PREFACE I have always been fascinated by Vietnamese food, not only because it is my mother land, but also because of the healthiness and the passion present in every dish. The idea for this cookbook has been nurtured for a long time, even before the topic had been determined. When I think of my vibrant Vietnam, in my mind I see images of charming street vendors and colorful food stalls selling appealing umami snacks along the busy pavements. Bánh mì (stuffed baguette) and Gỏi cuốn (cold rolls) are the only snacks foreigners know. This cookbook would love to introduce you to the diversity of snacks in the three main regions of Vietnam, the country where you never have to worry about missing a meal! I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for your endless support and encouragement, which is invaluable for me to accomplish this book.
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CONTENTS Introduction Northern Part Central Part Southern Part
ABBREVIATIONS 2
tsp: teaspoon (~5ml) tbs: tablespoon (~150ml) g: gram kg: kilogram
v
ietnam is a beautiful country in the South East of Asia, spreading from the North Tropic to the Equation with a long coastline, two huge river deltas and humid tropical monsoon climate. This country is fruitful with wheat, seafood and
fresh vegetables and herbs all year round. Making use of all the advantages of the available and seasonal ingredients, 3
Vietnamese people create their delicious, nutritious and appealing dishes. Rice is a religion in Vietnam. Rice and its produce are used for daily basis, from royal meal to street food. The spirit of Vietnamese cuisine is the sauce. Fish sauce is popular all over the country, along with other local sauces made of different types of fish and shrimps. Like durian, Vietnamese sauces have strong flavors, which you either hate or addict to. Usually the second!
W
ars have always been the toughest time ever for Vietnamese since the formation of the country. Despite the immeasurable damages, wars actually contributed to the food culture of this country. Chinese evaders brought
chopsticks and soy sauce. French colony introduced baguettes and coffee. American provided innovation for soft and fluffy ice cream. People from that S-shaped country have been adjusting the spices to suit their taste, creating unique dishes balanced between 5 flavors: sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. Vietnamese cuisine is titled the “nouvelle cuisine of Asia�.
V
ietnam is divided into three main regions geographically: the Northern with Capital Hanoi, the Central with ancient capital Hue and the Southern with modern Ho Chi Minh City. The difference in climate, history and life result in the
variation of food between regions, contributing to the diversity of Vietnamese food culture in general and snacks in particular. Delicious and appealing dishes are available everywhere on streets - the best places to enjoy snacks in Vietnam. Snacks are here in small food stalls along the sidewalks, with colorful tiny little plastic seats which are also used as tables. Snacks are there in one load with simple patterned crockeries in the other, carried at two ends of a flat bamboo pole on the shoulder of a petite rural woman. Snacks are served to customers while they are squatting on pavements or still staying on their motorbikes with the running engines. The spirit, the flavor is so amazing that there is no restaurant with air conditioner and proper seats and tables could compare with. Because of the fresh ingredients coming straight from the crops. Because of the skillful hands and experience of typically traditional women in the countryside. Because of the atmosphere when people are carefree enjoying 4
snacks in the flow of hectic life. Or because of all the above! NORTHERN PART B谩nh t么m Ingredients: Prawn cake: -
500g prawns
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2 eggs
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100g tapioca starch
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200g plain flour
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300g sweet potatoes
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Spring onions, thinly sliced
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Garlics, finely chopped
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Oil, salt and pepper
Dipping sauce: -
Juice from1 coconut
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1 green papaya
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1 carrot
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3 tbs white vinegar, 2 tbs sugar and 3 tbs fish sauce
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For dipping sauce: Peel and thinly slice papaya and carrot. Soak in salted water for 3 minutes. Drain. Combine sugar, vinegar and fish sauce with half of coconut juice in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add soaked papaya and carrot. For prawn cake: Lightly beat the eggs, add tapioca starch, plain flour salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand for 30 minutes. Peel sweet potatoes, julienne and soak in salted water up to 10 minutes. Drain. Combine julienned sweet potatoes with the batter. Marinate prawns with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan. Add garlics, onions and prawns. Stir-fry until prawns change the color. Remove from heat. Add more oil in the pan. With medium heat, ladle Ÿ cup of the batter into hot oil, top with 1 prawn. Fry and flip over until golden brown. Put on kitchen towers to remove excess oil. Serve hot with dipping sauce. Cook’s note Soak sweet potatoes, papaya and carrot in salted water to remove the resin, preventing them from discoloring. Deep fry the cake with high level of oil, enough to cover the surface of the batter. Make dipping sauce up to 1 day in advance. Make batter, quickly fry and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to 1 day. When used, fry again until thoroughly cooked and golden brown.
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Bánh đúc nóng Ingredients: 240g rice flour 900 ml water 1 tsp salt 2 tbs oil 100ml lime water 300g minced pork 150g shallot 50g dry Jew’s ears, soaked in warm water, and chopped 20g dry mushrooms, soaked and chopped Basils and corianders For the topping: Marinate minced pork with salt and pepper. Chop 50g shallot. Stir-fry shallot, Jew’s ears and mushroom. Thinly slice 100g shallot, fry them with oil until crispy and golden brown. Remove excess oil with kitchen towels. Prepare sweet and sour dipping sauce (see Bánh cuốn) For the batter: Combine rice flour and salt in lime water for several hours in the refrigerator. 7
Cook the batter over medium heat, stir constantly until translucent and condensed. Ladle into a bowl, top with stir-fired pork, fried shallot, basils and corianders, drizzle with sweet and sour sauce, add chili if desired. Serve hot. Cook’s note Lime water is available in baking shops. To make lime water from lime, dissolve 40g solid lime in 300ml water, let stand for several hours until the sediments come down the bottom. Decant the clear liquid on top into another bowl and dispose of the sediments. Store in a bottle in the refrigerator up to 3 months. Lime water provides a distinct flavor and also encourages human digestion. Bånh cuᝑn Ingredients: Skin: -
230g rice flour
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40g tapioca starch
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900ml water
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Pinch of salt
Filling: -
500g minced pork 8
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50g shallots, chopped
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50g Jew’s ears, soaked and chopped
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10g mushroom, soaked and chopped
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Salt, pepper
Topping: -
Fried shallots
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Basils and corianders
Dipping sauce: Essential equipment: Stretch a piece of bright fabric over the top of a big sauce pan. Cut 4 holes symmetrically near the side. A thin bamboo stick or a knife with long and thin blade. For the filling: Preheat oil in a pan. Add shallots and minced poked, stir-fry until nearly cooked. Add Jew’s ears and mushroom. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely For the skin: Combine all ingredients, let stand a few hours in cool place. Add some water into the sauce pan with stretched fabric on top. Boil the water. Quickly spread a ladle of the batter on the fabric, make it round and as thin as possible. 9
Close the lid, let cook for 30 seconds or until becoming translucent. Use a bamboo stick or a knife to remove the skin. Place on a greased pan. Place the filling on the skin, wrap into a cylinder. Keep doing with the rest batter and filling. Serve hot with dipping sauce, fried shallot and herbs. Cook’s note Holes on the fabric allow steam to release and circulate inside the lid to cook the skin evenly. Adjust water and tapioca starch to achieve the desired texture. Bánh khúc Ingredients Bánh giò Ingredients: Skin: -
50g rice flour
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100g tapioca starch
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650-700ml chicken broth, cooled
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Salt and pepper
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200mk oil (if the broth has no fat) 10
-
Banana leaves to wrap, boiled and dried
Filling: -
200g minced pork
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30g Jew’s ears, soaked and chopped
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1 onions, chopped
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Salt, fish salt and pepper.
For the filling: Quickly stir-fry onions with some drizzles of oil. Let cool. Combine minced pork, Jew’s ears , onions and seasonings. For the skin: Combine all ingredients in a non-stick sauce pan. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until condensed and still opaque white. Place 1 ladle in the middle of a banana leaf, place a scoop of filling on top. Fold 2 opposite sides in. fold the other 2 sides to form the shape of a mountain. Secure with string. Steam for about 25-30 minutes Serve hot with pepper and chili sauce. Cook’s note Banana leaves give the cake nice green color and fresh tropical flavor. Aluminum foil and cling wrap can be used as substitution for banana leaves. Use a reasonable amount of skin and filling, ensuring that filling are completely surrounded. 11
Adjust amount of water and tapioca starch to achieve the desired thickness of the skin. Bánh rán mặn Ingredients: Filling: -
120g minced pork
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20g green bean vermicelli, soaked and cut into 2cm pieces
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20g Jew’s ear, soaked and chopped
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1 carrot, peeled and chopped
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Salt, fish sauce and pepper
Skin: -
250g glutinous rice flour
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50g rice flour
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50g potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
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30g sugar
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5g salt
For the filling: Combine all the ingredients Shape into small balls, 25-30g each 12
For the skin: Combine all the ingredients. Let stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Divide the dough into balls, 45-50g each. Thinly spread each ball, place a filling ball in the middle and wrap tightly Deep fry the cake on medium heat. Use chopsticks to gently turn each and every ball. Serve hot with sweet and sour dipping sauce. Cook’s note Ensure there is no bubbles between the skin and the filling or else, these bubbles would cause dangerous oil pops. Turn the cakes continuously to cook them evenly. Bún chả Ingredients Grilled pork: -
500g belly pork, thinly sliced
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2 shallots, chopped
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3 gloves of garlics, chopped
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1 lemongrass, finely chopped
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2 tbs caramelized dugar
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1 tsp sesame oil
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Sugar 13
Grilled pork patties: -
300g minced pork
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Shallots, chopped
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Fish sauce, salt, pepper and sugar
Dipping sauce: -
Fish sauce
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Sugar
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Lime/lemon juice or vinegar
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Garlics and chili, minced
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Water
Other ingredients: -
Vermicelli, boiled and drained
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Lettuce, mints, corianders and marjoram
For the dipping sauce: Combine sugar, lime/lemon juice and water together. Gradually add fish sauce until achieve the desired taste. Add garlic and chili. For the meat: Marinate belly pork and minced pork in separate bowls for at least 30 minutes. 14
Shape minced pork into small balls, flatten. Prepare charcoal. Grill belly pork and patties. Ladle dipping sauce into a big bowl, add grilled pork. Serve hot with lettuce, herbs and vermicelli. Cook’s note Charcoal gives the pork delicious and distinct flavors. Grilled pan and gas stove can be used as substitution for charcoal. Dipping sauce should be reheated before served in the winter. Bún thang Café trứng Ingredients: -
1 egg
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1 cup of strong coffee
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Honey
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15g sugar
Place the egg, honey and sugar in to a bowl. Put on top of a pan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar dissolves. Beat the egg until light and fluffy. 15
Reheat coffee to 80-90 degree of Celcius. Transfer black coffee to a cup. Add egg into coffee cup. Serve hot with extra sugar if desired. Cook’s note Use free range egg for the best flavor. Brew high quality Vietnamese grounded coffee with a filter with the ratio of 100gr of coffee to 45-ml water. Double boil the egg to pasteurize it. Heating the egg for too long will make the eggs curdle. Whisk the egg constantly to make it cook evenly and slowly. Bowl and whisks must be clean to be able to beat the egg to ribbon form. Gently pour the egg over the back of a spoon to keep it on top of the coffee layer. Do not stir too much or the coffee would cool down very quickly. Chả cá Lã Vọng Phở cuốn Phở chiên giòn CENTRAL PART Bánh tiêu Bánh cam 16
Bánh khoái Bánh trôi Bánh bột lọc Bánh canh cá Cao lầu Chí mà phù Chè bột lọc bọc thịt quay Chè hạt sen long nhãn Tào phớ SOUTHERN PART Bột chiên Bánh khọt Bánh cống Bánh quai vạc Bánh ú nhân thịt Bánh tráng trộn Bánh bò hấp Bánh xèo Bánh đúc ngọt 17
Chè trôi nước Chè chuối Chuối nếp nướng
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