VIETNAM is like a culinary wonderland for the food-loving traveller, with its abundance of fresh, tasty and healthy cuisine at bargain prices. From humble streetside stalls to bustling markets and restaurants in the more salubrious surrounds of Saigon’s Dong Khoi Street or Hanoi’s gorgeous Old Quarter there is an abundance of delicious eats to be found. Here are some must-try Vietnamese dishes.
Bun Cha. Pic: Liz Ledden.
Bun Cha
A Hanoi speciality and lunchtime only dish, Bun Cha consists of char grilled pork meatballs and grilled pork meat in a nourishing fish sauced based soup, served with a mix of rice vermicelli noodles, herbs and condiments. Accompanying bun cha are fried spring rolls (nem in the north, cha gio in the south), either pork filled or with a mixture of pork and crab. A garlic laced vinegar is served at most bun cha eateries which gives the dish a punchy lift.
Bo La Lot
These little morsels of betel leaf wrapped goodness are grilled, usually over a charcoal barbeque, and are filled with a tasty mixture of minced beef with flavourings including lemongrass and fish sauce. They can be eaten by themselves, or as part of a ‘beef served seven ways’ extravaganza, as is sometimes the case. You can also eat them wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice vermicelli and fragrant herbs, and dip the whole parcel in nuoc mam, Vietnam’s delicious fish sauce based condiment.
Pho
Often eaten for breakfast in Vietnam, pho is a healthy, tasty broth fragrant with spices like star anise and laden with rice noodles and some kind of protein (often beef or chicken). Toppings are usually DIY and include bean sprouts and assorted fresh herbs including Vietnamese mint. Lime and chilli can then be added to your desired taste. The Vietnamese chain Pho 24 is an ubiquitous sight in the main cities and does offer a quick, simple and clean place to sample pho, but more flavoursome renditions can be found on the street or in simple family run restaurants. Pho is said to have restorative health properties and is touted as an excellent hangover cure.
Banh Xeo. Pic: Liz Ledden.
Banh xeo
Thin and crispy banh xeo is a large, thin pancake tinted yellow by turmeric, wrapped around a mixture of sliced pork meat, whole prawns and beansprouts. It is usually served with lettuce and fresh Vietnamese herbs for wrapping it in, and various condiments like chilli and nuoc mam dipping sauce. Crispy, crunchy, warming banh xeo makes an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine with its simple but satisfying flavour combination.
Cha Ca
A delicious northern Vietnamese fish dish, cha ca consists of white fish cooked with turmeric, dill and spring onions, and is served with rice vermicelli, peanuts, fresh herbs and chilli. The dill imparts a strong yet perfectly complimentary flavour to the dish. Such is its legendary status in Hanoi, an entire street (‘Cha Ca Street’) in the city’s Old Quarter is devoted to the dish, where institutions like Cha Ca La Vong serve it up to hungry patrons.
Thit Kho
Thit Kho is a popular southern Vietnamese dish otherwise known as caramelised pork in claypot. The pork meat, often pork belly, is slow cooked in a caramelised, coconut milk based stew with soft boiled eggs included for added nourishment. In restaurants it is often served up in the claypot of its namesake. Eaten with rice, it is Vietnamese comfort food at its best.
