Short HistoryOf their Cuisine

Vietnam: Vietnam: • Neighbors have influenced the Vietnamese people in regards to what they eat

and how they cook. 

• People from Mongolia who invaded Vietnam from the north in the tenth century brought beef with them.

• This is how beef became part of the Vietnamese diet. 

• Common Vietnamese beef dishes are pho bo (Beef Noodle Soup) and bo bay mon (Beef Cooked Seven Ways).

• The Chinese who dominated Vietnam for 1,000 years taught the Vietnamese people cooking techniques such as stir frying and deep frying, as well as the use of chopsticks.

Vietnam: Vietnam: • In the south, neighboring Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand introduced such

ingredients as flat, Cambodian style egg noodles, spices, chili, and coconut milk.

• Beginning in the sixteenth century, explorers and traders introduced foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, and snow peas. 

• When the French colonized Vietnam (1858–1954), they introduced foods such as baguettes (French bread), pâté, coffee with cream, milk, butter, custards, and cakes. 

• In the 1960s and 1970s (Vietnam War era), the U.S. military introduced ice cream to Vietnam when it contracted with two U.S. dairies to build dozens of ice cream factories.

Cooking Methods

Fried dishesThis method involves more oil and high temperatures.

SteamingBy this method, you can keep nutrition for your dishes and maintain free-oil healthy food for your family.

StewingThis method is specially used for meat with herbs and seasonings. 

Stir-fryThis technique is usually applied for vegetable, mushroom themselves, sometime chef can mix with meat and fish sauce.

BoilingFamous for healthy food, a lot of dishes are made by this method because of its freshness and healthy.

GrillingThere is a variety of dishes are made from this method such as skewered dishes, cooked in bamboo tubes over fire

Fresh wrapThis method is very simple but bring an amazing healthy taste for the dish.

 Bóp th u/tái ấchanh:Raw meat or seafood preparing with lime and vinegar to freshly cook the meat

(Congee) (Soup) (Roasting)

OTHERS

(Hot pot) (Curry) and (cook in a vinegar-based hotpot)

Cooking toolsand equipment

Kitchen CleaverPerfect balance and weight. For slicing. For Chopping.

Kitchen Knife

Comfortable, round hardwood handle. Perfect balance and weight. For slicing.

Knife

Steel blade. Traditional wood handle. Perfect for slicing & pealing fish

Wok can also be used to deep fry, braise, stew, smoke or make soup.

 

Bamboo SteamerEssential for steaming dim sum, vegetables, fish etc.

Mortar and pestleEssential for grinding and pounding herbs, seeds and spices and making pastes.

ClaypotsMany braised Vietnamese dishes are cooked in claypots.  It distributes heat evenly.

Mandoline (plastic food slicer)

Very handy for making Vietnamese salads and pickles as it can be used to finely grate or thinly slice large quantities of ingredients consistently.

Bamboo brushPieces of bamboo provide a gentle scour to clean your carbon steel wok. 

TongsA traditional pair of tongs will work well for removing fried foods from hot oil. 

Wok Skimmerdrain food from hot oil or boiling water.

Chopping BoardsI prefer a wood chopping block over plastic. Plastic is too hard on the cutting edge of your cutting tools. 

(Fish sauce) (Kaffir lime leaves)  (Thai chiles)

Common Ingredients

(Dried rice paper) (Cellophane noodles)  (Rice stick noodles)

(Coconut milk) (Tamarind)  (Wood ear mushrooms)

(Lemongrass) (Dried lemongrass )  (Holy basil)

Popular dishes

Hanoi Beef and Rice Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Also known as Pho Bo, this fragrant and flavorful dish creates a distinctive broth by combining beef oxtail–which is easy on the wallet–with additional flavors like fresh ginger, radish, fish sauce, cloves, and cinnamon.

Vietnamese Summer RollsThese light and delicate rolls combine the best of both texture worlds

Vietnamese Beef-Noodle Bowl

With the distinctive flavor of star anise, the sweetness of cinnamon, the heat of ginger, and the brightness of fresh herbs

Lemongrass Shrimp over Rice Vermicelli and Vegetables (Bun Tom Nuong Xa)

Known in Vietnam as Bun Tom Nuong Xa, this dish features grilled shrimp, vermicelli, lettuce, crisp veggies, fresh mint, and peanuts

Cold Soba Noodles with Vietnamese Pork

For incredible and authentic Vietnamese flavor, cut tender pork cutlets in strips and marinate in sesame oil, green onions, fish sauce, tamari, and brown sugar before pan-cooking. 

Sautéed Tofu (Dau Hu Xao Dau Hao)Stir-fry tofu in a simple sauce of oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and olive oil. 

‘’Eating is a necessity but cooking is an art’’

- GROUP II @ASIANCUISINE312

References:• http://www.foodbycountry.com/Spain-to-Zimbabwe-Cumulative-

Index/Vietnam.html

• http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2013/05/16/utensils-vietnamese

• http://vietkitchen2013.blogspot.com/2013/02/cooking-methods-in-vietnamese-cuisine.html

• http://www.xuvn.com/foodofvietnam/vietnamese_kitchen_cooking_utens.htm

• http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/A-Guide-to-Vietnamese-Ingredients

• http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/5-to-try/vietnamese-dishes#more