2007 December Archive at gas•tron•o•my

Archive for December, 2007 Page 2 of 4

Hủ Tiếu Bò Kho

Published

on December 19, 2007

in Bo Kho, Breakfast, Saigon, Street Food and Vietnamese

. 4 Comments

While the world is nuts about phở, my Vietnamese noodle/broth combination of choice is bò kho.

Bò kho is a beef stew deeply infused with star anise and lemongrass. The hunks of meat and carrots in bò kho are tender as can be due to hours of simmering.

Back in California, my family ate bò kho with a wide(ish) rice noodle that sometimes veered toward tender. In Saigon, bò kho is served with a thinner and more al dente rice noodle.

The fabulous bowl of bò kho featured up top is from a hidden stall on Ton That Thuyet Street in District 4. The Astronomer and I, along with his sister Rosalind and gas•tron•o•my reader Shay from LA (!), shared two bowls (10,000 VND each) on our early morning food tour today.

For a lovely bò kho recipe from Andrea Nguyen, click below.

Continue reading ‘Hủ Tiếu Bò Kho’

Xôi Lá Dứa

Published

Gastronomer

on December 18, 2007

in Breakfast, Saigon, Street Food, Vietnamese and Xoi

. 0 Comments

xôi lá d?a small

Even though I haven’t dedicated any postings to xoi lately, I’m still very fond of the sticky staple. In fact, I’ve recently started carrying money with me on my morning runs in order to grab some xoi for breakfast. I love multi-tasking.

I’ve encountered many different varietals of xoi while running down Ton That Thuyet Street in District 4, and will try every last one before long. First up, xôi lá dứa.

Sweaty, out of breath, and shirtless, I ordered 4,000 VND of xôi lá dứa from the dealer. I was expecting her to hand over a nice hunk of green sticky rice, but instead she surprised me with a little layering action.

First, she grabbed a banh trang (rice cracker) and placed it on a newspaper/plastic sheet. Then she scooped some pandan-flavored and colored xoi on top of the cracker. Next, she spread on some dau xanh (mung bean paste) on top of the xoi. Lastly, she sprinkled on some mui me (salt and sesame seed mixture) and dried coconut on top of the mung bean paste. She bundled up the xoi using the newspaper/plastic wrapper and included a gelato spoon and a packet of granulated sugar.

When I got back to my apartment, I skipped out on stretching and abs and dug right in. The heat from the xoi softened up the rice cracker to the point where the two textures were barely discernible. The bulk of the xoi’s flavors came from the mui me mixture because the unsweetened shredded coconut and mung bean paste were fairly neutral. I didn’t sprinkle on any extra sugar, but in retrospect, I probably should have because salty plus sweet equals wow.

A good xoi, but the flavors just didn’t POP.

Vegetation Profile: Cà Phê

Published

Gastronomer

on December 17, 2007

in Saigon and Vegetation Profile

. 0 Comments

Coffea (coffee) is a genus of ten species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are shrubs or small trees, native to subtropical Africa and southern Asia. Seeds of this plant are the source of a stimulating beverage called coffee. The seeds are called “beans” in the trade. Coffee beans are widely cultivated in tropical countries in plantations for both local consumption and export to temperate countries. Coffee ranks as one of the world’s major commodity crops and is the major export product of some countries.

This past weekend in Saigon, there was a large coffee festival at Tao Dan Park in District 1. The event was organized by a few central highland provinces to showcase their exquisite coffee. The festival also provided an opportunity for local coffee brands to introduce their products (i.e. instant coffee) to the public.

I’m not much of a cà phê drinker, but Vietnamese people in general love the stuff. The preparation of choice is cà phê sữa đá, which consists of Vietnamese coffee, sweetened condensed milk and ice.

One of the highlights of the event was a giant archway made of ground coffee and coffee beans (see below).

Bánh Mì Cá Sardine

Published

Gastronomer

on December 14, 2007

in Banh Mi, Deli, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese

. 2 Comments

sardine

There are countless banh mi vendors in Saigon selling sardine sandwiches, but the absolute best version is made at a hip deli named Ta Banh Mi Thit.

Ta Banh Mi Thit falls under the genre of Vietnamese-owned eateries that are designed with western aesthetics in mind. They have a professional-looking logo, matching uniforms, a menu with pictures and the staff even wears gloves! Even though I usually try to avoid pretty places like these, their bánh mì cá sardine keeps me coming back.

Priced at 13,000 VND, the bánh mì cá sardine is more than twice the cost of the ones sold street side, but the quality and flavors cannot be matched. The baguette is made in-house and toasted to a crisp. The canned sardines, which come packed in a tomato sauce, are gently heated and kept whole. The best part of the sandwich are the sauteed onions, which are scattered on top. Throw in some fresh cucumber spears, cilantro and pickled carrots and daikon, and you’ve got a killer sandwich.

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259 Le Thanh Ton Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 8229703

369 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền Street
District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 2406007

Tastes Like Hanoi

Published

Gastronomer

on December 13, 2007

in Bun Cha, Pho Cuon, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Street Food and Vietnamese

. 5 Comments

December 12, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

140 Vo Thi Sau Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: none
Website: none

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Pho Cuon (15,000 VND)

Bun Cha (15,000 VND)

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Asia Life HCMC, a lifestyle magazine aimed at the expat crowd, is one of my food inspirations. In every issue, the editors profile a lesser-known regional Vietnamese dish that I have usually never heard of. While flipping through a dated issue recently, I learned about a Hanoi specialty called pho cuon that is supposedly all the rage these days up north. With a little help from the restaurant directory in the magazine, The Astronomer and I tracked down the dish for lunch yesterday.

The eatery, located inside an alley, consisted of an open kitchen, tables, chairs and an awning. We ordered one helping of pho cuon and two portions of bun cha.

The pho cuon was served first and was comprised of lettuce, basil and grilled meat rolled up in a thick sheet of rice paper that reminded me of banh uot. According to the magazine, the rice paper is actually uncut sheets of banh pho. A watered-down nuoc mam and vinegar dipping sauce with sliced carrots and diakon was served on the side.

The smooth rice paper was the dominant flavor, while the meat and greens were merely background noise. The dipping sauce moistened the roll and tied the flavors together. Since this was my first time eating pho cuon, I can’t say whether or not this was an especially good rendition. The pho cuon was tasty, but not nothing to go crazy about.

The bun cha arrived next. Bun cha is made up of three components—herbs/greens, vermicelli noodles (bun) and little patties of grilled minced pork (cha) dunked in a watered-down nuoc mam and vinegar dipping sauce with sliced carrots and diakon.

Rumor has it, northerners eat this dish by adding noodles and greens directly into the bowl of cha. Since we were down south, we were given an extra bowl to make little portions using all of the ingredients.

The little patties of grilled pork were smaller than a pog, and sweet and savory in all the right places. Served with a heap of noodles, I found it impossible to stretch the two tiny patties as needed. The Astronomer and I have had bun cha on numerous occasions, we were neither disappointed nor thrilled with this version.

I am looking forward to traveling to Hanoi next year to taste these regional gems on their home turf.