Culinary Vietnam (3 page)

Other Ingredients

Peanuts
(Lac or Dau Phong)

Usually roasted and chopped, peanuts appear in many dishes, often as a garnish.

Rice
(Gao)

Gao Thom, or long-grained jasmine rice, is the variety most often used in Vietnamese cooking. There are many brands available. It is called Gao when raw and Com when it has been cooked.

Sticky or Glutinous Rice
(Gao Nep)

Also known as sweet rice, it is used in Banh, steamed cakes, breakfast porridges, and desserts. When cooked and ready to eat, this rice is called Xoi.

Rice flour
(Bot Gao)

Rice flour is used for noodles, crêpes, cakes, and sometimes for thickening.

Banana Leaves
(La Chuoi)

Used to wrap foods for steaming or grilling and sometimes used as a serving medium, banana leaves impart a subtle flavor to food. Often available frozen in Asian and Latin American markets.

Tamarind Paste
(Me)

Tamarind paste is the sticky material from the tamarind pod that holds the seed in place. The seeds are removed, and the paste needs to be mixed with a little hot water to soften. Strain before using. Tamarind adds a tart flavor and a caramel-like color to soups and stir-fries as well as some barbecue dishes.

Equipment, Utensils, and Table Settings

Most of the equipment and utensils that you need for cooking Vietnamese food is probably already in your kitchen, but there are a few items that are important or will make life easier for you if you have the right ones.

For the Kitchen

Pots and Pans

Use an array of sauté pans or skillets; heavy is better, and one or two with a lid will be helpful. Saucepans, including a larger one like a Dutch oven, also come in handy. If you are going to make some of the soups or make your own stock or broth, a stockpot or kettle that holds 8 to 12 quarts is important.

Wok

While not absolutely necessary (a skillet can do most of the same things), a wok is a handy tool that is useful for stir-frying, steaming, and deep-frying. I like a heavy steel model with a lid (no nonstick please—it is not necessary).

Steamer

Very important in Vietnamese kitchens, although it may be improvised, a good steamer makes it a lot easier. The Asian steamers seem to be the best, but some other models also work well. I prefer metal to bamboo for ease of cleaning, but they work about the same. Do not get a steamer with holes too large or too small; about half an inch or a touch less in diameter is about right. A tight-fitting lid is also important.

Knives

Good sharp knives are important, as Vietnamese cooking involves a lot of cutting, slicing, and chopping. A cleaver and a chef knife are handy to have around. A paring knife is also essential. Those three will serve you well, but you could also consider a boning knife, a slicer, a Shoku knife (or sushi knife), etc.—that is up to you.

Food Processing

A mortar and pestle can be very useful for crushing spices and making pastes. A food processor can do some of the same as well as chopping and some slicing and shredding. A mini chopper can also handle the chopping of things like garlic, ginger, and shallots, but a knife works fine too.

Mandolin

I like a mandolin—a slicing, cutting, and shredding tool—that is very sharp and precise. It is quite a time-saver. The classic French ones are more expensive, but many of the Asian versions cost a lot less and work just as well, if not better.

Rice Cooker

A great luxury item but not a necessity, an electric rice cooker is a simple and virtually fool-proof method of cooking rice and does not tie up your stove. I have been cooking rice for years in a saucepan, and I am satisfied with that method. The choice is yours.

For the Table

Chopsticks

A very important part of Vietnamese eating, chopsticks allow you to pick up bite-sized pieces of food from the typical communal serving dishes on the table. There are many choices out there. I prefer the type that are not too thin and slick. A little friction and some size make it easier to hold onto the food.

Small Bowls or Dishes

These are used for individual servings of dipping sauces.

Rice Bowls

Individual rice bowls are usually placed at each setting on the Vietnamese table. It gives a place for the food to “land” when serving oneself from the communal dishes. The rice gets flavored by placing food on it before you eat it. The rice bowls should not be too large, sized to fit comfortably in the palm of the hand. Rice bowls may also be used to hold dipping sauces for communal use.

Soup Bowls

Rice bowl sizes work fine for soups in a multicourse meal, but for main dish soups like Pho or Bun Bo Hue, you will need something larger (a 24-ounce capacity or larger) that can hold the entire serving. A deeper style is preferred, as it makes it easier to get at the noodles with chopsticks without making a mess.

Spoons

Teaspoons are used for stirring beverages like coffee and tea, and for serving dipping sauces and condiments. Larger soupspoons, either Asian-style or traditional, are necessary for eating soup. Large serving spoons are useful for rice and for dishing up some main courses, and ladles are needed for soups.

Plates and Platters

Small to medium plates are often set at each place to be used for wrapping things and/or as a place to discard items like bones, shells, squeezed limes,
etc.
Larger plates and platters can be used to serve the main courses. A slightly concave shape or an upwardly curved rim helps to hold the sauces on the platter.

Serving Bowls

Serving bowls of several sizes can be useful for holding foods like rice, noodles, main courses, side dishes, and soups.

Today’s Vietnamese cooking has been informed and shaped into its unique identity through its history, climate, and geography and, perhaps more than anything else, by the tenacious, resourceful, creative, clever, and gracious people of that country.

Dipping Sauces & Condiments

The Vietnamese table would be considered pretty bare without at least one dipping sauce present. Many dishes in the culinary repertoire of Vietnam are subtly flavored, and the individual diners then use the dipping sauces and condiments to enhance the seasonings to their taste. These table dipping sauces also add a fresh and sometimes contrasting note to the cooked dish. Every cook has favorites, and the variations are many. Here are some of the basic ones along with some of my favorites.

Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce

Nuoc Tuong Pha Gung

1 (2-inch) piece peeled ginger

1/4 cup warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sliced Thai or serrano chiles, as desired

Makes 1 cup

Used for vegetarian meals, this sauce may also be used instead of a fish sauce to based dip or alongside as an alternative. I like it with vegetables too.

1
Slice the ginger thinly and then cut across the slices to make thin matchsticks. Combine the water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Mix everything together and serve. This sauce is typically made fresh for each meal, but leftovers will keep several days in the refrigerator.

Salt, Pepper, and Lime Dipping Sauce

Muoi Tieu Chanh

Coarse kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground white or black pepper

Lime wedges

Thinly sliced or minced serrano or Thai chiles (optional)

Makes 1 cup

A simple table condiment that replaces the ubiquitous salt-and-pepper shakers of Western tables, Muoi Tieu Chanh is used for simple boiled, steamed, or grilled meats, seafood, poultry, and vegetables. It can be presented in individual dishes for each diner or in a communal bowl. The components are placed separately in the dish and then mixed together with the end of a chopstick to make a savory paste for dipping. Both white and black pepper is used according to taste preferences, and chiles are an option as well. The proportion of salt to pepper and the amount of lime juice is also a matter of preference. If you can find key limes or Mexican limes, the pale-yellow variety with seeds, try them for a slightly sweeter taste. Often, fresh chile slices are added along with or instead of the pepper in this condiment.