Amidst coronavirus, I’m sticking to what I – and a lot of other people – love most: cooking and baking. One challenge I’ve presented to myself is to make a dish (or dishes) of international cuisines every week, learn some words from the language, and e-visit some of the country’s landmarks. Some of these dishes will be more complex than others, based on what ingredients I have available in the house.
This week, I’m off to Vietnam to learn more about it’s cuisine, language, and landmarks. Đi nào! (Let’s go!)
In Vietnamese cuisine, common ingredients include shrimp paste, fish sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruit, and vegetables. Vietnamese cooking traditionally uses minimal amounts of dairy, oil, and sugar, and is almost always naturally sans-gluten.
Many Vietnamese dishes include five fundamental elements: spicy (metal), sour (wood), bitter (fire), salty (water), and sweet (earth), which corresponds with gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, and urinary bladder. These beliefs all follow the five-element correspondence.
I thought this was a really interesting way of intersecting the world’s elements with culinary sensations.
DISH #1: GỏI CUốN WITH PEANUT SAUCE (GF + V)
With the weather warming up, I’ve been craving refreshing dishes, which often means eating salads all the time. And while I am a salad lover, sometimes a change is due – enter gỏi cuốn, or Vietnamese spring rolls!
Gỏi cuốn, meaning salad rolls, is generally made with prawn, vegetables, rice vermicelli (bún), and other vegetables wrapped in rice paper (bánh tráng). Gỏi cuốn are also typically eaten with a large group of people at home. What I like so much about this dish is its versatility and how its a complete meal in itself: carbs, protein, and fat.
These rolls are usually served with peanut sauce, nước chấm (a fish sauce), or tương xào (a type of hoisin sauce).
Recipe: Food 52’s Rice paper rolls with avocado, salad, & mint
- I followed this recipe very loosely – it’s part of the fun! I put in roasted tofu as my protein.
- For the dipping sauce, I did a combination of the following. Just mix them to desired consistency and flavor.
- Crunchy natural peanut butter
- Coconut aminos
- Lime juice
- Sriracha
- Minced ginger
- Minced garlic
My spring rolls weren’t exactly works of art, but I found this tutorial to be rather helpful when using rice paper.
DISH #2: SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD (GF + V)
Vietnamese cuisine seems to be perfect for summery, hot weather. I made this cucumber salad without a recipe. Just mix the following ingredients together to your liking:
- 1 thinly sliced cucumber
- Rice wine vinegar
- Lime juice
- Spicy garlic chili sauce
- Salt
That’s it!
USEFUL WORDS
I came across this guide on useful words and phrases in Vietnamese. Click here to learn more.
LANDMARKS
Vietnam is home to beautiful nature scenes and historical villages. Let’s check them out.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
This is one of the most picturesque parts of Vietnam, and has gained popularity after the movie Kong: Skull Island (2017) was filmed here in 2017.
Hoi An
Hội An is a coastal city known for its preserved ancient town. The port city is home to a mixture of architectural styles, from wooden Chinese shophouses and French colonial buildings, to Japanese pagodas and Vietnamese tube houses .
Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, Điện Bàn
Hanoi Citadel holds artifacts dating to the 6th and 20th centuries, including foundations of old palaces, ancient roads, and ponds.
Ban Gioc Waterfall, Đàm Thuỷ
These waterfalls are located at the border between China and Vietnam, and are one of the most beautiful sights in Vietnam.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of Vietnam! Until next week.
Yum-my!!!