Bonjour Vietnam

Of late, Vietnamese cuisine has gotten quite a lot of exposure on social media. President Obama conversing with Anthony Bourdain over bowls of Banh Cuon in Hanoi and Bon Appetit's video "This is how you should be eating Pho"which caused a backlash with many food bloggers.

The last time I went to Vietnam with my sister-in-law, Hiep, we went on a food journey from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, discovering wonderful Vietnamese dishes along the way. Vietnamese cuisine is so interesting because of its many influences from myriad cultures.

My sister-in-law with a Banh Mi Hawker 

Banh Mi is a popular street food that you can get in roadside stalls in Vietnam. From afar, it looks like a baguette sandwich - cold meats and pate served on Baguette. On closer inspection, you will find that the baguette is made with rice flour and the sandwich is filled with Asian pickles and herbs.
"Vietnamese food is all about smell and color, all of the five senses has to be engaged" says Hiep.

Making dumplings in Hoi An

Bo Bit Tet, Steak and Egg Breakfast on a hotplate

My sister-in-law introduced me to a wide spectrum of food, from Bun Bo Hue, spicy beef noodles from Hue, associated with royal cuisine to Bo Bit Tet (steak and eggs breakfast on a hotplate), popular in her hometown in Danang. Perhaps the influence for this dish was from the Americans when they were based in Danang.

The quintessential Pho is another example of a dish that has benefited from multicultural influence. It is said that the Chinese introduced noodles to Vietnam, the Mongols introduced Beef in the 10th century and the French popularized the Bullion, but it was the Vietnamese that married all these influences and made it their own - the clarity of the soup stock, the freshness of the herbs, the spice base of the soup, the cuts of meat.

Take a look at this video by the Culinary Institute of America. I have added here an adapted recipe from the book, "The Food of Vietnam" by Trieu Thi Choi (with inputs from my sister-in-law):

Recipe for Pho Bo

1 piece of fresh ginger
1 large onion
1 shallot
1 kg (2lbs) beef bones (knuckle bones, marrow and oxtail)
400g (13oz) beef brisket
Salt, sugar to taste
1-2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
4-5 pieces Star Anise
1-2 Cinnamon Stick
tsp each of cloves, fennel seeds, cardamon
1 cup bean sprouts
8 oz Rice Noodles
8 oz raw beef strip loin (thinly sliced)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup sliced spring onion
coriander leaves, basil, vietnamese mint, saw leaf herbs


1/ Grill ginger, onion and shallot on open flame until skins are charred.
2/ Immerse beef bones and beef brisket in a pot of boiling water to clean the bones
3/ Put beef bones and beef brisket in a fresh stock pot of water
4/ In a shallow pan, toast the spices (but don't burn)
5/ Put spice mix in a bouquet garni bag and add to stock, together with ginger, onions and shalllots
6/ Cook on low heat for at least an hour (preferably four hours) skimming the scum from the top of the soup
7/ Season with fish sauce, salt and sugar
7/ Blanch rice noodles in separate pot of boiling water. Portion into bowls
8/ Top with beef brisket, raw beef, sliced onion, spring onion, coriander
9/ Pour boiling soup into bowl
10/ Arrange a generous portion of herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and serve with pho.

By the way, if you are ever in Vietnam, check out the following eateries:

Ho Chi Minh City
Pho Hoa, 260 Pasteur Street (my favorite pho place, you won't be disappointed)
Anh Thu , 49A Dinh Cong Trang, District 1-Q1 (Ban Xeo Vietnamese savory pancakes)

Hanoi
Chaca La Vong, Paint Street, Hanoi (Crispy freshwater fish fried in turmeric, this 100 year old restaurant is an institution)