40-yen cottage cheese?! And a 40-yen potato dish

At Ho Chi Minh's markets, things you can't help buying line the stalls

One of them is the freshly made soy milk from the tofu shop. It comes generously filled in a plastic bag, about 500ml. The price is around 5,000 dong, roughly 30 yen in Japanese currency. Cheap—way too cheap! And on top of that, it's delicious. You can drink it as it is, but our family's favorite is "faux cottage cheese." Just squeeze some lime into the warmed soy milk. Then simply leave it be.

After a while, small white lumps start to form, bit by bit. Strain it through a cloth and it's done. Since one lime costs about 10 yen, the total cost of ingredients comes to around 40 yen, I'd say. Put it on a salad, on toast, or scatter it over pasta. It's not as rich as real cheese, but it's light and refreshing—just right for the hot season.

Lately, my favorite way to enjoy it is on top of sautéed vegetables, like grilled eggplant or bell peppers. And there's one more thing that's been my recent obsession—purple taro.

In Vietnamese markets, all sorts of tubers and roots are on display. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, members of the purple yam family, and so on. Among them, this purple taro is a somewhat curious presence.

Bought it wondering "what's this?"... Let's just boil it!

And then—the texture is something in between taro and potato. It's fluffy and starchy, yet doesn't fall apart easily. Not overly sticky, but not dry and crumbly either. You can steam it, fry it, or simmer it. It's quite the all-rounder. The other day I cut it into sticks, tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and popped them into the oven. The surface turned fragrant and golden, while the inside stayed soft and fluffy.

Lighter than French fries, and you just can't stop reaching for more. My husband loves potatoes above all other tubers, and he's all about French fries — nothing else. So I tried suggesting a new ingredient to discover together... "This is delicious!" He said, munching away happily. The morning before, I'd steamed them and put them in soup, but it seems he liked the oven-baked version better. They're also perfect as a snack on a day watching soccer! A 40-yen potato bought at the market becomes a substitute for French fries. 30-yen soy milk turns into a cheese-like something. Maybe this is exactly where the fun of living in Vietnam lies. Not expensive ingredients, but just adding a little twist to things you can get at the neighborhood market. Todaaay again, I find myself wanting to buy some unfamiliar vegetable or tuber and bring it home. Relocation Life Ranking