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Hương Viên

Published

on October 1, 2008

in Mon An Chay, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Vegetarian and Vietnamese

. 3 Comments

About one year ago, two things that are loosely related took place. First, my pants stopped fitting. And second, The Astronomer and I discovered Hương Viên (101 Vuon Chuoi Street, District 3, Phone: 8327115), a local spot serving vegetarian Vietnamese food. Do you see where this story’s headed?

It turned out that my first month of living in Saigon was a little too decadent and as a result, those sky blue pants that I liked so much were a bit tight around the waist. To get things back to right, The Astronomer and I spent many lunches the following months dining next to Buddhist monks and nuns downing meatless fare.

Even after the pants ordeal passed, The Astronomer and I continued to dine at Hương Viên because aside from being healthy, their food is genuinely good. Hương Viên, like a lot of veggie restaurants in town, has a pretty hefty menu. So even though we ate here a lot, we barely made a dent in the offerings. Here are Hương Viên’s greatest hits, and a couple of misses too.

Xoi Ga (4,000 VND) - One of my all-time favorite dishes at Hương Viên was their savory sticky rice. The portion size was just right and the “pate” and “pork floss” tasted like the real deal. Coulda fooled me!

Com Thap Cam (10,000 VND) - The Astronomer and I also really liked the rice platter topped with four different tofu and mock meat dishes. The composition changed every day depending on what dishes were on hand. This platter cost a measly 7,000 VND when we first started dining at Hương Viên but crept up to 10,000 VND by the end of our stay. Inflation is something we definitely don’t miss about Vietnam.

Com Thit Xa Xieu (8,000 VND) - Of all the mock meat and tofu dishes, the “barbecued meat” was one of the best.

Vegetables - Nothing complements a hearty plate of rice like stir-fried vegetables. The vegetable selection changed daily, and it was difficult to make a bad choice. The chayote (Xu Xao - 4,000 VND), okra (Dau Bap - 3,000 VND) and green beans (Dau Cu Ve - 6,000 VND) were all great.

Goi Ngo Sen (6,000 VND) - The lotus root salad was another excellent side, but The Astronomer and I had to keep our eyeballs peeled for camouflaged chilies. Orange colored chilies are the trickiest, especially with carrots in the dish.

Although their rice plates were stellar, Hương Viên had more difficulty transforming classic Vietnamese noodle soups into tasty vegetarian fare. The Hu Tieu Bo Kho (top left - 12,000 VND) and Mi Sa Te (top right - 10,000 VND) were bland, a little watery and tasted nothing like their meaty renditions. The one noodle soup that Hương Viên nailed was Bun Ca Ri Ga (bottom - 15,000 VND).

Hương Viên’s pho (left - 12,000 VND) was also a massive failure. The best vegetarian pho that we encountered in Saigon was at Pho Chay Nhu. The Banh Xeo (10,000 VND), on the other hand, was awesome! Lots of bean sprouts and pieces of mock meat. Didn’t miss the pork and shrimp one bit.

Bun Thit Xao - vermicelli rice noodles with stir-fried beef (12,000 VND) and banh hoi thit nuong - steamed rice noodle cakes with grilled meat (not pictured) were solid efforts. Hương Viên’s nuoc mam sauce is pretty darn similar to the ones that use actual fish sauce.

Hoanh Thanh (12,000 VND) - The wonton soup is another notable broth dish. The “meat” filling inside the wrappers taste nothing like pork and shrimp, but I kinda liked them nevertheless.

Hương Viên’s Canh Chua - (sour soup - 4,000 VND) was good, but not as tempting as the one served a few stores down at Giac Duc. Both varieties of buns, steamed (Banh Bao - 6,000 VND) and baked (Banh Bao Nuong - 4,000 VND), were lovely little bites, but not so amazing that we felt compelled to order them on every visit like the sticky rice and rice platters.

Phở Chay - Vegetarian Phở

Published

Gastronomer

on September 15, 2008

in Family Recipes, Mon An Chay, Pho, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian and Vietnamese

. 8 Comments

My mom prepares this vegetarian version of pho on auspicious days according to the Lunar Calendar when all Buddhists refrain from eating meat. The broth is fragrant with star anise and five spice, while the “meat” is comprised of mushrooms and wheat gluten.

For noodles

1 package of fresh or dried banh pho (flat rice noodles). Prepare according to directions on package. Make sure to rinse noodles well under cold running water after boiling.

For broth

1 leek (leaves only)
1 yellow onion
1 ginger
5 star anise
14 oz. vegetable broth
Water
Soy sauce (Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce)
Sugar

For “meat”

Vegetable oil
1 leek (stem only)
1 ten oz. can of mock meat/fried wheat gluten (mock duck, chicken, abalone, etc.)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (any variety)
Soy sauce (Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce)
Mushroom seasoning
Black pepper

Make soup

For the soup, heat vegetable broth and 10-12 cups of water in a medium-sized soup pot, leaving enough room for the ginger, onion and leek leaves.

Remove the outer layer of the onion and add it whole to the broth. Leaving the skin of the ginger intact, chop off the nubs and bruise using a mortar and pestle. Add to broth. Separate the leek leaves from the stems and add them to the broth along with five star anise “fruits.” Let the soup boil on high heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the onion and ginger have softened.

Once the onion and ginger have softened, discard the leek leaves. Add ¾ tablespoon of Chinese five spice to the broth and season with soy sauce and sugar to taste. Continue to cook on medium heat for an additional 15 minutes.

Make “meat” mixture

While the soup is boiling, thinly slice the leek stems and chop the mushrooms and mock meat into bite-sized pieces. Deep-fried tofu can be used in place of mock meat if desired.

Saute the leeks with vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan until golden. Add the mushrooms and “meat” to the leek and oil mixture along with half of the canned mock meat “juice.” Season to taste with soy sauce, mushroom seasoning and black pepper. Tip: My mom says to make the “meat” mixture slightly salty because the broth will balance out the excess saltiness.

Assemble and garnish

Grab a bowl and fill it with noodles and the “meat” mixture. Pour some hot broth on top. To garnish, add fresh or steamed bean sprouts, onions, cilantro, lime juice, herbs (basil, saw tooth herb, etc.), hoisin sauce and chili sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Her noodles brings all the boys to the yard…

Published

Gastronomer

on May 29, 2008

in Banh Canh, Bun Bo Hue, Bun Mam, Bun Rieu, Bun Thai, Hu Tieu Nam Vang, Mi Vit Tiem, Mon An Chay, Saigon and Street Food

. 10 Comments

I’ve been enamored with the Lunch Lady’s noodles ever since I started my gig at AsiaLIFE. Unless I have commitments beyond my control, this joint near 23 Hoang Sa in District 1 is my go-to place for afternoon refueling.

After frequenting her stall everyday for the past month, The Astronomer and I have figured out that bun bo is always sold on Fridays. Monday through Thursday are still a bit of a mystery, but more often than not it’s delicious. Regardless of what’s on offer, her standard rate is 12,000 VND per bowl.

I usually avoid slurping up broths in noodle dishes because they tend to be too oily. However, I throw caution to the wind when dining here because her broths are chug-worthy.

Bun Bo: According to The Astronomer, the lunch lady’s best dish is bun bo. I’m still up in the air about which one I love most, but her bun bo definitely ranks high. The broth has a deep lemongrass flavor and just a hint of spiciness, and there’s always a generous amount of tender meat. By the way, the lunch lady’s secret to avoiding gristly meat is pineapple. She adds a whole one to the broth, which tenderizes the meat and imparts a bit of sweetness to the broth.

Hu Tieu Nam Vang: Andrea Nguyen at Viet World Kitchen says that hu tieu nam vang is a “Cambodian-Chinese concoction that the Vietnamese ‘borrowed’ and then made their own. Nam Vang is the Viet word for Phnom Penh, and the southern part of Vietnam has deep Khmer roots.”

Hu tieu nam vang is The Astronomer’s least favorite because it contains too many odds and ends (i.e. quail eggs, innards, liver). I, on the other hand, really love the sweet porky broth and find offal awfully tasty. I always request mi (egg noodles) rather than hu tieu (opaque rice noodles) with this dish because I like the taste and texture much better.

Bun Thai: The broth tastes just like tom yum goong soup and has a spicy kick that hits the back of my throat. Thick rice noodles, squid, fried fish cakes and a single shrimp round out the dish nicely. This little number is my colleague Fiona’s favorite.

Bun Rieu Chay: On the first and fifteenth of the Lunar calendar, the lunch lady prepares vegetarian noodles. Her bun rieu chay is so believable that The Astronomer and I didn’t even know it was vegetarian until we asked. Tofu and bean curd make fine substitutions for snails and crab.

Banh Canh: Mmm, banh canh. I never fully appreciated these chewy tapioca noodles until recently. When I was a kid, I just thought they were a bitch to eat because they were so gosh darn slippery. The lunch lady makes at least two types of banh canh—a simple one in a pork broth and this one which contains all sorts of fish cakes, fried shallots and a quail egg. I love how she puts quail eggs in everything!

Mi Ga Tiem: This dish is traditionally made with duck, but the lunch lady uses chicken because it’s less fatty. However, from looking at the broth, I’d say the chicken isn’t cutting that many calories. The chicken version is pretty darn good, but I always prefer duck over chicken. The pickled green papaya served on the side is really good, but the best part is the sweet star anise broth.

Bun Mam: I’m not quite sure what’s exactly in bun mam, but I really really like it. The broth is deeply flavorful and doesn’t really taste like mam (fermented shrimp paste). The soup comes with pineapple, eggplant, barbecued pork (thit heo quay), shrimp, okra, chives and thick rice noodles.

My lunch lady is incredible!