Drinking Foods - Mon Nhau
(Vietnam's Answer to North American “Pub Grub”!)Vietnam has a rich tradition of “drinking foods” that most North Americans will be hard-pressed to find in your run-of-the-mill Vietnamese pho joint. The verb “nhau” does not have a direct English translation; while the crux of the term means to “go drinking”, it also entails some sort of casual camaraderie, lounging and lengthiness to said drinking. Having one beer does not constitute “nhau”ing. Rather, the ultimate and most enjoyable form of “nhau”ing invariably involves several hours of jolly (or belligerant) conversation and eating mon nhau. Restaurants that cater to people who want to nhau in North America are unbeknowst to non-Vietnamese as they are rather discreet, with their tinted windows, non-English signs, non-English menus, and unfriendly looking clientele. For these reasons, your best bet at nhau-ing involves befriending a Vietnamese person who enjoys nhau-ing in the comforts of his or her own home!
Lotus Stem Shrimp and Pork Salad - Goi Ngo Sen Tom Thit
Fresh lotus stems are tasteless when eaten by itself, despite it's slight juiciness and crunchy texture. In goi ngo sen tom thit, it is tossed with pickled carrots, shrimp (cooked and peeled), slices of cooked lean pork, thinly sliced onion and finely chopped polygonum leaves. A sweet fish sauce is then drizzled onto the salad for flavour, and finally topped with crushed roasted peanuts. Rather than using chopsticks, there is also the option of scooping the salad into deep fried shrimp crackers. A very fresh and healthy dish!
Hot Pot - Lau
Vietnamese hot pots are your answer to a cold winter day. Or for some people, they're a good reason to start drinking! A hot pot usually consists of a pot of spicy and sour soup that is set to simmer in the middle of the dining table. As the pot simmers, raw ingredients are added to it and are cooked at the table. Typical ingredients are shrimps and other seafoods, sliced beef and chicken, mushrooms and other vegetables, beef balls, fish balls, and dipping sauces. Hot pots are not only delicious but are also very fun to eat.
Duck Blood Soup - Tiet canh
Tiet canh is a type of blood soup that is usually made with duck's blood - alternatively, pig's blood is also used for the same purpose. Slightly cooled and congealed duck's blood, mixed with minced duck liver and duck intestine, along with crushed peanuts and rau ram (also known as laksa leaf - a bitter variety of leafy herb), tiet canh is unlike any pub grub found in your North American drinking establishment. In Vietnam, tiet canh is usually consumed with rice vodka - probably the best way to cleanse one's pallette of that metallic, blood aftertaste.
Toasted Dry Squid - Kho Muc
A favourite of many drinkers! Perfectly flavoured, and texturally perfect, toasted dry squid is an inexpensive, tasty, and very fun food to eat while drinking. The squid is often brought to you shredded into small bite-size pieces, and served with hot sauce and hoisin sauce dips.
Pickled Sour Pork Sausage - Nem Chua
Nem chua is usually eaten as an appetizer or finger-food to accompany alcohol, as too much will invariably be bad for one's digestive system! This is because nem is raw ground pork that is marinated, then slightly pickled with rice meal, and later mixed with clear glass noodles, whole kernels of peppers, garlic cloves and fresh chili. It is then individually wrapped in banana leaf and refrigerated for a minimum of two days before consumption. Generally, nem is an acquired taste, but quite a lovely treat for those who become accustomed to it!
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