Vietnamese
Cha Ca La Vong (Turmeric Fish with Dill Wilted at the Table)
Hanoi's fish dish: white freshwater fish marinated in turmeric, galangal and fish sauce, grilled over charcoal first, then fried again in a small pan of oil on a burner at the table, with dill and spring onion heaped on by the handful and wilted. The dill here is a vegetable, not a garnish. Dishes that use herbs in that quantity usually wring them, fry them long or boil them; this pan has no liquid to thin, so a whole bunch of dill can be cooked in under a minute.
Bún Riêu Cua (Rice Noodles in a Crab Broth with Crab Curds)
Northern Vietnam's crab noodle soup. Paddy crabs are pounded shell and all, worked into water and strained, and the crab liquid is heated slowly until the crab's own protein sets and rises. That floating mass is the riêu, and it is the solid part of the bowl. It is the raft a cook makes with egg white to clear a broth and then throws away, formed here by the ingredient itself and kept. Tomato and tamarind sour the broth, and shrimp paste goes on the side.
Bun Dau Mam Tom (Rice Noodles and Fried Tofu with Shrimp Paste Dip)
A Hanoi spread: pressed rice-noodle cakes, just-fried tofu, boiled pork and fresh herbs, all dipped into mắm tôm, fermented shrimp paste. The mắm tôm is never cooked. The same kind of paste that other dishes toast or fry to drive off its sharp smell is served raw here, beaten with lime juice and sugar until it foams.
Ca Loc Nuong Trui (Whole Snakehead Grilled in a Straw Fire)
A Mekong Delta fish cooked the way a rice field allows. A snakehead is left unscaled and ungutted, run through with a bamboo stake, stood upright in the ground and buried under dry rice straw, which is then lit. The straw is gone in minutes and leaves no coals, so the whole cook happens inside the flames that every other fire recipe here tells you to wait out. What blackens is the scales, and the scales are scraped off at the table.
Pho (Noodle Soup)
Vietnam's national dish — rice noodles and beef in a clear, fragrant broth simmered for hours with spices and charred onion and ginger. Finished at the table with sprouts, herbs, and lime to taste.
Chả Giò (Fried Rice-Paper Rolls)
Vietnamese rolls of minced pork, wood ear, glass noodle and vegetables wrapped in rice paper and fried. What most separates them from a wheat-wrapper spring roll is that the wrapper is starch rather than gluten. A starch film does not brown smooth in oil; it blisters into bubbles and shatters like glass, and it stays crisp far longer once cool. Which is why these can sit on a plate and still be worth eating.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Chicken marinated in minced lemongrass and garlic, stir-fried with fish sauce for savory depth (ga xao sa ot). The bright lemongrass aroma and sweet-salty sauce make this one-pan Vietnamese dish a rice-devouring favorite.
Banh Xeo (Crispy Crepe)
A rice-flour batter stained gold with turmeric, fried paper-thin and crisp, then filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts — southern Vietnam's beloved sizzling crepe. Wrap a piece in lettuce and herbs and dip it in sweet-tangy nuoc cham.
Gỏi cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls)
Vietnamese fresh spring rolls: shrimp, vegetables, and rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper. Barely any cooking, light and healthy, and irresistible with a savory peanut dipping sauce.
Banh Mi (Baguette Sandwich)
Saigon's iconic street sandwich — a crackly Vietnamese baguette stuffed with pâté, cold cuts or grilled pork, cilantro, and tangy pickled daikon-and-carrot (do chua). French bread meets Vietnamese flavor.
Bun Cha (Hanoi Grilled Pork & Noodles)
Hanoi's signature dish — char-grilled pork in a sweet-sour-salty nuoc cham, eaten by dipping rice vermicelli, herbs, and greens into the bowl. Yes, the bun cha Obama and Bourdain shared.