There is nowhere in Vietnam that so many types of sticky rice- or “xoi ” present like they do in Hanoi . But standing out among the various kinds, “xoi xeo” is not only creative art with a sophisticated combination of ingredients and color but the sophistication even leaks out to its odd name. 

Amazingly attractive with its bright yellow color, “xoi xeo” is sold in every wet market or may even be right on the street corner early in the morning. The seller keeps “xoi xeo” warm in a bamboo basket which is carried on the shoulder or fastened behind the bicycle. “Xoi xeo” is a special dish for breakfast, especially with students and manual laborers thanks to its rather low price, its fulfillment and palatability.

“Xoi xeo” is regarded as one of the hardest-to-cook “xoi”, despite the fact that it is concocted from ingredients which are very popular and familiar with Vietnamese. The ingredients for making “xoi xeo” remain the same everywhere: glutinous rice, turmeric powder, mung bean, shallot, and some liquid fat. The turmeric powder, mixed with water and glutinous rice, will create the natural yellow for the dish. Mung bean, after being carefully chosen and peeled; is steamed, pummeled and then rolled into small balls. Travellers often are amazed at the sight of the seller skillfully smashing those balls inside their palms, covering the base with yellow thin layers of bean.
On top of the portion lays brownish crunchy deep fried shallot. To complete the taste of “xoi xeo”, the seller will add a tablespoon of liquid fat. The yellow of the turmeric rice and bean, the brown of shallot, the distinctive green of banana leaf mix and match perfectly, and combine to make an eye-catching “xoi xeo”.

Some people, especially children, like eating “xoi xeo” with much mung bean or fried shallot while other may enjoy theirs with lot of “ruoc”- smashed and fried salted pork. A warmly large portion of “xoi xeo”, wrapped in banana leaf and old newspaper, first thing in the morning, which runs for a mere 5000-7000vnd can keep one full until late noon.

In the cold weather, the brazier is used to prevent the oil from being frozen. “Xoi xeo” is exceptionally favorite dish in winter because the bright yellow and the liquid fat make people feel warm and cheerful. 

Nobody knows where “*xoi xeo*” came from and why it has such a weird name “xeo”; as in Vietnamese, “xeo” is used as an impolite way when telling people to go away. Abnormal as it is, “xoi xeo” is still a unique part of Hanoi’s cuisine that is loved by many people, both locals and foreigners.

Source:Vietnamfoods.org

Every year, I look forward to the week leading up to the Lunar New Year – Tet Nguyen Dan, or just Tet, as we call it in Vietnamese.

Every year, I look forward to the week leading up to the Lunar New Year – Tet Nguyen Dan, or just Tet, as we call it in Vietnamese. Why? For the simple reason that I take time off to make some of my favorite traditional Viet foods. Many of us rush around these days, barely catching our breaths to meet deadlines, only to face new ones. Multitasking, I’ve learned, is overrated.

When Tet comes along, I shut down and shut out the world for a few days. Tune out and focus on cleaning, cooking, and celebrating. Vietnamese Tet is a low-key, family-oriented holiday. It's homey by nature and people love it. Tet is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Father's Day all wrapped up into one. Traditionally, people took off a month from work. Modern times don't allow for that and we all create our own new traditions.


My Tet ritual starts at Asian grocery stores. I try not to brave the weekend crowds at Chinese and Vietnamese markets and instead go there on a weekday. That way, I get to look at all the crazy sweets and snacks that are for sale for new year. They’re usually well positioned near the market’s entrance so you can’t miss them.

Day-glo candied coconut remind me to make a batch from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. They’re one of my favorites Tet treats. Sweetmeats (candied nibbles) and other kinds of candies are traditionally offered to guests and enjoyed this time of year. Viet people love to make their own and I follow suit. Below is a comparison of stuff from the store versus homemade candied coconut, lotus root and orange peels:

When I get to the produce department, I examine the fruit – tangerines with their leaves still attached are what I tend to buy. There’s usually a pile of daikon radish, which gets me to think about Vietnamese pickles. If I have enough time to dry daikon and carrot in the dehydrator, I go for dua mon, a salty-sweet, garlicky pickle. They’re a must-have for Vietnamese Tet as you munch on them with slices of banh chung sticky rice cakes.
But so are pickled shallots, which are fabulous with a gin on the rocks too. Then I think of another favorite pickle -- dua gop, a tangy mixed vegetable pickle that my family makes with cauliflower, carrot and red bell pepper. Swoon for the pickles, tasty reminders of home:

Which brings me to the main reason for going to the market – to buy ingredients for the adobe-brick size cakes. They’re ginormous dumplings of sorts and my mom taught me how to make them years ago when I was writing the Vietnamese cookbook. They embody Vietnamese Tet by virtue of their simplicity – stick rice, pork, mung beans, S&P and fish sauce encased in green leaves (banana and bamboo in my case) and boiled for hours. The result is soft, a little fatty, and pale green. Here's what my homemade banh chung looks like:


My parents are from northern Vietnam so our Tet sticky rice cakes are square. Folks from the southern region favor cylindrical banh tet, which are super hard to shape. I use a wood mold for wrapping my banh chung because frankly, I know my personal limits.
The meat case at an Asian market offers too many alluring things for Tet – pork or beef simmered in caramel sauce. There’s sumptuous pork belly or pork leg, perfect for cooking with caramel sauce, coconut water, and eggs for a southern Vietnamese holiday classic. Ooh, the fatty beef rough flank (nam) is darn good with ginger and caramel sauce.

Whatever I buy, I tack to it a rack of ribs. I get the rack sawed by the butcher into strips so I can make my mother’s family recipe for suon kho – riblets that are marinated, grilled, then simmered in caramel sauce till they’re practically like beef. That dish (in the collage at the top on the left) evokes the story my mom tells of how her family slaughtered a pig for Tet.

They’d stay up to make all kinds of foods from the various parts. Some were in charge of the banh chung, while others made sausages – silky Vietnamese gio lua, sweet Chinese lap xuong (lap chong), etc. With the ribs, they’d give them a char over an open flame. A fire was already going for the cauldron that would boil all the banh chung. The char imparted a roasty flavor to the riblets that would then be simmered. It’s a dish that my husband and I look forward to every Tet.
The beauty of Tet is that you’re suppose to celebrate with foods that you made in advance. That way you have time to hang loose and relax. Going to a restaurant during Tet is not a typical thing. You stay at home and take stock of the year past as well as the future. Friends and family stop by – or they give you a call or email these days. I call my parents and they give me a special Tet blessing.

The house is super clean on the first days of the New Year. I stay at home and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Notes: 
And if you’re unsure, Tet is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year: February 10 in 2013.Most of the recipes mentioned in this article are part of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. If you don't have a copy, check your local library, bookstore, or online book vendor.

Vietworldkitchen

Gac Fruit has many other names such as baby jackfruit, sweet gourd or cochinchin gourd. This dish is usually served at many special occasions as Engagements, Weddings and even in Lunar New Year. If you love Vietnamese Food, this is one of dishes you should not miss.

Growing up, our parents used to have us scrub down the entire house the days leading up to Tết. It was one of the many important traditions we used to follow to ensure a prosperous and lucky new year.

It’s hard to believe that Tết, Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is just a few days away.

Then, the entire clan would come together, cook up a feast of goodies, offer ancestral prayers at the alter, hand out lì xì (lucky money in red envelopes) to the kids, eat, drink, laugh, and well—gamble and play cards! Needless to say, it was always a fun time.

One of the traditional dishes often found around Tết is Xôi Gấc which is essentially, glutinous rice (sticky rice) that has been steamed with coconut milk and Gấc.

This is one of those Vietnamese dishes whose name just doesn’t translate well into English. The first challenge is “Gấc”.  It has several English names such as Baby Jackfruit, Cochinchin Gourd, Sweet Gourd, Momordica Charantia Fruit, and my least favorite–Spiny Bitter Gourd. I mean, c’mon now…… How unappetizing does Spiny Bitter Gourd sound? You might as well throw in some other funky words like gelatinous and congealed and call it a day.

But I digress…..

Since I’ve seen Gấc more often called “Baby Jackfruit“—–I’m going with it. But for the record, it does not taste like regular jackfruit or even “young jackfruit”. Could I BE more confusing???

The flesh of the Gấc fruit is deep red and is well suited to not only flavor Xôi (sticky rice) but also naturally dyes the grains of rice to an intense orange-reddish hue. It’s because of this that you’ll find Xôi Gấc served at celebrations such as Tết and weddings since the color red is considered to be very lucky.

Although fresh Gấc can now be found in many large Vietnamese grocery stores this time of year, I couldn’t convince myself to make the trek to Orange County to pick some up. I resorted to using frozen Gấc puree that my local Vietnamese grocery store has stocked year round.

If you can get it, I would HIGHLY recommend using the fresh fruit over frozen as you won’t be able to get the same rich and vibrant hue if you use the latter. Truthfully, my finished Xôi Gấc looked a tad anemic because I used the frozen puree—but it was DARN TASTY all the same.

Oh—and if being healthier is one of your New Year’s resolutions….the Gấc fruit has a supposed astronomic amount of beta-carotene and lycopene.

Since Xôi Gấc has a slightly sweet profile to it, it’s best served alongside something savory like roast pork or Chả lụa (pork sausage). But it can also be enjoyed as a breakfast item as well.

And with that Dear Friends, I better get back to cleaning my house before Tết is here. But before I sign off, let me wish you and your loved ones a joyous, adventure-filled, and delicious Year of the snake!

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Hanoi is brutally hot in summer, and it often seems like a chore to face a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup (Phở) or a plate of rice. Many believe that such Phở actually help lower ones’ body temperature and help fight the heat, however, not everyone feels that way. One cool and refreshing alternative is Phở Cuốn, a food resembling fresh spring rolls, but fundamentally different in a number of ways.

Besides, one of the advantages of Phở Cuốn is that it has is its location. The most famous places to find the dish are located on Truc Bach Lake, just opposite West Lake, Hanoi’s largest lake. Truc Bach itself is a relatively small lake and can be circled in five minutes by motorbike or half an hour on foot. There are plenty of places that offer Pho Cuon around the lake, but the easiest to find are on Trúc Bạch road, on the north end of the lake, or Tran Vu on the south end.

It’s not difficult to find a Phở Cuốn restaurant, but choosing the right one sometimes is. With such a large number of these types of restaurants, there is natural competition between them. It is not uncommon for restaurant owners to jump in front of your cab or motorbike in a desperate attempt to get you to come to their shop. “Stop, you want Pho Cuon…” one young man told me putting his hands on the dashboard of my motorbike pleadingly – as it turns out he was right.

Phở Cuốn consists of a slightly cooked rice paper shell the same thickness as a Pho noodle. Inside this soft shell is a selection of herbs and greens – mainly cilantro, mustard leaf, and lettuce – and thinly sliced beef that has been cooked with garlic and generous amounts of pepper. It is served cold with a bowl of fish sauce, garlic, carrots, raddish, vinegar, boiled water, chilli and some sugar for dipping.

Taking a short rest, once dipped in the sauce the taste of Phở Cuốn contains many of the fundamental elements of Vietnamese cuisine: slightly sweet and spicy but light and fresh. The dish is served cold and has the effect of a hearty salad on one’s appetite leaving plenty of room for a few cheeky beers or to try some other delights that many of these restaurants offer like Phở Chiến. Phở Chiến is similarily light summer fair; it uses the same rice noodle paper as Phở Cuốn but is sliced into squares, stacked, and deep fried. It is topped with the same garlicky beef as well as field cabbage and it is recommended that one dip it in the Phở Cuốn sauce. It has a crispy exterior but a delicate center; it is reminiscent of a fresh savory donut.

Hours can easily slip by sitting cross legged on bamboo mats as one enjoys the cool breeze of the lake and a few plates of Phở Cuốn with friends. You see a different, more relaxed side of Hanoi, as old men fish and young couples paddle along leisurely in swan boats. It is the ideal place to wile away one’s time under the shade of a tree and await the cooling relief of evening.

The Phở Cuốn restaurants on Truc Bach are open from early afternoon till about nine or ten at night. The cost for a plate of about twenty Phở Cuốn, a plate of Phở Chiến, and four beers is just over VND200,000 (US$10). For the relief it offers from the heat, it’s a steal.

Source:vietnamcharm.com

Vietnamese do not eat in separate servings; however, food is placed in the middle. Each member of the family has a small bowl and chopsticks which allow him or her to take food from the table throughout the meal.

A typical Vietnamese meal (lunch or dinner) will include steamed rice, a soup dish to eat with rice, a meat or fish dish and a vegetarian dish (either stir fried or boiled).

Though there were many rises and falls through the time and historical events, including cultural crosses between Vietnam and other countries, Vietnamese cuisine is always deep and strong in identity. It reminds people of the folk creation and adaptation to nature.   Increasingly famous worldwide restaurants have sprawled over the globe, yet, no Vietnamese food abroad can equal in flavor or quality to the one made in Vietnam itself. In brief, Vietnamese cuisine depends heavily on rice grown in water paddies throughout the country with dishes varying from simple everyday meals to most complex dishes designed for the King. Reaching a balance between fresh herbs and meats as well as a selective use of spices, Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

Banh canh is a kind of noodle made from tapioca flour or a mixture of rice and tapioca flour and looks similar to Japanese udon. Banh canh can be cooked with various ingredients in different ways to create peculiar tastes and flavors.

A classic dish is banh canh cua, which includes the noodle as well as crab meat, a piece of frozen blood, prawns and mushroom in a hot and spicy broth. Banh canh gio heo is another common find, with a broth made from pork bones cooked for hours, chopped slices of pork legs, onions, carrots, white radishes and, of course, the banh canh itself.

Besides these two main soups, there are some less common variations which are also worth trying:

With one-sun-dried squid
The highlight of this dish is the one-sun-dried squids (muc mot nang), which are cleaned and exposed to the sun for only one day, thus maintaining their freshness and sweetness. Slices of squid are cooked with banh canh in a yellow paste. The sauce served with the dish is made from salt, chili, lemon, and sugar in specific proportions so that it has sour, spicy, salty and sweet flavors at the same time.

With prawns and coconut milk
This is a specialty of the southwestern region of Vietnam. The prawns are peeled from their shells, then stir-fried with spices in a hot pan before simmering in a broth of coconut milk. The white of the tapioca noodle, the pink of prawns, and the green of sliced spring onion make an eye-pleasing bowl of banh canh noodle soup. Although cooked in coconut milk, the soup has a fatty flavor that is not cloyingly sweet. Banh canh tom nuoc cot dua can be found on Hai Ba Trung street in District 3 for VND40,000 (US$2).

With meatballs 
Different from meatballs found in hu tiu (Phnom Penh noodle) or traditional pho, meatballs in banh canh noodle soup are usually big in size. Diners can feel fulfilled with a spoonful of hot and flavorful meatballs cooked in clear soup. This dish can be found at the end of Nguyen Van Nguyen Street in District 1, close to the Nhieu Loc Canal.
Banh canh cua, which includes the noodle as well as crab meat, a piece of frozen blood, prawns and mushroom (Photo: amthuc.vn)

With snakehead
There are two variations of banh canh ca loc originating from two regions. One from the southwestern area has a clean broth and a thin cut of fish and is served with mam nem, the Vietnamese fermented anchovy sauce. The other, from Hue, is a combination of flavors from the tapioca noodle, fresh fish and spicy cilantro. They are both tasty and can be found on Dang Van Bi Street or Bac Ai Street in Thu Duc District.

With fish patty
Banh canh cha ca is a specialty from coastal cities like Phan Thiet, Phan Rang and Nha Trang. Banh canh are cut into small pieces and cooked until they become transparent. Yellowish, soft slices of fried or steamed fish patty are carefully placed upon the noodle. Sometimes, you can even find pieces of tuna or mackerel added into the soup. This dish can be found in shops and stalls specializing in Phan Thiet or Nha Trang cuisine. The most popular one is at the corner of Nguyen Thong and Rach Bung Binh in District 3.

Dry banh canh
Interestingly, this dry dish was created by a descendant of the Bui family, which is known for bringing fame to banh canh Trang Bang, or Trang Bang-style noodle soup, served with fresh herbs brought directly from Tay Ninh Province. The tapioca flour noodles are dipped into hot broth until soft and then drained.

Then minced meat, fried shallot, peanuts, pickle, cucumber and sprouts are added. This dry version is also accompanied with fresh herbs. This dish can be found at the well-known Banh canh Trang Bang restaurant in District 3’s Vo Van Tan Street.

Banh canh gio heo is prepared with broth made from pork bones, and chopped slices of pork legs (Yup.vn)

Banh canh ca loc (Photo: amthuc.vn)

Source: tuoitrenews