VIETNAMESE CUISINE

PART 2: SIGNATURE DISHES OF EVERY REGION

Northern Vietnam – Hà Nội

Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm (Fried Tofu with Fermented shrimp paste sauce & Rice Vermicelli)

Vietnamese cuisine is famous for many types of special Mắm – sauce. The salty and unique aroma of shrimp paste can make some people smell stinky but once you get used to it, you will see that shrimp paste is actually the must-have sauce for many dishes and it can be the symbol for Hanoi’s cuisine. Using shrimp paste as the link, Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm will satisfy your taste. You may use fish sauce as an equivalent, but shrimp paste is the best for sure.

A set of Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm

Shrimp paste is made from shrimps, after being leavened, it has its own unique flavor and color. Because of its strong flavor, many people including Vietnamese people cannot stand this sauce.

Mắm Tôm - Fermented shrimp paste sauce

A set of Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm is very simple, it just includes rice noodles, fried tofu and a small bowl of mixed shrimp paste. Rice noodles is formed like a cookie then cut into pieces. Tofu is deep fried before being served. The interesting thing of the dish is the sauce. Shrimp paste is mixed with sugar, limes and a tablespoon of boiling oil then stir well until it becomes purple and foaming. The salty of shrimp paste is reduced thanks to sugar, sour limes and oil. You may be impressed at the first try. Pick a hot tofu, put into the sauce and enjoy the crisp and aroma of the tofu and the flavor of shrimp paste together with rice noodles will make a great balance.

Bún Chả Hà Nội (Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Rice vermicelli)

One of the most popular Vietnamese Noodle Dishes in Hanoi capital is Bún Chả Hà Nội. Like so many other Vietnamese dishes, the name is very literal. Bún is a type of fresh rice noodle and Chả is a pork pattie (although sometimes in the South Chả is a type of sausage). Hanoi-style Bún Chả is a make-your-own dish comprising noodles and fresh herbs served with pork patties and barbecued pork floating in a warm sweet fish sauce-based broth. Spring rolls are often part of the spread.

When serving, they add a little mixture carrot and papaya into dipping sauce, sprinkle a little pepper on face of sauce to increase its specific flavor. You should eat grilled pork when it is still hot. Eating with vermicelli, dipping sauce (soak grilled pork into this sauce) and vegetables is the popular way of Vietnamese.

Central Vietnam

Bún Bò Huế (Hue beef noodle soup)

Whether North, South or Central, "Bún" also creates unique and specific dishes in each region. However, in Huế - Central Vietnam, they like “Bún” rather than other one because of style of “Bún Huế”. Huế style not only is the elegant, sophisticated, precise dishes but also feel the spirit of the processor. Coming to Huế, either morning or afternoon, walking along the small streets, people can find easily “Bún Bò Huế”. Someone must select the correct address with preferred flavor.

A bowl of Bún Bò Huế with tender slices of beef and pork, then topped with lots of fresh herbs.

Rice noodles is a necessary grain for our body every day. Noodles made from rice is very smooth, make it easier to digest. Noodles fiber is not too small or too big, its diameter is about 1,5mm, smooth and white. If its color is transparent, it means noodles contains much of best flour, it makes noodles stiff, elastic and hard to digest.

Bun Bo Hue is a spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle soup that is not quite as popular as Pho but should not be overlooked! This noodle soup is beefy, spicy & has a robust broth. If you love Pho and you love a bit of spice, then definitely give Bun Bo Hue a try.

Mì Quảng (Quang Style Noodle with Pork & Shrimp)

Originally from the Quảng Nam province of central Vietnam, Mì Quảng consists of yellow rice noodles colored with turmeric topped with vegetables, pork, and shrimp with just a little bit of savory broth at the bottom. It’s packed with flavor and usually served with sesame rice crackers for a nice crunch.

Annatto seed oil imparts a beautiful red/orange color to the noodle, meat, and shrimp

This noodle dish is a complex mixture of flavors and texture. The vibrant wide yellow turmeric noodles, sesame rice crackers, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, and flavorful but light broth sets Mì Quảng apart from other Vietnamese noodle soups like Phở and Bún Bò Huế. Unlike these noodle soups, Mì Quảng is served with very little broth and almost like a dry noodle dish or noodle salad with the broth serving to bring all the flavors together.

How to serve a bowl of Mì Quảng

Cao Lầu (Hoi An Noodle)

This dish of food is carefully made from local new sticky rice. Water used to soak rice must be taken from wells in the Ba Le Village; noodles thus will be soft, enduring and flavored with special sweet-smelling. On the Cao Lau Noodles were some meat slices mixed with fat made from fried noodles served with vegetables and bean sprouts. Sharp-witted eaters would find out the specific flavor of the dish.

This dish is considered a mixed dish, only appeared in Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue. Cao Lầu is often sold in two-tiered restaurants, diners can enjoy the food and also have the opportunity to enjoy the ancient atmosphere of a street corner here. Cao Lầu is not come from China, nor from Japan. It can be said that this is a composite of many ethnic groups. The name "Cao Lau" is always a question for travelers to experience the ancient features of Hoi An, this strange name probably originated in Chinese.

Southern Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Cơm Tấm (Viet broken rice with grilled pork chop)

Vietnamese broken rice (Cơm Tấm) is a very traditional and famous dish in Vietnam, especial in Saigon. Broken rice (Cơm Tấm) is a dish that was historically eaten by rice farmers who couldn’t sell off their leftover broken rice grains. Instead,they would use it for themselves. and now this type of rice become very famous. You can serve broken rice with anything you like, but in here, normally, it will be served with grilled pork chops (Sườn), shredded pork skin (Bì), sunny side up egg (Trứng), steamed pork and egg patty (Chả), fish sauce, sliced cucumbers and tomato.

Cơm Tấm served with spring onion oil put on the top of rice and a bowl of dipping sauce

Nước Mắm – Dipping sauce- is a spirit of this dish to bring all the elements together. It can be easily botched, especially if your taste buds are not well versed in balancing subtle nuances between sour, sweet, salty and spicy. Additionally, flavoring with fish sauce is tough if you’re not used to working with it every day, not to mention the fact that fish sauce qualities differ from brand to brand and sometimes from lot to lot!

Bánh Mì Thịt (Vietnamese baguette sandwich)

The Vietnamese love their Bánh Mì - the foundation of this versatile sandwich is French: baguette, mayonnaise and sometimes paté. But everything else in the Saigon sub is pure Vietnamese. Banh mi can be filled with barbecue pork, grilled chicken, tofu or even scrambled eggs in a breakfast version. Your typical banh mi also sports pickled vegetables and a few sprigs flavorful fresh herbs.

The fun fact is Bánh Mì is sold in the road of the street is cheaper but even better than in high-end restaurants

When eating Bánh Mì, you have a lot of options to choose what will you put inside to make your own Bánh Mì:

- Gà Nướng (Grilled chicken) barbecue pork, substituting boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat.

- Chay (Vegetarian) use deep-fried tofu.

- Trứng Chiên (Fried egg): Use scrambled eggs. Popular for breakfast.

- Xíu Mại: Pork or beef meatballs with a sweet tomato sauce.

- Paté: Spread paté on the bread.

- Bì: Shredded pork skin.

- Đặc Biệt: Special combo with grilled pork, salami and pork roll.

Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (Vietnamese rice noodle with Pork and Seafood soup)

Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang or Pork and Seafood Noodle Soup is a specialty of Saigon and the area surrounding it where it is made using seafood and pork a very rich flavored pork stock, don’t let the stock fool you as it may look clear, but the flavor is intense which is made by boiling pork meat and bones together with dried squid.

A bowl of Hủ Tiếu served with lemon, fish sauce, chili, spring onion, and fresh vegetables

Today’s Mekong River Delta was once the site of the Khmer Empire, prior to aggressive expansion by the Vietnamese in the 17th Century. This dish, popular in that deep south region, is borrowed from Cambodia (“Nam Vang” translates to Phnom Penh).

In the Vietnamese version of Hủ Tiếu, wider tapioca-based noodles are soaked in an umami-rich broth of pork bone and dried shrimp, then layered with several types of pork (ground pork, sliced liver, pork loin), as well as Chinese celery, basil, fried garlic and shallots. The sleeper hit of the dish is Chinese chive, which adds a slightly bitter, onion-y flavor that seeps into the hot soup. Optional toppings include quail eggs and shrimp.