Vietnamese Traditional Food

Details: Written by vcaqld

Beef Noodle / Phở

The soup is known as "Phở" as it's pronounced as "fuh". Any Vietnamese restaurant you walk into will serve pho as it's an important part of the menu. At the same time, pho happens to be a very popular item to Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese alike. For us, pho is life, love and all things that matter. We treasure pho, and most of us have loved it since the day we were old enough to hold a pair of chopsticks.

Story of Bánh Chưng and Bánh Dày

Emperor Hung-Vuong had many sons. Some pursued literary careers. Others excelled in martial arts. The youngest prince named Tiet - Lieu, however, loved neither. Instead, he and his wife and their children chose the countryside where they farmed the land.

One day, toward the end of the year, the emperor met with all his sons. He told them whoever brought him the most special and unusual food would be made the new emperor. Almost immediately, the princes left for their homes and started looking for the most delicious food to offer the emperor. Some went hunting in the forests and brought home birds and animals which they prepared into the most palatable dishes. Some others sailed out to the open sea, trying to catch fish, lobsters and other much loved sea food. Neither the rough sea nor the violent weather could stop them from looking for the best gifts to please the emperor.

In his search, Tiet-Lieu went back to the countryside. He saw that the rice in his paddy fields was ripe and ready to be harvested, Walking by a glutinous rice field, he picked some golden grains on a long stalk. He brought them close to his nose and he could smell a delicate aroma.

His entire family then set out to harvest the rice, Tiet-Lieu himself ground the glutinous rice grains into fine flour. His wife mixed it with water into a soft paste. His children helped by building a fire and wrapping the cakes with leaves. In no time, they finished, and in front of them lay two kinds of cakes: one was round and the other was square in shape.

The round cake was made with glutinous rice dough and was called "bánh dày" by Tiet-Lieu. He named the square shaped cake "bánh chưng" which he made with rice, green beans wrapped in leaves. Everybody was extremely happy with the new kind of cakes.

On the first day of Spring, the princes took the gifts of their labor and love to the emperor. One carried a delicious dish of steamed fish and mushrooms. Another brought with him a roasted peacock and some lobsters. All the food was beautifully cooked.

When it was Tiet-Lieu's turn to present his gifts, he carried the "bánh chưng" and his wife carried the "bánh dày" to the emperor. Seeing Tiet-Lieu's simple offerings, other princes sneered at them. But after tasting all the food brought to court by his sons, the emperor decided that the first prize should be awarded to Tiet-Lieu.

The emperor then said that his youngest son's gifts were not only the purest, but also the most meaningful because Tiet-Lieu had used nothing except rice which was the basic foodstuff of the people to make them. The emperor gave up the throne and make Tiet-Lieu the new emperor. All the other princes bowed to show respect and congratulated the new emperor.

Rice Cake / Bánh Chưng

Banh Chung is served particularly at Vietnamese New Year's festival, which occurs during the first three days of the first month of the lunar calendar. It is a square cake, wrapped in banana leaves and tied with lacings of flexible bamboo slivers. It is a very rich food for the interior contains a filling of bean paste to which may be added small bits of pork meat, both fat and lean. This filling, which is amply seasoned, is pressed between layers of glutinous rice.

Rice cake / Bánh Chưng Its square shape is considered a symbol of the thankfulness of the Vietnamese people for the great abundance of the Earth, which has supplied them with nutritious food throughout the four seasons of the year.

Bánh Dày

Bánh Dày is served regularly at festivals and ceremonies. It is a rounded, convex cake of glutinous or nep rice, which resembles white dough, soft and sticky. Its cupola-shaped top is said to resemble the shape of the heavenly vault.

Bánh Dày Chả Lụa

Fresh Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Gởi Cuốn)

These rolls are nothing more than a Vietnamese salad wrapped in rice paper wrappers. The aromatic herbs in the rolls lend a refreshing taste.

If you are looking for a unique summer picnic dish, these rolls are perfect!

- 500 ml (2 cups) water.
- 1 spring onion. - 250g (8 oz) lean pork.
- 300g (10 oz) fresh medium prawns.
- 12 dried rice paper wrap-pers, each 20 cm/8 in in daimeter.
- 1 mall head butter let-tuce, leaves washed and separated.
- 100g (4 oz) packet dried rice vermicelli, blanched for 1 to 2 minutes until soft, then rinsed with cold water and drained.
- 1 baby cucumber, quar-tered and thinly sliced. - 1 small carrot, grated.
- 1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro), sliced.
- 1 portion peanut dipping sauce. - Prepare the peanut dipping sauce by following the recipe.

- Bring the water and spring onion to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan and poach the pork for 7 to 10 minutes until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool. Slice the pork in to thin strips.

- Bring the same pot of water to a boil again and poach the prawns for 1 to 2 minutes until pink or just cooked. Remove and plunge in to cold water to cool. Peel, devein and halve each prawn lengthwise. Set aside.

- To make a spring roll, briefly dip a rice paper wrap-per in a bowl of water until soft. Remove and place on a dry surface, smoothing it with your fingers. Place a lettuce leaf on to the wrapper, closer to one edge, and top with some pork strips, rice vermicelli, cucumber and carrot. Fold the closest of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up halfway. Place 2 halves of a prawn, side by side, along the roll and top with coriander leaves (cilantro), then con-tine to roll up tightly to complete the folding. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.

- Arrange the spring rolls on a serving platter and serve with serving bowls of peanut sauce on the side.

Makes 12 rolls
Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 25 mins.

(Source: homestyle vietnamese cooking)