VIETNAM: FOOD DIARY
MORE THAN JUST “PHO”
For the record, Vietnamese food is so much more than pho (+5 points if you know that pho is pronounced “fuh” and NOT “foh.”) Although the traditional noodle soup is a staple, Vietnamese cuisine is rich in flavors that perfectly balance salt and spice, sweet and savory. As the daughter of fiercely independent Vietnamese woman who knows her way around the kitchen, I grew up my whole life eating home cooked Vietnamese dishes such as Bun Rieu, Bun Bo Hue, Thit Kho…the list goes on and on.
Growing up I was convinced my mama was the best cook in the world (she made damn sure I didn’t think otherwise) and that Vietnamese food, if approached with an open mind, could offer something delicious for everyone.
PARTS (UN) KNOWN
It wasn’t until I was 26, having graduated college and quitting my corporate job, that I decided would be a good time to visit the Motherland / Fatherland. My friends and family have this romanticized idea that this was an “Eat. Pray. Love” venture, but to be real it was more “Eat. Eat. Eat.” If you’ve followed Anthony Bourdain and his shows, you’ll know that Vietnam is his favorite place to visit…and for good reason.
Vietnam is raw and real. It’s where unfiltered grime meets “even strangers are family” mentality. It’s street. It’s where you’re left thinking, “WTF is in THAT?” And it’s where culture and people are better understood through the food, so you might as well take a bite, eat, and smile.
HUSTLE & BUSTLE
When you first step out onto the streets of Vietnam, it is sensory overload. Motorbikes swarm in every direction paying no mind to traffic laws. It’s noisy with incessant BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEPING! The air carries both unfamiliar smells and the echos of street vendors calling out to everyone to buy their goods. It is chaotic and dizzy. There are open fish markets, hills of foreign fruits, and women in rice hats pushing food carts and piles of vegetables and rice.
My family lives in Thu Duc, in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh / Saigon. Every morning when you walk out the front door, the entire street and neighborhood becomes a market. My aunt sits in the front cutting meat (always with a big smile and full bellied laugh) next to her friends sitting on the floor hustling fruit and fish next to fake Gucci sandals.
FAMILY FAVORITES
Because there is food EVERYWHERE and it’s not as easy to just pull up a list of best places to eat on Yelp, I relied heavily on the recommendations from my family and friends. Otherwise your best bet is just to choose your own adventure and indulge in some street food. Below is a refined list of my favorites:
Banh Cuon
Steamed rice rolls. A sheet of rice batter is steamed and filled with seasoned ground pork. It is often served with cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, bean sprouts, and because it’s Vietnam and we love our sodium you top it off with nuoc mam (fish sauce).
My family has been going to the same woman for banh cuon since…yeah, basically forever. She has a little station at the market in our family’s neighborhood and makes it fresh in front of you. And it is so. damn. good.
Bun Cha Hanoi
Rice noodles, fresh herbs, and grilled pork in broth. A popular dish in North Vietnam. You may have seen Anthony Bourdain give Obama a crash course in Vietnamese dining when they ate Bun Cha Hanoi together over political conversation and cold beers. Remember when I said Bourdain loves Vietnam? Well, yeah the feeling from the Vietnamese people is also very mutual. So much so that the table Obama and Bourdain ate at is now encased in glass after Bourdain’s passing. Everyone will also give you a smile and thumbs up which translates to “yeah, that’s our BOY” when you mention his name.
Ma Heo
Pig cheek. We celebrated my cousin’s birthday at Binh Dan and I quickly fell in love. You strip the pig cheek from the bone and teeth and pair the spicy pork with salt, pepper, lime and herbs. Wash it down with a cold Saigon beer and the Vietnamese way of saying cheers, “Một hai ba dzô!” (1, 2, 3, GO!)
Banh Mi Chung
The ultimate Vietnamese sandwich. Toasted baguette filled with various meats and vegetables such as cha lua (pork sausage), cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickled daikon. It is a divisive topic when it comes to who makes the best banh mi. It’s a discussion I’m not ready to go up in arms about nor am I qualified to defend my favorite banh mi 'till the death. Personally, I’ve never met a banh mi I didn’t like and you can easily find them made at every street corner.
One of my favorite daily meals was having a Banh Mi Chung (egg sandwich) with my cousin in the mornings at a street stand before we got our Vietnamese coffee (ah yes, Vietnamese Coffee. I’ll break this down in another post.) It is simple, fast, and always hits the spot.
Banh Xeo
Savory crepe - need I say more? A Vietnamese pancake stuffed with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs AKA “the shit.”
HOW TO EAT IT: Cut a piece of the pancake. Wrap it in lettuce and fresh mint and herbs. Dip in fish sauce. Repeat. (You can also wrap everything nicely in rice paper to avoid the mess.)
Mi Quang
A staple in Central Vietnam. Typically made with yellow rice noodles, shrimp, pork, and topped with rice crackers, lime, and peanuts. I think this is an underrated noodle dish in Vietnam and my favorite thing I ate when in Da Nang.
Hot Vit Lon
Not exclusive to Vietnam, but 8 out of 10 foreigners are too scared to try this. Otherwise known as “Balut”, this is a fertilized duck embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It looks scary AF but I pulled up a plastic stool, sat down at the neighborhood street stand, and downed 2-3 eggs on a daily basis. This was also a favorite of my parents before they got married and moved to America.
HOW TO EAT IT: Crack open the shell. Drink the juice. Put in a mixture of salt, pepper, lime and the herbal leaf. Scoop our the embryo. Close your eyes. Swallow. Smile. Repeat.
LIFE IS FRUITY
Tropical fruit is bountiful when you are traveling in Southeast Asia. It is something that deeply excited me but also pissed me off. It is soo cheap in Vietnam and I knew that these delicious fruits would not only be hard to find, but the cup of fresh fruit juice I enjoyed for a few cents in Asia would run me $10 a cup when I got back to the States.
Nevertheless, grateful is an understatement. My aunt was always shoving unfamiliar fruits down my throat every chance she got and I willingly obliged. Below is a list of exotic fruits I believe is worth trying :
Soursop
It is indeed, very sweet. Hands down my favorite smoothie when mixed with milk and a little sugar.
Vu Sua (Breast-milk fruit)
Honestly, the name in itself should make you curious and want to try it.
Passionfruit
*Cue Drake* Passionate from miles away, passive with the things you say
Mangosteen
My dad’s favorite fruit. It looks like a thick skinned plum and you eat the white flesh inside
Guava
We picked these straight from the trees when driving through Ha Giang, so fresh so good
Honorable mention:
Jackfruit, Rambutan, Lychee…*cut-off music begins to play as I try to wrap up my speech*
No, Durian did not make it on the list. I tried to keep an open mind, but I’m convinced the fruit tastes as bad as it smells. Sorry Mom.
So if you’re lucky enough to visit Vietnam, I say keep an open mind and EAT. Take the local recommendations. Try something new and unfamiliar.
…Oh, and leave your keto diet at home.
