Cha Ca

Under a pile of fresh herbs is delicately fried grouper atop vermicelli noodles. What makes this distinct for Vietnamese food is the dill, which often makes an appearance in Northern Vietnamese cuisine. Cha Ca is a dish that is named after a street in Hanoi where this specialty originated.

Carp or Catfish is the usual local Red River fish used in this dish served with piquant dipping sauces such as mam tong tom made with pineapple and dried shrimp, or nuoc cham. When I had it, I had Grouper and fish sauce with peanuts on the side. A blend of coriander, green onion and dill served to balance the flavours of the fish. After pouring the sauce over my noodles, it became a refreshing meal that was perfect after having taro spring rolls and Saigon beer.

Taro spring rolls

The morsels of Grouper were especially delicious because of the breading. A blend of rice flour instead of wheat flour combined with a dusting of tumeric dressed the fish and subsequently fried in peanut oil instead of canola. The result is a light and crisp finish. Happily, I didn’t get the “I shouldn’t have eaten that” heavy-fish-and-chip-gut after the meal. I was pleased!

Also garnished with sesame seeds