Imagine combining sweet, salty, bitter, sour and spicy in a single dish? This is Vietnamese cuisine, one of the best known and most appreciated in Asia. Based on the Chinese principle of Wu Xing (five elements), which results in the combination of these five flavors, Vietnamese cuisine is healthy and uses and abuses of fresh ingredients, such as vegetables, herbs and others.
Because it was part of Indochina, a term used to define the region of Asia that was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese culture, Vietnam has a cuisine that unites diverse elements of the gastronomy of both countries. There is also a French touch, as Vietnam was under French rule during a period, which left traces in Vietnamese food.
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Check out some of the typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine:
Pho
Vietnam's most traditional dish, the
Pho combines rice noodles, soup, pieces of meat (usually chicken or beef) and vegetables.Although it varies according to the region of the country, the basic version of Pho he takes tai (pieces of meat), good morning (meatballs) or name (pieces of flank steak) with bean sprouts, slices of lemon, fresh herbs – such as mint, basil and cilantro – and onions. The dish can be accompanied by nuoc cham (fermented fish) and chilli sauce.
Bánh mì
French colonization also had an influence on Vietnamese cuisine. The most famous example is the bánh mì, a toasted baguette sandwich with vegetables, butter, pate, soy sauce, cilantro and chilies.
The main filling is meat, which can be heo quay (toasted pork belly), thit nuong (grilled pork loin), cha ca (fried fish with turmeric and dill), tea moon (cooked sausages), xxu (grilled pork like barbecue) and thit ga (poached chicken). There is also an option to add trung op la (fried egg).
goi cuon
goi cuon, known as summer roll or Vietnamese roll, is a dish in which rice noodles, pieces of pork, shrimp, basil and lettuce are all together and wrapped in banh trang (rice leaves). To accompany, sweet and spicy sauce topped with peanuts.
bun cha
Also known as 'Obama noodles', as the US president tasted the dish on a visit to Vietnam in 2016, the bun cha combines grilled pork meat, rice noodles and fish sauce. The accompaniment is sliced papaya, carrots and herbs.
Usually, restaurant customers cook parts of the bun cha, dipping the noodles into a bowl of boiling broth.
Banh Xeo
Similar to a crepe or a pancake, the bath xéo it is made from rice flour, coconut milk and saffron. The filling is rice noodles, pieces of meat (chicken, pork or beef), shrimp, onion, bean sprouts and mushrooms.
To eat bath xéo, cut it into pieces, wrap them in rice, lettuce or mustard leaves and dip in fermented peanut sauce.
Cao Lau
Typical of the Hoi An region, the dog lau it is a thicker rice noodle, bean sprouts, vegetables and fried pork belly are served in a mint and star anise soup. On top, grilled rice flour biscuits, crispy rice paper, thin pieces of pork or fried noodles cut into squares.
xeo xeo
Fan of sweet and sour dishes? O xoi xeo is a Vietnamese snack that traditionally combines rice with mung bean paste, soy sauce, turmeric powder and dried charlota.
For a more complete meal, the xoi xeo can be supplemented with pate, boiled chicken, tea moon (Vietnamese ham), marinated pork belly or preserved egg (an egg buried for 100 days and then hard-boiled).
You can also try the xoi xeo as dessert, combining rice with dried coconut shavings, granulated sugar and toasted sesame seeds.
Bánh cuon nong
Another type of roll, the Bánh cuon nong stuffed with meat (pork, shrimp or chicken) and wood ear mushrooms, onions, vegetables and tea moon wrapped in rice dough. It is steamed and served with fish sauce.
How are you?
with tam, the Vietnamese ‘broken rice’, is a dish that combines broken rice grains and fried egg, chopped chives and various types of meat. It is a dish usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. It can be accompanied by cucumber, suon nuong (grilled pork chop), bi (pulled pork skin) and cha trung (poco cooked meat and egg bread).
pâté chaud
Another French-influenced dish, the pâté chaud It is a puff pastry stuffed with sausage and liver pâté. It is usually consumed in snacks with coffee.