinly sliced white onion, sliced spring onion, blanched togue (mung beans).
9. Top with beef slices and tendon. Pour over soup.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Vietnamese Festival at Discovery Ortigas. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram Can We Pho.
www.reggieaspiras.com, @iamreggieaspiras on IG and FB
