When Vietnam says Xin Chao, I couldn’t resist the lure of this far flung South East Asian country, little did I know that my week here will also take me on a gastronomic journey even with the umpteen restrictions I had….(I mean the plant eater versus the meat eater)..
Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport and when u can just pull up a chair, taste and join in, life becomes endlessly delicious….it’s not always Michelin star restaurants that tantalize your tastebuds…the humble roadside eatery or a food cart with its wares piled high can pull this of too.
Our discovery in Hanoi, Halong Bay and Mai Chau of the nuances of Vietnamese cuisine confirmed that flavours induced by fresh herbs didn’t require hours down the supermarket aisles….the basil, lemongrass, ginger, birdseye red chilies for the fire and Saigon cinnamon for subtlety….the list is endless of local produce. The visual treat of our meal was confirmed that dining for connoisseurs was through sight, smell and taste…the textures were balanced, the colors and presentation enticing and of course the tastes that’s still linger on in memory.
Although the airline had the ever popular Vietnamese food on its menu, I stuck to the continental fare so that I could experience the authenticity from a kitchen in Vietnam. My first taste of food was the cold passion fruit mocktail and a dish of sweets that I was offered at checkin in the hotel. The ice cold mocktail was the right balance of flavour, the refreshing sweetness of the fresh passionfruit and the sour after taste that leaves you craving for more sweet. This balance and burst of two flavours was the perfect thirst quencher on a hot and humid day (everyday). Interesting offering in the bowl next to my cold towel caught my eyes…and as I popped one of these pearls into my mouth I was trying to sense what it was…a sweet rush of sugar and felt like I was biting into a chewy gel…until I couldn’t hold my curiosity any longer and I was told these were candied lotus roots. Oh what glee for my sweet tooth was craving more and I shamelessly carried this bowl with me to my room, but not before a generous top up by the most friendly receptionist. The sad part was I couldn’t find these in the markets to bring some back with me.
Over the next two days as I discovered the sights around Hanoi, my food intrigue continued…the road side eateries were frequented by all and from the crowds you could see the more popular ones….it wasn’t just the drinks (local beers and cocktails) that were popular, but so were the various combinations of rice, fish, meat chicken and vegetables. There must have been a thousand places that had the Vietnamese Pho on its menu as did some of the eateries proudly tempt passersby to the Bun Cha ( a pork based dish) and the most popular Vietnamese spring roll also known as the Goi Cuon.
Sit down restaurants seemed to be doing a roaring business as well and the many many cooking classes around was just a hint of how mystical this cuisine was…as we enjoyed a few lessons ourselves, the question that I had, were all these people going to go home and try these dishes they learnt?
The downside to this delectable cuisine is their generous use of fish sauce, shrimp paste and meat broth that makes this slightly less interesting for a staunch vegetarian.
Speaking to one of the chefs at a cooking class, he confirmed that they do have alternatives for vegetarians however it’s not so common as the everyday Vietnamese cuisine is all about balancing the five flavours of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salt with the yin and the yang of food. The cooking techniques could vary and from fried, to pan roasted, to battered and deep fried, to sautéed, stir fry and slow cooked broths and steamed dishes…of so many techniques and this was not for those who want to spend no more than 2 minutes in the kitchen.
Another interesting cooking method I came across on my delectable journey through this countryside was a method of cooking in bamboo shoots…rice, fish and I’m sure other interesting things went into this form of cooking. Cleaned and soaked rice was filled into a green bamboo shoot, sealed and placed into the fire. After some time we were presented with an interesting log of rice that was cooked to perfection, had to be eaten hot to enjoy the woody flavour of bamboo and it was full of glutionous starch as the rice wasn’t drained.
Whilst cruising Halong Bay, the cruise liner kept up to the eclectic mix of guests onboard and stayed true to a fusion of regional specialities that were so cleverly morphed with an international spread. The presentation and the variety was fit for a king and yet I missed the actual essence of local gourmet…what was this holiday turning out to be?
With my sweet tooth, I was looking forward to the sweet fare that I would indulge in on this trip, but the ever famous moong bean paste was not to my liking…so instead it was fresh fruit, bucket loads of lemongrass and ginger coolers, lots of sticky rice cooked in coconut cream and tapioca jelly puddings.
There are many variations to the Che and all other Vietnamese dishes, but in a week, we could only eat and drink so much without feeling like a glutton, to come back confirming that “you have to taste the culture to understand it!”
Sapna Nair 