Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Street Food

03 Oct 2007

Chuối Nếp Nướng

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The majority of the foods I’ve been eating in Vietnam were introduced to me by my family growing up. Recently, I’ve been making an extra-effort to try new delights for variety’s sake and to expand my Vietnamese food repertoire.

After reading a mouthwatering post about chuoi nep nuong on Noodlepie, I set out to find the treat in the streets of Saigon. It didn’t take long for me to locate a man serving it up on Yersin Street in District 1. The going rate for one banana was 3,000 VND.

Chuoi nep nuong consists of gelatinous rice wrapped around a ripened finger banana and grilled to a golden hue. The grilled-up banana and rice combo are cut into small pieces and drenched with sweet coconut milk.

The gelatinous rice is chewy, crispy and sticky off the grill, while the bananas caramelize beautifully. The warm coconut milk ties together all the flavors and the result is totally fabulous.

Restaurant Review

02 Oct 2007

Giác Đức – Ho Chi Minh City

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September 18-20, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Vegetarian

492 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 088356161
Website: none

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Boiled Water Spinach (3,000 VND)

Braised Tofu with Vegetables (5,000 VND)

Stuffed Eggplant, Tomato, and Bitter Melon (5,000 VND)

BBQ “Pork” – “Thit” Heo Quay (10,000 VND)

Stir Fried Cabbage (3,000 VND)

Canh Chua (5,000 VND)

Sauteed Green Beans and Carrots (3,000 VND)

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I’ve been going to lunch at Giac Duc at least twice a week for the past two weeks. I’m on a vegetarian kick because I need more veggies in my diet and less refined flours and meat. Plus, it’s totally delicious.

My three favorite dishes at Giac Duc are the BBQ “pork,” sauteed green beans, and canh chua.

The BBQ pork is hands-down the best mock meat dish ever! The taste is spot-on and the texture is unbelievably thit heo quay-like. We’re talking mock fatty pork skin! How do they do that? I think it may involve tapioca and science.

The green beans are prepared simply with butter, salt, and plenty of black pepper. With vegetables this fresh, it doesn’t take a lot to make them tasty.

The canh chua is spiced nicely and brimming with tomatoes, bean sprouts, pineapple, bac ha, and okra. I really could (and sometimes do) eat canh chua every day.

My only complaint about the eatery is that the price of the food seems to change every time I dine there. When I ate at Giac Duc with a fellow Viet Kieu, the price of the BBQ pork was 5,000 VND, but when I dined with The Astronomer, the price jumped to 10,000 VND. WTF, right? I don’t mind being gouged a little because I’m a foreigner, but at least be consistent about it.

I’ll keep coming back for the “pork.”

Banh Trung Thu

01 Oct 2007

Bánh Trung Thu – Mooncakes

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The annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Tết Trung Thu) came and went last Tuesday without much fanfare from the Gastronomy camp. There were a few celebrations taking place around town, but The Astronomer and I were too beat after work and running to partake in the fun. Are we getting old? I’m afraid so.

One aspect of the holiday that The Astronomer and I whole-heartedly embraced was the consumption of Moon Cakes (Bánh Trung Thu):

Most Moon Cakes are baked and contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. The saltiness of the yolk balances well with the sweet filling in the Moon Cakes.

Traditional Moon Cakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the Moon Cake. Imprints of a moon, a woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Moon Cakes are expensive and considered a delicacy. Production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Most Moon Cakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries.

The Astronomer bought his Moon Cake from our favorite bakery in District 10 for 30,000 VND. The cake was imprinted with coy fish and filled with various roasted meats including pork and ham, lotus seed paste, two salted egg yolks, and sesame seeds. I bought a Moon Cake from a vegetarian restaurant in District 3 for 15,000 VND. The cake was imprinted with a lotus blossom and contained cashews, sesame seeds, whole lotus seeds, lotus seed paste, and mock roasted meats. Moon Cakes come in a variety of shapes and fillings, but the types we purchased were labeled thap cam, which roughly translates to “a little bit of everything.”

I ate Moon Cakes on a few occasions growing up, but never realized they contained any meat because they were so sweet. However, now that my palate has matured a bit, I can definitely discern between the meaty elements and sweet ones and can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into each cake.

The day after Tết Trung Thu, all the bakeries in town began offering cakes for either half-off or “buy one get one free.” Between The Astronomer and I, we stocked up on four extra cakes to prolong the deliciousness of the holiday.