Vietnamese Cuisines

Vietnamese cuisines were mostly inspired from China, although, the effects of Indian and Western colonial occupation have also added a bit of spice and variation to the gastronomy, making the culinary cultures quite distinctive in their own right.

Key ingredients in a Vietnamese traditional recipe include rice, coconuts, ginger, garlic and chilies. Fish plays an enormous role in the diet of most Vietnamese and Cambodians. Generally the fish is grilled, broiled or stir fried, wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and dipped in spicy sauces of ground peanuts, lemon grass mint and coriander.

There are three main groups of rice used in a Vietnamese cooking recipe: long grain, short grain, and sticky rice. The most widely grown and most frequently consumed is the long grain. In Vietnam, rice is regarded as the “staff of life”. It plays an important role as a staple food as well as in the economy and culture. There are even rigorous rice-cooking contests based on the tradition of preparing rice for soldiers going into battle.

Rice is often distilled to make wine and vinegar. The clear, clean tasting vinegar is used for pickling vegetables and in cooking many a Vietnamese traditional recipe.

South-east Asian cooking uses noodles in great quantities. If the main dish doesn’t contain rice, then they use noodles in the Vietnamese cuisine.

Unique to Vietnamese cuisine are delicate triangular or circular rice papers or wrappers (banh trang), made from rice flour, water and salt. Dried rice papers are used for making the fried Vietnamese spring rolls and fresh rice papers are used for wrapping minced meats.

The cuisine consists of a lot more bread than those in the rest of South-east Asia. Having both been influenced by French colonization and wartime occupation, bread has become a daily feature. Buns and dumplings are often stuffed and usually steamed, although some buns are baked after steaming. Flatbreads and wrappers used for folding around morsels of food and for spring rolls, can also be included in the Vietnamese cuisine bread culture. Made from rice or wheat flour, they are baked on griddles, or left in the sunshine to dry.

Raw, stir-fried, braised, pickled or salted vegetables are worked into every meal in some manner. Almost every Vietnamese cooking recipe includes a few vegetables, but in addition, there may be vegetable side dishes, salads, pickled vegetables or leaves to wrap around the food. Texture is also important, so salads might include fruit, meat, shellfish and rice noodles.

Dried beans are used extensively in a Vietnamese traditional recipe whether it be sweet or savory. Dried beans are also called azuki beans. Mung beans are prized in Vietnam and available in specialty stores. Bean sprouts are popular throughout the cuisine in Vietnam and can be eaten raw or added to stir-fries and soups.

Reference: Basan, Ghillie The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook Vietnamese Cuisines