Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

04 Apr 2008

Bánh Khọt

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March 27, 2008
Cuisine: Vietnamese

59B Cao Thang Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 8323312
Website: none

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Bánh khọt thập cẩm – miniature fried pancakes sampler platter (30,000 VND)

Cơm gà rôti – rotisserie chicken with fried rice (35,000 VND)

Gởi mục Thái Lan – Thailand-style squid salad (70,000 VND)

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The Astronomer and I finally made our way to Co Ba Vung Tau the other week to try the bánh khọt Wandering Chopsticks raved about. Bánh khọt are a specialty of the southern coastal city of Vung Tau and taste quite a bit like banh xeo due to their similar batters and accouterments.

Co Ba Vung Tau offers four different varieties of bánh khọt—shrimp, pork, oyster and cha ca (fish loaf). Since this was our first time trying the dish, we hedged our bets and ordered a sampler platter that included a few of each kind. To round out our meal, I went for a squid salad, while The Astronomer went for some chicken with rice.

The bánh khọt were delivered along with a large basket of herbs and greens. After our waitress poured some nuoc mam from a giant pitcher (pictured above) into our individual bowls, we proceeded to eat the bánh khọt just as Graham of Noodlepie advised:

Take a leaf (lettuce or mustard) and sling in a couple of herbs and pickles along with the bánh khọt itself. Make a small parcel and dip into the plain nuoc mam. Depending on the size of your gob and/or how much of a fat bastard you are, each green parcel should take around three bites to fully consume. It’s green ‘n’ lean and airyfairy enough that one diner could stuff in all eight cakes with ease.

Bánh khọt are simultaneously “airyfairy” and crispy. The Astronomer and I each ate four and could have easily downed twice as many if we hadn’t ordered the other dishes. We both liked the oyster bánh khọt best because of its intense flavor. Unlike the shrimp, pork and fish cake bánh khọt, the oyster variety could hold up against the nuoc mam and shrubbery. The texture of bánh khọt is really something special.

Although we came for the bánh khọt, the dish that really stood out was the squid salad. The pieces of squid were plentiful, fresh as can be and unbelievably tender. Ever since we indulged in the finest squid in the world during our trip to Phu Quoc last November, we’ve become quite the squid snobs. The squid salad at Co Ba Vung Tau magically transported us back to the sunny shores of Phu Quoc.

The Astronomer’s rotisserie chicken with rice was also well-executed. The buttery fried rice contained bits of scallions and eggs and tasted indulgent compared to the plain jasmine The Astronomer has grown accustomed to. The chicken was moist, crispy skinned and dressed in a five-spice marinade.

Saigon

03 Apr 2008

Vegetation Profile: Gac Fruit

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Momordica cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng., commonly known as gac (IPA: /ˈgæk/, from Vietnamese: gấc, or quả gấc [quả meaning “fruit”]; in Chinese: 木鳖果), is a Southeast Asian fruit found throughout the region from Southern China to Northeastern Australia. It is also known as Baby Jackfruit, Spiny Bitter Gourd, Sweet Gourd, or Cochinchin Gourd. It has been traditionally used as both food and medicine in the regions in which it grows.

Because it has a relatively short harvest season (which peaks in December and January), making it less abundant than other foods, gac is typically served at ceremonial or festive occasions in Vietnam, such as Tết (the Vietnamese new year) and weddings. It is most commonly prepared as a dish called xôi gấc, in which the aril and seeds of the fruit are cooked in glutinous rice, imparting both their color and flavor.

Other than the use of its fruit and leaves for special Vietnamese culinary dishes, gac is also used for its medicinal and nutritional properties. In Vietnam, the seed membranes are used to aid in the relief of dry eyes, as well as to promote healthy vision. Similarly, in Traditional Chinese medicine the seeds of gac, known as mubiezi (Chinese: 木鳖子), are employed for a variety of internal and external purposes.

While I can’t vouch for the medicinal prowess of gac fruit, I can attest for its brilliant dying properties, especially in the form of Xôi Gấc. I’m a little afraid of staining my fingers and clothes, but one of these days I must purchase a gac fruit to taste in its purist form.

With the exception of xoi, I have very little experience with guc fruit. Dear readers, how do YOU (or your mama and grandma) eat and use guc fruit? I am very curious…

Restaurant Review

02 Apr 2008

Something Old, Something New

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March 21, 2008
Cuisine: Vietnamese

187 Co Giang Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: none
Website: none

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Bánh mì hấp (20,000)

Bún thịt nướng (15,000)

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In search of lunch the other week in an unfamiliar section of District 1, The Astronomer and I were lured by the smell of grilled meats wafting through the air. There is no shortage of barbecued animal protein in Saigon, but on this particular afternoon, I found the smoky scent particularly tempting.

I asked the gentleman closest to the storefront what dishes were on offer and he responded bun thit nuong and banh mi hap. We parked our motorbike, pulled up a seat, and ordered two bowls of bun and one order of banh mi hap.

The Astronomer and I are very familiar with bun thit nuong, but we had no idea what banh mi hap was. The literal translation of the dish is “steamed bread.”

The bun thit nuong arrived first. The bowls were piled high with herbs, bean sprouts, lettuce, barbecued pork, scallion oil, crushed peanuts, pickled carrots and daikon, and a messy tangle of cool rice vermicelli noodles. Nuoc mam (fish sauce vinaigrette) was served in a small plastic container on the side.

Of all the bowls of bun thit nuong I’ve downed in my days (trust me, there have been plenty), the meat in this one was definitely the best. Sorry, Mom. Marinated in sugar, garlic and fish sauce, the flavors permeated the pork and caramelized to perfection on the hot grill. The ratios of meat to fat and charred to cooked was also just right.

The banh mi hap arrived soon after. Thick slices of day-old bread came topped with thit bo xao—thinly sliced beef and onions sauteed in garlic and fish sauce. The bread soaked up the meaty juices like a deconstructed French dip sandwich.

The banh mi hap was served with herbs, large romaine lettuce leaves and nuoc mam for rolling and dipping, but I preferred to eat it au naturale to fully taste the beef, onions and bread. Hearty and delightful, I’m surprised there aren’t more dishes in Vietnamese cuisine that make use of stale baguettes.