Vietnamese Food

[BonVivant]

yep, Banh Khot is realy good. i like it even more than Banh Xeo! ate Banh Khot, as always on the sidewalk in Chau Doc. it was dark and the photos didn't turn out, but i managed to make Banh Xeo photos in Battambang, Cambodia. the roadside restaurant is actually owns/runs by a Vietnamese family and not Khmer. Banh Khot is a southern VN snack, and apparently the Khmer claim they invented it. the Vietnamese say otherwise. it doesn't matter, i just want to eat

Nathan P, yes Banh Khot is cooked in a specific Banh Khot cast iron pan over an open fire. you could always try the yorkshire pudding tin in the oven. if it doesn't work out then you'll have to make a trip to that restaurant for the real thing

[Foodie Craze]

That was a great picture of Bun Bo Hue! We had it for lunch at Saigon City in Springfield VA the other day.

We also enjoy a version which is not quite so spicy as Bun Bo Hue ... not sure if it's the same thing in a different level of heat.

Do you also like the Pork & Shrimp Saigon soup -- "Hu Thieu" made with "Mi" egg noodles. Those are our favorite -- and we love the trademark of this dish -- the shrimp embedded in a fried crepe.

The most wonderful thing about these soups is the combination of the hot broth and the fresh accompaniments -- bean sprouts, lemon or lime, hot peppers, fresh basil.

I like Pho, but am usually disappointed in the gristly cuts of meat they sometimes use -- any recommendations there on selections?

[guppymo]

I also made some "Hu Tieu" but I used the clear noodle, I like using the yellow noodle but my wife prefers the clear so I had to go with her highness

Ingredients:

Stock from pork/chicken bones

Shrimp, squid, scallop or whatever seafood you have

Lean pork or pork shoulder

Quail eggs

Salt, black pepper, fish sauce

Asian chive

Young celery leaves, basil

Okie, to make stock simmer bones with a daikon, some carrots, 1 large onion, and celery over oven for about 4 hours, skim impurities released by the bone.

Once the stock is ready add a few cubes of Hu Tieu flavor (sold at Vietnamese markets) salt, fish sauce, to taste, and continue to simmer

Soak the dried clear noodle in warm water for 30 minutes, drain water and set aside

Boil quail eggs and peel.

Clean squid, peel shrimps and devein and parboil, about 1 minute.

Marinate the pork with black pepper, magi sauce, salt, a dash of sugar, and panfry. When cooked, slice into thin slices and set aside with the quail eggs, cooked squid, shrimp.

Bring water to boil in a medium size pot. At the same time bring the broth pot to boil on medium heat.

Use a net laddle to blanch the clear noodle for 20 secods, transfer to bowl

Add a few slices of pork, a few quail eggs, some shrimp, squid

Pour broth over the arrangement into the bowl.

Garnish with Asian Chive, celery leaves, bean sprout, basil, red pepper, and a dash of squeezed lime if desired.

[kiteless]

guppymo, thanks for reviving this thread and posting more pictures and recipes! I must say that while there were several oustanding reasons for me to sign up for egullet, your images of Banh Xeo on the first page of this post is one of the few things that really made me stand up and take notice. This thread also led me into searching out more information about Vietnamese food besides the ever-popular Pho, so thank you.

Everything you post looks so beautiful

[guppymo]

Thank you for your kind word kiteless. Yours and others' compliments encourage me to post more here.

[guppymo]

Pea pod stem ? Have you ever had this before ?

I like peapod stem sauteed with salt and garlic, the trick is you have to use a lot of oil to make it taste good, so use good oil that give up "good" fat like mono or poly unsaturated. Oh, one more thing, the longer you cook this the chewier it gets, so high heat and "bang, bang, done", don't forget to remove the curly thread as it's chewy too.

It's somewhat a pain to prepare this veg. before cooking but once-a-while I treat ourselves to this dish because it's so refreshing and delicious and it is worth a little effort

[SuzySushi]

Pea pod stem ? Have you ever had this before ?

I like peapod stem sauteed with salt and garlic, the trick is you have to use a lot of oil to make it taste good, so use good oil that give up "good" fat like mono or poly unsaturated.  Oh, one more thing, the longer you cook this the chewier it gets, so high heat and "bang, bang, done", don't forget to remove the curly thread as it's chewy too.

It's somewhat a pain to prepare this veg. before cooking but once-a-while I treat ourselves to this dish because it's so refreshing and delicious and it is worth a little effort

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I tried them once and thought they were like chewing grass! Maybe I stir-fried them too long?

[Jinmyo]

Actually, chopped, blanched and shocked they make a nice salad with sheep's milk cheese, and a mustrady vinaigrette.

Also nice quickly fried with garlic and served with rack of lamb.

[deensiebat]

i read that in china they are sometimes called dragon's whiskers bc of the curling tendrils. aw.

[guppymo]

Okie, this is not a vietnamese dish but I love eating Haianense chicken rice so I learned cooking this dish and had this for dinner. I name every dish I cooked "Momo Kitchen" Posting here just for fun

[guppymo]

I also like Thai Ka Prao dish so I also cooked this, save a trip to a Thai restaurant during cold winter day

[guppymo]

I don't know what this plate is called but it wasmade with the left-over ingredients in our refrigerator - egg, chayote, beef, scallion - nevertheless it did its job to fill our stomach.

Rice plate included stir fried chayote, fried egg, and splattered with sizzling beef and red onion

[handmc]

I'm dying here. Man that looks awesome!

[jgm]

Our city has a couple of Vietnamese restaurants, and I'd like to get to know the cuisine better. Let's start with the beverages offered at the newest restaurant I've tried. Here's the list:

coffee with condensed milk

coffee/mocha/tapioca

thai tea tapioca

thai tea

young coconut juice

soy bean milk

penny worth drink

soda, milk and egg nog

salted plum

salted plum soda

salted lemonade

salted lemonade soda

fresh lychee

fresh longans

dry longans

chinese healthy drink

OK, can somebody fill me in on what to expect from these drinks? Also, any added information such as history, whether they're a common beverage or a special occasion beverage, etc., would really be appreciated. Which should I try first? I usually get pho when I go there, but I plan to expand my horizons --after another post!

Thanks very much. I'm excited about my new adventure!!!

[SuzySushi]

Our city has a couple of Vietnamese restaurants, and I'd like to get to know the cuisine better.  Let's start with the beverages offered at the newest restaurant I've tried.  Here's the list:

coffee with condensed milk

coffee/mocha/tapioca

thai tea tapioca

thai tea

young coconut juice

soy bean milk

penny worth drink

soda, milk and egg nog

salted plum

salted plum soda

salted lemonade

salted lemonade soda

fresh lychee

fresh longans

dry longans

chinese healthy drink

OK, can somebody fill me in on what to expect from these drinks?  Also, any added information such as history, whether they're a common beverage or a special occasion beverage, etc., would really be appreciated.  Which should I try first?  I usually get pho when I go there, but I plan to expand my horizons --after another post!

Thanks very much.  I'm excited about my new adventure!!! 

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Definitely start with the coffee with condensed milk, or iced coffee variation thereof -- it's addictive!

Thai iced tea is also great. It's similarly sweetened with condensed milk.

The tapioca drinks are similar to the above, but have pearls of tapioca at the bottom. They're all the rage now, and served with a wide straw to slurp up the tapioca "gummies."

Young coconut juice is delicious and light. They'll probably serve it from a can, and there are usually small pieces of coconut meat floating in it.

Fresh lychee drink is delicious, and out of season this time of the year. If you've ever tasted canned lychees, it has an even more perfumey flavor.

Fresh longans ditto.

Soy bean milk will probably be similar to the soy milk you can find in health food stores. It's pretty bland.

I've never tried pennywort drink or the salted drinks.

"Chinese healthy drink" could be anything! Generally, anything marketed by the name of "healthy" in Asian markets is supposed to be good for your health, but tastes bad!

[jgm]

That's helpful information! Do you know anything about the salted plum drink? It sounds interesting.

[guppymo]

That's helpful information!  Do you know anything about the salted plum drink?  It sounds interesting.

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I think it is called "Soda ximuoi" in Vietnamese. Ximuoi is a dried salted red plum sold in the candy section at Asian Market. In Hawaii Ximuoi is called Li Hing Muoi, and is also popular in powdery form which is call li hing powder. It is sprinkled over fresh-cut fruits, popcorn, cocktails and even in dishes.

The one used in soda ximuoi is a wet variety that comes in the jar. Club soda + ximuoi + sugar = soda ximuoi or salted plum drink.

[vytoh]

...and it's delicious. Especially on a sticky summers day. Tastewise, salted plum drink is a mixture of sweet and tangy sour - kind of like a sour jelly sweet, except the sour taste isn't as strong.

A great thirst quencher and not as sweet as a lot of other asian beverages.

Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk is a must, particularly over ice. So addictive!

[jgm]

Yes, looking at the menu, that's exactly what it is!

I would also like to start exploring other food items. But there are 88 of them listed! Here's how they have them divided:

Appetizers - Khai Vi

Vegetarian - Mon Chay

Rice Noodle Soup - Pho Tso (I have always ordered from this section)

Clear Noodle Soup - Hu Tieu

Egg Noodle Soup - Mi

Crispy Fried Noodle or Soft Noodle - Mi Xao

Broken Steamed Rice - Com Tam

Fried Rice - Com Chien

Any recommendations on specific dishes? Each one they offer, has the Vietnamese name. Any stories about the background of the dishes, or whether they're an "everyday" dish or a special dish, would be helpful. Also, if there are ingredients that someone living a lifetime in Kansas wouldn't be familiar with, I'd like to know. That doesn't mean I won't order that dish, or won't like it (I have a fairly adventurous palate), but I'd like to know ahead of time, so that I could identify it and appreciate that I'm eating something new.

Any and all recommendations and information would be most welcome. Thanks for what you've given me so far!

[guppymo]

...and it's delicious. Especially on a sticky summers day. Tastewise, salted plum drink is a mixture of sweet and tangy sour - kind of like a sour jelly sweet, except the sour taste isn't as strong.

A great thirst quencher and not as sweet as a lot of other asian beverages.

Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk is a must, particularly over ice. So addictive!

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A favorite drink that we enjoyed at a beachfront coffee shop, here I gave an attempt to recreate it in the U.S..

Ingredients

One overfilled teaspoon of the salted plum & kumquat mixture (the jar says 3 but using one is enough, 3 spoons would give the drink a very strong taste)

If you can get your hand on some fresh kumquat then adding a few fresh slices would give it a very nice flavor, if can also substitute with some fresh squeezed lime juice

If you can't find a pre-made tac ximuoi jar in local Vietnamese markets you can put 2 salted plum into 3 oz. of hot water and add in some fresh squeezed lime juice or orange juice and that is nice too (add a little sugar to taste)

Add crushed ice and fill the glass with club soda

Enjoy the refreshing drink with a touch of exoticism with friends and loved one.

Edited May 11, 2006 by guppymo (log)

[guppymo]

The following is a beef salad dish Vietnameses like to enjoy as appetizer (served with fried shrimp cracker) at parties.

1. Cut beef into thin slices and dip it quickly (1/2 second) into boiling pot of water + vinegar/pineapple juice mixture

2. Cut starfruit into thin slices (add green apple and/or green mango - optional)

3. Add those ingredients into a large mixing bowl and toss with salt, lime juice, vinegar, black pepper, and a touch of sugar. Also add red onion + chopped Vietnamese cilantro (rau ram). Toss well to mix.

4. Garnish with cilantro, red pepper, and fried shallot

5. Enjoy the beef salad

[SuzySushi]

The following is a beef salad dish Vietnameses like to enjoy as appetizer (served with fried shrimp cracker) at parties.

1. Cut beef into thin slices and dip it quickly (1/2 second) into boiling pot of water + vinegar/pineapple juice mixture

2. Cut starfruit into thin slices (add green apple and/or green mango - optional)

3. Add those ingredients into a large mixing bowl and toss with salt, lime juice, vinegar, black pepper, and a touch of sugar. Also add red onion + chopped Vietnamese cilantro (rau ram). Toss well to mix.

4. Garnish with cilantro, red pepper, and fried shallot

5. Enjoy the beef salad

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Ohhhhh..... does this look good! Never used starfruit in a beef salad; gotta try it!

[Soup]

Guppymo,

have enjoyed all the postings. Please keep them coming.

[guppymo]

Guppymo,

have enjoyed all the postings.  Please keep them coming.

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Thanks soup.

Here was my basic dinner last night

Canh chua ca (sour and spicy fish soup with wild greens)

Fried egg with chopped tomato + crispy fried shallot/dried shrimp/shili mixture, I was bored with the regular fried egg so I just added in whatever I had on hand last night.

[sanrensho]

Guppymo, what is the Vietnamese name for the beef salad? I'd like to look it up so I can get an idea of the proportions for the dressing.