Vietnam | Ten More Bites

Archive | Vietnam RSS feed for this section

Vietnamese fried chicken (VFC)

I seldom make fried chicken. Not because I don’t like it (I do), and not for health reasons either. It’s the time it takes, the mess it makes (all that spattering oil)… The end result never seemed to justify the hassle.

But that was before I encountered Vietnamese fried chicken (or VFC as we now call it) at a music festival.

Maybe I was influenced by the band that was playing (Noah and the Whale), or the unexpected blessing of sunshine, or the mellow party atmosphere, but that chicken was just about the best thing I’d ever tasted.

The moist and flavourful meat, the growing kick of chilli heat, the coating that was more crackle than crumb. Fried chicken this good was definitely worth the hassle. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, chicken, dairy-free

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Chicken, Main, Vietnam

Vietnamese grilled pork balls

24 Nov

These Vietnamese grilled pork balls (nem nuong) are surprisingly light, and make a nice meal with an Asian slaw or this warm glass noodle and edamame salad. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, dairy-free, gluten-free, pork

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Main, Pork, Vietnam

Prawn and noodle salad

22 Jul

This prawn and noodle salad is pretty much a reinterpretation of a Vietnamese salad roll. I often make it for lunch, using whatever vegetables and fresh herbs I have on hand. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, chillies, dairy-free, dill, gluten-free, prawns, vermicelli, Vietnamese food

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Salad, Vietnam

Ca ri ga (Vietnamese chicken curry)

19 May

Cari ga, or Vietnamese chicken curry, is almost a chicken stew. With its familiar vegetable trio of carrot, potato and onion, it’s hearty enough to serve on its own, with maybe a hunk of baguette to soak up the sauce. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, carrots, chicken, coconut milk, curry, dairy-free, gluten-free, onions, potatoes, Vietnamese food

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Chicken, Main, Vietnam

Vietnamese salad rolls

2 Sep

A good Vietnamese salad roll is one of my all-time favourite things. When I lived in Vancouver, there was a great Vietnamese place called Vina round the corner from my apartment, and I would regularly pick up an order of salad rolls for dinner on the way home from work. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, dairy-free, gluten-free, noodles, prawns

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Fish/Shellfish, Sandwich/Wrap, Vietnam

Banh mi sandwich

23 Aug

We’ve been making banh mi sandwiches for a while now, and have eventually settled on a house version. It calls for little meatballs instead of grilled meat, doesn’t include paté, and features cabbage in the pickle instead of the usual daikon radish – works for us! Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, baguette, cabbage, carrots, dairy-free, meatballs

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Pork, Sandwich/Wrap, Vietnam

Goi ga (Vietnamese chicken salad)

18 Jul

Goi ga – Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad – features pretty regularly around here, especially in the summer. Both girls eat it happily, as long as I don’t make it too hot. Learning from experience, I now add about half the chilli when I prepare the salad, and keep the rest aside for Adam and I to add at the table.

I grow Vietnamese coriander (also called Vietnamese mint) in the summer, so added a few leaves with the regular mint. The dressing is closely based on Nigella Lawson’s recipe in Nigella Bites. Continue reading →

Tags: Asian food, cabbage, carrots, chicken, chillies, dairy-free, gluten-free, limes, mint, Vietnamese food

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Chicken, Salad, Vietnam

Search

Ten More Bites