Ho Chi Minh City in 12 Dishes

Hungry? Good. I’ll take you to a little place I know.

You too can use these winning lines to impress family and friends, with the help of a new culinary guide to the Ho Chi Minh City, written and styled by two food-loving entrepreneurs. Sydney-based Leanne Kitchen, who started out as a chef, now writes about and photographs food all around the world. Three years ago, she set up Red Pork Press with sidekick Antony Suvalko, who hails from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

“We started Red Pork Press because we are both passionate about food and passionate about travel,” Antony told AsiaLIFE.”We were constantly being asked by friends where they should dine when they were overseas and we started to think there might be a niche for culinary-focussed travel guides.

“Yes, you can get endless information on the net but having it curated for you, and in a lovely, pocketable package, makes more sense to us. So we decided to publish books that help get the best from a place, culinarily speaking.”

One of Red Pork Press’s first projects was a series of cityspecific culinary travel guides called In 12 Dishes. Ho Chi Minh City in 12 Dishes is the second book in the series, released hot on the heels of Shanghai in 12 Dishes.

Leanne and Antony chose Ho Chi Minh City for a very simple reason: the food here is sublime. “Zingy with herbs, salty with the smack of fish sauce, brimming with the goodness of vibrant produce and enlivened with notes of coconut, spice, smoke, lime and chilli, food here has crunch and flavour in spades.” That’s how they describe the city’s food scene in their book’s blurb.

“We chose Ho Chi Minh City because we’d both been there numerous times before and loved the food,” Antony said. (Editor’s note: Leanne has even joined my husband and I on a Saigon Street Eats tour!)

“It’s not hard to fall for Vietnamese food and Ho Chi Minh City fare has a freshness and vibrancy that’s second to none. Our books are all about food culture discovered through the broader travel experience and there aren’t too many places with a more enticing food culture than Ho Chi Minh City.” “We love the energy of the city and the way various districts are distinct, with completely different vibes,” he said. “To us, Ho Chi Minh City feels endless, in terms of local dining possibilities. Oh, and we are coffee addicts too, so it goes without saying we would want to be in Ho Chi Minh City.”

The book shows you what to eat as well as where to eat. Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen has given the guide a ringing endorsement, saying the dining recommendations are “spot on”.

“Our travel style is always to try and go where locals go - full immersion,” Antony said. “We think that’s a big part any travel adventure and makes for the most memorable experiences. When we can’t speak a language, invariably some kind soul comes to our aid and we end up having a lovely interaction. This is the essence of travel to us, even if we just communicate via sign language and smiles… and it only comes when you get out of comfort zones and away from tourist traps.”

“Our books are designed with this kind of travel in mind (although we like a decent bar at the end of a day too and invariably include a selection of worthy watering holes in our books). We are committed to finding out about culinary culture, not restaurant scenes, so our books won’t guide you to Western-style fine diners.”

Structured around 12 iconic dishes, the book guides users to where these can be found with pho (soup noodles), banh mi (baguette), banh xeo (sizzling pancake) and barbecue among the essential dozen.

Paperback and Kindle versions of Ho Chi Minh City in 12 Dishes are available on Amazon and on www.redporkpress.com.

BANH DUC

STEAMED RICE CAKE

Banh duc is a plain rice cake made from non-glutinous rice

flour and water. You can find banh duc in pretty much every region of Vietnam. By my count there are at least 14 different types of banh duc!

However, I will focus more on the few that I like the most, which include banh duc nong (served hot), banh duc tom / thit (steamed coconut rice cake with shrimps or pork) and banh duc ngot (sweet).

Banh duc is not a well known dish amongst the expats and tourists and definitely not as popular compared to dishes such as pho, banh mi (Vietnamese baguette), banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) and com tam (broken rice). Banh duc is known as a common food (mon an binh dan) for the average Vietnamese because it originated in the countryside, is inexpensive and is a very plain-looking dish.

In Hanoi and the central region, banh duc is served hot, hence the name banh duc nong (nong means hot). The rice flour and water are boiled until thick or flan-like, topped with cooked ground pork, chopped nam meo (wood ear mushroom), fried tofu, hanh phi (fried onion) and fish sauce. It is a very popular dish especially in the winter time in the north and central region.

Another popular variation is called banh duc dau phong (peanuts), whole peanuts are added when boiled, and the mix is then cooled and cut into small bite-size pieces. It should be served plain with either nuoc tuong (soy sauce) or mam tom (fermented shrimp paste).

In Saigon you have banh duc dua (steamed rice cake infused with coconut milk). It is a much thicker style, about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Steam it with coconut milk and let it cool. Once cool it is then cut into bite-sized rectangular pieces, topped with a stir fried mixture of ground pork, green onions, cu sang (chopped jicama) and chopped wood ear mushroom. Add mo hanh (scallions oil), hanh phi (fried onions) and nuoc cham (marinated fish sauce). Another version is to substitute ground pork for ground dried shrimp flakes.

Another popular dish in Saigon is called banh duc ngot (sweet). Banh duc ngot is considered more as a dessert because it is sweet. It is infused with la dua (pandan) to make it green, with a lovely pandan fragrance. It should be topped with rang me (toasted sesame seeds), nuoc duong gung (ginger sugar syrup) and finished with coconut cream.

1. Banh Duc Nong Ba Gia 76 Cuu Long Street, District 10. Open 2pm to 10pm daily.

2. Banh Duc Phan Dang Luu 116/11 Phan Dang Luu Street, Phu Nhuan District. Open 3pm to 6pm daily.

3. Banh Duc Nong Ty Muoi 212/72 Nguyen Van Nguyen, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1. Open 11am to 8pm Monday to Friday.

4. Banh Duc La Dua - Ba Nam I know this one is quite far from the city but if you’re ever in Hoc Mon (they are well-known for the banh duc pandan), give them a try. They have a facebook page so you can check them out. Maybe they will make a delivery. www.facebook.com/banhducladua-banam.

BY TRISTAN NGO

BY BARBARA ADAM