Vietnamese yogurt?

[jkonick]

Today I went to a Vietnamese deli I'd never been to before, and they gave me a strange addtion I've never seen before - a cup of yogurt. It tasted more or less like regular yogurt, but a little thinner. Is this a normal Vietnamese thing? I've never seen it before. Is it a remnant of the French occupation? Also, what are the basic ingredients in the brownish sauce that usually comes on banh mi? I've always wondered, I assume it's fish sauce based. Thanks!

[Ptipois]

Yogurt and milk products like ice cream, condensed milk, Vache qui Rit, etc., were brought by the French colons. Yogurt was entirely adopted in Vietnam once cows were acclimated in the Mekong delta or in the region of Da Lat. In Da Lat, it is produced artisanally, thick and creamy. In some restaurants, it is served at dessert in small jars, garnished with candied citrus peel, peanuts, cashews, etc.

[SuzySushi]

what are the basic ingredients in the brownish sauce that usually comes on banh mi? I've always wondered, I assume it's fish sauce based. Thanks!

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I've never seen yogurt in the Vietnamese restaurants here, so can't help you out with that.

What they use on banh mi here is mayonnaise and a squirt of soy sauce.

[jkonick]

Yogurt and milk products like ice cream, condensed milk, Vache qui Rit, etc., were brought by the French colons. Yogurt was entirely adopted in Vietnam once cows were acclimated in the Mekong delta or in the region of Da Lat. In Da Lat, it is produced artisanally, thick and creamy. In some restaurants, it is served at dessert in small jars, garnished with candied citrus peel, peanuts, cashews, etc.

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That's really interesting, thanks for the info! I never knew there was yogurt in Vietnam at all.

[Ptipois]

That's really interesting, thanks for the info! I never knew there was yogurt in Vietnam at all.

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There is, but you seldom find it in Vietnamese restaurants outside of Vietnam. The fusion food of the ex-French colonies is very interesting to study.

[jkonick]

The French influence is very interesting. The ways you see it most often in Vietnamese restaurants in the US seems to be banh mi, Vietnamese style coffee and the cream puffs which seem to always come with pho (in Seattle anyway).

Another thing I've wondered about is banh xeo - are they like a Vietnamese take on a crepe or is it a more traditional Vietnamese food? It seems like it could be either one.

[BonVivant]

Today I went to a Vietnamese deli I'd never been to before, and they gave me a strange addtion I've never seen before - a cup of yogurt. It tasted more or less like regular yogurt, but a little thinner. Is this a normal Vietnamese thing? I've never seen it before. Is it a remnant of the French occupation? Also, what are the basic ingredients in the brownish sauce that usually comes on banh mi? I've always wondered, I assume it's fish sauce based. Thanks!

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VN yoghurt is quite nice. people still make it at home like most things.

i've had banh mi with a brownish 'sauce' which tastes like gravy -it is meat ball gravy-, but then this sort of banh mi has meat balls. nice! on a normal banh mi the brown thingie is actually VN pate. extremely garlicky and most delicious. stuffed inside a hog's tummy then steamed, contains brains and all sorts of hog parts. on one of my returns to VYR i even brought along a little Coleman cool box to smuggle back to Europe a few blocks of this pate!

[mukki]

I love Vietnamese yogurt! The type I find around here in banh mi shops is made with sweetend condensed milk and comes in clear plastic drinking cups with a lid. Very homemade-looking.

I haven't made it at home, but here is a recipe I found that sounds like it will make what I'm familiar with.

[Austin]

Wasn't aware either that yoghurt was available in Vietnam--maybe yet another remnant of French colonialism? An example can be seen here at the excellent Hanoi-based sticky rice blog.

Austin

[nakji]

I'm eating some right now! It's delicious. thinner and sweeter than I'm used to, but I expect because it's made with full fat milk and doesn't have any gelatine.

[Ce'nedra]

Hmm Vietnamese yogurt has a different sweet-sour taste to it than Western yogurt. I love it! My mum knows how to make it -maybe I can ask her...

[nakji]

I used to get goat's milk yogurt at the shop beneath my school. It was really rich and delicious, and it was a creamy yellow colour. It had a skin on top that added to the flavour. A lot of cafes made yogurt cafe, where they mixed yogurt and coffee....oh, I'm missing Hanoi now!

[Ce'nedra]

Is there a difference b/w the northern and southern versions of Vietnamese yogurt?

I'm not familiar with Hanoi food (my parents have a strong dislike for it).

[takadi]

I would assume yogurt from the South to be tastier considering the South has heavier French influence

[Ce'nedra]

The French influence is very interesting. The ways you see it most often in Vietnamese restaurants in the US seems to be banh mi, Vietnamese style coffee and the cream puffs which seem to always come with pho (in Seattle anyway).

Another thing I've wondered about is banh xeo - are they like a Vietnamese take on a crepe or is it a more traditional Vietnamese food? It seems like it could be either one.

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I've heard whispers that banh xeo is a Vietnamese-inspired crepe but the truth is that banh xeo predates the time the French colonised Vietnam. Banh xeo is a very traditional dish.

It's just a coincidence that it's similar to a crepe. There are several crepe-like foods around Asia

Edited February 22, 2008 by Ce'nedra (log)

[takadi]

I've heard whispers that banh xeo is a Vietnamese-inspired crepe but the truth is that banh xeo predates the time the French colonised Vietnam. Banh xeo is a very traditional dish.

Woohoo! Score one for the home team!

[sygyzy]

My mom used to make this at home. It's delicious. It's sort of like Japanese yogurt (drinks). A little looser and tangier. Very much like Pinkberry but obviously not softserve or with fruit toppings.

[Ce'nedra]

Hey guys, my mum just discovered a cheat's way of producing the exact (close enough) taste of Vietnamese yogurt -mix plain Greek yogurt with sugar, leave in freezer -voila!

Edit: the exact measurements I forgot to ask my mum...shall get to that..

Edited March 11, 2008 by Ce'nedra (log)