Flavors of Vietnam

An important part of any travel for us involves exploring local foods and delicacies.  Our visit to Vietnam was no different.  Eating in Vietnam was going to be a highlight of our 3 months in Southeast Asia for sure.  And Vietnam did not disappoint.  We enjoyed eating our way through Vietnam and wanted to follow up to share some of our tasting experiences.

Vietnam is a big country made up of many different ethnic groups that only recently share a single government.  The country offers many different flavors and cuisines, with a saltier palette in the north and a sweeter palette in the south.  It’s also clear to us that the Vietnamese prefer less spicy food as the temperature rises.  Hence, more spicy food in the north and less so in the south – though overall – we didn’t find Vietnamese cuisine that spicy.  The trade and spice routes of Asia have also clearly factored into local cuisines with Thai, Indian, Chinese elements impossible to miss.  In sum, Vietnamese cuisine has an Asian base with an influence from the French and their cooking techniques.

We also dined in many different venues.  From proper sit-down restaurants, to bus rest stops, to food courts outside thrift markets, to cooking our own meal at a cooking class and to sampling street food curbside.  We even found restaurants that are seat yourself but be prepared to walk up a narrow winding staircase to the second floor (no vacancies), to the third floor (still no vacanacies) or to the fourth floor (finally a vacancy).  Slide uncomfortably between two narrow tables, sit down at a shared table and wait for the menus to arrive.

Our “go to” experience was street food or dining al fresco on the sidewalk at family owned establishments.  Sidewalk dining is technically illegal; however not policed often. That is why you will only find kid-sized plastic seats/stools and tables – so that when the police come, everyone can quickly move their food and furniture indoors.  Before the police are off the block, diners are back outside in the blink of an eye.

Yes, we love pho and ate it often; however, we also had the opportunity to try many other dishes.

• Bún chả – By far our favorite dish – and the best soup dish in Vietnam. A sweet and tangy broth, accompanied by BBQ pork sliced thinly, sausage patties and rice noodles on the side (to add as you wish).  To finish off, you can customize the dish with lots of fresh herbs to adjust the flavor profile.

• Bánh cuốn – Thin rice crepe filled with ground chicken and mushrooms (typically consumed for breakfast).  The rice crepe itself is made from a thin rice flour batter that is ladled onto a silk screen over a pot of boiling water.  Cover the batter and in just a few seconds one has a perfect crepe.  The accompaniment is a dipping sauce that the diner customizes.  Start with water and sugar.  Add lime or kumquat for acid.  Add fish sauce for tang and saltiness.  Finish with salt, pepper, garlic and chilies for spicy heat.  Mash together and enjoy.

• Nem cua bể – Deep fried shrimp and pork spring rolls.  These are standard on every menu.  Each family and restaurant have a unique recipe but they’re always delicious.

• Bánh mì – Delicious sandwich with fresh French bread, with meat, salad and spices.  A good one costs about $1.25 in Hanoi!!  The French may have left Vietnam but thankfully they left their bread making prowess behind.

• Nộm bò khô – Dried beef salad with papaya, and beef jerky.  Everything is pickled perfectly and finished with herbs and roasted peanuts.  The dressing is a fairly standard mix of vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, chili sauce and other herbs.  The salad is sublime, but the aroma is the star.  Stunning!

• Che – Dessert soup – with coconut cream, young green sticky rice, jelly and fruit.  The Vietnamese don’t do dessert the way we are used to but what they have is quite good.  The texture takes some getting used to but the flavors and freshness work.  And it has coconut milk, so we’re good.

 

• Bánh rán ngọt – Deep fried sesame seed rice dough ball filled with mung bean paste.  We’ve all seen versions of this dish in dim sum restaurants, but this is the Vietnamese version.

• Ca Phe Trung – This was an interesting one – an egg coffee (see photo below).  That’s right, coffee with a thick egg cream instead of milk.  Back in the day when milk was expensive/hard to obtain, someone decided to substitute it with egg yolk.  You beat egg yolks with sugar and a little rum until it’s extremely thick and then pour that into your coffee.  This was a little too sweet for our taste.  We preferred and consumed MANY Ca Phe Sua Da – iced coffee with condensed milk.  On the very hot and humid days in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, a ca phe sua da hits the spot.  As the ice melts the coffee becomes less sludgy and dilutes the condensed milk.  It’s perfect in every way.

• Hot Pot – Sit at a mini table in the middle of the Street.  Order chicken, beef, pork, fish and vegetables.  They light a Sterno-type candle and put it in the center of a potholder.  Soon out comes a big pot of soup.  Shortly thereafter comes the food order accompanies by cabbage, carrots, onions and other vegetables with noodles.  Cook the food at your leisure and keep ordering cold beer.  A perfect meal with plenty of people watching for entertainment.  Oh and it’s not more than $5 per person.

Our cooking class was very enjoyable.  We had the opportunity to make Bun Cha (our favorite soup), Chicken Lettuce Cups, Nem Cua Be (fried spring rolls), Fusion Salad (tropical fruits with a sweet tangy dressing) and Banana Fritters for dessert (see photos below).  We also learned to make tomato roses and carrot accents, so our dishes looked pretty.

We have all the recipes from our class and if you are lucky – we will try them out when we are back home after our big adventure.

So yes, come to Vietnam for the natural beauty.  Come see Ha Long Bay in all its glory.  Visit the Mekong Delta and their unique culture.  Visit the cities – big and small.  Walk the rice paddies and the broad avenues.  Learn to cross the street without getting hit by motor scooters, cars and buses.  Shop in fancy malls or local thrift markets.  But don’t miss the food.  Pull up a mini chair, order a beer and get ready to dig in!