If we talk about fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables Vietnam is number one user of these ingredients.  Vietnamese recipes utilize a very diverse range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Thai basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for freshness of the ingredients and for the healthy eating style.

Vietnamese chefs like to refer to their cooking as “the nouvelle cuisine of Asia.” And indeed, with the heavy reliance on rice, wheat and legumes, abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, minimal use of oil, and treatment of meat as a condiment rather than a main course, Vietnamese food has to be among the healthiest on the planet.

Vietnamese meal is rarely separated into courses. All the food is served at once and shared from common dishes. Meals are anchored by a starch, usually rice and sometimes noodles.

Vietnamese cooking is generally not as rich or heavy as the coconut milk curries of, say, Thailand or India. That entire coastline means that fish and seafood are central to the diet. Meats like pork, beef, and chicken are also common, but in few using it. Vegetables are left raw, to act as a fresh contrast to the spicy cooked meat. The distinctive flavors of Vietnamese food comes from mint leaves, coriander, lemon grass, shrimp, fish sauces/nuoc nam, star anise, ginger, black pepper, garlic, basil, rice vinegar, sugar, and green onions. Many flavorful marinades are made by some combination of these flavorings.

History

The distinct and mouthwatering taste of the food of the Vietnam comes from different countries that colonize the Vietnam. Vietnamese cuisine is one of the jewels of South-east Asia. The style of cooking, which has evolved over many centuries, is a wonderful blend of Chinese and Asian spices, flavors and techniques, fused with the ingredients and traditions of classic French food.  This is a result to a uniquely flavored dish that no other country can claim.

During the first 1^st millennium the area that is known now as Northern Vietnam was invaded by the Chinese and they dominated the culture for 1000 years.  The Chinese introduce their culinary practices, such as using chopsticks, noodles and stir-frying.  But despite this long Chinese occupation, the Vietnamese always considered themselves as a distinct people, and on several occasions, fought to evict the Chinese. It wasn’t until the mid 10th century AD that they managed to do so and restore Vietnamese independence but in all this time, their desire to hold on to their identity was reflected in their cuisine.

In 1859, the French colonized Vietnam. They remained for 100 years and also had a profound influence on Vietnamese cooking, introducing, amongst other things, the technique of sautéing, the use of bones to make stock, the use of white potatoes and even the French baguette! The French occupation in Vietnam mostly contributed to the level of the gastronomy of the upper classes, without influencing very much of the average housewife’s cooking.

Influences

The Vietnamese have a long history, which has been mostly wrought with war, subjugation and colonization. Peace has not been an element of Vietnamese life for centuries, until modern times. Being under the control of so many different entities for centuries has certainly affected the nation as a whole. There must have been great hardship and sacrifice, which is represented, in traditional Vietnamese cuisine. The availability to produce food and subsist would surely have been supplemented with influence from the outside world. However, in many cases, the outside influence has reinforced a sense of pride in Vietnamese culture and outside western influences where subsequently rejected.

Vietnam has one of the most sophisticated and exciting cuisines in the world. Its historical influences and geographical gifts have created a cuisine rich in variety and vibrant in color and freshness. Vietnam’s culinary heritage combines elements from three of the world’s most celebrated cuisines.

China exposed Vietnam to many customs such as chopsticks and Buddhist philosophy. After millennia of Chinese occupation, the Vietnamese people than learned to steaming, stir-frying and braising or stewing in clay pots, The use of chopsticks and soup bowls, and ingredients such as soy sauce, bean curd, bean sprouts from the Chinese.

Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are responsible for introducing egg noodles, spices and coconut milk.

The French introduced bread, milk, butter, cakes, custards, making of sausages from meat and fish, coffee, asparagus and artichokes, carrots, cauliflowers and baguettes which, with a spicy filling, have become a favored lunchtime snack.

America’s great contribution to Vietnamese cuisine was ice cream.

The early introduction of Buddhism has brought more to Vietnam than philosophy. Most notably, you will notice a very refined vegetarian diet. The monks have developed a flavorful diet, which follows their basic philosophical tenets.

The principle of yin and yang is applied in selecting the ingredients of a dish and the dishes of a meal, in matching dishes with seasonal or climatic conditions, with the prevalent environment and with the current physical well-being of the diners for example Duck meat is considered as “cool” so is served in summer which are hot and dip with ginger fishsauce which is “warm”, while chicken which is “warm” and pork which is “hot” are used in cold winters.

Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by the Asian principle of five elements and Mahābhūta.Many Vietnamese dishes include five spices: spicy for metal, sour for wood, bitter for fire, salty for water and sweet for Earth, corresponding to: five zang fus: gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach and urinary bladder.  Dishes in Vietnam appeal to gastronomes via five senses: food arrangement attracts eyes, sounds come from crisp ingredients, five spices detected on the tongue, aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the nose and some meals, especially finger food, can be perceived by touching.

Popular dishes

• Banh Hoi
  A special Vietnamese noodle that is extremely thin and woven into intricate bundles. Often topped with spring onion and a complementary meat dish, such as thịt heo quay (roasted pork, often eaten at weddings).
• Bun thit nuong
  thin rice vermicelli served cold with grilled marinated pork chops and nước chấm (fish sauce, served with julienned daikon and carrot). A similar Northern version is bún chả with grilled pork meatballs in placed of grilled pork chops.
• Bun cha
  A simple and popular Vietnamese dish, basically a combination vermicelli plate. Grilled pork (often ground) and vermicelli noodles are served over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Often includes a few chopped-up egg rolls, spring onions, and shrimp. Served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of nước chấm.
• Bun Cha Gio
  it is similar to the above dish except deep-fried spring rolls are substituted for the meats.
• Mì Quang
  A popular yet extremely complicated noodle dish. originating from Quang Nam. Mi Quang varies in its preparation and features sharply contrasting flavors and textures in a shallow bowl of broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and roasted rice chips (banh trang).
• Mi xao don
  Crispy deep-fried egg noodles, topped with a wide array of seafood, vegetables and shrimp in a gravy sauce. This is a dish of Chinese origin.
• Banh Tom Cari
  a Ca Mau specialty, made of special rice noodles and very spicy chicken curry.
• Bún bò Hue
  Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the royal city of Hue in Central Vietnam. Beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, and dried chilies give the broth its distinctive flavors. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms and shredded rau muống. Blood cakes and pig’s feet are also common ingredients at some restaurants in the United States and possibly elsewhere
• Bun Mang Vit
  Bamboo shoots and duck noodle soup.
• Bun Oc
  Vermicelli with snails (sea snails similar to the snails in French cuisine).
• Bánh canh
  A thick udon-widthed rice noodle soup with a simple broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sautéed onions sprinkled on top.
• Bún riêu
  Noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato-based broth and garnished with bean sprouts, prawn paste, herb leaves, water spinach, and chunks of tomato.
• Mi bo vien
  Chinese-influenced egg noodle soup with beef meatballs and raw steak
• Pho
  Noodle soup with a rich, clear broth made from a long boiling of meat and spices. There are many varieties of phở made with different meats  along with beef meatballs. Phở is typically served in bowls with spring onion, slices of semi-cooked beef (to be cooked by the boiling hot broth), and broth. In the South, vegetables and various herbs are also added.
• Hu Tieu
  A noodle soup with many varied styles including a ‘dry’ version, brought to Vietnam by way of Chinese immigrants. The noodles are usually egg noodles or rice noodles, however, many other types may be used. The soup base is made of pork bones.
• Sup mang cua
  A blended asparagus-crab combination soup. Served typically as a first dish at banquets.
• Vietnamese hotpot(lau)
  a spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup, with many vegetables, meats and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs.
• Chao
  congee. There are also a variety of different broths and meats used, including duck, offal, fish, etc. When chicken is used, it is called Cháo gà.
• Canh chua
  Vietnamese sour soup – typically include fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, beansprouts, tamarind, and various kinds of vegetables; when made in style of a hotpot, it is called Lau Canh Chua.
• Com chien Duong Chau
  A Chinese fried rice dish, named after a region in China. It is a well-known dish in Vietnam.
• Vietnamese mint chicken rice(Cơm gà rau thơm)
  Rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with chicken that has been fried then shredded, and flavoured with mint and other herbs. The rice has a unique texture and taste which the fried mint garnish enhances. Served with a special herb sauce on the side.
• Com tam
  Generally, grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus a Vietnamese dish called bì (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin plus fried ground rice) over broken rice (what the words “com tam” actually mean in Vietnamese) and sweet and sour fish sauce. There are numerous types of meat prepared in various ways that are served with the broken rice. One can have barbecued beef, pork, or chicken served with the broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake (chả tôm), trung hap (trứng hấp) and grilled prawns.
• Bánh chung
  Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung bean paste, lean pork and black pepper, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet). Bánh chưng is popular in the North, while its cousin version bánh tét is more popular in the South. Bánh tét has the same content, except cylindrical in shape and lean pork is substituted with fatty pork.
• Xôi
  Sticky rice with coconut milk, cooked the same way as one cooks rice, or steamed for a firmer texture and more flavorful taste. It comes in a great number of varieties.
• Banh bao
  Steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, or vegetables. Bánh bao is an adaptation from the Chinese baozi to fit Vietnamese taste. Vegetarian banh bao are also available. Vegetarian bánh bao are popular food in Buddhist temples. Typical stuffings for bánh bao include slices of marinated xá xíu (BBQ pork from Chinese cooking) meat, tiny boiled quail eggs, and pork.
• Bánh bèo
  a central Vietnamese dish consisting of tiny round rice flour pancakes, each served in a similarly shaped dish. They are topped with minced shrimp and other ingredients such as chives, fried shallots and pork rinds. Eaten with Nước chấm.
• Banh Bot Chien
  A Chinese influenced pastry that exists in many versions all over Asia; the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side, rice flour cubes with fried eggs and some vegetables. This is a popular after-school snack for young students.
• Banh bot loc
  A Hue food, consisting of tiny rice dumplings made in a clear rice flour batter, often in a small flattish tube shape. Stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. It is wrapped and cooked inside a banana leaf, served often as Vietnamese hors d’oeuvres at more casual buffet-type parties.
• Banh xeo
  Vietnamese crepe made out of rice flour with tumeric, shrimps with shells on, slivers of fatty pork, sliced onions, and sometimes button mushrooms, fried in one or two teaspoons of oil, usually coconut oil, which is the most popular oil used in Vietnam. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in Nước chấm or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. Rice papers are sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh xeo and the accompanying vegetables.
• Bánh cuon
  Rice flour rolls stuffed with ground pork, prawns, and wood ear mushroom. They are eaten in a variety of ways with many side dishes, including one out of many kinds of chả (sausage).
• Bi cuon
  Rice paper rolls with the bi (bì) mixture of thinly shredded pork and thinly shredded pork skin tossed with powdered toasted rice, among other ingredients, along with salad). Similar to summer rolls.
• Cha giò
  a kind of spring roll (sometimes referred to as egg roll) – deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat, yam, crab, shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms (“wood ear” variety) and other ingredients. The spring roll goes by many names – as many people actually use (falsely) the word “spring roll” while referring to the fresh transparent rice paper rolls (discussed below as “Summer Rolls”), where the rice paper is dipped into water to soften and then rolled up with various ingredients. Traditionally these rolls are made with a rice paper wrapper but in recent years Vietnamese chefs outside of Vietnam have changed the recipe to use a wheat-flour-based wrapper.
• Salad rolls
  also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls, or summer rolls. They are rice paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in nước chấm or peanut sauce. Spring rolls almost constitute an entire category of Vietnamese foods, as there are numerous different kinds of spring rolls with different ingredients in them.
• Bo kho
  Vietnamese beef and vegetable stew, often cooked with warm, spicy herbs and served very hot with French baguettes for dipping.
• Bo la lot
  spiced beef rolled in a pepper leaf (la lot)and grilled.
• Bo luc lac
  Beef cut into cubes and marinated, served over greens (usually watercress), and sautéed onions and tomatoes. Eaten with rice.
• Cha lua
  sausage made with ground lean pork and potato starch. Also available fried; known as chả chiên. There are various kinds of chả (sausage), made of ground chicken (chả gà), ground beef (chả bò), fish (chả cá), or tofu (chả chay, or vegetarian sausage).
• Ga nuong sa
  grilled chicken with lemon grass. Lemon grass grilled beef and other meats are also popular variations.
• Nem Nuong
  grilled meatballs, usually made of seasoned pork. Often colored reddish with food coloring and with a distinct taste, grilled on skewers like kebabs. Ingredients in the marinade include fish sauce.

Sources:

• Food Of Vietnam
• Vietnamese Cuisine and Recipes
• Helium
• Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean sirloin steaks cubed
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 dash black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups watercress leaves

Instructions

1. Mix together garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag.
2. Add beef and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
3. Mix together black pepper and vinegar and marinate onion in this mixturefor 10-15 minutes.
4. Then combine onion mixture with the oil and toss.
5. Arrange watercress on a plate and spread onion on top.
6. Heat remaining oil in a pan and stir-fry marinated beef until seared todesired doneness, being careful not to overcook.
7. Spread beef over onions on watercress and serve

Ingredients

• 4 ounces pork skin
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 pound pork loin, sliced
• 1 cup coconut juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt
• pepper
• 20 pieces dried rice paper
• 1 medium head butter lettuce
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. Roll pork skin and tie with a string. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add pork skin. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until well cooked, drain. Cool and slice very thinly. Add sugar and vinegar. Set aside.
2. Place sliced pork loin in saucepan with coconut juice, simmer over medium heat until half cooked. In a separate pan, heat oil over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until lightly browned, then add pork loin and saute until well done. Remove from heat, cool down and shred into then pieces.
3. Combine pork skin, pork, salt and pepper.
4. Rub rice paper with a moist towel until paper is soft and flexible. Place a little of the lettuce, basil, mint and pork mixture on the paper. Roll up firmly. Cut into finger-lenght (3-inch to 4-inch) pieces. Serve with Fish sauce dip.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour (see Note)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
• 2 tablespoons dried tree ear mushroom pieces
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Nuoc Cham Sauce

GARNISHES

• 1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fried shallots (see Note)
• 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

Instructions

1. MAKE THE RICE CRÊPES AND FILLING: In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour with the cornstarch, tapioca flour and salt. Whisk in the water and 2 teaspoons of the oil until blended.
2. In a small bowl, cover the tree ear mushrooms with warm water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and chop the mushrooms.
3. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ground pork and the onion and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until no pink remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and the fish sauce and season with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°. Oil 3 large baking sheets. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet and brush with oil. Whisk the rice-flour batter well. When the oil is hot, pour 2 tablespoons of the batter into the skillet, tilting and shaking the pan to evenly coat the bottom with batter. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the crêpe is firm, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, flip the crêpe and cook for 30 seconds longer. Flip the crêpe out flat onto a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter to make a total of 18 crêpes; don’t let the crêpes overlap on the baking sheets or they will stick together.
5. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom filling into the center of each crêpe and fold in the sides to cover the filling and form a neat square. Cover the crêpes with foil and bake until heated through, about 5 minutes.
6. Arrange the rice crêpe packets on a platter and spoon the Nuoc Cham Sauce over them. Scatter the cucumber slices, fried shallots and bean sprouts all over the crêpes and serve.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 8 tbs olive oil
• Cold water bath
• A bit of all purpose flour to prevent dough from sticking

Dough

• 1 package of banh bot loc mix (we like the 4 Elephant brand–one bag makes about 20 dumplings)
• 1.5 cups of boiling water

Stuffing

• 1/4 lb shrimp cleaned and deviened (you can use larger shrimp cut into 1/4 inch small pieces, or use whole small shrimps)
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs black pepper
• 1/2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs minced shallots
• 1/4 lb pork belly, cut into very small strips about 1/4 inch.(optional)
• 2 tbs cooking oil(optional)
• 1 ts annato seeds(optional)

Instructions

1. Marinate the shrimp with fish sauce, shallots, sugar and pepper for about 1/2 hr.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, when hot, add about 1 ts annato seeds. Continue heat to allow color to steep into oil. Once red, strain seeds. Fry the small peices of pork belly in annatto seed oil until cooked. It will be a nice red color. Drain off excess oil from the pork belly.
3. Fry onions in oil until golden brown and drain. Save onion infused oil and set aside. (If you want to skip this step, just buy the pre fried onions and use plain olive oil)
4. Now you’re ready to make the dough. Making the dough the proper consistancy is the hardest part of this dish. Do not follow the instructions on the back of the package. It’s the directions for making banh bot loc in banana leaves. Add flour package to mixing bowl. Bring 1.5 cups of water to boil and add mixing bowl. Immediately begin stirring with spatula. After about 1 minute when the water is less hot, use your hands to knead and mix the flour well. The dough should be a bit pliable, sort of the consistency of playdough–add a bit more water if it is too dry.
5. Pinch all ball of dough about the size of a quarter and flatten to make into a small circle. Make sure the center of the dough is slightly thicker then the edges. Add a piece of shrimp and pork belly to the center and fold over, pinching the edges together. Use a fork to crimp the edges for a nice decorative touch. Keep hands dusted with a bit of flour for easier handlings of dough.
6. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the banh bot loc and boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The banh bot loc will float to the top. Strain and place in a cold water bath about 2-3 minutes. Drain well in colander and place in container. Now add about 3 tbs of onion infused oil and generous amounts of fried onions and gently mix well. This will keep the dumplings from sticking together.
7. Your banh bot loc is ready to serve with nuoc mam cham, pickled carrots and daikon.

Ingredients

• 1 bag of rice flour (1lb)
• 3 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 7 cups water

For stir-fry:

• 1 bunch scallions (the more the better)
• 10 eggs (for the whole cake)
• Onions (optional)

Dipping sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 3 hot chillies chopped

Instructions

1. Mix everything together and stir well.
2. Heat a pot of water to steam the cake. Once water hot, pour misture in a pan and steam for 30-40 minutes until done. When insert a chopstick in and it comes out clean then it is done.
3. Have to let the cake cool and harden before cutting. Cut the cake into 1-2 inch rectangle pieces.
4. Use some oil to fry the cakes until golden brown and crispy. Fry both sides.
5. Add in as much eggs and scallions as you like. Stir fry until cook.
6. Serve with soy sauce and hot sauce.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 bowl of rice flour
• 2 bowl of hot water
• 2 bold cold water

For the topping and sauce

• 10 young onions
• 100 gr of pork fat (cut out from the pork brisket)
• 6 tbsp of dried shrimp
• 2 minced red chilis
• 4 thinly chopped garlic cloves
• 5 sugar cubes
• Nuoc Mam
• 15 fleshy shrimps
• 1 big shallot, finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, place the rice flour, add hot water and mix well without leaving any lumps forming. When the mixture is completely liquid, slowly add cold water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Allow the paste to rest for at least half on hour.
2. Boil three glasses of water in a saucepan and dip the shrimp very quickly, so they are barely cooked. Save the cooking broth for later.Transfer the cooking broth in a bowl and allow the dried shrimps to swell for twenty minutes.Drain cooked shrimps removing the shells and deveining. Keep the shells of the shrimps to improve the broth.With the flat of a knife, crush the shrimps.Heat a non-stick pan, and transfer the mortar content in it. Stir constantly. The aim is to dry the shrimps, not to cook them. If the pan gets too hot, remove from the heat.Transfer the shrimps back to the mortar and crush gently.
3. Repeat this operation 4 or 5 times, until a the shrimps turn pink and their texture look like cotton. Reserve the shrimps cotton in a bowl. Cover the bowl with cellophane to prevent the cotton from drying, and keep it in the fridge.Remove the dried shrimps from the broth an drained using paper towel.Thinly chop the dried shrimps (eventually with a blender) until it turns into an orange powder. Set aside in a bowl.Chop the pork fat into small pieces.
4. Transfer to a frying pan and heat (medium heat) stirring constantly until the fat produces oil, and the crispy pork fat get a nice golden-brown color.Drain trough a sieve and return the oil to the frying pan.Chopped thinly the crispy pork fat with a knife, and reserve in a bowl.Remove the white part of the green onions and mince into 5mm long sections.Thinly chop the shallot.Heat the pork fat oil, and when the oil is hot, add the green onions and the shallot. Stir quickly and remove for heat.
5. Return the broth to a saucepan,add the shrimps shells and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Dissolve 5 sugar cubes in the saucepan,add the thinly chopped garlic. From now on, the sauce must not boil.
6. Add the Nuoc Mam (10 tbsp should be fine) until it fits your taste.You might as well add one thinly sliced red chili, depending on your taste and experience.
7. Finally add one tbsp of shrimps cotton, and one tsp of chopped dried shrimps to the broth and reserve.
8. With a paper towel, grease the pans well with the fat pork oil. It is important to ensure that the cakes won’t stick to the mold after cooking.
9. Using a small ladle, fill each plate with paste (approximately 3mm height of paste). The dough will rise, and there must be enough place in the plate.
10. In a large Couscous pot, boil water in the lower part.
11. Once the water boils, place the steamer on top, and put the small banh beo plates in that upper part. Close the lid and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Cooking is complete when all the cake has become translucent. The cakes must be firm and translucid.
12. With a small spoon, spread a little pork fat oil on top of each cake.It will help to keep the shrimps cotton in place.Add a little crispy pork fatAdd the cotton shrimpAdd a little bit of dried shrimp powder. Finally add a few slices of young onions from pork fat oil

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 cups self rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar

Filling

• 2 links Chinese sausage, thinly sliced
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, cut into 1 “, pieces
• 1/2 lb barbecued pork (optional)
• 2 lbs ground pork
• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

Instructions

1. Submerge mushroom in hot water until softened. Take them out, dry and finely juliene. Reserve water.
2. Heat some oil in a skillet, put in onions and let it sweat for a while. Stir in the rest of filling except boiled eggs and BBQ pork. Season with fish sauce and pepper to taste.
3. Add sugar to milk to dissolve. Add flour one cup at a time, after each time kneed the dough before adding the next cup. Put dough into a large mixing bowl, put a damp cheese cloth over to prevent drying out.
4. Cut a handful of dough (size to your choice), roll out thin (use bread roller or the smaller dumpling roller). Add a spoonful of filling, 1 piece of egg, BBQ pork. Seal dough tight around filling and put on a cut-out piece of parchment paper. Steam buns for about 15 minutes. These buns freeze pretty well as well, if you want to make a big batch at a time.

Ingredients

• Approximately 1 lb Cooked, shredded pork skin. Found in Vietnamese /Asian grocery stores in the frozen section.
• 1/2 lb. pork shoulder or other nonfatty pork meat, cut in rectangles about 3 x 2 inches.
• 3 oz. bag of thinh/roasted rice powder (found in spice section in Asian groceries)
• 2 oz. garlic powder
• 1 ts salt

Instructions

1. First thaw the pork skin in the fridge the day before you plan to make this. Submerge pork skin in slightly luke warm water with a pinch of salt. Do not use hot water as this may congeal the pork skin together. Let the skin rehydrate about 20-30 mins. Drain and allow to dry before mixing.
2. Also day before, cook the pork. The quick way is to boil it, but mom says the traditional way is called “ram” which means to fry in a small amount of water, bit of sugar and salt. This way imparts a beautiful flavor to the pork. Cook until done and store in fridge overnight or until cool. Thinly slice into matchstick size.
3. Mix the dry pork skin, pork, salt, and approximately 2-3 oz. of roasted rice powder and garlic thoroughly. Add more roasted rice powder or garlic to taste. Set aside in the fridge until ready. This mixture stores well in the freezer 1-2 months. The Bi is also very popular filling and great in banh mi!

Ingredients

• 4 fresh young bamboo shoots, sliced lengthwise
• 2 whole chickens
• 2 chicken carcasses
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 yellow onions, 1 whole, 3 chopped
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 (3-inch) chunk fresh ginger, sliced
• 1/4 cup canola oil (or any neutral oil)
• 1 (1-inch) chunk rock sugar
• 1 package dried thick rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 teaspoons mushroom seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 chunk daikon turnip, peeled
• 1/2 cup Chinese cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 6 sprigs Vietnamese mint
• 6 sprigs Thai basil
• 3 sprigs rau răm
• 3 sprigs ngò gai
• 4 red Thai bird chiles, finely chopped
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 white onion (milder in flavor), thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• black pepper
• 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
• 5 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha
• 1 cup nước mắm dipping sauce

Instructions

1. Fill a medium-sized pan with about 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil. Add the rice vermicelli noodles. Wait for the water to come back to a boil (about 1-2 minutes) then lower the heat to medium-low for about 8 minutes. Drain the liquid. Rinse the noodles. Set the noodles aside.
2. Heat about 1 inch of canola oil in a skillet. Fry 3 onions and shallots in the oil, stirring frequently to prevent the onions from burning until the color is evenly golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
3. Bring about 7 quarts of water to a boil. Add the sliced ginger, fried onions and shallots. Add the 2 whole chickens and chicken carcasses to the onion broth. Cook for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the whole chickens from the pot. Let them cool a bit until you can handle them without discomfort. Make several deep diagonal incisions throughout the birds’ flesh. Place the chickens back in the broth. Add the daikon, whole onion, rock sugar and mushroom seasoning salt. Bring to one more boil and simmer for another 30 minutes until the whole onion and daikon are soft and tender. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Season with salt. Bring back to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a gentle boil. Cook for another 10-12 minutes. Remove the chickens and shred the meat. Set the meat aside on a platter.

In a different deep saucepan, bring about 1 quart of the chicken broth to a boil. Add the sliced bamboo shoots and cook until tender (about 10-15 minutes).

5. Be organized. Line up 8 large bowls. Place some vermicelli noodles, chopped white onion, shredded cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro and the other Vietnamese herbs in each bowl. Add the boiled, drained rice noodles, following with the boiling broth with sliced bamboo shoots. Top with shredded chicken.
6. Serve with chili garlic sauce, Thai basil, mint, jalapeno peppers and the bird chiles. Drizzle some nước mắm to the broth to finish.