It's impossible to
properly describe the amazing food that is available in Vietnam, but the intense
colors, exotic ingredients and fresh flavors fit the country and its
people. Start with the vibrant lettuce greens, mint & basil
that accompany almost every meal to the freshness of the seafood where the
fish you choose for dinner was pulled out of the ocean just hours before; quite
often by the owner of the restaurant. We have found
several favorite local foods but we are determined to taste as many
things as possible. To meet this goal
have made a pact that with every meal we have one "safe" item along
with at least one item that is not found on the typical restaurant menus
back in the US. Now if we were
trying many of these exotic items in cities such as Hong Kong, NYC, Singapore,
or London we would have second thoughts because I am sure we would be charged
an exorbitant fee for the same entrees that we can try here for about $3-7 USD.
If we don’t like it we are only
out the cost of a big mac, but had an experience to remember (or want to
forget).
We quite often
accidentally stumble on a favorite dish by accident such as Kho Quet which was translated as fish
sauce on a menu. We pointed to that item assuming it would be the
standard fish sauce we use all the time.
For those of you not familiar with fish sauce it is a favorite condiment
made of fermented fish and sea salt and is used all over Asia. It's
used both when cooking or simply as a dip for food and vegetables,
and can be found at almost every grocery store in the US. When the Kho Quet was brought to our table
sizzling in a crock pot we discovered it is fish sauce on a whole other
level. It is a traditional Vietnamese
peasant sauce that has recently found resurgence in some of the more
upscale restaurants in Vietnam. Made with caramelized bacon or pork belly
along with garlic and reduced fish sauce it is a flavorful sticky sauce
that is commonly served with steamed vegetables but is wonderful on almost everything.
Cha Chim or Butterfish
has become another favorite of ours simply sprinkled with chili salt and
grilled over charcoal. You peel back the skin to a firm white
flesh that is so rich you would swear the entire fish had been
poached in butter. Just a squeeze of lime and a dash of flavored salt is
all that is needed for this simple but decadent meal. We demolish the fish bite by bite with our
chop sticks, except for a few scraps saved for the restaurant kitten that
weaves in and out of our feet..
One of my personal
favorites is Banh Khot, which is a rice pancakes that originated here
in Vung Tau but is now served all over southern Vietnam. Banh Khot is
considered "street food" but it is a little more involved so it's not
served from the street carts but open air stalls where it's the only thing on
the menu. The crispy small rice pancakes
are cooked in a round pan over a fire and traditionally topped with
pork or shrimp. You are served a dish of the sizzling hot cakes
with fish sauce, chili paste, garlic and plate full of sweet and
bitter greens. Traditionally the rice cake is wrapped in the lettuce and basil
and dipped into fish sauce which was flavored with chili and garlic;
but I noticed everyone had their own technique. It's an everyday
meal the locals take for granted but it's a spicy, crunchy, hot, fresh, taste
explosion in your mouth.
Foods we have tried:
- Sautéed Morning Glories (vine not flowers)
- Horse Cartilage
- Pigeon
- Whelk (giant sea snail)
- Bullfrog
- Fresh water goby (fried whole with tiny barracudaesq teeth)
- Baramundi
Just a few possible
food options to try next:
- Field mice embalmed with garlic
- Soft Shelled Turtle
- Birds Nest
- Sea Snake
- Eels
- Sea Cucumber
- Chicken Feet Gruel
- Sturgeon
Food we need several
cocktails in us before trying:
- Goat Penis
- Chicken Testicles
- Slime Fish
Dô (Cheers in
Vietnamese) and here is to Good Travel where ever you go!
Greg and the fried Goby
Greg and the fried Goby
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