It seems all you do is eat and drink
“Great photos! It seems all you do is eat and drink” were my uncle Harri’s comments about my pictures. I can’t argue with that statement and actually question whether my family or friends have any idea about what living in Vietnam is like by just seeing me holding a beer or documenting my cooking experiments.
Thinking about this again, I can’t think of a better way to learn Vietnamese language and culture. Vietnamese are passionate about their food, love to make it, love to eat it and unsurprisingly love talking about it too. If you want to learn about Vietnam, learn the food! Hang and I always joke saying we’re a great team because she loves to cook, I love to eat. These days I’m also trying my hand in the kitchen with Hang showing me how.
Sticking to simple recipes, my last attempt was Bún chả which is vermicelli noodles with barbecued pork. This is a popular dish in the north and I try to eat it for breakfast as much as possible when we visit Hang’s parents. I get hungry just remembering waking up on a cool winter morning, slurping down noodles and the most delicious pork patties wrapped in fragrant Lá lốt, aka pepper leaves. Another simple, yet delicious dish!
Ingredients:
- Vermicelli Noodles (1 kg)
- Ground Pork (300 grams)
- Bag full of Pepper Leaves to wrap the patties (lá lốt) – optional
- Shallots (5 small ones)
- Lettuce (1 head)
- Peanuts (optional)
Steps:
- Chop up the shallots to mix in the ground pork
- Add a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning
- Make small patties (spoonful size) of pork and wrap them in the leaves
- Fry in oil / barbecue over flame until cooked
- Serve over fresh noodles, lettuce and peanuts, and dip into fish sauce
Fish Sauce (nước chấm)
- 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (be careful this is strong)
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 minced red Thai chile or jalepeno (remove seeds if don’t want spicy)
- 1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of of water
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
make this to taste in a rice bowl or small dish
If too sweet, add a bit of fish sauce for more salt
If too salty, add some more sugar.
If too fish, add more water to dilute, etc etc…
