Popular Vietnamese dishes

List of Vietnamese culinary specialities

Popular Vietnamese dishes include:

Chicken Pho

Bún Bò Huế

Summer rolls with accompaniments

A bánh xèo

Bánh mì

Cà phê sữa Banh bao (Bánh bao) Steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. Banh bao is an adaptation from the Chinese baozi to fit Vietnamese taste. Exclusively vegetable banh bao are also available. Vegetarian banh bao are popular food in Buddhist temples. Typical stuffings for banh bao include slices of marinated "xa xíu" (bbq pork from Chinese cooking) meat, tiny boiled quail eggs or quail eggs, and pork.

Banh Bot Chien (Bánh Bột Chiên): A Chinese influenced pastry with many versions all over Asia, the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side.

Bánh canh, a thick rice noodle soup with a more basic broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sauteed onions sprinkled on top.

Bánh chưng - sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans, fatty pork and black pepper, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet)

Banh Mi Thit (Bánh mì kẹp thịt) Vietnamese baguette, French bread containing paté, Vietnamese mayo, different selections of Vietnamese cold cuts and deli (a large variety, most commonly with ham, head cheese, and a Vietnamese bologna), pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber slices. Often garnished with coriander, black pepper. This food is common everywhere in Vietnam as a favorite of factory workers

Breakfast Banh mi: stuffed with scrambled eggs and canned sardines, or the more popular version eaten widely for breakfast in Vietnam: Eggs fried sunny-side-up with onions, sprinkled with Soy sauce and eaten with a fresh (and sometimes buttered) baguette.

Bánh tét: same ingredients as banh chung but in cylindrical form and wrapped in banana leaves. It is served during Tet.

Banh trang: These are large round flat rice crackers which when heated enlarges into round, easily shattered pieces. They can be eaten separately, although it is most commonly added into the vermicelli, noodle dishes e.g. in cau lau, mi quang...Many 'banh trang' that exists include the clear sesame seed ones, prawn-like cracker with dried spring onions, sweet milk etc...

Banh xeo

(Bánh xèo) Crepe made out of rice flour with tumeric, shrimps with shelves on, slivers of fatty pork , sliced onions, and sometimes button mushrooms, fried in one or two teaspoons of oil, usually coconut oil, which is the most popular oil used in Viet Nam. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in Nước chấm or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. Rice papers are sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh xeo and the accompanying vegetables.

Bi cuon: (Rice paper rolls with the bi (bì) mixture of thinly shredded pork and thinly shredded pork skin tossed with powdered toasted rice, among other ingredients, along with salad)

Bo bia (Bò bía): Stir fried jimica and carrots, Chinese sausage, shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped with vermicelli noodle in a rice paper roll. Dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (with freshly roasted and ground peanuts). It is of Chinese (Hokkien/Chaozhou) origin.

Bo la lot (Bò lá lốt): not strictly a spring roll, but rather spiced beef rolled in pepper leaf (la lot)and grilled.

Bo kho (Bò kho): Vietnamese beef and vegetable stew, often cooked with warm, spicy herbs and served very hot with French baguettes for dipping.

Bò 7 Món: Vietnamese seven courses of Beef. A less popular version is the Ca 7 Mon (Cá 7 Món) - or, seven courses of fish.

Bun Bo Hue (Bún Bò Huế) – Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. Beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, lots of dried chilies give its broth the distinctive flavors. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms and shredded rau muống.

Bun Mang Vit (Bún Măng Vịt): Bamboo and duck noodle soup. Bun Oc (Bún Ốc): Vermicelli with snails (sea snails similar to the snails in French cuisine).

Bun Rieu (Bún riêu) – noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato based broth and garnished with bean sprout, prawn paste, herb leaves, water spinach, and tomato chunks.

Canh chua: Vietnamese sour soup - typically with fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, beansprouts, when made in style of a hotpot, it is called Lau Canh Chua.

Ca cuon (Cá cuốn): A roll with fish and spring onions.

Cao lầu: A Hoi An dish, made of specially burnt flavoured egg noodles topped with meats.

Cha-lua: sausage made with pork, potato starch and fish sauce. Also available fried; known as Cha-chien.

Chao ga: A chicken and rice porridge.

Com hen (cơm hến) is a popular dish for the low-budgeted customers in the city of Hue and the vicinity.

Com tam (Cơm tấm) – Generally, grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus a Vietnamese dish called bi (bì) (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin plused fried ground rice) over broken rice (what the words "com tam" actually mean in Vietnamese) and sweet and sour fish sauce. There are numerous types of meat prepared in various ways that are served with the broken rice. One can have barbecued beef, pork, or chicken served with the broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trung hap (trứng hấp) and grilled prawns.

Mam: fermented fish in various styles.

Nem Nguoi (Nem Nguội): A Hue dish and a variation of the Nem nuong meatballs, these also come from Central Vietnam. They are chilled, small and rectangular in shape, and stuffed with vermicelli. The reddish meat is covered with peppers and typically a chilli. Very spicy, eaten almost exclusively as a cocktail snack.

Paté Chaud: A French inspired meat-filled pastry. Characterized by flaky crust and either pork or chicken as the filling.

Prawn paste cake (Cha tom): (a variant of the Chao tom, eaten often with Com tam)

Spring rolls aka Egg roll (Nem rán or Chả giò) – deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat, yam, crab,

shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms ("wood ear" variety) and other ingredients. The spring roll goes by many names - as many people actually use (falsely) the word "spring roll" while referring to the fresh transparent paper rolls (discussed below as "Summer Rolls") that are dipped in water to soften and then rolled up with various ingredients. Traditionally these rolls are made with a rice paper wrapper but in recent years Vietnamese chefs have changed the recipe to use a flour based wrapper rolls.

Summer rolls aka Spring rolls (Gỏi cuốn) also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls. They are rice paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in Nước chấm or peanut sauce. Spring rolls almost constitute an entire category of Vietnamese foods, as there are numerous different kinds of spring rolls with different ingredients in them.

Bun thit nuong (Bún thịt nướng): One of the more popular (and simple) Vietnamese dishes, basically a combination vermicelli plate, a kind of vermicelli counterpart to Cơm tấm. Grilled pork (often shredded) and vermicelli noodles over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Also often includes a few chopped up egg rolls, spring onions, and shrimp. Served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of Nước chấm.

Bun Cha Gio (Bún Chả giò): Slightly similar to Bun Thit Nuong, except this very simple vermicelli Vietnamese cuisine boasts a couple of spring rolls served with chilli fish sauce and greens.

Nem Nuong (Nem nướng): grilled meatballs, usually made of seasoned pork. Often reddish in color due to food coloring additive and with a distinct taste, grilled on skewers like kabobs.

Ingredients in the marinade include fish sauce

Ga xa (Gà xả): Lemongrass chicken. Lemongrass beef and other meats are also popular variations.

Bo luc lac (Bò lúc lắc): Beef cut into cubes and marinated, served over greens (usually watercress), and sauteed onions and tomatoes. Eaten with rice.

Sup mang cua (Súp măng cua): A creamy bamboo-crab soup. Served typically as a first dish at banquets.

Banh Cuon (Bánh cuốn): Rice flour rolls and/or pancakes sometimes stuffed with ground pork and onion. They are eaten in a variety of ways with many side dishes, including one out of many kinds of Cha (Chả), which are Vietnamese meats spiced and flavored in a multitude of ways -often ground to a paste and cooked.

Chao (Cháo): Rice congee. There are also a variety of different broths and meats used, including duck, chicken, etc.

Chao tom: Prawn paste/cake on sugarcane.

Prawn paste cake (Cha tom): (a variant of the Chao tom, eaten often with Com tam)

Mì Quảng - a very popular yet extremely complicated noodle dish. Also originating from Quang Nam, Mi Quang varies in its preparation and features very sharply contrasting flavors and textures in (if prepared properly) a shallowly filled bowl of broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and roasted rice chip (banh trang).

Phở (Pho) – beef noodle soup (Phở bò) It is a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth achieved from hours upon hours of boiling meat and different herbs. There are many varieties of phở, with different selections of meats (most commonly beef and chicken) along with beef balls. Phở is typically served in bowls with spring onion, (in phở tai) slices of semi cooked beef (to be cooked by the boiling hot broth), and then of course the broth itself. The use of vegetables and various herbs is common in the southern region.

Goi (Gỏi): salad. Many varieties with the most popular including:

Goi Du Du (Gỏi đu đủ): Vietnamese papaya salad typically with shredded papaya, herbs, various meats such as shrimp, slices of pork, liver, or meat jerky, herbs, and with a more vinegar-based rendition of Nước chấm.

Goi Hue Rau Muong (Gỏi Huế rau muống): a salad dish originating from Hue (Central Vietnam), including water spinach (Rau Muong).

Mi xao don (Mì xào dòn): Crispy deep-fried egg noodles, topped with a wide array of seafood, vegetables and shrimp in a delicious gravy sauce.

Vietnamese hotpot: a spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup, with many vegetables, meats and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs. Also called lau (lẩu).

Banh beo (Bánh bèo): a central Vietnamese dish consisting of tiny and round rice flour pancakes, each served in a tiny round dish. They are topped with minced shrimp and other smaller ingredients such as green onions and pork rinds. Eaten with Nước chấm.

Com chien Duong Chau : a Chinese fried rice dish, name after a region in China. It is a well-known dish in Vietnam.

Mi bo vien (Mì bò viên): Chinese influenced egg noodle soup with beef balls, shrimp, and (sometimes) won tons.

Bun cha Hanoi (Bún chả Hànội): Similar to Bun Thit Nuong, Bun Cha Hanoi comes from the Northern capital of Hanoi. The difference being that the pork meat is ground and marinated, then rolled into balls, grilled and left in a bowl of Nước chấm along with pickled vegetables, daikon and carrot. The meat balls are especially savoury, having truly soaked in the sauce. It is eaten with vermicelli and greens.

Banh Hoi (Bánh hỏi): A special Vietnamese noodle that is extremely thin and woven into intricate bundles. Often topped with spring onion and a complementary meat dish.

Thit heo quay (Thịt heo quay): BBQ pork, often eaten at weddings (and with Banh hoi)

Thit vit quay (Thịt vịt quay): Roast duck, eaten over rice.

Com ga rau thom (Cơm gà rau thơm): Vietnamese mint chicken rice. Rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with a mint (and other herbs) fried chicken (which is shredded). The rice has a unique texture and taste which the fried mint garnish enhances. Served with a special herb sauce on the side.

Cafe sua da (Cà phê sữa) – strong iced coffee, most often served with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup to be stirred in. A Vietnamese favorite.

Banh bot loc (Bánh bột lọc): A Hue food, consisting of tiny rice dumplings made in a clear rice flour batter, often in a small, kind of flat tube shape. Stuffed with shrimp and ground pork.

It is wrapped and cooked inside banana leaf, served often as Vietnamese hors d'oeuvres at more casual buffet-type parties.

Vietnamese curry is also popular, especially in the south.

Curry chicken can be either similar to the Thai curries (w/coconut milk) or taste kind of like Caribbean curries (no coconut milk, and more stir fried instead of steamed like a soup), and is usually served with rice.

Another type of well known Vietnamese curry is beef brisket curry or beef tail curry. The beef curries are often eaten with French bread for dipping, or eaten with rice.

Desserts

Chè is a sweet dessert or pudding usually made from beans and sticky rice. Many varieties of chè are available, each with different fruits, beans (for example, mung beans or kidney beans), and other ingredients. Chè can be served cold, cool or hot.

Fruit smoothies are also popular. They are simple to make and require just a few teaspoons of sugar, crushed ice and fresh locally available fruits. The smoothies come in many varieties,including custard apple, sugar apple, avocado, jackfruit, durian, strawberry, passionfruit, dragonfruit, lychee, mango, and banana.

Another dessert is Vietnamese yogurt made with condensed milk.

Also a popular beverage is bubble tea.

Vegetables

Chayote (su su)

Chili pepper (ớt)

Cucumber (dưa leo)

Eggplant (cà or cà tím)

Daikon (củ cải trắng)

Water spinach (rau muống)

Bok choy

Cauliflower (hoa lơ)

Cabbage (cải)

Fruits

Durian (sầu riêng)

Jackfruit (mít)

Pitaya - dragon fruit (thanh long)

Lychee (vải)

Longan (nhãn)

Tomato (cà chua)

Rambutan (chôm chôm)

Mango (xoài)

Guava (ổi)

Sweetsop (na or mãng cầu)

Soursop (mãng cầu Xiêm)

Custard apple (bình bát)

Water apple (roi in the north, mận in the south)

Plum {mận)

Star fruit (khế)

Watermelon (dưa hấu)

Acerola (xê-ri)

Sapodilla (hồng xiêm or xa-pô-chê)

Spondias cytherea; see Spondias genus (cóc)

Green star apple (vú sữa)

Persimmon (hồng)

Papaya (đu đủ)

Buddha's hand (phật thủ)

Rose apple (roi in the North, mận Đà Lạt in the South)

Canistel (trái trứng gà)

Herbs

Lemon grass (cây xả)

Ngò gai (saw leaf herb)

Ngò ôm (rice paddy herb)

Thai basil (húng quế)

Coriander (rau ngò or ngò rí)

Peppermint (húng cây or rau bạc hà)

Spearmint (húng lủi)

Houttuynia cordata (giấp cá or diếp cá)

Perilla (tía tô)

Dill (thì là)

Other ingredients

Bánh tráng (rice paper)

See also

American Vietnamese cuisine

French Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese Chinese cuisine

Vietnamese wine

Source: Wikipedia.org