Vegetarian eating in Vietnam – same, same but different!

Vietnam is not only a rather peculiar country of North Asia with extremely friendly and helpful people but its vegetarian regional menu is also worth discussing. The majority of Vietnamese population is meat-eaters, however, there are those who prefer vegetarian cuisine and pay much attention to the issue of their nutrition and health. Many meals are prepared and sold in the streets. Therefore, you will probably need some extra guidance to thoroughly study the Vietnamese vegetarian menu.

Speaking about vegetarian regional menu, it's important to pay attention to the basic features of vegetarianism and peculiarities of the meals the entire vegetarian used to eat. Since, it's a common knowledge that vegetarianism is referred to the practice of not eating meat and its all possible by-products. This means that, vegetarians are the people who exclude from their daily meals beef, poultry and most of dairy products or eggs. However, there are several types of vegetarians and some of them still eat a number of dairy products. The majority of vegetarians also don't eat the products derived from animal carcasses including tallow, lard, rennet, gelatin, cochineal, etc. It's interesting to mention the new tendency present in vegetarianism of not wearing clothes, shoes or accessories made from animals (for example, silk, leather, fur and feather).

The abundance in fresh vegetables and fruit!
Whereas vegetarian cuisine in the West often means a bland plate of grilled vegetables or strange faux meat products, Vietnamese vegetarian fare sticks to familiar flavors and ingredients. Like it is the case with many other South-Asian countries, the Vietnamese vegetarian menu that features fish and meat as seasonings and condiments is something to talk about. Speaking about the Vietnamese cuisine, it's impossible not to mention about its abundance in fresh vegetables and fruit. However, these vegetables and even various tofu dishes are often made with pork, meat broth or fish. Sometimes, Vietnamese vegetarian regional menu includes all the mentioned three ingredients. Some professionals in sphere of vegetarianism consider Vietnamese menu to be among the most outstanding and significant cuisines on Earth (along with the African-American vegetarian menu). Many tourists who visit Vietnam often state that food and specific regional menu is one of the important reasons to visit the country.
It's impossible to speak about Vietnam and not to tell you some words about the well-known dishes included in the Vietnamese vegetarian menu. Vietnam cuisine is full of such outstanding delicates as vegetarian version of pho, Vietnamese meat and noodle soup, noodle-rice shacks, vegetable soups, sweet-and-sour cauliflower, stir-fried noodles and vegetables... For those seeking meatless fare for dietary reasons, religious leanings, or just personal preference, there are a handful of well-run and exciting Vietnamese vegetarian restaurants in the city worth getting to know. You would imagine that, in a society where roughly 85% of the people are practicing Buddhists, vegetarian restaurants could be found on every corner. Thus, it won't be an exaggeration to say that Vietnam offers a warm welcome to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians nowadays.

A place to enjoy?
When Dang Hong Diem - a fifty-one-year-old retired electrical engineer- decided to open a vegetarian restaurant, she wanted "to create a relaxed atmosphere without the loud music that so many others have now. I also wanted simple and elegant service." Anyone who has been to Nang Tam, the latest addition to Hanoi's gourmet scene, knows Diem has succeeded. The restaurant shows off a wide range of Vietnamese dishes while answering the demand for vegetarian food in Hanoi. She settled on a vegetarian restaurant because her foreign friends said there was not a good one in Hanoi. As the menu explains, she then named her establishment Nang Tam after the Cinderella-like character in a Vietnamese fairytale who wins her prince with her home cooking.
Diem originally spent months touring the country collecting recipes and ideas. The menu includes the regional specialties she tasted as well as a blend of Vietnamese and Western favorites. There are thirty vegetarian dishes to choose from and daily specials made with pork, fish or chicken for meat-eaters.

A warm corner in Nang Tam restaurant

Carrots, tofu and mushrooms are used to replace the meat in dishes like roast duck and beef salad. For a first course, we recommend the creamy potato soup. Popular main courses include snowballs or tuyet hoa, a deep-fried combination of grated potatoes, chopped mushrooms and croutons. Also popular are the spring rolls, a vegetarian version of the traditional nem. The breaded chicken croquettes or ga tam bot ran are actually cauliflower bouquets dipped in a batter and deep fried. The stuffed cabbages or bap cai nhoi are another favorite. You can finish your meal with a fruit tart and a cup of coffee.
In addition to the food, clients are impressed with the helpful service and hospitable attitude. Classical music and a working fireplace add to the ambiance as ambassadors and students mix with Vietnamese businesspeople. "It's one of those hidden treasures," says American tourist Nancy Howe. "The portions are just right and the prices are reasonable."
Nang Tam is not easy to find, though it is definitely worth the trouble. Just down the street from the Cambodian Embassy, a sidewalk sign advertises Com Cay Nang Tam or Vegetarian Restaurant. Located at 79 Tran Hung Dao, Nang Tam is set off the street behind a yellow French colonial building that is now home to the Financial Times. The restaurant's ten small tables are usually full so reservations are required, especially for dinner.
Even you are not a vegetarian; please do not hesitate to try this kind of food in our country because it will give you the unique taste with the frequent ingredients! That is “same, same but difference!”

Vietnamese Cuisine

Food and eating habit are one of criterions to value a nation’s culture, life as well as living standard. To some people, value a dish isn’t simple to measure the nutritious level, to see the decoration or to know its taste but to find out the relation between food itself and natural characters of the place where people live.
In general, there is something in common and differences between Vietnamese cuisine in the North, the South and also in the Middle. Materials, spices, way of cooking, as well as serving are dominant characters which flexibly changed from place to place in this country.
Vietnamese food has long been appreciated in France, yet, it was the U.S residents who discovered its fine features. Vietnamese chefs like to refer to their cooking as "the nouvelle cuisine of Asia." Indeed, with the heavy reliance on rice, wheat and legumes, abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, minimal use of oil as well as treatment of meat as a condiment rather than a main course, Vietnamese food has to be among the healthiest on the planet.
The main features.
Cuisine in the country with more than 70,000,000 people differs strikingly between the north, south and central regions, but two key features stand out.
Firstly, rice plays an essential role in the nation's diet as it does throughout Southeast Asia. Humorous speaking, Vietnamese is noodle-crazy. You have seen regularly the appearance of noodle in their breakfast, lunch and dinner, in homes, restaurants and at roadside stands. Noodles are eaten wet and dry, in soup or beside soup, and are made in different shapes and thicknesses of wheat, rice and mung beans such as bun cha, Cao Lau, Hue beef noodle, bun rieu…Rice is also a main ingredients for making banh chung, banh bao, banh xeo, banh beo, xoi…
Secondly, no meal is complete without fresh vegetables and herbs. Thanks to the tropical climate, fresh vegetables are available all the year round. As the result, dishes with fresh vegetable become familiar with every family, especially with poor people in the old days. Some popular dishes are canh, goi ngo sen, nom du du, rau muong, ca phao…Vietnam can also be considered as a tropical paradise of dessert and beverage with che, sugarcane, fruit smoothies, bubble tea…
With different cooking methods, different dishes were made, extremely enjoyed and gradually popularized in the country. A key portion of every meal from the North, the Central to the South is a platter containing cucumbers, bean threads, slices of hot pepper, sprigs of basil, coriander, mint and a number of related herbs found principally in Southeast Asian markets.
Food of three regions
Vietnamese cuisine reflects its geography and history. Geographically, it consists of two great river deltas separated by a belt of mountains. Vietnamese describe their country as two great rice baskets hung on a carrying pole. The Red River Delta surrounding Hanoi provides rice for the residents of North Vietnam. The tremendously fertile Mekong Delta, centered by Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) produces rice plus a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
As a former colony of China, Vietnamese adopted not only the Confucianism, Buddhism, but also the habit of eating by chopsticks. Due to its proximity to the border, North Vietnam reflects more Chinese influence than central or south. Soy sauce rarely appears in Vietnamese dishes except in the North. It is replaced by the most important and common ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine - fish sauce or nuoc mam and shrimp paste. In the North, fish - dipping sauce is usually used plain or almost mixed with nothing. In the South, sugar, vinegar or lemon juice are added to weaken the sauce’s smell while in the Middle, people mixed the sauce with some chilly.
Actually, in the North, dishes with salty taste seem to be much preferred to suit the chill weather. On the contrary, the Southern cuisine is a combination between sweet and sour. Foods of the Middle are famous for its hot but sensitive taste that closely links with eating habit set for hundreds of year by royal families
Northern cuisine exhibits fewer herbs and vegetables than the other regions because its climate is less hospitable than the Mekong Delta. For heat, North Vietnamese cooks rely on black pepper rather than chilies.
The royal tradition in the Central region goes back beyond the recent Vietnamese monarchy to the ancient kingdom of Champa. The royal taste reveals itself in the preference for many small dishes placed on the table at once. The more lavish the spread, the wealthier the household. However, even the poorer families are likely to have multiple dishes of simple vegetables.
Style of cooking
The Vietnamese cook their food in a variety of ways, from deep fry, stir fry, boil to steam. Unlike the Chinese, the Vietnamese use a minimal amount of oil while cooking. Their purpose is to preserve the freshness and natural taste of food as much as possible. Hence, Vietnamese cuisine is often considered as one of the healthiest foods in the world.
A typical family meal
A typical Vietnamese meal (lunch or dinner) will include steamed rice, a soup dish to eat with rice, a meat or fish dish and a vegetarian dish (either stir fried or boiled).
Vietnamese do not eat in separate servings; however, food is placed in the middle. Each member of the family has a small bowl and chopsticks which allow him or her to take food from the table throughout the meal.
Though there were many rises and falls through the time and historical events, including cultural crosses between Vietnam and other countries, Vietnamese cuisine is always deep and strong in identity. It reminds people of the folk creation and adaptation to nature. Increasingly famous worldwide restaurants have sprawled over the globe, yet, no Vietnamese food abroad can equal in flavor or quality to the one made in Vietnam itself. In brief, Vietnamese cuisine depends heavily on rice grown in water paddies throughout the country with dishes varying from simple everyday meals to most complex dishes designed for the King. Reaching a balance between fresh herbs and meats as well as a selective use of spices, Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

Come to My Tho for tasting Hu Tieu

Hu Tieu (My Tho noodle soup) is a traditional dish, so specific to Southern Vietnam. As a Chinese long-aged dish, this food was reciped to taste My Tho delta people to become well-known nationwide.

Back in the 1960s, a shop in My Tho, 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City started serving this dish. Ever since then, its reputation has grown to become a very well known meal in Vietnam. It is said that the most delicious noodle soup is made with Co Cat rice, from the most famous rice growing area of My Phong village, a suburb of My Tho City.
My Tho seafood noodle soup is different from Chinese noodle soup, Nam Vang soup, as well as Hue beef noodle soup. The intersting thing is its secret recipe. In stead of herbs and lettuce, you will be tried the flavour of soy bean, lemon, chili, and soy sauce.
How does it taste?
The sweet aroma of the broth comes from the meat, dried squid, and special condiments. Not less important is the broth to cook from shinbone, pork, squids, additives and seasonings to taste subject to family secret as revealed by Chef Ba Chau to a well-selling shop in Trung Trac Street, My Tho City.
Taken as a national dish and something to recollect the delta land of My Tho, this noodle soup reciped in the Southern cuisine is second to none in meeting with various appetites of both oriental and western diners.
Can you find a bowl of Hu Tieu in Ha Noi?
You are in Hanoi, and wondering if such a My Tho’s specialty appears in Hanoi or not. Of course, My Tho noodle soup comes up quite often in many streets of Hanoi. It is better to ask your hotel receptionist to recommend a place nearby or you can refer to the following reliable address: Arab Kebab, 9B Thai Van Lung Street, Ha Noi.

Bun (rice vermicelli), the origin for many Vietnamese delicious dishes!

Bun (Rice vermicelli) is made of rice flour which is turned into small, circular and white threads wrapped up into small coils called Con Bun. Vietnamese rice vermicelli is a preferable as well as a popular dish!

The best rice noodles have only two ingredients: rice or rice flour, and water. Rice vermicelli are thin, translucent noodles that are similar to cellophane noodles, with which they are often confused (rice vermicelli are made from rice; cellophane noodles are made from bean starch). There are different varieties of vermicelli depending on their shape: bun roi (stirred vermicelli), bun mam (twisted vermicelli), bun la (vermicelli paper), and bun dem tram (shreded vermicelli).
Rice vermicelli noodles are delicious and easy to prepare. Let’s see how rice vermicelli dishes are prepared step by step!
Before cooking, simply soak rice vermicelli in warm (not hot) water for just two minutes. Then, in order to have a delicious bowl of rice, you should add different kinds of ingredients and vegetables. You can choose one of various ingredients that can be served with vermicelli such as: grilled pork meat, fried rice cakes, snails, fried eggs, lean meat pie, chicken, and crab soup, etc.

Do not be so surprised if you see that each region and locality, even each restaurant, has its own vermicelli dishes with their own recipes. There are a variety of ways to enjoy rice vermicelli, each dish having its own unique taste, for example: “Bun Cha” (vermicelli and grilled chopped meat), “Bun Rieu” (vermicelli and sour crab soup), “Bun Bo” (vermicelli and beef ), “Bun Oc” (vermicelli and snails) and so on.
Let’s try the very delicious taste of Bun Cha and Bun Oc! Bun Cha (Vermicelli and grilled chopped meat) includes rice vermicelli, grilled pork and spicy, raw vegetables and well mixed fish sauce. For a dish of Bun Cha, you take a dish of rice vermicelli, a dish full of vegetables and a bowl of fish sauce combined with vinegar, sugar, hot chilly, garlic and pepper. The sauce will then contain all the essential tastes, sour, hot, salty and sweet. Grilles of well cooked pork would be opened and the contents dropped into the bowl of fish sauce. There are two kinds of Cha (grilled pork) used, depending upon the cut of the meat. If the pork is cut into small pieces, it is called Cha Mieng (piece of grilled pork). If it is minced prior to being shaped into small cubes, it is named Cha Bam (minced grilled pork). Bun Oc (Rice vermicelli with fresh water snail) has fresh water snails as main ingredient. These snails will have been kept in clean fresh water for about ten hours before being boiled for the dish, to allow sufficient time for the snails to release any organic matter they may have in their shells. The boiled snails after being taken out of their shells would be cleaned. The soup for the dish is made from the water in which snails have been boiled in. To the soup is added tomatoes and several kinds of flavour and vinegar.
Rice vermicelli are a part of different Vietnamese cuisines.Walking along some streets and stopping at one rice vermicelli vendor in Hanoi or Sai Gon, you will have chances for tasting various dishes of rice vermicelli with unforgettable flavor!

“Cơm Việt” – a different taste!

If you have ever tried “Cơm Việt” (Vietnamese plain boiled rice), you will find the difference from the boiled rice in other countries!

In an ordinary meal of Vietnamese people, together with a variety of different dishes, Com or plain boiled rice is an indespensable one, the most popular food at the main meals of the day (lunch and dinner).
Different cooking method makes “Cơm Việt” different!
In Vietnam, Com is made from different kinds of rice, typically fragrant rice is used, such as Tam Thom and Nang Huong. The main ingredients of Vietnamese plain boiled rice are commonly as follows:

Vietnamese plain boiled rice
- 1 cup of rice.
- 2 cups of boiling water.
- 1 teaspoonful of salt.
So, how can you make the boiled rice really delicious? If you have chance to see how Vietnamese people make a good pot of boiled rice, you will notice that its process is not so difficult. Firstly, pick the rice over, taking out all the bits of brown husk; fill the outside of the double boiler with hot water, ans put in the rice, salt and water, and cook forty minutes, but do not stir it. Then take off the cover from the boiler, and very gently, without stirring, turn over the rice with a fork; put the disk in the oven without the cover, and let it stand and dry for ten minutes. Then turn it from the boiler into a hot dish, and cover.
Other rice–made foods...
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Beside the above-mentioned recipe of “Cơm Việt”, the Vietnamese people created many other rice-made foods, such as: rice ball, fried rice, rice gruel, steamed glutinous rice. Among them, making a rice ball (“Cơm nắm” in Vietnamese) is so interesting! “Cơm nắm” is a Vietnamese rice dish pressed into cylinder or sphere shape, which is sold in small alleys in Hanoi by vendors. This dish is very familiar with Vietnamese people. “Cơm nắm” has become a cheap but delicious rustic gift. When being fed up with nutritious food like vermicelli or “phở”, people often look for a frugal dish like “Cơm nắm” served with roasted sesame and ground nut.

Rice ballsDo you think it is easy to make a rice ball? A lot of people may say “Yes”, and you can obey the following simple process to make perfect a rice ball. To begin with, you boil the rice in a rice cooker. Please bear in mind that you have to make rice balls while the rice is hot or else it will not stick together. Next, you wet your hands and put a pinch of salt on your palms. Then, you put rice on your hand and wad up the rice and shape like cylinder or sphere. “Cơm nắm” is served with not o­nly sesame but also other things, such as stewed fish, simmered pork or salted shredded meat. However, salted roasted sesame (and ground nut) is still the first choice. The dish is so delicious that you surely would like to taste more than once... The rice is white clear, soft and used to be wrapped in a green banana leaf, which is so attractive. However, its cover is replaced with a plastic bag or paper. The salted sesame is roasted light brown and grated, which has an appealing fragrance. “Cơm nắm” is cut into slices and served with this sesame or/and ground nut. The sweetness of rice combining with the buttery taste of sesame is so unique that can not be found anywhere in the world.
Being in Vietnam, you are strongly recommended to give you the chance for enjoying “Cơm Việt” with dishes of pork, fish, shrimp and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc. Have good appetite!

“Giò” – Vietnamese dainty morsel in Spring

On the Tet traditional tray of food according to Vietnamese culture, with traditional dishes such as Chung cake, chicken meat, spring rolls and so on, “giò” is one of the dainty morsels. Today, when “giò” almost become daily food and there are more various and attractive dishes on the tray, delicious dish of “giò” cannot be missed...

Fried pieThere are many types of “giò” such as: giò lụa (pork-pie), giò bò (beep dumpling), giò bì (pork and skin paste), giò mỡ (lean and fat pork paste), giò xào (fried pie), etc. Each type has a particular taste but the most important thing to make “giò” dish really attractive is that the fragrance of banana leaves and fish sauce combined in the piece of “giò”.
Giò xào (fried pie)
In all kinds of “giò”, fried pie is the easiest one to prepare, so families often make it themselves when Tet is coming. The main materials are parts of pork such as: ear, nose tongue, pork cheeks and “mộc nhĩ” (cat’s ear). The materials must be subjected to premilitary treatment, boiled through hot water, sliced, mixed with spices, pepper and fried.
After wrapping the fried pie, keep it in the refrigerator so that all the materials link together. The pie that is delicious must be wrapped carefully, raw materials must not be too dry and the dish will stir fragrance of the spices.
Giò bò (beep dumpling)

Beep dumpling
Also processed as fried pie, beep dumpling is often added for more fat so that it is not too dry. When cutting a piece of beep dumpling, it is slightly pink as the color of the beef. Especially, pungency and fragrance of pepper feature the typical characteristic of beep dumpling.
Giò lụa (pork-pie)
Pork is chosen to make pork-pie must be lean, delicious and fresh meat. It is continuously ground until the meat is fine. These days, the meat is ground by machine, which makes the process more quickly and helps to save the maker’s strength.
However, the pork-pie is make in the traditional way remains the delicious flavor that is different from the one ground by

Pork-piemachine, since the makers must use more strength so they take proper care of their product. Fish sauce for making pork-pie must also be tasty and fragrant. When being cut, the pie must has the color of ivory-white and the surface has some small holes, surely that the pie is so delicious!
Giò bì (pork and skin paste)
Pork and skin paste is a local specialty of Pho Xuoi (Hung Yen Province). It is also made from uncooked pork-pie and pork skin that are sliced, then wrapped into small ones like fingers. Pork and skin paste is delicious, it means that pieces of pork skin must be white, clean, boiled, cut into small ones and mixed with uncooked pork-pie. The piece of pork and skin paste is so crispy and crunchy.
In Vietnam, once try to taste these kinds of “giò”, it is certaintly that you cannot forget the tasty flavor and fragrance of the dainty morsels...