Bordered by China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west, Vietnam is steeped in a culinary tradition all its own. Exhibiting influence from various methods of Southeast Asian cooking, Vietnamese is an individualized kind of cuisine where many dishes are often blended at the table, leaving the exact combination of ingredients up to the diner.
While Asian cooking generally uses lots of flavorful herbs and spices, in Vietnam herbs are not just used to enhance the foods; they are part of the meal itself. Fresh, flavorful herbs such as mint, basil and coriander, snipped into large pieces, are an accompaniment at every dinner table and are often found in popular noodle dishes.
Indeed, Vietnam's national dish is the delicious phở (pronounced fuh), a broth made with rice noodles and brimming with savory greens such as basil. Commonly made with beef, phở can come in many forms but is typically served with bean sprouts, lime and chilies on the side for each person to add to their own bowls.
Vietnamese cuisine is also distinguished by the generous use of dipping sauces, which help to give the food its distinctive flavor.
A typical sauce combines garlic, chilies, lime juice or vinegar, sugar, and the hallmark ingredient, fish sauce. Known as nuoc mam, fish sauce is made from salt-cured anchovies that are placed in a barrel raw and left to ferment. The quintessential Vietnamese ingredient, fish sauce can be found in almost every dish.
In addition to the plentiful use of fresh, nourishing herbs, another reason why Vietnamese cooking is considered so healthy is that meat is generally viewed as a condiment rather than a main dish.
Meats are most often cut into thin strips or slices, soaked in a simple marinade of shallots, lemongrass and fish sauce, and then quickly grilled.
The ideal way to eat these morsels is to dunk a piece of meat into a dipping sauce, then pick up some herbs and rice and put the complete bite into your mouth.
Another important component of Vietnamese cooking is that of balance.
In Vietnamese culture, the five basic elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood have great influence over daily life and are seen as instruments of maintaining life's balance. Vietnamese cuisine reflects an integration of these five elements into the nutrition, taste and colors of their dishes.
The balance of nutritional elements such as liquid, protein, fat, powder and minerals; the incorporation of the five common colors in the presentation of their dishes: yellow to represent Earth, black to signify Water, red for Fire, white for Metal and green for Wood; and the skillful blend of the tastes of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and spicy; all characterize the influence of such beliefs.
Such balance is also demonstrated through ingredient selection and the manner of serving the dishes according to the season and weather conditions.
For our foray into Vietnamese cuisine, we popped into the highly regarded Pho Boston in West Hartford. With an extensive menu and competent staff, it was a great place to stop for a delicious and healthful meal.
To share, we couldn’t pass up the chim cút chiên, crispy, spiced roasted quails marinated in ginger, soy and five spice. The birds were so perfectly flavorful and juicy that we sucked every last scrap from the tiny bones.
Adam selected a non-threatening hủ tiếu xào bỏ, or beef and vegetable chowfun
and I ordered the hủ tiếu nam vang, a phở variant with shrimp, crab, fish balls and cakes, pork, rice noodles, scallions, onions and cilantro.
After picking out each morsel with my chopsticks, I found I was completely full. Still, I tipped the bowl to my lips and drank the savory broth, not wanting any to go to waste.
If you visit Pho Boston, which I definitely recommend you do, the noodle soups are a must. Make sure you squeeze some fresh lime into the broth and mix in some spicy chili paste, then, enjoy!
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