Vietnamese Traditional Food
Top 3 best Vietnam traditional foods to fill empty bellies
Vietnam is not only famous for its magnificent architecture and heroic history, but this country also makes a lasting impression on both domestic and international food lovers with the delicate and rich flavour of Vietnamese traditional food.
There is no exaggeration putting Vietnamese cuisine on equal position with other reputable cuisines around the world. The attractiveness of Vietnamese traditional food comes from its diverse origin, from 5-star restaurants and homemade specialities to delicious street food believed to please even the most demanding eaters.
These are the three most mouth-watering delicacies of Vietnam to fill your empty stomach
1) Start a new day with “Obama Bun Cha”
Speaking of Vietnamese traditional food, it would be a big mistake not to mention “Bun Cha” – one of the not-to-miss specialities of the capital city. From the first appearance, food lovers are likely to ignore this special dish because of its normal and simple look.
In fact, the main ingredients of “Bun Cha” are easily found in the market every day. There is no need for a huge cabinet full of different spices like beef rice noodles or a well and complex preparation like “Bun thang” (fermented thick Vietnamese vermicelli soup)
Such a simple dish like “Bun cha”, diners only need a combination of vermicelli, pork meat, dried onion, garlic, chilli, along with a basket of fresh vegetables. Overall, “Bun Cha” seems to own nothing special in terms of ingredients or making process, why does unique dish attract even Former President of the US, Barack Obama as well as the world-famous chef Anthony Bourdain?
The key secret lies in the way makers create the true flavour of “Bun cha”. Bun (Vermicelli) is chosen very carefully – chewy, soft and thin – so eaters, who have not yet mastered in using chopsticks, can find it quite challenging to enjoy the dish. The highlight of “Bun Cha” comes from well-seasoned pork meat in two different styles – Cha Vien (ground pork) and Cha Mieng (thinly sliced pork). The meat is carefully flattened, grilled on the hot charcoal stove and served with the flavorful broth.
The main factor that determines the success of this well-known Hanoi street food is the broth. In order to create a perfect balance between the sour and sweet, the broth is mixed with sugar, vinegar and fish sauce. These are basic elements but vary accordingly to different recipes and amounts to suit different tastes.
Despite the simple appearance, “Bun Cha” hardly fails to satisfy food lovers because this speciality represents a rich and diverse Vietnamese cuisine in general and the sophistication and delicacy of Hanoian in particular.
2) Recharge your energy with “Com hen” (Baby clams in rice)
Tourists, who have ever set foot in Hue city without having tasted “Com hen”, are considered to be missing a very special taste of this ancient land. However, if you have already had the opportunity, the distinctive and delicious flavour of “com hen” is unforgettable.
Moreover, “Com hen” is a favourable destination of the world-famous chef Anthony Bourdain when he paid a visit to Hue ancient capital for recording CNN’s renowned Travel and Dining program.
Although “Com hen” is only a simple and not-a-five-star Vietnam traditional food, Anthony especially fell in love with how the dish is presented in a small bowl and sold by many street carts around Hue city. The image of sitting on plastic chairs and tables while enjoying “Com hen” and watching people walking by creates the speciality of street food.
“Com hen” with a “collection” of ingredients produces not only diverse but also extremely special taste. This dish is a perfect combination of clam soup with cold rice, along with vegetables and spices. In the preliminary stage, the clams are soaked in rice water to discharge all the dirt and boiled until its shells are opened. The boiling water and clam meat retained after this process become the main elements of “Com hen”.
A wide variety of toppings – peanut butter, satay, grease and dried onion, bean sprout and fresh herbs – is an indispensable highlight in making a special taste for the dish. From the original “Com hen”, there appears many variants like clam vermicelli and clam noodles, which are ready to meet the various demands of customers.
Through the ups and downs of history, “Com hen” remains to play a crucial role in enhancing and promoting Hue’s culinary treasure to the whole world. There is nothing better than “slurping up” a plentiful bowl of “Com hen” and enjoying the feeling of utmost satisfaction it brings.
3) Warm up against the cold night air with “Bun Oc” (Snail rice noodles)
Another favourable destination on the culinary map of Chef Anthony Bourdain to enjoy one of the best Hanoi street foods is “Bun Oc” (snail rice noodles).
“Bun Oc” is considered a delicious treat of the popular class and has always been the number one “snack” of Hanoian. Even though this traditional Vietnam food is eaten at any time of day, Hanoian most crave it when the traditional Tet holiday comes and everyone enjoying trays of food which are full of protein from different types of meat and fish.
Food lovers find themselves falling in love with “Bun Oc” – a speciality of Hanoi – due to its unmistakable complication and sophistication of flavour. From the flavorful broth and generous amount of fresh snails, along with the contrasting image of hot red chilli and pure white tofu, creates a colourful and attractive picture of high-quality ingredients.
There are two most popular variants of “Bun Oc” that receive countless praisings from customers. Firstly, “Bun Oc Nguoi” (cold snail vermicelli soup) promises to bring pleasant surprises to the already familiar dish. What makes the soul of this Vietnamese traditional food is the sweet snail soup with fragrant ginger and spicy hot pepper. “Bun Oc Nguoi” is often served with a plate of vermicelli, a bowl of opalescent sauce and finished with a fair amount of snails.
Secondly, “Bun Rieu Oc” (Snail paste vermicelli soup) offers another unique version of the original dish. This variant enchants eaters with the delicate sweetness of bone marrow, translucent broth, sour taste of vinegar and tomatoes and not to forget a light touch of special hot chilli sauce.
In order to fully explore and experience the distinctive and one-of-a-kind Vietnamese cuisine, food lovers are highly recommended to include these top 3 most mouth-watering specialities in their Vietnam traditional food map.