Usually served as a snack with raw garlic, Nem chua is eaten all year round as an appetizer or a side. It is eaten especially for the Lunar New Year by many Vietnamese families.

Nem chua is a meat roll with a sweet, sour, salty and spicy taste which makes the mouth salivate with each bite. Nem chua possesses the local character of each region of Vietnam, due to the differing ingredients and sauces used. Most versions of Nem chua can be distinguished by their name, which is usually named after the area it originated from, such as nem Thanh Hoa, nem Dong Ba in the ancient royal capital of Hue, and nem Ninh Hoa in Khanh Hoa Province, nem Yen Mac in Ninh  Binh Province, etc. 

Traditionally, to make Nem chua, the main ingredient is pork thigh. Nem chua is made from minced pork, sliced pigskin and a mixture of seasoning and garlic. These contents are mixed thoroughly before being wrapped with aromatic, fresh leaves (usually in banana leaves) into small, boxy rolls before being stored for natural fermentation process for three to five days in a cool place before eating.

 In the Lai Vung District of the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, the locals take pride in their Nem chua recipe, which has been passed down through many generations. Called “nem Lai Vung” after the district, it became more widely known in 1975 when a local woman, Tu Man, made Nem chua for visitors. She used pork, but she also used pig liver, and then ground them into a mixture with rice, shrimp meat and seasonings.

The characteristics of nem Lai Vung and other specialty foods from Lai Vung District are so distinctive and recognizable that they have been registered under a domestic brand name. Tourists to Dong Thap Province can take part in nem Lai Vung cooking classes to learn more about this regional specialty. The northern areas also create their own favorite varieties of Nem chua. The famous one is Nem Yen Mac, which has been made for a long time in Ninh Binh Province. The number of locals in Yen Mac who can make this kind of Nem chua is small because the work requires not only secret formula but also passion for the work.Nem Yen Mac is eaten with guava leaves, fig leaves and aroma vegetables dotted into nuoc mam (fish sauce) which is mixed with mingled with garlic, lemon juice, pepper and chilli.

While many people prefer the more traditional method of preparation for Nem chua, others enjoy a grilled and unfermented variety of Nem chua. Both traditional and grilled Nem chua are usually served with uncooked sliced garlic and nuoc mam (fish sauce). Whereas nuoc mam adds saltiness and spiciness, some prefer to use chili sauce instead.

Nem chua is best known to the expatriate community and international tourists who have taken an interest in Vietnamese cuisine in recent years...

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Place to enjoy the cake: “Bánh rán” is a delicious finger food for breakfast in Vietnam. There are two main kinds of bánh rán, namely salty cake and sweet one with the latter being much more common than the former.

Banh ran is one of a wide variety kind of Vietnamese cake with a thin crust made from glutinous rice flour, normal rice flour, added pureed potatoes, stuffed with sugared green peas (sweet Banh ran) or salty Banh ran serving with dipping sauce. Two main kinds of Banh ran having one common is both deep fried to have yellow brown color and so crunchy.

Selected delicious rice will be soaked into water for 3 hours, then taken out and grind. Crust of  Banh ran should  be made from 3 parts of sticky rice flour, 1 part of normal rice flour. Mix well with a little bit of salt and some minced boiled potato to make cake crispy but not too dry. Keep the dough for 1 hour then shape the donut. To make sweet Banh ran, some sugar will be added into dough, and green bean will be steamed and stir fry with sugar to make fillings. After that, we easily shape small round balls, sprinkle on a sesame seeds plate, and deep fry by much of cooking oil. 

Salty Banh ran, a simple name to distinguish sweet Banh ran that is too familiar with Vietnamese. Not having round shape like sweet one, salty Banh ran looks like egg shape. When the rainy season comes, Hanoians find it so warm and interesting to sit at pavement in the familiar street corners to enjoy crispy salt Banh ran, especially in cold and windy afternoon. Does the cold weather makes people crave for a special flavor of fried food and Banh ran, of course is an indispensible dish?

It is considered to be more complicated on making salty Banh ran because of sophistication of the fillings inside. The ingredients to make stuff mixture are minced pork, minced carrot, vermicelli, wood ear, dried onions, spring onions, peppers. These are mixed before putting into dough. It really needs a skillful hand to put this mixture into dough and shape donut with shape of egg or round. After that, salt donut will be deep fried in cooking oil with low heat to make the crust crunchy and have eye - catching color of yellow brown but the insides fillings remain soft and keep the natural flavor of all ingredients.

The dipping sauce plays an important role in deciding the quality and formular is the secret of each restaurant. The dipping sauce is made with fish sauce, sugar, vinergar or lime juice, boiled water, peppers, hot chili, garlic which all work together in creating a subtle blend of salty, sweet, sour and spicy tastes. The bowl of dipping sauce is decorated with red color from chili slices, orange carrots, a little bit of white color of green papaya or kohlrabi. Dipping crispy salty Banh ran in the bowl of sauce and it is said that all ingredients combine harmoniously; apparently, salty Banh ran is more delicious when eaten with dipping sauce. 

Banh ran, a simple dish but is a memory of Hanoi. Let’s try Banh ran and you will understand why it is a popular dish not only in Hanoi but also everywhere in Vietnam and you will never forget its unique and special flavor.

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There is nowhere in Vietnam that so many types of sticky rice – or “xoi” present like they do in Hanoi. But standing out among the various kinds, “xoi xeo” is not only creative art with a sophisticated combination of ingredients and color but the sophistication even leaks out to its odd name.

Amazingly attractive with its bright yellow color, “xoi xeo” is sold in every wet market or may even be right on the street corner early in the morning. The seller keeps “xoi xeo” warm in a bamboo basket which is carried on the shoulder or fastened behind the bicycle. “Xoi xeo” is a special dish for breakfast, especially with students and manual laborers thanks to its rather low price, its fulfillment and palatability.

“Xoi xeo” is regarded as one of the hardest-to-cook “xoi”, despite the fact that it is concocted from ingredients which are very popular and familiar with Vietnamese. The ingredients for making “xoi xeo” remain the same everywhere: glutinous rice, turmeric powder, mung bean, shallot, and some liquid fat. The turmeric powder, mixed with water and glutinous rice, will create the natural yellow for the dish.

Mung bean after being carefully chosen and peeled is steamed, pummeled and hen rolled into small balls. Travelers often are amazed at the sight of the seller skillfully smashing those balls inside their palms, covering the base with yellow thin layers of bean. On top of the portion lays brownish crunchy deep fried shallot. To complete the taste of “xoi xeo”, the seller will add a tablespoon of liquid fat. The yellow of the turmeric rice and bean, the brown of shallot, the distinctive green of banana leaf mix and match perfectly, and combine to make an eye-catching “xoi xeo”.

Some people, especially children, like eating “xoi xeo” with much mung bean or fried shallot while others may enjoy their lot of “ruoc” – smashed and fried salted pork. A warmly large portion of “xoi xeo”, wrapped in banana leaf and old newspaper, first thing in the morning, which runs for a mere 5000-7000vnd can keep one full until late noon.

In the cold weather, the brazier is used to prevent the oil form being frozen. “Xoi xeo” is exceptionally favorite dish in winter because the bright yellow and the liquid fat make people feel warm and cheerful.

Nobody knows where “xoi xeo” came from and why it has such a weird name “xeo”. Abnormal as it is, “xoi xeo” is still an unique part of Hanoi’s cuisine that is loved by many people, both local and foreigners.

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            In a nutshell, Xeo Cake of Vietnam is somehow familiar to Crêpes of France. You can find Xeo Cake in many places thorough the country, but to taste one of the most unique recipes, you must visit Quang Binh. Xeo Cake there is made of red rice; it is best accompanied by Banana Fishes, Vietnamese salad, fresh herbs and fish sauce.

            First, a plate of Vietnamese salad includes sesame, bean sprouts and a special kind of vegetable called Ket. The bean must be the extremely big red beans. The rice used to make Xeo Cake also has a unique red color. It is dipped in water for about 5 hours before being grinded. During the 2 separate grinding processes, water should be added periodically. After that, we add a little of salt and fried onion into the mixture. The pan used to fry the cake must also be made by the men of Quang Hoa: it is only a little bit bigger than a normal bowl; the side is just 1.5 cm high and the bottom is flat. When frying, we have to make sure that the fire is extremely red so that the cakes can “bloom” fully into the desired size and shape.

            The Banana Fish is another part of this exciting dish. The main ingredient is nothing else but Porcelain Bananas (a type of banana that has many seeds) which are not too ripe and not too green. They are peeled and dipped in lemon sauce before being cut into small pieces. After that, we boil the bananas and bend them into different shapes of shrimps or fishes. Each of the “fishes” is then dipped quickly in the bowl of spices. Finally, we arrange all the “fishes” on a plate and pour fish sauce (with garlic and chili) on so that each piece would have an equally spicy taste.

            When eating, we wrap the Xeo Cake, the veggies, the salad and the banana fishes inside a piece of rice paper. The cakes taste best when they are still hot. Holding the hot Xeo Cake on your hands, you will understand why the hotness and the tempting sense of red rice are so wonderful!

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             Day Cake is a popular type of cake that can be found all over Vietnam, but the Day Cake called “Pau Plau” in Lao Cai is a quite unique dish. It is made solely of rice, but its deliciousness has been tested and acknowledged by many travelers who have been to Lao Cai. 

            The rice is soaked with water for approximately 2 hours; it is then poured into a basket to dry out water. Next, it is steamed to make glutinous rice. When finished, the glutinous rice is grinded. This is an especially demanding process as the cook has to grind and apply oil into the mixture of glutinous rice at the same time. After the glutinous rice reaches the certain degree of stickiness, it is cut into smaller pieces and can be eaten right away!

            Day Cake can be preserved for about one week. If you want to make it last longer, you have to press the cakes so that they become flatter and apply dry rice powder around them. When eating, you can heat them again or put them into boiling pan and fry until they get the yellow yummy color. Banh Day is a tasty dish, but it would be ever more delicious if you eat it with sugar. You will then realize that each bite of the soft “Pau Plau” Day Cake has the typical scent and taste of a mountainous land.

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            The special “Pau Po Cu” Corn Cake is usually made in the 4th month and the 5th month of a year (according to the Lunar Calendar). The main ingredient of this cake is corn powder. When the corns still have the milk-like taste, they are cut, put in a special machine called “Bie Zu” (Bie means machine, Zu means to grind) and grinded without water. When the grinding process is done, we add water into the powder to make a stickier mixture. Next, we put the small pieces of that mixture on banana leaves before frying them on a boiling pan. The cooked cakes are then wrapped in banana leaves. The taste of the final product is beyond any description! When eating, we can feel the smell of banana and the taste of corn, as well as the softness and stickiness of each bite.

            “Pau Po Cu” Corn Cake is usually served as a snack, but it can also accompany the villagers to the rice field to ease their hunger. People usually eat it by hand, without using any plate or bowl. A well-cooked Corn Cake can last for 2 days. If you want to bring it with you when you leave Lao Cai, you can ask for the ones tightly wrapped in banana leaves and soaked with water. Whenever you want to eat the cakes you bought, just heat them again!

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  A refreshing dish for hot days, “gỏi ngó sen” is healthy, vibrant, delicious on its own and certainly crunchy. The most special taste comes from the pure flavor and crunchy texture of pickled lotus stem. What is more, it is easy to make. The main ingredients are lotus root, carrot, tender pork, shrimp, shallot, coriander, mint, onion, and roasted peanut with the appetizing dressing being as an integral part of the dish. First, boil the pork shoulder and shrimp separately in water with a little of salt and sugar added; let they cool, then slice the pork as thin as possible, de-shell and de-vein the shrimp. Next, rinse out pickled lotus stem, pickled carrots, cut or slice them into pieces and drain them. Then, coarsely chop the fresh coriander, mint, and cilantro and mix them together with above ingredients with a gentle toss. The dressing poured into the concoction is a perfect combination of hot, sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. Finally, crispy fried shallots, roasted peanuts sprinkled over the dish make it look much tastier with a nutty flavor. It is commonly served with prawn crackers. Enjoy it and you definitely never forget its refreshing flavor and amazing crunchy texture.

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            It is used to a rustic dish that now turns to be a specialty in Vietnam cuisine. In the south, it is called “gỏi hoa chuối”. It is such a lifetime experience being exposed to its explosion of different flavors and amazing texture contrasts. The cooking begins with the tough, outer layers of the banana blossom peeled off and discarded. Banana blossom is crunchy with subtle, slightly floral fragrance. Next, slice it into fine julienne strips; soak it into large bowl of cold water and white vinegar or lemon juice to prevent it from browning. Then sliced boiled pig ears or boiled shredded chicken breast is prepared and let it cool.  Sour star fruits are sliced thinly, combined with bean sprouts, banana blossom, sliced big ears, mint, and cilantro. To make the dressing, along with sugar and vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, chili, lime juice and fish sauce are mixed to a fine proportion. When the dish is relished, the salad is placed into a banana blossom bowl, tossed finely with the dressing and topped with chopped roasted peanuts and fried shallots. It looks more than an artistic work. Just enjoy every bite and make the most of the subtle flavor of herbs, the crispiness of banana blossom, and big ears, the chewy and tender taste of chicken, the nutty flavor of roasted peanut and the harmony of the seasoning….

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            If you are passionate about the pure sour and sweet of pomelo, “gỏi bưởi tôm” is definitely what you are seeking for as a good appetizer in summer days. The recipe begins with pomelo fleshes that are already removed the out skin and separated dedicatedly into individual teardrop cells. Like other Vietnamese salads, shrimp is boiled, deveined and halved while cilantro, mint, coriander and other herbs are coarsely chopped and pickled carrot is julienned and drained. The concoction of shrimp, carrot, veggie, chili, sweet sour fish sauce are mingled together, placed into the pomelo cover and topped with fried shallots. The dish is commonly decorated with flower shaped chili at the top and eye-catching pink shrimp around. It is often served with Vietnamese shrimp chips. Apart from gentle aroma of herbs and pomelo, remarkable blending of flavors, a little tart, a little sour, a little sweet, a little bitter along with a little pungent, are certain to whet your appetite.  The dish is not only fresh tasting but also light, and healthy.       

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            “Nộm bò khô” is so popular in Vietnam that it has gradually become a familiar snack of street foods family and showed up frequently in Vietnamese weeding parties and death anniversaries. Savoring the utter spiciness of chili, the spicy sweet of dried beef, the crispiness of julienned green papaya, the pungent flavor of herbs and the nutty taste of roasted peanut, you are bound to comprehend how far-reaching its coverage is. The most important ingredient, certainly, is dried beef. It is cut into big thin slices, soaked with seasoning including salt, sugar, garlic, oil, ginger, chili for about one night, then dried off by putting it into oven. Green papaya and carrot are pickled, sliced into julienned strips and drained off, then blended with coarsely chopped herbs. The flavoring dressing made of sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, chili, soya sauce and other seasoning is the most attention receiver, considered as the secret of each maker. Just pour the dressing into the bowl, toss the mixture finely, top it with roasted peanuts and dried beef and enjoy.  A colorful dish with the wonderful taste and aroma definitely satisfies all gourmets. What an unforgettable experience!

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