Uyen Luu, author of My Vietnamese Kitchen and contributor to Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube, shares her favorite Vietnamese dishes and how to cook them.
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1. Phở Bò/Gà
“A true Vietnamese favourite. Need to have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Great for hangovers. Broth is nutritious!”
2. Bún Bò Huế
“So many textures, perfect balance of hot, sour, sweet, salty, umami and lots of zesty herbs contrasting with earthy ones. The curly banana blossom and water spinach adds crunch. It’s perfection in a bowl and great for breakfast - it really wakens the senses”.
3. Cháo
“Can be made using left over rice, with any kind of broth and pimped up with left over meat, vegetables and herbs. It’s great for when you’re feeling under the weather as it nurses the body back to health - also great for breakfast”.
4. Gỏi Cuốn
“It’s a salad in a roll. Great way of eating lots of salad. So healthy! Great for snacking and lunches. It’s important to have a good dipping sauce”.
5. Cá Chiên
“Delicious in every sense, crispy fish with sour mango and a sweet, hot and savoury dressing”.
6. Bò Kho
“Such a lovely stew to use cheap cuts, warming, hearty for all seasons”.
7. Phở Bò Xào
“Quick to make, delicious, silky and moreish”.
8. Trứng Chưng Thịt
“So good with rice for lunch or dinner, you can go on and on eating this very modest steamed egg pudding”.
9. Miến Gà
“Light and fragrant for an evening snack before bed, great for eating with lots of vegetables”.
10. Bún Riêu
“Spicy, tomato umami with lots of seafood and there’s swirls of delicious egg in it. Can’t get enough of this one”.
11. Bún Thịt Nướng
“This is the smell and fantastic flavour of Saigon at lunch time. Perfection in a lunch bowl”.
12. Hủ Tíu Nam Vang
“Pho is from Hanoi - the north of Vietnam, this is the southern noodle soup”.
13. Canh Chua Cá
“So good to share with someone, it’s a sweet and sour soup with crunch from beansprouts and vegetables that are added when the heat is turned off. Fish the fish out onto a plate of fish sauce and share with rice. Great for those who want to cook in one pot”.
14. Bánh Bao
“A street food favourite. It’s a slightly sweet steamed rice bun with pork, Chinese sausages, egg and mushroom. “.
15. Bánh Hỏi Heo Quay
“So good on lacey noodles and pickles”.
16. Cá Kho
“A dinner time favourite, the fish is silky and rich, soaking in flavours of coconut water, chilli, palm sugar and fish sauce”.
17. Gỏi Gà
“Get the dressing right and well balanced, this is what the Vietnamese flavour is all about”.
18. Bánh Mì
“Fresh and crunchy on the outside, hollow on the inside so that you can fill the baguettes with tons of grilled meat or cold cuts, pickles, herbs, chillies and cucumber. Vietnamese food is all about perfection in this and that - this truly demonstrates it - the best sandwich in the world”.
19. Chả Cá
“So good with noodle soups, rice or fried noodles”.
20. Bánh Xèo
“To enjoy it, wrap inside a salad leaf with tonnes of herbs! Fried, crispy, light, gluten and egg free. Healthy without meaning to be - esp if you use coconut oil to fry”.
