I have just spent a couple of weeks travelling through Vietnam with my fiancé Blair. We’ve visited Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. We’ve been lucky to meet locals and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Vietnam. A highlight for me though has been the food. As I declared in my last post I’m basically in love with Vietnamese food. Blair has always said if I was faced with a decision between Asian food and him, Asian food would win haha.

I thought I would share with you my favourite Vietnamese dishes that I came across while in Vietnam. This only touches the surface as there’s only a certain amount of food one can consume in a couple of weeks. I would love to come back to Vietnam in the future to continue exploring the beautiful culture and food.

Hanoi seafood soup

I’m not sue of the actual name for this but this is what it was called on the menu on our Junk in Halong Bay. It’s quite a thick soup with crab, prawn and carrot. It reminded me a little bit of Chinese sweetcorn and chicken soup in terms of texture.

It was so delicious that I had to ask the chef for his recipe and he was kind enough to share it. I want to test it at home to check the quantities etc before posting it on here but I’ll do it when I’m home in a few weeks. It will make a lovely appetiser or dinner for the winter months and best of all, the recipe looks pretty simple.

Bahn Xeo – Crepe 

These are next level. They’re rice pancakes filled with shrimp and pork which you then wrap in rice paper with lettuce and herbs and dip in a mix of fish sauce and chilli etc. I have had the pancakes in New Zealand before but found them a bit rich for my taste, however wrapping them up gives them a delicious freshness.

If you’re ever in Vietnam these are a must try. You won’t regret it, promise!

Pho Bo – Beef noodle soup 

Ahh not only is pho one of my favourite Vietnamese foods, it is one of my all time favourites. Pho is pronounced as ‘fuh’ it can be quite difficult to get it right. The Vietnamese language is very complex!

Pho is a hot beef broth with a huge depth of flavour that is created from cooking for up to 20 hours. The process for making pho broth is intense, it involves boiling for a few hours before it’s cooled to allow the fat to congeal before scooping that off and boiling again. A lot of work goes into this beautiful broth, however Blair continues to insult me every time I offer him a taste by saying it’s just water haha. He’s never been a massive soup fan so I’ll let it slide but really, it’s amazing.

The broth is then served with beef, rice noodles and a bunch of herbs and chilli, if you’re that way inclined. Sooo good.

I’m making it my mission when I get home to learn how to make an epic pho broth. I’ve tried in the past with little success but I’ve done a lot of research and think with some trial and error I should be able to get it right. To cut down on the time I’ve purchased a pressure cooker (well, really I sent my brother to Farmers to pick one up for me because he’s awesome!) so I imagine my first weekend back in NZ will be spent playing around with this.

Even if you’re not visiting Vietnam I suggest you find this somewhere near you. If you’re in Wellington then the best place to get a pho is Fisherman’s Plate on Bond St. Try the fried spring rolls while you’re there. And basically everything else. It’s one of Wellington’s secret gems.

Bun bo hue – spicy beef soup

This is similar to pho but the broth has a lot of chilli and the noodles used are round and thicker than those in pho. Delicious! I only managed to find this in Ho Chi Minh as it is in South Vietnam where the food is spicy. The further north you go the milder the food.

Bahn Mi 

Okay. I could write about Bahn Mi all day (although this post is probably taking you all day to read.. sorry, I really can go on – especially when it comes to food!). Bahn Mi is a baguette filled with pate, pork, lettuce, pickled carrot and daikon, herbs and chilli and topped with hot sauce and aioli. In Vietnam they quite often eat this for breakfast.

The best bahn mi we had was in Hoi An – there is a little place called Bahn Mi Phuong which our guide told us was famous in Hoi An. If you’re there definitely give this place a visit.

Next door to Bahn Mi Phuong is where the baguettes are made. 4,000 a day! We watched them make the baguettes for a few minutes and it’s impressive how they pump them out. There were four guys, all shirtless because it was 39 degrees and they’re just rolling out baguette after baguette. I was in awe!

If you want to try make your own Bahn Mi give my recipe I created a few months back ago.

Bun thit nuong – Vermicelli with grilled pork

This dish is a really lovely meal to enjoy while it’s warm. Cold rice noodles with grilled pork, and pickled veges with herbs and spices like mint and coriander.

I had this for the first time in Ho Chi Minh. We found the Ben Thanh food market just around the corner from where we were staying so we went there for dinner a couple of nights in a row. If you sit out the front it’s great for people watching. It’s also really cheap – for two meals and two beers it was about 8 nzd. Can’t complain about that.

The second night though we sat out the back and I saw the hugest rat I’ve seen in my whole life. It scared the shit out of me (I am terrified of rats, mice, pigeons etc.. anything small and gross.. I’m feeling sick just writing about them). Anyway, needless to say I was unable to continue eating my dinner..

Anyway back to the dish.. It’s delicious! Try it! And if you’re in Ho Chi Minh go check out the Ben Thanh food market. It’s awesome.

Gỏi cuốn – spring rolls fresh and fried

You’ll find spring rolls, both fresh and fried, at most restaurants you visit in Vietnam. Both are served with the same sauce which is a mix of fish sauce, chilli and vinegar which we were told many times make the dish what it is.

The fried spring rolls are usually a mix of pork, mushroom, vermicelli, carrot, onion and a bunch of other ingredients wrapped in rice paper and then fried. I was lucky enough to be shown by a chef how to make these and I posted the recipe on the blog not long ago. You can find the recipe here.

I was also shown how to make the fresh spring rolls which usually have pork, prawns, vermicelli, veges and herbs. I was shown a technique to do these which is different to how I usually do them at home which was easier so I think I’ll prepare a quick video when I get home to show you guys.

Vietnamese coffee

Vietnamese coffee puts all other coffee to shame! The smell alone is to die for. It’s incredible. There were two types we tried – in the north in Hanoi they have egg coffee which is creamy and delicious. It’s just egg, sugar and coffee. I’m not sure about the process for making it but we’ve agreed we will be figuring it out ASAP when we get home. The other coffee we had was further south and it was just espresso done in a phin filter. It takes a while to pour through but it’s worth it. This is served with condensed milk. We bought a few bags of beans and a phin filter so we can continue having this deliciousness in NZ.

This post has been way longer than I expected but I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. If you have any questions about my time in Vietnam feel free to contact me on Facebook or email me at caseyskitchen@outlook.co.nz