Discovering Vietnam through its Cuisines and Flavours

Namaste,

Vietnam is truly a Timeless Charm.

Whether it’s the majestic mountains, the magnificent rice fields or the mystical bay in the North, the lively small towns and sun kissed beaches in the Center, or the river side cities, historical remains and the vibrant urban metropolis in the South, you got to visit this exotic country to feel it, experience it and live it. Every place has its own story to tell with its incredible wealth of culture, landscape and amazing people.

When I talk of Vietnam, the first thing that comes to my mind is its ever fascinating, delicious, aromatic local cuisines. Being a food lover, local cuisines of a place always attracted me, and Vietnam was no exception. In fact, I was amazed at the gastronomical specialities that were on offer from the moment I set foot in Vietnam. There was much more than the classic Pho and the rice paper rolls.

In this blog, I will share my experience of the amazing, exotic Vietnamese dishes and flavours. The best way I explored its local cuisines was by strolling through the streets and markets, taking in the feel of the city and eating like the locals, whether in the small joints or the upmarket restaurants.

I landed in Hanoi in the morning, checked into my hotel in the middle of Hoàn Kiếm District, aka the famous Old Quarter, and was out to satisfy my starving pot. The hotel manager suggested New Day restaurant, just a few blocks away and off I go!

New Day turned out to be a popular joint for the locals and the tourists alike, because of its good food, authentic style and ambience. The ground floor and the tables outside were all packed and a friendly staff took me to the top floor; the room had old fashioned brick walls, two long tables and a balcony overlooking the Old Quarter street. I just loved being there!

So, here I was in Old Quarter – the lively, ancient, tourist hot spot of Hanoi – in one of the famous eating joint and ready to taste Vietnamese food in Vietnam.

I ordered a Set Menu and eagerly waited for it to be served.

First comes the famous Pho Bo – a flat rice noodle soup with beef, topped with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts. With a bite of the Pho Bo, I just fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine – it was heavenly!   Next came two deep fried Hanoi style spring rolls or Nem Ran. The platter included a dish of two pieces of sautéed beef served with garlic, celery and rice noodles (Bo Xao Can Toi) with a dipping sauce. Along with it comes a bowl of plain rice and a plate full of fresh herbs and greens. I also added to it a Curried Chicken, made in Hanoi style. Sweet dish was a bowl of yummy caramel custard. It was a mouthwatering spread!

The staff showed us how to have it – the Vietnamese way. I just relished the aroma of each dish and savored the taste with each mouthful. Vietnamese food is light and fresh with a perfect blend of hot, sweet and sour.

The Nem Ran or the Vietnamese spring roll can be a perfect starter or a side dish and is very popular in Hanoi. It’s normally made with minced meat of pork, shrimp, or snail, diced vegetables and/or rice noodles, wrapped in a wet rice paper and deep fried. With a Vietnamese dipping sauce in a side bowl, you are ready to eat one of the best spring rolls you have ever tasted.

It was the perfect start of my trip of discovering Vietnam through its cuisines and drinks.

I normally wander through the part of the city which the locals prefer to hang around, for those areas have the most authentic and local food joints. You learn about the culture and food through them and the best part is these areas are normally the liveliest part of the town.

Old Quarter in Hanoi is a charming place beside the Hoan Kiem Lake, bustling with cafes, restaurants, different vendors, pubs, sacred pagodas and a grandeur opera house. Life around it will amaze you as you go around the maze of streets. Try out any one of the street stalls and you would be surprised how good and simple the dishes taste, especially when you sit in small stools and enjoy the ambience. Visit the markets at night, that’s when they come alive; and do not miss the weekends.

During my walks around the place, few delicacies that I fell in love with were Bún Chả, Chả Cá and Bánh Mì :

Bún Chả is a dish of BBQ pork slices or balls which comes with rice noodles, vegetables and herbs, and a bowl of dipping sauce. Generally each is served in different plates/bowls for the guest to pick and mix according to his choice. The whole dish is a perfect mix of sweet, sour, salty and spicy.

Chả Cá is definitely a must eat in Hanoi and it’s so special for the people that a street is named after it. This traditional cuisine of Hanoi is made of grilled fish cooked with dill and turmeric, served in a hot pan, with rice noodles, coriander, fennel, peanuts, leeks, chili, and shrimp paste served along with it. You won’t get anything like this in any other part of the world.

Bánh Mì is one delicacy you will find everywhere – from the north to the south of Vietnam, though the fillings will change depending on the part of the country you are in.  I have had it in Hanoi as well as in Ho Chi Minh City – you can definitely feel the change in flavor and stuffing. It’s a Vietnamese baguette (the French influence) filled with your choice of meat slices, greens, fresh herbs, cheese, chili, and some sauce & pepper if you prefer. Whether you are walking or on a bike, this Vietnamese sandwich is the perfect snack to stop and grab a bite.

Rice paper rolls are eaten all over the country but it differs region to region. Bánh Cuốn is special to Hanoi and is made with very fine sticky rice paper. The thin rice paper is rolled and filled with cooked minced pork and wood ear mushrooms; and served with bean sprouts, cucumber and Vietnamese fish sauce as dipping sauce. It’s a light snack and can be had with other side dishes, like cha lụa (Vietnamese sausage).

Vietnamese food is usually healthy, full of vegetables and herbs, cooked is very less oil, some dishes do not even have any oil; rice is the base for its noodles and the food is fresh. The dips and sauces form a part of the dish; a normal meal looks quite a big spread with all the small plates of fresh greens and sauces that comes with it. Northern Vietnamese cuisines have a Chinese influence and prefer noodles while the south has a preference for rice. The recipes of Vietnam, especially of the North, date back to many generations. The South cuisines have seen many influences. As Ho Chi Minh City is the business hub of the country, it is a confluence of people from all over and each brought in their own style of cooking. The Central dishes are not very green as this region has harsh climatic conditions. The flavours in the Central region are strong while the North is very light.

Some of the herbs used in Vietnamese cuisines are Cilantro, Vietnamese Coriander, Culantro, Vietnamese Perilla, Fish Mint, Vietnamese Balm, Thai Basil, Rice Paddy Herb, Chinese Chives, Shredded Water Spinach. Lemongrass and Pennywort.

Traditional Vietnamese cuisine follows the Yin – Yang philosophy. Each dish has the cooling effect (Yin) and the warmth (Yang) in it. They combine the Yin-Yang concept with the Wu-Xing law, which represents the 5 changing states of the cosmos – Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, and Earth. They choose the ingredients to represent the 5 states and each dish has the 5 flavours of sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter.

After discovering Hanoi through its cuisines and understanding the northern style and flavours, I fly down to the south, to Ho Chi Minh City to experience its life and culture. I have skipped the Central Region on this trip – that gives me another opportunity to visit this charming country J.

So here I was in the historic city of Saigon, the financial hub and the biggest city of Vietnam. I was amazed by this fast paced city which has kept the ancient culture while moving ahead with the times with its sleek skyscrapers, modern architecture and high energetic life. This cosmopolitan city has kept its history and old charm while being a 21^st century metropolis with its vibrant modern life. It has the classiest of restaurants, finest of hotels, budget guest houses, and best of street food, temples and pagodas to classic architectural modern monuments, high end boutiques to bargain happy street market.

As I mentioned before, the way the food is prepared in the south is different from the north and it has its unique dishes along with the traditional items found across the country. The southern dishes can be a little spicy, both rice and noodles are eaten, uses coconut milk, more of salt water sea food; and they have a lot of tropical fruits. As Mekong Delta is the largest rice producing region, rice is generally a main component in a meal.

The first dish that caught my eye, and my taste buds too, in Saigon, was the Gỏi Cuốn. Rice paper rolls are famous across Vietnam and Goi Cuon is a specialty of the south. These summer spring rolls contains steamed Pork, a single Shrimp, rice noodles, green lettuce and herbs, rolled in soft rice paper, eaten with a bean paste or hoisin sauce. After walking through the city, when I ordered them, and was laid out in front of me, it brought such a delightful freshness with the look and aroma of it, not to mention the yummy taste.

Bánh Mì is one dish you will find everywhere in Ho Chi Min City (HCMC) – from the road side vendors to exclusive restaurants. I can feel the change in the taste from the ones I had in Hanoi. This sandwich will give a run for its money to the more famous Sub brands, any day.

Another specialty of HCMC I loved was Cơm Tấm. It’s a dish of Broken Rice as the base with grilled pork mixed with shredded pork on top, sometimes served with fried egg, along with sweet and sour fish sauce. I added Chạo Tôm with it and had a hearty meal. Chao Tom is shredded shrimp paste, wrapped around a piece of sugarcane and grilled. It can be a lovely side dish or a classic appetizer with Vietnamese beer.

While walking around HCMC, I got to taste a few traditional foods. All of them had their special taste and was unique to Vietnam. Bánh Xèo is one that I really loved the way it’s cooked and for its taste. It is a crispy pancake made with rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric powder. It was filled up with pork, shrimps, bean sprouts, spring onion and lightly fried in coconut oil. It was served with Thai basil and mint leaves. I loved the feel when you bite the crispy outside and the soft tender stuffing fills your mouth.

Few dishes from the Mekong Delta : A lovely platter was laid in front of me for lunch during my visit to Mekong Delta. I had a refreshing soup called Canh Chua, which is made with River fish from the delta region, pineapple, tomatoes and bean sprouts, garnished with lemon scented herb, garlic, spring onions, Vietnamese coriander and Thai basil, and had a sweet-tangy taste.

Cá Tai Tượng Chiên Xù (Fried Elephant Ear Fish). The name is not given for nothing but because of the fish which resembles an Elephant ear. It was quite a big whole fish, must have been around 5 pounds, with all the fins attached, fried in traditional Mekong style and laid on the table. You can have it as a rice roll – take a rice paper, dip it in water, put salad greens, rice noodles, pieces of the fish, roll it, dip it in a fish sauce, and you are ready to taste it.

Here, I got the chance to eat something I had not had before – Crocodile meat. Yeah! And I loved the experience. It was tender, cooked well, chewy, tasted a little like salt water – may be because of the breeding in the Delta – and it felt a little like chicken too. It was grilled and served over asparagus and Thai basil.

One thing you can’t miss while in the Mekong Delta is Coconut Candy (Kẹo Dừa). It is one of the most popular candies in Vietnam. Ben Tre is known as the land of Coconuts, and the coconut candies originated here. My tour guide took me through a candy factory, and I get the real experience of how, from the raw coconut, the candy is made. The candies are wrapped in very thin rice paper, and comes in different flavours – coffee, durian, peanut, pineapple, cacao etc.

On my last day in HCMC, I had an amazing lunch of Vietnamese spread, courtesy a friend from Vietnam. It was in “Secret Garden”, a beautiful rooftop terrace garden restaurant, on the top of an old building, with small trees and hanging plants, colourful lanterns, giving a perfect view of the whole city. The best part was the authentic, ‘Home-cooked’ style food that it served. They even had their own herbs and spice garden. I loved the ambiance and style; and it had a vegetarian section too. I would strongly suggest this restaurant if you are in HCMC and looking for authentic home style food, a place frequented by tourists and locals alike; but it makes you work for it as you have to climb five flights of stairs J . Once you are seated, you will love the tranquil atmosphere.

We had Steamed Pork and Snail stuffed shells in Lemongrass – it was 6 big size snails, filled with a mixture of minced  pork and snail along with lemon grass, served with a fish sauce dip; Steamed Beef marinated with fish sauce and ginger – soft tender beef slices cooked perfectly and served with garlic cloves; Squid, cucumber, onion Salad – It’s a boiled squid, cut length wise, long slices of cucumber and onion salad with a salty-sour sweet Vietnamese dressing along with tomato, fresh long chili and salted peanuts; Tonkin Flower with Garlic – Tonkin Jasmine flower is an edible flower and this stir fry dish with garlic is another specialty of Vietnam; Vietnamese Soup with Gourds and Shrimp – it was a traditional Canh (soup in Vietnamese), cooked in traditional home style, with Gourds and Shrimp, garnished with herbs, garlic and red chili; Fried rice with Garlic – it was a Vietnamese rice tossed with Garlic, simple and satisfying; Braised Pork with Tofu – to go with the fried rice, we had the braised pork with tofu, a traditional everyday Vietnamese dish. It had large chunks of tender Pork belly with Tofu, in yummy light gravy. For a drink, I had the super refreshing Lemongrass Lime water.

Snails, Skewers, Buns and Sweets of Vietnam : Vietnamese love to eat snails and it is like a social food for them, to share among friends and family. The stalls will have variety of snails and equal number of dishes, each region having its specialty. A snail dish may not be only of snails but can be accompanied with other sea foods and meat. I loved the mud creeper snails in coconut sauce. Like in other South East Asian countries, in Vietnam too you get a variety of skewers. From sea food to meat, from lemongrass sticks to sugarcane sticks, you get a variety of them here. I loved the minced shrimp on a sugarcane piece and the grilled pork on lemongrass. If you are looking for a light snack or one which is easy to grab and go, you need to try Bánh Bao, the Vietnamese soft buns with stuffing inside. It is a ball shaped bun with pork or chicken, or mushrooms or eggs or bean, inside the bun. It was quite a surprise for me as you can’t see what’s inside and you get to taste it after a couple of bites.

Vietnam has its own traditional sweets and desserts. The ingredients, style and flavor shows its history, culture and landscape. It has a wide variety, from puddings to pastries. Chè Trôi Nước, made on special occasions, is rice flour balls on coconut milk with sugar, ginger syrup and sesame seeds on top. The rice balls are filled with mung bean paste, and it is served hot. It’s so soft, just melts in your mouth and gives you a good, warm feeling. My next favourite was Chè Sương Sa Hạt Lựu or the Rainbow Dessert. With red pomegranate seeds, pandan jelly, yellow mung beans, creamy coconut milk and crushed ice, it is a colorful refreshing dessert perfect for the hot weather. Bánh Tiêu the Vietnamese doughnut – deep fried, subtly sweet, crunchy wheat flour balls, covered with sesame seeds is one popular snack in Vietnam. Another dessert I loved was the Banana Fruit Crepe – Sweet sautéed Banana placed in fresh homemade crepe topped with chocolate syrup.

Fruits or Trái Cây : Being a tropical country, Vietnam is a heaven for some exotic fruits. Having fruits daily is a way of life here. I was amazed to see all the colourful fruits on the shop racks or beautifully cut and displayed at the vendors. I couldn’t resist myself and every day, I would have a plateful of these yummy specialties. Some of the fruits I delved into were – Dragon Fruit or Thanh Long, Sapodilla, Durian or Sầu Riêng, Tanzarine, Rambutan or Chôm Chôm, Hoa Loc Mango, Longan or Nhãn Lồng, Pomelo or Bưởi, Rose Apple or Quả Mận, Custard Apple or Na or Mang cau, Star Apple, Buddha’s Hand or Phat Thu, Passion Fruit or Chanh Leo, Guava and of course Coconut or Dừa.

Overall, I had an incredible experience of Vietnam, discovering this charming country through its amazing cuisines. It was light, healthy, with minimal or no oil, and each dish’s flavor and taste showed the love the Vietnamese people put in into their food. Freshness is at the heart of its cooking. The simplicity, tradition, warmth, culture, history of their food, profoundly reflects the Vietnam way of life. Some dishes show their age-old history while others reflect their merging with the modern world.

I hope you loved reading about it as much I enjoyed sharing my experience through this blog. I am definitely coming back again for more!

I thank my friends in Vietnam for helping me understand their culture through their food. I thank NEICATS ..the adventure company! for being a wonderful guide in planning this trip (www.neicats.com).

How was your experience of Vietnam? How did you like this write up? Kindly share your feedback and if you want to know more on the Vietnam Experience just drop in a message.

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Cảm ơn – Thank You.