Special Dishes - Mon Dac Biet
Rice-flour Crepes with Minced Pork - Banh Cuon
Banh cuon is a popular dish hailing from Northern Vietnam and is typically eaten in the day time. It is a thin rice flour crepe stuffed primarily with ground pork and minced wood-ear mushroom. Banh cuon is laid out flat on a dish, topped with fresh sprigs of coriander, accompanied by slices of pickled carrot and daikon, and doused with sweet nuoc mam. Cooked bean sprouts and Vietnamese pork sausage (cha lua) are optional, although commonly added to the dish as well.
Vietnamese Savoury Crepes - Banh Xeo
Banh Xeo is a popular dish from the south that is prepared by pouring a rice-flour and tumeric-based mixture into an oiled pan until it forms into a thin and crispy crepe. Stir-fried pork, bean sprouts and shrimp fills the crepe which is then folded in half and taken off of the pan. In the south, the crepe is then wrapped in lettuce and mint, then dipped into a sweet and light fish sauce, whereas the central regions prefer to dip it in tuong, a stronger and more savoury sauce made of ground liver and hoisin sauce.
"Dancing Beef" - Bo Luc Lac
Bo Luc Lac- The famous dancing beef dish of Vietnam. This is Vietnamese stir-fry at its finest. Made from marinated beef cut into cubes and fried with shallots, served over watercress, and, or lettuce, it’s a simple but delicious dish for beef lovers. Just as its appearance suggests, its flavours are bold and mouth watering.
Other Names: Shaking Beef
Chicken Curry - Ca Ri Ga
Vietnamese chicken curry is not to be missed. It's a sweet and runny curry compared with its Indian and Thai cousins. It’s sweetened with coconut milk and sweet potatoes which offer a pleasing contrast to the spiciness of the curry. Usually enjoyed with French bread, it’s a simple dish that emphasizes the flavor of the curry amidst only a few other key ingredients.
Sour Soup - Canh Chua
Canh Chua is a delicious and very richly flavoured sweet and sour soup from the Mekong Delta region. It is usually made with fish and it incorporates a wide variety of local herbs and veggies typical to the Mekong region. The sour flavouring of the soup is achieved through the use of tamarind and pineapple. This delicious soup can be eaten alone or with rice or noodles.
Other Names: Sweet & Sour Soup
Seven Courses of Beef - Bo 7 Mon
If you love beef then you’ve come to the right place. With this dish, beef is prepared and served in 7 different ways, usually beginning with beef salad and ending with beef congee. While enjoying the seven courses of beef, you'll discover new but familiar flavours in every bite. Like many other Vietnamese dishes bo 7 mon is served with lots of fragrant herbs and and sauces.
Asparagus-Crab Soup - Sup Mang Tay Cua
Asparagus was introduced to the Vietnamese by the French, and was instantly incorportated into their cuisine. In sup mang tay cua, asparagus and crab meat are cooked together in a broth made of pork bones and flavoured with sauces, oils and mints. Traditionally, bamboo shoots are used instead of asparagus, but due to their resemblance these two vegetables are used interchangeably. This soup is usually served as a starter at banquets and parties.
Rare Beef Salad - Bo Tai Chanh
Thin slices of rare beef are laid over a bed of thinly chopped cabbage. Then chunks of peanuts and chopped herbs and mints are sprinkled on the surface. Fresh lime is then squeezed thoroughly over the beef. The citrus acids in the lime 'cooks' the beef and turn it a light pink/white colour. The cabbage and beef combination is then dipped into a prepared dipping sauce, which gives it a mouth watering flavour of sweet, sour, salty, citric and mint. The tender beef contrasts perfectly with the cruchy cabbage, while the peanut chunks and chopped herbs top it off with irresistible aromas.
Some restaurants prepare this dish without the cabbage. And instead of layering the beef neatly on the plate, they may add all ingredients and mix them together, turning the beef into rolled up chunks, instead of flat slices. Though prepared differently, this method does not jeopardize the flavours at all!
Other Names: Rare Lime Beef, Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio with Lime
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