In the West, food is often considered an art form. It might sound pretentious, superficial, even stupid but we genuinely eat with our eyes back home. If something doesn’t look pretty on our plate we either disregard it as cuisine and treat it as low-brow grub or don’t even take notice of it. I cannot deny that I love eating out at home and I cannot wait to go back to my hometown of Liverpool and rediscover all of the great restaurants I frequented, but being here has helped me to appreciate the most basic attribute of pure flavour more than ever.
There’s many delicacies in Vietnam that forgo aesthetically pleasing forms and they’re some of the most popular and widely consumed in their culture. I must say that the fetal duck egg is top of the list on the ugly food barometer and i’ve been far too coy to try it so I’d love to hear from any other bloggers about their experience! I’ll focus on something slightly more appetising:
Banh Beo and Banh Nam are two such cuisines. The highly popular, traditional savory dumplings originated in Hue during the imperial period and are still voraciously consumed all over the country daily. Banh Beo (on the far right) arrives as a spongey, white medallion, accompanied by a sprinkling of crispy shallots whilst Banh Nam is rectangular, floppy and ‘stuffed’ with a dried shrimp mixture (on the left)
I know what you’re thinking. It doesn’t look promising. It wasn’t something I initially took a liking to. I was too focused on it’s strange appearance and consistency to take a minute to acknowledge how it took advantage of the diversity in rice so intelligently. They make this by crushing grains of rice up finely, then boiling them until it thickens to a gluey consistency. They then spread it onto banana leaves and steam them until they’re ready. Before steaming the Banh Nam the shrimp is sprinkled onto the gluey paste. This plate costs just 18,000VND at my favourite Hue restaurant, O Nho, and if you’ve recently taken a liking to Hue cuisine, it is definitely one to at least give a try. The flavour of the Banh Beo is my preferred choice, it’s flavour is light enough to not overpower the crispy, fried shallots (which are divine) but to provide an excellent backdrop to them. Banh Nam’s shrimp ‘paste’ is chewy and mince-like but nevertheless a satisfying taste. It’s integral that you spoon some chilli and garlic fish sauce over each morsel before you tuck in, as it really makes the dish whole.
Another sorry-looking serving that remains secretly delicious is Chè. Chè means ‘sweet soup’ and it is a popular dessert option in Saigon. It also looks like this:
Yes, those are green beans at the bottom of the glass on the right – mung beans (dau xanh) to be precise, combined with chewy cubes of coconut encased in a jellied ball. Mmm. The glass on the left is an amalgamation of black beans (dau den), syrup and coconut milk. I saved you the trouble of witnessing their appearance after mixing everything together as I don’t want to put anyone off completely. The point is that if you give it a good stir, close your eyes and plunge a big ol’ spoonful in your mouth you’ll be treated to a totally sweet, creamy, refreshing palate cleanser. The beans don’t provide any kind of savoury impact but actually soak in the sweetness really well and serve to add texture to the very thin, syrupy liquid. My favourite is definitely the green mung beans without the coconut milk, as it maintains a water-like consistency and is really sweet and delicious. The black bean dessert tends to congeal a little when mixed and the consistency is gluey and slightly off-putting personally, but my two fellow diners much preferred this one! The cost for one glass of Chè starts at 12,000vnd
So if you find yourself wandering the streets looking to satisfy some cravings, consider the not-so refined looking cuisine, you could find your next favorite dish!
jinjaonajourney 