How you can create Vietnamese food easily at home

Here in Australia we’re so blessed to have so many different nationalities living here and I’m so grateful for the Vietnamese people who have made Australia their home. It’s such a delicious, light and tasty cuisine but one that is easy to recreate in your own kitchen with a few basic pantry staples. Here’s how you can Vietnamese food easily at home.

One of the most healthy cuisines around, Vietnamese cuisine relies a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables to flavour their food with the use of additional spices to achieve the five elements they try to achieve with every meal. They are spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet which correspond to five body organs. The gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, and urinary bladder.

They also try to achieve 5 colours with every meal. They are white, green, yellow, red and black. These five elements also refer to the senses and nutrients. Very clever thinking and very simple to ensure a healthy diet.

Due to the economic hardship the country has had to endure over many decades, they have learnt very well how to not waste any food. A lot of foods are homegrown and animals farmed by families and every bit is used up.  Definitely something Western culture has a lot to learn from.

They don’t have many baked sweets like Western culture which is probably why they have such a healthy diet.

Herbs

Fresh: Vietnamese hot chili peppers, coriander (cilantro), sawtooth coriander, spring onions (scallions), garlic, shallots, dill, lemongrass, spearmint, perilla (a combination of mint and basil leaves), Asian basil, betel leaves, garlic chives, Vietnamese lemon mint, water spinach, mustard leaves, banana flower, kohlrabi, galangal, parsley

Check your local Asian supermarket or farmer’s markets.

Spices

Ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, chilli, turmeric

Protein

Seafood (including fish, prawns, crab, clams), chicken, pork, beef, eggs, tofu, duck, offal, Chinese sausage,

Fruit & Vegetables

Bamboo shoots, carrots, cabbage, spring onions, asparagus, bean sprouts, tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, papaya, mango (including green), limes, water spinach, lemons, jackfruit, radish, mung beans, banana, bok choy, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, watercress, coconut, custard apple, durian, guava, mangosteen, gooseberry, persimmon, dragonfruit, plum, pomello, rambutan, lychee, watermelon, star fruit, pumpkin (butternut squash)

Other Pantry Ingredients

Fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste, jasmine rice, pickled vegetables, rock sugar, sambal oelek, rice vermicelli noodles, fried shallots, rice spring roll wrapper, stock, coconut milk, rice flour, banana leaves, peanuts, kidney beans, condensed milk, yeast, vinegar, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce

Recipes

Vietnamese Salad Rolls – Bánh Mì

One Pot Vietnamese Beef Stew

30 Minute Pho Noodle Soup

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe (Cà Ri Gà)

Vietnamese Pancakes (Banh Xeo)

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (Ga Xao Sa)

Vietnamese Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken (Ga Rang Muoi)

Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli Bowls with Garlic Hoisin Sauce

Make Rice Paper Roll Wrappers from scratch

Vietnamese Bun Cha Gio

Banana Tapioca Pudding (Che Chuoi)

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables

Vietnamese style Caramelised Pork

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Rau Muong (Garlic Water Spinach)

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Vietnamese Salad

Nothing is as simple as a Vietnamese Salad. A choice of fresh, light salad ingredients with a light spicy dressing and topped with a sprinkling of peanuts. There are so many versions going around. You can serve it with or without chicken or fish or tofu. On its own as a vegetarian option. Served on a huge platter for everyone to help themselves with the dressing on the side. Whichever option you choose, you won’t be disappointed.

 

You can use whatever salad ingredients you have on hand. Ideally, a Chinese cabbage would be more suitable but I finely shredded the purple cabbage I had. I also didn’t have any peanuts so used a few cashews.

Besides being appealing to the tastebuds, it’s visually appealing and just oozes lightness and freshness.

source

To serve on a platter, place small bowls filled with the dressing, chopped peanuts and/or fried shallots, on the platter. Place the prepared vegetables in small piles on the platter in and around the bowls. Guests can pick those vegetables they want and pour on as little or as much of the dressing on as they want and top with the peanuts and shallots. Once salad has been made, you could roll ingredients in rice paper and dip into dressing.

Vietnamese Salad

• selection of salad vegetables, for example:  cabbage, green onions, capsicum (bell peppers), bean sprouts, cucumber, grated carrot, lettuce, chilli, tomato, snow peas, fresh herbs
• rice noodles (vermicelli)
• chicken, fish, beef, pork, tofu
• peanuts, chopped finely (or other nuts on hand)

Dressing:

• 2 tbs fish sauce (or substitute with soy sauce)
• 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• chilli, to taste – use powdered, in a tube or fresh, finely sliced)
• mint leaves, finely shredded (or 1 tsp in a tube)
• coriander (cilantro), finely shredded (or 1 tsp in a tube)

1. Arrange salad ingredients on a plate, in a bowl or in rice papers.
2. Combine dressing ingredients.
3. Pour over salad and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.